Anamanaguchi add an organic and live element by playing conventional instruments atop their original synthesiszed compositions; electric guitar, bass, and drums float over their electronic joy ride to infuse a more traditional and natural flavor.

The band made noise with some covers (wavves’ ‘So Bored’, Weezer’s ‘Holiday’) before being largely recognized for their own tracks, but after a full LP in 2009 (Dawn Metropolis), Anamanaguchi struck gold. The guys announced they would be scoring the soundtrack to the Ubisoft video game Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: The Game, which went on to hit #3 on Billboard’s Heatseekers chart, and land them a spot in the video game ‘Rock Band’ with their song ‘Airbrushed’.

These boys are cultural as well: on November 17th, 2010, Anamanaguchi held a vigil anf performed a free concert in Union Square for the discontinuing of Four Loko. Now that’s sensitive. So what now? One Eyed Jacks! With Peelander-Z, the Japanese Action Comic Punk Band, and our favorite local skataniks The Local Skank. Guitarist Ary stepped up to reveal what’s in his own headphones when they’re not connected to his axe- Surf’s up:

1) Ian Van Dahl - 'Castles in the Sky'

This song has been stuck in my head since the first time I went to a rave, when I was roughly thirteen or fourteen. I still sing it about once or twice a day. I occasionally treat myself to listening to the actual recording too. Every club in the world should play this song at least once a night because it's the best song ever. If you don't already know this song, however, then you should probably just skip it…it's just some shitty trance.

2) Sidney Samson - 'Riverside'

Riverside motherfucker is maybe the most annoying song in the world, but also the best…people call this kind of music anything from fidget house, to ringtone house, wonk, and even just "stupid" as a genre name. It'll make pretty much anyone dance though. It's a very intricately composed track that could only be defined as stupid-- really stupid.

3) Nirvana - 'Sappy'

Nirvana was my first obsession as a child. My AIM screen name is still cobainisgod213. I was never really one to be like "I only like early Nirvana, or punk Nirvana…" I wasn't ‘indie’ enough to be picky when I first heard their music; I was just an instant fan of anything they did. They probably could've put out a rap track and I would've been down. That said, one of my favorite Nirvana tracks is lesser known: "Sappy."

4) Hexadeci - 'Alone in the Dark'

Radio Graffiti is an awesome record label that focuses on putting out awesome hardcore lo-fi electronic music.They consistently put out amazing releases, and this track is my most recent favorite. "Alone in the Dark" is a super gritty fast track that falls into the category of "Amigacore" (a term used to refer to hardcore electronic music usually made on Amiga computer). It also samples my favorite Shakira song.

5) Salem - 'Skullcrush'

I still get a lot of shit for liking Salem.I guess I'm not discreet about it though…I kind of like watching people call me ‘entry-level alt’ for liking them…I guess they just listen to whatever the blogs tell them. I'm not consisten fan, but they definitely have their moments. Skullcrush is one of them. 

6) Jogger - 'Nehpicide'

My friend Damon (Starscream) showed me this track a bit ago, and it turns out our drummer Luke actually knows these guys.This track exemplifies the reason why I'm in Anamanaguchi. This song mixes two elements (heavy metal vocals, electronica/chillwave-esque beats) that shouldn't belong in the same world-- and the result is amazing. We try and create contrast as well by mixing shitty 8-bit sounds with fast loud, pop-y punk music. Ridiculous combinations like that is an art in itself, and Jogger did an amazing job at that with this track (the music video is amazing as well).

7) Caroline - 'Swimmer'

This song is really pretty.I don't really want to talk about it…if you're not up for a vulnerable, gorgeous jam, then skip this one. If you are, then I hope you haven't heard this before, and you can add it to your late night, quiet music, guilty pleasure playlist, like I did.

8) Burial - 'Archangel'

Burial is amazing. I’m not saying ‘god’ yet, because he's only been around for five or six years now, and has only put out a relatively small amount of material. But he definitely has potential to be one of my favorite electronic artists somewhere down the line. This is his most popular track, and definitely a good one to start off with if you're unfamiliar with his stuff.

9) Aphex Twin - 'Rhubarb'

I could loop this song forever… I might get sick of all music one day and just do that. This is the only song I've ever heard that I enjoy just as much the first time hearing it. It's by no means my favorite song-- I'm just mesmerized by the fact that a song, or any work, can do that. That said, I've only actually known this song for a relatively short time; maybe it'll get old one day. I hope it won't.

10) Robert Ashley -' Automatic Writing'

I never really considered myself an electronic musician until after I heard this piece. I'm not exactly sure how correlated those two events are, but it happened at the same time. It's a forty-six minute piece that is not only a personally enjoyable, but also a conceptually interesting piece.