She Says:  

Are Goose House a group  or a musicians collective?  We do not really know and actually we do not care because Goose House are FUN ! ! !  In this special edition of He Said – She Said we want to share our enthusiasm for this wonderful group of young musicians who have taken a very different path to success and on the way have had a lot of fun and shared the fun with many thousands of people.

He Says:

A little bit difficult for me to write about this band as I only came across them a few weeks ago in relation to the Yui tribute album ( see Sakura’s previous post). However I’ve been playing their songs and videos and find them very enjoyable. This post, I think, illustrates two things about the Japanese music scene at the moment.
1. There’s still room for “bedroom” musicians.
2. It’s pretty much self contained. Goose House could cover “Teen Spirit” or other Western rock songs but they choose J-pop instead. They don’t need us.

She Says:

So who and what are Goose House ? ? ?  Goose House was formed when, just for fun, a group of eight friends, who were all singer songwriters, started to post videos of themselves playing cover versions of J-pop hits and classics on YouTube which they filmed in their living room.  They formed the themselves into a band in 2011 when they noticed they were getting lots of views on YouTube and so Goose House was born ! ! !

Their videos on YouTube now have more than 70 million views and they have 69,000 subscribers to their YouTube Channel.  They perform, record, and make videos, both as the full group of eight and also in endless combinations of the memebers in different sub units. They have released one full album and three mini albums of their original tracks, but in this post we want to share some of their covers.

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AKB48 – Flying Get

He Says:

I thought the title was a misprint ! Now I know better. I think this one works really well. You’d never guess, if you didn’t know, that it was a “Girlie Group” type song. It sounds like it was made for a small combo like this. Nice.

She Says:

A Flying Get is the slang that Otaku (obsessive fans ) use to say when they get a record or game before the official release date.  AKB48 had a massive hit with this track which uses the term to describe how they were going to get a guy even though he had a girlfriend (so before his official release date ! ! ! )  I really love this track.  It is really great version of a modern classic J-pop song and they give it a completely new  style while keeping the fun of the original.

Dragon Ash – Life Goes On

She Says:

This is one of the early videos.  Actually this is one of my all time favourite Dragon Ash tracks and it takes guts to make a cover of such an famous track from one of the most important bands in Japanese music today.  Dragon Ash are really impossible to classify.  They started more than 20 years ago as a punk band, became a metal band then became a hip hop and rap band and in between even released  a latin album,  but somehow they were always more than a genre.  They mix reggae, rap, rock and latin in unique way. They have always been great innovators and really creative.  This version really keeps the feeling of the original but at the same time we have the Goose House unique  interpretation which gives the track a freshness for me even though I know the original so well.

He Says:

What is going on here ! Why is there a dartboard AND a fridge in the same room ! Odd. Anyway, the song, Dragon Ash are, proverbially, “Big in Japan” and it’s natural that the Goosers should have a bash at one of their songs. A nice, homely version.

Puffy – Kore ga Watashi no Ikiru Michi (My Way of Life)

He Says:

My favourite. I love Puffy things anyway, they are always so tuneful. A bit like a Japanese , female Monkees ( not Japanese , female monkeys, that’s a different thing). Total funtime. Love the hats !

She Says:

This is maybe Puffy’s most famous single.  It was a number one hit and sold more than 1.5 million records in Japan.  It was used as the theme of the drama series Heroes, it was used in the French – Japanese thriller movie Wasabi, in the computer games  Donkey Konga 3 and Rayman Raving Rabbids 2 and in the TV advertisement for Juicy Juicy shampoo so probably every one in Japan knows this song ! ! ! I think this is one of my favourite cover versions by Goose House.  It is just so much fun ! ! !  The song is about feeling good, travelling the world and seeing things from a new perspective and having fun and I think they capture this feeling perfectly ! ! !

Mr Children  - Irodori (Bright Colours)

She Says:

We thought it would be nice to see the full group and this is a really nice version of a classic song from one of Japan’s most popular rock bands.  In this version I really love the call and response part of “Tadaima!” (I am home) and “Okaeri !”  (welcome home)  These are the greetings we traditionally say when you come home and it is really cheering after a long day to hear your family all call out Okaeri when you come home to them.  I find it very touching to hear it in this song, which is about a regular guy and the sense of purpose and fullfillment he gets from his wife and family.

He Says:

Aha ! The secret bonus track ! Sakura snuck this one in on me so I didn’t know it was coming. Really nice, actually and they’ve tidied the apartment up, which is nice. This is typical “Big Band” Goose House and really takes a lift when the all join in. They look kind of goofy. But in a good way.The girls, in particular, are “adorkable”.

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She Says:

Goose House are really a different type of band.  They made it by using social media like YouTube and Ustream and their reputation spread through word of mouth.  Of course now they are with a major record company but still post their fun cover versions on YouTube and they have not lost the freshness and sense of fun we love.  There are so many Goose House videos on YouTube so If you liked these ones please check them out some more ! ! !

He Says:

So there you go. A nice, homely sort of band, I think. Something we could do with over here more. Not manufactured, just people having fun with their music and, thanks to the technology, sharing  a little joy with the world.

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Do Not Miss  The Next Super Romantic  Episode Of   –  He Said She Said ! ! !

 ♥ ♥ ♥  Our Songs ♥ ♥ ♥

Yes ! ! !

In the next episode, Mr P and I are going to share the songs that have a special place in our hearts because they remind us of one another ! ! !

 We  can promise laughter, tears, joy, sorrow, drama and a happy ending ! ! !

So join us for ♥ Our Songs ♥  -  exclusively to The Spill in two weeks time ! ! !