A Lovely Greeting: Sebu Hiroko

Despite what dozens of internet hooligans and people caught in the 90’s…”they can’t even play an instrument, MAN”…say, liking packed electro-pop like SNSD (see a few posts down) or Perfume (see nearly half of this blog’s posts) isn’t a crime. Still, you sometimes have to step away from the relentless digital pounding and take in something a bit more organic. Meet Sebu Hiroko, who makes pop music free of digital dizzyspells. It’s captivating stuff, not because of her choice to reject electronics (sorry authenticity dweebs!) but because of how she builds the music. “Hello Hello,” the title track to her new album, opens with sparse nature…insects chirping away…before a piano line and Hiroko’s voice dart in. From there, a steady build – additions creep in until the song blossoms and twinkles, yet still she adds more. “Hello Hello” is a constant rise, an excellently crafted tune. Hiroko’s other song snippets…listen here yo…aren’t as dramatic, sounding a bit simpler but still captivating…and at times almost ragtimey. Escape the computer construction of pop…just for a moment.