Uffun Magic Works finds Tamao Ninomiya teaming up with NNMIE for a new project of wonky bedroom pop. So far, they’ve released a solid albeit wobbly cover of Stereolab’s “Ping Pong,” and a lovely bit of seasick pop in the form of “Walking With Corpse.” At its core, there is a catchy little song sung by Ninomiya. Yet it gets covered up in disorienting electronic touches and her voice practically splitting apart from itself. The end result is something that teeters along, inviting but also excitingly strange. Listen above. And while you are at it, check out Ninomiya’s solo effort from earlier this year, which explores similar ideas.
Category Archives: Music
New Paellas: “Echo”
What’s made Paellas’ rise up the ranks over the last year so surprising is how the group’s songs are unrelentingly downcast. This decision to cloud the familiar funk and rock elements that have become trendy in recent years in a fog — a choice they’ve been making since their earliest indie-pop cuts, the group sounding more like damned lounge performers then Crayola-bright twee-sters — has helped them stand out with folks who maybe want city-based music that actually captures all the crappy parts of urban living. Yet breakout “Shooting Star” is so isolated and pained, a mood carrying over to last year’s excellent D.R.E.A.M. EP.
“Echo” is the rare moment of Paellas letting a little light into their nocturnal numbers. Unease and melancholy still powers the group’s music — Tatsuya Matsumoto’s singing always carries a weariness to it, even when it sounds like he’s pushing himself into a brighter mood — but now come flashes of morning. See it in the pre-chorus keyboards, or the little dashes of stardust grazing the hook. Or how loose-limbed the band allow themselves to get at points as Matsumoto sings “hold on, hold on.” What once always felt constricted now comes off as freedom. Listen above.
New Shinichiro Yokota And Pleasure Cruiser Featuring Ayako Higa: “Rainforest”
Taking us into the working week is this dreamy collaboration between long-running house producer Shinichiro Yokota and England-based (but formerly in Japan) Pleasure Cruiser. It’s a nice escape from the drudgery ahead, or at least that’s how I’m expecting all those electronic chirps and the gauze wrapping around the whole song to feel come the morning. Best of all is Ayako Higa’s singing, pushing through the blanket and adding a sweetness to every second. Listen above.
New Snail’s House: Ordinary Songs 4
The Ordinary Songs series serves as Snail’s House’s state of the union, of sorts. While the most popular “kawaii” producer in Japan at the moment goes off in all sorts of directions, Ordinary Songs is them at their most cuddly, constructing pleasant playroom-ready melodies from an assortment of synths, bells and other toy-chest-ready noises. The latest installment doesn’t push into new territory, but rather highlights how refined Snail’s House has gotten. Even the genial opener “Welcome” features more depth, with carefully placed chimes that make the fanfare all the more inviting. “Hello” adds speak-n-spell vocals to generate a slight tension before everything slows down a bit, while highlight “Sunday” pushes a variety of sounds and interlocking melodies together to create a deceptively simple cut. Get it here, or listen below.
New Gokou Kuyt: AM 2:22
AM 2:22 lasts just under eight minutes, and that brief time is all you really need to get a good sense of what rapper Gokou Kuyt is all about. More concise than last year’s #teendreamtape, his latest feels like a late night dispatch, short and at times fluttery beats giving enough space for Kuyt’s monotone to spread out. The intensity and drama found in an artist like Sleet Mage’s music is swapped out for a more reflective isolation, even if it’s more of an exercise in how words sound than what they mean (see “Twenty Water Bed”). It can get a bit more energetic, as on “Asani Neru,” but even that one finds Kuyt sounding head down. Rounding out is Kuyt’s take on “Iffy,” which approaches being straight cover at times but takes on a new character thanks to a huskier delivery. Listen above.