One of those stubborn personal opinions I cling to is that music should be able to stand on its own, free from visuals and choreography and whatever else people would rather gravitate to. This is one of the most old-man things about me — even though I appreciate all the other stuff (I mean, the…
“Bedroom pop” implies a certain amount of roughness. This is, after all, music made in the same spot someone sleeps, a space like that doesn’t imply top-notch quality being guaranteed. But — and I’m not breaking ground here with this observation — artists have become far more sophisticated with how they create music, resulting in…
Tonal Memory plucks a few songs featured on Tokyo duo Smokebees early EPs, and turns this into a great gateway into their intimate and at times energetic rock. That seems intentional — the pair have their first full-length album out later this year, and Tonal Memory works as a wonderful gateway into their world. They…
“Latin Dream” — and many of Tokyo producer Fire Emjae’s recent output — takes me back in time, to a very specific year. Hitting play on SoundCloud for this one transports me to 2012, when high-energy dance tunes featured pitch-shifted slices of singing ping-ponging between twisty beats and synth blurts. The bongo precessions opening the…
Keep it simple, and make sure nothing gets wasted in the process. This strategy got Nakamura Sanso on our radar last fall, and it makes “Yonayona Neburu” stick around too. This one unfolds a little slower, moving at a stroll rather than a skip while also finding time to fit in some Daoko-indebted whisper rapping….