I’m convinced Komuai, the singer and main focus of the Suiyoubi No Campanella, is going to be big in the near future, as she boasts that elusive energy and personality that few other J-Pop artists have. That said, Suiyoubi No Campanella remains off in their own world, making nearly seven-minute-long chanty numbers. “Utah” (off their…
The FOGPAK series of compilations always offer a great intro to rising electronic producers in Japan (and recently, abroad). They also tend to be overwhelming, packed with songs and producers, often breezing past two dozen in total. Yet the size of the latest FOGPAK, the 13th in the series, sees a nice drop to 11…
Starting today, we are starting a new monthly feature, where we highlight some of the music that somehow didn’t get attention during the prior month. A lot catches our attention, but for various reasons (mainly, me being sleepy) doesn’t get the attention it deserves. This new feature will hopefully at least put a tiny light…
One of the characteristics that has made Zushi project Half Mile Beach Group stand out in 2015 has been their approach to singing. On windswept numbers “Yankee” and “Twilight,” the voices at the center of the songs have been glazed with electronics, giving them an unearthly edge. New number “Baobab” takes it even further —…
Six-piece Lucky Kilimanjaro seem like a group poised to breakthrough to a weird level of mainstream notability, where an outfit can get decent placement at Tower Records and have concerts promoted above a convenience store ticket machine, but still be virtually unknown. Spurred by Japan’s massive gulf between top-level acts and legit indie artists, a…