The Return of the Tower Records Buck-Tick Cafe

To those of you who were feeling disappointed that Buck-Tick's 30th anniversary should pass not only without a multi-band festival and tribute album, but also without a culinary celebration: fret not! The Tower Records Buck-Tick Cafe will be returning, this time for not one, but TWO stints, each involving slightly different foodstuffs.

The first stint will run from Tuesday, September 12th to Sunday, October 1st, and the second stint will run from Monday, October 2nd to Sunday, October 15th. As before, the cafe will be located in the Tower Records Cafe space, next door to Kiddy Land on Omotesando in Harajuku. The cafe is open daily from 11AM to 10PM, with the last order at 9PM. For more information on the cafe space, check the official website here.

While supplies last, fans who order Buck-Tick themed drinks at the cafe will receive a Buck-Tick coaster, while fans who order Buck-Tick themed foods will receive a special postcard.

As to the menu, it's extensive this time, and it looks delicious!

First, of course, we have the obligatory original Buck-Tick beer. At 1000 yen a bottle, it's not cheap, but the label looks like this, so we think it's worth it.

Also, we can say that we drank the beer at the last incarnation of the Tower Records Buck-Tick Cafe, and it was absolutely tasty enough to merit the marked-up price - a rich, honey-colored lager, heavy on the hops, and somewhere between Kirin Ichiban Shibori and a typical IPA in bitterness. Assuming this new version is the same beer, we definitely recommend giving this one a try.

The first stint of the cafe will also serve the following dishes. Descriptions were translated directly from the original Japanese on the Tower Records Blog, and we swear we took hardly any artistic license with them. They really are that cheesy.

PART I

(Savories)

UNDER THE MOON LIGHT (1300 yen)

This hamburger plate was inspired by two "moonlight-themed" songs, ranked 4th and 5th in the fan vote tallies. Both were big hits of the band's early career! The first dish was designed in the image of a crescent moon. This is the only song ever composed by Buck-Tick's bassist, Higuchi Yutaka! We hope we hear this song live... add your hopes to ours by eating this dish.

Baby, I Want You (1300 yen)

This tropical, loco-moco-style bacon plate is dripping in steak sauce. Played live, this sexy, up-tempo number instantly jacks up the voltage! Fill yourself up with juicy meat to store up energy for the outdoor festival and tour to come!!

LOVE PARADE (800 yen)

Buck-Tick use the "Parade" theme to symbolize big turning points. This time, for the 30th anniversary, they're throwing a bigger parade than ever, sending out a message with the feeling that "anyone can join in the fun with us, anytime." This dish is for all of you, so you can continue to enjoy the Parade in your own fun, stress-free style - a light garlic toast caprese plate.

(Sweets)

Angelic Conversation (900 yen)

Buck-Tick are known for their hallucinatory imagery, but even so, this song ranks at number 1 for plunging deep into an immersive fantasy world. The "snake-strawberries" in the lyrics gave us the idea for this waffle smothered in frozen berries and ice cream. Eat up while waving your crimson resolve like a banner. [Note from Cayce: yeah, this sounds good. But does it really contain the secret ingredients necessary for holding a truly Angelic conversation in authentic Imai style? That remains to be seen.]

Serenade -My Sweet Umbrella- (900 yen)

This isn't just any love song - the real beauty in it is the way the heart-warming cuteness gently creeps up on you. This desert is a crepe, inspired by the umbrella mentioned in the lyrics. Forget the rainy-day blues with this song and this delicious dessert.

Alice in Wonder Underground (900 yen)

This adorable song is undeniably one of Buck-Tick's greatest live hits! In honor of Alice in the title, we offer you an Alice-themed chocolate cake.

PART II

(Savories)

MOON LIGHT (1300 yen)

Now for our second moonlight-themed dish, based on a song from Buck-Tick's first album, Hurry Up Mode, released in 1987. This mega-hit song goes to show how Buck-Tick's melodies never lose their loveliness no matter how much time passes!!

MISS TAKE -I'm a Miss Take- (1300 yen)

This squid-ink spaghetti was inspired by the fantastical imagery in the music video for Miss Take, Buck-Tick's second release off their independent label, Lingua Sounda. We attempted to evoke the black and white dress and cave reminiscent of a deep-sea grotto. As bands go, Buck-Tick sure have a lot of black in their imagery!

LOVE PARADE (800 yen)

Buck-Tick use the "Parade" theme to symbolize big turning points. This time, for the 30th anniversary, they're throwing a bigger parade than ever, sending out a message with the feeling that "anyone can join in the fun with us, anytime." This dish is for all of you, so you can continue to enjoy the Parade in your own fun, stress-free style - a light garlic toast caprese plate.

(Sweets)

Kuchizuke (900 yen)

From the song to the CD jacket to the music video, this whole single was just too beautiful! Not only that, but the song was the first opening theme to the anime Shiki, whose theme of the living vs. the dead we attempted to convey in this parfait. Above ground, the living are represented by a mix of rare cheese and fruits, while below ground, the buried dead are represented by chocolate and berries. The theme might be "horror," but this parfait is chock-full of fruits! [Note from Cayce: by "chock full of fruits," do they mean this parfait is full of GAY? And maybe will make you GAY if you eat it? Bravo, Tower. Apparently you did your research and discovered that not only are 70% of the Buck-Tick fan base queer in some fashion, but at least 90% of this 70% are still at least partly closeted and need to come out. Also please someone buy this one for Cayce. We don't even eat sweets that much but this one sounds scrumptious.]

Sapphire (900 yen)

This dessert, inspired by the song title "Sapphire," oozes with sensual atmosphere. This parfait is topped with sapphire blue pineapple jelly, rare cheese and fruits that glow like jewels. This dish has unforgettable visual impact! [Note from Cayce: but does it also contain sex? Is "rare cheese" just a euphemism for "contains sex"? Fangirls, chow down with caution. You might get some sex in your mouth by miss take!]

Alice in Wonder Underground (900 yen)

This adorable song is undeniably one of Buck-Tick's greatest live hits! In honor of Alice in the title, we offer you an Alice-themed chocolate cake. This time, the bunny rabbits from the luxurious dark-fantasy-inspired music video also make an appearance. [Note from Cayce: is there a vegetable-only cake friendly to actual bunny rabbit Buck-Tick fans? Because a little bird told us that Buck-Tick has been gaining great popularity among the bunny rabbit demographic.]

DRINKS

Gem-quality Cock Tales cocktails selected personally by the band members themselves. (Same for Part I and Part II)

Presented by Sakurai Atsushi: Cuba Libre (850 yen)

The Cuba Libre, an alcoholic drink selected by Mr. Sakurai of the magnificent, sensual voice. [Note from Cayce: kids, we swear that's what it actual says in Japanese. Those were not our words. We never uttered them.]

Presented by Imai Hisashi: Goldfish (Kinmiya Shochu mixed with soda water and garnished with hawk's talon peppers and green shiso leaves) (850 yen)

Mr. Imai's favorite shochu and soda, with hawk's talon peppers and shiso leaves swimming in it for a unique, stylish touch. [Note from Cayce: Welcome to a drink that tastes like a gastronomic re-imagining of one of Imai's ugliest outfits! Hipsters rejoice: this is exactly the sort of unnecessarily pretentious and disgusting kind of cocktail you live for! Bonus points if they serve it in something that isn't a glass! For those of you who don't know, hawk's talon peppers are HOT PEPPERS. They are SPICY. They will BURN YOUR MOUTH. Shiso is a Japanese herb which could be described as an acquired taste, somewhere between toothpaste, wormwood, and tarragon (ewwww). Between you and us, we like almost all foods, and we still haven't acquired the taste for shiso. It comes in purple and green varieties. The purple variety is a lot better, but note that this drink contains the (in our opinion) inferior green variety. Also, drink shochu at your own risk. We love booze almost as much as Mr. Sakurai but shochu never fails to make us see our dinner again sooner than we'd like. Mr. Imai, you are a troll.]

Presented by Hoshino Hidehiko: Caramel Latte (800 yen)

A sweet iced caramel latte, topped with a squeeze of whipped cream. [Next on the program: Hoshino Hidehiko vs. Murata Yukio COFFEE HIPSTER FIGHT TO THE DEATH. One of them plays secret soccer on an all-guitarist soccer team. The other moonlights as a coffee pornographer on Instagram. One likes it sweet, creamy, and made of richly stylish grey suede. The other likes it single-origin Hokkaido roast and ten of the same hat in slightly different colors. They would both spend a night at a hotel making sweet love to an acoustic guitar. They both love horizontal stripes and small beards slightly more than their pinky toes. This situation is untenable! "What did you do to my brodude Acchan in that karaoke box last night!??" challenges an irate Hide, oblivious of tearful Acchan's pleas for them to settle their differences by making peace with their unacceptable similarities... and so the EPIC BATTLE BEGINS.]

Presented by Higuchi Yutaka: Serious Bear Matcha Milk (800 yen)

Hot matcha milk, topped with Higuchi Yutaka's original character Serious Bear. [Congrats, Yutaka. You're now tied with Acchan-chan for "least pretentious and most drinkable," and we can't even manage to milk a gay joke out of a green drink. You're safe... for now.]

Presented by Yagami Toll: Dourakumu Lemon (850 yen)

Sake on the rocks, with a twist of lemon for a fresh taste. [This is a hipster cocktail, but we'd drink it anyway. Still, by rights it should be Piccante Piccini box wine.]

Gekka Reijin (800 yen)

"Gekka Reijin," a song of ephemerality and loss, which also served as Shiki's second ending theme. The moon in the lyrics is represented by pineapple sherbet, while the flower is represented by berry-inflected grape soda. Enjoy the brevity of life in a glass!

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Whew, that's a lot of stuff! If you're confused about the "blue pineapple" thing, we encourage you to look up Okinawa's Blue Seal Ice Cream, "Blue Wave" flavor, because we're pretty sure it explains everything.

But food isn't all, folks. In addition to food, the following Buck-Tick x Tower Records collaborative goods will also be for sale:

Decorative Plate (3132 yen including tax)

Stoneware Mug (1080 yen including tax)

Clear File (324 yen including tax)

These items will also go on sale at the following Tower Records outlets: Sapporo Pivo, Shibuya, Kinshicho, Diver City Tokyo Plaza, Umeda NU Chayamachi, Nagoya Parco, Takamatsu Marugamemachi, and Tower Records Online. The goods will go on sale at these stores from September 19th, but the mug and the clear file will be available at the Tower Records Cafe from September 12th. However, the plate won't be available till the 19th, even at the Tower Records Cafe. There are a limited number of items, and once they're gone, they're gone, so spend your money faster than everyone else, kids! If any of y'all wants to reserve these items through Cayce, just let us know. This time our fee is you treating us to a drink at the cafe.

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But wait, there's more! There will also be 30th anniversary festival goods on sale at the cafe and at the Tower Records outlets above. As above, they'll be available from the 12th at the cafe, and from the 19th everywhere else. However, since no information has yet been released about what the 30th anniversary festival goods will be, we can't very well recommend that you buy them. They'll also be selling the 30th Anniversary Best Album, because duh.

Anyway, which of these items are y'all interested in stuffing into your pie-holes? Which berries do you hope will be included in all these very berry mixes? Who do you think will win the battle of the coffee hipsters, and would you drink Imai's odious cocktail? Let us know in the comments.