Toyomu’s radical re-works — especially that one — are always going to be the immediate image of the Kyoto artist for a lot of people. But “Maboroshi” shines because it channels all the other elements that have been present in Toyomu’s original music, synthesizing them into one squiggly track. Traces of his Brainfeeder-loving early days…
Cutesy bass music tends to embrace maximalism, so it’s nice to be reminded that keeping everything simple can be just as effective. Nakamura Sanso’s “Only You” emphasizes melody over anything else, and rather than load up every corner with sound lets the main vocal line and surrounding synth chirps carry the song forward. The MVP…
Gotta switch to a tab not playing the video for this one. Tempalay’s brand of Mac DeMarco-indebted goofballery is hit or miss, but in the past it at least matched up with the general vibe of the music (shambling, silly, one more drink away from waking up next to Hachiko). With “Doushiyou,” the accompanying video…
Here’s as relaxed a way to close out summer as you are going to find in 2018. AR30’s Late Summer Compilation 2018 closes out the season with a set of late-afternoon dance tunes, optimal for one last party by the pool (even if leaves are starting to muck it up). This easily could have been…
Idol music isn’t a field geared towards innovation. The challenge in approaching it is accepting that groups — especially in the 2010s — tend to occupy a very specific musical (if not visual) niche, and expecting change from them is kind of a hopeless pursuit. One I still fall for, but I digress! This is…