Ghost

Perhaps the most well-known ensemble in the Japanese noise/psyche underground, the neo-hippie collective Ghost have been releasing albums since the early 1990s. Inspired by '70s Krautrock, prog, '60s psychedelia, and traditional Japanese folk forms, Ghost play a hypnotic style of rock that is both hauntingly mellow and fantastically spirited. Although the band's records were difficult to track down for some time, the Chicago-based Drag City label has been the band's home since the late '90s, ensuring that their strange, wonderful music is readily available.