Zombie-Chang constructs an offbeat world in her music, but the foundation of that comes from the past. “Mona Lisa,” off of an album coming out this week (geez is this year zooming by….), reminds of the artists that she draws influence from, while allowing her room to splash her own personality into it. Really, just peer back to early and mid-’80s Japanese music — “techno-pop” for a wide, often not accurate term, encompassing everything from Akiko Yano to Halmens to P-Model — and you can find ideas that Zombie-Chang is riffing on here, from the machine-generated music pushing everything forward to the half-winked male backing vocals. “Mona Lisa” is a shambling pop number, but it also allows plenty of space for Zombie-Chang to flex her oddball lyricism and singing voice, the latter in particular vital to this song and her whole catalog (put her on the growing list of “artists with less-than-polished voices who make that a big plus”). And at a moment where a lot of artists in Japan are trying out more serious (or at least serious-sounding) looks, it’s nice to here some silly escapism. Listen above.
Category Archives: Music
Sweltering Acid: Hyuga Daichi’s Hazard Area EP
In the unexpectedly solid combos department, sweltering hot July days make for a good time to listen to acid house. Hokkaido’s Hyuga Daichi delivers a melter of an EP in Hazard Area, which just doubles down on acid sounds to create these high-energy dance numbers that somehow sound even better as sweat trickles down your face (maybe I should just turn on my air conditioner?). Daichi approaches the tracks here from a slow-burning dancefloor angle (see the twin monsters in the back to back “Re-Hi01” set, which build up to delirious finishes) to just being direct and uptempo (“Saitama Neo Sonic”). Get it here, or listen below.
New LSTNGT: “Hydropolis”
LSTNGT will take part in a new compilation coming out via Eco Futurism Corporation later this week, and their “Hydropolis” serves as a preview of what to expect. It’s one to bathe in, at least for a little bit — the first stretch of the song features sampled chanting played behind the sort of synths and piano melodies that have defined a small but striking community of Japanese artists creating unsettling electronic music with touches of grace (Cemetery being the other big name). “Hydropolis” aims for a slightly unsettling wash for the most part, though it picks up the intensity slightly for its final stretch. Yet that feeling of being draped in sound is what artists in this zone do so well, and this is a solid entry in that style. Listen above.
New Annie The Clumsy: Broaden Your Minds
Annie The Clumsy’s music often veers towards the funny, her sparse recordings putting jokes and wordplay up front to charming effect. Broaden Your Minds features plenty of these moments, from the tipsy night-in drift of “Mug Of Wine” to the buzzing rumble of insomniac jam “3AM.” Yet her latest full-length also finds emotions — always lurking in their — poking out a little more prominently. “I Wish I Was The One” is a sparse, painful meditation on unrequited love, full of Annie The Clumsy’s observations turned painful, each specific action pricking the skin deeper. “Steamy Ocean” finds her going Beach House and doing it quite well, while the skip of “Small Party” exudes good vibes. Even something seemingly silly as “My Body Is Ready,” with its drum-machine beat and synth pings and jellyfish dance moves, conceals a real excitement that bubbles over. Those emotions make all the clever stuff hit all the better. Get it here, or listen below.
New Browned Butter: Fall EP
Kyoto’s Browned Butter follow up this Spring’s galloping “Fall” — the first song the group shared online — with an EP kicking off with that impressive debut. “Fall” remains one of the year’s best indie-pop numbers out of Japan’s still-vibrant community, an energetic number marked by just-exhaled vocals and a rough edge to the guitar. The two new songs unfold slightly slower, with “Smooth” chugging along (topped off by the most specific lyrics on the EP, being the one song here that makes you wonder if Homecomings success is trickling down to other Kansai-area youngsters) and “Fever” displaying a bit more drama via it’s guitar melodies, which mostly swallow up the vocals (but when the singing gets through, the sweetness rushes in). Get it here, or listen below.