Indie-pop outfit Mariana In Our Heads have a new album out this December, and the first track from it leaves us with something already wistful. “September” unfolds at a pleasant rate, guided on by washes of synthesizer, some guitar and pleasant bongo touches, but this backdrop only makes the melancholy at the heart of the song feel all the more palpable. The lyrics long for something that sounds already gone, but they persist, even if it’s just to keep that memory flickering for just a little longer. Listen above.
Category Archives: Music
New ΔKTR: Katalog
ΔKTR is having a hell of a year. He’s released two of 2017’s best collections of cloudy brained beats, taking the forgotten sounds of the past and warping their best moments. Add another one to the collection — Katalog clocks in at just over ten minutes, but the four tracks within offer up some of the Yokohama artist’s haziest creations yet, kicking off with the blurred beat of “sheshoes” before moving into the more disorienting funk of “dotheastroplane.” It’s a short but sweet reminder at ΔKTR’s ability to blur the sounds of yesterday into something different that works in the present. Get it here, or listen below.
New Nite Body: Nite On Earth EP
You can always count on a nocturnal delight from Osaka’s Nite Body. The producer’s latest is the Nite On Earth EP, a two-song set of steady groovers optimal for when the sun is down and the neon lights are out in your city center. “Flawless” carries a little more oomph to it, the kick propelling the song along and adding some extra punch to a song otherwise couched in tropical touches. It builds to a big climax, while “Ocean Daze” simply takes its time to drift forward on a bed of Junior-Boys-esque keyboard notes and subdued bass. Get it here, or listen below.
New Fuji Chao: Youkoso Bokura No Homepage
Few independent artists are as exciting as Fuji Chao, who over the course of several albums has created a private world of loops and off-kilter electronics, one over which she sings, semi-raps and mostly talks. The topics central to her music are often closely tied to being a teenage girl in this current world, and even though for many that is something they just won’t understand (me included), she crafts music that is achingly personal but also inviting.
Youkoso Bokura No Homepage feels more like an extension of her sonic exploration rather than a gripping statement like this spring’s The Virgin. Yet it has plenty of great moments lurking within. Some hit on the speak-sing style she’s played with for about two years now, such as on woozy opening highlight “Solo,” playing out like a seasick journal entry, or the muffled “ㅇㅅㅇ.” But Youkoso also features instrumentals, such as the strobing “T o k y o n i g h t” and, most left-field, “There Is No Doubt That You Are A Fool,” which is Fuji Chao messing around with EDM-style trap and ending up with something fittingly unsettling. In many ways, this album feels like an ideal gateway into her universe, closed out by one of finest slow burners (the nine-minute-plus “Tenshi Genshyou,” which moves from melancholy to ecstasy) and the acoustic-guitar-guided “Better,” imagining her in a more emo mold. Get it here, or listen below.
New Electric Candy Sand: Wasteland EP
So, how does the world end? One big burst, or a slower, more suffocating death? I’m not here to offer any answers (right now…probably a coin flip), but rather to share how Tokyo-based artist Electric Candy Sand imagines the latter on his Wasteland EP. The three tracks move at a slime-creeping-down-a-wall pace, and while each number includes a good pop built for crowds, the EP ends up more focused on crafting a particularly bleak mood with plenty of room to let it develop. Which works for me, partially because of how it gels with the general vibe of 2017, but also because it shows how space can be just as effective as noise in electronic music. Opener “Night Howl” starts off as a skittering number lumbering ahead, but rather than ramping up it sheds sounds, which makes the moments when it ramps back up (or more harsh details emerge) all the more effective. Same goes for “Chop The Rock,” which uses a start-stop pattern in an even more disorienting way. A great release for those fond of uneasy electronic sounds. Get it here, or listen below.