Make Believe Melodies Logo

Category Archives: Music

New Seiho: “I Feel Tired Everyday”

Posted on by

Part of me just wants to point at that title and be like “eyyyy me too!” But…why? The key to the latest song from electronic artist Seiho comes from his choice to underline “tired” as the condition this track captures. Have all the fuzzy anime GIF loops you want — tiredness isn’t sitting in bed, it is moving from point A to point B before squishing into a train to go to point C. It’s staying up all night to try to find escape in a club but ending up at Fuji Soba before first train, head ready to fall into noodles. Seiho exists somewhere in that latter world, and right-clicking that “song info” option on Apple Music (our streaming overlords…offer some perks! I feel tired everyday) hints at where his mind might have been while putting this one together:

“I Feel Tired Everyday” is in constant motion, and a lot of the sounds Seiho has turned to in the past appear once again. This isn’t pure exhaustion…you can have fun while breaking down after all, and this one moves and bounces, with some late number passages being among the perkiest bits of music he’s offered up in recent memory (though for pure pleasure, turn to the “Weekend Version” on streaming, which swaps out the vocals tripping over themselves in favor of crystalline synths). But even in these moments of escape, a nagging exhaustion tugs at the song, which is Seiho’s masterstroke here. You can always be shooting forward…but everything can blur together and feel disorienting all the same. Listen above.

New Spangle Call Lilli Line: “Red”

Posted on by

Sinking into the familiar can be so rewarding. The pace of life in the digital age puts a premium on the new, of celebrating sudden pivots that eventually lead to more pivots, until everyone involved is just dizzy. Perhaps this comes colored from working primarily in the media industry — which pinballs from idea to idea, but will all lanes leading to a big open grave — but at some point consistency feels a whole lot more inviting than it once did.

For the past decade, that has been the appeal of Spangle Call Lilli Line, a band that puts out albums offering up minor changes to an otherwise locked-in formula. One release might be a little more electronic, another featuring a few more violins. But the main sonic DNA remains intact — this is mid-to-up-tempo rock designed for dusk strolls, when complicated feelings brew and heads swirl with thoughts. Even faster highlights work wonders for self reflection. Newest album Dreams Never End only continues this tradition, and once again I find myself listening to a set of songs right in the Spangle Call Lilli Line sweet spot, both wanting to throw my hands up at trying to find a new angle to old approaches, and just go walk around a park for an hour with these songs going by.

Opener “Red,” like other Spangle Call lead-offs from over the years, serves as a right foot forward. It is one of Dreams Never End’s swiftest inclusions, starting as a jog before eventually approaching a sprint, but it never feels in a rush. Thanks, as usual, the vocals of Kana Otsubo, which keep up but come out like half sigh, capturing the ennui always lurking. The band’s lyrics have usually leaned towards the poetic than the specific, but it works as a way of setting mood rather than place (that, maybe, is up to you). And right at the center, a nice hook. It’s a familiar intro to a familiar set from one of the best at making that feel so good. Listen above.

Good Vibrations: Kumachan Seal’s “Ra Do Namin”

Posted on by

Never too early to let some summer moods in. Kumachan Seal (solo project of a member of Casio Toruko Onsen AND Emerald Four) creates a dub-glazed dance number with “Ra Do Namin,” a breezy number heavy on vibe. Kumachan Seal avoids words in favor of using their voice as another instrument, lending the song a warmth even as parts of it burble off. Place it in the same lane as a project like Half Mile Bach Club, both channeling sounds apt for the coast and pushing them close to unnerving territory without going over. And it remains damn fun. Listen above.

New (Kinda) Oomori Seiko Featuring Sayumi Michishige: “Zettai Kanojo”

Posted on by

Videos that basically pause in the middle to air a commercial or other kind of brand-building content are, almost always, obnoxious. But damn, is the middle stretch of this upload essential. This isn’t the first time Oomori Seiko has crossed paths with the world of Morning Musume, and she’s collaborated with former leader of said group Sayumi Michishige before. But in this behind-the-scenes insert, Oomori just gushes at the chance to create a video with someone central to a project central to what she does artistically, and her whispered praise and the two’s interactions are the kind of giddy treats optimal for fans of both worlds (Not to mention this being a nice island escape popping up in what has thus far been a sea of terrible news related to J-pop idoldom in 2019, and the whole of this clip being a strong argument in favor of fandom and the joy it can spark).

Every bit as great as the video itself is Oomori’s continued interest in playing around with “Zettai Kanojo,” a number done as torn-journal confessional and bouncy pop calling card. In 2019, she pushes it towards the digital edge, coating both her and Michishige’s voices in Auto-tune and playing around with post-EDM elements (skittery vocal after chorus section! Bass drop section! Give Oomori a video game franchise and access to cool Western producer to work with!). Part of this charm comes from a personal love of artists refusing to let songs just sit finished, and the fact Oomori keeps finding new angles on this number is thrill enough. That she also makes it sound great — digital journal reading — is even better, especially when paired with the bubbly excitement floating up in every second. Listen above.

New Emamouse: “Puppy”

Posted on by

The ever woozy-making Emamouse has a new album titled Eye Cavity out on March 29 via Primordial Void, and “Puppy” serves as the first preview of that full-length offering. It starts jaunty but with an unnerving side, the synth melody dashing about while something sinister burbles up beneath. But it never really consumes the main part…at least not until midway through. That’s when distorted electronics rip in and turn this from slightly off cartoon hop-scotch to something approaching harsher territory (without plunging too far into “fit for a Merzbow podcast” territory). Listen above.