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Category Archives: Music

Out Of The Attic: Takahiro From Caro Kissa’s Junk2

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I’ll forever be charmed by indie-pop band members who have a side project where they create out-of-time music. I will sing the praises of lost Vaporwave masterpiece Spirited Summer until they rip this WordPress account away from me. Takahiro from the twee-leaning duo Caro Kissa has his own side hustle too, under the name…Takahiro From Caro Kissa. He creates music approaching lo-fi hip-hop beats…someone call that YouTube channel…and released his first collection, Junk, in August. It’s with Junk2 where Takahiro really hits on something interesting, though. While the general idea is the same, the creations here sound more faded, like they’ve been rescued from a bin somewhere. It makes the vocal samples on “Tell Me Girl” more tantalizing, and turns the piano melody on “Tooi Hi” distorted, giving the song a warped feel. It’s that feeling…of all these tracks feeling bent in some way…that make it a good listen. Get it here, or listen below.

Sparse-ish Round-Up Featuring Fmifmi And Albino

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Let’s make this Tuesday at least begin a little easier with two relatively sparse songs. The first comes from Sapporo producer Fmifmi, and it’s a soft number called “Sofa.” It teeters on the verge of being just a hip-hop beat — a track in search of a voice — but Fmifmi allows some mumbled voices and water splashes to interrupt the serene mix of saxophone and drum machine, giving “Sofa” an intimate air that allows it to stand on its own. Listen above.

The latest from Albino isn’t quite as laid back. “Lost Way [Recover Self]” opens with spoken-word utterances and harp-like notes cascading forward, but soon builds up in intensity. Her vocals turn into a distant shout, and the music itself burns brighter, offering catharsis. Listen below.

On The Wasabi Beat: PF’s Dreamscape And Pachinko Machine Music 3

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Wasabi Tapes continue to be the go-to destination in Japan for nerve-frying experimental music, and the label’s two newest albums highlight two sides to their approach. PF’s Dreamscape recalls the chaotic sample-deluge of DJWWWW and N. Brennan’s Scary Moments series, with sounds sourced from radio station bumps, movies and video games (MONSTER KILL) colliding together. The magic of Dreamscape — and all of Wasabit Tapes broken-pinball-machine music — is how disparate elements click into bizarre patterns, how the ping-ponging voices of “N.M.F” come together so nicely, or the title track’s discombobulated splendor. Then there are the moments of surprising beauty, some short lived (the last 30 seconds of “Joyful Kobelco,” emerging from the hip-hop wreckage behind it to deliver the suavest stretch of music ever found on an experimental Japanese release) to extended (the surprisingly intact shimmers of “Unknown Bar Band” and “Meltdown”). Get it here, or listen below.

The other side is more trance-like. Pachinko Machine Music 3 builds on the premise of the first two installments — tack the hypnotic, crushing sound of Pachinko machines, and loop them — by having more moments that feel added in, a noise here or sudden clang there. Still the dominant noise across these four tracks is of clattering metal balls and electronics, recalling the sensation of entering a parlor…or just walking by as the sliding door belches out noise. Get it here, or listen below.

Foodman And KiWi Contribute To A Very Decent Christmas 5

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Christmas is one of the best times of the year? Not far behind? Whatever day Mad Decent or sub-label Good Enuff put out a new Foodman track towards their listenership, who often respond with total bafflement. The two paths converge thanks to A Very Decent Christmas 5, the 2017 edition of the label’s holiday collection. Among a lot of big names — Major Lazer, LIZ, Hoodboi — sit Foodman and KiWi, offering fantastic editions to the seasonal set. Foodman’s “Island Christmas” takes on a tropical tone, and actually is among one of the more straightforward tunes he’s made (fittingly, the most divisive comment thus far goes “weird af but I fuck wit the creativity,” far nicer than the “this is music?” responses he usually gets). It’s a bouncy number, bright and frayed around the corners, but as ready to soundtrack a surfboard rental shop as Foodman probably will ever get. KiWi meanwhile bring pure energy with “What’s In The Present Box?,” a surging dance number that mutates into a riff on “Dashing Through The Snow” midway through…before veering off into another direction shortly after. Listen above.

New Erik Luebs: “In Ruins”

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Osaka-based producer Erik Luebs shared a new song earlier today called “In Ruins,” and it builds on the darker sound he explored earlier this year on Wasteland. “In Ruins” rumbles, however, the song’s most lingering detailing being the uneasy bass purr rippling its way across the song. It lends the song a menacing atmosphere, but also one that pulls the listener in closer. Listen above.