Perhaps this is kind of a put on, with the name of the artist and the general hyper-energy of the song being some sort of wry commentary on what the kids are listening to. More likely, this really is the work of a 17-year-old Japanese producer who fancies filling up every inch of their music. “Colorful Painting” leaves every space filled, using balloon-sucking vocals, gunshot samples and synthesizers chirping off. The key is to go all in on the maximalism, and Youth is up for the challenge. Save for a few brief passages of slightly less frantic woosh (to make the inevitable zip all the more exhilarating), this is a wonderfully busy song. Maybe it’s just the sound of youth, and of potential bubbling in every corner. Listen above.
Category Archives: Music
New Young Juvenile Youth: “Her”
Young Juvenile Youth’s debut album mirror arrives today, and to celebrate the electronic duo shared a sparser cut from the album. “Her” moves away from the more delirious dance-pop of “Slapback” in favor of space. “Her” revolves around seasick electronics, a slowly mutating beat and some squiggly electronic touches lurking beneath it all. Yet the key to “Her” lies in how the singing doesn’t retreat into the space, but moves right up to the front. It gives a sense of directness, and makes the moment they start pulling bak a bit all the more forceful. Listen above.
She Is: Her’s “Neon”
Her consists of Unmo and Tsudio Studio, two artists who create on their own but come up with something a touch more interesting together. “Neon” in particular jumps off the SoundCloud timeline —- written and sung by Ummo and arranged by Studio, it’s a bouncy bit of dance-pop. The immediate sonic highlight are the vocal stutters serving as the hook, which aren’t far removed from the “pop drops” (ughhh) of modern “tropical house” (ughhhhhhhh).It sounds good, but I’d say it really serves to drive home the great verses preceding them, which fine a relatively un-manipulated Ummo singing over the elastic backdrop. The center is just funfetti on top of an already enjoyable number. Listen above.
Rap Round-Up: Akko Gorilla Featuring Foodman, And Chelmico
This blog’s taste in Japanese rap leans towards the poppier and the stranger — and today, two artists hitting both those sides released new videos. The first comes courtesy of a performer I’ve been on the fence about personally for a while now, Akko Gorilla. She occupies the same space as many other artists I really like, and she’s been gaining steam pretty quickly (plus, she’s the only artist I know to play around verbally with famous local snack offering Tokyo Banana). But her music always felt just off, brimming with energy but not much else, save for videos of her going to Africa that teetered on Instagram exoticism. But her new Green Queen EP finds her moving in a good direction, primarily because it highlights her verbal dexterity, shining over beats from the likes of Stuts and Parkgolf which force her to showcase some variety…which she proves she has. It’s her ability to dart between a beat provided by Foodman — who reminds here his wonk beats work well with vocalists, too — on “Denkousekka” that offers her best moment to date, completely taking over the track with her charm. Oh, and it’s fun, carried over to the video (look at Foodman go!). Listen above.
On the hookier side, duo Chelmico shared the video for their song “Zuruine” off this September’s lovely EP, which you can watch below. I wrote about them for Metropolis magazine’s cover story this month, so read that for more thoughts — but the song shows them in a more chilled-out zone, but still capable of a sticky chorus.
New Satellite Young: “Modern Romance”
Nostalgia and irony frequently criss-cross. This is hardly a new observation — anyone who sat through ten hours of Mo Rocca explaining The Love Boat in the Aughts knows it well — but one that feels ever present. Satellite Young offer a masterclass in balancing this just right without tipping over into the sort of eye rolling “Slinkies, wow!” territory no shortage of pop culture happily bathes in. The music on this year’s Satellite Young channels ’80s idol songs with a droplet of John Hughes prom climax, but the lyrics focus on the world of now, from fake Facebook profiles to FOMO. And for all the winks, the trio are capable of transcending it and hitting on real longing.
“Modern Romance” might now stand as their best example of this tightrope walk. This is a song about Tindr, or at least about love in the age of Tindr — the use of the word “swipe” seconds in should give that one away. Yet it also doesn’t dwell too much on that — remember this piece of garbage? — and the group simply accepts this reality and just makes a jam out of it. “Modern Romance” is ultimately just a fantastic synth-pop song taking cues from late ’80s Japanese pop, highlighted by an ear-worm chorus made all the better by the synthesizer melodies. No goofy dwelling on what-it-all-means, no thick layers of thought to work out — kind of like how some of Perfume’s best songs simply shrug and accept a digitally absorbed world, Satellite Young embrace reality, and make the most of it. Listen above.