 pizzicato five (often known simply by the initials p5)yang jeff, dina can, terry hong, (1997) eastern standard time pg 277 new york: mariner books isbn 0-395-76341-x was a japanese pop group best known to audiences in the west in their later incarnation as a duo of maki nomiya and yasuharu konishi. the group, widely credited (along with flipper's guitar) with spearheading the shibuya-kei movement of tokyo in the 1990s, is known for eclectic and energetic compositions that often pay homage to late 1960s english-language pop music. the catchphrase "a new stereophonic sound spectacular" captured the group's ironic stance and eager attitude. the group broke up in march 2001. pizzicato five was a hugely prolific group during its 16-year-long existence, usually releasing at least an album each year in addition to various eps and remix albums. their music has appeared in numerous movies, television episodes, and video games. ==group history== ===1980s=== the group was formed in 1985 by konishi and fellow founding bandmates keitarÅ takanami, ryÅ kamomiya, mamiko sasaki, and shigeo miyata. miyata left the group almost immediately but the four remaining members kept the name pizzicato five (the notation was "pizzicato v" from their debut to 1987). the band released its first single on haruomi hosono's non-standard label (teichiku records), a 12-inch ep called audrey hepburn complex which was produced by hosono in 1985.strong, martin c. (2003) the great indie discography, canongate, isbn 1-84195-335-0, p. 456 they followed this with the pizzicato v in action ep. in 1986, pizzicato five signed with cbs/sony (now sony music entertainment japan). in 1987, the band released their first all-new album, couples. it was a commercial failure, and the record company began pressuring the band to find a new lead singer. kamomiya and sasaki decided to quit. takao tajima, original love's frontman, joined the band soon as the new vocalist. he decided to work at these two bands. with tajima, the band released its second album, belissima! in 1988. the next two albums, 1989's on her majesty's request and 1990's soft landing on 
Japanese_dance_music_groups Japanese_dance_musicians Japanese_electronic_musicians Japanese_indie_pop_groups Japanese_pop_music_groups Japanese_rock_music_groups Matador_Records_artists Musical_groups_disestablished_in_2001 Musical_groups_established_in_1985 Musical_groups_from_Shibuya,_Tokyo Nippon_Columbia_artists Shibuya-kei_musicians