Make Believe Melodies Logo

Category Archives: Music

Off Center: Oyubi’s My Fingers

Posted on by

When the prologue to your album goes harder than most of the music I’ve heard so far in 2018, you know you’ve got something special. Tokyo-based producer Oyubi’s My Fingers stars with one of the more attention-grabbing tracks I’ve heard this year in the form of “Prologue 1,” a jittery juke number merging metallic popcorn bursts with these sweeping synthesizer lines, all pushed on by a steely beat. It generates incredible tension, and for something presented as table setting it really shines. The rest of the release builds on this initial intrigue well, highlighted by the maelstrom construction of “Ness!,” which does disorienting especially well, and the speedy “160rave.” The top three songs end up being the peak of My Fingers, as the rest of Oyubi’s tracks are a bit more conventional (albeit still solid), but that first run is among the year’s best. Get it here, or listen below.

New DYGL: “Bad Kicks”

Posted on by

Last year at the Fuji Rock Festial, a trio of bands played the gathering that were presented — by domestic media, and me at some point — as a new tide of Japanese rock music. Two groups definitely felt close to one another — that would be Yogee New Waves and Never Young Beach, bands on the more laid-back side of things, who write songs celebrating the simple pleasures of being young in (or at least close enough to) a city. Then there was DYGL. Although they started getting greater buzz at the same time and come from the same Tokyo indie-rock scene as the aforementioned pair, their sound is pretty different. The lyrics still touch on youth, but the music is more willing to get messy, get loud and even get angry when the time calls for it. They were easily the best of those three live.

“Bad Kicks” really drives home DYGL’s sharper side. Nobuki Akiyama’s singing approaches a shout, covered in a layer of feedback that manages to soften — just a little — his near yelps, and late in the song when he really starts letting loose he almost manages to break through. The music helps add to the energy, offering something a touch scuzzier than previous major-label DYGL efforts (they are approaching the Leather days!). This is the sound of DYGL breaking away into their own lane, and demanding new comparisons or at least just let them do what they do. Listen above.

New Le Makeup: Primary

Posted on by

Sometimes, you spend a weekend focusing on non-music writing work, and all sorts of incredible stuff drops at once. The past few days have seen new albums from Toiret Status, CRZKNY and way more. Curse you, having to make money, if only I could blog all day! Slipping in a little before any of those was a new two-song set from Osaka’s Le Makeup. The artist’s shift from floor-fillers to more reflective numbers about daily life takes one more swerve with “Primary,” which features singing from Le Makeup. “Menacing” isn’t quite the right word, but whereas the songs on Hyper Earthy focused on small details, “Primary” boasts something more urgent running through it, revealing a new side to the artist (not to mention one of the more forceful beats they’ve made). “Angles” is closer to what we’ve heard over the past 12 months, though even that one goes in a slightly more brooding direction. Get it here, or listen below.

Soft Return: Radicalfashion And Tony Chanty’s “Way Home”

Posted on by

Kobe’s Radicalfashion has been kicking around for over a decade, releasing primarily piano-focused numbers on the sparse but intricate side. Singing popped up at times, though often in a warped way that added an out-of-space element to Radicalfashion’s work. “Way Home,” however, offers something a touch more straightforward. Japanese artist Tony Chanty guests, singing over a simple yet charming arrangement by Radicalfashion. She delivers a sweet, at times conflicted performance that rightfully deserves to have little in its way. Still, the edges blur a bit — her voice gets multi-tracked and eventually splinters off, giving a dreamy feel to the song’s second half. Listen above.

New LLLL: Chains “Phase 4: Resemblance”

Posted on by

Even more than previous entries into the Chains series, “Phase 4: Resemblance” offers as strong a front to back listening experience as one could hope for from a three-song set. That’s partially based off pure strength of song, two of which already appeared in the past few months — the shadowy release of “For F” and the lyrically forceful “Falling.” That pair of songs alone highlights two emotional extremes of the LLLL songbook, and together make for a heck of a combo. They are preceded by a new song, “Indefinite Grounds,” featuring frequent collaborator Yeule. That one is the slowest unfurling, but fittingly sets the emotional vibe, with LLLL’s music slowly mutating from muted production to something that almost boils over. Get it here, or listen below.