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Category Archives: Music

Goes Down Nicely: ((The Submariners))’ Mitsuya Cider EP

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One of the areas where I’ve lightened up in regards to music is getting bent out of shape out of unorthodox band names. Which isn’t to say that a random semi-colon or WaCKy CapiTILIzation is something I just swallow…I just roll with it more, content that most new band names are pretty dumb all over the globe, and that there are worse crimes than adding a period to the middle of your name. So…((The Submariners)), who have (( )) worked into their name for some reason (I think it is because it vaguely looks like the shape a submarine would make as it plows through water?)! Their Mitsuya Cider EP is a lovely three-song set of feedback-glazed indie-pop, a downright delight when they move at a swift pace…which they do on every song save the title track, the one moment that feels a little too slow for its own good. But when they zip ahead…and when they feature tag-team male/female vocals, like on the intro track…it’s some of the most charming indie-pop of 2017, crazy name be damned. Get it here, or listen below.

New ΔKTR: Lala

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Busy year for Yokohama sample whizz ΔKTR. He’s already shared one of the year’s warmest releases via the hazy dance grooves of suburbanfunkessentials, and now he’s letting listeners even deeper into this world with Lala. Via Fuzzoscope, it’s a beefed-up set, clocking in at 22 tracks, ranging from the laid-back glow of “Toundsrack” to the slippery funk of “Getdownlikedat.” If suburbanfunkessentials felt like a tight and concise work that feels more apt as a 2017 statement, Lala comes off like a deeper dive into the many approaches of ΔKTR himself. It’s a long listen, but one that is constantly shifting — sometimes within songs, such as early highlight “Taste Of Magic,” which goes from seaside guitar fireworks to having everything turn to a blissed-out crawl — and always enjoyable. Get it here, or listen below.

Metropolis Reading: Futari No Bungaku’s “City Liner”

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A little context…I’m listening to (and writing about) this one from downtown Shibuya, so seeing all of the bright lights and people wandering around (on a Monday! What a city!) is playing a role here. But Futari No Bungaku’s “City Liner” manages something not much city pop revivalists can, which is actually get some emotion into the smooth tempos and sleek guitar notes. Whereas other songs simply chill out, “City Liner” features something approaching longing, conveyed primarily through the vocals, though also driven home by the keyboard notes that pop up post chorus. Always nice to have some melancholy sneak into your breezy tunes. Listen above.

New Carpainter: “Orange Wind”

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Given his presence in the harder-edged world of Trekkie Trax and the current Tokyo electronic music scene, it’s easy to forget Carpainter shines when he’s moving swiftly. “Orange Wind,” his new single released via Secret Songs, breezes ahead, Carpainter using space as a tool to bring out the sensuality hiding in the corners. Which isn’t to say this is a slow jam by any measure — Carpainter rumbles forward on the UK-garage rhythm he’s long fancied, and “Orange Wind” can get pretty busy. But even at its most crowded, it’s full of airy synth lines and light vocal clips, the affect being more sweet than overwhelming. Listen above.

New Crystal Featuring Matias Aguayo: “Kimi Wa Monster”

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The current increase in interest around older Japanese music — especially from the individual members of Yellow Magic Orchestra — has been a neat development, and makes the music electronic outfit Crystal has been making this decade look all the more ahead of the curve (errrr, by looking back). Crystal Station 64 found the group channeling the playful, at times jagged sound of YMO. Like a lot of folks I imagine parked out on Discogs, they know their YMO family tree well. Unlike a lot of people who came after, they are also funny. “Kimi Wa Monster,” their latest single, features glassy vocal burps and a techno-pop groove that would make Haruomi Hosono nod. Even better — the incorporation of somewhat jagged elements, which adds some unease to the track. And that comes from guest vocalist Matias Aguayo, who sings in Japanese, lending this a strange element (again, to say his name, a little bit like Hosono singing in Portuguese). Listen above, or get it here.