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Category Archives: Music

New Fruits: Two

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It takes gusto to include a cover of a Christmas song on your album that comes out in April. It takes even more gusto for said cover to be originally done by Alvin and The Chipmunks. Yet Azumi Nakajima, formerly of duo Puffyshoes, does just that on Two, her latest collection of stripped-down indie-pop under the name Fruits. That December-ready moment ends a set that mostly avoids the holidays in favor of brief numbers about love, mostly of the wishing-it-would-happen type. She’s able to mask that lurking sadness in chirpy sounds, such as on the early-afternoon stroll of “More” or over muffled piano plonks of “Don’t Be Mean To My Babe.” Get it here, or listen below.

New Poncho + Casino Tart: Stars Are Never Linking EP

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The latest release from the team of Poncho and Casino Tart looks at the same track from four different angles. The track “Stars Are Never Linking” finds the Osaka juke duo crafting a dewy number featuring a sentimental vocal hook and all sorts of jittery details. The four “phases” of it present on this EP offer different interpretations of the same creation, ranging from the darty and off-kilter “Phase 2” to the finer-sliced “Phase 4.” Find your favorite by getting it here, or listening below.

Sweet Fleeting: Jasskall’s “Sakura”

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I’m not the one to ask, as I failed to actually get out and see any cherry blossoms that weren’t directly next to my train station. Yet I think the sakura season has basically ended, which makes producer Jasskall’s “Sakura” all the more bittersweet. Like a lot of electronic numbers that have landed on this blog recently, “Sakura” is more than just an energetic cut — though it also does well in that regard too, especially when it blooms in its center, letting synths overpower everything. But key to the song is how it maintains a sense of longing throughout, never breaking the mood with a sudden drop, but rather building up carefully to something that is more like a slight overflow. Listen below, or get it here.

New ELLEH: “Door To Tomorrow”

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Electronic duo ELLEH build on the dancefloor ennui of “American Lover” with…well, a number that is far less ready to dance along with, but perfect for stumbling around in the early morning hours to. “Door To Tomorrow” unfolds at a slower pace, featuring harder hitting percussion and more sloshed electronic touches. It’s still shifts along, but it never loses itself to escape…even sad escape…but rather lets it rain overhead. It’s another side of the ELLEH project, one where the main thrust (melancholy, dealing with said melancholy) is still present, just moving at a different tempo. Listen above.

Fuzzed Out: Kei Toriki’s “Blue2”

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I’ll cop to being really into this particular sound and atmosphere right now — a faded take on dance, one that gets labelled all sorts of things but sticks out for just sounding good. Producer Kei Toriki’s “Blue2” is a good example of everything that sticks with me regarding this style. It bounces along, every second washed in a fuzzy sound, but never sounding like an artifact. Rather, it still sounds like a track designed to get a body moving and not inspire a thinkpiece, and features enough shifts in the little details to keep it fresh for all seven-plus minutes. Listen above.