With a strong self-released record and a reputation for blistering live performances, Tokyo band Molice seem perched on the verge of world domination, or at least a record contract.  The band mixes up '80s and early '90s new wave and punk, Pixies-style noise, and an occasional hint of shoegaze, but their sound is ultimately their own, and very very cool.  Rinko (vocals, guitar) and Yuzuru (guitar) took some time out of their weekend to chat with Nippop over lunch, followed by some cherry blossom viewing along the Meguro River in Nakameguro.  Here's what we found out...

Nippop: I know you guys formed in 2007, but you were playing under the name Chinachop before that.  Can you give me a short pre- Molice history.

Rinko: Chinachop was also a four member band, and we went through a lot of member changes.  Yuzuru was always there on guitar, but we had a lot of different bass players and drummers.

Nippop: Why the name change from Chinachop?

Rinko: The biggest reason was that we just wanted to start fresh.  I probably shouldn't be telling you this, but we, um, checked out the name, and were told that another name would be better.  How should I say this? 

Yuzuru: Okay, it was a fortuneteller.  A fortuneteller told us the name was no good.

Rinko: A fortuneteller told us that the name was no good, so we switched to a name made out of things we liked.

Nippop: Molice sounds a lot like Police.  Is there some connection there?

Rinko: Yeah, there's a big one.

Yuzuru: We're big fans.

Rinko: Yeah, we like The Police.  We also like Jim Morrison of the Doors, Morrisey from The Smiths, and from the Velvet Underground we like...

Nippop: Don't tell me.  Maureen Tucker, right?

Rinko: Yep, Maureen Tucker.  There is also an author named Maurice Sendak I really like.  Do you know him?

Nippop: Sure.

Rinko: So anyway, there seemed to be a lot of people we like whose names start with the sound "mo", so we combined it with "police", and came up with Molice.

Nippop: Got it.  How about Chinachop?

Rinko: Another member thought that one up.

Nippop: Does it have something to do with a karate chop?

Rinko: I think so.  He was going for something powerful.. 

Nippop: Okay, so you changed the band name to Molice, and pretty much right after that you were invited to play at Summer Sonic.  A lot of bands would kill for that opportunity.  How did it happen?

Rinko: We sent in a demo CD and they liked it, so they asked us to play.

Nippop: Who is they?

Rinko: Somebody at EMI.  They were accepting submissions, and whoever was in charge there must have liked it.

Nippop: So, did you get to play with any cool bands there?

Rinko: Yes.

Nippop: Foreign bands?  Japanese bands?

Rinko: There were a lot of both.  Puffy played on the same stage.  Teriyaki Boyz were there too.  Dinosaur Jr. and Modest Mouse were playing on another stage.

Nippop: I saw both Dinosaur Jr. and Modest Mouse last year at shows here in Tokyo.  It was cool seeing Johnny Marr play with Modest Mouse, because I never got to see him with The Smiths.  Dinosaur Jr. was pretty good too, and it was kind of special to see the original lineup, but the average age of the audience was up there.  It was like a classic rock concert.  I actually felt young, and that doesn't happen too often these days.  So, you have been gigging around Tokyo pretty much solid since Summer Sonic?

Yuzuru: Yes.

Nippop: So is there any typical Molice fan?

Rinko: I think we do well with people who are really into music.  We have a lot of fans like that.

Yuzuru: People who aren't finding what they like in current Japanese music.

Nippop: I think it's safe to say you sound a bit different than the standard fare today.

Rinko: But highschool kids show up too, and it seems like the gender ratio is about 50-50.  That may be unusual.

Nippop: I can see that.  Are you familiar with Sotaisei Riron?  I saw them a couple of weeks ago, and thought there might be some overlap with your fan base.

Rinko: I can see that.  We get that type coming to shows too.

Nippop: By the way, I was amazed when I first heard them.  Really kind of bowled over.  That female vocalist has a great sense of melody and wordplay.  Her lyrics are pretty unique.  And the guitarist seems like he may be a fan of The Police as well.  When I saw them live he was really laying on the phaser.

Rinko: I haven't seen them yet.

Nippop: Let's talk a bit about your sound.  I hear all kinds of stuff in there.  '80s and early '90s new wave and punk, some shoegaze, some noise rock.  Can you name any major influences?

Rinko: The list would be endless, but when we started Molice, we were thinking of The Police, The Pixies, and The Doors as three major pillars of what we wanted to do, and built from there.  But personally, there are scads of bands we like.

Nippop: I can see the influence from The Police and The Pixies, but I'm having to stretch on The Doors.

Rinko: The Doors may be more of a general presence than an identifiable influence.  Maybe a way of thinking. 

Nippop: What is it about The Pixies that you like?

Yuzuru: With The Pixies, it's the guitar.  The simplicity is what makes it work for me.  There's not always a lot of activity, but it makes a big impression.  The overall songs are great too.

Nippop: How about The Police?

Rinko: First of all, they're catchy, but then there's also the range.  When you hear them on CD, there are a lot of soft parts, but when you see them live it's like three guys fighting it out up there, and nobody compromises.  Great rhythms too.  The songs are great.  The performances are great.

Nippop: They were in Japan recently, right?

Yuzuru: We saw them.

Rinko: The first song was "Message in a Bottle" (imitates guitar riff).

Nippop: Right off the bat, huh?  They weren't wasting any time.  You guys should cover that one.  It would fit right in.

Rinko: We do it at rehearsal sometimes.

Nippop: So how do you write lyrics and music?

Yuzuru: Rinko Does it.

Nippop: What's the process?  Do you pick it out on a guitar first, and then take it to the band for arranging?

Rinko: It depends on the song.  It could come from chords, or from the guitar lead, the bassline, or even the drums.  I come up with that first part in my head, and record it so I don't forget.  Then I take it to rehearsal and we work out the arrangements there.

Nippop: So, your CD, Dr. Ray, is great. 

Rinko: Thanks.

Nippop: What's the story behind the title?

Rinko: I noticed that the word hikari (light) appears in a lot of the songs, so we decided to include it in the title.  It's an imaginary researcher of light called Dr. Ray. 

Nippop: Now that you mention it, that concept Does seem to pop up a lot.  Do you have any favorite songs on the album?

Yuzuru: The last song, "In the Light".  It's simple, and I like the guitar phrasing on it.  It also kind of fits in with the whole Dr. Ray theme.

Nippop: Rinko, how about you?

Rinko: Well, since I write them, it's hard for me to pick out just one.  But if I had to choose, it would probably be "Superb Space" and "Ms. Panic", which were the first songs I wrote after we changed our name to Molice.  They have good memories attached to them.

Nippop: I'm a sucker for melody, and I love the melody on "Love Song".  I listened to it for 20 minutes straight on the train last night, and then walking home from the station.  It seems directionally different than other material on the CD.  Any story behind it?

Yuzuru: I'm a pretty big shoegaze fan, and while most of our songs are kind of punchy, I wanted to show people that we have this other side as well.

Nippop: It seems that a lot of foreign folks here in Tokyo are into your music, and I know you got some airplay on several college radio stations in the States.  What do you think it is about your music that appeals to non-Japanese?

Yuzuru: When we started this band, we weren't just thinking in terms of Japan, and we wanted it to be something that would translate all over the world.  It's not like we were going out of our way to appeal to people outside of Japan when we came up with the songs, but I think the results work for a lot of different kinds of people.

Rinko: And I don't think it's something that doesn't appeal to Japanese.  Foreigners seem to have responded more quickly, but I think Japanese are responding as well. 

Nippop: Well, to be honest, I think a lot of Japanese music doesn't really work for foreigners, so when they find something they like, they tend to pass the word on, and suddenly there is a bit of a following.  Even in Tokyo, it's a relatively small community, so when something's up, the word tends to get around.  On that note, any plans to play overseas?

Rinko: We would like to do it, but we are still kind of thinking about where.  There are a lot of countries out there.

Nippop: I was imagining the US or the UK.

Rinko: I was thinking Australia too, for some reason.

Nippop: As far as number of places to play goes, the US might be a good choice, but I can see you guys going over well anywhere.  I can totally envision you on something like the Japan Nite tour that goes around the US after the South by Southwest event in Austin.

Rinko: Introduce us to the people who run it!

Nippop: Any message for people reading this?

Rinko: Listen to our music if you haven't heard it yet!

I caught Molice's show at Ueno Brash two days after our interview.  Second on a bill of four, they tore the place up with an assault of noise and energy, tightly bundled into crisp, melodic three-minute songbursts.  If you get the chance to catch them live, do it.  And don't miss their new record, Dr. Ray.  If you live in the US, you can find it at CD Baby.  If you are in Japan, check out their website at http://themolice.com/ for a list of retailers carrying it.

Molice - The Nippop Interview