The duo of Brinq and Misatsun delivered a late-year gem with “Kiss Me,” a sparkling dance-pop number channeling late ’80s idol numbers that managed to be catchy enough to avoid any potential nostalgia pitfalls. “Touch Me [Straight Run]” serves as the follow up, and delivers a slightly more understated, still pretty twinkling bit of pop. The tempo moves at a more relaxed pace, at least until the pair ratchet everything up for the hook, a buzzing centerpiece loaded up with sing-a-long lyrics and sputtering drum beats. The thematic focus stays pretty much in line with “Kiss Me” — it’s about capturing a certain moment of anticipation, the heartbeat before something actually happens — but whereas the prior number treats it like a climax, “Touch Me” goes for something a little cooler. But with the same nervousness coming through. Listen above.
Category Archives: Music
New Abelest: Kenkou
Kenkou functions not just as a bubbling and playful set of pop, but as a mini-celebration of Fukuoka. Producer Abelest hails from the city, and two of the three guests joining them on this release via Maltine Records also call the Western Japanese hub home. And they come through with some fresh ideas on busy dance-pop. Mastarrja jumps on “Shokuji” to contribute some warped vocals over music that moves from strobed-out to syrupy and accented with strings, every busy detail falling into just the right place. “Suimin” featuring Takeshi Fuwa starts jarring enough — a sample of Ronald Reagan speaking at the Berlin Wall, OK? — before flipping to a similarly fizzy but slightly less crowded beat giving the guest room to stroll over. Even when a non-Kyushu voice enters on the title track — courtesy of Shizuoka’s Yukichikasaku /men — the end result if Abelest and company turning what sounds like a jarring and clanging mix of sounds into something approaching pop bliss. Get it here.
New Fuji Chao: “Bedtown No Uta”
Bedtowns — the places existing just outside of major cities, places that exist for workers to return to after a long day at the office, what you might call the suburbs — have been a point of fascination for musicians in Japan. Probably because so many of them grew up in said places, and they offer a drastically different image of life in Japan than the shiny, shiny buzz of a place like Tokyo. Fuji Chao’s latest is a list of what life in a bedtown consists of, including references to the soft serve they sell at McDonald’s and details of banks. It’s all set over a simple, bouncy beat interrupted by aching violin swells and delivered in a sing-speak monotone apt for a description of what hum-drum life in a bedtown is. A simple and direct expression of common life. Listen above.
New Haruno: Sigh.
Haruno makes music in many different molds. They’ve used Vocaloid to create dreamy synth-pop, while also shifted closer to Nujabes via albums of laid-back hip-hop-inspired beats. I’m more drawn to the prior than the latter, as the beat-oriented stuff feels a bit incomplete and a little too sleepy. Sigh. still gravitates towards that territory, but finds Haruno adding in elements that make it a bit more intriguing. Mainly, Haruno takes a cue from Snail’s House and weaves in classical elements — lots of piano, strings and other touches matched up with slight beats. It’s still more pit stop than one to dig into fully, but features a lot of pretty moment — and, wisely, lets them pass by quickly rather than let the beauty burn out. Get it here, or listen below.
New Boogie Idol: Tsuchi Wo Uru Shigoto
One of the big thrills of 2019 finally being here is that we get to reflect on the decade as a whole…real soon! Some of my favorite artists this past ten years in Japan were bedroom creators zeroed in on one stylistic drive, and just exploring it in seemingly infinite ways. Think Ventla, or I-fls. Or Boogie Idol, who continues to comb through the musical stylings lost to time and create dazzling tracks from their memory (and now he seems ahead of the curve — Japan loves all the stuff once brushed aside as garbage in the post-DA-PUMP-renaissance world, while Boogie Idol was taking from Eurobeat way before it became the next wave).
Tsuchi Wo Uru Shigoto continues Boogie Idol’s exploration of forgotten yesterdays, as well as his run of just hooky tracks. That’s evident from kick-off number “Namae No Nai Ten He,” a typically twinkling bit of pop featuring an array of bass slaps and synthesizer notes. Like a lot of Boogie Idol’s top stuff, it’s complex but never feels that way, with the song making sure to put all the body-moving stuff right at the front. From there, the album twists into more spaced-out numbers, laser-light-show stompers and zippy creations nearly teasing drum ‘n’ bass (but, not quite). Boogie Idol even includes “Mohani Bhakalele,” a re-imagining of a Nepalese traditional number made for Kathmandu’s first Jusco. Get it here, or listen below.