Few artists can point to a co-sign from Hikaru Utada ahead of their major-label solo debut, but Nariaki Obukuro has got it. And if more artists like this are going to creep closer to the spotlight, the widening of the J-pop industry is only proving fruitful. Obukuro co-founded Tokyo Recordings and has worked under the…
Tokyo’s Falsettos have been kicking around the city’s rock scene for a few years now, but they’ll drop their first album on February 2. The first impression they push forward from their self-titled is a sunny, reflective number called “6.” Plenty of Japanese bands at the moments are leaning towards more mellow sounds, but Falsettos…
Duo Frasco’s music has always been relatively laid back, avoiding easy city-pop-revival trappings in favor of something a bit more out there (but still limber). So this group — which describe themselves as a “meta pop project?” I don’t remember that from last year, is this a commentary on…something? — creating a smoothed-out beat for…
Producer Karen Felixx wastes no time messing with one’s head. The Scarlet EP comes after a pretty solid year from her, where she used pounding at at times haywire sounds to create some wonderfully jarring electronic music. On her latest, opener “Jasmine Jam” teases something relatively straightforward, before feedback creeps in and everything slows to…
If I have one huge glaring weakness when it comes to covering Japanese music and pop culture, it’s the fact I don’t watch much anime. I’d like to blame this on a lack of time, but that would be a lie — I managed to watch Paddington for the second time ever last night. I…