The smallest alteration can create a significant ripple in Emamouse’s world. Much of the sonic architecture found on Floating Wide Luffa feels familiar — synthesizer melodies stumble about on songs such as “Matsuri No Yoko No Ie” and “Fusen No Makoto,” while Emamouse’s own vocals still sound as wonderfully wonky as ever, especially when sampled…
Duo ELLEH have flirted with just-before-dawn sadness and even brushed up against joy, but latest song “I Think The World Of You” finds them exploring something far more menacing. The actual lyrical content doesn’t convey this on its own — it’s a reflection on a relationship of some sort now lost, with references to youth…
One of the big drawbacks of my recent hiatus from blogging was missing out on Omoide Label’s latest crop of releases. Surprise — the netlabel kept on hitting their stride, with joyful squiggle outs followed by madcap dance and then stuffed-tight compilations. The Indigo EP serves as a good point to jump back in, though,…
ΔKTR makes beats that feel like they are tripping over themselves, but manage to vaudeville themselves into something smooth. It has always been a winning approach, but feels even more welcome when so much music —- even songs with actual singing instead of sliced-up found sounds — aims for the background. Push reminds that the…
Music remains one of the few passages between Japan and South Korea fostering good vibes in increasingly strained times between the two. Rap, in particular, has enjoyed quite the creative exchange in the 2010s, highlighted by “It G Ma,” but flourishing lately thanks to an underground rap community on both sides open to collaboration and…