Trio Miu Mau are back with a two song set titled Kioku To Heroine, a set that teases fidgetiness but really highlights the groups pounding focus. Opener “Sukunai Kioku” highlights this best, as the opening rush of synthesizer rippling across the song hints that this will be nervy, herky-jerky stuff. Yet it always stays centered, with guitar, drums and the vocals locked in and giving it force. The album is rounded out by two remixes by Silkscreen, who puts a slight dance feel (albeit one much more unpredictable than the originals) on each. Get it here, or listen below.
Sailyard has been having a sneaky good year. The independent label started just last year, but they’ve already put out great releases from Luby Sparks and Pictured Resort…the latter act getting a fair amount of attention (and, pure observation on my part, seems to have some following in Hong Kong and China? They are playing an indie-pop fest there soon, and when I went earlier this year, they are the only Japanese artist I heard or saw on sale at a record shop that wasn’t Ayumi Hamasaki or Perfume).
Now comes a new one from the dreamy outfit Mariana In Our Heads. “Anemone” is one to soak in, the group laying down gentle guitar melodies and synth glow. It never even threatens to break into a jog, content to move forward like it has something else on its mind. The final touch comes courtesy of the vocals, which add the sweetness and longing that made the Kyoto band’s earlier work stick around in our heads. Listen above.
Osaka’s Hiroki Yamamura returns with “Snow White,” and the producer is still moving at the zippy pace he excels at so well. The song subtly incorporates elements of juke music that Yamamura has explored over the last few years — mostly when it comes to the beat — but the attention falls mostly on the whistle-like sounds and chanting that drive the song forward. Like all of the highlights in his catalog, it’s about making all of these elements work with the fast-paced tempo. Listen above.
Been about five days since I last logged in here, and it has been busy to say the least. I went to Seattle to give a presentation, watched many smart music writers also give papers and worked in karaoke somehow. Then I visited family in Los Angeles during a day-long layover…and we managed to be hit-and-run while driving on the freeway. I and everyone else was fine, but our car was pretty much totaled and it was not a fun night. So I’m looking for something comforting for a post tonight, and Nagoya’s (wonderfully named) Cookie Romance Nonsugar’s “Yoake Mae” works wonders and making me feel a little more relaxed. The quartet’s song sounds a little too feedback-drenched to be put into the same indie-pop category as other Japanese bands, but the vocals add a sweetness to the sometimes harsh music, and especially push the chorus towards something memorable. It has an energy to it, but listening to it, I’m mostly struck by the comfort it delivers via singing. Listen above.
I have yet to listen to Oomori Seiko’s new album. There’s several reasons for this, with pure laziness being near the top, but I’ve also felt no rush to dive in because 1. I don’t have a reason to (nobody is telling me “listen to this and have a take” so why not wait a bit?) and 2. overwhelmingly gushing fan reaction makes me nervous (see: Fantome last year). Whatever my excuse, though, I’m going to take my time. And, as this week shows, there is plenty of Oomori material to go around. Have A Nice Day!’s latest single, “Fantastic Drag,” features her, and is a great reminder of her vocal skills. Though it also does a great job highlighting Have A Nice Day!’s delivery — over a familiar synth-centric blare, he raps and sings his heart out. But Oomoir Seiko steals the show because chaotic vocals is what she does best, moving from murmur to near shout. “Fantastic Drag” is Oomori at her purest…as a guest, she simply flexes her voice. Listen below.
More surprising, though, is “Lady Baby Blue,” a song Oomori Seiko wrote for the idol group The Idol Formerly Known As LADYBABY. The surprise mostly comes from the group itself doing it…they are the two Japanese women who previously were accomplices in some meme pop, who then broke off to form their own group delivering mostly forgettable uptempo fare. Yet “Lady Baby Blue” pulls off something far more complicated — if this was an Oomori-only song, it might be underwhelming, but the two singers who wrestle with the guitar-centric tune make it work for them, adding appropriate drama to the verses and pre-chorus. And that hook just adds so much shout-along melancholy to the song, it goes from pleasant surprise to forceful. This year has been full of surprises, and this one is near the top. Listen below.
