Mukai Shutoku (Zazen Boys) Shows Off New Project, Kimonos

[youtube=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ycRvcVdlxIY”] Zazen Boys 4, the titular band’s last album, saw the spazzy group slowing down ever-so-slightly and introducing more electronics into their sound. Seems like lead Boy Mukai Shutoku wanted to explore this softer side more, because he’s now involved in a band called Kimonos who just posted their debut song “Almost Human.” And it…

One Day Diary

Let’s get technical for a second – “indie pop” should refer to a very specific type of sound. It’s the sub-genre overflowing with “jangly” guitars and a general “sunny” theme. It’s still pretty vague, but not nearly as “twee.” Twee is a state of being, almost a choice…indie pop doesn’t necessarily need to be twee,…

Production Thrills: Marin & Riena “Love Train”

[youtube=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_hkMaDkjDpU”] Few tracks try so hard to sabotage themselves. “Love Train” features so many potential landmines…chief among them that style of “pop rap” that gets under my skin like no other and an over-sugared chorus…that it’s a miracle it doesn’t collapse into one big pile of J-Lo pop trash. Yet the production on “Love Train”…