This sort of sound — bubbly electronics taking cues from, well, all sorts of strains of contemporary dance and pop music, capped off by digitally distorted vocals — has been gaining traction in Japanese music in recent years. “Suisai Boy,” the first song from the duo PeachJam (which is artist Jam Boy teaming up with…
Five year’s ago, Japanese electronic artist Flady released an album called Class Disruption on netlabel Bunkai-Kei Records. Then…Flady receded into the shadows and appears to have not done much (unless he transformed into an erotic manga, which also comes up when you Google “Flady”). But now Flady is back with Leave, a wobbly set of…
In all honesty, I probably could just listen to i-fls’ entire catalog and nothing else for the rest of my life and feel OK. It took awhile for Artificial Outsider to arrive — well, in i-fls time, as his last release came out in May, but over six months is a serious drought — so…
I’m always split by music trying to capture the vibe of the 1980s, of which plenty exists in Japan. Sometimes it works amazingly well, other times it feels like a really bad painting of a member’s only jacket. Problem is, I’m never really positive what separates the retro-tinged stuff I end up liking and the…
A new year might be on the horizon, but Kyoto indie-poppers Homecomings see January 1st as just another day to reflect on the various bummers life throws at you. That’s the vibe found on “Another New Year,” which rings in 2016 with a sigh and some slow-burning melancholy. Vocalist Ayaka Tatamino’s voice approaches a quiver…