Dance producer Hoshina Anniversary is a long-time favorite of this blog, so we were happy to log in after a bit of a vacation and see that he has recently shared a new EP. Phone Case features five new songs from the Tokyo-based creator, leaning on side-to-side electronic numbers. This includes rumblers such as “Build Up Your House,” featuring a monotone but catchy vocal contribution, and highlight “Broken Mo,” which features an off-kilter melody with a shifty beat. Get it here, or listen below.
The ellipses at the end of the title here tell you a lot. Kagoshima-based artist Ryoma Sakoh conjures up images of coastlines and easy-breezy days in the sun on “Island’s…” gentle glide, highlighted by bell chimes and piano notes. It’s at times relaxing and calming, tied together by Sakoh’s near-whispered vocals. Yet that barely-there voice coupled with an electronic gauze that engulfs the whole song makes “Island…” feel like a memory, or simply a desire. This feeling of not quite being there…but wanting it so badly you practically imagine it to be…adds a nice tension to this song. Listen above.
Tokyo indie-pop unit Baby Fire is back with “Seoul,” a skip-ready number nudged forward by an acoustic guitar melody and breezy drum beat. The backdrop is pleasant, but primarily works because it allows vocalist/guitarist Akko’s singing to be the highlight, and she turns in a strong performance. Her voice hits the right balance of melancholy and drama, the latter coming out as the song ramps up for its final stretch. Get it here, or listen below.
As I prepare to sleep, here are two enjoyable bits of dream pop from artists who have been releasing great examples of this sort of blurred-edges music for a bit now. The Neon City slow things down — and embrace space — on “Day Dream,” a guitar-guided number featuring hazy vocals (which is to say, they have a little bit of reverb splashed on) and keyboard notes that sparkle as the song slowly builds up in intensity. Listen above.
Meanwhile, fairy-tale-like duo Anemone also slow down a bit on the fragile “Killing Me Softly.” It is a sparse piano number, where vocals seemingly slip out of time with the music only to reappear quickly. Of all the songs this project has put out so far, this is the most direct — just some piano notes, and direct singing. Well, and a nice finale. Listen below.
Producer Yomo-da brings a bit of Parisian flair to latest release Chloé. Via Omoide Label, it’s a brief one — three tracks total, with one being a just-over-a-minute outro — but packs a lot of warmth into its run. Yomo-da mixes piano and bubbly synth on upbeat opener “Asa Dayo,” a jaunty intro that leads to the title track, which takes on a more French style with its accordion melodies and twinkly keyboard. A nice mid-day pick-me-up. Get it here, or listen below.