Brooding: Lisachris’s “Yatagarasu”

Ominous is the word that comes to the front of my noggin when listening to “Yatagarasu,” the slowly unfolding track from Tokyo producer Lisachris. The music I’ve heard from her before…and seen her play at a couple of live shows…has leaned closer to trap with a heavy mix of American hip-hop touches (and verses). That sounds works well in a club setting, but “Yatagarasu” reworks a lot of the sonic touchstones of those styles into something more foreboding (and for home listening). It pulses slowly forward, Lisachris adding in the sound of ravens (a reference to the mythical bird the number is named after) to boost the atmosphere. And then the beat hits, and the song goes from creepy soundtrack to something far more active. Listen above.