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Category Archives: Music

New Nemui PJ: Pumpkin EP

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Nemui PJ, the collaborative project between Noah and Kidkanevil, released their first EP at the start of the week, which further highlights the duo’s bleary-eyed sound. A pairing of two artists with established styles either needs to move in an entirely new direction, or reveal new layers to what each participant has been doing. Pumpkin achieves the latter, showing how effective Noah’s singing can be when nudged closer to the spotlight (key word “closer” — see the title tracks down-the-hall echos) and how Kidkanevil’s music can underline a great vocalist. And rounding it out, solid remixes from Submerse and Lullatone (!), artists who get their own spin on the song while still capturing the dozing-off feel of the originals. Get it here, or listen below.

Dramatic Noise: Yasuhito Fujinami’s “Dream Ritual”

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Going into “Dream Ritual,” by noise artist Yasuhito Fujinami, I expected something harsh. I mean, that’s what he’s known for, with songs inspired heavily by the cacophony of Merzbow. Yet “Dream Ritual” avoids pure chaos in favor of slow-building drama, using its near-eight-minute playtime to develop tension rather than pummel the listener over the head. Opening with samples of dialog…leading to a woman crying…”Dream Ritual” than transitions into a synth-driven slow burn, letting the sound of breaking glass and other extreme noises come in and out. It’s abrasive, but always offers some breathing room…which in turn just allows the next wave to hit even more effectively. Listen above.

New In The Blue Shirt: “Stevenson Screen”

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Bonus songs tacked on to a special edition CD or vinyl issue of an existing album might not normally grab our attention, but when it comes to In The Blue Shirt, we are eager to listen to what micro-level dance tinkering dude gets up to at any time. “Stevenson Screen” comes from the record version of last year’s breakthrough Sensation Of Blueness, and appropriately sounds welcome on the full-length. In The Blue Shirt can certainly rev his sound up when needed, but his strongest ability is bringing a sense of warmth to cut-up dance-pop, using snatches of acoustic guitar and keyboard to create an autumn sweater of a track. As is the case with a lot of his best songs, “Stevenson Screen” shines the most come those syllables, which sound aching rather than frantic. And this was an extra! Listen above.

Soft Escape: Haruno’s Flowers Laugh

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Tokyo-based artist Haruno’s Flowers Laugh offers up a brief but comforting set of synth-pop, the sort of fragile music designed to slip into for a bit. The best moments come on the front end, on the two songs featuring guest vocals courtesy of Amegorou, who brings a soft but affecting touch to Haruno’s keyboard-guided melodies (especially on the bouncier “Can Not Be Waiting Anymore?”). The rest of Flowers Laugh is more a display of Haruno’s mattress-like approach to electronic-pop, highlighted by the daydream take on Jersey Club on “Our Mugs.” Either side, though, offers a nice bit of shelter, even if it lasts just under 15 minutes. Get it here, or listen below.

Atomic Bomb Compilation Vol. 5 Is Here, Featuring CRZKNY, Dubb Parade, Skip Club Orchestra And More

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The Atomic Bomb Compilation’s continued relevance isn’t so much the result of coincidences as much as the entire inspiration for this project’s existence taking up more of the frame with every passing year. Vol. 5 arrives in the middle of a summer featuring a news cycle featuring nuclear weapons…and threats for said devices to be used against countries. The atomic bombing of Hiroshima in 1945 — the event long lurking over this series — has been featured lately not as something to sadly reflect on, but as very active reminder of what could happen again (note: Japan is avoiding joining a treaty banning nuclear weapons). This series, spearheaded by juke producer CRZKNY and several others, has always sounded paranoid, dark and on the edge of chaos. Yet whereas 2016’s edition felt like unease shaped by the past (it even featured a prominent sample of then-President Barack Obama commenting on the Hiroshima bombing), now it sounds extra urgent. The darkness feels a lot closer now.

Of course, that unnerving vibe comes courtesy of talented juke (or otherwise) artists exploring the more shadowy sides of an already skittery style. Organizer CRZKNY gets bass rumbling on the frantic “King,” while Skip Club Orchestra gets frighteningly literal on “D.E.S. (Drop, Explosion, Scorched),” which starts peacefully enough until…well, it all goes to hell and harsh noise in the middle. The songs included on this year’s edition feel darker and more foreboding than usual, with less playful or even reflective numbers, swapped out for tension-filled numbers like Chicago artist bahnhof::zoo’s collaboration with trbl.w//.dr3ams:, the disintegrating juke of “Then & Now,” or Y.a.M.A’s sharp-edged “Atatajima.” The few exceptions — Dubb Parade’s spacious “Tranquil,” TEACHI’s tipsy “Science Of The Peace” — still simply imagine peaceful times, and a sense of everything falling part persists. Though, even that sliver of hope is more than on something like the Twin-Peaks-esque churn of KURAYAMI’s “Implosion Process.” But then again, maybe that’s the most apt of all. Get it here, or listen below.