Music

Controlled Karaoke: Jim O’Rourke Sings Enka

ByPatrick St. Michel January 18, 2011

[youtube=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oIzPi4JcJ84″]

The audio seems kinda weird and doesn’t always match up with the video…but whatever, here’s Jim O’Rourke singing an Enka song.

Music

Just Gimme Twee: With Me!’s Spring Has Come EP
ByPatrick St. Michel April 22, 2015

Sometimes you want to find as much offbeat and daring music as you possibly can…and other days, you just want some sweet-and-simple indie-pop. Tokyo and Mito outfit With Me! are straight-ahead twee…the cover of Heavenly’s “Starshy” closing out their debut EP Spring Has Come should be more than enough of a clue…and the three original…

Read More Just Gimme Twee: With Me!’s Spring Has Come EP
Music

New Feather Shuttles Forever Featuring Tenma Tenma, Kyooo, Hikaru Yamada, Yo Irie, SNJO And Mari Nishiumi: “Teian”
ByPatrick St. Michel May 24, 2018

Anyone can strike a cool pose, but it’s a lot tougher to let loose and embrace joy. The Feather Shuttles Forever project has used a lot of the same sonic palette as other bands of various stature in the Japanese rock scene — horns, lots of horns — but whereas many of them go for…

Read More New Feather Shuttles Forever Featuring Tenma Tenma, Kyooo, Hikaru Yamada, Yo Irie, SNJO And Mari Nishiumi: “Teian”
Music

New Dorian: “Like A Wave”
ByPatrick St. Michel August 25, 2011

It’s pretty easy to make jokes about Urkel-O’s before calling Dorian a great example of 80’s revivalism. Just check the short teaser clip they put together for their recently released album Studio Vacation – cartoon lady looks like she belongs on a Duran Duran sleeve. Yet, like similarly new-wave-inspired gang The Brixton Academy, Dorian conceal…

Read More New Dorian: “Like A Wave”
Music

New Seiho: “Tear Off The Dress”
ByPatrick St. Michel May 25, 2018

Seiho has moved in so many different directions over the last few years. He’s hit on abstract jazz and, most recently, rumbling electronic music…and that’s not counting his various pop-related productions.”Tear Off The Dress” finds a midway point between most of those styles. The horn toots meld just right with the warped vocal samples dripping…

Read More New Seiho: “Tear Off The Dress”
Mixes | Music

Make Believe Melodies’ Best Japanese Albums 2015: #20 – #11
ByPatrick St. Michel December 26, 2015

20. Lolica Tonica Make Me Feel EP Tokyo’s Trekkie Trax runs on pure energy, the netlabel being a rare case where seeing anyone in their orbit live trumps digging into the .ZIP files they upload online. And they have released a lot of great dance music over the last couple of years, with 2015 being…

Read More Make Believe Melodies’ Best Japanese Albums 2015: #20 – #11
Music

New DYGL: “Bad Kicks”
ByPatrick St. Michel March 5, 2018

Last year at the Fuji Rock Festial, a trio of bands played the gathering that were presented — by domestic media, and me at some point — as a new tide of Japanese rock music. Two groups definitely felt close to one another — that would be Yogee New Waves and Never Young Beach, bands…

Read More New DYGL: “Bad Kicks”

Similar Posts