On their own, Japanese artist Noah and England’s Kidkanevil create their own dreamy worlds in music, the prior favoring silence and the latter leaning more towards an innocent electronic sound (see 2015’s My Little Ghost). Together, as Nemui PJ, they venture into an area that is still just as private…but much, much stranger, the sleep-ready sounds pulled into funny new shapes. “Pockets,” the latest from the duo, advances further than Nemui PJ’s initial offering, “Pumpkin.” That one found a middle point between the two artists, offering up, well, just what a collab between the two would sound like. “Pockets” blurs things, to great results. Noah’s voice floats between the squawky, video-game-ish keyboard notes, adding a sweetness that fits in nicely among the music. Listen above.
Category Archives: Music
New Keita Sano: Not Too Late EP
It’s the halfway point of 2017 (more or less), which means…well, actually, everyone has already gotten most of their mid-point lists out by now. The thirst is real! I’m not big on putting things together only six months in, but I will say one of my favorite live shows of the year came courtesy of producer Keita Sano, who delivered a joyous and energetic set at the last Lost Decade event in Tokyo via a horn-heavy run leaning heavily on disco and house. His latest EP, Not Too Late, features the pace, but finds him occupying slightly uneasier territory. “Magic Ritual” features a giddy-up beat and chimes, yet all that is rendered in a late-Autumn atmosphere, bad clouds brewing on the horizon even if snatches of the previous season sneak in frame. The title track makes the shadows even clearer, moving at a slower speed and prominently featuring a foreboding, religion-centric sample that really gets those hairs rising up. The mood is a bit less upbeat, but the songs remain body moving. Sano is just showing a different — but just as strong — side of his sound. Get it here, or listen below.
Suzuki Mamiko (From Chelmico) Shares Solo Album, Listen To “Blue”
It’s smack dab in the middle of the rainy season here in Japan, and a particularly wet Saturday last week meant I stayed in and listened to new stuff on Apple Music. Surprise surprise — Suzuki Mamiko of Chelmico released a solo EP, the lovely Deep Green. Hunt that one down if you are in need of chilled-out rap numbers apt for relaxing too (or if you want to really get perspective on Mamiko’s delivery in a slightly less frantic setting). “Blue” is a good sample of what to expect, as it is a jazzy, easy-going number unfolding at just the right speed for a relaxing day. Listen above.
Into It: Animal Hack’s “Plastic Night”
Electronic unit Animal Hack appeared last year in 2016, but felt like they got a further push over the last few months following the release of this year’s Boy, which got a lot of promotion on streaming services (which, while still very fledgling, feel like they are starting to carve out space…maybe…in the Japanese market). That one is a hit or miss affair, though the highs are stellar, and hints at the pair’s ability to come up with strong music when they let it breathe a bit more. “Plastic Night” is that next step forward. This is their most spacious song yet, opening with acoustic guitar strums interrupted only by some electronic dapples, the song shuffling forward on muffled singing (warped around the edges) and a tropical vibe that is more jj than Kygo. It still has something worthy of being called a drop, but that moment — subdued, smooth, never overwhelming — teases something more rather than consumes all around it. Listen above.
High-Rise Life: Takahiro Miyoshi’s “Cheap”
Always up for writing about songs that exist in the current “city pop revival era,” but which actually sound closer to the ’80s style given that name than the more laid-back stuff getting that tag today. Takahiro Miyoshi’s bouncy “Cheap” is a solid bit of mid-tempo throwback rendered through synths I’d expect on the Earthbound soundtrack, albeit one colored by modern Tokyo — he frequently refers to the sci-fi nature of the city’s high-rise mansions, and also riffing on the title, which reveals this song is a bit tongue-in-cheek with its words). It exists in the same universe as PellyColo’s recent work, and bless it for that. Listen above.