LOVE PSYCHEDELICO

Formed in 1997 by two friends at Toyko's Aoyama Gakuin University, singer/guitarist Kumi and guitarist/bassist/keyboardist Naoki Sato spent a few years self-releasing their music before they were signed to Japanese label Victory in 1999. In 2001 their debut album, The Greatest Hits, which included the singles "Lady Madonna/Yuutsu Naru Spider," "Your Song," and "Last Smile," came out and gave their '60s- and '70s-influenced J-pop immediate attention in their native country, enough to get them a spot in Japan Nite at the 2001 SXSW Festival. Kumi, like many Japanese singers, mixe...