The future arrives in San Jose this week. Perfume, one of the biggest J-Pop bands in at least a generation, comes to the City National Civic in support of last year’s Future Pop. Massive, relentless and ever-expanding into new territories, Future Pop is the culmination of nearly 20 years of pushing pop music forward from the boundary-defying Hiroshima group.

One of only six scheduled shows in America, this is the only Bay Area show for the group, which might surprise some. But the fact is, San Jose has always been ahead of the curve when it comes to Perfume’s music. From all the way across the Pacific, they’ve already had a profound influence on the sound of the city’s young musicians, three of whom spoke with us about how the group helped shape their understandings of pop music, their own songwriting, and the transcendent power of a killer groove.

YVETTE YOUNG
Covet | Yvette Young (Solo)

It was about four or five years ago, I think I was just looking at YouTube, listening to different things, and I came upon the song “Polyrhythm,” from the album Game. It kind of blew me away. Listening to it, there was so much going on. And then it got to a part of the song where there was actual polyrhythm and I was like, “This is amazing!” So I started checking out more and more of their music.

A lot of J-Pop can be kind of cookie cutter, but this was something else. There’s a lot of danciness in their music, but in a way that’s interesting. I play, I guess what you could call math rock, but I really try to keep it dancey as well, to keep it fun and engaging. I guess I really have been influenced by them.

BOB VIELMA
Boboso | Tadaima

I kind of caught the beginning of their uptick—coincidentally, probably around 2008, when I moved to Japan to teach. I would always hear their music playing in the background of different places I’d go. I was just like, “Whatever this weird techno is, I really like it.” Then they had this single come out a few months later called “Dream Fighter.”

“Dream Fighter” was just the best pop song. It was the one where I was able to convince all my friends that this wasn’t just some disposable J-Pop.

I think they’re one of the ones that helped me focus and really understand what my interests are in music, which are melody and groove. They had a really good streak, like three albums in a row, where just every song had a killer melody, and they have a few songs that have long instrumental sections with really heavy grooves.

DAN VO
Superworld | Leer

I was just on the computer one day, you know, on AIM, and someone sent me a link. It was almost pre-YouTube, I think. I just remember seeing videos and thinking, “This is the coolest thing.” The music was really cool, the choreography was really cool, and it was like right as I was getting into everything I was getting into. Right around when I started watching anime, started learning about music and playing instruments.

I went to see them the first time they played in America, at the Hollywood Palladium, and I just remember my friend met up with a whole group of Perfume fans, friends from the forum “Perfume City.” I know for a lot of them it was super emotional, like the first time they met after being internet friends for all these years. There was a lot of that going on at that show.

It feels like it does have some bearing on the way I play music, or play guitar. Or maybe on what I like about music, is a better way to put it. There’s something about how intricate some of those parts sound. It’s not complicated, and it’s really poppy, but there’s a lot of layers. It’s a really ingenious thing

Perfume
Apr 17, 8pm, $45+
City National Civic, San Jose

YEAR-END LISTS typically hew to the comfy round number 10. And although Top 10 has a ring to it, Silicon Valley’s melting pot of musical talent fused genres, collaborated, innovated and turned out so many great LPs and EPs this year that it became a nearly impossible task to narrow it down to even the Top 15 releases, so we squeezed one more pick for a favorite 16. Here, in no particular order, are some of 2013’s best local releases.

The Bangerz: PRiSM
PriSM, the Bangerz’ second soundtrack LP for the Jabbawockeez Las Vegas stage show, showcases the crew going deeper into some amazing futuristic soundscapes. The crew has always straddled a line between throwback hip-hop and cutting edge electro-jams, but it’s all forward thinking with this release. In a sign of the times—as the line between EDM and hip-hop continues to blur—there’s a healthy dose of dubstep influence on this record, as well.

Rebelskamp: The Kill
Going into a recording studio without any written material doesn’t sound like a winning formula for an album, yet Rebelskamp produced a remarkable LP this year. They’ve gotten so good at improvisation that they don’t sound like they’re inventing the music on the spot. Yet, the spontaneity of such a freeform formula remains intact. These songs go any and everywhere, drifting through funk riffs, psychedelic space jams and crazy free-jazz. A highlight is “The Rebel,” with local rapper Dirtbag Dan freestyling a couple verses.

Philthy Dronez: Wepa Life
Up until recently, Matt Gonzales was known mostly as the go-to guitarist for local bands. (Anya and the Getdown, Raul y Mexia, Chris Reed—to name a few). Now the world gets a taste of his solo project: producing Latin-infused electro-beats under his alter-ego, Philthy Dronez. His debut EP, Wepa Life, was released on Global Bass Experience a few months back. It’s a short EP, about 15 minutes, but it’s bumpin’. It centers on the emerging new-cumbia sound, but also veers into electronic and hip-hop territory, and even some old-school cumbia.

Boboso: Grown Ass Man
There are three things Boboso raps about: food, cats and his love for the female derriere—often within the same song. Yet, he’s not exactly a comedy rapper. He can really rhyme. Plus, his production skills are top-notch: classic West Coast beats with surreal twists. The Beach Boys sample on “That Breathe In, Breathe Out Shit” is a particular highlight. Jeff Rosenstock from Brooklyn punk band Bomb the Music Industry also lays down an impressive verse on “Sartorial Panache.”

Careless Hearts: Alum Rock
Alum Rock isn’t just the latest album by Careless Hearts; it’s the culmination of five years of life-changing events. They started out a laidback Americana group, but since 2008’s Heart’s Delight, they’ve gone through some major lineup changes and played a life-changing show with punk legend, Stooges guitarist James Williamson. It shows in the roots-rock, power-pop songwriting on Alum Rock. The release rocks harder, louder and with more passion than their first two albums.

Antwon: In Dark Denim
In Dark Denim isn’t as accessible as Antwon’s prior work and takes the San Jose rapper in a new direction. His beats are grimier, the samples are darker and the lyrics are dirtier than ever. “Work 4 Me,” with its down-and-dirty hip-shaking beat and raunchy lyrics, sounds like he’s seducing the listener. All the while, Antwon’s fanbase continues to grow, with a successful run at SXSW, an appearance at Treasure Island Music Festival and two national tours during the last year.

The Albert Square: How’s Everybody’s Doings?
Last year, Sim Castro reformed his punk rock outfit the Albert Square. The songwriting is much in the same vein, subtly nuanced ’80s and ’90s post-punk-inspired, but the band’s performances are far more unhinged—a good thing. Their newfound spastic energy complements Castro’s reflective songwriting quite well. However, the strongest song, “(Proud) Parents,” is oddly the most reserved track on the EP.

The Limousines: Hush
It’s been a couple years since synth-pop duo the Limousines released their brilliant debut, Get Sharp. Despite all the views they were getting on YouTube and radio play they received, they had major problems to sort out with their label, but Hush was worth the wait: Its synth beats are dancier, the production is more refined and in place of their signature clever nihilism, Hush offers lyrics that are raw and honest. Hush was made with funds from a Kickstarter campaign that sought $30,000 but ended up raising $75,000.

Dinners: Black Rabbits
If such a thing as a San Jose “supergroup” exists, Dinners might be that band, featuring members from Worker Bee and Doctor Nurse. Dinners go into a different direction than either Worker Bee (moody indie rock) or Doctor Nurse (psychedelic folk) with lo-fi noise-pop and a heavy dose of Guided By Voices influence. At first listen, Black Rabbits sounds like the kind of four-track recording popular with ’90s indie bands, but it’s actually a quite meticulously, thoughtfully crafted album. The cover art is amazing, too.

Rey Resurreccion, M-10, Locsta Villan: First Street Sessions
Some of rapper Rey Resurreccion’s finest works are collaborations. Last year, he worked with the Bangerz to make some killer old school hip-hop tunes. This year, he got together with emcees M-10 and Locsta Villan and created the 1st Street Sessions. Together the trio has produced eight laid-back, dreamy hip-hop songs that should be on urban stations all across the country.

Raul y Mexia: Arriba y Lejos
Brothers Raul y Mexia released a fun, passionate Spanish-language album this year on Nacional Records, the current leaders of cutting-edge Latin music. Arriba y Lejos combines elements of cumbia and other traditional Latin sounds with hip-hop and electronica. The duo, who are sons of Hernán Hernández, bassist of famous Norteño band Los Tigres del Norte, has created something that both pays tribute to classic Latin music, like their father created, and all the newer American music they grew up with here in San Jose.

Sean Blak: #Basslife
Sean Blak books live hip-hop shows, puts on battle-rap events and holds a weekly Tuesday night residency, “the Trap Shop” at Johnny V’s. He’s also a prolific rapper, with a ton of lo-fi, surreal homemade hip-hop records online. His best this year is the LP #Basslife. On it, he takes some of the strangest, most intimate beats and makes them sound like outrageous club bangers.

Slime Girls: Vacation Wasteland
By the time Slime Girls came together, the chiptune scene was already well-established. Yet they’ve still been able to find their own sound within it, taking all the old Nintendo chip Gameboy sounds and mixing them with surf, punk and ska. Their latest EP, Vacation Wasteland, is a seriously fun collection of instrumental chip-rock tunes. It was originally pressed on cassette because they’re that into old technology.

David Brookings: The Maze
The Maze is David Brookings’ sixth full-length album since 2000, yet he’s still working on building his fanbase in the Bay Area. He moved to Northern California from the Memphis by way of Richmond, Virginia, in 2009, and produced his five albums before heading West. The Maze, like its five predecessors, brings together ’60s psychedelic-rock and ’80s New Wave.

Derek See: She Came This Way
The title track to Derek See’s She Came This Way is an amazing psychedelic-pop gem. At first, See, who normally plays guitar in soul group the Bang, recorded it, along with a couple other tunes, just for fun. It was good enough for an indie label to offer to release it, and they even ran out of the first pressing. It’s the kind of song that, had it been written in 1967, would have been a Summer of Love FM hit, no doubt.

Noothgrush: Split LP with Coffins
Back in the ’90s, sludge metal group Noothgrush were a pretty big deal. Along with Sleep and a few other bands, San Jose boasted a strong doom metal scene. Noothgrush just recently reformed, and they also just released a split record with Japanese metal band Coffins. The third track, “Thoth” is particularly special, as it contains spoken clips from the late, great, much beloved KFJC DJ, Cy Thoth, who died earlier this year.

For 17 years Mike Park has run Asian Man Records, one of the most successful (if not the most successful) DIY ska-punk record labels in the country, from a garage in Los Gatos.

Over the years, he’s discovered Less Than Jake, Alkaline Trio, Andrew Jackson Jihad and numerous other bands. He’s also a prolific musician on his own, first with Skankin’ Pickle, who were early third-wave ska favorites, before moving on to ska bands the Bruce Lee Band, the Chinkees and a handful of solo records (he even released a children’s album, Smile, two years ago). Here are Park’s favorite albums for 2013 in no particular order.

Laura Stevenson – Wheel
Laura hails from Brooklyn and is one of the most underrated singer/songwriters of our time. She should be massively huge and successful. Her vocal and guitar chops are insane. I get chills every time I see her perform live. All her records rule, and this one is no different.

Who would have thought that three guys sitting around watching the Damon Wayans military comedy Major Payne would be make for such a good music video?

San Jose’s Hard Girls take this ridiculous concept as the basis for their new video. It starts with some overt over-the-top comedic elements—the band members sitting on the couch gleefully emulating Wayans’s every move—and quickly progresses into all-out Apocalypse Now mental breakdowns.

The video, which was directed by Bob Vielma (Boboso, Shinobu), contains a level of absurdity that is almost the complete opposite of Hard Girls’ serious, nuanced music, which for some reason fits perfectly. Hard Girls have for the past couple years pushed the bounds of punk into new realms, mixing influences from Pavement, Silkworm and Swans into a raw, energetic package. Their musicianship is complex and innovative and yet contains the simple purity of sweaty, driving rock beats and guttural, honest vocals.

Bass player Morgan Herrell sings lead vocals on “Major Payne.” His voice has the cracking, hoarse quality of Blake Schwarzenbach’s early work with Jawbreaker, only with greater control and a better sense of pitch. “Major Payne” starts at a furious, upbeat tempo and is layered with interesting, experimental post-punk chords. After a minute and a half of being a relatively pop-oriented punk song, it departs into a tense, instrumental space-jam for the remaining two and a half minutes.

This video is a taste of Hard Girls, long-anticipated album, Isn’t it Worse, which is set to be released on Really Records this December.

Tucked away from the rest of the South Bay, Mountain View doesn’t usually get a lot of attention for live music. But for the past couple years Mikey Gagnon-Queen has quietly booked cool, underground shows at Dana Street Coffee. We asked Queen to tell us more about the what he calls the “open community” he’s helping to create.

How long have you been doing shows at Dana Street?
I started hosting shows at Dana Street around four years ago. It started as more acoustic acts like Dan Potthast (of Mu330) and Kevin Seconds (of 7 seconds). I would host shows in my garage of my house or at friends’ houses, but we grew tired of dealing with neighbors and MVPD.

Nick Chaput (the owner of Dana Street) puts on awesome jazz/experimental shows on Sunday nights after we close and I thought to myself, “Well, I can do this but with my friends and their bands.” So I booked some friends bands from around the area and it sort of just snowballed into this sort of venue.

What kind of music do you normally book?
I like to think I don’t book one type of music. I book bands I’m really interested in. I like to help out groups that may not be able to find a place to play. The South Bay isn’t close to as open minded as it should be to new and different bands coming out. It’s almost like you need to fit into some “scene” and I want a venue that doesn’t have “scenes” connected to it. I try and book bands that are not too similar so that no one feels like they can’t find something that might like.

Sometimes coffee shop shows can be mellow and more like background music. What are your shows like?
They range on what bands are playing. Some nights the kids seem to just want to watch and other nights they want to dance. I feel like the space is more for them and the band then anything. I leave it up to the bands to control the vibes going on in the cafe.

What are some crazy and/or interesting things that have happened at shows?

So many fun and crazy things go on at our shows! Watching the Blank Reference play a drum solo for a half hour was insane! Sean Kavanaugh of the High Sea did a full front flip off his drum stool into the crowd at our last show. He did a swan dive into the kids in the front row.

What is the Mountain View scene like? What do passing strangers think when there are shows going on?
I dislike “scenes”. That makes me feel like you are just looking to be a part of something that only so many can join. With our shows I don’t want a “scene” so much as I want an open community. The bands that have started here and faded away have always been different from one another.

We try and keep our eyes, ears and minds open to new bands and musicians coming out. The bands we have had from out of state express amazement that there is something going on out here in this city. We had Delay play their first northern California gig at my house and every time the Taxpayers come down from Portland, they asked to play at Dana Street after we had them play the first time. So, bands do enjoy coming and checking out something different and unexpected.

Some of your bills seem pretty diverse. Is that a deliberate action? What is your philosophy on creating bills?
That came out of my love for different genres of music and trying to getting people to go to different kinds shows. I want to open everyone’s eyes to different styles of music. If you book only a show with only metal bands then you are gonna get a lot of metal heads. If you book a punk show then you may only get punk kids. What if you booked a show that had a punk band, a metal band and just for the hell of it a Hip Hop artist? You may get a whole bunch of kids coming to see that one band and maybe a hand full to check out the other act but nevertheless I’m getting to exposed them to something different.

What can bands expect if they played one of your shows (other than getting paid in coffee)?
HA! Only the lucky get paid in coffee! We do give all the money from the door to the bands. We split it up evenly and everyone gets a little something. I don’t take any of the cut and I have only volunteers working with me on these shows. I want the bands to feel free to have a blast and not feel like they have to “perform.” This is their moment, have as much fun as possible.

Any interesting shows coming up we should know about?
July 15th- The High Sea, Boboso, Street Girls, & Kerry Poling (of the Citizens)
Aug 5th- The Taxpayers
Aug 26th- Downstaaiirs (members of Heavy Heavy Low Low)

Boboso (aka Bob Vielma) is known primarily as the go-to South Bay punk rock bassist. He’s played in Shinobu, Yulia, The High Sea, The Bears and several others throughout the past decade. But quietly over the past year, he’s recorded a killer hip hop mixtape that is at least as good as anything most of the other South Bay rappers have put out. He recently released a hilarious, low-budget video for the song “Ya Boy Boboso” to accompany the release.

What people may not know about Vielma is that is roots have always been in hip hop. Before he ever picked up a bass, he formed the hip hop crew, the Rap$callions back in high school. They openly flaunted their nerdiness and heir topics of choice were either too dumb for any respectable rapper (love for burgers and fries) or they went the complete opposite direction, as in an exaggerated, sarcastic version of “real” rap, with subject like money and ho’s.

This was all before nerdcore gained national recognition. A few years down the road they changed their name to the Chillin Dogs and improved their beats and rap skills to the point of being a legitimately good rap group, though no less silly.

Now that Vielma has returned to rap as a solo artist, he has refined his over-the-top lyrics, his flow, and his genuinely interesting production work. His upcoming mixtape features a lot of other non-hip hop South Bay musicians too—people like Ben Henderson and Mark Guerrero, from the pop punk band the Pillowfights.

“Ya Boy Boboso” is a simple hip hop tune with a cool piano loop and an instantly catchy chorus. The content is one big long brag about how every girl in the entire world “knows about ya boy Boboso.” The video only emphasizes the ridiculousness of the song by placing Vielma in front of a green screen while he raps over old black and white footage. Vielma mimics standard rap poses with ease, but throws in some goofy dancing to remind viewers what a ridiculous song they’re listening to—just in case in case they forgot.