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Category Archives: Music @ja

Have Yourself A Twee Weekend: New Songs From The Weddings, Fandaze

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Time for two indie-pop acts to take us into the weekend. First up, The Weddings. This duo, who have released several lovely lo-fi shambles in the past, reemerge after some time with “Mixtape For My Friends.” It is a slight track, built off of chimes and tweets and the duo’s far-from-pretty-but-still-intriguing crooning. The lyrics cover some classic twee ground – making mixtapes for friends, and dealing with a broken heart. Listen below.

Elsewhere, Kyoto’s Fandaze have posted their Balloon Songs EP to Bandcamp. We’ve already written about the kind of sad “Kinda Sad,” but now you can here the rest of the album. Get it here or listen below.

New Kyary Pamyu Pamyu: “Mottai Night Land”

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So this is music blog, and I rarely spend too much time talking about music videos because I prefer for Make Believe Melodies to focus on the sounds themselves. I’m positive I’ve broken this self-imposed rule before…but I won’t do it here, for the new Kyary Pamyu Pamyu single “Mottai Night Land” for two reasons:

1. I’m afraid I would write several thousand words about it.

2. I’m still trying to work out my thoughts on it besides – WHOA, this might be the most Kyary video Kyary has released yet.

You should watch it on loop like I am, and maybe read the Tumblr later, where I’ll think out.

Anyway…here’s an actual cut of Kyary’s latest single, “Mottai Night Land!” It is the least immediately thrilling single she’s released in 2013 – the three tracks that came before this one, though, were stone-cold pop killers though, so no shame in that – but over time it reveals some charms. Mainly, the vocals here are fun, Kyary stretching out syllables more than ever before. And hey, nice chorus. Overall, it is pretty straightforward playroom pop from Yasutaka Nakata…but I love that, so I’m on board, even if I’m not geeking out like the first time I heard “Invader Invader.”

And damn that video.

New Tofubeats: “Don’t Stop The Music” Featuring Chisato Moritaka

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Tofubeats already has one great album and a handful of well-produced singles for other artists under his belt this year…and, welp, he has another gem now with “Don’t Stop The Music.” Here, the Kobe producer embraces a more laid back structure compared to the often manic tracks on this year’s Lost Decade, letting the music here take it’s time to unfold. It is a strutting dance number that leaves plenty of space for guest vocalist Chisato Moritaka to do her singing. And she shines, especially on the chorus, where she knows just when to push her voice a little higher (see the little acid breakdown). Watch the video above.

New Pops: Shiggy Jr.’s “Saturday Night To Sunday Morning”

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The back half of 2013 has proven to be a fruitful time to be a fan of J-Pop willing to try out new sounds. DempaGumi.inc has made a theatrical leap forward, while outfits like Especia and Lyrical School have been gifted absolutely killer songs courtesy of gifted young producers given the keys to the idol-pop groups’ sounds. Those last two are especially relevant when talking about Shiggy Jr., a young Tokyo band that might not classify as idol-pop, but is going down a very similar path as those groups. In particular, Shiggy Jr. seems intrigued by City Pop sounds on the song “Saturday Night To Sunday Morning” from debut mini-album Shiggy Jr. Is Not A Child. A City Pop revival isn’t anything new…producers and pop stars have been dive-bombing music that sounds ripped right out of a 1980s hotel lobby for a few years now…but like Especia and Lyrical School, Shiggy Jr. aren’t gunning for a nostalgia love fest. “Saturday Night” takes the smoothness of City Pop and constructs a really catchy pop-rock tune out of it. Listen to those bass slaps, and even that guitar solo…or that fucking organ solo. Then comes the undeniable chorus, in which Shiggy Jr.’s lead vocalist’s voice jumps up a note, capturing the thrills a weekend all-nighter promises. Listen below.

Weekend Round-Up: New Tracks From Eadonmm, Hisamokuden-kow, Tofubeats And Guchon

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A lot of good stuff came out over the past few days – let’s do a quick round-up of the finest new tracks from across Japan.

– Kyoto’s Eadonmm just keeps on creeping on. His latest song is called “If You Melted,” and it gets more sinister from there. It is a rumbling, skeletal song featuring unsettling vocal samples (some are muffled, others are right next to your ear drum) and menacing electronic touches. Man, the debut album from this guy is going to require a lot of cute animal videos afterwards.

– In far more upbeat sounds, Tochigi’s Hisamokuden-kow has remixed a song from J-Pop artist Aya Matsuura. His rework is titled “Lab Now Middle Hero” and it is a bubbling, glitchy take that manages to brighten the pop sheen even further thanks to a total commitment to digital splendor. This is just a dizzy little number.

– Speaking of remixes, Tofubeats has gotten into the “Body Party” remix contest. His “Yen Shop Remix” places Ciara’s original vocals against a very Tofubeats backdrop of fidgety drum-machine and chipmunked voices. Manages to retain the intimacy of the original, while also allowing the up-and-coming producer to flex his style.

– You all know you should be following 10,000 Track Professional too, right? That blog has helped me find a lot of great artists…and here’s the latest. Tokyo’s Guchon makes footwork, but his new song “W” is a surprisingly lithe affair. Sure it is anchored by some fierce “heys!,” but everything around it sounds melancholy as the last day of school. Nice track.