One of the most charming qualities of chillwave back during the sun-dappled heyday of 2009 was the sense of familiarity the music coming out of this world conjured up. Takeaki Oda goes the next step on his new Loop EP, by incorporating a whole lot of familiar samples into the hazy music he makes (chillwave…
Despite this blog resorting to “sunny” as an adjective for guitar-guided indie-pop over the last…how many years…the stuff is just as potent on overcast days where it feels like rain is about to come pouring down at any second. Ancient Youth Club’s “Milk” works especially well in this grey context, partially because of the fuzzy…
So this popped up online last week and is…something. Picnic Women, who has spent the last few years slowly releasing some of the best juke-inspired songs in Japan, released Picnic Women Only Live Twice, which is like his arty indie film following a few blockbusters (uhhh, relatively speaking). It is one 15-minute-long song that constantly…
The “Ultrapop” tag Yoshino Yoshikawa has embraced in recent years usually works really well — the music he’s released tends to be quite maximalist, with every available space covered by some sort of cute sound or synth. Yet on “Coldsleep,” his collaboration with Suzushiro, he’s leaving a lot of space available, the song as a…
The promotional blitz for producer Tofubeat’s Positive continues with a new music video for “Suteki Na Mezon,” an easier-going number featuring model-turned-singer Tina Tamashiro. It’s pleasant enough when taken by itself, a nice ode to having a nice house, but it ultimately works better within the context of Positive, wherein it serves as a sweet…