Here are the two sides of Fukuoka-based whisper-rapper Izumi Makura. “Blue” comes off of a soon-to-be-released EP, her first offering since teaming up with popular fashion show Tokyo Girls Collection for a song that featured in their last show. Pretty big! Makura herself isn’t changing much up on “Blue,” though. She delivers her melancholy lines…
Aya Gloomy — formerly just Gloomy — has been a presence in Tokyo’s indie music scene for a few years now, creating a scratched-surface dream pop that fit in lovely alongside artists such as Canopies and Drapes, and Batman Winks. Now, she’s prepping for a proper debut via Big Love Records in February, highlighted by…
Was going to do a round-up of stuff that came out while I was on vacation, but life got in the way! So let’s do one at a time. Masayoshi Iimori exists on the aggressive extreme of Trekkie Trax…which is to say, he makes the sort of trap-inspired electronic pounders that make me feel ancient….
Here is something a bit more slow-burning from Nagoya outfit Pop-Office. They’ve taken their time before, but “Objects” feels especially reflective, featuring guitar melodies that bring to mind…gulp…a ballad. Yet Pop-Office don’t get too sugary, with the vocals still drifting off in the back, obscured by the feedback-dappled guitar. Dramatic, but still featuring the smudges…
Not quite a yearly tradition…Scary Moments II came out in January 2015…but welcome all the less. Following a year that wasn’t just triumphant for the label itself, but also one where the imprint’s hi-def approach to unnerving sound seemed especially persistent across Japanese music, Wasabit Tapes shared N. Brennan’s Scary Moments III, a slow-creep of…