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# Make Believe Melodies

The latest on music from every corner of Japan

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## Posts

- [Make Believe Melodies’ Favorite 2019 Japanese Albums: #10 – #01](https://makebelievemelodies.com/make-believe-melodies-favorite-2019-japanese-albums-10-01/) - #10 Wai Wai Music Resort WWMR 1 If total number of plays need to be considered for any favorites list, Wai Wai Music Resort ran away with my 2019. Whether because I needed to concentrate on work or simply wanted a stereophonic sound trip bound for endless summer, WWMR 1 delivered pure breeze. It's also
- [Make Believe Melodies’ Favorite 2019 Japanese Albums: #20 – #11](https://makebelievemelodies.com/make-believe-melodies-favorite-2019-japanese-albums-20-11/) - #20 Chelmico Fishing Take a moment to appreciate how timing really is everything, and how many artists could have shot down a different path entirely if you wind the clocks back or forward just one year. It's not hard to picture a reality where Chelmico are closer to idols like Lyrical School or Rhymeberry if
- [Make Believe Melodies’ Favorite 2019 Japanese Albums: #30 – #21](https://makebelievemelodies.com/make-believe-melodies-favorite-2019-japanese-albums-30-21/) - #30 Snail's House Alien Pop II + Alien Pop III Near the start of 2019, Yasutaka Nakata shared the theme song he composed for an anime series about Virtual YouTubers, sporting vocals delivered by the digital influences themselves. It sounded a lot like Nakata trying to mimic the innocent bleeping of Snail's House. Consider it
- [Make Believe Melodies’ Favorite 2019 Japanese Albums: #50 – #41](https://makebelievemelodies.com/make-believe-melodies-favorite-2019-japanese-albums-50-41/) - At some point this fall, Make Believe Melodies turned ten. I'd known this decade milestone was looming — mainly because 2019 also marked my tenth anniversary of moving to Japan to work in the countryside teaching English to bored teenagers "for a year or two, tops" — and toyed around with ways to celebrate. Then life happened
- [Make Believe Melodies’ Favorite 2019 Japanese Albums: #40 – #31](https://makebelievemelodies.com/make-believe-melodies-favorite-2019-japanese-albums-40-31/) - #40 Universe Nekoko Kimi No Youni Ikiretara Bump into someone walking down the main shopping arcade in Koenji and you have pretty good odds that they play in either a shoegaze band. Few styles have persevered in Japan like this corner of rock, and as a result standing out from the field can be a
- [New blackglassG: "Common Story" EP](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-blackglassg-common-story-ep/) - The best releases on NC4K have a kind of out-of-body vibe going for them, with the sounds making up their dance tracks feeling just a little hazy and untethered. That's present on blackglassG's Common Story EP, where the wooziness comes across subtly and in a way where the fun never gets cancelled out. The title
- [New Xinlisupreme: "J-Pop"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-xinlisupreme-j-pop/) - So far in 2019, there have been two prominent J-pop songs about J-pop itself, at least to some degrees. Teenager SASUKE practically gives the industry an entire pep talk with a song going to great lengths to tell you J-pop will never end (raising the stakes significantly with a line about how "Japanese people will
- [Higher Than The Stars: Belinda May's "Everyday In Love"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/higher-than-the-stars-belinda-mays-everyday-in-love/) - The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart are calling it a day! Whatever SoundCloud rapper playing around with J-pop ideas or weirdo electronic texture lover captures my attention, indie-pop is always going to be foundational for me (can't shake those teenage years!) and this was a group hitting on that feeling even as adolescence zoomed
- [New Yunovation: "Hogaraka Ni"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-yunovation-hogaraka-ni/) - On the one hand -- it remains incredible how much Yunovation can pull off with a melodica. The Osaka artist's calling card is her proficiency with the instrument, and first album Hogaraka Ni shows just how deft she can be with something most people view as a toy foisted on easily distracted pre-schoolers. "Roki Store"
- [New TEMPLIME And Hoshimiya Toto: "pureness"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-templime-and-hoshimiya-toto-pureness/) - I'm not sure how many more words I can pull out of my brain to praise "Take Me Out," the nervous centerpiece of the pureness EP and a huge breakthrough for everyone involved in this song. It's tough to capture this fizzy moment playing out inside somebody before anything happens in music, especially when a
- [Something Wicked This Way Comes: Cedrics Featuring Kudo Kamome's "Blackout"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/something-wicked-this-way-comes-cedrics-featuring-kudo-kamomes-blackout/) - Kudo Kamome's voice can turn even a jaunty tune into something concealing some unease. Her two 2018 releases wowed in how they shifted pop onto its side, taking the experimental energy of Japanese underground communities and seeing how that might sound against more accessible sounds. Almost a year since Apple Sleep, her voice plays a
- [New Tsudio Studio: "Kiss In KIX"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-tsudio-studio-kiss-in-kix/) - Damn, how good was 2018 in Japanese music? Looking back at this top ten I made, I'm pretty stunned by how strong all of them have persisted for me deep into 2019. That said, only one of them has really shot up for me personally since then -- if you really care, it would be
- [New Seiho: "Triangle"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-seiho-triangle/) - During this blog's slight vacation from...existence...Seiho shared a new song that found him working with rapper 5lack. It's solid, and a nice reminder that Seiho really does play well with others, but it also felt a bit more straightforward, especially in the wake of his "Star Guitar" but for Millenial Burnout masterstroke from earlier this
- [Emerging: Spool's "Ghost"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/emerging-spools-ghost/) - There's still time to add some soil-covered gems to your 2019 music library, and one of the year's better albums to be mostly overlooked -- including by this blog! -- comes from Tokyo quartet Spool. Their self-titled full-length from this February hits a sweet spot between two music communities that carry on strong in Japan,
- [New SNJO: "Time" Featuring Sola The Luva](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-snjo-time-featuring-sola-the-luva/) - Producer SNJO has a new album out on Local Visions in November, but first taste "Time" is too irresistible to put off until the whole thing comes out. This is the electronic artist at their most playful to date, turning the squelchy synth sounds that added constant tension to last year's Mikai No Wakusei into
- [New Dubb Parade: "Voices"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-dubb-parade-voices/) - One of those cases where the album title operates as a declaration. Prolific producer Dubb Parade plays around with voices on every track here. Samples serve as the foundation for the latter two songs here, with closer "Japan Beauty" creating something disorienting in how it flips The Pom-Poms with some other source material over a
- [New Emamouse: "Floating Wide Luffa"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-emamouse-floating-wide-luffa/) - The smallest alteration can create a significant ripple in Emamouse's world. Much of the sonic architecture found on Floating Wide Luffa feels familiar -- synthesizer melodies stumble about on songs such as "Matsuri No Yoko No Ie" and "Fusen No Makoto," while Emamouse's own vocals still sound as wonderfully wonky as ever, especially when sampled
- [New ELLEH: "I Think The World Of You"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-elleh-i-think-the-world-of-you/) - Duo ELLEH have flirted with just-before-dawn sadness and even brushed up against joy, but latest song "I Think The World Of You" finds them exploring something far more menacing. The actual lyrical content doesn't convey this on its own -- it's a reflection on a relationship of some sort now lost, with references to youth
- [Digital Shoegazing: Kaku No User's "Indigo EP"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/digital-shoegazing-kaku-no-users-indigo-ep/) - One of the big drawbacks of my recent hiatus from blogging was missing out on Omoide Label's latest crop of releases. Surprise -- the netlabel kept on hitting their stride, with joyful squiggle outs followed by madcap dance and then stuffed-tight compilations. The Indigo EP serves as a good point to jump back in, though,
- [New ΔKTR: "Push"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-δktr-push/) - ΔKTR makes beats that feel like they are tripping over themselves, but manage to vaudeville themselves into something smooth. It has always been a winning approach, but feels even more welcome when so much music —- even songs with actual singing instead of sliced-up found sounds -- aims for the background. Push reminds that the
- [Team Work: PALM2REE Featuring Gokou Kuyt "Reflect Alone (Yuzion — 'Jealousy' Remix')"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/team-work-palm2ree-featuring-gokou-kuyt-reflect-alone-yuzion-jealousy-remix/) - Music remains one of the few passages between Japan and South Korea fostering good vibes in increasingly strained times between the two. Rap, in particular, has enjoyed quite the creative exchange in the 2010s, highlighted by "It G Ma," but flourishing lately thanks to an underground rap community on both sides open to collaboration and
- [New CRZKNY: "Hong Kong"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-crzkny-hong-kong/) - Editor's Note: Hello, long time no see! After a break from blogging due to family issues, I'm starting up, though it might still be infrequent. Thanks for your continued support. Hiroshima juke producer CRZKNY has been political since the very start of the decade, kicking back at Japan's nuclear power industry and the government in
- [New Normcore Boyz: "Anti Social Club"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-normcore-boyz-anti-social-club/) - You've got a winner when your rap video features choreographed dancing and lyrics that skirt pretty close to J-pop category. Normcore Boyz have found themselves in the less charming "how much can we sound like American rap without adding anything new" camp a few times, but in recent times have been far stranger, creating songs
- [New HiRO.JP: "A Long Time"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-hiro-jp-a-long-time/) - The last few Local Visions' releases didn't offer much room to get all verbose about nostalgia and different angles on the past. Ahhhh, but here comes HiRO.JP with a three-song set to get the brain racing again. The project has been playing around with the sonic idea of city pop, doing it far more faithfully
- [New TEMPLIME And Hoshimiya Toto: "Watertank" EP](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-templime-and-hoshimiya-toto-watertank-ep/) - Look away for a second, and production project TEMPLIME have started trending upwards. Following the buoyant Sphere, the duo have started working with SAWA on a new song and are set to appear at live events also featuring the likes of kz. The real sign of TEMPLIME moving on up, however, is the overall quality
- [New Masterpiece Share " Museum,Zoo,Station" Featuring Dj Badboi, ΔKTR And More](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-masterpiece-share-museumzoostation-featuring-dj-badboi-δktr-and-more/) - To hear the entirety of New Masterpiece's latest compilation Museum,Zoo,Station, you're going to need to get yourself the cassette version. My player is currently stuck in a closet waiting be set-up, but thankfully one of Japan's better labels devoted to online-centric micro-genres has posted half of their latest online for anyone to enjoy. Museum,Zoo,Station gathers
- [Part Timing: Pearl Center's "Near Dawn" EP](https://makebelievemelodies.com/part-timing-pearl-centers-near-dawn-ep/) - https://open.spotify.com/album/4hyr0g3rqfCrljSOrq25Zn I'm kind of not sure why most of these songs couldn't have functioned as songs for Paellas, but I assume new quartet Pearl Center gives Matton (vocalist of the aforementioned Paellas) some freedom to do things a group now signed with Universal Music Japan might not be able to. The Near Dawn EP introduces
- [Charging Station: Boy Objects' "Boy Objects"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/charging-station-boy-objects-boy-objects/) - The jump from indie-pop to synth-soaked work isn't that far, and Japan boasts a surplus of acts either exploring anorak-wrapped rock or nostalgia-evoking dance-pop. So why not dabble in both? Boy Objects finds Yuta Ozaki of Youthmemory teaming up with Masayuki Karaki to create cinema-sized synth-pop swelling with teenage emotion. Boy Objects the EP isn't
- [New Snail's House: "Love Magic"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-snails-house-love-magic/) - Trying to keep tabs on the Snail's House universe can be a slightly complicated matter, as the artist behind the project also releases music under other aliases, and even that project features specific series dwelling on certain styles and moods (Alien Pop, Ordinary Songs). Love Magic works almost like a sampler of Snail's House's many
- [Right Prescription: Amino_CH's "Pi11" And "Mr.Blue"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/right-prescription-amino_chs-pi11-and-mr-blue/) - Amino_CH's "Pi11" popped up on YouTube a little over a week ago, and has been bouncing around in my head ever since it first appeared in the ol' feed. The style this Tokyo artist embraces is becoming quite normal, at least among more online-centric musical communities. She raps, but also plucks elements from indie-pop, dance-pop
- [Light Touch: Omoya's "Dakede"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/light-touch-omoyas-dakede/) - The latest from Local Visions is another example where overthinking it would be a disservice to the album in question, even if it can be so fun. Omoya's Dakede offers up six funk-leaning songs that just offer good vibes and a splash of nostalgia. The title track struts along until it reaches the hook, where
- [Calm Looks Good: KSDR In Multiverse's "Don't Box Me In"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/calm-looks-good-ksdr-in-multiverses-dont-box-me-in/) - Note: After a bit of a vacation, we are back and aiming to post more in the near future! Thanks for your continued support of Make Believe Melodies. Growing up and calming down doesn't have to be a drag. Tokyo artist Kisadori has been active in making EDM-glazed dance tunes for the last few years,
- [New Peanut Butters: "Peanut Butter"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-peanut-butters-peanut-butter/) - Tokyo's Peanut Butters keep it simple as can be, and the three-song Peanut Butter release via Ano(t)raks only finds them digging their heels deeper into the bouncy-but-somewhat-shady sound of a band still casting a large shadow over the Japanese indie-pop scene. Peanut Butters draw from The Drums, and do so very clearly, down to letting
- [New Kenji: "Ai No Hibiki"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-kenji-ai-no-hibiki/) - The corner of the Japanese experimental music community that Kenji (Wasabi Tapes, also known as Mayor Kenji among other names) connects so fiercely because the chopped-and-sliced approach to samples reflects modern life so well. Hip-hop melodies smash into radio station bumpers before echoes of a pop song play off behind some crystalline synth twinkles and
- [New Teams: Yonkey Links Up With AAAMYYY For "Downer Love"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-teams-yonkey-links-up-with-aaamyyy-for-downer-love/) - Some pairings just end up working so well that dwelling too much on the how of it all seems a little pointless. Yonkey is an electronic producer signed to Asobisystem (seems fast!), while AAAMYYY is a member of the band Tempalay (responsible for one of the better albums of 2019) and also a solo artist
- [New Gokou Kuyt: "Amethyst Drive"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-gokou-kuyt-amethyst-drive/) - https://open.spotify.com/track/03HDT1n2O9p7t9vdiIzqn3?si=r282xIUMSVuzH8d4Gft52g Sort of double dipping with this one, but I think it's worth it. Every week, streaming services put a spotlight on new Japanese rappers trying to take advantage of the always-coming-never-really-arriving moment where Japanese rap finally blows up. Some are good, most of them...are not. You usually have to go a layer beyond the
- [New For Tracy Hyde: "Sakura No Sono"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-for-tracy-hyde-sakura-no-en/) - Not much time has passed since For Tracy Hyde put out he(a)rt when you think about it, but two years feels like a whole other lifetime ago. It's maybe a touch too precious to act like a ton has changed over about 24 months, but it does feel like the same qualities that made their
- [Puni Puni Denki Teams Up With Mikeneko Homeless For "Neon Ocean"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/puni-puni-denki-teams-up-with-mikeneko-homeless-for-neon-ocean/) - https://open.spotify.com/track/1iYYpFK4qwkUD81jdq085V The versatility Puni Puni Denki brings to songs continues to surprise, and her latest number reveals her at her most tender yet. Here she teams up with the duo Mikeneko Homeless once again, as they also were involved in this year's "Kimi Wa Queen," but whereas as that number paired springy music with more
- [New Boogie Idol: "Shitashimiyasusa"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-boogie-idol-shitashimiyasusa/) - Wherein Boogie Idol covers the theme song to Supermarket Sweep, and does more to play around with the ideas often attributed to vaporwave better than any modern form of that niche genre going. This moment, closing out the producer's latest release Shitashimiyasusa, offers a good summation of what makes the album and Boogie Idol in
- [A Little Jazz: Matsuki Bitei's "Shukan"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/a-little-jazz-matsuki-biteis-shukan/) - It can feel really nice to have one's mental narratives knocked off balance every once in a while. The latest release from Local Visions offers no chances to talk about nostalgia as interpreted through social media, or to ponder on how the past can be molded into something more than simple "I remember that" thrills.
- [New Boys Age: "Phantasm Gem"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-boys-age-phantasm-gem/) - Call this one an uncomfortable chill. It has been a while since we've heard from Boys Age, but "Phantasm Gem" reminds that the project is still delivering one of the more off-kilter takes on chilled-out indie-realm sounds going. Their latest sashays along on a guitar melody close to the music you'd hear on Spongebob Squarepants,
- [New ONJUICY: "Kono Mama 2 Jin / Relax & Chill"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-onjuicy-kono-mama-2-jin-relax-chill/) - Here's how you make the most of everyone's skill and create some balanced songs. ONJUICY's latest release for Trekkie Trax finds him getting some assists from producers and one guest vocalist, all of whom help bring out the best in his songs while highlighting his strong points. The opening number bounces ahead courtesy of a
- [New The Oto Factory: "R _ U _ S _ H _ H _ O _ U _ R _"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-the-oto-factory-r-_-u-_-s-_-h-_-h-_-o-_-u-_-r-_/) - This is like ASMR for me. The Oto Factory just coat their music in vocoder, turning funk and dance-pop songs into vibrating jams with a little bit of tension that a lot of similar "city pop" revival stuff avoids in favor of chill vibes. "R _ U _ S _ H _ H _ O
- [New Chelmico: "Balloon"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-chelmico-balloon/) - Chelmico's switch to a major label has, so far at least, found the pair focusing more on more outright up-tempo material. "Balloon" offers a breather, finding the duo reeling back the energy for at least one number in favor of laid-back rapping (and a little singing) over a sparse jazz-inspired beat moved forward by keyboard
- [New PellyColo: "Solar Powered"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-pellycolo-solar-powered/) - PellyColo covers a staggering amount of ground over the course of Solar Powered. The creator's ambition came through clearly on the sci-fi-inspired album Universal Catalog, a number that turned spacecraft flight into jaunty synth-pop jogs. Solar Powered keeps the same star-bound imagery while pulling ideas from Gradius and house music among other places. It's a
- [New 80KIDZ: "I Don't Stop"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-80kidz-i-dont-stop/) - Electro duo 80KIDZ have let their emotional guard down many times over the years, and those instances have always resulted in their best work. This is a group that came up during peak bloghouse days and gained attention in Japan's club scene thanks to big blow-out dance cuts, but you can't just post up at
- [New Sappy: "Pathos"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-sappy-pathos/) - Sometimes you just need to give yourself over to noise. Sappy have operated in a variety of modes over the last couple of years, but with "Pathos" they choose to stare straight down and embrace shoegaze. They've waded into this territory before, but "Pathos" finds them almost going to stereotypical with the sound, with ample
- [New Hirihiri: "Pennycandy"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-hirihiri-pennycandy/) - Producer Hirihiri does cuddly with a welcome bump. The creator's Hirahira album from earlier this year is one of the year's best out of Japan thanks to their own personal touches put on familiar high-energy electronic songs. New single "Pennycandy," put out through Deskpop, further underlines how potentially cutesy dance tracks can take on new
- [New Sayohimebou: "Shenzhen Diva"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-sayohimebou-shenzhen-diva/) - With the end of the decade approaching fast, reflecting back has been taking up a lot of time in my noggin over the last month. Part of that has been trying to sort where netlabels such as Maltine Records fall in the "narrative" of "the decade," but then said online imprint comes through with a
- [Happy Sea Day!: Rosskeyy's "Sai Summer Koh" Featuring nsn](https://makebelievemelodies.com/happy-sea-day-rosskeyys-sai-summer-koh-featuring-nsn/) - Let's hear it for Japan's nature-themed holidays. Sea Day has arrived, and while going to the beach probably is out of the question -- Tokyo has had something like 5 hours of sunshine total this whole month, I'm doing great I swear! -- there is still a chance to enjoy some city-pop-inspired music to conjure
- [New Teen Runnings: "Baby G"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-teen-runnings-baby-g/) - A lot has changed over the past decade, but sometimes you just have to dig a little deeper to find the constants. Teen Runnings have a new album out later this month, the project's first in five years, and plenty has changed for Shota Kaneko's project. Each full-length has found the group getting less fuzzy,
- [New Kazumichi (Kazumichi Komatsu): "Deep Metal OST"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-kazumichi-kazumichi-komatsu-deep-metal-ost/) - It's slightly funny to think back to the early days of Madegg and remember that the Kyoto producer (real name Kazumichi Komatsu) used to release new tracks on a near daily basis, all straight to SoundCloud. Now, he is sharing a collection of songs corralled under the title Deep Metal OST partially because an unnamed
- [Release Feast: DRUGONDRAGON's "○ Tsuki X Hi"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/release-feast-drugondragons-○-tsuki-x-hi/) - Sometimes you really need a little extra time to make the emotional explosion count. DRUGONDRAGON's latest song "○ Tsuki X Hi" offers up a great example of how much better catharsis -- even seemingly nonsense catharsis -- feels when the build up to it takes its sweet time. DRUGONDRAGON is a relatively new project releasing
- [New Snail's House: "Alien Pop III"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-snails-house-alien-pop-iii/) - The Alien Pop series of releases from Snail's House have been Keitaro Ujiie's strongest creations to date, although it's worth noting electro-pop numbers hit my personal taste zone way more than others. Across these releases -- including this Spring's delirious second installment -- he's hit this sweet spot between French touch, Vocaloid as imagined by
- [Bubblin' Up: TEMPLIME's "Sphere"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/bubblin-up-templimes-sphere/) - There's these moments when younger Japanese electronic artists come through with a track or two bubbling over with energy and excitement, and they get you antsy to see what they can think up next. Duo TEMPLIME's Sphere offers up two nervy dance numbers anchored by sliced-up vocal skitters and beats taking cues from various strains
- [New emamouse: "Desolation" (With Nicolò) And "Black place on the edge"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-emamouse-desolation-with-nicolo-and-black-place-on-the-edge/) - The world emamouse has crafted over dozens of releases becomes more inviting with each visit, like if Narnia was built from wonky synthesizer notes and echoes of denpa song. For me, a huge part of that is that nothing else sounds quite like what you'll encounter on Black place on the edge, and at a
- [Fractured Unity: IKTS' "No-f"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/fractured-unity-ikts-no-f/) - Tottori creator IKTS turns seeming mess into something mesmerizing on "No-f." Not to get too deep into simile, but this sounds like the musical equivalent of pouring a bunch of straws onto the ground and watching them spill all over the place. Jagged electronic notes dash all over the place, at first criss-crossing in unpredictable
- [Kissmenerdygirl Teams Up With MC Matsushima For "Flourishing"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/kissmenerdygirl-teams-up-with-mc-matsushima-for-flourishing/) - Producer Kissmenerdygirl has gone a more traditional route on Flourishing, but this well-worn path proves to be a good fit for him. On these two songs he teams up with rapper MC Matsushima, and provides him with two beats constructed from City Pop songs that a few years back he would have been speeding up.
- [New Lucky Kilimanjaro: "Do Do Do"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-lucky-kilimanjaro-do-do-do/) - "Do Do Do" delivers fun, sure, but the latest single from Lucky Kilimanjaro also allows a little more doubt to creep in around the edges. Perhaps it has just been the recent feel-good-ery of stuff like "House," but "Do Do Do" comes off as slightly less celebratory, despite still having plenty of pop going for
- [New Seira Kariya: "Zawa Make It"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-seira-kariya-zawa-make-it/) - Seira Kariya comes through almost every summer with big, bright electro-pop numbers perfect for the arrival of sunnier days. She took a little bit of a break over the last couple of years, but returned in June, first with the peppy "Cover" Girl" and its persistent bounce, and now with the even more outright optimistic
- [New Erik Luebs: "Cycle 2.6 / June"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-erik-luebs-cycle-2-6-june/) - Erik Luebs (formerly Magical Mistakes) has kept up with his Cycle project, and the results have been solid -- I'm a particular fan of Cycle 2.4 / April -- but have also kind of just slipped by the ol' blogging schedule. Let's change that with this installment, focused on the song "Wavering." Luebs finds a
- [New Have A Nice Day!: "Smells Like Teenage Riot"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-have-a-nice-day-smells-like-teenage-riot/) - Simplicity has always been central to what makes Have A Nice Day! standout from the pack. They find an emotion, grab some guitars and floor-ready electronics and just burrow into it until they get to the gooey core. "Smells Like Teenage Riot" is a celebration of youth and making the most of those limited years,
- [Not A Calm: Kiki Vivi Lily's "Copenhagen"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/not-a-calm-kiki-vivi-lilys-copenhagen/) - The general chillness of Japanese rock over the last two years appears to have gotten so laid back as to drift off into stranger places. The past month saw Tempalay put out their zonked-out opus With Love From The 21st Century and Half Mile Beach Club's first stab at a bigger audience with their alien
- [New K BoW: "Remixez 3"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-k-bow-remixez-3/) - You ever feel like you are growing too old, and fear that your excitement for all this music stuff is starting to wane? Listening to any of K BoW's remixes, even when I'm deep in those moments where you start really thinking if you should give up on logging into Spotify, reminds me "fuck no,
- [Good Snacking: Peanut Butters' "Kuso Poem"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/good-snacking-peanut-butters-kuso-poem/) - Tokyo's Peanut Butters description on SoundCloud reads "We like The Drums." A simple statement and one that puts them in league with, well, dozens of other bands in the capital. While that affection comes through in other songs by them, "Kuso Poem" embraces a different vibe en route to some indie-pop sweetness. They deploy some
- [Familiar And Welcome: mqrn...?'s "Doll"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/familiar-and-welcome-mqrn-s-doll/) - Producer Laptopboy dabbles in all kinds of -like beats, but the tracks that seem to pop up in the fledgling Japanese online rap community tend to have a very specific sound to them. They are dreamy, guided by keyboard and featuring touches that give them an out-of-body feel while still offering a nice kick to
- [New Cairophenomenons: "In Ten Years"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-cairophenomenons-in-ten-years/) - Sometimes a brighter outlook works wonder, even if really digging into optimistic feelings leads to a lot of questions about how warranted they are. Cairophenomenons veer between uneasy indie-pop and more outright upbeat numbers, and "In Ten Years" definitely falls into the latter. The musical details that would have been used to unnerve in the
- [New Rima Kato: "A Ring Upon Her Finger"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-rima-kato-a-ring-upon-her-finger/) - The past always offers an attractive source of inspiration, but singer/songwriter Rima Kato travels back to an unlikely destination for her forthcoming album Sing-Song. She became fascinated with the works of Victorian poet Christina Rossetti, and her latest finds her offering her take on her work. "A Ring Upon Her Finger" captures a pleasant, charming
- [New Le Makeup: "Aisou"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-le-makeup-aisou/) - One of the elements that made Le Makeup's Hyper Earthy such a striking album was the emergence of the Osaka's own voice on the album. Since then, Le Makeup has been playing around with how their singing can be deployed over beats and acoustic guitar. Aisou finds the artist getting even better at using their
- [New Half Mile Beach Club: "Chasing The First High"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-half-mile-beach-club-chasing-the-first-high/) - Half Mile Beach Club have a new album out this week, but it isn't quite a new album. Be Built, Then Lost serves as an intro to the outfit's blurred take on beach tunes for a larger audience, and that partially involves a lot of familiar cuts -- including many from last year's lovely indie
- [Just A Bit Of Crunch: Shogo Nomura's "Sweets Have A Dream"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/just-a-bit-of-crunch-shogo-nomuras-sweets-have-a-dream/) - Intricate electronic freakouts might be the new wave in Japanese music. Shogo Nomura's second album Sweets Have A Dream teases some cuteness but never settles for just that, as the songs here are closer to the twist-a-minute creations that someone like Hakushi Hasegawa has started getting looks for. Skittering breakbeats interact with bell chimes and
- [New Caro Kissa: "Retake"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-caro-kissa-retake/) - Main thing to understand with this one -- it isn't all retakes of existing songs from the indie-pop duo Caro Kissa. Only one number, closer "Perfect Dream," is a re-imagining of an existing number from the group. That makes this short but sweet release all the better though, as listeners get three jaunty new numbers
- [Just The Right Cute: Wotoha's "Cobalt Dreams"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/just-the-right-cute-wotohas-cobalt-dreams/) - The right amount of cute can be tricky to pull off in music. The "kawaii bass" wave of the last few years has mostly receded, but twinkly dance-pop numbers still appear frequently, and they can just be too much, relying on high-pitched singing and an abundance of playroom-ready sounds instead of a good idea. Wotoha
- [Paperkraft And Stones Taro Release "Rally Hard" EP](https://makebelievemelodies.com/paperkraft-and-stones-taro-release-rally-hard-ep/) - Voices come to the forefront on this split EP between NC4K mainstays Paperkraft and Stones Taro. Samples of singing and of humans just generally generating noise have popped up in their releases, but the Rally Hard EP pushes them to the front in a way that none of the other releases from the label has
- [New (Kinda) Smany: "2113"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-kinda-smany-2113/) - Smany's latest album To Lie Latent isn't quite a new release. Rather, it features a lot of glances back at the wispy electronic singer/songwriter's history. Some songs are simply brought back, while others -- such as "2113," originally released in 2014 via Bunkai-Kei Records -- get updated and played around with. It's a personal favorite
- [New Puni Puni Denki: "Kimi Wa Queen"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-puni-puni-denki-kimi-wa-queen/) - "Kimi Wa Queen" finds somewhat of a middle ground between the bossa-nova-inflected Wonder Underground and the dance-floor-eyeing Mirai Addiction. The general pace is still pretty relaxed, but Puni Puni Denki lets a nice bounce sneak in that gives this one a little more of a strut. That's partially thanks to assists from production team Mikeneko
- [New Uami: "Yoshinayo"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-uami-yoshinayo/) - Uami is one of those artists who releases songs at a rapid clip, making weekly visits to their SoundCloud a good exercise to get into. Some numbers stand out among the rest, though, and "Yoshinayo" stands as a recent highlight. What starts as some easy-breezy keyboard notes soon gives way to a busier main melody,
- [Fidget State: Pinballbally's "Waves"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/fidget-state-pinballballys-waves/) - Tokyo duo Pinballbally's debut album Hi-Fi Vitamins is a streaming gem for those who like their electro-pop on the jittery side. "Waves" serves as a good gateway in -- well, it is the opening number so I'm not offering you anything clever there -- as it features lightly-filtered vocals hopping over a fizzy melody. The
- [Faded Feelings: Ikechan's "Kissaten"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/faded-feelings-ikechans-kissaten/) - The standout ability of Kissaten is to take an array of sounds that easily could have turned into chilled-out background tunes and make them demand your attention. Producer Ikechan uses keyboard and weather-report-ready beats to create relatively easy-going tracks, but wraps them up in a layer of crackle that serve as another layer rather than
- [New House Of Tapes: "Funeral"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-house-of-tapes-funeral/) - The past two weeks have been packed with work, meaning keeping up with new music has been a challenge. Hopefully I can find a way to vanish to a mountain retreat or something and just catch up on everything in the near future (more likely, actually get back to all my emails and, uhhhh, do
- [New Sawa Angstrom: "Sweet Impact"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-sawa-angstrom-sweet-impact/) - At multiple points during "Sweet Impact," Sawa Angstrom appear close to losing control of the song. If this winter's "Tape Loop" offered a soft landing into the group's electronic sound, this number (and everything off of the wonderful Of Food EP, released this week) reveals a more jagged and near-collapse take on their sound. "Sweet
- [New Seiho: "I Lost Myself in His Car"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-seiho-i-lost-myself-in-his-car/) - "I Feel Tired Everyday" nailed a certain feeling of exhaustion so well, and did so with surprising deftness. It's "Star Guitar" as imagined by someone going through Millenial burnout, though even they can at least have glimpses back to the more fun times. "I Lost Myself in His Car" still does plenty on the mood
- [Rough Edges Towards A Pretty Center: Zohka's "Consciousness" EP](https://makebelievemelodies.com/rough-edges-towards-a-pretty-center-zohkas-consciousness-ep/) - All kinds of rough sounds come together to form something pretty on Tokyo producer Zohka's Consciousness EP. Released earlier this month, Zohka starts the four-song offering a beat exercise bordered by a sinister energy, with electronics growling in the back. "Unlightened" teases some delicate malfunction at the start before switching into a rattling bass bop,
- [Go Forward: Hello And Roll's "Gunjyou"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/go-forward-hello-and-rolls-gunjyou/) - Hello And Roll have been creating indie-pop for a few years now, dabbling in swift songs and ones unfolding at a slower speed with extra drama on top. "Gunjyou" follows the prior's script, and that's probably for the best as the trio work best when skipping ahead. This one works in all the emotional zigs
- [New Smany: "Maboroshi"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-smany-maboroshi/) - For a while there, a lot of artists embraced hushed vocals set over slowly unfolding electronic backdrops. That musical foundation, though, seems to have become a little less prevalent in recent times. Smany reminds why it can be so affecting, though, on "Mabroroshi," a song from her forthcoming full-length album To Lie Latent. Everything moves
- [New Stones Taro: "Insane" EP](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-stones-taro-insane-ep/) - It feels like Stones Taro has been keeping busy in 2019, releasing on all kinds of labels and generally just delivering quality each time. The Insane EP comes from Italy's Bellissima!, but follows in the footsteps of the tracks he's put out via Japan's NC4K. These are slightly loopy house tracks teasing a little bit
- [At Long Last, "Delicious Beats 4 Sale​!" Compiled Completely](https://makebelievemelodies.com/at-long-last-delicious-beats-4-sale​-compiled-completely/) - Over the past year, Kool Switch Works' Delicious Beats 4 Sale​! series has been giving space for artists both frequently present in the country's footwork and ghettotech communities, and those often working outside of it, a chance to share new tracks. It hasn't been just limited to those styles, as they've also given artists such
- [Fantasy Maker: Lil Demotapes' "Wanna Be Your Idol"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/fantasy-maker-lil-demotapes-wanna-be-your-idol/) - There's a delicate dance going on "Wanna Be Your Idol." Lil Demotape -- the team of Valknee and Ryopichi -- isn't an idol project exactly, seeing as those involved lean closer to rap than anything else. Yet "Wanna Be Your Idol" embraces the cheery pace of idol pop, if not quite adhering to that corner
- [New Ayumiko Featuring Nozaki Rikon: "Yako"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-ayumiko-featuring-nozaki-rikon-yako/) - The latest from Aymiko works best when simply conjuring up a dream-like state. "Yako" swirls about, giving space for Aymiko to deliver lyrics that unfold at her own pace, everything surrounding her adding a certain tension. Guest Nozaki Rikon proves to be a hit-or-miss addition -- as someone adding a few spoken-word dollops of creepiness
- [New tofubeats: "Keep On Lovin' You"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-tofubeats-keep-on-lovin-you/) - This one's taken a few plays to really wrangle with, but the latest single form tofubeats works when zooming in on the details. Taken as a whole "Keep On Lovin' You" offers up some easy-going pop that imagines a best-case Maroon 5 circa turn of the century (OK, a far better comparison would be a
- [New Koeosaeme: "Obanikeshi"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-koeosaeme-obanikeshi/) - Part of me just wants to note that there's a song called "Meat Texture" on this album that is pretty much that, and call this post finished. Koeosaeme's latest album accomplishes more than just offering up the sonic equivalent of squishing some chuck in your hands, but this textural approach to music has helped push
- [New Pictured Resort: "Someday"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-pictured-resort-someday/) - Pictured Resort return with a new album titled Pictured Resort on July 3, and they are setting the summer mood a little early with advance peak "Someday." The band bolster their breezy rock with a little more bluster, clearest through the inclusion of some guitar lines going all Tears For Fears. The coastal pace remains,
- [New Tamana Ramen: "Yawarakai"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-tamana-ramen-yawarakai/) - The success of "Yawarakai" isn't so much in the fact rapper Tamana Ramen sounds sadder or downtrodden, but rather how the music backing her up allows her to play around with the mood. Moving in the same direction as many of her peers in a new Japanese rap community, Tamana Ramen embraces guitar playing better
- [New Paellas: "Horizon"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-paellas-horizon/) - First off, let's acknowledge how strange it is to see Paellas prepping for an album on Universal Music. Perhaps I'm just getting weepy with this blog's tenth anniversary coming in the near future, but seeing them go from playing 4 a.m. at a tiny Shibuya venue to this is pretty cool! Paellas have locked on
- [Choppy Waters: Akitoshi Ito's "Waves"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/choppy-waters-akitoshi-itos-waves/) - Maybe one day I'll indulge myself and make a hierarchy of things in music that just get me going, but pretty high up on that list would be "singing run through electronic/digital filters and/or other technology to make it sound less human (or, at least, more interesting). New Sheena Ringo...great the moment she starts singing
- [No Time To Chill: Yuri's "Nijuuichi Seiki No Rinri"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/no-time-to-chill-yuris-nijuuichi-seiki-no-rinri/) - While I respect how so much music in the digital-and-streaming age can help people focus or get various chores done, I'm also a little hesitant of how frequently songs simply become background music. Besides often being boring, it just feels like a cheap approach to art, to reduce it to room filler. Yuri's Nijuuichi Seiki
- [Into The Move: Yukio Nohara Featuring Pee. J Anderson "Floresta"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/into-the-move-yukio-nohara-featuring-pee-j-anderson-floresta/) - Yukio Nohara teams up with Pee. J Anderson for an understated disco cut. Nothing too complex with this one -- the pair start simple with a beat and a bass line, slowly adding a few other elements. Yet they never go overboard with it, as the bulk of "Floresta" revolves around the same two pieces
- [New Okinawa Electric Girl Saya X AX: "Chastity"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-okinawa-electric-girl-saya-x-ax-chastity/) - Noise can be escape, but it can also be confining. Early on, it feels like the latest from Okinawa Electric Girl Saya and AX might go too hard on the intense stuff. "Red Noise" and "Vacuum" lean into feedback, creating these blasts that would fit at home in any "Japanoise" show going down at an
- [Self Analysis: MON/KU's "Inner Odyssey"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/self-analysis-mon-kus-inner-odyssey/) - "Inner Odyssey" aims to figure itself out, though the journey itself really does end up being the highlight. Artist MON/KU has dabbled in the disorienting and downright suffocating, but here they get a bit more playful. With singing coated in digital effects, MON/KU slithers through the slight electronic backdrop, just trying things out until a
- [New Nate And Flip Flop Fly: "Reflects My Self" And "Intersect"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-nate-and-flip-flop-fly-reflects-my-self-and-intersect/) - Big week for rapper Nate, involved in two of the best songs released out of Japan over the last seven days. She takes centerstage on "Reflects My Self," a woozy number that finds her sing-rapping (and adding in some delightful ad libs) over a rippling electronic beat close to Local Visions' brand of out-of-time-ness. It
- [New Universe Nekoko: "Kimi No Youni Ikiretara"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-universe-nekoko-kimi-no-youni-ikiretara/) - "Kimi No Youni Ikiretara" is made for the tender-hearted teen lurking within. Universe Nekoko have been students of shoegaze and indie-pop since starting out, but this release finds them just nailing the feeling just right. Maybe I'm just getting a bit too wistful for youth, but "Kimi" captures that sense of longing lurking underneath waves
- [New Cairophenomenons: "In The Pye"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-cairophenomenons-in-the-pye/) - Cairophenomenons have always let their music unfold at their own strolling pace, but "In The Pye" slows things down in a whole new way. Everything starts normal enough, as the band plays a nice mid-tempo number featuring some conflicted lyrics hinting at a lot of worry and confusion. "What I want to say is..." goes
- [New i-fls: "Not Beautiful View"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-i-fls-not-beautiful-view/) - The difference between nostalgia and wistfulness can be miniscule. Artist i-fls has long resided in this crack between the two, creating simple songs packed with emotional weight. Commuter towns, family restaurants after last train, spacious parks just outside of Tokyo, longing, browsing the internet for hours on end -- i-fls' song titles have always helped
- [Electronic Round-Up: "Draping," Oyubi And BD1982](https://makebelievemelodies.com/electronic-round-up-draping-oyubi-and-bd1982/) - -- The 10th installment of the Draping series dropped late last week, finding the trio of DJ Fulltono, CRZKNY and Skip Club Orchestra continue to play around with footwork. This time around, all three play around with the same central sample (or at the very least let the main sample stand out more clearly across
- [New Homecomings: "Cakes"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-homecomings-cakes/) - While the band aren't quite dashing ahead at a "You Never Kiss" speed, Homecomings' latest single "Cakes" finds them adding a little more skip in their step. The last few releases from the band have been good, but on the slower side. "Cakes" reminds that ennui can come across even when bouncing along. The song
- [New Kyary Pamyu Pamyu: "Kimiga Iine Kuretara"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-kyary-pamyu-pamyu-kimiga-iine-kuretara/) - The most interesting developments for Kyary Pamyu Pamyu pop up outside of the music on "Kimiga Iine Kuretara." Dig into the credits here and you discover this single came out via a company with the same name as the song itself, rather than Warner Music Japan (no idea what that means, and have no official
- [New Waater: "Ocean"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-waater-ocean/) - Can't tell if this is self-referential or what, but hey...Waater with a song called "Ocean!" Getting over the cuteness of the name, this splash of their next EP offers one of the most immediately pleasing indie-pop cuts they've put together yet. The fuzzy edges remain, but now that noise doesn't get in the way of
- [New Amps: "Tomboy" EP](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-amps-tomboy-ep/) - Consider this the opposite of the last post featured on the blog...that number went super short, while the songs on producer Amps' new EP keep twisting and turning like one of those rides with sharp turns and cardboard cutouts that move out of the way. Tomboy's title track sums it up -- it's a rollicking
- [New Magical Ponika: "Nemuru"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-magical-ponika-nemuru/) - A minute and 30 seconds might not seem like a lot of time to leave an impression, but Magical Ponika makes that run count on "Nemuru." It falls somewhere between her more joyful cuts and something like "We Are Anyway Die." It uses a bell-centric beat to create something apt for the nursery, but with
- [Scrambled Ecstasy: samuragosha's "fake documentary / Wi​-​Fi"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/scrambled-ecstasy-samuragoshas-fake-documentary-wi​-​fi/) - The best song on tofubeat's Fantasy Club is "This City," a number that frequently feels close to collapsing in on itself but focuses together to create a stretch of ecstatic release. Producer samuragosha conjures up the same type of vibe on this two track release from tofubeats' Hihatt imprint. Opener "fake documentary" mostly putters forward
- [New Tohji: "On My Own Way"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-tohji-on-my-own-way/) - I went to the fifth installment of the Tokio Shaman party today at Shibuya's WWW, and it re-energized me a bit when it comes to following music existing just outside of the mainstream. Ostensibly, this event highlights Japan's nascent "SoundCloud rap" community, featuring performers such as Sleet Mage, Gokou Kuyt and Tohji. Part of the
- [New Ex Confusion: "I Remember When"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-ex-confusion-i-remember-when/) - Forget subtly -- sometimes you have to just drip out the bad feelings until they've totally gone away (for a bit). Nara artist Ex Confusion has always let emotion all out in their music, and I Remember When stands as their melancholy masterstroke. These loops just really go into downcast territory, using a mix of
- [New Tomisaki: "Merriep"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-tomisaki-merriep/) - A classic example of a song where using too many words trying to say something smart would be foolish. This is just a really great dance track, one really bringing the energy without ever letting it slip for a second. It exists in the same semi-fluttery zone as a lot of stuff you'd find on
- [Trekkie Trax Crew And Nakamura Minami (Teng Gang Starr) Team Up For "Reiwa"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/trekkie-trax-crew-and-nakamura-minami-teng-gang-starr-team-up-for-reiwa/) - This is going to be very tired sometime very soon, but let's savor the genuine thrill of history while it lasts. The Reiwa era is here in Japan, and it was a genuinely cool moment that saw celebrations all over the country and at least one guy somersault onto a boat. Shared moments -- pretty
- [New Puni Puni Denki: "Wonder Underground"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-puni-puni-denki-wonder-underground/) - Turns out Puni Puni Denki's recent turn to more relaxed, near-bossa-nova sounds wasn't just a one-off thing. Wonder Underground follows up the cafe-adjacent sweetness of "Life Is Super Dope" with three more songs begging to soundtrack your next chill-out session. Wonder Underground isn't background music or even smooth enough to soundtrack your next homework marathon.
- [Pep In Your Step: Hirihiri's "Hirahira"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/pep-in-your-step-hirihiris-hirahira/) - A big theme we return to around these parts is how welcome energy can be in music -- even if an artist isn't really imprinting anything new onto a style, sometimes a really fast tempo is all that is needed to get us perked up and enjoying it. Producer Hirihiri's first album Hirahira isn't quite
- [New Taquwaim: "Bye"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-taquwaim-bye/) - Last year's month of new Taquwami everyday felt like a challenge at the time, but one that had the faithful (me, for sure) ready to commit to hear unreleased material from one of the decade's very best. The recent effort to wrangle all those tracks together -- aptly titled 31 -- not only makes for a
- [Ryuichi Sakamoto Teams Up With U-zhaan, TamakiRoy And Chinza Dopeness For "Energy Flo"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/ryuichi-sakamoto-teams-up-with-u-zhaan-tamakiroy-and-chinza-dopeness-for-energy-flo/) - I mean...why shouldn't this exist? Why not!? So Ryuichi Sakamoto has teamed up with two rappers and a guy who mostly plays Indian instruments to create a new song. Given the current clout Sakamoto has in all musical circles, this is kind of a surprising choice. But then again...it is Sakamoto, so it also feels
- [Brain Drain: Koji Seto's "Since Wave"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/brain-drain-koji-setos-since-wave/) - In general, YouTubers venturing into music has been a disaster. Nothing worse than an influencer treating art as another way to build their brand, but here we are in 2019! But that doesn't mean a YouTuber can't hit when they do release a song. Koji Seto mostly makes videos like this, or this, or uhhhhhh
- [New (Kinda) Blackbass With Ryuei Kotoge: "Unfair"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-blackbass-with-ryuei-kotoge-unfair/) - The surest way to give your project a musical boost is get a great under-the-radar producer helping out with the music. Blackbass call on Kansai producer and INNIT-adjacent creator Ryuei Kotoge to help construct the sparse "Unfair." This one came out on an EP released earlier this year, but now gets a video, and it
- [New FNCY: "DRVN’"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-fncy-drvn/) - FNCY makes nostalgia seem so natural. The trio of Zen-La-Rock, G-Rina and Chinza Dopeness has largely turned throwback hip-pop ideas into tag-team successes, as recently as this past January. Latest single "DRVN'" still nods to the past, but strips the sound back in favor of a cool West Coast breezer of a beat (produced by
- [New Lucky Kilimanjaro: "Kaze Ni Naru"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-lucky-kilimanjaro-kaze-ni-naru/) - The thing about being upbeat is that you really need to commit to not come off as phony. Lucky Kilimanjaro occupy just the right corner here, creating bouncy dance-pop topped off by shout-along hooks that never get too twee and mutate into an I'm From Barcelona group hug. "Kaze Ni Naru" offers up joy in
- [New HoneyComeBear: "Calling"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-honeycomebear-calling/) - HoneyComeBear's calling card has been the ability to take familiar EDM stompings and find a way to turn them into something closer to a J-pop ballad without sacrificing the banger qualities. "Calling" offers the latest example of the duo's balancing act, featuring skittering drum beats and bright keyboard melodies wrapped around tender verses just really
- [New Mom: "Himitsu No Futari"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-mom-himitsu-no-futari/) - Let's call this one a softer side of Mom. The artist's best work, for me at least, has always been about energy, often giddily jamming genre together or simply finding his own perspective on hip-hop and running with it. "Himitsu No Futari" keeps things mellow. It's the closest he's come to approaching that neo-city-pop sound,
- [Pick-Me Up: Toti's "Lost"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/pick-me-up-totis-lost/) - I'm just so tired recently...the latest release from Omoide Label serves as a real nice shot of sonic caffeine, an upbeat trio of dance songs from producer Toti that really just go for pure energy over any evolution of the "future bass" sound that has been kicking around for a while now. The title track
- [New Haruno: "Broadcast" And "Terminal Center"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-haruno-broadcast-and-terminal-center/) - Haruno steps towards the spotlight on these pair of recent releases. The artist has previously used Vocaloid singing as a base while in recent months has switched up to more beat-oriented instrumental chill outs. But now Haruno is making their vocals (presumably) go to the center on numbers that opt for mid-tempo pop. "Broadcast" came
- [Terminally Chill: Wai Wai Music Resort's <em>WWMR1</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/terminally-chill-wai-wai-music-resorts-wwmr1/) - Japanese indie creators ongoing interest with throwback styles and genres associated with the Bubble era might have reached a logical end with Wai Wai Music Resort's first collection of songs. Released via Local Visions, WWMR1 embraces the most chilled-out elements of retro music culture, creating something breezy but with an emotional aching still present (to
- [New Puni Puni Denki: "Life Is Super Dope"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-puni-puni-denki-life-is-super-dope/) - Every few months, an internet-centric electronic artist in Japan releases a song that makes me stop and go "....wait, is this like a return to Shibuya-kei mindsets?" It's a feeling YUC'e conjures up frequently, and Puni Puni Denki's new song "Life Is Super Dope" goes even further by pivoting into bossa nova that would make
- [New Guchon: <em>Dogs Of The Future</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-guchon-dogs-of-the-future/) - Long-running netlabel presence Guchon returns with Dogs Of The Future, a new one released via Maltine Records. All things considered, Guchon keeps it simple over these five tracks. Opener "Anywhere Door" exists as kind of a distant cousin to Powder's "New Tribe," slowly building tension through constant repetition and subtle changes going off just out
- [New Cemetery: "Fatima"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-cemetery-fatima/) - Tokyo artist Cemetery's music has always been on the ominous side. Noises drift overhead and vocal samples bubble up off in the distance, making even their most angelic stretches hide some tension. "Fatima" shows Cememtery's livelier, albeit still unnerving, side. This one, debuted a few days ago on Nest HQ, uses an array of chanting
- [Words And Music: Paya's <em>Yuutai Gurai De Chooudo Ii</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/words-and-music-payas-yuutai-gurai-de-chooudo-ii/) - The recent focus on pop music going "international" via K-pop and Latin pop has resulted in an interesting tension in how these songs get interpreted. How important are lyrics to this? They obviously are central, and no doubt that's part of the appeal to listeners who actually are fluent in these languages. But a big
- [New Okinawa Electric Girl Saya And AX: <em>Mayhem</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-okinawa-electric-girl-saya-and-ax-mayhem/) - Consider Mayhem a test. This collaborative album finds Okinawa Electric Girl Saya teaming up with another Terminal Explosion staple, producer AX, whose best work up to this point is probably the too-many-highballs-kicked-back stagger of the Purple Juke series. Mayhem is the first of two releases coming from the pair over the next couple of months,
- [Soft Fall: Suguru Iida's "Spring Snow"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/soft-fall-suguru-iidas-spring-snow/) - Last year, the fledgling Hihatt label released the Rubber Band EP from Tottori producer Hajime Iida. It was a late calendar release, so it sorta snuck under our ears for a bit, but it's a fantastic EP of understated house music, highlighted by the breezy strut of "1" and the more hurried rumble of "3."
- [Side Piece: Body Curves <em>Knife In The Desert</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/side-piece-body-curves-knife-in-the-desert/) - Side projects usually give someone the chance to try out sounds they can't get away with in their main vehicle, and the results are often hit or miss. Body Curves, the solo creation of Shion Hosobe of the band Waater, deals in songs really similar to what comes out from the group...and finds a lot
- [New Zombie-Chang: "Saredo-Shiawase"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-zombie-chang-saredo-shiawase/) - A lot has changed for Zombie-Chang over the last few years, but at the same time her approach to new-wave-brushed pop remains pretty true to what she's been doing since Zombie-Change. "Saredo-Shiawase" is a new single that finds her embracing synthesizer whirs to create a buzzing number nodding to early '80s artists who made wonky
- [Salyu: "新しいYES"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/新しいyes/) - For the most part, I'm not a big fan of Salyu. Listening to a smattering of songs off her recently released album Maiden Voyage left me pretty unimpressed. A few interesting production ideas here and there (peep the stripped down march of "HALFWAY"), but for the most part straightforward vegan vanilla flavored J-Pop anchored by
- [Dorian Remixes アナ's "TEI"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/dorian-remixes-アナs-tei/) - Let's start with the original version of "TEI" - アナ made an enjoyable bit of indie-pop bolstered by a few theatrical touches - see, that gong and those guitars and maybe just that general glow of "bigness" pulsing underneath the whole track. It also has a bit of a leg-moving feel thanks to the drum
- [Å(Angstrom): "Stray Tact" And Album Teaser](https://makebelievemelodies.com/åangstrom-stray-tact-and-album-teaser/) - Frustratingly named outfit Å (though various other places also peg them as Angstrom) released their self-titled debut album last week, and you can listen to some samples of every song on the album via a teaser below. Watching this preview clip having not heard anything from this group before most likely leaves one (well, at
- [New The Mirraz: "あーあ"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-the-mirraz-あーあ/) - Initially I wanted to open this post wondering aloud about how The Mirraz can release so much new music in so little time. They released one album late last year and this week the follow-up LP We Are The Fuck'N World sees the light of day, with "あーあ" serving as our first taste of this
- [Pure Comfort: Kung-Fu Girl's "Anorak"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/pure-comfort-kung-fu-girls-anorak/) - You call a song "Anorak," you better deliver those twee vibes. And Kung-Fu Girl does just that by giving in to all the hallmarks of the style. The band has been around for a few years now and up until now have always felt like they've tried a little too hard to stick out from
- [New Woopheadclrms: <em>Asaga Fu An Fumoragu Aria</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-woopheadclrms-asaga-fu-an-fumoragu-aria/) - We accumulate so much junk. The internet just overflows with forgotten content, gigabytes of "Damn, Daniel" memes and thinkpieces about Iggy Azalea. It's funny, but also depressing. But from that social-media-age churn comes stuff like Asaga Fu An Fumoragu Aria, the latest from Nagoya's Woopheadclrms. It's an album somewhere between ridiculous and gorgeous, the electronic
- [The Right Wave: nate And KUVIZM's "Round Trip"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/the-right-wave-nate-and-kuvizms-round-trip/) - Somehow, the realm of "SoundCloud Rap" has turned out to be fertile ground for young Japanese artists in 2019. Some of the year's most interesting music out of the country comes from creators taking cues from American acts like Lil Peep, but whereas other corners of hip-hop simply see imitation (or, worse, "experimental" rap that
- [New KiWi: "Uso"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-kiwi-uso/) - Credit to KiWi -- they gave a deadline to listen to their latest song "Uso," which turns out to be a great motivating force to write up a blog post you've been meaning to get around to for a few days now. "Uso" is scheduled to go away...I think?...tomorrow, so give the latest bit of
- [New Metome: "Cocoon"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-metome-cocoon/) - Metome's been in a jaunty mindset recently. "Cocoon" is the latest track from the Osaka artist to embrace swift rhythms and acid squeaks, as for at least half its run the number is just pure loose-limbed dance music, topped off by some vocal samples underlining that point. But midway through, Metome introduces a synth melody
- [New Foodman: <em>ODOODO</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-foodman-odoodo/) - You can choose to be cynical about the state of everything -- or you can see that Diplo And Friends allowed Foodman on to play Number Girl among other tracks and feel joy. Watching Foodman continue to nab attention with his wonderfully oddball music remains one of the most positive developments in music, and latest
- [New Lulu: "Hot"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-lulu-hot/) - The latest from Lulu details a scene that sounds lovely, but delivered in a way hinting at how even the best times are bound to slip away at some point. "Hot" features lyrics about pools and warm nights, but delivered over a sparse beat marked by faint keyboard notes that mostly put the focus on
- [New Y.a.M.A: <em>BOOOOM​!​!</em> EP](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-y-a-m-a-boooom​​-ep/) - "Pow." "Whomp." "Ka-Boom." The tracks on footwork producer Y.a.M.A's latest play out like comic book injections, and the accompanying songs deliver the same kind of frantic energy that really begs for movement rather than words. "Pow" leads off with squiggly synth stabs dancing around the skittery beat, going for constant movement over all else. "Glug"
- [A New Normal?: Kubotakai's <em>305</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/a-new-normal-kubotakais-305/) - It's going to be a month straight of simultaneous looking back and gazing forward now that we have an era name in hand. Eventually it will feel exhausting the way all discourse gets in the internet age, but there is something charming right now about it, being in this weird lame-duck time where time just
- [Haru Nemuri Teams Up With China's Prune Deer For "Return"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/haru-nemuri-teams-up-with-chinas-prune-deer-for-return/) - Haru Nemuri -- responsible for our favorite album of 2018 -- recently wrapped up a tour of China. While there, she met up with Chinese instrumental rock band Prune Deer to collaborate on a song called "Return." The group provides an initially lumbering backdrop, a sort of post-rock adjacent lurch that Nemuri hasn't really tackled
- [New Universe Nekoko: "Like A Raspberry"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-universe-nekoko-like-a-raspberry/) - Sometimes its the moment not happening that ends up being the most memorable. Universe Nekoko's "Like A Raspberry" goes for something more delicate, more spacious than some of the band's more outright shoegaze material. Everything feels near whispered, while the music itself feels barely there, like a light wind grazing over someone walking in the
- [New Emamouse: <em>Eye Cavity</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-emamouse-eye-cavity/) - Think of this as more an advisory than a usual "yapping about a release" post. The latest release from Tokyo's Emamouse is maybe their best yet, featuring both some of their loopiest melody runs to date alongside an absolute epic in the album closer. I'll have more on this one later in the week (look
- [New Native Rapper: <em>Trip</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-native-rapper-trip/) - We're firmly in a post-netlabel world. Everything is "internet music" now, and the idea of online as a potential alternative to existing lanes of music has vanished as major players crowd up what seemed like new alternatives. Sure, corners remain for artists to develop their own world, but they are getting blotted out by the
- [New Mitsume: "Namerakana Hibi"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-mitsume-namerakana-hibi/) - When Mitsume introduces a fresh sound to their strolling rock, it really comes through clearly. It doesn't take long into new number "Namerakana Hibi," from forthcoming album Ghosts, for a new wrinkle to pop up in a song that initially sounds locked-in like so many of the quartet's previous releases. But then lurking a little
- [New COR!S: "Spiceholic"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-cors-spiceholic/) - I recently ate an extremely spicy dinner*, and it fucked me up for at least a day and a half. I'm still not sure my body has truly gotten over it. Anyway, this sensation seemed easy to connect to "Spiceholic," a seven-minute trance number created by COR!S that I like to imagine was inspired by
- [Kid Fresino And Seiho Team Up Again For "720"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/kid-fresino-and-seiho-team-up-again-for-720/) - Rapper Kid Fresino and Seiho teamed up last year for the latter's "Cherry Pie," a number that found the prior navigating a track that sounded like a swarm of electronic bees. It was an effective pairing -- I'll go as far as to say that, personally, it is the best Kid Fresino has sounded --
- [Good Matchup: Waiai's "Hohoemi" Featuring Puni Puni Denki](https://makebelievemelodies.com/good-matchup-waiais-hohoemi-featuring-puni-puni-denki/) - This one's just simple -- sound producer and artist Waiai teams up with fellow electronic creator Puni Puni Denki for a bouncy dance number that's pure summer breeze. The pair lay down a nice groove borrowing from funk and boasting a bit of a New Jack Swing to it, and the whole thing gets lifted
- [New Uami: "Yakedo"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-uami-yakedo/) - Uami is one of those artists who post and share so much online that keeping track of what is what can be tough. "Yakedo," though, is definitely a new one from the artist, and a great glimpse into the sonic realm they've started creating. Flashes of Metoronori-style world building pop up over the course of
- [New Soleil Soleil: <em>EQ</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-soleil-soleil-eq/) - It's a little too early to start celebrating the decade in music, but Soleil Soleil's EQ works as a nice cap to a stretch of time that saw the Kansai electronic scene just flourish. The Osaka producer orbited around parties like INNIT at the start of the 2010s, first releasing music under the name OMEGABOY
- [New In The Blue Shirt: "Cast Off"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-in-the-blue-shirt-cast-off/) - In The Blue Shirt's speciality is digging into the DNA of existing songs and modifying them into something entirely new and totally dizzying. "Cast Off" revisits this formula ahead of a new album, and reminds just how effective it is. ITBS splices up some vocal samples from a song (or songs) I can't put my
- [Comfort Time: Hasegawa-4200's <em>One Hour A Day</em> EP](https://makebelievemelodies.com/comfort-time-hasegawa-4200s-one-hour-a-day-ep/) - This marks the second release in the span of the month out of Japan that builds around samples from Pac-Man. One more and we got us a trend! Omoide Label tends to release music that is pure comfort for me personally, the type of stuff that goes down like convenience store desserts after a long
- [New Izumi Makura: "Heroine"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-izumi-makura-heroine/) - Update: This is not a new song, just a new visual for a song that came out two years ago. Rushed to post this, and in the process failed to double check. Thanks to @nsilvias for pointing this out, I really just need to not blog when I have other things to do and can't
- [New Lullatone: <em>Music For Museum Gift Shops</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-lullatone-music-for-museum-gift-shops/) - Let's be clear here -- this blog's name comes from a Lullatone song, so a super-stuffed release that finds the duo re-arranging old songs for piano, including said titular song, is bound to get us thrilled. I had the chance to talk to them in Nagoya recently, and that features a lot of thoughts on
- [New Yackle Featuring De De Mouse and Saki Misaka: "Feel Me"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-yackle-featuring-de-de-mouse-and-saki-misaka-feel-me/) - This one works better as a study in musical styles colliding than as a fully formed song, though the sections where "Feel Me" just goes off are really something. Yackle, a name associated with Tokyo Recordings and who just dropped a new album called Frank Throw yesterday, teams up with De De Mouse and singer/songwriter
- [New T4CKY: "20190314"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-t4cky-20190314/) - You think it's all just simple lift and rising action with the latest track from producer T4CKY. Their newest cut starts with some keyboard twinkles and a beat that thumps and claps along. It's all very pretty, and then T4CKY offers a nice sonic shove to the listener about midway through by introducing some backtracked
- [New Gaburyu: <em>Yurare Notification</em> EP](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-gaburyu-yurare-notification-ep/) - The newest EP from producer Gaburyu shows just how easily human and synthesized voices slide into their busy electro-pop world. Yurare Notification starts off with a song that first appeared back in 2017, the appropriately fizzy "Pop It Soda," a busy number finding Vocaloid singing traversing around a backdrop drawing from all sorts of dance
- [New HiRO.JP: "Last Month"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-hiro-jp-last-month/) - While finding new angles to old sounds is always going to be great, sometimes capturing the vibe of a time now lost can be just as impressive when done on a Colonial-Williamsburg level. HiRO.JP's "Last Month" offers up a sleek, sax-accented city pop slinker that isn't far removed from the synth-glazed peaks of Soichi Noriki.
- [New Mom: "Boys And Girls"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-mom-boys-and-girls/) - Not to puff it up too much, but Mom has...kind of gotten big? OK, more like "rising steadily" but since releasing an album late last year the genre hop-scotcher has gotten a decent amount of attention, and also appeared in an ad for Apple. This is all lining up for Mom's next album, May's Detox,
- [New Have A Nice Day!: "Kill All Internet"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-have-a-nice-day-kill-all-internet/) - Short post: Yes, let's. Long post: The bulk of Have A Nice Day's! Enter The Void EP finds the project doing what they do best -- creating keyboard=heavy escapes that manage some humor but mostly play out like bedroom-made movie soundtracks. This set features their most group_inou indebted instrumental to date (the pinballing "Window Shopping")
- [New Oyubi: "Dark Bedroom"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-oyubi-dark-bedroom/) - Oyubi flexes a bit of range on newest song "Dark Bedroom." The young producer has earned a lot of looks thanks to their take on Chicago-born juke music in the last couple of years, but for this post-midnight number they jump across the pond and take cues from British 2-step. "Dark Bedroom" drifts between intimidating
- [New Tricot: "Daihatsumei"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-tricot-daihatsumei/) - Perhaps it was overly paranoid, but it's great to see Tricot still chugging along. For a second last year, it looked like lead vocalist / guitarist Ikkyu Nakajima could pivot into more proper J-pop territory, due to the surprise success of the variety-show-fueled band Genie High and just a greater turn to being a more
- [New Yurufuwa Gang And Ryan Hemsworth: "Fresh All Day"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-yurufuwa-gang-and-ryan-hemsworth-fresh-all-day/) - Despite being their most zonked out number lyrically to date, Yurufuwa Gang's "Fresh All Day" manages to avoid falling into the ether. That's not a bad spot for the pair -- last year's "Palm Tree" being a strong argument for just letting the void devour you entirely -- but this one works because Ryan Hemsworth's
- [New Amunoa: <em>Grief</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-amunoa-grief/) - I associate a lot of feelings with independent Japanese electronic music -- joy, togetherness, escape, ecstasy, lower back pain (owing to a crowd surfer jumping directly onto me at a Pa's Lam System show...great set, though). But vulnerability isn't one that has exactly cropped up much in the decade I've been following it. Releases and
- [New Wagatsuma: "Fureru"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-wagatsuma-fureru/) - Sometimes songs can do one thing so well they don't require much reflection. Such was the case with Wagatsuma's "Slowdown," a calming bit of pop that used a little to leave a big impact (and offer an apt backdrop for just zoning out). "Fureru" is mostly another great example of how to turn out a
- [Against The Grain: Satoko Shibata's "Kekkonshimashita"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/against-the-grain-satoko-shibatas-kekkonshimashita/) - An early buzzing 2019 hit comes courtesy of singer/songwriter Satoko Shibata, an artist who has attracted attention in the past for her playful acoustic pop numbers which often come with clever videos. "Namida" plays out like an update of something you'd find on Taeko Ohnuki's Sunshower, striking a balance between daily-life ennui and a nice
- [CRZKNY, Skip Club Orchestra, DJ Fulltono Share <em>Draping 8</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/crzkny-skip-club-orchestra-dj-fulltono-share-draping-8/) - Another month, another edition in the Draping series, which brings together three of Japan's most prominent footwork creators to offer up new tracks bouncing off one another. CRZKNY gets 8 off to an intimidating start (though the actual most disorienting noise comes at the very start, with what sounds like a dog lapping up water
- [New Japanese Summer Orange: "The Ones"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-japanese-summer-orange-the-ones/) - Japanese Summer Orange gets sober on "The Ones," a reflective number revealing new depth to the project. Up to this point, the semi-slacking outfit has been about stumbling about and feeling the hangover the next day, but "The Ones" heads out with a clear mind and a lot on its mind. The bedroom-recorded quality remains,
- [Fatalistic: Magical Ponika's "We Are Anyway Die"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/fatalistic-magical-ponikas-we-are-anyway-die/) - Let's actually back up a bit and start on a more optimistic note. Tokyo artist Magical Ponika has been kicking around for a little bit now, in the same zone as other underground Japanese rappers seemingly inspired by the whole "SoundCloud rap" thing . Initially, she delivered bright candy-shelled numbers that put her own spin
- [New The Vegetablets: <em>3</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-the-vegetablets-3/) - Simplicity wins for Nagoya's The Vegetablets. That's how it tends to go with indie-pop of all stripes, Japan-based or otherwise, but with this duo the lets-make-some-music! vibes just come across more clearly, as their songs are both simplistic but deeply charming. 3 follows an album from last year that got The Vegetablets some international glances,
- [New DYGL: "A Paper Dream"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-dygl-a-paper-dream/) - This is as jaunty as DYGL have ever sounded, to an almost unsettling degree, though peel it back a little and a bit more roughness comes through. DYGL move ahead on a hoppy melody, highlighted by some nifty turn-of-the-2000s guitar work and a beat built for a get down. And those handclaps, so jolly! It's
- [New AFAMoo Featuring Lil Summer: "Thinkin' Bout U"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-afamoo-featuring-lil-summer-thinkin-bout-u/) - Sometimes, trickery or genre subversion or nifty sonic tricks that make your music sound like it was found on an orphaned VHS tape (despite the music being made on a MacBook Pro). All of those scenarios can result in great music, but so can keeping it simple and just creating hyper catchy. AFAMoo doesn't complicate
- [New Kokushimusou: <em> P​.​man / Matango</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-kokushimusou-p​-​man-matango/) - It has been more than a year since Sabacan Records shared any new music, but they are back and with this new one from Kokushimusou (the duo of Guchon and Hujiko Pro) that reminds how welcome the netlabel's wonky releases are. "P.man" lifts samples and the start-up music from Pac-Man to create a rave-up built
- [DHL Crew Presents <em>Digital High Life Compilation</em> Featuring DJ Badboi, Kissmenerdygirl And More](https://makebelievemelodies.com/dhl-crew-presents-digital-high-life-compilation-featuring-dj-badboi-kissmenerdygirl-and-more/) - Digital High Life is one of many great little parties scattered across Tokyo, with this particular gathering being part of a constellation of get-togethers featuring DJs and performers pulling from all kinds of genre to create something fun. Digital High Life Compilation offers a nice snapshot of this event, finding creators associated with Digital High
- [New ind_fris: <em>Sink In</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-ind_fris-sink-in/) - The ongoing "city pop" revival online tends to place an emphasis on the funk and disco-indebted tunes emerging out of Bubble era Japan. Yet every bit as central to it were genres seen as far less cool in 2019 -- jazz, AOR, fusion, the stuff your dad might listen to (give that dad some credit,
- [New Carpainter: <em>Declare Victory</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-carpainter-declare-victory/) - Carpainter made the leap with 2017's Returning, showing just how sturdy his sleek mutation of U.K. garage and 2-step could be. Declare Victory serves somewhat as...well, victory lap (or maybe "victory reminder") while also letting a few new twists into his rattling style. The bulk of this release sticks to what Carpainter has done so
- [Check The Boxes: Seasunsalt's <em>Ect</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/check-the-boxes-seasunsalts-ect/) - Seasunsalt is a project hitting on all of Make Believe Melodies' favorite elements, to a point where a more paranoid version of myself would think some algorithm generated Ect to make me roll out all the words I already use too much. This is fidgety, at-times uneasy dance-pop featuring bright synth notes and off-kilter beats
- [New HALLCA: "Burning In Blue"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-hallca-burning-in-blue/) - Charting the path the members of Especia went on after the group finally called it a day reveals that many...kind of kept on sounding like Especia. Well, except ripped from the idol context and playful vaporwave imagery that added an extra wink to music that was pretty faithful to city pop and the various styles
- [Skyward: Charles.A.D's <em>Inception</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/skyward-charles-a-ds-inception/) - A fun exercise is to think about how many obscure Japanese albums from the late 1970s and 1980s are enjoying renewed interest today, and imagine...what will the equivalent be 20 or 30 years down the line? This isn't just limited to Japanese music (honestly, I feel future decades are going to find a lot of
- [New Rayons: "Our Future"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-rayons-our-future/) - What have been Rayons been up to for the last few years? The Flau-associated project responsible for some of the more aching string-heavy music to come from that label spent some time creating the soundtrack to an anime called Sagrada Reset. Considering my past accidental revelations that I know very little about anime, it shouldn't
- [Round And Soft: Sawa Angstrom's "Tape Loop"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/round-and-soft-sawa-angstroms-tape-loop/) - Kyoto project Sawa Angstrom has been around since 2017, featuring a trio of artists who have dabbled in all sorts of other indie projects over the years. With this one though, soft and reflective is what they aim for. "Tape Loop" offers a gentle entry into their style, and it stands out as the highlight
- [New Koutei Camera Girl Drei: "Changes"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-koutei-camera-girl-drei-changes/) - It has been a little over a month since Koutei Camera Girl Drei released Dawn By Flow, a full-length moving between dancehall-inflected numbers and more driving techno and house pop that has been the group's go-to sound for a while now. It's pretty great ("Taiwan No Men" and especially "Movin'" are early song of the
- [New Mikazuki Bigwave Featuring Somunia: <em>Himitsu No Merry-Go-Round</em> EP](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-mikazuki-bigwave-featuring-somunia-himitsu-no-merry-go-round-ep/) - Since I can't just copy-paste the general gist of what I wrote last time, I'll simply say that Himitsu No Merry-Go-Roung works as a kind of booster pack to early 2019 highlight Hoshizora Romantic. It adds the one element not really present on Mikazuki Bigwave's breakthrough, which is guest vocals, helping transform familiar future funk
- [New Normal: Uyuni's <em>Jellyfish</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-normal-uyunis-jellyfish/) - Uyuni's backstory leading up to the release of her first EP Jellyfish is one that's becoming slightly more common. She took part in a hip-hop collective called +Vacation, swerving between rap and a more traditional singing style. So, she exists in the same lane as someone like Haru Nemuri, or even Oomori Seiko (hold that
- [New Young Juvenile Youth: "Sugar Spike" And "Darkroom"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-young-juvenile-youth-sugar-spike-and-darkroom/) - The world electronic duo Young Juvenile Youth conjure up has always dabbled in unease, but new single "Sugar Spike" finds them diving straight into loneliness. The number, part of a new monthly single project, doesn't even try to fake a smile, straight out rejecting the idea of "sugar-spiking happiness" and simply letting an admission of
- [New Manon Featuring Sleet Mage: "Winter Lil Life"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-manon-featuring-sleet-mage-winter-lil-life/) - On paper, Manon should be an artist right in our wheelhouse. It is offbeat pop featuring a lot of production work from HNC, an artist responsible for some of this blog's favorite songs of the 21st century. And yet...nothing Manon has put out to now has really clicked with me, and even seeing her live
- [New Snail's House: <em>Scenery</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-snails-house-scenery/) - After the interstellar get-down of Alien Pop II, Scenery gives Snail's House a chance to catch their breathe and return to carefully constructed pieces that reveal themselves slowly but surely. This album comes much closer to last year's intricate L’été, a series of numbers coming close to fading into the background but have been put
- [Omoide Label Presents <em>Hajimete No Juke</em> Featuring Oyubi, Tsumami And More](https://makebelievemelodies.com/omoide-label-presents-hajimete-no-juke-featuring-oyubi-tsumami-and-more/) - The cutesy stuff ends almost right away, following a Vocaloid-powered "cooking lesson" about how to make juke music. Hajimete No Juke then proceeds to show just how much actual variety the Chicago-born style allows. This is really just another juke compilation featuring Japanese creators from Omoide Label, and as is often the case with any
- [New Seiho: "I Feel Tired Everyday"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-seiho-i-feel-tired-everyday/) - Part of me just wants to point at that title and be like "eyyyy me too!" But...why? The key to the latest song from electronic artist Seiho comes from his choice to underline "tired" as the condition this track captures. Have all the fuzzy anime GIF loops you want -- tiredness isn't sitting in bed,
- [New Spangle Call Lilli Line: "Red"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-spangle-call-lilli-line-red/) - Sinking into the familiar can be so rewarding. The pace of life in the digital age puts a premium on the new, of celebrating sudden pivots that eventually lead to more pivots, until everyone involved is just dizzy. Perhaps this comes colored from working primarily in the media industry -- which pinballs from idea to
- [Good Vibrations: Kumachan Seal's "Ra Do Namin"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/good-vibrations-kumachan-seals-ra-do-namin/) - Never too early to let some summer moods in. Kumachan Seal (solo project of a member of Casio Toruko Onsen AND Emerald Four) creates a dub-glazed dance number with "Ra Do Namin," a breezy number heavy on vibe. Kumachan Seal avoids words in favor of using their voice as another instrument, lending the song a
- [New (Kinda) Oomori Seiko Featuring Sayumi Michishige: "Zettai Kanojo"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-kinda-oomori-seiko-featuring-sayumi-michishige-zettai-kanojo/) - Videos that basically pause in the middle to air a commercial or other kind of brand-building content are, almost always, obnoxious. But damn, is the middle stretch of this upload essential. This isn't the first time Oomori Seiko has crossed paths with the world of Morning Musume, and she's collaborated with former leader of said
- [New Emamouse: "Puppy"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-emamouse-puppy/) - The ever woozy-making Emamouse has a new album titled Eye Cavity out on March 29 via Primordial Void, and "Puppy" serves as the first preview of that full-length offering. It starts jaunty but with an unnerving side, the synth melody dashing about while something sinister burbles up beneath. But it never really consumes the main
- [New Gimgigam: <em>The Trip</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-gimgigam-the-trip/) - You ever enjoying yourself, say on an excursion out of the house or on a small vacation, only to have the sudden reminder "oh hey, civilization is ultimately doomed" cross your mind? The most striking individual moment on Gimgigam's The Trip manages just this feeling, and the warmer-clime funk-pop proceeding makes the realization all the
- [Electronic Round-Up: Negative Headphone, House Of Tapes And Vibes Kiun Featuring DJ NightPool](https://makebelievemelodies.com/electronic-round-up-negative-headphone-house-of-tapes-and-vibes-kiun-featuring-dj-nightpool/) - -- Everything can feel so fast nowadays, and sometimes you just need to zone out. Like, completely. Negative Headphone's latest full-length offering, Ambient Ground, pretty much tells you everything you need to know in the title. This is a solid collection of ambient tunes, calming and only ever disrupted by the slightest of ripples breaking
- [New DJ Fulltono, CRZKNY And Skip Club Orchestra: <em>Draping 7</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-dj-fulltono-crzkny-and-skip-club-orchestra-draping-7/) - The Draping series keeps on delivering, and the seventh installment in a project bringing together three heavyweights of the Japanese juke community stands as a highlight. This trio of track brings the energy, each creator offering up one of their briskets creations to date. DJ Fulltono gets it going by embracing repetition with a particularly
- [New Acidclank: <em>Apache Sound</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-acidclank-apache-sound/) - Shoegaze endears in the Japanese music community. Walk around certain music-leaning neighborhoods in the capital and the odds of bumping into someone who spends their Thursdays after work getting lost in distortion is pretty high. The downside to this is a lot of groups who listen to Nowhere on a weekly basis making songs that
- [New Einsteins: "Ribbon"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-einsteins-ribbon/) - Synth-pop project Einsteins has quite the treat for Valentine's Day 2019. "Ribbon" splits the difference between bouncy electronic fare and a slightly more chamber-leaning arrangement lending the song an air of sophistication. But they never get stuffy about it. Bells chime off and synthesized strings swirl around while Einsteins let their vocals zig-zag through the
- [New Frasco: "Reality"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-frasco-reality/) - Frasco really moves on "Reality." The duo have spent most of their existence at a more mid-tempo speed, creating synth-pop adjacent to the chill sounds gaining popularity in the greater mainstream while working in wonkier electronic details to give their songs a color all their own. But "Reality" moves at a swift pace, the usual
- [New Tamana Ramen: <em>Kuki</em> EP](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-tamana-ramen-kuki-ep/) - Poemcore always felt like it was one or two artists away from developing into a full-fledged micro-movement in the Japanese underground. But it never really formed into something solid to build around, probably peaking with...a virtual YouTuber? That's all good though, and it has allowed an artist like Tamana Ramen to go off and do
- [New Nostalgia: Uami's "K. Kuyou Gara"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-nostalgia-uamis-k-kuyou-gara/) - Remember flip phones? Uami sure does, and "K. Kuyou Gara" serves as an ode to "Galapagos" phones, those chunky pieces of plastic that were once so ubiquitous (and kinda still are with salarymen who just need to make calls to one another). It's a delicate song, featuring muffled vocals and lyrics reflecting on the fantasy
- [New Satanicpornocultshop: <em>New Fuck</em> EP](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-satanicpornocultshop-new-fuck-ep/) - Wherein Satanicpornocultshop let their freak flag fly. The New Fuck EP finds the long-running outfit bringing their skittery style to some slightly sleazier material, highlighted by the title track, a sliced-up take on Disco D's "Fuck Me On The Dancefloor." The bulk of the EP finds the group trying out ghettotech, using ample amounts of
- [New Chai: "Choose Go!"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-chai-choose-go/) - Chai hasn't sounded as direct at any point as they do on "Choose Go!" Not all of their songs delve into metaphor and clever fake outs, but more than most do, whether poking at the concept of "kawaii" in modern Japan or simply turning a love song into an ode about dumplings. "Choose Go!" though
- [New Cairophenomenons: "Spring"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-cairophenomenons-spring/) - "Spring" isn't Cairophenomenons preferred season, it seems. The latest song from the group finds them taking a less than rosy view on warm weather and cherry blossoms, directly stating a distaste for this stretch of the year while also slipping in plenty of ennui for something else lost along the way. But they mask it
- [New Tomatoism: <em>Cute Moments 2017 - 2018</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-tomatoism-cute-moments-2017-2018/) - More Tomatoism means more chances to encounter anime samples I don't know, which is always good for the ol' noggin. Cute Moments 2017 - 2018 loads up on said vocal snippets (and, uh, Beastie Boy clips jammed up against Kyary Pamyu Pamyu cuts), but this collection of unreleased and deleted tracks also offers as a
- [Cold Steel: Ice's <em>Ice Do Haus</em> (With Bonus Thoughts On Tofubeats' "Plastic Love" Cover)](https://makebelievemelodies.com/cold-steel-ices-ice-do-haus-with-bonus-thoughts-on-tofubeats-plastic-love-cover/) - Tofubeats' Hihatt imprint functions as an ideal artist-lead label. It's a space where he can put out slow-burning dance sputters that probably make the higher ups at Warner Music sweat if presented for an album under their watch, and offering a chance to highlight other creators doing good work (see last year's Rubber Band EP
- [Island Update: Okinawa Electric Girl Saya's <em>Discord</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/island-update-okinawa-electric-girl-sayas-discord/) - I will not pretend to know much about traditional Okinawan music, and cop to having pulled up the Wikipedia page for the central song covered on Okinawa Electric Girl Saya's Discord release on Terminal Explosion. Despite my lack of knowledge regarding it, there's something very endearing about the young electronic artist warping a familiar island
- [New Pictured Resort: "Daylight Moonlight"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-pictured-resort-daylight-moonlight/) - The other day, I went to the bookstore and looked over the music magazines. The latest issue of Switch is...entirely devoted to Suchmos? Like, save for a little bit of fashion news in the back, every page was looking at the group from every single angle. Call it a potential endpoint for the whole "city
- [New Le Makeup: <em>End Roll</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-le-makeup-end-roll/) - This narrative writes itself, practically. Le Makeup's voice had long been buried in his music, then in 2018 it started creeping closer and closer, and now comes End Roll wherein it is the most important element of each song. The three songs here are some of the most straightforward ones Le Makeup has created, with
- [New AAAMYYY: "Over My Dead Body"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-aaamyyy-over-my-dead-body/) - "Unnerving" isn't quite the right words to describe "Over My Dead Body." It comes close -- and boy, do we love using that one whenever we can -- but AAAMYYY's latest ahead of her debut album Body does much more than just make us feel slightly uneasy while looking at the computer screen. While the
- [New Chai: "Fashionista"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-chai-fashionista/) - Chai can lock in just as well as they can get wild. The quartet's biggest online hits thus far have been nervy rock numbers that see them zipping from idea to idea, unafraid of a jarring shift. "Fashionista," from upcoming album Punk, shows off the other side, the one grounded in repetition and gradual change.
- [Softer Still: Intend's "Kyu Ji"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/softer-still-intends-kyu-ji/) - Intend keeps things soft on "Kyu Ji," but doesn't get too quiet over the course of the song. This number, featuring a sparse piano-accented beat, approaches whisper rap, but the MC at the center of it makes sure to prop up her words with a blast of energy to avoid letting it get overly sleepy.
- [New Metoronori: "Yoru No Hitobito"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-metoronori-yoru-no-hitobito/) - Metoronori is back with a new song, her first of 2019 and a welcome return to the off-kilter pop world she has been constructing this decade. "Yoru No Hitobito" strikes a good balance between the unsteady and the hooky, opening (and weaving in throughout) with samples of what sounds like Italian set against synth starburst
- [Electronic Round-Up: Fa-mi, Oyubi And House McGwire](https://makebelievemelodies.com/electronic-round-up-fa-mi-oyubi-and-house-mcgwire/) - -- The latest from Omoide Label comes via Fa-mi in the form of the quick hit Oriental, a tropical-leaning set of body-moving dance tunes. "Thank You" sums it up pretty well, letting sunset-ready synth notes play out over strums of acoustic guitar and a persistent but never pushy beat. "Hallo" and (especially) "Flower" bring a
- [New Kissmenerdygirl: <em>Harbour Promenade</em> EP](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-kissmenerdygirl-harbour-promenade-ep/) - Let's not get too twisted -- plenty of artists have used "future funk" as a sandbox to play around in and come up with compelling takes on the familiar over the years. Kissmenerdygril has been teaming up with singers and rappers for a bit now, so Harbour Promenade leaning into this isn't a shocker. But,
- [New Puni Puni Denki: <em>Mirai Addiction</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-puni-puni-denki-mirai-addiction/) - Puni Puni Denki makes stylistic shifting look easy on Mirai Addiction. Released near the start of the month, this four-song collection marks a big jump forward for her, showing off her range and ability to hop-scotch over whatever her and guest arrangers come up with. It's also another 2019 entry into the "kawaii-bass has mutated
- [Blurred Lines: Black Bass' "LFP"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/blurred-lines-black-bass-lfp/) - So what exactly is this? Black Bass are a musical collective that have been kicking around for a couple years now, hitting a stride in 2018 with the bobbing "Looop." The constant use of rap hands in that clip might offer a hint where Black Bass see themselves, but the sound isn't really anything you'd
- [Calming: Wagatsuma's "Slowdown"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/calming-wagatsumas-slowdown/) - "Sleepy" can be a good adjective, too. Wagatsuma's "Slowdown" is pure after-lunch comedown, a chiming number in no rush to get anywhere and featuring vocals that are just totally relaxed. It's almost too sedate, but Wagatsuma charms just enough to avoid this becoming an excuse for why you napped off for a couple hours on
- [Breaking My Rule: Powder's "New Tribe"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/breaking-my-rule-powders-new-tribe/) - One of those stubborn personal opinions I cling to is that music should be able to stand on its own, free from visuals and choreography and whatever else people would rather gravitate to. This is one of the most old-man things about me -- even though I appreciate all the other stuff (I mean, the
- [New Feather Shuttles Forever: <em>Zujyo No Seaside Town</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-feather-shuttles-forever-zujyo-no-seaside-town/) - "Bedroom pop" implies a certain amount of roughness. This is, after all, music made in the same spot someone sleeps, a space like that doesn't imply top-notch quality being guaranteed. But -- and I'm not breaking ground here with this observation -- artists have become far more sophisticated with how they create music, resulting in
- [Soft And Inviting: Smokebees <em>Tonal Memory</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/soft-and-inviting-smokebees-tonal-memory/) - Tonal Memory plucks a few songs featured on Tokyo duo Smokebees early EPs, and turns this into a great gateway into their intimate and at times energetic rock. That seems intentional -- the pair have their first full-length album out later this year, and Tonal Memory works as a wonderful gateway into their world. They
- [~ Wistful Face ~: Fire Emjae's "Latin Dream" (And More)](https://makebelievemelodies.com/wistful-face-fire-emjaes-latin-dream-and-more/) - "Latin Dream" -- and many of Tokyo producer Fire Emjae's recent output -- takes me back in time, to a very specific year. Hitting play on SoundCloud for this one transports me to 2012, when high-energy dance tunes featured pitch-shifted slices of singing ping-ponging between twisty beats and synth blurts. The bongo precessions opening the
- [New Nakamura Sanso: "Yonayona Neburu"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-nakamura-sanso-yonayona-neburu/) - Keep it simple, and make sure nothing gets wasted in the process. This strategy got Nakamura Sanso on our radar last fall, and it makes "Yonayona Neburu" stick around too. This one unfolds a little slower, moving at a stroll rather than a skip while also finding time to fit in some Daoko-indebted whisper rapping.
- [New Metome: <em>Turn It Up</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-metome-turn-it-up/) - If you're looking for the part of the Metome post where I talk about "fading memories" and "lost scenes," don't worry that will certainly pop up briefly. The Osaka producer's music over the last couple of years has inspired me to get gloopy and long about a very specific time in Osaka's electronic music community,
- [New Frasco: "Tatemae"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-frasco-tatemae/) - Let's "Bandersnatch" this one: select (1) to ask the music blogger why the video above is so short, select (2) to ask the music blogger about Frasco's "Tatemae" by itself. (1) OK, sit down for a second, have I got some thoughts to unload on you. There's this whole new class of Japanese artist emerging
- [Snakebitten: DJ Anaconda's (Aka CRZKNY) <em>Anaconda Trax Vol. 1</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/snakebitten-dj-anacondas-aka-crzkny-anaconda-trax-vol-1/) - ANACONDA TRAX vol.1 by DJ ANACONDA Last year, CRZKNY released GVVVV, which found the juke maker pivoting hard into straight-up gabber. It was a faithful set with a few flashes of the Chicago-style thrown in, but one that feels like a fun (and pounding) detour. But now, under the guise of DJ Anaconda, CRZKNY has
- [New Stones Taro: "You Are (M)"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-stones-taro-you-are-m/) - Kyoto's Stones Taro has turned the past into their playground over the last two years. "You Are (M)" moves away from the blunted territory of "lo-fi house" in favor of a jungle number that allows the edges to blur a bit, a seeming nod to the glory days now well gone by (that, presumably, Stones
- [New DJ Fulltono: <em>Before The Storm</em> EP](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-dj-fulltono-before-the-storm-ep/) - DJ Fulltono told me last year in interview that he wants to keep boiling down juke to its most basic elements, and the Before The Storm EP displays this desire for simple but body-moving exercises in percussion. This isn't the first time Fulltono's minimalist hunger has come through -- the Draping series he's doing with
- [City Daze: Tomisaki's <em>City 166</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/city-daze-tomisakis-city-166/) - At its core, Tomisaki's City 166 is a great house album, delivering three high-energy tracks full of warm piano lines and vocal samples. It's a good time, fun release! But the reason to put it under the spotlight a bit more is because of the moments when the songs on City 166 get blurry. See
- [New Snail's House: <em>Alien Pop II</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-snails-house-alien-pop-ii/) - The danger in nostalgia is getting stuck. It's easy to ground yourself in the best thing you heard when you were 20 and never budge...or go even further back, a move making everything happening in front of you in the now seem like junk compared to the good old days. But seeing the now...and how
- [New Wooman: "Sun"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-wooman-sun/) - Post-Cuz-Me-Pain band Wooman has a new album out next week, and "Sun" hints that they are just a touch more focused this time around. Early releases from this fuzz-accented project embraced a garage-centered playfulness balanced out by some of the shadowy tension of their younger days, with songs feeling seconds away from zipping into chaos.
- [New Mikazuki Bigwave: <em>Hoshizora Romantic</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-mikazuki-bigwave-hoshizora-romantic/) - A handful of artists dabbling in future funk are hitting their stride. The internet micro-genre started as "take funk or city pop song, speed up, add kick," resulting in some catchy moments but mostly a lot of tracks that make you want to listen to the original. But plenty have played around with this format,
- [New (Kinda) Have A Nice Day!: "Bokura No Jidai"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-kinda-have-a-nice-day-bokura-no-jidai/) - Sometimes, a band moving up from an independent community does something like a movie theme song, and it can get people in a tizzy. I'm hoping that's not what happened with Have A Nice Day! last year when they provided "Bokura No Jidai" for a film about millenials. The band, though, has always pretty much
- [Keep It Simple: Normcore Boyz And Zot On The Wave's "Canada"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/keep-it-simple-normcore-boyz-and-zot-on-the-waves-canada/) - The rise of "Soundcloud rap" as primary inspiration for a certain corner of young Japanese rappers has been a mixed bag. For my taste, it has worked out much better than every other new artist trying really hard to be Future and failing, but it still has a pretty high miss rate in general, with
- [New Moscow Room: <em>Suna</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-moscow-room-suna/) - 砂 by Moscow Room Late last year, Moscow Room caught our attention with the claustrophobic creep of "Swim," a number channeling the unsettling to create something absorbing and dark. Suna plops that right in the middle, and reveals "Swim" to be Moscow Room's big calling card, a tension-filled number showing everything they have to offer.
- [New Memoryhook: <em>Still In The Dream / The Letter For You.</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-memoryhook-still-in-the-dream-the-letter-for-you/) - Still in the dream / The letter for you. by Memoryhook Two songs, two chances for Nagoya project Memoryhook to show off their musical duality. "Still In The Dream" is the hazier offering, and pretty much delivers what you'd expect from a shoegaze-adjacent project. It never gets too noisy, but the group swirls together vocals,
- [AR30 Rings In 2019 With <em>AR30​: New Year Compilation 2019</em> Featuring Yuichi Nagao, RieMellowJunk And More](https://makebelievemelodies.com/ar30-rings-in-2019-with-ar30​-new-year-compilation-2019-featuring-yuichi-nagao-riemellowjunk-and-more/) - New year (or at last new season) means new compilation from the electronic collective AR30. AR30​: New Year Compilation 2019 gathers nine tracks to get the Year of the Boar off to a strong start. The set gets off to a fast start with Yuichi Nagao's "Light," a rush of fuzzy vocal samples, car horns
- [Psych, House: Tonbo's <em>Visions</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/psych-house-tonbos-visions/) - Turns out we still have some late 2018 music to catch up with. Producer Tonbo's Visions embraces techno and house elements, but with the edges frayed. This isn't some massive innovation or anything, but at its best this short release offers up some of the more disorienting electronic moments we've heard in recent memory. In
- [New Yunomi Featuring Rinahamu: "Fashion"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-yunomi-featuring-rinahamu-fashion/) - Yunomi's colorful blasts of dance music rarely leave space for detail, but "Fashion" excels at the small stuff. It works well as a Technicolor rollercoaster ride too, with guest vocalist Rinahamu (from Yunomi-produced outfit CY8ER providing higher-pitched vocals) guiding the song from dramatic verses to ragin-out drops. But that's also familiar -- Yunomi has proven
- [Calm Time: Parmot's <em>If U R Near / Throbe</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/calm-time-parmots-if-u-r-near-throbe/) - I've said it before, and I'll say it again: elevating simple beat music to something that can stand on its own isn't easy, but doable. Producer Parmot manages it with this two-song release, a slightly fuzzy offering in the same avenue as the dizzying sample-twisters that ΔKTR specializes in. "If U R Near" takes squiggly
- [New Koutei Camera Girl Drei" "Josephine"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-koutei-camera-girl-drei-josephine/) - Last year's New Way Of Lovin' wowed us around here, but the basic formula to its success wasn't all that complicated. Basically, Koutei Camera Girl Drei scooped up electronic styles often passed over by the idol world and mashed them all together. "Josephine," the first preview of the trio's forthcoming full-length release, follows in this
- [New Dronjo Kept By 4: "Radio Her"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-dronjo-kept-by-4-radio-her/) - Sometimes you just need a blast of something familiar. Dronjo Kept By 4's "Radio Her" is indie-pop simplicity at its most stripped down -- what starts out as downright sloppy quickly turns in to a nifty guitar dash that just keeps on plunging ahead. And overhead comes some head-down singing, adding extra texture to what
- [Diskotopia Shares <em>DSK F​/​W 2018​-​2019 Free Compilation</em> Featuring Foodman, Greeen Linez And More](https://makebelievemelodies.com/diskotopia-shares-dsk-f​-​w-2018​-​2019-free-compilation-featuring-foodman-greeen-linez-and-more/) - Diskotopia's latest compilation feels a bit chillier than previous offerings from the Tokyo label, with more moments of unease cropping up alongside the usual body-moving flow. These aren't new moods for anyone associated with the collective, but DSK F​/​W 2018​-​2019 Free Compilation comes off as more fitting for the coldest stretch of the years than
- [New Haretokidoki: "Touch Me [Straight Run]"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-haretokidoki-touch-me-straight-run/) - 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.
- [New Abelest: <em>Kenkou</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/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
- [New Fuji Chao: "Bedtown No Uta"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/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
- [New Haruno: <em>Sigh.</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/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
- [New Boogie Idol: <em>Tsuchi Wo Uru Shigoto</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/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.
- [New Oyubi: <em>Aspirations</em> EP](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-oyubi-aspirations-ep/) - Part of juke producer Oyubi's charm lies in how prolific young creator can be. Their 2018 output registered as #17 on our favorite albums list, and it helped that Oyubi put out so much to show all the various sides to their approach to the Chicago-born style. No wasting time in 2019 -- the Aspirations
- [New Miii: <em>The Hanging Forest</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-miii-the-hanging-forest/) - A drop isn't just a drop in Miii's hands. The Tokyo producer revels in big neck-twisting blasts of bass and samples, making them the central sonic foundation of their music for most of this decade. The Hanging Forest is one single track of the same name, and highlights this love of fest-friendly chaos. Space and
- [New Mom: "Superstar"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-mom-superstar/) - Happy New Year's from Make Believe Melodies! To celebrate, here is a song that is more of a Christmas cut than anything else. But anything from Mom -- responsible for two releases that landed at number three in our top ten album list -- peeks our interest, and "Superstar" offers one of the more spacious
- [Make Believe Melodies’ Favorite 2018 Japanese Albums: #10 – #01](https://makebelievemelodies.com/make-believe-melodies-favorite-2018-japanese-albums-10-01/) - #10 Suiyoubi No Campanella (Wednesday Campanella) Galapagos I shouldn't be surprised by anything KOM_I of Suiyoubi No Campanella does, yet back in the early days of summer I watched slack-jawed as she left the stage at a quaint venue near Mt. Fuji and wandered into a field that had been set on fire sometime during
- [Make Believe Melodies’ Favorite 2018 Japanese Albums: #20 – #11](https://makebelievemelodies.com/make-believe-melodies-favorite-2018-japanese-albums-20-11/) - #20 Hikaru Utada Hatsukoi At their best, pop stars turn the personal into the populist -- they make songs for everyone, not for themselves, even if the inspiration comes from inside. Hikaru Utada's 2016 comeback album Fantome stands as one of the 2010s most fascinating album, wrestling with loss and maturity in a way few
- [Make Believe Melodies’ Favorite 2018 Japanese Albums: #30 – #21](https://makebelievemelodies.com/make-believe-melodies-favorite-2018-japanese-albums-30-21/) - #30 Haruno Filia Vocalid remains one of the most intriguing instruments available in the world today, and 2018 saw plenty of artists -- many of them outside of Japan -- use it in thrilling ways (check Kira's The Introduction for one good example). Domestically, Haruno's Filia stuck around in our minds the most this year,
- [Make Believe Melodies’ Favorite 2018 Japanese Albums: #40 – #31](https://makebelievemelodies.com/make-believe-melodies-favorite-2018-japanese-albums-40-31/) - #40 Kyary Pamyu Pamyu Japamyu The world finally caught up to Yasutaka Nakata, and then Nakata himself tried to catch up with all the kids weaned on Capsule downloads. Looking at the J-pop producer's year could lead someone down multiple paths, but the one I keep coming back to is how Nakata -- always chasing
- [Make Believe Melodies’ Favorite 2018 Japanese Albums: #50 – #41](https://makebelievemelodies.com/make-believe-melodies-favorite-2018-japanese-albums-50-41/) - Another 12 months down, and that means it is time to have some fun and go extra-long for year-end content. Japanese music generally felt either too focused on celebrating the fading days of the Heisei era or on crowning new J-pop superstars for the next generation -- or giving us truly left-field viral hits like
- [New I-fls: <em>Frost Ribbon - Xmas Greeting Tracks Compilation</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-i-fls-frost-ribbon-xmas-greeting-tracks-compilation/) - Just in time for Christmas 2018 comes one of the best gifts anyone could ask for. The ever-reclusive producer I-fls has descended down the digital chimney to deliver a set of holiday-appropriate numbers. Like most of I-fls' music, these tracks consist of simple but aching melodies constructed from simple tools, often bursting open to reveal
- [New Spangle Call Lilli Line: "Mio"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-spangle-call-lilli-line-mio/) - OK, time to start getting hyped for 2019! Spangle Call Lilli Line announced that they will release a new album in early January, and that comes only a few months before a 20th anniversary tour. "Mio" offers the first listen from that full-length, and finds the group crafting a slow-burning bouncer where there usual subdued
- [New Kamisama Club: "Mamono"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-kamisama-club-mamono/) - "Mamono," the latest from wonky pop duo Kamisama Club, does something all of their previous work has done, but in a much clearer way. All the ingredients of this songs feel slightly off if not downright cartoonish -- electronics squiggle off in the background, random percussion bangs off back here too, and even the moment
- [New (Kinda) Parupunte: <em>Best Of Parupunte 2013​~​2015</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-kinda-parupunte-best-of-parupunte-2013​​2015/) - Our year-end list starts posting soon, but in a nice bit of "ahhhh remember that?," pop project Parupunte released Best Of Parupunte 2013​~​2015 over the weekend. The group, which creates (created?) simple but affecting pop, landed in the top ten of our 2015 list with the still-striking Primitive. Large chunks of that album appear on
- [New Koutei Camera Actress: "Mataitsuka"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-koutei-camera-actress-mataitsuka/) - We (lolz it's just me, you get it by now) are currently trying to put together Make Believe Melodies' year-end list, and that has involved a lot of revisits to releases from across the last 12 months. Koutei Camera Girl Drei's New Way Of Lovin' stands out as one of the year's very best --
- [New Amunoa: <em>Rusty Door</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-amunoa-rusty-door/) - Not everything has to be in a rush. Producer Amunoa's Rusty Door finds the Trekkie Trax affiliate taking things a little bit easier -- or at least just turning the tempo down -- with their sliced-up-vocal approach to dance music. Opener "Laser Lips" features a steady trickle of stuttering syllables, but Amunoa chooses to let
- [New DJ Fulltono, CRZKNY And Skip Club Orchestra: <em>Draping 5</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-dj-fulltono-crzkny-and-skip-club-orchestra-draping-5/) - The Draping series, which finds three of the most influential juke makers in Japan offering up new tracks every month, continues on in December with the fifth installment. What makes this time stand out is an emphasis on simplicity and seeing just how far it can be stretched out. CRZKNY leads the way with his
- [New Mei Ehara: "Saisho No Hi Wa"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-mei-ehara-saisho-no-hi-wa/) - The music surrounding Mei Ehara has leaned towards more locked-in grooves since she adapted that name, moving away from the solo project May.e to something with a bit more band support. "Saisho No Hi Wa" features one of the more skeletal arrangements she's used so far as Mei Ehara, anchored by a particularly sticky guitar
- [Drive It In: Spire's <em>Exist</em> EP](https://makebelievemelodies.com/drive-it-in-spires-exist-ep/) - Exist brings the energy, but makes space to stir emotions too. Spire's new EP via Omoide Label drills right from the start, with the title track built around relentless machine beats just buzzing away at the listener, only interrupted by samples of voices talking about logging in to things or sudden bursts of white noise.
- [New Sleet Mage: "You'll Float 2"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-sleet-mage-youll-float-2/) - Make Believe Melodies failed to cover the last two songs Sleet Mage appeared on, and we regret this error. That's amplified by this being year-end season, which means going through all of 2018's releases and seeing how what Sleet Mage does so well is lacking in...so much other Japanese rap. While the Sapporo artist's reference
- [Satellite Young Covers "Take On Me"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/satellite-young-covers-take-on-me/) - It's year-end season, and I think one of the major trends that is going to get glossed over in lists and thinkpieces is how nostalgic everything felt this year. It's unavoidable in Japan, where the biggest artist of the year was Namie Amuro and the biggest song resurrected Eurobeat. But it's also playing out elsewhere
- [New Tentenko: "Animal's Pre-Human"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-tentenko-animals-pre-human/) - For an artist thriving in the space between mainstream pop and dank experimentalism, Tentenko sure stays strong at making her pivots feel like surprises. All You Need Is Cat is a five-song collection about...cats, which is a cute enough exercise. But it's also one of Tentenko's more eclectic offerings to date, going from gentle piano-guided
- [Tanukineiri Records Cooks Up <em>Tanukineiri Curry Sampler</em> Featuring House Of Tapes, Guitarsisyo And More](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tanukineiri-records-cooks-up-tanukineiri-curry-sampler-featuring-house-of-tapes-guitarsisyo-and-more/) - It has been a bit since the last Tanukineiri Records sampler, but here they are to feed the streets with two collections of music...all over the place. Tanukineiri Curry Sampler comes in two flavors -- Cumin and Coriander -- and all of the song titles reference the classic dish, while some of the songs go
- [Simple Pleasures: NNMIE's "Shiiteru"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/simple-pleasures-nnmies-shiiteru/) - Sendai's NNMIE makes due with a small assortment of tools, but makes a charming little number in "Shiiteru" from them all. Using some breezy guitar melodies and some drum machine beats, they construct a rollicking indie-pop number apt for lazy afternoons or strolls under the sunlight. The detail that sells it -- and actually gets
- [Maltine Records Shows Off Vocaloid 5, Featuring Parkgolf, Tomggg, Pa's Lam System And Pasocom Music Club](https://makebelievemelodies.com/maltine-records-shows-off-vocaloid-5-featuring-parkgolf-tomggg-pas-lam-system-and-pasocom-music-club/) - One of the niftier things Maltine Records has gotten up to recently is a series called Maltine Vocaloid School. Basically, a handful of trackmakers from the netlabel use a copy of Vocaloid 5 to create a new song, while documenting their process on video. Alongside that, all kinds of 2018 internet markers pop up, from
- [Dial-Up Jams: ksd6700's <em>inDaMuzique</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/dial-up-jams-ksd6700s-indamuzique/) - Sometimes, you can't beat the descriptions that come alongside the music. inDaMuzique gets described as "two house / techno chiba slammers" and man that's just beautiful, all while nailing the feeling that these two new tracks from producer ksd6700. There's no big-city slickness here, just a pair of ravers meant for maximum release, loaded up
- [New Breezesquad: <em>Fantasma</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-breezesquad-fantasma/) - Chiptune is, for me, one of those styles that presents a particular tightrope when it comes to writing about it. That's because I'm drawn to artists using 8-bit sounds in an interesting way and...see, there it is! "Interesting ways," as if lots of methods aren't just that. But even though I know this can teeter
- [New X-Files: <em>Spam 2017-2018</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-x-files-spam-2017-2018/) - Maybe X-Files spam is hiding a lot of good material. Spam 2017-2018 implies these are leftovers from the low-key noise maker, but these tracks are among the best they have ever made. It really gets going with "Midlife," which introduces thundering drums to X-Files' needly synth bursts, making for a particularly intense listen. "MetalCom" appropriates
- [New Young Agings: <em>Before I Go</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-young-agings-before-i-go/) - Given how common this beach-adjacent sound has become in recent years, it is...weird (?) hearing Before I Go and being transported back to the first half of the decade. This is basically a Teen Runnings album, maybe a little less fuzzy (well, save for inclusions like "Unconsciousness" which go big on feedback) around the edges
- [New Pavilion Xool Featuring Levi Watson: "Day God"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-pavilion-xool-featuring-levi-watson-day-god/) - Pavilion Xool always works better with others, and this collaboration with Atlanta (but based in Tokyo, if SoundCloud is to be believed) rapper Levi Watson introduces a new path for the producer to go. Coming from imprint Yaoya in their continued effort to introduce younger artists to the world at large. Pavilion Xool's beat is
- [Prickly: Makiko Aizen's "Untitled 7"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/prickly-makiko-aizens-untitled-7/) - Producer Makiko Aizen's "Untitled 7" pricks away at the listener, but knows that you need to mix in some soft beauty to make it worth it. The main sound coming through in this just-under-three-minute-long song is a sharp synthesizer line raising in intensity over the course of "Untitled 7." It isn't harsh or anything, but
- [New Cairophenomenons: "Tiger, Tiger"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-cairophenomenons-tiger-tiger/) - It would be a bit too precious to say Tokyo's Cairophenomenons carry the torch of early 2010s Japanese indie-rock, though they probably are as close as anyone is going to get to the vibe of Hotel Mexico in 2018. But they really do nail a certain Setagaya-ward-basement feel that is becoming a bit more rare
- [Ruckus: Little Dead Girl's <em>My Boyfriend Is EchoBoy</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/ruckus-little-dead-girls-my-boyfriend-is-echoboy/) - Watching younger electronic producers who have been kicking around Japan's community for the last couple of years come up to something a touch bigger is always nice -- especially when the music that comes out of it offers something exciting alongside the status boost. Little Dead Girl has hopped around several Tokyo events, and has
- [Tomggg Teams Up With Ehiorobo For "Feel Ya"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tomggg-teams-up-with-ehiorobo-for-feel-ya/) - Tomggg has been laying down playroom-appropriate electronic music for most of this decade, proving influential enough to be an early cornerstone of "kawaii bass" and inspiring many after. But nothing wrong with mixing things up either, and Tomggg welcomes a new voice into his twinkly world on "Feel Ya," a collaboration with American artist Ehiorobo.
- [New Homecomings: "Hull Down"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-homecomings-hull-down/) - Homecomings' Whale Living is a seaside stroll, the Kyoto outfit's most reflective and generally laid-back album to date. Despite the tempo slowing down, the structure fits them well, seeing as they create short stories about everyday life and the often-melancholy emotions filling the time. "Hull Down" is a solid snapshot of the album as a
- [New Tomoyu: "All Hope Is Gone"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-tomoyu-all-hope-is-gone/) - Happy Thanksgiving! Here's Osaka producer Tomoyu with "All Hope Is Gone," a rattling number sure to give you plenty of good vibes on Turkey Day. "Unsettling" is a word I love to roll out, and "All Hope Is Gone" delivers that feeling plenty, fueled by icy drum machine patterns and (especially) the way the voices
- [New Maison Book Girl: "Narrow Story"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-maison-book-girl-narrow-story/) - Change doesn't have to be drastic to be effective. Maison Book Girl's "Narrow Story" changes the junior-high-band-room sound up ever so slightly, but manages enough to feel like a total pivot into a new direction. But it really isn't -- Maison Book Girl lean in on a mix of xylophone notes, tag-team vocals and all-together-now
- [Right Up: Fuishoo's <em>Morning</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/right-up-fuishoos-morning/) - Fuishoo is a producer benefitting from the current status of netlabels in Japan. While this corner of Japanese music doesn't feel quite as thrilling as it once did -- mostly as the bigger players grow and become different entities (or focus on different projects entirely -- 2018 has seen a greater emphasis on nurturing young
- [New Luby Sparks: "Cherry Red Dress"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-luby-sparks-cherry-red-dress/) - Just in time to close out the autumn, Luby Sparks have a new EP of mostly maudlin indie-pop perfect for those who get down when the sun sets a few hours earlier. Save for opener "Perfect" and it's charge-out-the-gates energy, the exquisitely titled (I'm) Lost In Sadness EP finds the group creating slow-burning downers. "Cherry
- [New Daoko And Yasutaka Nakata: "Bokura No Network"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-daoko-and-yasutaka-nakata-bokura-no-network/) - Wherein two artists having very strange 2018's come together. Daoko fronted the biggest song of 2017, bursting onto a huge stage all of a sudden. The downside of that -- and especially of said arrival being a ballad not really representing how you've sounded up until that point -- is it becomes really tough to
- [New Shigge: "Trapa"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-shigge-trapa/) - Even Shigge at a more relaxed pace turns wonky really fast. New single "Trapa" finds the Fukuoka producer leaning towards warmer climes, and the opening passage of this song goes all in on piano twinkles and bongo hits, followed by slightly warped (but hardly jarring) vocal samples. So far, so chill. But then everything gets
- [New Young Agings: "You"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-young-agings-you/) - Side projects usually offer an artist the chance to experiment. For Syouta Kaneko of Teen Runnings, it is a chance to probe deeper into the fuzz-grazed surf rock he's been exploring for nearly a decade now. Young Agings allows him to continue exploring that space, and "You" offers a catchy and breezy entry into his
- [Old Kicks Made New: The Fax's "Cool Me"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/old-kicks-made-new-the-faxs-cool-me/) - Allow me to take you back in time for a second...when I moved to Japan in 2009, one of the most reliable labels in the Kansai region was Second Royal Records. Looking back on it, they boasted one of the most loaded line-ups of artists in Japan -- Hotel Mexico, Halfby, Handsomeboy Technique, Turntable Films,
- [Out Of The Shadows: Hasami Group's <em>Atsui No Haru</em> EP](https://makebelievemelodies.com/out-of-the-shadows-hasami-groups-atsui-no-haru-ep/) - Hasami Group is one of those names that comes up from other artists in Japanese underground music. Fuji Chao covered them on one of her 2017 releases, for example. Turns out they've remained active, albeit without much publication. Recent EP Atsui No Haru gathers songs recorded from 2011 and 2018, making for a kind of
- [New Stones Taro: <em>Black Bread</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-stones-taro-black-bread/) - Stones Taro has been on a tear this year, and Black Bread only adds to the winning streak. Released via Glasgow's Johnny Johnny, the three-track set finds the Kyoto producer dabbling in a variety of house stylings, playing around with faded sounds and acid touches on the opening title track before getting a little thumpier
- [A Day In The Life: Dove's "Femm"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/a-day-in-the-life-doves-femm/) - The debut song from Dove finds a space between daily life happenings and dreamier escapes. It is the first release from Pure Voyage Records, and the number is written and composed by Le Makeup, a fact that comes through clearly in most elements of "Femm." The music sounds suitable for Hyper Earthy or other releases
- [New Lucky Kilimanjaro: "Hitori No Yoru Wo Nuke"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-lucky-kilimanjaro-hitori-no-yoru-wo-nuke/) - For a second there, it looked like Lucky Kilimanjaro was going to become the new Give Me Wallets. That outfit got some buzz with retro-tinged electro-pop material, and quickly found a way in to writing J-pop songs for artists like Yuki. A solid career choice and one resulting in good pop, but it also meant
- [Inheritance: Ace-Up's <em>Footworkers' Delight</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/inheritance-ace-ups-footworkers-delight/) - It's important to remember that a large part of the footwork community in Japan (and beyond...especially in Chicago, where it all came from) revolves around dancers. From my living room, it is easy to just focus on the music side, but whenever I go out to an event (even the ones that aren't billed as
- [New Paellas: "Weight"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-paellas-weight/) - Sparse suits Paellas well. Rarely would I choose to describe the Osaka group as "maximalist," but "Weight" (if it isn't fixed by now, I assume the spelling on the video is a typo, based off of streaming site info) strips it down even more, to the point where this sounds like Paellas embracing the whole
- [New (Kinda) City Your City: "Chain"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-city-your-city-chain/) - Update: When you rush to get something up you just saw on YouTube, you're gonna make mistakes! "Chain" came out a while back, so some of the below is a bit off. But the video, above, is new. Make Believe Melodies regrets the error, and thanks to @nsilvias for the heads up City Your City
- [New Haruru Inu Love Dog Tenshi: "Machi Made"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-haruru-inu-love-dog-tenshi-machi-made/) - It's year-end-list season, and that means it is really easy to start glossing over new releases in favor of getting that best-50 list just right. But that would be a mistake, with so much good music still rolling out. Haruru Inu Love Dog Tenshi's debut album came out this week, and it's a gem, highlighting
- [<em>Yellow Tokyo Compilation 001</em> Featuring MPEG-7, Negami And More](https://makebelievemelodies.com/yellow-tokyo-compilation-001-featuring-mpeg-7-negami-and-more/) - The risk in writing about this compilation is that I'll almost certainly not get out to the party it is meant to promote, which seems like a bit of a missed connection. Then again, Yellow Tokyo Compilation 001 also serves as a good intro to the world these folks are trying to create. MPEG-7 was
- [Yoshino Yoshikawa Teams Up With ONJUICY For <em>RPG</em> EP](https://makebelievemelodies.com/yoshino-yoshikawa-teams-up-with-onjuicy-for-rpg-ep/) - One of the failings of Japanese hip-hop in recent years, in my opinion, is a failure to develop a sound all their own. Most of the big hits -- even the super fun ones! -- are pretty much imitating American production. Which, hey flattery really is a compliment (and, hey, this isn't just a Japan
- [Now That's Indie-Pop!: Syanmonika's "Nostalgic Blue"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/now-thats-indie-pop-syanmonikas-nostalgic-blue/) - Recently, I went to a music conference in Shibuya that was heavy on seminars focused on China. Turns out the Chinese market...it's a big one, guys! Anyway, one of the presentations talked about how Japanese music can get over to China, and one of the most popular styles with listeners was listed as "indie pop
- [Modern Times: Utsuro Spark's <em>Static Electricity</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/modern-times-utsuro-sparks-static-electricity/) - Well now here's a twist...a Local Visions' release that actually reminds me more of today than yesterday (viewed through a really gnarly kaleidoscope). Utsuro Spark is a duo featuring a female vocalist and lyricist backed-up by a producer. This is the type of group becoming more and more common in Japanese electronic music, and Static
- [New Izumi Makura Featuring Lovely Summer Chan: "Inochi"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-izumi-makura-featuring-lovely-summer-chan-inochi/) - Izumi Makura has come out of her room and into the daylight. The whisper-rapper started out barely rising above a breath and often sounded agoraphobic, OK to offer glimpses into her journal-rich world but without stepping too far out. Yet thanks to more opportunities -- turns out, when people like your music, they want more
- [New (Kinda) Metoronori: <em>Metoronori Works '14 - '18 Pale</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-kinda-metoronori-metoronori-works-14-18-pale/) - In weaker moments, I sometimes think every idea has been done and that all of the exciting sounds from a few years back have just become standard background music for vlogs. This is a touch too cynical for many reasons (usually, I just haven't eaten breakfast yet), but listening to Metoronori Works '14 - '18
- [New CHAI: "Great Job"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-chai-great-job/) - In case you missed it, CHAI were profiled in Pitchfork a couple weeks back, capping off a year that has seen them slowly but surely make inroads outside Japan (hey, I wrote about 'em too!). They really show the way forward for Japanese acts in a post-BTS world -- along with Haru Nemuri, they point
- [commune310 Shares <em>commune310 Compilation 2018</em> Featuring HiRoSYO, Batsu, The Sub Account And More](https://makebelievemelodies.com/commune310-shares-commune310-compilation-2018-featuring-hirosyo-batsu-the-sub-account-and-more/) - Based off the cover art, this is actually commune310's Autumn compilation, a yearly happening that follows all of their other seasonal offerings. But hey, we stick with what's presented out there. Whatever the case, this series (and really, this label) rarely lets us down, and in recent times has become one of the more reliable
- [New Satellite Young: "Moment In Slow Motion"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-satellite-young-moment-in-slow-motion/) - Satellite Young was out in front on providing alternative angles to nostalgic sounds, and have always introduced some sort of wink into their retro-leaning synth-pop. "Moment In Slow Motion," however, is a simple reminder that for all the app jokes and Twitter nods, Satellite Young can just write a dazzling pop number that doesn't need
- [New Metome: <em>Turquoise</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-metome-turquoise/) - If Dialect is one final glance back at a past quickly dissolving away, Turquoise is the first step forward into the unknown. Metome's first release following that stunner opens with pure unnerving voices looping on "Teeth," but that's just scene setting for "Turquoise" itself. Metome moves closer to straight-up ambient music with this one, with
- [Main Course: DJ Pigeon's <em>Emotion</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/main-course-dj-pigeons-emotion/) - Keeping it simple can really pay dividends. The second release from Fruit Parlor Records comes via DJ Pigeon, a producer dabbling in what could be described as lo-fi house, if that genre works for you. However you want to see that, Emotion offers up three original tracks built around vocal samples, all of them slightly
- [New Group2: "Ceremony"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-group2-ceremony/) - Don't call it a chill out. Group2 have been embracing wonkier and at times confrontational stances since releasing indie-pop gems via Ano(t)raks, but for "Ceremony" they slow everything down a notch. As a first taste of their forthcoming debut full-length, it might be a bit unrepresentative of what they've done up until now -- it's
- [New Nemui PJ: "Many Times We Hoped"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-nemui-pj-many-times-we-hoped/) - The team of Noah and Kidkanevil return as Nemui PJ for a special Halloween treat. "Many Times We Hoped" came out today to celebrate the spookiest day of the year and it sounds...well, not like something you'd associate with Oct. 31 specifically. Rather, it is just a new Nemui PJ song, built around soft chimes
- [New Spangle Call Lilli Line: "Therefore"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-spangle-call-lilli-line-therefore/) - Plenty of bands are consistent, but Spangle Call Lilli Line manage something far more rare — being deceivingly consistent. Over their career, they've experimented a lot and practically changed their sonic palette every album, yet it doesn't feel like they are constantly tinkering because they also have a strong voice that comes through in whatever they
- [Listen To New Mameyudofu And Psyqui Songs From The Latest Megarex Compilation](https://makebelievemelodies.com/listen-to-new-mameyudofu-and-psyqui-songs-from-the-latest-megarex-compilation/) - Another M3 has come and gone, and that means a steady trickle of electronic music is going to appear online over...well, the next couple of months? One of the immediate highlights in the wake of this gathering comes from Megarex, whose latest compilation features a lot of names that get us excited. They aren't all
- [Time And Space: Haretokidoki's "Kiss Me"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/time-and-space-harutokidokis-kiss-me/) - A whole bunch of trends collide together via Haretokidoki's "Kiss Me," and this post could be nothing but a connect-the-dots affair. You've got the unit itself, which finds producer Brinq working with a woman named Misatsun, in a style not far removed from recent examples like Applekid and Cheap Cream. Then factor in the duo's
- [Modern Meditation: No Kissa's <em>No Kissa</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/modern-meditation-no-kissas-no-kissa/) - Confusion comes naturally on No Kissa. "Vaporwave? Ambient? Screw?" riddles the description for this, the first new release from the project (they describe themselves as an "enigma unit") of the same name in four years. But this playfulness is what makes No Kissa an absorbing listen, as No Kissa avoid falling into any specific genre
- [New LLLL Featuring Smany: "Nebula"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-llll-featuring-smany-nebula/) - The voices and artists LLLL pulls into their songs tend to be perfect fits for the sounds surrounding them. Smany makes sense to join the Tokyo producer on new song "Nebula" -- she's spent the decade creating spacious electronic songs wherein her voice adds necessary human tension. "Nebula" moves at a swifter pace and features
- [Make It Creep: Araki Takara's <em>Paranoia</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/make-it-creep-araki-takaras-paranoia/) - It has been a pretty good stretch of time for Japanese artists making pop with a deeply unsettling side. Entering the fray now is the latest release from a netlabel I'd usually associate with the brighter side of sound, Tanukineiri Records, with Araki Takara's Paranoia. Similar to yahyel, you don't have to bend yourself out
- [New KiWi: "Obake Nante Kowakunai"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-kiwi-obake-nante-kowakunai/) - Halloween is creeping up on us, with festivities in Japan probably starting (and quite possibly being at their peak) this weekend. KiWi's love of all things spooky and Adam's Family values makes them apt to share a new song for the season, and "Obake Nante Kowakunai" is a free download until Oct. 31. It's more
- [New Ghostlight Featuring Nogawa Kazune: "Kimi No Suki Na Yoru No Hanashi"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-ghostlight-featuring-nogawa-kazune-kimi-no-suki-na-yoru-no-hanashi/) - Even with the beat gently pounding away, the first half of the latest creation from Ghostlight sounds like something you could wrap yourself up in. It's all string plucks, twinkly electronic notes and the near-whispered voice of guest Nogawa Kazune drifting over the playroom skip. It's calming and somewhat heartwarming (the lyrics reveal a little
- [Group Activity: Cheap Cream's "Kissing Game"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/group-activity-cheap-creams-kissing-game/) - Remember a week ago when I said the move was for once-online-only electronic artists to form pop-focused units with vocalists? Welp, add another example to the pile. Maltine-adjacent creator Nagomu Tamaki has teamed up with an artist named Erica, who based on some quick search-engine-powered research was in the idol unit Electric Ribbon, to become
- [New Boys Age: "Daughter The Star Gazer"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-boys-age-daughter-the-star-gazer/) - It's the feeling of something being just off...of bad vibes sneaking through even the chillest guiat riffs...that really makes "Daughter The Star Gazer" a welcome addition to the Boys Age catalog. This project has gone all over the place since they started, but this one is a return to basics. Boys Age play a simple
- [New (well, kinda) Kindan No Tasuketsu: "Nemui (Sleepers)"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-well-kinda-kindan-no-tasuketsu-nemui-sleepers/) - How deep does Kindan No Tasuketsu's catalog go? The ever-changing pop project just released a new compilation called Early Years 2012 - 2016, one which aims to collect some loosies from acros their uhhhh early years...yet I still feel like there are a bunch of songs from this period not represented here. They are prolific!
- [Warming Waters: Pool$ide's <em>Aquarius</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/warming-waters-poolides-aquarius/) - Aquarious is a real emotional rollercoaster, achieving both giddy moments and some real melancholy with no words. Chalk up another winner for Local Visions, though this one is less about a new angle on nostalgia (though also...kinda?) and more about their ability to pinpoint young electronic artists and give them a platform to shine. Kobe's
- [Feeling Off: DJ Cheap's <em>Anxious Footworks</em> EP](https://makebelievemelodies.com/feeling-off-dj-cheaps-anxious-footworks-ep/) - Title doesn't lie! Due to the repetitive and quick-hit nature of the whole style, juke can be quite a nervy listening experience. But DJ Cheap really takes it to the extreme on Anxious Footworks, which uses some vocal samples of people practically yelling at you to really get the hairs on your arm to stand
- [New Paellas: "Orange"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-paellas-orange/) - It isn't a total move into the sunlight, but "Orange" finds Paellas moving the curtains back a little bit. It is there first "digital single," so I suppose they wanted to avoid the backstreet glow of breakout "Shooting Star" this time around. A synth-melody pops along for most of the song, while the drum beat
- [New Homecomings: "Blue Hour"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-homecomings-blue-hour/) - Kyoto's Homecomings have always sung in English prior to this year's Whale Living, out next week. On that one, they switch it up to their native Japanese. Yet "Blue Hour" reminds that despite the linguistic change, the quartet remains capable of nailing the melancholy of everyday life. "Blue Hour" unfolds at a familiar Charlie-Brown-type shuffle,
- [New Frasco Featuring ASOBOiSM: "Era"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-frasco-featuring-asoboism-era/) - It felt for a split-second there that Frasco were taking a breather after a year where they've put out an impressive amount of synth-centered funk-pop. But they just needed some time to get a friend. "Era" finds the pair leaning in on their electronic side, crafting a fizzy backdrop loaded up with samples that reflect
- [Yuigot Teams Up With Seana To Become Applekid, Shares <em>Plena</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/yuigot-teams-up-with-seana-to-become-applekid-shares-plena/) - Netlabel artists moving a little bit away from the wild Web-oriented styles of the late 2000s and embracing more familiar formats -- often with vocalist alongside them -- isn't a 2018 development, but it feels more prevalent this year. Yuigot is the latest to give this team-up a try, working with singer Seana under the
- [New Le Makeup: <em>Matra</em> EP](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-le-makeup-matra-ep/) - Matra works as the bridge between Le Makeup's two musical sides. The Osaka artist's voice bounces off of the beats here, approaching a rap while adding an emotional urgency to every song here that really resonates when they let the edges of the songs fray a bit. "Fade" is right, Le Makeup guiding the song
- [New Memoryhook: <em>Nothing To Do</em> EP](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-memoryhook-nothing-to-do-ep/) - It appears Nagoya dream-pop project Memoryhook has undergone a few changes over the last few months. The actual members making up this project seem to have changed, with one half (Takuma, handling bass and beats) sticking around while EMiSM has stepped up as new vocalist and keyboardist. Except...she's also the featured vocalist here? Whatever that
- [New MPEG-7: <em>ing</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-mpeg-7-ing/) - Producer MPEG-7 operates in many modes, sometimes slicing up anime samples and other times creating hip-hop beats. Latest release ing might be them operating in their best mode, however. It's a four-song set focused primarily on drama. It is loaded up with strings and piano notes, the latter making up the chilly into of "Bleaking"
- [New Soutaiseiriron: "Neo Future"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-soutaiseiriron-neo-future/) - We've officially gone beyond the point of no return when it comes to caring about celebrities and politics, so I'm glad Soutaiseiriron is still out here making songs about the future that aren't really about anything in particular except for wordplay and semi-absurdist (but not really) imagery. "Neo Future" finds the band dipping into their
- [New Photon Poetry (A.K.A Shine Of Ugly Jewel): <em>Kaze No Oukoku</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-photon-poetry-a-k-a-shine-of-ugly-jewel-kaze-no-oukoku/) - Different name, same unnerving beats. Shine Of Ugly Jewel shared a new album under the name of Photon Poetry, but whereas sometimes a shift in moniker signals a mix-up in sound, Kaze No Oukoku offers an extension of the uneasy music they were already creating. There are a couple deviations, though the atmosphere conjured up
- [Trekkie Trax Shares <em>:branch Vol. 01</em> Featuring Oyubi, Kai Shibata And More](https://makebelievemelodies.com/trekkie-trax-shares-branch-vol-01-featuring-oyubi-kai-shibata-and-more/) - Trekkie Trax turns six later this month, and while the label still feels like a hot-bed of young electronic talent, they've actually stepped into a more mature role in the Tokyo (and beyond) community. This year they launched Trekkie Trax :branch, a kind of initiative to highlight young producers. And here comes the first compilation
- [New Tomatoism: <em>Ahoge</em> EP](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-tomatoism-ahoge-ep/) - Call it a happy coincidence between my music writing and online-culture writing, but this week I'm (kinda) diving into the world of "moe" for the latter. And, at the same time, a new anime-sample-heavy EP from Tomatosim drops via Omoide Label. I'm not particularly into anime -- I know most of the bigger names mostly
- [Lumine Ikebukuro -- A Specific Branch Of A Department Store -- Shares Playlist Featuring Utae, AAAMYYY And Machina Among Others](https://makebelievemelodies.com/lumine-ikebukuro-a-specific-branch-of-a-department-store-shares-playlist-featuring-utae-aaamyyy-and-machina-among-others/) - The real hook here is that Lumine Ikebukuro -- a specific branch of a series of department stores in Japan -- has its own SoundCloud page. Late capitalism, what a trip! But hey, that's 2018 for you, and if a place selling handbags and shiny shoes wants to recruit promising young women artists from Tokyo's
- [New Toriena Featuring Yunomi: "Time Capsule"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-toriena-featuring-yunomi-time-capsule/) - It feels like Toriena has been prepping for a major-label debut for a while now, but the moment has finally arrived this October with her first major album. "Time Capsule" offers a glimpse at one way she can go with a larger spotlight on her. She teams up with Yunomi to craft a number in
- [Smany Teams Up With Nyan-Nyan Orchestra For <em>Sayonara Hitobito / Amenone</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/smany-teams-up-with-nyan-nyan-orchestra-for-sayonara-hitobito-amenone/) - The music Smany has been making over the years already relied on a certain amount of delicateness. Like Flau artists Cokiyu or Cuushe, or someone like Nariaki Obukuro, she has used silence as the perfect way to twist the emotions central to her work. But before she worked fully with electronic sounds of her own
- [New SNJO: <em>Mikai No Wakusei</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-snjo-mikai-no-wakusei/) - A common failing of online musical movements is a lack of evolution. Nobody has to find new angles on a burgeoning sound, but at some point you end up with a lot of people slowing down or speeding up the same basic thing. That's one of the reasons Local Visions has been such a welcome
- [New House Of Tapes: <em>Drift</em> EP](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-house-of-tapes-drift-ep/) - House of Tapes always gravitates towards the more cacophonous sounds, but look between the cracks and the Nagoya artist smuggles in a lot of beauty. The Drift EP offers one of the single best examples of this right away with the title track, which features buzzsaw electronics and a heavy-hitting beat. But in between those
- [New Mukuchi: "Reizouko"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-mukuchi-reizouko/) - Mukuchi excels at jolly little pop songs, whether on her own or as part of Feather Shuttles Forever. She's the prior for "Reizouko," and it's a funny bit of bedroom pop to start off the new week. The music itself relies on some jaunty piano notes alongside a few more toy-like details -- I swear
- [NC4K Shares Their First Compilation, Featuring Paperkraft, Stones Taro And More](https://makebelievemelodies.com/nc4k-shares-their-first-compilation-featuring-paperkraft-stones-taro-and-more/) - Kyoto label NC4K is nearing their one year anniversary of existence, and just in time comes their first compilation. It gathers most of the producers in Japan who have put out music via NC4K over the past year, kicking off with the airy skip of Stones Taro's "Fall Out" before switching to a number by
- [New Le Makeup: "Lush"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-le-makeup-lush/) - Le Makeup's letting his voice get louder and louder. "Lush" is the latest track from the Osaka artist that finds them revisiting the skip of their early Bala-Club-esque experiments and adjusting it to their current one-day-at-a-time mindset. But the bigger development, as mentioned, is how clearer Le Makeup's vocals are getting, here coming through clearer
- [New Pasocom Music Club: <em>Condominium. — Atrium Plants</em> EP](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-pasocom-music-club-condominium-atrium-plants-ep/) - That collective attention spans have been drastically reduced thanks to social media is probably a net negative for society as a whole, but one small perk of this shift in how information comes and goes seems to be that musicians have to act a lot faster than before in putting music out. Pasocom Music Club
- [Kool Switch Works Shares <em>delicious beats 4 sale! vol​.​3</em>, Gives Me Chance To Talk About Other Two Volumes](https://makebelievemelodies.com/kool-switch-works-shares-delicious-beats-4-sale-vol​-​3-gives-me-chance-to-talk-about-other-two-volumes/) - I figured, oh I'll just write about this series when it reaches its conclusion. Little detail forgotten -- I have no idea when that would come. So let's just jump into Kool Switch Works delicious beats 4 sale! series at the third installment, because I can't ignore this anymore. The series aims to offer up
- [New Taquwami: "Ag Hikari"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-taquwami-ag-hikari/) - If nothing else, this October is going to be good thanks to this project courtesy of Secret Songs. Everyday, the label will share a previously unheard song from Taquwami, one of our favorite artists of this decade. This has prompted some internal debate -- does this blog just become a Taquwami landing page for a
- [Smartphone Bling: Seaside-métro's "Kazehikunayo"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/smartphone-bling-seaside-metros-kazehikunayo/) - Music, made on an iPhone...what a novel idea! That's the hook for Seaside-métro, but the smartphone producer manages way more than novelty with the chipper "Kazehikunayo." Other songs featured on their SoundCloud page feel way more phone-generated, charming but also not far from default ringtone. But "Kazehikunayo" zooms forward on synthesizer wooshes and a persistent
- [New BD1982: <em>Arclight</em> EP](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-bd1982-arclight-ep/) - Consistency remains the most undervalued element in modern music. Well, OK, not just "modern" music, this is ultimately an art form dictated by trends more than any other. But in a hyper-reality like the one now, where everything moves so fast, stepping back and taking stock of the bigger picture can be a rarity. So
- [New Cicada: "Furete Hoshii"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-cicada-furete-hoshii/) - What has long separated Cicada from other slinky outfits creating smooth city-bound music in the 2010s is the little sense of unease they bring to their numbers. Suchmos or Nulbarich are a mix of cool and goofy earnest, but never unnerving, while Lucky Tapes or Never Young Beach tend to just be chill. Cicada, on
- [New Neshizuku: "Patterned"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-neshizuku-patterned/) - Trying to find a little bit of spring to get you going in the late afternoon, especially on a Monday following a typhoon that maybe kept you up extra late (or is this getting too journal-esque now)? Producer Neshizuku's latest track offers a nice late-day rumble to get the blood circulating. "Patterned" teases a shift
- [New Yuri Urano: <em>Autline</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-yuri-urano-autline/) - The latest release from Yuri Urano -- formerly Yullippe -- finds a mix between the Osaka artist's familiar slow-burning tension and new turns. The biggest change comes on the title track, which finds Urano using her own voice more heavily to create disorienting details. The other semi-departure (not quite as pronounced as on "Autline") comes
- [New Sappy: "Spider"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-sappy-spider/) - Sappy can't settle on any one sound, and they are probably better off for it. Their just-released second album Altima finds the group zipping from mainstream baiting bits of bright-eyed balladry ("Starfall") to sun-dappled indie-pop ("She See"). Their best mode, though, comes when they get a bit more dramatic on "Spider." Those opening guitar chugs
- [New Andrew: "ELB"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-andrew-elb/) - Trekkie Trax pillar Andrew writes that he made this funky number last September, but has shared "ELB" in 2018. Riffing off of Millie Scott's "Ev'ry Little Bit," Andrew creates a loose-limbed electro number fueled by clinky percussion and these big fat bass notes that give this a boogie feel. A nice afternoon pick-me-up. Listen above.
- [Personal Details: Nonsense Love Letter](https://makebelievemelodies.com/personal-details-nonsense-love-letter/) - Over the last month, Sapporo's Nonsense Love Letter has shared two albums of bedroom pop, and approaching it felt a little bit intimidating. These aren't quickly uploaded EPs, but fully realized releases touching on a bunch of styles, while being full of clever wordplay and an air of intimacy, like walking into someone's living room
- [New Haruruinu Love Dog Tenshi: "Liangzhou 105-B" Featuring Rikon Nozaki](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-haruruinu-love-dog-tenshi-liangzhou-105-b-featuring-rikon-nozaki/) - The beat had me sweating when this opened up. Haruruinu Love Dog Tenshi is another artist coming up from web-centric indie communities to more exposure, and the subdued mood of early releases appeared to be tossed out the window with those opening rumbles and the general "It G Ma" rehash of it all. But thankfully
- [New Mom: "Boyfriend"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-mom-boyfriend/) - How do you follow up on one of 2018's best all-around albums, not to mention one pointing at a way forward for independent musicians raised on the internet to travel down? Release another album -- billed as a "first album," at that -- to close out the year, one that might be even loaded with
- [New Bearwear: "I'll Take You Anywhere"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-bearwear-ill-take-you-anywhere/) - It's surprising how Ano(t)raks turned into this incredible feeder system for slightly larger labels. Call it a mix of having a good ear for great indie-rock, and a bit of good timing too...Ano(t)raks was one of the first places to get ahead of the whole "city pop revival" thing via comps loaded up with mellow
- [Head Down Rush: Dronjo Kept By 4's <em>Exhibition</em> EP](https://makebelievemelodies.com/head-down-rush-dronjo-kept-by-4s-exhibition-ep/) - Like I've said before, sometimes simple charms are all you need during your day. Dronjo Kept By 4 have been chugging along since 2007, creating rock hop-scotching between feedback-dipped fare inspired by The Pixies and Dinosaur Jr. to more indie-pop fare (while, still on the fuzzier side). The Exhibition EP isn't re-inventing anything and maybe
- [New ΔKTR: <em>CAMOble</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-δktr-camoble/) - ΔKTR has long re-arranged songs from yesteryear into new forms, but with CAMOble the producer tries something a little different. Here he is taking the 2017 Camoflauge EP by the rapper Kyoh3i and basically remixing it, swapping out the sparse boom-bap inspired beats of the original for backdrops ripped from ΔKTR's record collection, resulting in
- [New TOMC: "Bake The House"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-tomc-bake-the-house/) - Sometimes simply getting completely lost inside a song is all you really need. TOMC's "Bake The House" ostensibly plays out like a dance track, with a shuffling beat guiding everything forward, but nobody would blame you if you missed it because of all the stuff stewing on top of it. Disoriented noises, dislocated human voices
- [Backwards And Backwards But Done Well: Upusen's <em>Signal</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/backwards-and-backwards-but-done-well-upusens-signal/) - Is everything just going to be a loop backwards from now on? This isn't about Upusen's Signal specifically, though it does factor into the larger trend. Maybe it's just Japan's current obsession with all things '90s -- this movie is literally "do you remember gyaru fashion and Tamagothchi?" -- or the Western world's love of
- [Stare Right At It: DJ FFFTP's <em>The Sun</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/stare-right-at-it-dj-ffftps-the-sun/) - When you have a good idea, take it as far as you can. Oita's DJ FFFTP closes out the summer with The Sun, which is technically a song served up a bunch of different ways. Fittingly, the trio of takes on it by FFFTP themselves follows the course of the day, opening with a "Sunrise
- [New Le Makeup: "Couples"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-le-makeup-couples/) - ATLAS by OXYORANGE Le Makeup contributed a new song to a compilation put together by the Berlin label Oxyorange. The whole comp is worth checking out, but the Osaka producer's track for it offers a nice break from mostly thumpier material. "Couples" propels forward on guitar melodies, offering a nice pace but without ever really
- [New Perfume: "Future Pop"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-perfume-future-pop/) - Four Disconnected Thoughts On "Future Pop," The Song, By Perfume 1.) The hypothesis I've worked with over the last two years is -- Yasutaka Nakata, after being way ahead of the curve in the late Aughts and influencing swaths of EDM and other corners of electronic music in the 2010s (I guess lo-fi house can't
- [New Toyomu: "Maboroshi"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-toyomu-maboroshi/) - 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
- [Simple Cuteness: Nakamura Sanso's "Only You"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/simple-cuteness-nakamura-sansos-only-you/) - 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
- [New Tempalay: "Doushiyou"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-tempalay-doushiyou/) - 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
- [AR30 Shares Summer Compilation Featuring Rigly Chang, Notuv And More](https://makebelievemelodies.com/ar30-shares-summer-compilation-featuring-rigly-chang-notuv-and-more/) - 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
- [New Maison Book Girl: "Okaeri Sayonara"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-maison-book-girl-okaeri-sayonara/) - 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
- [New Grizzly Temple (Formerly YYSHIDD): <em>1990</em> EP](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-grizzly-temple-formerly-yyshidd-1990-ep/) - Well before it became an aethstetic reference point, YYSHIDD was getting in on a city pop revival here in Japan focused entirely on the actual sound of that '80s style. Songs such as "Naomi's Love Affair" nailed the gold-flake-coated bounce of city pop without leaning too hard into nostalgia. YYSHIDD re-named themselves to Grizzly Temple,
- [New Emamouse: <em>Pigeon's Point</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-emamouse-pigeons-point/) - It's always a treat to step into Emamouse's world and see what ideas they've got cooking up. Pigeon's Point revels in simple, charming melodies and surrealist (and silly!) imagery that feels like welcome escape into fantasy. "PP2" opens up with a nice skip accented by chirpy singing bordering on human Vocaloid that sets the album
- [New Boogie Mann: <em>Who Is Next</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-boogie-mann-who-is-next/) - Who is next? Boogie Mann has been around in Japan's juke community, even offering something approaching mainstream awareness a couple years back. But now here is a chance for more international exposure, via Traxman's label Tekk DJZ. Who Is Next offers four sturdy tracks showcasing one of the Japanese scene's most vital creators. The title
- [New Carpainter: <em>Orient</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-carpainter-orient/) - Last year's Returning saw Carpainter make a big breakthrough with familiar sounds. It's a strong argument in favor of sticking with a style and seeing what new paths open up over time rather than dashing off into something new and hoping it sticks -- Returning saw the producer uncover woozy and emotional new depths to
- [New Yahyel: "Tao"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-yahyel-tao/) - It's always good to see a band start to upend their own formula. The central driver of Yahyel's music has long been tension, generated by vocals swinging between raw and filtered set over an electronic creep. Lately, that march has lead to moments of release, and on a song like "Iron" it even became kind
- [New Afrirampo: "Potsu Potsu"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-afrirampo-potsu-potsu/) - What, huh, where did this come from? Afrirampo have a new album out this week, and I am not happy that I just found out about it tonight...but also glad I did! The duo got back together last year after a bit of time off, but this Friday's Afriverse marks their first original album in
- [New Figure: "Mary"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-figure-mary/) - This album could have come out in 2018 or 2011 -- either way, Figure's new album Parakalein is a welcome change-up in the world of Japanese indie-pop, a corner of the music landscape that might only be bested by shoegaze in terms of consistency. Figure, though, has always introduced a little more feedback into the
- [CRZKNY, DJ Fulltono And Skip Club Orchestra Come Together For <em>Draping 1</em> And <em>Draping 2</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/crzkny-dj-fulltono-and-skip-club-orchestra-come-together-for-draping-1-and-draping-2/) - Here you have three of the most important Japanese juke producers -- two of its early advocates, plus a creator who consistently puts out the best stuff in the country AND helps offer a politicized space to showcase talent -- working together on a series of releases where they play around with ideas over a
- [New AOTQ: <em>Alone</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-aotq-alone/) - By releasing two stellar albums of easy-breezy but emotionally twisty electronic music in 2018, AOTQ reminds that you can come up with some really interesting ideas if you just keep exploring an approach that has worked before. The parts making up Alone aren't all that different from what appeared earlier this year on E-muzak. It's
- [New Koutei Camera Girl Drei: "Harbor"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-koutei-camera-girl-drei-harbor/) - Idol group Koutei Camera Girl has gone through all sorts of mutations over the last couple of years, with the latest version being re-christened Koutei Camera Girl Drei. And with a new name (and different line-up) comes a new release, New Way Of Lovin.' A lot of "new" there, but this release actually offers the
- [New Bicco Beat: "Nostalgic Days"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-bicco-beat-nostalgic-days/) - Seeing as how Japan is currently enjoying a real obsession with nostalgia (and, honestly, seems like this holds true for a lot of places in 2018), the throwback project Bicco Beat releasing a track titled "Nostalgic Days" seems a little too on the nose. But at least they managed to make something on the pleasant
- [Beat By Beat: Isagen's <em>c.b.a.g.</em> EP](https://makebelievemelodies.com/beat-by-beat-isagens-c-b-a-g-ep/) - Japanese electronic artists have become far more interested in individual sounds over the last few years. From the experimental headscratchers coming from Foodman or the Wasabi Tapes label, to netlabel adjacent creators like Taquwami or Metome, it's a good time for fans of individual sounds sticking out. It's the element that makes producer Isagen's new
- [New Halfby: "Diamond Head"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-halfby-diamond-head/) - Halfby's island explorations started out high-energy, but in recent years the producer has started slowing things down a bit. Maybe it's just getting older -- Dorian kind of went down the same path -- but it has been a nice shift for Halfby. "Diamond Head" offers one of his most relaxed cuts yet, with sweat-soaked
- [New Ruby Lemon: "The Party"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-ruby-lemon-the-party/) - Consider it closer to an out-of-body experience at a social gathering than a tune designed to soundtrack one. Ruby Lemon's "The Party" takes its time unfolding, the Fukuoka-based artist letting the synth notes stretch out while her singing comes through at half speed in an electronic haze. It's about mood over movement, and like her
- [Making Me Feel: nikoi0227's <em>Feel My Emotions</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/making-me-feel-nikoi0227s-feel-my-emotions/) - At its best, "future bass" functions as this overwhelming force of sound that feels like a big burst of joy. The latest from Omoide Label -- currently on a heck of a hot streak for the netlabel -- comes from producer nikoi0227, who nails that release on the aptly titled Feel My Emotions. Part of
- [New FNCY: "Silky"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-fncy-silky/) - After a handful of songs embracing throwback pop, FNCY give themselves a little more space on "Silky." Besides striking a balance between three artists that results in a really good mash-up, FNCY has been a showcase for G. Rina's production side, both her more immediate side and, with this on, something a bit more subdued.
- [New tofubeats: "River"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-tofubeats-river/) - tofubeats' has a knack for building songs up, though it isn't always the musical mode pushed to the forefront. Most of his major-label singles opt for pure pop pleasure with little wait. Yet he's also skilled at the slow burn, hinted at by numbers such as "What You Got" and "Don't Stop The Music." But
- [Just A Theory: Neco Asobi's <em>Kimi To Tsuki To Cider</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/just-a-theory-neco-asobis-kimi-to-tsuki-to-cider/) - No group has been more influential this decade than Sotaisei Riron. That outfit's mix of Showa-derived pop melodies and lead singer Etsuko Yakushimaru's surreal sing-speak ended up leaving a mark on pop and rock in Japan across the past ten years, ranging from out-right imitation to blueprints towards the mainstream to stranger creations. If you
- [Tipsy And Cute: TsubusareBozz's "Blue Fairy"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tipsy-and-cute-tsubusarebozzs-blue-fairy/) - "Kawaii" music in Japan tends to embrace a sugary maximalism, aided by bells and whistles...literally. It's a hit or miss approach, and one extending beyond SoundCloud producers who love anime girls as art — when it works, it's a dizzying mutation on modern electronic music, but when it misses it gets really cloying. TsubusareBozz avoids the
- [New House Of Tapes: "I Can Not Say Goodbye To You"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-house-of-tapes-i-can-not-say-goodbye-to-you/) - Nagoya's House Of Tapes has tried out a lot over his career -- and now comes something resembling a tone poem. "I Can Not Say Goodbye To You" finds the producer sing-speaking a melancholy set of lyrics against a discombobulated (but never overwhelming) electronic backdrop. While it isn't as suffocating as their older material, their
- [Two Compilations Of Music For Summer 2018 From commune310](https://makebelievemelodies.com/two-compilations-of-music-for-summer-2018-from-commune310/) - Oh what a wonderful way to close out the remaining days of summer. The ever-reliable commune310 shared two compilations of summer material recently, and A gets off to a hot start, with Bamboo's "I Can Feel It' delivering some loose-limbed funk before Yuzen's eight-minute-plus "Yourself" delivers a slow-burning blast of tropical delight, loaded up with
- [New Boyish: "Saudade"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-boyish-saudade/) - Apologies if this blog has seemed a bit nostalgic lately...that's partially because many of the artists that were formative for me from 2010 -- 2013 when doing this came back with new material that has put me in a weird headspace. And now here comes indie-pop outfit Boyish, a group that started life as a
- [New Yuri Urano (Yullippe): "Autline"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-yuri-urano-yullippe-autline/) - Now going under her name Yuri Urano, Yullippe is expanding on her unsettling industrial-flaked sound on the first preview of an EP out on Central Processing Unit next month. "Autline" teases the same chilly atmosphere that has drifted through the bulk of her works up until now, the slow chug and rumble of the beat
- [New Soleil Soleil: "Medicine" And "One More Reason"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-soleil-soleil-medicine-and-one-more-reason/) - Soleil Soleil is closing out August nicely with two new dance tracks apt for pre-sunset evenings and pleasant temperatures. The Osaka producer has long created great house from pop samples, and "Medicine" excels at delivering energy. It's simple, but Soleil Soleil knows how to use basic ingredients to create something rollicking, and in the case
- [New Puffyshoes (!): "Let's Fall In Love"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-puffyshoes-lets-fall-in-love/) - A season of returns continues with rock duo Puffyshoes announcing their return with a new song. The pair released a lot of music at the start of this decade, all of it wrapped in a layer of feedback that concealed the often downbeat lyrics -- songs about parties and crushes usually weren't looking at them
- [New Parkgolf: <em>Hiyamugi</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-parkgolf-hiyamugi/) - Parkgolf has been exploring what happens when space gets a little more emphasis in a song. This is quite the shift for a producer whose earliest releases excelled because of breakneck pace and maximalist embrace of noise -- dude has a song called "Woo Woo" which just captures the energy flowing through his work. But
- [New Harunemuri: "Kick In The World"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-harunemuri-kick-in-the-world/) - Navigating emotions and then simply going for total release is a constant element of Harunemuri's music. It's part of the reason her Haru To Syura album from earlier in the year is among 2018's finest -- the constant tension between turning things over frequently and using words as a way to figure out what's happening,
- [New Pelican: <em>Nagatsuta</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-pelican-nagatsuta/) - The lead single didn't capture all the different directions this one would go. Pelican's Nagatsuta opens with two slabs of crunch electro-rap -- including the linked "From Japan" -- but it doesn't take long for Pelican to swing off into all sorts of different directions. "Myth Scat" introduces a 2-step beat for her to bob
- [New Foodman Featuring Machìna: "Clock"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-foodman-featuring-machina-clock/) - Voices have long crept into the music of Foodman, from discombobulated sonic touches to honest-to-goodness guests. Yet usually the humans joining the producer for songs clash with his wonky sounds -- Ez Minzoku welcomed Bo Ningen's Taigen Kawabe in to rap in a way that felt like it was trying to claw out of the
- [New Yunovation: "Roki Store"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-yunovation-roki-store/) - The Expo '70 Commemoration Park in Osaka is probably one of my favorite places in the world to visit. It's peaceful and pretty and all around a place that puts me in a good mood every time I have had a chance to stop by while in Kansai. Yunovation's "Roki Store" takes its title from
- [New Taquwami: "Long Kigo III"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-taquwami-long-kigo-iii/) - I don't know what it is about the back half of 2018 that is conjuring up serious electronic nostalgia for me personally, but I'm here for it. Ventla returned, and Metome captured ennui for a time gone by perfectly. And now, Taquwami returns via Secret Songs. The producer hasn't been gone that long, all things
- [New (Kinda) The Pats Pats: "Sugar Summer"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-kinda-the-pats-pats-sugar-summer/) - We've already written about the album this one comes from, but now "Sugar Summer" has a video and...well, the season feels right to revisit it, so why not? "Sugar Summer" is a highlight from Sing And Pretty, finding the duo embracing girl group pacing alongside a nice indie-pop chug. Feel good vibes for the remaining
- [New Fuji Chao: <em>Welcome To Underground</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-fuji-chao-welcome-to-underground/) - The music Fuji Chao has been making over the last couple of years has always been visceral. Samples sourced from cartoons featured screams and crying, while the artist herself dropped in spoken-word lyrics that played out like confessions of complicated emotions. Part of this reaction comes from a distance between listener and artist, but it
- [<em>Atomic Bomb Compilation Vol. 6</em> Is Here](https://makebelievemelodies.com/atomic-bomb-compilation-vol-6-is-here/) - Now in its sixth year, the Atomic Bomb Compilation continues to be one of the best collections of political music and juke going in Japan (and, really, globally). Let's tackle the first element. For the first time in a few years, nuclear weapons and energy aren't at the forefront of the summer news cycle. Yay?
- [New Chelmico: "Player"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-chelmico-player/) - Chelmico recently released their first full-length major label album Power, and it's a solid shift towards bigger places for the duo. Most importantly, not much has changed now that they are on unBorde from recent EPs and a self-titled 2016 debut album. They still create upbeat genre-skipping exercises anchored in hip-hop, channeling Rip Slyme, Halcali
- [Bright Riser: Kingyo's <em>Sunset</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/bright-riser-kingyos-sunset/) - Omoide Label has a knack for finding artists capable of finding new angles on hyperactive electronic music. Producer Kingyo's Sunset is a brief shot in the arm, featuring a particularly chipper take on future bass that promotes the rush and fizziness of the style above all else. That's best captured on the title track, a
- [New Fruits: <em>Three</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-fruits-three/) - The music of duo Puffyshoes always leaned towards goofy topics -- cats and birthday parties and backstage passes -- but the pair had a knack for highlighting some painful feelings lurking even in the silliest themes. Fruits, the solo project of Puffyshoes' Azumi Nakajima, continues this tradition on Three, a set opening with what you
- [Above A Nap: zzz's <em>zzz</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/above-a-nap-zzzs-zzz/) - Despite what all those "z's" might imply, the latest from Tanukineiri Records boasts a nice skip to it. The artist zzz creates a funk-pop sound on the easy-breezy side of things across zzz, opening with the upbeat (and comically titled) "Danger Zone" before embracing handclaps and big fat synth melodies for "Baby Baby." This style
- [New Anna: <em>Again, Again</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-anna-again-again/) - It has only been a few weeks since Anna shared something new, but she isn't slowing down. "Again, Again" again (sorry) finds her crafting a lurching pop number that takes a pretty familiar formula and lets the shadows creep in. I'd go to bat for everything on Tonite over this, but as a continuation it
- [Frasco Teams Up With City Your City For "My Summer Your Summer"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/frasco-teams-up-with-city-your-city-for-my-summer-your-summer/) - This is the sort of collaboration I wouldn't have imagined making much sense on paper -- Frasco dabbles in whatever you want to call the current wave of city funk, while City Your City creates shadowy R&B with a slightly unnerving edge to it. "My Summer Your Summer" works, though, by not trying to find
- [New Happypills: <em>Lazy Sun, Late Risers</em> And <em>Asleep</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-happypills-lazy-sun-late-risers-and-asleep/) - Two sets of bleary eyed indie-pop weren't enough for Fukuoka's Happypills. The shoegaze-glazed project shared two new mini albums this month, both existing in some kind of state of rest. Lazy Sun, Late Risers sets the tone right away with the aptly chilled "Lazy Sun," which finds Happypills using enough distortion to make the feeling
- [New  YUC'e: "Summer Night Hiking"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-yuce-summer-night-hiking/) - Is it too early for a victory lap? Maybe not, given the upward trajectory YUC'e finds herself on -- 2018 has been a continued high for the all-over-the-place artist, releasing an OK (albeit exploring slightly well-worn territory) EP and playing shows across Japan and abroad. "Summer Night Hiking" comes off like a moment to catch
- [New Miii: <em>Mythology</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-miii-mythology/) - Electronic artist Miii continues exploring just what someone can do with the bass-rattling properties of dance music on the short Mythology release. Following a bit of string-centric fanfare to open the album, Miii dives right into the experimentation with "Arachne," built on bass freakouts and discombobulated voices. It's a drop locked into eternity, with Miii
- [New Figure: "Christmas Eve Of 1992" And "Daylight"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-figure-christmas-eve-of-1992-and-daylight/) - Indie-rock project Figure has always been just outside of any indie-pop community in Japan, their music being too claustrophobic and darker-tinged to really slide in next to the various Sarah Records devotees across the country. After what felt like an extended break, Figure has a new album out in September via Sauna Cool, and has
- [Disorienting Symphony: Moscow Room's "Swim"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/disorienting-symphony-moscow-rooms-swim/) - There's something wonderful about being knocked off balance. Tokyo trio Moscow Room create something disorienting on "Swim," a number really maximizing space and sudden noise better than most numbers I've heard in 2018. Everything starts like its coming out of a seashell, the vocals and synths just out of reach. But as everything lurches forward,
- [Goofin': Digital Clinic 2000's "April Stretch"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/goofin-digital-clinic-2000s-april-stretch/) - Consider this the sorbet following yesterday's emotional bloodletting. Digital Clinic 2000 are a bunch of goofballs, and bless 'em for that. "April Stretch" serves as their proper debut, and it is a silly number built around the group delivering echo-soaked spoken word bits over a slinky synth-driven beat. Just check the cheap video coming with
- [New Metome: <em>Dialect</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-metome-dialect/) - Time just keeps on slipping. Not many years ago, there was this moment in the Kansai region where electronic music coalesced into something special. It was a moment where a musical community starts hitting a stride at the same time — you had INNIT, you had Day Tripper, you had parties scattered across the rest
- [New YTAMO: <em>Mad & Sad</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-ytamo-mad-sad/) - Mad & Sad is a brief wrangling with emotions, and of getting out the bad ones. "In 2016,i was lost in sadness and i called the feeling 'mad sad.' I need to create something for my brighter future," YTAMO writes alongside this three-song therapy session. And it is at its best when really wrestling with
- [New Takeaki Oda: <em>Endless Summer</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-takeaki-oda-endless-summer/) - Endless Summer gathers a handful of previously released songs from chillwave disciple Takeaki Oda and also introduces a few new ones to the mix too. I've written about many of the numbers that make a repeat appearance on Endless Summer, and they remain nice replications of chillwave wooze built for zoning out (and maybe...just maybe...at
- [Aisle Sheen: Tozo's <em>Smoked Tongue</em> And "Jihanki Corner"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/aisle-sheen-tozos-smoked-tongue-and-jihanki-corner/) - Tozo's music hovers somewhere in the same orbit as Boogie Idol and Pasocom Music Club's output, shiny synth numbers riffing on the sounds of the past, but the more forgotten ones. Smoked Tongue came out last month, and puts the focus on Tozo's composition skills, opening with the synth-wash boogie of the title track before
- [Lot Going On: Suguru Ohtaka Featuring Nao Nanba's "Closer To Me"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/lot-going-on-suguru-ohtaka-featuring-nao-nanbas-closer-to-me/) - Sendai producer Suguru Ohtaka crams a lot into "Closer To Me." It stands out from the other tracks posted to their SoundCloud, and not just because of the presence of a singer/rapper in the form of Nao Nanba. Other creations either lean into what appears to be a heavy interest in emo rock, or are
- [New Oresama: "Hoto Hashiru"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-oresama-hoto-hashiru/) - I mean, congrats to Oresama for landing an anime ending sequence, that's a pretty solid career step. But I will never watch this ghost cartoon that "Hoto Hashiru" appears in, so I have to just absorb it as music. Thankfully, their latest is a nice bit of fidgety electro-pop, loaded up with small ripples that
- [New Mom: "Natsu No Mahou '18"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-mom-natsu-no-mahou-18/) - The latest from Mom serves as a celebration of summer, even in all of the bad parts of the season. Mainly, the heat, which is at record highs this year across the country. Mom actually nods to this during "Natsu No Mahou '18" but doesn't let the record-breaking temperatures get them down, as they deliver
- [Space Race: +you & space x's <em>with u</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/space-race-you-space-xs-with-u/) - I don't normally associate the music coming out of Wasabi Tapes with "space," but +you's with u -- featuring an assist from space x, up to you to decide if that's a real artist or a little bit of extra flair to the project -- imagines what the wonky label's attempt at an ambient album
- [Suiyoubi No Campanella Teams Up With Chvrches For "Out Of My Head"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/suiyoubi-no-campanella-teams-up-with-chvrches-for-out-of-my-head/) - Link for video viewable outside of Japan here Well here's an unlikely collaboration. Chvrches capped off a recent swing through Japan for the Fuji Rock Festival by sharing a new song featuring...Suiyoubi No Campanella (I mean...just KOM_I? Kenmochi Hidefumi involved, because it sure sounds like Chvrches). Hey, now that's a nice profile raiser. The song
- [Digital Holiday: Manatsu No Wakusei Dai Chokuretsu's <em>Summer Vacation EP</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/digital-holiday-manatsu-no-wakusei-dai-chokuretsus-summer-vacation-ep/) - Another entry in the "Vocalid used intriguingly" files. Manatsu No Wakusei Dai Chokuretsu finds artists Matsu Kasa and Yoshihisa Hirata teaming up to create an oddball bit of Vocaloid coming from a label known for dabbling in singing-synthesizer rap. To that end, Summer Vacation EP comes complete with skits, ranging from robo classrooms full of
- [New De De Mouse: "be yourself"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-de-de-mouse-be-yourself/) - On last year's Dream You Up, producer De De Mouse embraced modern music and gave into the pleasures of pop like he teleported back to 2007. His latest release be yourself only builds on that ecstatic release, layering synths and vocal slices on top of one another to create a full-length that doesn't feature any
- [New Le Makeup: <em>Pure Voyage Diaries</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-le-makeup-pure-voyage-diaries/) - Le Makeup's recent documentations of daily life haven't put much of a priority on his voice. Despite aiming to capture the unnerving feeling of a world getting worse, the young Osaka artist has so far avoided using words to do the work for him, letting the music set the atmosphere and whatever syllables get come
- [Heartland Daze: CeeeSTee's <em>Toe / Chimney Up Bow</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/heartland-daze-ceeestees-toe-chimney-up-bow/) - Building off a yesterday's celebration of a nascent label, let's turn our eyes to Kyoto's NC4K. They've become a hub for some of Kansai's more intriguing dance acts, having released highlights from Paperkraft and Stones Tarro. Now comes a two track set from CeeeSTee that pushes into delirious acid. Both "Toe" and "Chimney Up Bow"
- [New Tenma Tenma: "Rehearsal"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-tenma-tenma-rehearsal/) - While still quite young, Local Visions has stood out among Japan-based labels in 2018 thanks to one of my personal favorite mish-mashes of recent times. They dabble in the same sound and (sigh) aesthetic of internet niche genres such as vaporwave or future funk, but owing to the fact the bulk of artists thus far
- [New Goto Nao Featuring Kakoi Nizimine: <em>Yume Ni Ochiru</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-goto-nao-featuring-kakoi-nizimine-yume-ni-ochiru/) - Goto Nao has shown their skill with the UTAU Kakoi Nizimine before, and on "Yumne Ni Ochiru" they only further show how singing-synthesizer technology can create something otherworldy. Their latest moves between dreamy passages that make the most of the digital vapor trail coming off of Kakoi's voice, building up to a more rumbling release
- [New tofubeats: "Run"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-tofubeats-run/) - Going "off the grid" -- which, in 2018, means going somewhere with unreliable wi-fi and distracting yourself with a lot of time-sensitive work -- can be great in a lot of ways, but boy is the return to the real world jarring. I spent the last five days at the Fuji Rock Festival, and couldn't really
- [MATSUANDTAKE Teams Up With Imai For <em>My Life, Out There</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/matsuandtake-teams-up-with-imai-for-my-life-out-there/) - This weekend is Fuji Rock Festival 2018, and I'm heading up to the mountains today! So this is more of a housekeeping post that updates might be sparse over the next few days. To tide you over, this new release from Maltine Records should hold you over, as it brings together two good producers (plus
- [New Monari Wakita: "Gozigen Lover-Joi"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-monari-wakita-gozigen-lover-joi/) - Look, if a former Especia member does something musically, this blog will almost certainly cover it. If parts of this HALLCA release lean in on nostalgia for Especia, Monari Wakita's solo career has been an effort to take similar ideas and turn them into livelier numbers that seem to be a bit more focused on
- [New Sleet Mage Featuring Gokou Kuyt: "Pink Dreams"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-sleet-mage-featuring-gokou-kuyt-pink-dreams/) - These two internet-squatting rappers have hooked up together in the past, but "Pink Dreams" finds them both showcasing their best skills while in one another's orbits. Set over an appropriately bleary-eyed beat, Sleet Mage delivers sing-song lines jumping from J-pop t-shirt material ("I feel like a shooting star") to more ripped-from-context shout outs to Gucci
- [New Chelmico: "OK, Cheers!"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-chelmico-ok-cheers/) - After a few years kicking around on independent labels, duo Chelmico have arrived on a major label. It's a logical step up for a group who have done as good a job merging pop with rap over the last few years, and new album Power out August 8 comes at a time when a lot
- [New Daisuke Tanabe: <em>Cat Steps</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-daisuke-tanabe-cat-steps/) - Long-running Japanese beatmaker Daisuke Tanabe has teamed up with Mumbai independent label Knowmad Records to release Cat Steps, a set of sparse tracks that see him splattering sound about and seeing what sticks. He elevates beyond lo-fi hip-hop by keeping these numbers in constant motion, adding in surprise elements that send ripples through the music.
- [Haruka Tominaga, Formerly Of Especia, Is Now HALLCA, Shares "Milky Way"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/haruka-tominaga-formerly-of-especia-is-now-hallca-shares-milky-way/) - It would be a little silly to give Especia unearned influencer points for the state of Japanese pop music today...but the now-defunct group were way out ahead on the current city-pop-revival that has carved out space in the mainstream. And unlike a lot of the Tumblr-esque recycled moods of bands now scoring theme songs and
- [New Miii: "Vacillate"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-miii-vacillate/) - Following up on this year's tense, rollercoaster of an album Plateau, "Vacillate" finds Miii letting off a little more steam. There isn't really a build or slow creep towards release -- it bursts out with skippy percussion, accented by, uhhhh, some very British sounding vocal samples, which eventually skip over themselves en route to a
- [New Mitsume: "Sedan"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-mitsume-sedan/) - For a band capable of such laid-back numbers, Mitsume's music relies heavily on movement. Many of their songs chug along like a car doing the speed limit on the highway. "Sedan" almost takes this literally, with the title for one and references to just wanting to go...somewhere in the lyrics. But the best Mitsume numbers
- [New Anna: <em>Tonite</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-anna-tonite/) - Big Love Records' artist Anna hasn't filled out her music anymore since last year's sparse debut, but she's gotten better at making all that room count on Tonite. The title track rattles forward, turning into something outright joyful when the drum hits gallop alongside the guitar just right, but all made a bit chillier by
- [Nostalgia Ultra: FNCY And Pan Pacific Playa](https://makebelievemelodies.com/nostalgia-ultra-fncy-and-pan-pacific-playa/) - Whether because current tastes veer towards long-gone times that were significantly better than the current state of the world or because we are stuck in a algorithmic-dictated dystopia of "remember the '80s?" sales pitches, nostalgia pretty much dominates large chunks of music communities around the world -- including (especially?) in Japan. The past week has
- [New Tatsuro Yamashita: "Theme Of Mirai"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-tatsuro-yamashita-theme-of-mirai/) - Maybe the only way to write a song that's upbeat about the future in 2018 is to approach it from a place of nostalgia. Tatsuro Yamashita might be one of the only artists today who could pull it off, partially because he's not someone anyone expect to grapple with the present exhaustion of 2018 (nor
- [New Mass Of The Fermenting Dregs: "New Order"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-mass-of-the-fermenting-dregs-new-order/) - Mass Of The Fermenting Dregs No New World is as welcome a surprise as you could ask for in 2018. The band largely stopped putting out new material following 2010's triumphant third full-length from the trio, an urgent and propulsive set of songs that shoved against the usual placid pace of Japanese rock music. They
- [New Firedrill: <em>Dog House</em> EP](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-firedrill-dog-house-ep/) - The newest from Datafruits founder Tony Miller's Firedrill starts off by going all in. "Aho House" ramps up the acid house elements from the start, but rather than settle down it keeps on stacking up, the song growing busier and scragglier as it moves along. But the groove remains, even as it Jengas itself up
- [Wavy: Tsudio Studio's <em>Port Island</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/wavy-tsudio-studios-port-island/) - A surefire way to grab this blog's attention is to take familiar retro ideas -- say, anything inspired by (or straight samples) from city pop -- and put a new spin on it. Kobe's Tsudio Studio does just that with the harbor-cruise-paced Port Island, one which embraces the slower side of the style to come
- [Weird Incantations: Sea Level's "Race Against the Drum Machine"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/weird-incantations-sea-levels-race-against-the-drum-machine/) - Every element of Sea Level's "Race Against the Drum Machine" feels stitched together into a really jarring patchwork. The group, split between Fukuoka and Tokyo, recently put out their debut full-length on Call And Response (get that here), and this advance peek stands as one of the more wobbly -- and fun in its unsteadiness
- [Re-textured Past: Maisou's <em>Fuuyu Kan</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/re-textured-past-maisous-fuuyu-kan/) - There has been a noticeable boom in young women crafting hip-hop over the last couple of years, but how does one go about standing out in an ever crowded field? Maisou jumps out right away on new album Fuuyu Kan by delivering near-whispered rhymes over a beat re-contextualizing Taeko Onuki's "Tokai," a song benefitting from
- [Noah Collabs With Teams And Repeat Pattern For "Miminashi"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/noah-collabs-with-teams-and-repeat-pattern-for-miminashi/) - Noah's latest collaborative project finds the singer/songwriter/producer teaming with...well, the producer Teams and Repeat Pattern. A full-length album is on the way, and "Miminashi" offers a preview of what to expect. Drums and sudden splashes of 8-bit noise guide the track forward, replacing the more spacious backdrops Noah has used in the past. Yet what
- [New Parkgolf: "Multiverse"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-parkgolf-multiverse/) - "Multiverse" finds the usually frantic Parkgolf slowing down considerably. This just-under-five-minute number finds the producer trying out something close to new age music, as this number doesn't so much build as it recedes in and out, bringing in new pieces every once in awhile. I'm not sure Parkgolf should drop the high-speed format in favor
- [In The Sun: Blanco's <em>A Place For Youthful Days</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/in-the-sun-blancos-a-place-for-youthful-days/) - Tokyo's Blanco first popped up on this year's Die In Pop compilation via Ano(t)raks, with the song "Paradise." That number rounds out this new release A Place For Youthful Days, offering a bit of a contrast to the other number present here. Let's start with "Paradise," though, as it is familiar both because of timing
- [New Cola Splash: <em>Cider Stream</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-cola-splash-cider-stream/) - In the Trekkie Trax song catalog, Cola Splash's "Curry Drinker" stands as a fan favorite...at least based on seeing people react to it at various DJ events and other live gatherings. It is a pretty good snapshot of what the label is all about -- it manages to be both hard-hitting and fluttery, pacing itself
- [Ventla Returns With 10 Albums, Saves 2018](https://makebelievemelodies.com/ventla-returns-with-10-albums-saves-2018/) - Semi-mysterious producer Ventla set out years ago to release 100 albums featuring instruments all played by Ventla themselves. The resulting releases touched on every style around, from neon-smeared synth-pop to acoustic pop to bedroom exotica. Ventla was getting pretty far and...then just kind of stopped, in 2015. And more or less vanished. When I talked
- [Do-It-Yourself Anthem: Pelican's <em>Furomu Japan Pt. 1</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/do-it-yourself-anthem-pelicans-furomu-japan-pt-1/) - EDM gets tagged as this big decadent, corporate thing, but it can be assembled relatively easily, which was part of the charm early on in that industry's rise. Pelican reminds of how something most likely made in a bedroom can still carry the same energy. "Furomu Japan" ("From Japan") is pure energy, starting with some
- [New CRZKNY: <em>Spit The Album</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-crzkny-spit-the-album/) - The newest album from Hiroshima artist CRZKNY will see all of its proceeds go towards emergency disaster support in the wake of the severe storms, flooding and landslides that have been happening in Western Japan over the last week. Beyond being for a good cause, Spit The Album also stands as a highlight from CRZKNY
- [Beef Fantasy Remixes Pasocom Music Club's "Inner Blue"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/beef-fantasy-remixes-pasocom-music-clubs-inner-blue/) - First, because this blog doesn't really do album reviews -- especially of releases that require either a physical purchase or access to streaming (a whole different pitfall regarding coverage, but I digress) -- let's set the stage by showering Pasocom Music Club with more praise. Their debut full-length Dream Walk came out at the end
- [New Snail's House: <em>L'été</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-snails-house-lete/) - Music has been pushed to the background more than ever in 2018. It isn't a new development exactly, but generally speaking songs often get treated like wallpaper. See mood-centered playlists on streaming services, or how contemporary soundtracks to YouTube influencer videos sound, or the seamlessness between commercials and original works. Changing times, but as it
- [New Elen Never Sleeps: <em>Flowers For Hesse</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-elen-never-sleeps-flowers-for-hesse/) - There comes a painful moment where you realize you are only getting older, and all the things that you love lost to time are not necessarily going to carry over to future listeners. For me, that has mostly centered around this period in Japanese indie music -- let's say 2011 to like 2013, maybe 2014
- [Burn Down: Firemj's "Night Coast"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/burn-down-firemjs-night-coast/) - Plenty of people can make beats, but a sign of an artist to keep an eye on is someone who can make a beat feel like a story. Firemj -- "fire emoji," if I'm reading closely enough -- pulls that off on "Night Coast," a number that uses pacing to its advantage and shows that
- [New Poncho + Casino Tart: "Take Time"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-poncho-casino-tart-take-time/) - Some swift, good juke courtesy of Osaka's Poncho + Casino Tart on their latest release. The two Satanicpornocultshop members craft a pretty simple but deeply pleasing track with "Take Time," letting some flute-like sounds do their breezy thing while some helium-ed up vocal samples run over, adding a wooziness to every second of the song.
- [New Yurufuwa Gang: "Palm Tree"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-yurufuwa-gang-palm-tree/) - One of the more jarring experiences you can have at a Japanese rap show is watching a relatively straightforward performer go on...and then be followed by Yurufuwa Gang. Recently, I watched Keiju of collective Kandytown (once known as Young Juju) play club Unit to an excited crowd, and like a lot of Japanese rappers, it
- [New Zombie-Chang: "Mona Lisa"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-zombie-chang-mona-lisa/) - 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
- [Sweltering Acid: Hyuga Daichi's <em>Hazard Area</em> EP](https://makebelievemelodies.com/sweltering-acid-hyuga-daichis-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
- [New LSTNGT: "Hydropolis"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/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
- [New Annie The Clumsy: <em>Broaden Your Minds</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/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
- [New Browned Butter: <em>Fall</em> EP](https://makebelievemelodies.com/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.
- [Punch Up: Lady's Only's <em>For All Time</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/punch-up-ladys-onlys-for-all-time/) - For All Time bleeds energy drink, but the most charming moments come when the guarana taste recedes ever so slightly and a softer side comes through. Lady's Only has kicked around Tokyo's club scene for a few years now, playing high-energy sets that refused to take a breather (with the four members of the project
- [Still Jukin: DJ Kaoll's "Cloudy To Rain"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/still-jukin-dj-kaolls-cloudy-to-rain/) - Revisiting the Japanese Juke & Footworks Compilation from 2012 -- one of several hyper-vital comps put out around that time capturing Japan's take on juke music -- reminds of how many notables took part in that collection. Better still, the bulk of them are still going strong in 2018. Kaoru Nakano contributed a track late
- [Ratchet & Clank: Inktrans' <em>At Last.</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/ratchet-clank-inktrans-at-last/) - Leading off with a Bandcamp description isn't going to win me a Pulitzer, but Inktrans' profile simply saying "nostalgic!" is too good to pass up on. The four-song At Last. release offers some sweet melancholy via straightforward songs backed by far more fidgety electronic sounds. Opener "hjmr" sways back and forth, but it is the
- [New Le Makeup: "Plea"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-le-makeup-plea/) - Le Makeup's pivot from Bala-Club-indebted bangers to more reflective numbers came because of a renewed focus on everyday life, especially in times that often seem nigh apocalyptic. For the most part, Le Makeup has celebrated the small things and captured daily living, but sometime even that can push you towards some sort of reckoning. "Plea"
- [Orange Milk Shares Some Tour Memories With Foodman, CVN And More](https://makebelievemelodies.com/orange-milk-shares-some-tour-memories-with-foodman-cvn-and-more/) - America's Orange Milk recently wrapped up a tour of Japan and, despite a few setbacks -- mainly, the lack of Giant Claw -- they put on a great set of experimental loopiness (well, at least at the Tokyo leg at WWW I attended). As they are central to the label as a whole, the performances
- [New Mom: "Kiss"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-mom-kiss/) - Saitama artist Mom has been all over the place this year, and thank goodness for that -- this genre-skipping approach has resulted in one fantastic album and some delirious loosies. Latest number "Kiss" could best be seen as their most straightforward tune yet, a breezy pop number about enjoying the small things (with a slight
- [New Oomori Seiko: "Shinigami"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-oomori-seiko-shinigami/) - Wherein Oomori Seiko comes closest to a traditional ballad, at least so far in her career. That's slightly misleading, at least within the context of J-pop -- this isn't your typical gloopy cinematic ballad, the kind some artist make a whole boring career out of. But structurally, it is quite familiar form an artist who
- [Ongaku.com Presents <em>FutureBassCompilation</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/ongaku-com-presents-futurebasscompilation/) - Everyday at 10 a.m., I fired up the HQ app and attempt to finally win about $11 by guessing on questions about the periodic table. Before it gets underway, they play this theme song that is the trivia-app equivalent of a Wave Racer song. It's a daily reminder of the weird space future bass occupies
- [New Yunovation: <em>072 </em> EP](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-yunovation-072-ep/) - Osaka's Yunovation makes quite a splash on her 072 EP, offering listeners a heck of an intro to what she's all about while highlighting a great deal of songwriting charm. Advance song "Aruteido Aru" remains the stunner, a confident bit of post-Avec-Avec dance-pop anchored by a unique, youthful viewpoint that signals a welcome changing of
- [New KΣITO: <em>Cape</em> EP](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-kσito-cape-ep/) - The international connections struck up by footwork producers are among the best aspects of this genre, beyond the music itself. Here's one case of producers leaping over borders to create something great. Japanese artist KΣITO's new Cape EP comes courtesy of Polish Juke, a label offering just that and worth investigating for all with an
- [New I Saw You Yesterday: "City Girl"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-i-saw-you-yesterday-city-girl/) - "City Girl" first came out in April as part of I Saw You Yesterday's "Topia" single. But it is such a nice rush of indie-pop -- and now complete with video of a recent stop in Thailand -- that it's worth posting on this gloomy rainy day. The band's strongest quality remains their ability to
- [New Boys Age: "Blue Water"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-boys-age-blue-water/) - Boys Age's music, whether laid back or melancholy or even peppy, sounds agoraphobic. It's mostly because of Kaznary Mutow's voice, a little garbled and always reserved, even on chipper numbers. Yet there's also something warm about it all, and it comes through on new song "Blue Water." It's a song about loneliness and wondering, but
- [Zigs And Zags: Ayutthaya's "Mottainai"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/zigs-and-zags-ayutthayas-mottainai/) - It's way too easy to draw comparisons between Ayutthaya and tricot, to the point where it should feel kinda like a trap. And...it is! At least for the most part. The trio put out their first EP last year, Good Morning, a set moving from chugging rock recalling American Football and similar '90s groups ("Grapefruits")
- [Electronic Round-Up: Room-T, Takeda Soshi And Toccoyaki](https://makebelievemelodies.com/electronic-round-up-room-t-takeda-soshi-and-toccoyaki/) - -- Cosmopolyphonic associate Tidal started a new project called Room-T, for all things funk and soul. It's a deliberate throwback, and "Fools Garden" loads up on tight bass notes and drum machine hits to really make that 80s / 90s feel soak through. Yet despite the very specific time range Tidal eyes with this track,
- [New Woopheadclrms: <em>Vs o​.​t​.​O​.​g​.​I</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-woopheadclrms-vs-o​-​t​-​o​-​g​-​i/) - The Japanese experimental community built around high-impact samples and disjointed electronic melodies that should rupture but always meld continues strong in 2018, and Aichi's Woopheadclrms only adds to the growing catalog. They waste no time getting attention -- second song "Empire of Shopping Mall" opens with spacious electronic waves, but a hi-def scream rips through
- [New Amunoa: "Alright Now"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-amunoa-alright-now/) - Producer Amunoa usually makes swift, sample-skipping tracks that feel like confetti cannons going off. But on "Alright Now," they go a little bit more inward and try out a more relaxed pace. It opens in a daze, faded guitar notes swirling around before giving way for a beat content to shuffle along rather than burst
- [New Hentonacyoyu: <em>Eisha Shitsu</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-hentonacyoyu-eisha-shitsu/) - Jazz -- like 8-bit music -- has factored into plenty of juke over the years, so what Hentonacyoyu does on Eisha Shitsu isn't trailblazing. But they do it really well across these five original tracks. Hentonacyoyu sprinkles the sort of piano and guitar melodies you expect to hear in film scenes set in smoky bars
- [New Mayor Kenji: <em>$egalopolis (Disc 1)</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-mayor-kenji-egalopolis-disc-1/) - $egalopolis (Disc 1) is an argument for hyper culture consumption. The latest from Wasabi Tapes is more collage than works by other projects on the label like Toiret Status and even Pachinko Machine Music, and even feels a bit more quilt-like than other works from the artist now going as Mayor Kenji. But this sprawling
- [New Technic Runner: "Junjo Cyborg 80%"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-technic-runner-junjo-cyborg-80/) - June is always a great time to revisit highlights from earlier months. Long-running electro act Technic Runner delivered a charmer earlier this year that is still very much worth diving into, and now they've shared a new track that feels like it could slide right on to Dream Machine. "Junjo Cyborg 80%" is a bouncy
- [Chewin': Gum Girl's "April"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/chewin-gum-girls-april/) - Make Believe Melodies can always get behind a skippy bit of indie-pop, so Gum Girl's "April" is a welcome bit of hoppy music to our ears. It's also a nice step up for the band, who last year leaned closer to fest-approved fare with a song anchored by male vocals. That one is OK, but
- [New Shine Of Ugly Jewel: <em>Amphisbaena</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-shine-of-ugly-jewel-amphisbaena/) - The Dark Jinja compilation from earlier this year is one of 2018's stronger sets attributed to "various artists." Among the mix of familiar and new producers on that album's tracklisting was Shine Of Ugly Jewel, who produced one of the more unsettling numbers. Amphisbaena puts Shine Of Ugly Jewel right out in front, and allows
- [Parkgolf Teams With Jvcki Wai For "Xaradise"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/parkgolf-teams-with-jvcki-wai-for-xaradise/) - If this isn't quite the best case for musical relations between neighbors, it at least offers a nice step forward. Plenty of steps have been made to bridge the gap between Japan and Korea's music communities, with all sorts of shows happening between artists of all genres from both Japan and Korea, and...uhhhh, I guess
- [Welcome Package: Loveless Featuring Shiroro's "Anata Ni Todoke Omoi"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/welcome-package-loveless-featuring-shiroros-anata-ni-todoke-omoi/) - The surest way to add some intrigue to a style of music is deliver it in a way that feels just off. The artist Loveless -- who appears to have worked with the group Love The Candys -- creates music dabbling in all sorts of styles, best summed up by an EP on Ano(t)raks last
- [New Kazumichi Komatsu (Madegg): <em>The Ambassador</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-kazumichi-komatsu-formerly-madegg-the-ambassador/) - The artist formerly known as Madegg has been all over the place this decade. The Kyoto producer came up in the first half of the 2010s, in orbit around the Kansai region's INNIT parties and seemingly releasing new tracks built around Brainfeeder-adjacent beats every other day (impressing a member of Perfume along the way). As
- [New Yunovation: "Aruteido Aru"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-yunovation-aruteido-aru/) - Contentedness comes in many forms -- and Yunovation grapples with the feeling of keeping it simple wonderfully on "Aruteido Aru." The irony being that this is a massive step forward for the Osaka artist. Yunovation has gotten attention over the last couple of years primarily for constructing songs built around melodica, from swift exercises to
- [New Metome: <em>Vermont</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-metome-vermont/) - Both of these tracks have been floating around online for a little bit now, but Osaka's Metome has compiled them together for a release via Bandcamp. Not too much has changed -- "Koala" uses a simple beat as a base for Metome to weave in fading synth lines and vocals, creating a number where a
- [Kissmenerdygirl Teams With Sleet Mage And Future Otaku For "Lotus"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/kissmenerdygirl-teams-with-sleet-mage-and-future-otaku-for-lotus/) - Kissmenerdygirl has shown flashes of creativity when working with others, usually by bending their usual "future funk" dashes into something a singer can shine over. "Lotus" -- or, technically, a bunch of characters my computer can't display plus the word "Lotus" -- is actually quite basic for Kissmenerdygirl. The producer crafts a relatively simple beat,
- [Bad As They Wanna Be: Sekis & Dike's <em>More Beer</em> EP](https://makebelievemelodies.com/bad-as-they-wanna-be-sekis-dikes-more-beer-ep/) - DJ Assualt they aren't, but duo Sekis & Dike inject a little bit of edge into their juke EP More Beer. The criss-crossing beats and vocal snippets remain, but this time they are on the funny, PG-13 side. "Candy Pop" slides forward on buzzer sounds and a guy talking about crack, everything gelling together to
- [New Haruno: "Currant"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-haruno-currant/) - It's that time of the year, where we start looking slightly back on the good releases of 2018's first half. Producer Haruno's Vocaloid-powered set Filia is one of the last six month's nicer surprises, and it's great to see them checking back in with "Currant." What starts as a pleasant-enough bit of pop quickly turns
- [New Maidable: <em>Slumber / Doze</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-maidable-slumber-doze/) - The latest release from producer Maidable isn't as sleepy as the song titles suggest. "Slumber" opens with shimmering synth chimes but quickly introduces a beat, though it moves at a groggy pace, like someone wandering a hall for a midnight snack. But then Maidable picks up the speed and turns the song into a skippy
- [Loud And Clear: Memoryhook's <em>I Whisper It</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/loud-and-clear-memoryhooks-i-whisper-it/) - Nagoya duo Memoryhook deal in small moments that feel big. The new group -- founded this year, going off of social media -- crafts heart-on-sleeve indie-pop that refuses to be fragile. They have too much energy spread out across debut release I Whisper It to warrant that adjective. Just listen to the bounce of "My
- [Historic Listen: Hello, Wendy!'s "Revolution"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/historic-listen-hello-wendys-revolution/) - Nostalgia comes up a lot in discussions of music around these parts, because looking back and drawing (or straight-up using) the past has felt pretty central to a lot of music / culture globally in recent times. Synth-pop quartet Hello, Wendy! offer up something closer to a history lesson. At least partially the idea of
- [New Suiyoubi No Campanella (Wednesday Campanella) And Moodoïd: "Matryoshka"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-suiyoubi-no-campanella-wednesday-campanella-and-moodoid-matryoshka/) - "Matryoshka" features the most jarring moment yet in Suiyoubi No Campanella's career to date. It comes early, when a voice that isn't KOM_I's enters, stage right. It comes courtesy of Pablo Padovani of French group Moodoïd (and...I didn't know this until the video dropped...was part of Melody's Echo Chamber). But it could have been Hatsune
- [Sloshed: Japanese Summer Orange's "Let Me Get You Some Beers"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/sloshed-japanese-summer-oranges-let-me-get-you-some-beers/) - This current wave of slacked-out indie-rock in Japan gets the chilled-out, enjoying-life part down pretty well...but everything always seems a touch too neat. All these bands that found Mac DeMarco, bought a beanie and picked up guitars sing about eating pancakes, walking around the town or just being vaguely optimistic about the future. Too responsible!
- [New Taichi Mukai: "Siren"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-taichi-mukai-siren/) - There's probably a timeline where tofubeats spends the majority of his career working behind the scenes to create top-notch J-pop, while also having a lesser-known solo thing too. Plenty of folks have done that in history! But he's starting to go down a path closer to Tetsuya Komuro, wherein his own projects get the spotlight
- [A Peaceful Escape: Sunamachi Sound System's <em>SI</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/a-peaceful-escape-sunamachi-sound-systems-si/) - Intricate music isn't always all that calming, but Sunamachi Sound System's SI functions as an album that's fun to listen closely too but also one equally nice to play while staring out a Starbuck's window while turning thoughts over (guess where I am!). The project constructs songs from a pretty sparse set of sounds --
- [Haruruinu Love Dog Tenshi Teams Up With Dubb Parade for <em>Room2017</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/haruruinu-love-dog-tenshi-teams-up-with-dubb-parade-for-room2017/) - Here's a pairing we can get behind completely. Haruruinu Love Dog Tenshi and Dubb Parade come together for a slippery three-song release that fits nicely in the prior's bedroom rap world, but with a little more flair around the edges. Songs such as the opener "Furu" combine wispy electronics with piano melodies to make pleasantly
- [Beat Runner: Miyabi's <em>Neo City</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/beat-runner-miyabis-neo-city/) - Plug in to social media, look for posts about Tokyo and you are almost certain to find photos of comparing the metropolis to the dystopian Los Angeles from the film Blade Runner. It's an epidemic. What all these snapshots fail to do -- besides add any depth to the city beyond "wow purple neon!" --
- [New Pavilion Xool: "Loveless"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-pavilion-xool-loveless/) - Here's a good case study in how to make a sample really work for you. Pavilion Xool's latest builds itself around a sample from Ariana Grande's "Forever Boy," specifically a few lines that are mostly tightened up, with an emphasis on the breathing noises she makes between words. Yet Pavilion Xool builds a woozy, pitch-shifted
- [New Maison Book Girl: "Raincoat To Atama No Nai Tori"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-maison-book-girl-raincoat-to-atama-no-nai-tori/) - Maison Book Girl making a play for international listeners is kind of unexpected, though fitting. They just wrapped up a tour of England, and are even signed to a new British labeled focused on Japanese music, and really if any post-BiS (version 1.0) idol group deserves that shot it's the one with the most interesting
- [New Prince Graves: <em>Take Me To Your Planet</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-prince-graves-take-me-to-your-planet/) - The Prince Graves project initially seemed like it would be venturing into stranger territory when their first song came out. The new outfit of former She Talks Silence member Ami Kawai explored more experimental areas while also touching on the shadowy indie-pop of that previous group on their debut album, too, but their newest single
- [New Fragile Flowers: "Owaru Sekai No Madogiwa De"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-fragile-flowers-owaru-sekai-no-madogiwa-de/) - Fragile Flowers return with a new bit of rollicking, shimmering indie-pop. "Owaru Sekai No Madogiwa De" finds the pop unit crafting a heart-on-sleeve, feedback-overlaid-all number that dashes ahead. It's one part indie-pop gallop, but the group adds a shimmering layer of electronics over top to give it a more fleeting feeling. Better still are the
- [New Gnyonpix: <em>Juke Chips</em> EP](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-gnyonpix-juke-chips-ep/) - Cleverness can wilt to novelty quickly, and it isn't easy to avoid the plunge to meme hell. Japanese juke producer Gnyonpix's Juke Chips presents an idea that could go wrong if done poorly -- what if juke, but 8-bit? Which, to be clear, isn't totally radical. Those sounds pop up in footwork-ready tracks all the
- [New Seiho: "Tear Off The Dress"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-seiho-tear-off-the-dress/) - 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
- [New Emamouse: <em>PSBB2</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-emamouse-psbb2/) - As expected, keeping track of Emamouse in 2018 can be a tricky proposition. She's released at least two albums since the hyper-charming Tiny Orange Slicker For Birds, and it's completely possible something else is floating out there on some obscure Danish label. Tiny Mix Tapes did a great job looking at one release (which you
- [New DJ Fulltono: "Tribal Dancer"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-dj-fulltono-tribal-dancer/) - DJ Fulltono keeps it simple on his latest release, which comes via Italian label Beat Machine Records. And dude has earned the right to deliver a pretty straightforward slice of footwork wonder -- he's definitely one of the reason's the country's footwork scene has mutated into the wonderful thing it is today. "Tribal Dancer" busts
- [Open For Business: Girls Tape Store's <em>To The Dizzling You</em> EP](https://makebelievemelodies.com/open-for-business-girls-tape-stores-to-the-dizzling-you-ep/) - Girls Tape Store formed in 2001, and released albums in the next two years of brittle and bubbly electronic music. And then -- radio silence. Then in summer of 2017, the project started up again. To The Dizzling You is the latest release to emerge from this new start, and finds an artist interested in
- [New Feather Shuttles Forever Featuring Tenma Tenma, Kyooo, Hikaru Yamada, Yo Irie, SNJO And Mari Nishiumi: "Teian"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-feather-shuttles-forever-featuring-tenma-tenma-kyooo-hikaru-yamada-yo-irie-snjo-and-mari-nishiumi-teian/) - 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
- [Pulse Rhymes: Mayoikurage Featuring Thmmre's "Make Me Feel"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/pulse-rhymes-mayoikurage-featuring-thmmres-make-me-feel/) - This year has seen a lot of electronic artists rejecting genre fences and incorporating all kinds of ideas into their music, chief among them hip-hop touches. Well, it goes the other way too. Mayoikurage is a rapper in Osaka who is part of Raiju Crew, a collective making rap music. On their own, however, Mayoikurage
- [New Tricot: "Potage"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-tricot-potage/) - Tricot's twisting and turning approach to rock tends to grab the most attention, but it's the emotional fierceness lurking underneath all those tempo changes that really punches. If the music itself can sometimes feel a little too plotted out, it's balanced out by Ikumi Nakajima's singing, which allows for more roughness around the edges that
- [New Mountain: <em>Teleportation</em> EP](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-mountain-teleportation-ep/) - Osaka producer Mountain has been releasing more and more material via international labels as of late, and now comes an EP released from Dutch company Celsius Recordings. The Teleportation EP features three numbers from the young producer, each zeroing in on their drum 'n' bass backbone. Yet the high points come from the moments of
- [New Cairophenomenons: "Water"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-cairophenomenons-water/) - It's all a summer stroll until things get blurry. Tokyo's Cairophenomenons start off crafting a warm-weather indie-pop jaunt on latest song "Water," with interlocking guitar melodies and a pleasant bounce that evokes a band like Deerhunter (or compatriots Hotel Mexico, at least on more straightforward numbers). It's pleasant and downright cheery from the right angle.
- [New MPEG-7: "Nama-Mono"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-mpeg-7-nama-mono/) - Producer MPEG-7 has previously caught our attention for more emotionally wrenching electronic numbers. Typically built around synthesizer swirls and samples, it's a formula that can result in emotionally rich music...but also sometimes drift a bit too much towards lifeless beat making. "Nama-Mono" buzzsaws away from both sides to show off a different side of MPEG-7.
- [New Sauceman: <em>Tori</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-sauceman-tori/) - The proliferation of crackly, loop-centric beat tapes seemingly designed to soundtrack anime girl homework sessions has made me hesitant of anything merging sample-centric repetition with drum-machine-generated boom bap. Leave it to an artist closer to Japan's footwork scene to upend those expectations. Sauceman's Tori gathers 10 tracks that often rely on a scant amount of
- [New Foodman: <em>Pokopoko</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-foodman-pokopoko/) - If all weeks could start with a springy new album courtesy of Foodman, life would probably be easier all around. Well, until that glorious future arrives, savor Mondays like this. The ever-wonky producer put out a new collection with London-based label Plastic Bags titled Pokopoko, which features six songs sporting that same title. Tracks here
- [New (Sorta) The Vegetablets: <em>Road To The Vegetablets</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-sorta-the-vegetablets-road-to-the-vegetablets/) - The Vegetablets' latest album was a charming and at-times strange bit of indie-pop, a highlight of 2018. Now, they've shared a compilation gathering songs recorded between 2003 and 2012, as the title suggests serving as an intro into their history leading up to the sound of The Vegetablets. Removed from this context, Road To The
- [Sailin' Away: New Songs From Pictured Resort And Youthcomics](https://makebelievemelodies.com/sailin-away-new-songs-from-pictured-resort-and-youthcomics/) - Indie-pop label Sailyard has become one of the stronger destinations in Japan for all things melancholy and summery in the last few years. Just in time for their marquee season, they have two big releases on the horizon. The first comes from their central act Pictured Resort, a Kansai band that deserves to be slotted
- [Rattled By The Rush: Utae's "Supersonic"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/rattled-by-the-rush-utaes-supersonic/) - A lot of artists in recent memory have tried to sound uneasy as a way to stand out from the often-clean sound of mainstream Japanese music, but Utae's "Supersonic" really makes the wobbly touches worth it. It starts with twinkles and a heavily filtered voice, before letting in a slightly more inviting set of vocals
- [New iivvyy: <em>iivvyy</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-iivvyy-iivvyy/) - This EP is more about gathering together what's already out there into one place, but for a project that previously just shared single songs as it coalesced together, that's perfectly fine. Kosmo Kat and HVNS' iivvyy found the perfect middle ground between both artist's sounds, creating a liquid-metal techno accessorized by pitch-shifted vocal samples that
- [Fidget Spinning: Johnnivan's "I Think I Know You"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/fidget-spinning-johnnivans-i-think-i-know-you/) - Tokyo's Johnnivan move forward on frantic energy, there songs all twitchy and fidgety in how they play out. "I Think I Know You" is a particularly strong example of their inability of how to sit still...and how it benefits the band. They take cues from late '70s / early '80s new wave groups -- Talking
- [New Boyish: "Asagao No Hana"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-boyish-asagao-no-hana/) - It wasn't long ago that Boyish were making only feedback-glazed indie-pop, the sort of brittle numbers that proudly wore their bedroom-feel on their sleeves. "Asagao No Hana" sees the project trying out something a touch more refined. This crept into a song released last month too, but it's on this newest number where they really
- [New Yuuki Yamaguchi (Yackle): <em>Metropolis</em> EP](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-yuuki-yamaguchi-yackle-metropolis-ep/) - Metropolis is an exercise in rippling. Yuuki Yamaguchi -- who has recorded as Yackle in the past -- loops and skitters sounds over the course of the three songs here, the at-times suffocating feel of all these noises repeating replicating life in a big city. Singers appear across Metropolis, but Yamaguchi only concerns himself with
- [New The Pats Pats: <em>Sing And Pretty</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-the-pats-pats-sing-and-pretty/) - Few feelings excite in the digital age like seeing a previously net-shy label dumping their discography onto a site. So was the case this week with Passion Records, which took to Bandcamp to share a handful of releases from artists who have put out music through them. Among the albums uploaded was The Pats Pats'
- [Tech Crunch: FQTQ's <em>Goodbye Computer</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tech-crunch-fqtqs-goodbye-computer/) - Technology is an overwhelming force in the modern age...so hey, might as well make something fun using it, yeah? Japanese producer FQTQ delivers a pretty straightforward set of electro-pop bouncers on the Goodbye Computer album, and while the cover art indulges in what I imagine is many of our secret desires to boot our computers
- [Electronic Round-Up: Erik Luebs, Takeda Soshi And Hideo Nakasako](https://makebelievemelodies.com/electronic-round-up-erik-luebs-takeda-soshi-and-hideo-nakasako/) - -- Erik Luebs shared the latest installment of his Cycle series, the next two tracks representing for the month of May. Previous entries have coaxed words like "woozy" out of me in the past few months, but opener "Concrete Shimmer" takes that haze and adds a real sense of sweltering joy to it. It builds
- [Happy Kuru Kuru Teams Up With 2ToneDisco For "Napoleon"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/happy-kuru-kuru-teams-up-with-2tonedisco-for-napoleon/) - Idol unit Happy Kuru Kuru have tried out a variety of producers over their young career, though a trend among the trackmakers they work with has certainly emerged. The pair often sing over high-energy music merging future bass with cuddlier touches -- Yunomi's roughneck playhouse being a common setting, with appearances by the likes of
- [New Kamisama Club: "Submarine"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-kamisama-club-submarine/) - Kamisama Club turn the uncomfortable into joy on "Submarine." The duo have always been pop fiddlers, creating bouncy numbers out of weirder sounds, but here's the first time where they really pull off a whirlwind rush of sounds that borders on collapse...but just holds together to be among the year's most fidgety joys. An instructional-tape-ready
- [New Kaine Dot Co: "☁"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-kaine-dot-co-☁/) - Been a second since writing about the hazy indie rap scene starting to emerge (or at least become more clear) in Japan, but that's more because the artists in it are branching out to platforms not as friendly towards our brand of blogging. If you have access to a streaming music site, go seek out
- [New Mecanika: <em>Newtone</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-mecanika-newtone/) - Here's a nice case of a circle coming together. The past two years have made it clear that a new generation of artists are coming up in Japan's electronic underground, and that they appear to have spent at least some time digging into Maltine Record's catalog (not to mention tofubeat's work). So Mecanika putting out
- [Venture Deep: Hypnotic Inc.'s "Cheap Flutes"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/venture-deep-hypnotic-inc-s-cheap-flutes/) - Everything seems normal enough at first -- a side-to-side beat backed by a little extra percussion, slowly gaining new elements as it motors on. So far, so normal for project Hypnotic Inc.'s "Cheap Flutes." But then the synthesizer creeps in, and then the songs shifts to something more unnerving. An ominous cloud of noise hangs
- [New Boys Age: "Forlorn Beach"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-boys-age-forlorn-beach/) - This is both the liveliest sounding Boys Age song and the most downtrodden. The bedroom rock project has gotten jangly at times in the past, but "Forlorn Beach" deploys a jaunty drum beat that practically skips ahead, adding an energy rarely found in the group's music. And it works well in conjunction with the guitar
- [New Mom: "Skirt"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-mom-skirt/) - Man, Mom is feeling themselves right now. Following the topsy-turvy, post-net-label funhouse of Baby Like A Paperdriver, the Saitama artist has gotten a little more sweet, first with the chipper "That Girl" and now "Skirt." It's a little lighter, powered by a stroll of a beat and some fat keyboard notes -- accented by video
- [Dream Machine: MSS Sound System Featuring Shiroro's <em>Time Warp Love</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/dream-machine-mss-sound-system-featuring-shiroros-time-warp-love/) - It's tough to make music that manages to be emotionally evocative and barrier pushing, but producer MSS Sound System and Shiroro pull it off on Time Warp Love, one of the year's best collaborations to date and a sorta-outta-nowhere contender for best Japanese album of 2018. MSS Sound System has been making music for a
- [New HoneyComeBear: <em>Intro</em> And <em>Outro</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-honeycomebear-intro-and-outro/) - Think of this more like one solid mini-album rather than two EPs teased as bookends (collecting and polishing up older songs from them). Duo HoneyComeBear have been one of the better projects in Japan at merging the business of "future bass" with an emotional delivery that often feels two clicks away from J-pop proper. Their
- [Urban Strut: Gimgigam's <em>Cities In Glass</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/urban-strut-gimgigams-cities-in-glass/) - It's incredible how even the slightest change to an expected formula can re-invigorate a sound that once seemed completely mined clean. Japanese producer Gimgigam's Cities In Glass comes via Elemental 95, a label dabbling in all sorts of genre but which is most associated with vaporwave, a niche that feels pretty drained in 2018, unless
- [Wasabi Tapes Presents DJ Gaga Slime & MC Pure Photoshop Core's <em>Golden Slime Core</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/wasabi-tapes-presents-dj-gaga-slime-mc-pure-photoshop-cores-golden-slime-core/) - The artists on Wasabi Tapes go under a lot of names, but the label has developed a unifying sound that touches nearly all their releases, give or take a Nikkei. They wrangle chaos into something focused, using jarring samples and synthesizer notes smooshed together into something disorienting but fascinating (and, really, fun as hell). DJ
- [Ano(t)raks Presents <em>Die In Pop</em>, Featuring I Saw You Yesterday, Youthmemory And More](https://makebelievemelodies.com/anotraks-presents-die-in-pop-featuring-i-saw-you-yesterday-youthmemory-and-more/) - No label does compilations quite like Ano(t)raks. This decade, their stuffed-tight collections have highlighted artists who have gone on too much bigger things in the Japanese market...and also highlighted some of the more interesting artists to stay in the indie world, too. Die In Pop is the label's latest, and like previous efforts offers a
- [New Feather Shuttles Forever: "Croquette Nanoni"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-feather-shuttles-forever-croquette-nanoni/) - It's an easy come down for a Thursday, but one that's also a touch more clever than it might initially lead on. Feather Shuttles Forever offer a very easy-going number in "Croquette Nanoni," one mostly focused on pleasant acoustic guitar strums, soft vocals and whistling. It's a soothing number with just enough of a lift
- [Emotion Plus: Hamidasystem's "Yoru No Hakoniwa"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/emotion-plus-hamidasystems-yoru-no-hakoniwa/) - Like a lot of projects in recent memory consisting of young women performing music written by someone else in Japan, Hamidasystem don't bill themselves as idols even if everything about them is pretty idol-ish. Ultimately, that label is more important for a bunch of other matters -- perception by fans and media, mostly -- but
- [New Capchii: <em>Memories</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-capchii-memories/) - Focusing on the cuddly side of Capchii's music does a disservice to Memories. Sure, it features a lot of "kawaii bass" flourishes, and it has anime-style album art (seriously, this is pitfall number one!), and it does all of this well. But what makes Memories feel like a big step forward for the artist is
- [New Emerald Four: "Marigold"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-emerald-four-marigold/) - Kyoto's Emerald Four have always let themselves drift, but earlier releases from the duo felt lost in space, marked by synthesizer and echo-grazed vocals. New song "Marigold" brings them down to earth, though the spaced-out vibe remains. It's a sparse song, featuring guitar and a simple drum beat (and eventually some keyboard) wrapped in a
- [Yuzame Label Soak It Up With <em>Meister</em>, Invite Yunomi, Nyankobrq And More To Relax](https://makebelievemelodies.com/yuzame-label-soak-it-up-with-meister-invite-yunomi-nyankobrq-and-more-to-relax/) - The M3 offerings roll on, and this one especially jumps out. The Meister compilation finds Yuzame Label teaming up with Tokyo Sento -- a site devoted to providing information about public baths in the capital -- for a bath-themed set of songs. As far as tie-ups go, this is one I can get behind. The
- [Yukiyanagi Provides Energy With <em>Bright Green</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/yukiyanagi-provides-energy-with-bright-green/) - This week has started off sluggishly (well, for me anyway), so an injection of energy is more than welcome. Thankfully, this past weekend saw the Spring 2018 edition of the M3 event happen, which means a lot of internet-centric artists created new albums and compilations for the gathering...most of which are on the up-tempo side
- [New Cero: "Sakana No Hone Tori No Hane"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-cero-sakana-no-hone-tori-no-hane/) - What happens when you set a movement in motion, but end up not getting the most of it? Tokyo's cero ushered in the current wave of laid-back, city-centric rock music thanks to "Summer Soul," a song so potent it got them on SMAP X SMAP. But a bunch of other bands have passed them in
- [Simple And Right: The Vegetablets' <em>The Vegetablets</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/simple-and-right-the-vegetablets-the-vegetablets/) - In one of those weird bits of timing, I had a chance to write about a song from The Vegetablets new compilation album for Pitchfork around the same time I was planning on putting up a post about it here. I'd recommend checking out that track review here, as it touches on most of the
- [Brinq Teams Up With Antenna Girl For "Lonely Lonely Blue"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/brinq-teams-up-with-antenna-girl-for-lonely-lonely-blue/) - It's a match made in peppy pop heaven. Brinq and Antenna Girl have both made springy, at-times busy dance-pop over the last couple of years, so seeing the two collaborate on an EP together isn't too surprising, though it's also plenty welcome. "Lonely Lonely Blue" offers the first taste of the forthcoming Sayonara EP, and
- [New Fellsius: <em>Daily Housework</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-fellsius-daily-housework/) - One of Trekkie Trax's strongest attributes is the sheer variety of electronic music they've shared with the world. Fellsius' Daily Housework is a nice reminder of that, finding the young producer creating a pretty reverent set of house tracks (the title being a nice wink) leaning on the heavier side of the genre, complete with
- [New Homecomings: "Songbirds"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-homecomings-songbirds/) - Kyoto's Homecomings have found their corner of the music world, and they fit snuggly into it. "Songbirds" is their latest song, and it is a further Sharpie-underlining of what they do so well. No band in Japan captures suburban ennui —- a very Kyoto-born longing, a place that allows for the space and time to
- [More Than Comedy: <em>Pink Neon Tokyo Gang Kill Them All #PNTGKTA</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/more-than-comedy-pink-neon-tokyo-gang-kill-them-all-pntgkta/) - What should be a novelty from a collective often flirting with disposable music —- future-funkers Pink Neon Tokyo putting out an album that seemingly exists to riff on a Tyler, The Creator album cover -- ends up being an enjoyable and clever listen. Pink Neon Tokyo Gang Kill Them All #PNTGKTA stands out immediately because
- [New Buddhahouse: <em>Kinki</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-buddhahouse-kinki/) - With any new enterprise, you want your best foot forward. DJ and producer Buddhahouse recently launched a new label called Fruit Parlor Records, and the first release to come from this fledgling operation comes from himself. Kinki includes tracks the Sapporo-born creator has shared in recent memory, making it a good one-stop for the tropical
- [New Monari Wakita: "Take It Lucky!!!!"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-monari-wakita-take-it-lucky/) - This blog is never going to be completely over the end of Especia, even if by their final formation they were basically an entirely different group (albeit with at least a few solid numbers). While we eternally pour one out for the project responsible for idol masterpiece Gusto though, let's not nostalgia for...uhhhh, 2013 obscure
- [New CHAI: "Center Of The Face!"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-chai-center-of-the-face/) - When you need songs about gyoza, fried foods or the various personal complexes that hover over people on a daily basis, Chai has you covered. And now, their latest song celebrates a part of the body central to...the face. "Center Of The Face!" honors the nose, both lyrically and via the smartphone-optimized video featuring a
- [New Bruno Uesugi: <em>Deep Space</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-bruno-uesugi-deep-space/) - Producer Bruno Uesugi recently spent significant time in the hospital for intensive care. Uesugi appears to be doing a bit better, and he just released a two-song set titled Deep Space. The opener kicks things off and reminds of what separated Uesugi from other high-energy producers operating around the greater Tokyo area —- "Galactic Disco
- [New Amps: "Onflow"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-amps-onflow/) - Amps strikes just the right balance between refined and energetic on new track "Onflow." A lot of the latter just comes from the sounds they opt to construct the song out of -- "Onflow" features a light jazzy skip to it, provided by piano jaunts, horn blurts and drum shifts. Yet this never turns into
- [New Satellite Young: "Singing Dream"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-satellite-young-singing-dream/) - Lyrical cleverness has always been the element of trio Satellite Young's music separating them from similarly "retro new-wave" artists. Anyone can pen some overly dramatic lyrics and set it against synthesizer melodies before slapping some Blade Runner imagery over it. But Satellite Young ultimately focus on the now through a throwback lens, or at last
- [New Half Mile Beach Club: "Blue Moon"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-half-mile-beach-club-blue-moon/) - It has been an exceptionally strong week for new Japanese music, and one of our recommendations would be Half Mile Beach Club's Hasta La Vista, which takes the laid-back funk stylings that I think you could fairly call a contemporary Kanagawa sound (hey, Suchmos get to do NHK's soccer theme song this year!) and takes
- [New Kosmo Kat: <em>Rose</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-kosmo-kat-rose/) - Kosmo Kat didn't vanish, exactly -- the Tokyo-based electronic artist collaborated with fellow producer HVNS as iivvyy, resulting in some really fantastic music -- but output from their main project certainly slowed over the last year. Rose serves as a fresh start. "Releasing these finally to start a new page," Kosmo Kat writes, and Rose
- [New AOTQ: <em>E-muzak</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-aotq-e-muzak/) - The influence of vaporwave is starting to become clear. The internet-based niche genre of electronic music that turned into a visual aesthetic has recently started being visually adopted by legit mainstream artists in the West, while musically more producers are taking cues from it -- or at least being inspired by it. Japan, more so
- [New Broken Haze: "RX-7"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-broken-haze-rx-7/) - I'm not one for air punching, but when "RX-7" opens up and the beat just starts pulverizing away...well, my arms just get going, and I just hope I'm far enough from my computer screen. This is what Broken Haze does so well in his music, and "RX-7" (from a forthcoming release, premiered today at Insert)
- [New Palecore: "Weak End"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-palecore-weak-end/) - High on my "must-do list 2018" is catch duo Palecore live sometime soon, as they've been one of the more intriguing new groups to emerge in Japan over the last year...and it would be great to see what they are up to after seeing them last November. "Weak End" serves as a solid reminder of
- [New Oyubi: <em>Just Like Dat</em> EP](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-oyubi-just-like-dat-ep/) - One of the early highlights of 2018 in Japanese music has been Oyubi's My Fingers album, released by Omoide Label near the start of March. The producer now offers what I'm sounds like a palette cleanser of sorts after the at-times abrasive My Fingers, offering another side to the artist. Oyubi still sticks to juke
- [New ELLEH: <em>Anthems Part III</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-elleh-anthems-part-iii/) - Tokyo duo ELLEH recently jumped up to a English label -- Rare Cut Records -- and offered up the third part in their Anthems series last Friday. It starts off with the strongest moment, the previously shared "Everything You Ever Needed," which still wows with its dizzying climax. While that lead off teases catharsis, the
- [Electronic Round-up Featuring Hiroki Yamamura, Toccoyaki And Kloni](https://makebelievemelodies.com/electronic-round-up-featuring-hiroki-yamamura-toccoyaki-and-kloni/) - Busy weekend as usual -- electronic artists love dropping new tracks on days off, huh? -- so let's dive in to a few highlights. Osaka juke creator Hiroki Yamamura ventures into more elastic and funky territory with "Mimosa," his latest. The familiar skittery beats come through clearly, as is the persistent energy that defines his
- [New T4CKY: <em>I / II</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-t4cky-i-ii/) - Producer and roman-numerals-aficionado T4CKY created one of 2017's more promising debuts in the form of XIX. Now they continue flashing their potential with two new songs. "I" is the one that is more readily available to all, as it is up on SoundCloud (and you can hear it above). It's a touch more restrained, opening
- [New There Is A Fox: <em>After Image</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-there-is-a-fox-after-image/) - Let's call it spring cleaning, if you will. Kyoto-based singer/songwriter There Is A Fox's album After Image has been out for a whole month now, but today feels like the right day to write about it, with the weather feeling warm and pleasant (and, uhhhh, I remembered I made a note to write about it...but
- [Nyankobrq Teams Up With Snow Smile For "Utopia"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/nyankobrq-teams-up-with-snow-smile-for-utopia/) - Sometimes, artists -- in Japan, but really anywhere -- get good at something, and kind of just pluck away at that for a long time and end up not moving in any direction. Producer Nyankobrq appears to not be one to settle, as they've teamed up with the rap duo Snow Smile to provide them
- [New Paperkraft: <em>Here With You / S Act</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-paperkraft-here-with-you-s-act/) - Three releases deep now, and Kyoto's NC4K label now looks like a legit player to keep an eye on when it comes to electronic music in Kansai. Their latest comes from Osaka's Paperkraft, a producer who is often associated with the "lo-fi house" style. That term can be a bit divisive -- the main argument
- [Foggy Get Together: Come To My Party's "Clay Cat" And "Victoria Falls"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/foggy-get-together-come-to-my-partys-clay-cat-and-victoria-falls/) - Listening to the new latest songs from Tokyo project Come To My Party reminds me of a time in the capital's music community when a lot of dance-leaning groups were coming up and playing at fashionable venues (or fashion-first hell holes) in the city. Like Give Me Wallets or The Brixton Academy. Well, these two
- [New Cor!s: <em>Temporary Prose</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-cors-temporary-prose/) - Osaka artist Cor!s has been dabbling in a variety of electronic-centric styles over the last decade, whether on her own or as one half of the Addams Family Goes Mad Decent unit KWi. It's made for a constantly shifting set of songs from her, but also not a lot of consistency at once. But now
- [Fizzy Float: Happypills' "Starship"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/fizzy-float-happypills-starship/) - Starship - Single by Happypills It's the fluttery and fizzy edges of "Starship" that really stand out. Fukuoka artist Happypills mostly finds a middle ground between indie-pop and larger Japanese rock bands such as Galileo Galilei, Asian Kung-Fu Generation and maybe a little bit of Supercar. For the most part, "Starship" is a straightforward gallop,
- [New Cattle: "April Showers"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-cattle-april-showers/) - Think of this as the indie-pop inverse of Wallflower's just released "I Wish Spring Would Last Forever." Tokyo's Cattle aren't trying to extend the season as long as they can, but rather dealing with the fact it's already in decline, with sakura pedals lining city streets and the protagonist of this song knowing some sea
- [New Lulu: "Hora"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-lulu-hora/) - Let's end the week with the newest song from Lulu. "Hora" is a slowly unfolding number, rumbling ahead but leaving plenty of space for the artist's voice to come through. It gets run through a layer of filters, adding an electric energy to the number, but even pushed to a digital extreme, Lulu herself gets
- [New Wallflower: "I Wish Spring Would Last Forever"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-wallflower-i-wish-spring-would-last-forever/) - It's somewhat startling to realize Osaka indie-pop band Wallflower haven't released a proper album yet. They've become one of the cornerstones of that city's twee-tastic community, and have put out various singles, EP and -- that classic curveball -- the mini album over the last few years. But now comes a real first album, set
- [New House Of Tapes: "Another Sky"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-house-of-tapes-another-sky/) - One of the bigger downsides of music fragmentation -- specifically the fragmentation of how one goes about listening to new music -- is not knowing where exactly to find something you want to check out. House Of Tapes released a full-length album via Progressive Form last month, and it's on the hallowed wanna-hear list...but I
- [Breezy Beat: Nacht Musik's <em>Cure</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/breezy-beat-nacht-musiks-cure/) - Cure by Nacht Musik Fast music rules, but sometimes you listen to a netlabel offering and you end up reaching for a glass of water or something. That's not really the case with Nacht Musik's Cure, released via Omoide Label at the end of March. Every song just zooms forward, though -- the Hiroshima producer
- [Not A Regular Punch: Sumitomo's "Egotistical Gabber"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/not-a-regular-punch-sumitomos-egotistical-gabber/) - Egotistical Gabber Death by sumitomo (Programming note: site is currently going through a lot of technical difficulties, and actually writing posts is a massive challenge. Might be a bit more inconsistent for the next few...uhhhh, days, I hope? Stay tuned) Look, we all get stressed out, and we need to deal with it in our
- [New Satanicpornocultshop: <em>The Rise And Fall Of...</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-satanicpornocultshop-the-rise-and-fall-of/) - This year is already feeling like a particularly strong one for Japan's juke community, with plenty more to come. Yet Osaka outfit Satanicpornocultshop just went and dropped the first great front-to-back album of 2018. The Rise And Fall Of... doesn't mark any massive departure from their usual sound, nor does it find them even pushing
- [New Pavilion Xool: "Taker Giver Pool"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-pavilion-xool-taker-giver-pool/) - "Taker Giver Pool" offers another angle on producer Pavilion Xool's sound. The young Tokyo-based artist has some swift moments in his catalog, but "Taker Giver Pool" unfolds the quickest of anything they've released yet. The beat just moves quicker, the whole song feeling all the more woozy because of Pavilion Xool's use of pitched vocal
- [Never Fades: Still Dreams' "Spaceship"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/never-fades-still-dreams-spaceship/) - There was a time, not all that long ago, that it felt like at least one new indie-pop gem surfaced out in Kansai on a weekly basis. I doubt the collective music fans of Osaka, Kyoto and beyond have moved on from their Sarah Records collections, but the pace certainly slowed down a little bit
- [New Aya Gloomy: "Shizukane Kieru"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-aya-gloomy-shizukane-kieru/) - Aya Gloomy's initial foray into music after joining up with Tokyo's Big Love Records was to create a buzzing, unsettling number that gave just enough room for her singing to come through clearly, even if the whole song felt like it was being sucked into a whirlpool. Now she has her proper debut album out
- [New World's End Girlfriend: "Meguri"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-worlds-end-girlfriend-meguri/) - World's End Girlfriend don't keep things simple. The project's new song "Meguri" clocks in at nearly ten minutes, and finds Katsuhiko Maeda crafting a dramatic slow burner. The first half is all build -- Maeda arranges strings and piano to create a dizzying climb upward, pretty but also a touch unsettling. It's when the electric
- [New CHAI: "I'm Me"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-chai-im-me/) - One of the driving themes of CHAI's music thus far -- made all the clearer after talking to them -- is inclusiveness, of celebrating the unique characteristics we all possess. "I'm Me" isn't quite a manifesto for the four-piece -- that remains the herky-jerky "N.E.O." -- but it's definitely them at their most direct, avoiding
- [Local Visions Presents <em>Mega Drive</em> Featuring Pasocom Music Club, i-fls And Many Morey](https://makebelievemelodies.com/local-visions-presents-mega-drive-featuring-pasocom-music-club-i-fls-and-many-morey/) - Mega Drive takes a lot of expectations and flips them around. The compilation serves as fledgling label Local Visions' first release, and gathers artists from Japan and abroad together to dabble primarily in styles that would be seen as niche genre by most -- and with arguably the main sounds being touched on across Mega
- [Floating Free: Swan High's <em>Islands</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/floating-free-swan-highs-islands/) - Sendai band Swan High mostly take it easy on Islands, though their sort of laid back ultimately translates as a chance to try out whatever they want. Across the eight songs here, the group dabble in a variety of rock stylings, most of them on the softer side of the spectrum. "Find A Way" channels
- [Beat Machine: Dale Nixon's <em>Hello</em> EP](https://makebelievemelodies.com/beat-machine-dale-nixons-hello-ep/) - Hello! Project turns 20 this year, and everyone celebrates in their own way, I'm sure. If you are Japanese artist Dale Nixon, you call up your Tokyo rapper friend Valknee and you record a hip-hop EP celebrating the agency behind Morning Musume and many others. Hello comes advertised as "HelloHop," and Dale Nixon exclusively samples
- [International Connection: Hiro Tadomatsu Teams U With Tenma Tenma For "Perfectblue"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/international-connection-hiro-tadomatsu-teams-u-with-tenma-tenma-for-perfectblue/) - The past couple of years have seen plenty of Western artists drawn to Japanese sounds -- from digging through city pop to seeking out rare Japanese "ambient" records. At times, it has felt a bit one sides, but recently there have been some encouraging signs of communication on both sides. See French producer Moe Shop's
- [Sweet Tomorrow: Tomatoism's <em>Sugar Water</em> EP](https://makebelievemelodies.com/sweet-tomorrow-tomatoisms-sugar-water-ep/) - All good series have three parts! One and two here. Nagoya's Tomatoism isn't a completely fresh face in Japanese underground electronic scene. The producer contributed to this late 2016 compilation, while also releasing this anime-centric set under the name Tomato Chan around the same time. But in 2017 they started dabbling in a sound closer
- [New Happy Kuru Kuru: <em>Good Morning Tokyo</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-happy-kuru-kuru-good-morning-tokyo/) - Ehhh, screw it, let's lean in on this "kawaii" thing for today. Via Attack The Music, idol duo Happy Kuru Kuru shared a new two-song set called Good Morning Tokyo. The pair themselves are quite in line with what most people think of Japanese idol music -- cheery vocals that are far from polished, songs
- [New Snail's House: <em> Snö</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-snails-house-sno/) - Over at Bandcamp Daily, I wrote about the new wave of "kawaii" artists who are helping expand the sound often associated with that word. Think of it as a continuation of this piece looking at the history of "kawaii" music, and one that tries not too simply settle (the fact is, each artist I talked
- [New Metome: <em>Shibboleth</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-metome-shibboleth/) - Metome has been consistently active over the last few years, and now some of the more left-field highlights of recent times have been gathered together on new set Shibboleth. This comes from a period where Metome was interested in texture, and how different sounds could sound as they weave in and out of one another.
- [Future Shift: Takaryu's <em>Resources</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/future-shift-takaryus-resources/) - Producer Takaryu's first full-length album Resources doubles as a snapshot of the many ways electronic music in Japan has gone over the last five years. Takaryu has been around since about 2014, though the bulk of work they've shared in that time has been remixes alongside one mini-album. So Resources gathers songs that have appeared
- [Modern Groove: New Songs From HiRO.JP And Frasco](https://makebelievemelodies.com/modern-groove-new-songs-from-hiro-jp-and-frasco/) - Funk, boogie, acid jazz, city pop, even a little disco -- all these styles have come back into vogue in some way or another in Japan. It has mainly been spurred on by young bands, some raised on Jamiroquai and others smelling an opportunity. Yet plenty of smaller acts have come around to it as
- [New Mecanika: "Explorer"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-mecanika-explorer/) - Shiga-based producer Mecanika loves to explore the texture of noise, which makes "Explorer" an apt mission statement. It's a rumbling number, one that finds an artist who was always pushing towards maximalism committing, loading the brief song up with whirring synthesizer notes and brighter keyboard notes in the mold of post-Nakata electro-pop. Yet instead of
- [Relax Zone: Poivre's <em>Hammered</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/relax-zone-poivres-hammered/) - Plenty of artists can create minimal, relaxing beats that work best as background music -- an entire genre of anime-girl-doing-things-over-beats type streams exist around such music. Producer Poivre approaches relaxed sounds a bit differently on Hammered. Nothing on this nine-track album ever really pushes into particularly energetic territory -- digging into Poivre's history reveals plenty
- [Out Of Reach: Waater's <em>Waater</em> EP And "All My Time"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/out-of-reach-waaters-waater-ep-and-all-my-time/) - How important is accessibility to music? Well, in 2018, it's vital if you want to reach a wide audience which...duh, but there was a time a band could start small and build up. Scarcity could even work in a group's favor! Not today, though, where being available on a digital platform is necessary for those
- [New Ruby Lemon: "Under The Water"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-ruby-lemon-under-the-water/) - Sometimes, you just want to dunk your head under the faucet and let everything coming out flow over you. Well, thank you Fukuoka project Ruby Lemon for an apt soundtrack. "Under The Water" is a slow moving synth-pop number more concerned about submerging the listener than reaching any particular destination. The vocals convey this best
- [New Mom: "That Girl"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-mom-that-girl/) - The year is still early —- at least that's what I've been telling myself -- but nearly three months have passed, which feels like a significant checkpoint. So far, my favorite album of the year from Japan comes courtesy of Saitama's Mom, whose Baby Like A Paperdriver offers a dizzying and fun set of genre-skipping
- [Dark Jinja Shares <em>Dark Jinja Compilation I</em>, Featuring Le Makeup, Yullippe, LSTNGHT And More](https://makebelievemelodies.com/dark-jinja-shares-dark-jinja-compilation-i-featuring-le-makeup-yullippe-lstnght-and-more/) - Labels and collectives gestate around all kinds of unifying theories, from identity to specific genre to shared interests. If Dark Jinja's first compilation points at an overarching ethos, it's that they love the dark and unnerving side of electronic music. Dark Jinja Compilation I is a masterclass in all things jittery, with nearly every inclusion
- [New ELLEH: "Everything You Ever Needed"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-elleh-everything-you-ever-needed/) - Tokyo duo ELLEH recently teamed up with London record label Rare Cut Records, and "Everything You Ever Needed" is their first release via them. It's a larger platform, and fittingly the two's latest offers a great entryway into their sound ahead of their next EP. "Everything You Ever Needed" features their liveliest music to date,
- [New Ryuuta Takaki: <em>Twist</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-ryuuta-takaki-twist/) - Everything feels just off on Ryuuta Takaki's new album, Twist. Vocal samples smear together, creating mismatched moments that often get pitched into unnatural territory on top of that. Takaki matches these disorienting stretches with music that's equally unpredictable -- beats sound like they are fading away (the title track) or hiding something sinister ("Your Ocean").
- [The Shape Of Things To Come: Harunemuri's "Yume Wo Miyou"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/the-shape-of-things-to-come-harunemuris-yume-wo-miyou/) - Harunemuri doesn't represent a new standard in Japanese pop music, but she does point towards a direction where a lot of things are starting to go. Last year's Atom Heart Mother (really!!) offered a great introduction into what she's all about, placing her rap-sing delivery in the spotlight against a mix of wonky beats and
- [Drizzle Over: Browned Butter's "Fall"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/take-it-back-browned-butters-fall/) - For all the internet niche genres and buzzed-about artists blurring the line between electronic music and J-pop, one constant in the Japanese music world is a never-ending supply of indie-pop. And a lot of it hits a sweet spot, even if the influences come through clearly. Kyoto's Browned Butter deliver one such rush on "Fall,"
- [New Mondo Grosso Featuring Aina The End (BiSH): "Itsuwari No Sympathy"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-mondo-grosso-featuring-aina-the-end-bish-itsuwari-no-sympathy/) - Mondo Grosso appears to be here to stay, rather than just be a one-off comeback responsible for a solid album and a song-of-the-year contender. "Itsuwari No Sympathy" -- out on streaming services for at least a month now, but finally blessed with a video today -- finds Shinichi Osawa continuing to explore the electronic wisps
- [New Mountain: <em>Overheat</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-mountain-overheat/) - Osaka's Mountain has been creating some of Japan's best drum 'n' bass over the last few years, and their most recent release through Soulvent Records marks a particular energetic high for the project. "Overheat" starts things off nicely, featuring a zippy pace joined by some vocal stutters of varying pitches. It's a nice setter, but
- [New Erik Luebs: <em>Cycle 1​.​3 | March</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-erik-luebs-cycle-1​-​3-march/) - Tokyo-based producer welcomes in Spring...well, early Spring, but who's keeping tabs that closely...with a new cycles of songs to get listeners moving. Like previous releases from him, the two songs on Cycle 1​.​3 | March match rumbling beats up with more uneasy details. That's most present on opener "Mirror Room," a sweltering number marked by
- [Scrambled Right: Nekura's "Koinomiyako City Of Love"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/scrambled-right-nekuras-koinomiyako-city-of-love/) - When trying to talk about future funk and the variants on this micro-genre I personally find interesting, I'd point to Tanuki's "Baby Baby No Yume" as a good example. It's a heavy remix of an existing song that allows many of the main elements of the original to shine through, but re-arranges enough to offer
- [From The Corners: Ayumiko's "Dancing Darkness"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/from-the-corners-ayumikos-dancing-darkness/) - Ayumiko has popped up on several songs by electronic artists that we've covered in recent times, but "Dancing Darkness" seems like a good entry point into her own sound. The melancholy atmosphere and her use of anime visuals puts her in similar territory to young artists such as Sleet Mage and Gokou Kuyt, but she
- [New Half Mile Beach Club: "Olives"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-half-mile-beach-club-olives/) - Kanagawa prefecture has been having a moment. Many of the most buzzed-about young artists of the last few years have hailed from the area just south of Tokyo. Thank demographic shifts for that, but it's given a lot of Japanese music a relaxed, coastal vibe reflecting a growing interest in...well, relaxed, semi-coastal living. Not every
- [Nozomu Matsumoto Teams Up With Toiret Status: "Mimic"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/nozomu-matsumoto-teams-up-with-toiret-status-mimic/) - Just a couple days ago, we were looking at how Toiret Status explored more space on their newest album. That is not the case on "Mimic," a collaborative number done with Nozomu Matsumoto. This one's busy from the get-go, full of hiccuping vocal samples, stretched-out syllables, Pachinko-worthy bursts of electronic noise and more, smashing into
- [Woozed Out: Supercream's "Hide In Plain Sight"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/woozed-out-supercreams-hide-in-plain-sight/) - Look, sometimes I try to be cute with these intros...talking about the weather, current events, a pun!...but today I'll just say that I'm sick and have been out of it since whatever time I woke up. I've only done a passing breeze through my usual music sources and wasn't really focusing on much. This song,
- [New Toiret Status: <em>Toiret Statue</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-toiret-status-toiret-statue/) - This is the first Toiret Status release that doesn't overwhelm, but benefits from a close listening. This hasn't been the case before, and that was a pretty great thing in regards to Omaru or Nyoi Plunger, albums that felt like dozens of different sounds criss-crossing like broken TV signals into a pattern that made something
- [Off Center: Oyubi's <em>My Fingers</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/off-center-oyubis-my-fingers/) - When the prologue to your album goes harder than most of the music I've heard so far in 2018, you know you've got something special. Tokyo-based producer Oyubi's My Fingers stars with one of the more attention-grabbing tracks I've heard this year in the form of "Prologue 1," a jittery juke number merging metallic popcorn
- [New DYGL: "Bad Kicks"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-dygl-bad-kicks/) - 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
- [New Le Makeup: <em>Primary</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-le-makeup-primary/) - Sometimes, you spend a weekend focusing on non-music writing work, and all sorts of incredible stuff drops at once. The past few days have seen new albums from Toiret Status, CRZKNY and way more. Curse you, having to make money, if only I could blog all day! Slipping in a little before any of those
- [Soft Return: Radicalfashion And Tony Chanty's "Way Home"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/soft-return-radicalfashion-and-tony-chantys-way-home/) - Kobe's Radicalfashion has been kicking around for over a decade, releasing primarily piano-focused numbers on the sparse but intricate side. Singing popped up at times, though often in a warped way that added an out-of-space element to Radicalfashion's work. "Way Home," however, offers something a touch more straightforward. Japanese artist Tony Chanty guests, singing over
- [New LLLL: <em>Chains "Phase 4: Resemblance"</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-llll-chains-phase-4-resemblance/) - Even more than previous entries into the Chains series, "Phase 4: Resemblance" offers as strong a front to back listening experience as one could hope for from a three-song set. That's partially based off pure strength of song, two of which already appeared in the past few months -- the shadowy release of "For F"
- [Movin: DJ Aflow's <em>Smog</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/movin-dj-aflows-smog/) - DJ Aflow's been part of the Japanese juke scene for quite some time, having put out albums on vital label Booty Tune all the way back in 2012 and consistently put out material since, whether on their own or with Foodman and California's SELA. Smog offers up a speedy set celebrating DJ Aflow's approach to
- [Reserve Energy: Kotonohouse's <em>But You Don't</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/reserve-energy-kotonohouses-but-you-dont/) - Holding just enough back can go a long way. Producer Kotonohouse certainly brings plenty of energy across their new EP But You Don't, using slivers of vocal samples and quick changes in tempo to create a mood that practically forces you to move just to keep up. But what makes the four song set stick
- [Stupid Good Energy: Kokushimusou's <em>Sekigahara / Dorj</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/stupid-good-energy-kokushimusous-sekigahara-dorj/) - The moment that "Pretty Fly (For A White Guy)" samples kicked in...knew this was gonna be a blast. The team of Guchon and Hujiko Pro constitute Kokushimusou, and their latest release on Sabacan Records kicks off with a glorious mash-up of sounds, making for a high-energy rush that's part stupid, part stupid good. So yeah,
- [New I Saw You Yesterday: "Topia"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-i-saw-you-yesterday-topia/) - Maybe winter has just felt particularly tough on the thermostat this year, but "Topia" sounds extra warm and inviting right about now. It's right in indie-pop band I Saw You Yesterday's wheelhouse, seeing as the bulk of their releases up to this point have been designed for warmer climes, or at least geared towards those
- [New Boogie Idol: <em>Jyoushiki No Arumachi</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-boogie-idol-jyoushiki-no-arumachi/) - Listen, part of me just want to link once again to this piece and leave it to that. And that is a great explainer as to why the latest from Boogie Idol once again delivers a sparkling rush of excitement and melancholy for something that is long gone...and which I've never lived through. Still, there
- [Strange Spell: Uffun Magic Works' "Walking With Corpse"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/strange-spell-uffun-magic-works-walking-with-corpse/) - Uffun Magic Works finds Tamao Ninomiya teaming up with NNMIE for a new project of wonky bedroom pop. So far, they've released a solid albeit wobbly cover of Stereolab's "Ping Pong," and a lovely bit of seasick pop in the form of "Walking With Corpse." At its core, there is a catchy little song sung
- [New Paellas: "Echo"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-paellas-echo/) - What's made Paellas' rise up the ranks over the last year so surprising is how the group's songs are unrelentingly downcast. This decision to cloud the familiar funk and rock elements that have become trendy in recent years in a fog -- a choice they've been making since their earliest indie-pop cuts, the group sounding
- [New Shinichiro Yokota And Pleasure Cruiser Featuring Ayako Higa: "Rainforest"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-shinichiro-yokota-and-pleasure-cruiser-featuring-ayako-higa-rainforest/) - Taking us into the working week is this dreamy collaboration between long-running house producer Shinichiro Yokota and England-based (but formerly in Japan) Pleasure Cruiser. It's a nice escape from the drudgery ahead, or at least that's how I'm expecting all those electronic chirps and the gauze wrapping around the whole song to feel come the
- [New Snail's House: <em>Ordinary Songs 4</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-snails-house-ordinary-songs-4/) - The Ordinary Songs series serves as Snail's House's state of the union, of sorts. While the most popular "kawaii" producer in Japan at the moment goes off in all sorts of directions, Ordinary Songs is them at their most cuddly, constructing pleasant playroom-ready melodies from an assortment of synths, bells and other toy-chest-ready noises. The
- [New Gokou Kuyt: <em>AM 2:22</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-gokou-kuyt-am-222/) - AM 2:22 lasts just under eight minutes, and that brief time is all you really need to get a good sense of what rapper Gokou Kuyt is all about. More concise than last year's #teendreamtape, his latest feels like a late night dispatch, short and at times fluttery beats giving enough space for Kuyt's monotone
- [New Haruno: <em>Filia</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-haruno-filia/) - It's startling how sweet the singing on Haruno's first full-length album Filia can sound. Last year's lovely Flower's Laugh had similarly pretty vocals, but those came courtesy of a real human -- this time around, Haruno uses Vocaloid technology for all ten songs here. Yet despite (or, maybe because of) a visible electric hum surrounding
- [New Frasco: "Dramatic"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-frasco-dramatic/) - Duo Frasco keep up their prolific pace in 2018 with "Dramatic," their latest digital single. And like the numbers before it, "Dramatic" finds them shifting things up ever so slightly, highlighting the pair's ability to bring in various elements under a funk-pop umbrella. "Dramatic" features a pronounced electronic bounce, which gives it extra force than
- [New Animal Hack: <em>Gift</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-animal-hack-gift/) - There is a blurriness to electronic duo Animal Hack's new album Gift that helps it stand out a bit from other artists in the same zone as them. Their latest release features plenty of hallmarks of contemporary electronic music in Japan -- see the big release of opener "Body," the breezy portions of "Plastic Night"
- [New Bighead Featuring Hatsune Miku: <em>World Is Wide</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-bighead-featuring-hatsune-miku-world-is-wide/) - Sapporo's Bighead is one of the better producers in Japan going right now when it comes to creating flat-out electro-pop jams featuring Vocaloid singing. World Is Wide finds them in their comfort zone, utilizing the familiar digi-sing of Hatsune Miku to create energetic pop numbers. The music across these 11 songs features plenty of contemporary
- [Omoide Label And Bytedoll Records Present <em>Shibuya-Kei Chiptune Cover Compilation</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/omoide-label-and-bytedoll-records-present-shibuya-kei-chiptune-cover-compilation/) - Video game-derived sounds appeared in the swirl that would eventually be called Shibuya-kei -- while lots of attention (rightfully) goes to the style's focus on the dustier corners of the record store, not-so-faded 8-bit sounds also popped up frequently, giving the style a nice splash of computer-age energy. Shibuya-Kei Chiptune Cover Compilation, then, isn't a
- [Into The Deep End: Emamouse's <em>Tiny Orange Slicker For Birds</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/into-the-deep-end-emamouses-tiny-orange-slicker-for-birds/) - For months, I had no idea where to start with Emamouse. She's an artist who has been active for over a decade in Japan, but thanks to sites such SoundCloud and Bandcamp has appeared especially prolific in recent years. Just look at her own Bandcamp page, and try picking a single gateway in. Maybe one
- [New Tofubeats: "Fumetsu No Kokoro"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-tofubeats-fumetsu-no-kokoro/) - This one benefits a lot from seeing tofubeats perform it live last week in Shibuya. His latest digital single doubles as the theme song to TV Tokyo drama Video Girl AI, which is about a woman who pops out of a television to live with some guy. The verses to "Fumetsu No Kokoro" feature a
- [New Antenna Girl: "Mahou No Jyuutan"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-antenna-girl-mahou-no-jyuutan/) - Fairly or not, I've always associated Antenna Girl with high-energy numbers, of the future-funk variety or otherwise. Yet her latest song casts her in a different light, and one that proves surprisingly fitting. "Mahou No Jyuutan" unfolds as a mid-tempo ballad, putting the emphasis on Antenna Girl's singing via music that never overtakes her vocals.
- [New Chocoholic Featuring Lulu X: "Touch"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-chocoholic-featuring-lulu-x-touch/) - The hook for this post was just right there for the taking -- Chocoholic gives the world a gift on Valentine's Day! You can't get an alley-oop like that everyday. Naturally, her new song came out at the exact moment I'm swamped in work / my brain might literally leak out of my head because
- [Fast, Bright Trip: Oresama's "Hi-Fi Train"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/fast-bright-trip-oresamas-hi-fi-train/) - Oresama have been kicking around for a few years now, finding success online thanks to close ties to various anime and manga communities. It helps that they make bright, bubbly dance-pop songs, such as 2014's "Ookami Heart." Well, they did do that, but late last year they ventured into a smoother, more in vogue territory
- [New ZZZX1992 Vs. N. Brennan: <em>Scary Moments IV</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-zzzx1992-vs-n-brennan-scary-moments-iv/) - You don't need me to tell you the state of media today often feel overwhelming. The Scary Moments series of albums from Wasabi Tapes feel like a nice sonic reflection of this phenomenon, and IV is a welcome addition to it. Like previous entries, it's a collage set loaded up with video game splatter sounds,
- [New Yunomi: "Miracle Sugar Land" Featuring Momobako](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-yunomi-miracle-sugar-land-featuring-momobako/) - Plenty of people have come around to producer Yunomi's maximalist mix of gumball-bright synthesizers and traditional touches, and 2018 has already proven pretty busy. The most notable project he's undertaken was more or less architecting the debut album from future-bass idols Cy8er, seeing him add in a few more dramatic touches (alongside big dumb drops).
- [New Tokyo Girls' Style: "Last Romance"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-tokyo-girls-style-last-romance/) - "Last Romance" marks a bit of a throwback for idol unit Tokyo Girls' Style...even if the marketing materials accompanying it try to tap into current trends. The description coming alongside the above clip busts out everyone's favorite two words -- city pop -- in talking about "Last Romance," trying to continue the group's slow-burning evolution
- [Kept Close: Family Basik's "Music For Absentees" And "Unattractive World"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/kept-close-family-basiks-music-for-absentees-and-unattractive-world/) - Siblings Yu and Rima Kato comprise Family Basik, a project offering up intricate chamber pop. It's far busier than Rima Kato's sparse solo work, and often features lyrics with a slightly darker bend (see 2014's A False Dawn And Posthumous Notoriety, a generally chipper collection speckled with lyrics about death). The duo have a new
- [New Frasco: "Sleepwalking"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-frasco-sleepwalking/) - Tokyo duo Frasco tend to operate in two modes. One style veers close to what some have labelled "city pop revival," though it is just as indebted to acid jazz, AOR cuts and American funk. It's good and often times bump-able. The second though, which ends up on display in new song "Sleepwalking," is far
- [New Negicco: "Honjitsu Ga Special"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-negicco-honjitsu-ga-special/) - Idol music -- like most pop music -- can be something that easily gets twisted too much when you think too much about it. I'm not a believer in the "just have fun!" camp of pop, which often rejects all critical thought, but I also think you can get too academic with the stuff (and,
- [Stay Warm And Wobbly With AR30's <em>Winter Compilation 2018</em>, Featuring Yuichi Nagao, Riemellowjunk And More](https://makebelievemelodies.com/stay-warm-and-wobbly-with-ar30s-winter-compilation-2018-featuring-yuichi-nagao-riemellowjunk-and-more/) - Collective AR30 always finds a way to put together seasonal compilations that end up being suitable for their respective months -- or at least make said period of time a touch more enjoyable. Winter Compilation 2018 gives this cold stretch of the year a nice, woozy soundtrack with enough action to keep bodies warm. Yuichi
- [New Boys Age: "The Highest Moon"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-boys-age-the-highest-moon/) - There was a time when Saitama-based outfit Boys Age released songs on a weekly basis, and dropped albums just as quickly. Over the last year, the project has slowed down and taken its time putting out new material, and it has managed to make the songs that do appear all the more urgent. Which is
- [New Iri: "Corner"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-iri-corner/) - J-pop is a mess right now. The biggest challenge at the moment is sifting through everything to figure out just what's going on, and if you zeroed in squarely on what charts say is doing well, I wouldn't blame you for feeling underwhelmed. Yet dive into the vast middle and you'll find all sorts of
- [New Yahyel: "Pale"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-yahyel-pale/) - Tokyo's Yahyel have a new album out this spring, titled Human. "Pale" is the latest look at their sophomore album, and it underlines the elements of the band that make them stand out from similarly tipped groups coming out of the capital. Musically, "Pale" features a lot of the unnerving touches that have always crept
- [New Le Makeup: <em>Life Intonation</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-le-makeup-life-intonation/) - Osaka artist Le Makeup's recent Life Intonation EP feels like part compliment to last year's Hyper Earthy, and also a bit of a stab at wider recognition. The six songs gathered here and put out at the very end of January build on the soft meditations he pivoted too last year, using splashes of guitar,
- [New E-Girls: "Pain, Pain"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-e-girls-pain-pain/) - Last year was a weird one for E-Girls. After a few years where they felt like the logical next direction for J-pop to head in, 2017 felt a touch off. Not necessarily musically, though -- E.G. Crazy was an overstuffed double album, but one featuring a pretty great "Cool" side loaded up with some of
- [New Batsu: <em>Half Self</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-batsu-half-self/) - Osaka's Batsu gets reflective on Half Self. The electronic artist's latest offers up a fragile set of tracks that often tease going over the edge, but always hold everything back, aiming for something more melancholy than moshing. Not to downplay how springy Batsu's creations can get — check the zero-gravity "Confess," seemingly using melodies from
- [New Haruruinu Love Dog Tenshi: "Setsuzoku"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-haruruinu-love-dog-tenshi-setsuzoku/) - Haruruinu Love Dog Tenshi first came on our radar last year thanks to a collab with the producer/rapper Youheyhey. That cut sounded great, but it was Haruruinu's rap-turned-sing delivery that elevated the song and added an extra layer of giddiness to the tune. The two come together again for Haruruinu's very own "Setsuzoku," but this
- [LLLL Teams Up With Meishi Smile, U-Pistol For "Always" Featuring Calendula](https://makebelievemelodies.com/llll-teams-up-with-meishi-smile-u-pistol-for-always-featuring-calendula/) - I can earnestly say that, without the internet as it existed in the early 2010s, my life would be completely different. Living in rural Japan, there was a strong but small local community I could rely on, and I'm forever thankful for that, but you also miss out on so much more. Yet back then,
- [Breaking Through: Kudo Kamome's <em>Trypophobia Experiments</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/breaking-through-kudo-kamomes-trypophobia-experiments/) - Singer/songwriter Kudo Kamome has been experimenting with pop structures for a few years now. She's been releasing albums since the start of the decade, dabbling in fanciful Parisian-tinged numbers and more abrasive guitar music. Yet her latest EP Trypophobia Experiments offers some of her wonkiest creations to date, and an early 2018 highlight. Each song
- [New Stones Taro: <em>Scarf</em> EP](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-stones-taro-scarf-ep/) - One of the earliest pieces of music writing advice I received was...don't dwell too much on album art. But let me just take a second to note how new Kyoto-based label NC4K has established a great visual sense so far into their existence, with a cartoony psychedelic element that I really hope they continue to
- [New (Kinda) Anemone: "Requiem"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-kinda-anemone-requiem/) - Usually, a year really starts to show itself in, like, March -- that's when releases start emerging that feel more reflective of the year as a whole (well, at least if you operate in blanket thinking). Yet January saw a lot of great full-lengths emerge from Japanese artists, including Mom's topsy-turvy Baby Like A Paperdriver
- [Half-Speed City: Abenie's "Metropolis"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/half-speed-city-abenies-metropolis/) - Glitz can sound really interesting when parts of the charm feel just off. That's something rarely -- sometimes, but rarely -- found in the current crop of smoothed-out rock performing well in Japan's mainstream. The project Abenie shows how a little bedroom-pop charm can go a long way. "Metropolis" moves at a dazzled-by-the-lights pace, and
- [New Miii: <em>Plateau</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-miii-plateau/) - Miii has set his focus on tension over the last few years. The Tokyo producer has long been a fan of bass-shredding, hard-hitting drops in his electronic music, and the thrill of a punishing plunge remains. Yet he's been just as interested in pairing sounds not far removed from the dance pens of a big=time
- [New Wooman: "Six Days"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-wooman-six-days/) - I'll always have a soft spot in my heart for music that conjures up memories of the 2011 and 2012 Japanese indie rock community, when Hotel Mexico put their spin on chillwave and the entire CUZ ME PAIN universe offered an unsettling merger between dance and rock. Naturally, the one group left to emerge from
- [New Tenma Tenma: "Yakou"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-tenma-tenma-yakou/) - Few activities are more fulfilling personally than wandering around aimlessly at night, with a bunch of heavy thoughts on your mind. And that's the vibe coming through on Tenma Tenma's "Yakou," a tipsy electronic number that feels temporarily content with itself. While the music itself goes a long way to both being flat-out enjoyable (that
- [Emotional Launch: Kai Shibata's <em>Escape Sequence</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/emotional-launch-kai-shibatas-escape-sequence/) - The songs on Tokyo producer Kai Shibata's Escape Sequence exude a bedroom quality that makes the emotions lurking within all the more forceful. It's especially true for the pair of songs featuring guest singers. Opener "Unlock" finds Powaramiu bobbing over a herky-jerky set of drum-machine beats and synthesizer, her delivery generating a nice tension alongside
- [Wildest Imagination: Technic Runner's <em>Dream Machine</em> EP](https://makebelievemelodies.com/wildest-imagination-technic-runners-dream-machine-ep/) - Duo Technic Runner have been popping up on the Tokyo live circuit for a few years now, releasing songs as far back as four years ago and popping up at Scum Park events around the same time. Their style has mutated over the years, last seen with a nervy EP splitting the difference between Group
- [Kitty Kitty Bang Bang: Itchy & Scratchy's <em>Bad Sons Of The Rave</em> EP](https://makebelievemelodies.com/kitty-kitty-bang-bang-itchy-scratchys-bad-sons-of-the-rave-ep/) - As Tokyo-based label Trekkie Trax celebrates its five-year anniversary of existence, they are going back in time and honoring their upbringing. "I grew up with those guys from this duo's DJ performances at the local venues in Tokyo," label co-founder Seimei tweeted around the time Itchy & Scratchy's Bad Songs Of The Rave EP, a
- [New Group2: "Milk"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-group2-milk/) - Ever so often, a wonky and downright goofy band will change things up to try to get more major-label attention, usually when the Japanese music industry is enjoying a band boom. Sometimes, it works and other times it results in an interesting group turning into Spitz Jr. Thankfully, Group2 remain just as odd on new
- [New Capchii: "Let's Build A Snowman"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-capchii-lets-build-a-snowman/) - Tokyo is still thawing out after a big ol' snowstorm, so a high-energy like this feels fitting on a day where a little heat would work wonders. Capchii falls into that nebulous "kawaii" zone a handful of Japanese electronic artists have crept into, but "Let's Build A Snowman" matches fluttering synths and shiny chimes with
- [Fogpak Grows Up With <em>Fogpak #20</em>, Featuring Chanbe, Shpmskk, Teleco And More](https://makebelievemelodies.com/fogpak-grows-up-with-fogpak-20-featuring-chanbe-shpmskk-teleco-and-more/) - The Fogpak series of electronic music compilations has reached 20 releases with its latest -- theme, "Adult," congrats Fogpak you can buy cigarettes from a vending machine -- and the newest set offers the same mission as the 19 that came before. It spotlights ten artists -- in recent versions, Fogpak became more global, but
- [Bedroom Blurs: Santa Dharma's "Compass Moon"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/bedroom-blurs-santa-dharmas-compass-moon/) - Using just a little echo and some other effects, Tokyo's Santa Dharma transforms a pleasant bit of bedroom pop into something with blurred edges. The duo utilize a small set of instruments to create a sparse but bouncy little number that then gets wrapped in the aforementioned echo, a few dub touches and a few
- [<em>Sampling Sea Compilation</em> Featuring AFAMoo, Asazuke And More](https://makebelievemelodies.com/sampling-sea-compilation-featuring-afamoo-asazuke-and-more/) - Sampling Sea Compilation gathers ten house tracks from producers across Japan, all featuring a slight faded feel but ultimately forceful dance numbers on their own. While there's a slight nautical theme running throughout, it never really comes to the surface, which is fine -- delicate numbers like AFAMoo's "Submarine" and Asazuke's "Midnight Victoria Line" Things
- [New Mom: <em>Baby Like A Paperdriver</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-mom-baby-like-a-paperdriver/) - Had you told me the first great album to come out of Japan in 2018 would arrive courtesy a Saitama genre-skipper who seemed like Ano(t)raks strangest inclusion in some time, well you definitely would have surprised me. But that's the joy of doing this, hearing an artist like Mom deliver something like Baby Like A
- [Wonky Chirps: Pedestrian Featuring LUMi's "Funny Dancer"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/wonky-chirps-pedestrian-featuring-lumis-funny-dancer/) - Time to invoke the guidelines for getting a Vocaloid song on this blog -- an artist either has to get really experimental and possibly weird with it, or just make some really bubbly pop using synthesized voices. Pedestrian leans mainly towards the latter on the skippy "Funny Dancer," though shades of the prior sneak in.
- [New Metome: "Series"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-metome-series/) - Metome's past features a few moments where he's stretched out his sound, but the Osaka electronic artist mostly offers up mid-sized bursts of sound, whether they be hopped-up blasts of funk or more reflective slappers. "Series" finds Metome going long -- just over 13 minutes, as it turns out. It's a stuttering take on house
- [New Tricot: "Boom Ni Notte"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-tricot-boom-ni-notte/) - Ever-busy band tricot (now a our-piece as they've found a drummer) appeared on Wowow's Live Tips program recently, presumably to offer up some live tips...and some performances. One of those was a live version of a new song called "Boom Ni Notte" ("On The Boom" in English), now available for all to see. It follows
- [New Sleet Mage: "Owari"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-sleet-mage-owari/) - It's important not too go overboard when talking about an intriguing newer artist and overlook the past in the process. Sleet Mage's music certainly allows its strings to other artists show through -- feel free to drop an essay about how the current wave of "SoundCloud rappers" have a deep appreciation of anime, and how
- [New Nariaki Obukuro Featuring Hikaru Utada: "Lonely One"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-nariaki-obukuro-featuring-hikaru-utada-lonely-one/) - Few artists can point to a co-sign from Hikaru Utada ahead of their major-label solo debut, but Nariaki Obukuro has got it. And if more artists like this are going to creep closer to the spotlight, the widening of the J-pop industry is only proving fruitful. Obukuro co-founded Tokyo Recordings and has worked under the
- [Sunny Daze: Falsettos' "6"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/sunny-daze-falsettos-6/) - Tokyo's Falsettos have been kicking around the city's rock scene for a few years now, but they'll drop their first album on February 2. The first impression they push forward from their self-titled is a sunny, reflective number called "6." Plenty of Japanese bands at the moments are leaning towards more mellow sounds, but Falsettos
- [New Frasco Featuring Poolside: "Wave"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-frasco-featuring-poolside-wave/) - Duo Frasco's music has always been relatively laid back, avoiding easy city-pop-revival trappings in favor of something a bit more out there (but still limber). So this group -- which describe themselves as a "meta pop project?" I don't remember that from last year, is this a commentary on...something? -- creating a smoothed-out beat for
- [New Karen Felixx: <em>Scarlet</em> EP](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-karen-felixx-scarlet-ep/) - Producer Karen Felixx wastes no time messing with one's head. The Scarlet EP comes after a pretty solid year from her, where she used pounding at at times haywire sounds to create some wonderfully jarring electronic music. On her latest, opener "Jasmine Jam" teases something relatively straightforward, before feedback creeps in and everything slows to
- [And Now For Something Completely Different: Sumire Uesaka's "Pop Team Epic"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/and-now-for-something-completely-different-sumire-uesakas-pop-team-epic/) - If I have one huge glaring weakness when it comes to covering Japanese music and pop culture, it's the fact I don't watch much anime. I'd like to blame this on a lack of time, but that would be a lie -- I managed to watch Paddington for the second time ever last night. I
- [Outside Beats: Flux's <em>Rafflesia</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/outside-beats-fluxs-rafflesia/) - Rap from Asia feels like one of those constantly percolating trends in Western media, frequently written about but never going that next step...always stuck in "four artists ready to break!" lists territory. Japanese artists have been in the same cycle too (although probably less than other artists across the continent, which is a different conversation),
- [New DJ Wildparty: <em>Drive</em> EP](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-dj-wildparty-drive-ep/) - Ahhhh, and here I was thinking everything from 2017 had been wrapped up. DJ Wildparty routinely releases new music at Comiket events, and at the 2017 winter edition he offered up Drive, an EP finding the producer crafting some bright-day house music inspired by...well, it's right there in the title. Wildparty's own music tends to
- [New RGL: <em>Machine Love</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-rgl-machine-love/) - This one's billed as a single, but RGL's Machine Love plays out like one large journey. The total playtime of these three tracks certainly helps with that feeling, as the latest from the Tokyo producer comes in at around 18 minutes. Just as crucial, though, is how this trio of tracks plays off of one
- [New LLLL Featuring U-Pistol: "Falling"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-llll-featuring-u-pistol-falling/) - Words have often drifted out of the dreamy electronic compositions of LLLL. Although their are plenty of songs from the Tokyo producer featuring singing obscured by an array of synths (or no words at all), a fair amount also have vocalists coming through clearly to up the emotional ante. "Falling," though, features what might very
- [A Sweeter Escape: Nakanojojo And Toccoyaki's "Kagami"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/a-sweeter-escape-nakanojojo-and-toccoyakis-kagami/) - Nakanojojo and Toccoyaki exist in the same world as cotton-candy-bright dance-pop from the likes of Snail's House, Yunomi, YUC'e and more. It extends beyond the fizzy, maximalist electronic pop both make, as they both share an interest in anime-as-cover-art and a general positivity flowing through their music. "Kagami" brings the two artists together, and the
- [Something Off Trend: TAWINGS "Invisible" And "UTM"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/something-off-trend-tawings-invisible-and-utm/) - Early on in 2018, Japanese bands have been having a good go of it internationally. This mainly comes via festivals and festivals that are part of gatherings that are really giant tech gabfests. The biggest name would be X Japan, set to appear at Coachella (same font size Django Django, congrats Yoshiki), yet the real
- [Trekkie Trax Teams Up With HAKAisDead Featuring Carpainter, Amps And More](https://makebelievemelodies.com/trekkie-trax-teams-up-with-hakaisdead-featuring-carpainter-amps-and-more/) - Two Tokyo-based netlabels come together to start 2018 off with a bang -- Trekkie Trax and HAKAisDEAD released Trekkie Trax x HAKAisDEAD, which loads up on songs from...well, artists associated with both digi-imprints. Like many compilation albums put out by either netlabel (or by the bulk of dance labels globally), it highlights a diverse array
- [New Skip Club Orchestra: <em>Vita Activa</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-skip-club-orchestra-vita-activa/) - Leave it to Japan's juke scene to deliver an album inspired by Hannah Arendt's The Human Condition. Skip Club Orchestra's latest -- released on New Year's Eve, making this (I think) the last 2017 collection I needed to catch up on -- features 20 songs, all of them hovering right around the three minute mark.
- [Mixjam Teams With LANCHR For <em>W - Western Japan Compilation</em> Featuring Native Rapper, Black Lolita And More](https://makebelievemelodies.com/mixjam-teams-with-lanchr-for-w-western-japan-compilation-featuring-native-rapper-black-lolita-and-more/) - Kansai's music scene has witnessed all sorts of significant changes over the last decade, from the re-implementation of the fueiho laws to their subsequent phasing out a couple years ago, to the migration of many artists from Osaka to Tokyo because...well, trends in living. Yet the W - Western Japan Compilation made between rave-born label
- [Lives Up To The Name: Yogen Hayama's <em>Simplicity</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/lives-up-to-the-name-yogen-hayamas-simplicity/) - Information on Yogen Hayama is scarce, but Simplicity offers up maybe everything one needs to know about the artist. It is, indeed, simple -- five songs featuring nearly zero words, constructed from guitar and electronics. This sparse arsenal forces Hayama to get the most out of everything, and the songs on Simplicity deliver straightforward energy.
- [New Nazoyama Meisoun: <em>Magic Teapot</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-nazoyama-meisoun-magic-teapot/) - Producer Nazoyama Meisoun isn't making outright trippy music, it just happens to have a few zonked-out elements on the periphery. Magic Teapot collects four electronic numbers from the composer and oil painter (check the cover art!), each of them offering up immediate thrills underlined by some wonkier details. "Vintage 4K Monitor" just rumbles ahead, an
- [Longing Away: <em>Bojou In Da Tracks</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/longing-away-bojou-in-da-tracks/) - Simply embracing self-provided descriptions of music or, really, any art without any personal reflection on it is usually a fools game. But man...Bojou Tracks description of themselves really nails it, and is as good as you could ask for. "Bojou Tracks is a label for sensitive hearts," and the compilation Bojou In Da Tracks delivers
- [New Gokou Kuyt, Tohji, Sleet Mage And Who28: "nap"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-gokou-kuyt-tohji-sleet-mage-and-who28-nap/) - More of a Soundcloud-centric rapper round robin than a song proper, "nap" highlights four very promising artists taking their own perspective on the hazy, often-gloomy sounds of a wave coming from America. We've highlighted two of them before -- Sleet Mage, whose Astral Body Boi tape makes our top 50 of 2017 if we redid
- [New Paperkraft: "Arousal"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-paperkraft-arousal/) - Another one from the "technically, 2017" file, but "Arousal" feels like a good bridge between the old year and the one we've just landed in. Osaka's Paperkraft had a nice little year, establishing himself as one of the better artists in Japan you could tie with the "lo-fi house" tag (though, to be fair, that's
- [Returning Home: djnewtown Returns With "SHO," "POS," "SOW" And "YUU"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/returning-home-djnewtown-returns-with-sho-pos-sow-and-yuu/) - Along with his tofubeats projects*, Yusuke Kawai worked as djnewtown. Under this moniker, he created breakcore loaded up with anime samples sliced up neatly and rearranged into jittery numbers full of life, while also offering flashes of his future work. If you went ahead and wrote the history of Japanese netlabels in the 21st century,
- [New Erik Luebs: <em>Cycle 1 | January</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-erik-luebs-cycle-1-january/) - Tokyo-based electronic producer Erik Luebs kicked in the new year with a dizzying two-song set built for the dancefloor. Cycle 1 | January finds Luebs laying down something quicker paced than other recent tracks from him, which in 2017 tended to be a bit more shadowy and cerebral. Yet something like "Pressed" just zips ahead,
- [New Hercelot: <em>Slowalk</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-hercelot-slowalk/) - It's that wonderful time of the year, after the holidays and after a vacation spent abroad wherein I desperately try to catch up on all the music that came out during this time away. Making this even more difficult is the stream of news stories coming out, both music related (Keyakizaka46 seeing several members faint
- [New ΔKTR: <em>The Temper Of Our Time</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-δktr-the-temper-of-our-time/) - No rest for ΔKTR, who released three solid-to-great releases over the course of 2017 (including one of our faves of the year.) Yet only a few days into 2018 and the producer shares The Temper Of Our Time, a new six-track set of warped samples revealing new dimensions to older music. ΔKTR's creations always have
- [New Metoronori: "Mizuumi Ni Iite!"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-metoronori-mizuumi-ni-iite/) - Tokyo's Metoronori crafts alternate-world pop, but oftentimes she only offers glances into this otherworldly place. Her albums -- such as this year's Hanryo, #36 on our favorite albums list -- features songs rarely going over three minutes and 30 seconds, which is plenty of time to wow with her off-kilter sound. Yet new song "Mizuumi
- [New The Neon City: <em>Fancy In Twenties</em> EP](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-the-neon-city-fancy-in-twenties-ep/) - Osaka's The Neon City captures snapshots of youth across Fancy In Twenties. Her debut EP comes after a solid stream of songs and demos, and the brief set consolidates her daydreamy synth-pop sound. Her songs are sparse, opting for a woozy simplicity that makes the vocals stand out and makes the instances where the music
- [New Kosmo Kat: "L.A.E."](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-kosmo-kat-l-a-e/) - We didn't put together a favorite songs list this year, but if we had, you better believe that iivvyy would have gotten on there. The combo of HVNS and Kosmo Kat made some of the more mind-bending electronic tracks to come out of Japan in 2017. Part of the project's charm comes from how it
- [Make Believe Melodies' Favorite Japanese Albums 2017: #10 - #01](https://makebelievemelodies.com/make-believe-melodies-favorite-japanese-albums-2017-10-01/) - #10 Ame To Kanmuri Nou Welcome to the top ten, where a common thread emerges in the releases Make Believe Melodies loved the most. This year was defined by artists who have been around for a while now hitting the sweet spot of their respective sounds, along with performers who crafted their own little fully-realized
- [Make Believe Melodies' Favorite Japanese Albums 2017: #20 - #11](https://makebelievemelodies.com/make-believe-melodies-favorite-japanese-albums-2017-20-11/) - #20 Suntra Oblivion Summer Coast There were plenty of chances to escape to the sea if you followed Japanese music in 2017. Suchmos broke big with their Shonan-inspired smoothness, while slightly more ragged bands such as never young beach and Yogee New Waves laid out what to expect from their names even before hearing their
- [Make Believe Melodies' Favorite 2017 Japanese Albums: #30 - #21](https://makebelievemelodies.com/make-believe-melodies-favorite-2017-japanese-albums-30-21/) - #30 She Talks Silence Sorry, I Am Not She Talks Silence started as a solo project plucking away in the shadows, before becoming a duo moving ever-so-slightly forward, before this year returning once again as just Minami Yamaguchi, somehow taking a bigger step forward but also becoming harder to hear. Sorry, I Am Not is
- [Make Believe Melodies’ Favorite 2017 Japanese Albums: #40 – #31](https://makebelievemelodies.com/make-believe-melodies-favorite-2017-japanese-albums-40-31/) - #40 Parkgolf Reo Reo found Sapporro-born producer Parkgolf stepping into new territory. Mainly, he tried to bring other voices into his Technicolor world. These new additions revealed previously unseen perspectives on his style -- rapper GOODMOODGOKU gets him to craft one of his breeziest beats to date on "All Eyes On You," while working with
- [Make Believe Melodies' Favorite 2017 Japanese Albums: #50 - #41](https://makebelievemelodies.com/make-believe-melodies-favorite-2017-japanese-albums-50-41/) - Year-end list season has become a kind of exhausting exercise, at least when giving a cursory glance at the social media feeds of music fans, industry types, writers and more. Reaction to bigger rankings tends to be more "sure, fine" then excited, while Resident Advisor even made a big deal about dropping lists all together
- [Idol Movement: Trolleattroll's "Lost"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/idol-movement-trolleatrrolls-lost/) - Had you told me that Ladybaby would have gone on one of the stranger routes in recent J-pop memory, I wouldn't have believed you. What started as a dippy meme in the wake of viral success via the likes of Kyary Pamyu Pamyu and Babymetal became a surprisingly dramatic divorce, wherein the hulking Australian wrestler
- [New Kindan No Tasuketsu: "Twilight (Bell Rings Ver.)"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-kindan-no-tasuketsu-twilight-bell-rings-ver/) - Kindan No Tasuketsu aren't afraid to dig into their song catalog and keep exploring. "Twilight" has existed in other forms and versions before, but recently the group gave it a winter rework via a "Bell Rings Ver.)," which...well, adds a lot of bell sounds. The emotional core of the song remains intact, though, as does
- [Sad But Good: Sleet Mage's <em>Astral Body Boi</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/sad-but-good-sleet-mages-astral-body-boi/) - For me, a lot of Japanese rap ends up the missing mark not because artists are taking heavy cues from American artists, but because they forget to build from that base and find their own voice (which, funny enough, is a trapping of artists around the world, and in America too). It doesn't take long
- [New Seiho: "Purple Smoke"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-seiho-purple-smoke/) - In recent times, Seiho has been exploring space. Last year's Collapse and March's "Unreal" single allowed for stretches with plenty of room to stretch out, often for experimentation. On "Purple Smoke," he shifts the other way, with exhilarating results. The single -- rounded out by two other songs -- opens with wisps of noise, but
- [Solitary Skitter: MMEEGG And Abelest's <em>Lonly You</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/solitary-skitter-mmeegg-and-abelests-lonly-you/) - Acting surprised that a label describing itself as "a platform for free expression" released a skittery pop song seems silly, considering they can do whatever they want. Free expression! But still, up until Midnight Cult has primarily leaned towards darker juke collections, including a set from Traxman and a 2017 highlight via Weezy. "Lonly You"
- [New Cool Japan: "Give Up On You"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-cool-japan-give-up-on-you/) - This is pretty much the perfect kind of track to have appear at a time when I'm splitting time between last-second assignments and year-end-list planning (it's tough!). Cool Japan shared the new rumbler "Give Up On You," and it's a house track that feels like its halfway to being sloshed. The key detail comes via
- [New Night Tempo And Antenna Girl: "Catch!"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-night-tempo-and-antenna-girl-catch/) - Future Funk remains a confusing one for me personally, but when it's used as a backdrop for an original song I'm usually on board. South Korea's Night Tempo works especially well in collaboration with others, especially vocalists, and the Japanese version of "Catch!" with Antenna Girl certainly works. The original is a catchy bit of
- [Disjointed Pops: Mondo Algorithm's <em>Migration</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/disjointed-pops-mondo-algorithms-migration/) - Nothing on Migration clicks completely, but everything clicks just right. The duo of Mondo Algorithm dabble in a kind of music where the distance between every element is clear, but it snaps together all the same. See "Dive," a woozy number moving at half speed that features locked-in bass, synth washes and out-of-time vocals. Yet
- [Big Feels: Braven Featuring Yami "Contact"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/big-feels-braven-featuring-yami-contact/) - Plenty of electronic tracks sound big, but few sound as big as Braven's "Contact." The young Osaka producer -- 17 going by the SoundCloud bio, alongside the description of "I make music that lets your penius erect" -- teams up with Yami (who, based off the Vocaloid-lite vocal style, might be the UTAU Yami Ryone)
- [New Carpainter: <em>Returning</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-carpainter-returning-2/) - There's something thrilling about an artist just being entranced by specific sounds, and then seeing what they construct with them. For the past three-so years, I've mostly been drawn to the experimental side of this fancy -- Foodman, Wasabi Tapes, Taquwami, etc. Yet this feeling manifests itself frequently in the more traditional dance community too,
- [New UKO: "Spur"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-uko-spur/) - The renewed interest -- both domestically and internationally -- in city pop has caused a lot of ripples across many genres of music, but it's also at times distracted from artists whose music sounds good with or without Bubble-era ties. Singer/songwriter UKO definitely takes cues from the aforementioned style -- just listen to those horn
- [New Izumi Makura: "Eien No Shojo"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-izumi-makura-eien-no-shojo/) - Izumi Makura has had a pretty quick rise up in 2017. Sure, the whisper-rapper from Fukuoka isn't pulling any Daoko-level ascension, but she's gone from a pretty secretive artist to one with music gracing fashion shows and commercials. Now, she's providing theme songs to movies. This is a nice update on her status, but "Eien
- [New Tominaga: <em>Pain Is Mine</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-tominaga-pain-is-mine/) - Electronic artist Tominaga hasn't avoided using her voice in previous releases, but Pain Is Mine features some of the most direct usage of it yet. Primarily, the first two songs. "A Song For Blue Witch" skitters to life, but mostly hangs in the air, allowing space for Tominaga's stretched-out singing to take up the center
- [Modern Meditations: Atnr's <em>Reality In The 21st Century</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/modern-meditations-atnrs-reality-in-the-21st-century/) - Tokyo artist atnr creates visual art to go alongside his music, but his Reality In The 21st Century needs no supporting images to gets its ideas across. Released via Illuminated Paths, it's a set of simple but evocative electronic creations. Some of them are slow burning -- "Install" spends about two minutes letting a single
- [New Yullippe: <em>Selfish&Anchor</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-yullippe-selfishanchor/) - Alternate title: I'm glad I didn't start writing year-end content, because here comes an album to disrupt it a bit. Osaka's Yullippe excels at dark, unnerving dance music. Her third album Selfish&Anchor continues this dive into the shadowy side of the genre, and results in her most cohesive album to date. Which isn't to say
- [New Tentenko: "Nantonaku Abunai"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-tentenko-nantonaku-abunai/) - Tentenko presents a dilemma. She's one of the most prolific artists of this decade, releasing CD-R after CD-R of songs skipping across all kinds of genres -- she experimented with juke recently, what the hell! But also, hell yeah! -- and genuinely going off in whatever direction she wants to. She has one perfect song
- [New Mitsume: "Esper"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-mitsume-esper/) - With Mitsume, it's all about the moments happening away from the vocals. Which isn't to discount what Moto Kawabe does while singing -- his light vocal delivery adds a melancholy-tinged breeziness to the quartet's music, and the head-to-the-ground style trumps the more dramatic flourishes of groups such as Suchmos and Never Young Beach for me
- [New Hiroki Yamamura: <em>Butterfly Hour</em> EP](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-hiroki-yamamura-butterfly-hour-ep/) - Osaka-based producer Hiroki Yamamura has been one of the region's most hyperactive footwork creators over the last few years, releasing tracks on the more frantic side of the tempo scale. The Butterfly Hour EP, released via London's Moveltraxx, offers as concise a gateway into his sound as possible given how quick Yamamura can get. The
- [New Kotetsu: "Gloss"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-kotetsu-gloss/) - Producer Kotetsu released one of the stranger -- and, accordingly, one of our pleasant surprises of 2017 -- mixtapes earlier this year with MAVTAPE 1. Now, the Picnic Disco member has upped the ante with MAVDISC, featuring woozy songs from the tape alongside a bevy of new ones. "Gloss" is a shimmering highlight, a bouncy
- [Half Beat: SNJO's <em>SF</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/half-beat-snjos-sf/) - SNJO is the solo project of the producer half of Kyoto's Toxxies, a quick-moving electro unit that's been on a good roll. SF, however, isn't a simple exercise in instrumental tracks. The four songs often feature vocals, usually in the form of SNJO's manipulated voice, or via guest Yuna Nakabayashi on the jittery "One," a
- [New Snail's House: <em>Alien Pop</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-snails-house-alien-pop/) - This year has found Snail's House pushing his sound in all sorts of directions, for better or for worse. The ever-prolific creator joined other electronic producers in Japan (or those abroad playing with Japanese imagery) in shying away from what has been described as a "kawaii" sound, best summed up as a busy overload of
- [New 99 Letters: "3 A.M."](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-99-letters-3-a-m/) - Osaka's 99 Letters still relies on pretty much the same sounds he's been hitting up his entire career on new song "3 A.M." Once again he gives us Nintendo noises, transforming the sounds of a Game Boy Color into a full-fledged song. What makes 99 Letters so impressive, though, is how every new track he
- [New 99 Letters: "Boys Like Girls"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-99-letters-boys-like-girls/) - We are technically on winter break around these parts, kicking back in America and gorging on Chipotle burritos. Yet you can expect a few updates here and there...still gotta put that album's list together, right?...such as this one. Osaka's Game Boy whiz kid 99 Letters has a new preview for a song called "Boys Like
- [New 99 Letters: "Insomnia" Remix](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-99-letters-insomnia-remix/) - I'll cop to not being entirely sure who originally did "Insomnia" and I'm sure a little bit of research (read: Google) could help me out. But I'm borrowing my neighbor's computer (thanks Jonathan!) and enjoying Game Boy hero 99 Letter's take on the song too much to care. If you've checked out his stuff before,
- [99 Letters Offers Up Two Chocolate Factory Demos (Make Believe Melodies Exclusive)](https://makebelievemelodies.com/99-letters-offers-up-two-chocolate-factory-demos-make-believe-melodies-exclusive/) - Following my last post about his new album Chocolate Factory, 99 Letters himself swung by the comments and left a link to two new demos from his upcoming LP for all to visit. Cool musician, cooler dude I want to give him a high five. The two tracks in question from Chocolate Factory are "Discoke"
- [New 99 Letters: "Chocolate Factory"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-99-letters-chocolate-factory/) - The real exciting news in 99 Letters' land isn't really this song - it's a plenty-good track seeing the artist continue to incorporate new elements into his Game Boy-centric music. This time around 99 Letters includes a creepy wordless vocal smattering, some piano and (of course) the usual array of electronic sounds. A good song,
- [New 99 Letters: "Reminder" And "9n9i9n9e"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-99-letters-reminder-and-9n9i9n9e/) - 99 Letters seems like a really busy guy - dude releases new tracks at a pretty fast pace, and MySpace indicates he plays a lot of shows including some upcoming ones in England this summer. So for him to have time to pump out "Reminder" and "9n9i9n9e" AND make them slight departures from his usual
- [Legends On Deck: DJ Kentaro & Holly's <em>Jaran</em> EP](https://makebelievemelodies.com/legends-on-deck-dj-kentaro-hollys-jaran-ep/) - Trekkie Trax mostly hosts young artists emerging from the Japanese (and beyond) electronic scene, but they can pull in some veterans too. This release pairs long-running Japanese artist DJ Kentaro (a turntable champion) with younger Portuguese producer Holly for two songs, acting as a nice little connection between generations. "Jaran" finds them playing with restraint,
- [New The Oto Factory: <em>Recruit</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-the-oto-factory-recruit/) - recruit by the oto factory Funky synth-pop outfit have called on...errrr, recruited?...some friends to help them out on their new release via Ano(t)raks. And turns out guest singers and contributors help boos their music up a level. While not the first time they've called on others to jump on their loose-limbed neon grooves, this is
- [Tokyo Noise: Lo-shi's <em>Moro-Q</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tokyo-noise-lo-shis-moro-q/) - The environment duo Lo-shi conjure up on their new album Moro-Q isn't quite desolate, but the French-born pair's music certainly captures a place that is empty and somewhat unnerving. That's established right away, on foggy opener "Daniel Auteuil," featuring warped voices shrouded by an electronic hiss, new elements emerging out gradually and adding to the
- [Out Of The Attic: Takahiro From Caro Kissa's <em>Junk2</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/out-of-the-attic-takahiro-from-caro-kissas-junk2/) - I'll forever be charmed by indie-pop band members who have a side project where they create out-of-time music. I will sing the praises of lost Vaporwave masterpiece Spirited Summer until they rip this Wordpress account away from me. Takahiro from the twee-leaning duo Caro Kissa has his own side hustle too, under the name...Takahiro From
- [Sparse-ish Round-Up Featuring Fmifmi And Albino](https://makebelievemelodies.com/laid-back-round-up-featuring-fmifmi-and-albino/) - Let's make this Tuesday at least begin a little easier with two relatively sparse songs. The first comes from Sapporo producer Fmifmi, and it's a soft number called "Sofa." It teeters on the verge of being just a hip-hop beat -- a track in search of a voice -- but Fmifmi allows some mumbled voices
- [On The Wasabi Beat: PF's <em>Dreamscape</em> And <em>Pachinko Machine Music 3</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/on-the-wasabi-beat-pfs-dreamscape-and-pachinko-machine-music-3/) - Wasabi Tapes continue to be the go-to destination in Japan for nerve-frying experimental music, and the label's two newest albums highlight two sides to their approach. PF's Dreamscape recalls the chaotic sample-deluge of DJWWWW and N. Brennan's Scary Moments series, with sounds sourced from radio station bumps, movies and video games (MONSTER KILL) colliding together.
- [Foodman And KiWi Contribute To <em>A Very Decent Christmas 5</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/foodman-and-kiwi-contribute-to-a-very-decent-christmas-5/) - Christmas is one of the best times of the year? Not far behind? Whatever day Mad Decent or sub-label Good Enuff put out a new Foodman track towards their listenership, who often respond with total bafflement. The two paths converge thanks to A Very Decent Christmas 5, the 2017 edition of the label's holiday collection.
- [New Erik Luebs: "In Ruins"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-erik-luebs-in-ruins/) - Osaka-based producer Erik Luebs shared a new song earlier today called "In Ruins," and it builds on the darker sound he explored earlier this year on Wasteland. "In Ruins" rumbles, however, the song's most lingering detailing being the uneasy bass purr rippling its way across the song. It lends the song a menacing atmosphere, but
- [Make Me Feel (Old): Youth's "Colorful Painting"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/make-me-feel-old-youths-colorful-painting/) - Perhaps this is kind of a put on, with the name of the artist and the general hyper-energy of the song being some sort of wry commentary on what the kids are listening to. More likely, this really is the work of a 17-year-old Japanese producer who fancies filling up every inch of their music.
- [New Young Juvenile Youth: "Her"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-young-juvenile-youth-her/) - Young Juvenile Youth's debut album mirror arrives today, and to celebrate the electronic duo shared a sparser cut from the album. "Her" moves away from the more delirious dance-pop of "Slapback" in favor of space. "Her" revolves around seasick electronics, a slowly mutating beat and some squiggly electronic touches lurking beneath it all. Yet the
- [She Is: Her's "Neon"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/she-is-hers-neon/) - Her consists of Unmo and Tsudio Studio, two artists who create on their own but come up with something a touch more interesting together. "Neon" in particular jumps off the SoundCloud timeline —- written and sung by Ummo and arranged by Studio, it's a bouncy bit of dance-pop. The immediate sonic highlight are the vocal
- [Rap Round-Up: Akko Gorilla Featuring Foodman, And Chelmico](https://makebelievemelodies.com/rap-round-up-akko-gorilla-featuring-foodman-and-chelmico/) - This blog's taste in Japanese rap leans towards the poppier and the stranger -- and today, two artists hitting both those sides released new videos. The first comes courtesy of a performer I've been on the fence about personally for a while now, Akko Gorilla. She occupies the same space as many other artists I
- [New Satellite Young: "Modern Romance"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-satellite-young-modern-romance/) - Nostalgia and irony frequently criss-cross. This is hardly a new observation -- anyone who sat through ten hours of Mo Rocca explaining The Love Boat in the Aughts knows it well -- but one that feels ever present. Satellite Young offer a masterclass in balancing this just right without tipping over into the sort of
- [Digital Voices In The Rain: Goto Nao's <em>SleepSleep</em> EP](https://makebelievemelodies.com/digital-voices-in-the-rain-goto-nyas-sleepsleep-ep/) - Omoide Label has become one of the best digital spots in Japan to find interesting utilization of Vocaloid and UTAU technology in electronic music. Goto Nao's SleepSleep EP only adds to this growing reputation. The producer turns to UTAU program Kakoi Nizimine to provide singing on these three songs. The program's voice isn't particularly experimental
- [New House Of Tapes: "Not Eternity" And "There is No Encore"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-house-of-tapes-not-eternity-and-there-is-no-encore/) - Two new songs from Nagoya's House Of Tapes emerged over the weekend, both highlighting different sides to what the electronic producer -- one of Japan's more prolific independent electronic acts -- has been up to recently. "Not Eternity" finds him in a particularly dreamy space, his singing muffled but surrounded by bright synth pings. Ultimately,
- [Electro Overload: New Songs From Motometointe And Aire](https://makebelievemelodies.com/electro-overload-new-songs-from-motometointe-and-aire/) - Great week for fans of near-suffocating (in the best possible way that word can be deployed) electro-pop originating out of Japan. First up is "Weekend," a bouncy dance-pop cut courtesy of Motometointe, a duo featuring Nmotome and Intend. While the busy electronics and generally upbeat pace hit immediate pleasure centers, its the tag-team vocals that
- [New Hiroki Yamamura: "Frosty Cake"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-hiroki-yamamura-frosty-cake/) - I'm always ready uncork the same adjectives with high-energy producers such as Hiroki Yamamura -- like "high-energy" -- that something like "Frosty Cake" is a total curveball that makes my go-to vocabulary worthless. It still rumbles ahead on a juke-inspired beat, which has been Yamamura's base for so many lightspeed numbers. But here, everything feels
- [Rich Blips: Chip Tanaka's <em>Django</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/rich-blips-chip-tanakas-django/) - Hirokazu Tanaka isn't just any video game soundtrack composer. He's a legend, having helped create the familiar 8-bit musical backdrops for games such as Metroid and Tetris among others. And the songs for Earthbound, a game which I played a lot as a kid, and which boasts a soundtrack that still goes strong today. Part
- [New HoneyComeBear: "See You"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-honeycomebear-see-you/) - Electronic duo HoneyComeBear fit plenty of emotion into their topsy-turvy creations. "Rainy Girl" got this point clearly, and "See You" underlines it even further. They are pretty close to one another -- both unfold slowly for something billed as "future bass," at least until just after the chorus, when all the hyperspeed bits rush in.
- [New Sakasa: <em>Sprng</em> EP](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-sakasa-sprng-ep/) - After nearly two years of silence, Nara producer Sakasa returns with the Sprng EP. And, if the past is anything to work off of, Sakasa might be offering a glimpse at the future -- they were one of the first I remember this decade to make a whole album built around '80s Japanese pop samples,
- [Up To Date: Hidenobu Ito's "Track 2 Track"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/up-to-date-hidenobu-itos-track-2-track/) - Electronic producer Hidenobu Ito seems to be playing the Bandcamp game in 2017. He's been active since the late '90s, and started a page this year, featuring a mix of new tracks and older ones mastered this year, all accompanied by old photos of Japanese women which would make the future funk tag blush. It's
- [New Iivvyy (Kosmo Kat And HVNS): "Look"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-iivvyy-kosmo-kat-and-hvns-look/) - Don't expect the "(Kosmo Kat And HVNS)" part to be up in the titles too much longer. The pair, working under the moniker Iivvyy, have established their own liquid-metal take on techno, all Terminator like, over the course of three songs. "Look" marks the third, and it's as strong a statement a vision as the
- [Caffeinated: P-iPLE's "Starbucks' Curse"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/caffeinated-p-iples-starbucks-curse/) - Tokyo noise-rock trio P-iPLE had a productive summer. They released their debut album Do Do Do A Silly Travel By Bicycle Bicycle, and contributed the song "I Can't Speak English" to Call And Response Records' Throw Away Your CDs Go Out To A Show compilation. Now, here's another gateway in -- they made a video
- [This One's For Diplo: <em>Reggae For Airports: Central</em> And <em>Reggae For Airports: Pacific</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/this-ones-for-diplo-reggae-for-airports-central-and-reggae-for-airports-pacific/) - Future played her, like, 700 songs. It was four in the morning. Finally, I was like, Yo, G, I'm leaving unless you let me play her a song. So I played her a song. And she was like, This sounds like a reggae song at an airport. I was like, I'm gonna go kill myself.
- [New Parkgolf Featuring Emi Okamoto: "Dance No Aizu"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-parkgolf-featuring-emi-okamoto-dance-no-aizu/) - As those year-end demands start creeping up, it's easy to forget about all the great music you've actually listened to rather than all the stuff you still need to get through. Parkgolf's Reo came out in August, and is a big step up for the Hokkaido-born producer. Part of that comes thanks to how he
- [Brave Beat: Stones Taro's "Don't Be Afraid"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/brave-beat-stones-taros-dont-be-afraid/) - Japanese netlabels have a slight reputation for putting out busy, zig-zagging music. Oftentimes, that's true! But I'm always struck how mellow Sabacan Records output over the last two years has been. The latest to come out from the digital destination, producer Stones Taro's "Don't Be Afraid," adds another example to fuel this suspicion. The song
- [Hyper Takes: Palecore's <em>Hajimemashite</em> And "Akira Super Love2017"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/hyper-takes-palecores-hajimemashite-and-akira-super-love2017/) - Last Friday, as part of Red Bull Music Festival Tokyo's programming, producers Seiho and Okadada held an event called At The Corner at Shibuya's WWW X venue. It featured a lot of young artists from all over the nation -- including this blog's faves The Neon City and Toiret Status -- and the one that
- [New Foodman: "Moyashi Kids"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-foodman-moyashi-kids/) - Foodman rightfully gets celebrated for his stranger sounds -- see the recent celebration of "Oyaji Voice," focused on the connecting-thread of a vocal sample. Yet it's important to also remember dude can just lay down a great groove, too. "Moyashi Kids" doesn't feature anything worthy of the usual adjective arsenal writers bust out with his
- [commune310 Shares <em>Compilation2017</em> Featuring Coralmines, The Sub Account And More](https://makebelievemelodies.com/commune310-shares-compilation2017-featuring-coralmines-the-sub-account-and-more/) - Online label commune310 excels at the compilation game, and their biggie-sized Compilation2017 delivers as expected. Unlike seasonal offerings which sometimes have a bend to them, this is just a collection of great electronic music from Japan, on the higher-tempo side of things but with plenty of variety. It's one of those "jump in and see
- [New Post Modern Team: "Listen To The Music"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-post-modern-team-listen-to-the-music/) - Post Modern Team could play this trick, one a lot of indie-pop bands are capable of but which happened to be one the Osaka group did better than most in Japan. From the opening notes of career-highlight "Never Let You Down" and onward, they could make even the hint of wistfulness sound happy, especially when
- [New Ryoma Sakoh: <em>Island...</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-ryoma-sakoh-island/) - Island... builds off of the song of the same name that Ryoma Sakoh released earlier this year. That song created a soft, billowy soundtrack to an imagined archipelago, and the new full-length builds on that theme explicitly, with Sakoh himself writing that this is "memories spent on fictitious islands." The bulk of the album builds
- [New Carpainter: "Returning"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-carpainter-returning/) - Trekkie Trax stays busy in the last few months of 2017. Fresh off a great compilation with Good Enuff, the label announced their next release...and it is a heavy hitter. Carpainter will put out a new album titled Returning on December 6, and ahead of that Trekkie Trax shared the title track. Unlike the shambling
- [New For Tracy Hyde: "Floor"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-for-tracy-hyde-floor/) - (This one has an official video, but it won't play outside of Japan...where I am now. So this is how you guys feel all the time, huh?) Tokyo indie-pop band For Tracy Hyde have tightened up over the years. Initially a vessel for Sarah Records-indebted guitar chug mixed with experiments in chillwave, the group now
- [New Pavilion Xool: "U U"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-pavilion-xool-u-u/) - I've been feeling out of it for a while now. Initially, I thought it was because I caught a cold on a trip, and all that NyQuil is bound to shoot anyone into a haze. Yet it dawned on me this has been more like a month long malaise, one where I constantly find myself
- [Trekkie Trax Teams Up With Good Enuff For Compilation Featuring Foodman, KiWi And More](https://makebelievemelodies.com/trekkie-trax-teams-up-with-good-enuff-for-compilation-featuring-foodman-kiwi-and-more/) - Tokyo label Trekkie Trax has teamed up with Mad Decent sub-label Good Enuff for a compilation celebrating the Japanese netlabel. This isn't the first time these two entities have criss-crossed, and many of the artists here have also been featured on Good Enuff. The best moments come from the artists who seem most out of
- [New Nyankobrq: <em>Black Cat</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-nyankobrq-black-cat/) - Nothing better for electronic music in Japan than the week after a big gathering (usually of the otaku nature). That's when all the independent artists who brought limited-edition releases to said event share them online for the rest of us. In the wake of last week's M3, a handful of new compilations and releases have
- [New Capchii: <em>Everywhere</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-capchii-everywhere/) - Cute comes in many forms. Producer Capchii embraces a more aggressive take on cuddly sounds within the new album Everywhere, approaching the steel-box heaviness of Yunomi but using bright synthesizer and dance sounds to construct it. The songs here are packed tight, from the dog-bark-featuring density of "My Friend" to the darty "The Piece Of
- [New Dubb Parade: <em>Anthesis</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-dubb-parade-anthesis/) - Few electronic artists in Japan deliver consistency quite like Dubb Parade. But Anthesis features a few new wrinkles to his approach -- primarily, the producer brings in guest vocalists to add a human touch to his works. The highlight is the first song, "Jellyfish," featuring indie-pop outfit Caro Kissa. This is the closest Dubb Parade
- [New Ame To Kanmuri: "Ready"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-ame-to-kanmuri-ready/) - The release of Ame To Kanmuri's debut album approaches closer and closer, and now comes the first video from the rapper who rhymes over nocturnal dance beats. "Ready" stands as the longest song from the Koutei Camera Girl member, and one of the more melancholy. Featuring a track provided by Masayuki Kubo (And Vice Versa
- [New CHAI: "Horechatta"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-chai-horechatta/) - CHAI have become known for their more frantic numbers, but I'm a bigger fan of the moments where they let their guard down and get a bit sentimental. "Sayonara Complex" features plenty of goofy fun, but it's the sweetness sneaking through that really seals it for me. "Horechatta," off the just-released debut album PINK, flashes
- [New Satanicpornocultshop: <em>Green Papaya</em> EP](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-satanicpornocultshop-green-papaya-ep/) - When you need a little burst of energy during a busy day, Osaka's Satanicpornocultshop always comes through. The juke-leaning collective's new Green Papaya EP zeroes in on percussion, with nearly every track here interlaying different beats over one another to create shuffling rhythm tracks. It runs from the sparse, skin-tingling wooden sounds of "Mouthwash" to
- [New Toiret Status And  $ega & The Rainbow Streets: <em>Nyoi Plunger</em> And <em>Omoi De 100 Kei</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-toiret-status-and-ega-the-rainbow-streets-nyoi-plunger-and-omoi-de-100-kei/) - The artists behind the mind-bending Wasabi Tapes label have released plenty of loosies over the course of 2017 -- but two of their cornerstone projects dropped albums on basically the same weekend, giving anyone entranced by their sound-warping style plenty to listen to over the last few days. Let's start with Nyoi Plunger, the latest
- [New Takeda Soshi: "Cozy"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-takeda-soshi-cozy/) - Producer Takeda Soshi dabbles in city-pop inspired dane music -- or you can call it fusion, pick your term -- but "Cozy" moves a touch away from that more glistening sound in favor of something appropriately laid back. The song is in no rush whatsoever, Soshi opting instead to construct a slippery shuffler featuring synthesizer
- [New LLLL Featuring Calendula And Meisihi Smile: "For F"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-llll-featuring-calendula-and-meisihi-smile-for-f/) - Tokyo's LLLL is prepping the next installment of the Chains series for a December release, and "For F" shows a continued commitment to the shadowy but ultimately hopeful sound that has defined the bulk of this project. The music here comes off as among the heaviest things LLLL has created as part of this series,
- [New Yunomi Featuring Momohako And Miko: "Aimai Trip"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-yunomi-featuring-momohako-and-miko-aimai-trip/) - A year ago, Sapporo-born producer Yunomi was breaking through thanks to a sound merging pounding electronics with flourishes of traditional Japanese melody. Now, about 12 months over, he appears to be teetering on something bigger -- he works with a mid-tier idol group, and he just put out an album of collected works from the
- [New Mei Ehara: "Futa Nashi No Kare"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-mei-ehara-futa-nashi-no-kare/) - The deeper we get into the decade, the more remarkable Mei Ehara's discography becomes. The singer/songwriter created some of the most bracing music in recent memory out of Japan under the name May.e, using just an acoustic guitar and her voice. She switched to the name Mei Ehara, and has added bit more to her
- [New D∀NGER D∀NGER: "About U"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-d∀nger-d∀nger-about-u/) - It's strange connecting dots after the fact. A few years back, D∀NGER D∀NGER was just an electro-pop outfit with one solid EP behind their syntax-shattering name. They inspired more Twitter conversations about punctuation than anything else, though that's more the fault of writers than anything else. Three years later and Jay-Z is now JAY-Z, and
- [What You Make Of It: Sayohimebou's <em>Virtua JD Harem $ Arena 3 Gou</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/what-you-make-of-it-sayohimebous-virtua-jd-harem-arena-3-gou/) - New Masterpiece isn't a label I'd associate with Japan's wilder experimental side. The imprint dabbles in vaporwave and a few other hazed-out sounds, but in general they seem like a dance label fluctuating between high-energy and past-glazed hoppers. But the latest from Sayohimebou approaches the head-splitting wildness of Wasabi Tapes or Moyas, with a healthy
- [Broken Just Right: Bicco Beat](https://makebelievemelodies.com/broken-just-right-bicco-beat/) - A challenge I've personally felt as of late is trying to find a balance between new music -- you know, the daily "what new thing is new artist doing now, that is new" -- and those pockets of sound that exist outside of any narrative, but are thrilling even without a hook. Nagoya's Bicco Beat
- [New Kiddish: "Kagaru"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-kiddish-kagaru/) - Tokyo-based duo Kiddish have been releasing a steady stream of new music over the course of the year, but "Kagaru" stands out as a particularly absorbing number. Whereas many of their 2017 output has been of or adjacent to the laid-back trend present in rock (more Suchmos than Never Young Beach), "Kagaru" finds them covering
- [New Hakushi Hasegawa: <em>iPhone Six Plus</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-hakushi-hasegawa-iphone-six-plus/) - Hakushi Hasegawa can sometimes sound a little too structured for my ears. At his best, he constructs zippy numbers exuding charm without going full frantic like so many other modern Japanese electronic artists. Other times, his work can come off as a little too music class, more interested in showing off dexterity than delivering something
- [New Young Juvenile Youth: "Slapback"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-young-juvenile-youth-slapback/) - Young Juvenile Youth have had a series of starts and stops to their career thus far. They gained momentum...and then kind of dropped off the grid for a second. They play a Hello-Kitty-themed park in Tokyo at a big Halloween show...and then are quiet. Well now the duo's debut album, Mirror, arrives next month, and
- [New Pavilion Xool: <em>Stick Around</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-pavilion-xool-stick-around/) - Plenty of producers make some slight changes to familiar songs, failing to offer new perspective on the number. Pavilion Xool offers the opposite on Stick Around. Take "Glass Streeeeet," which builds around a sample of Mint Condition's "Breakin' My Heart (Pretty Brown Eyes)." It isn't straightforward, but rather the Tokyo producer plays around with the
- [New CRZKNY: <em>Coke, Shitlife...</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-crzkny-coke-shitlife/) - Hiroshima's CRZKNY comes up often around here, but mostly for his political, unfortunately relevant work with the Atomic Bomb Compilation series. He's great in this mode, but dude can also just get down and filthy when he needs to. Every radical needs to let off steam, and Coke, Shitlife... is the juke producer cutting loose.
- [New Mariana In Our Heads: "September"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-mariana-in-our-heads-september/) - Indie-pop outfit Mariana In Our Heads have a new album out this December, and the first track from it leaves us with something already wistful. "September" unfolds at a pleasant rate, guided on by washes of synthesizer, some guitar and pleasant bongo touches, but this backdrop only makes the melancholy at the heart of the
- [New ΔKTR: <em>Katalog</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-δktr-katalog/) - ΔKTR is having a hell of a year. He's released two of 2017's best collections of cloudy brained beats, taking the forgotten sounds of the past and warping their best moments. Add another one to the collection -- Katalog clocks in at just over ten minutes, but the four tracks within offer up some of
- [New Nite Body: <em>Nite On Earth</em> EP](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-nite-body-nite-on-earth-ep/) - You can always count on a nocturnal delight from Osaka's Nite Body. The producer's latest is the Nite On Earth EP, a two-song set of steady groovers optimal for when the sun is down and the neon lights are out in your city center. "Flawless" carries a little more oomph to it, the kick propelling
- [New Fuji Chao: <em>Youkoso Bokura No Homepage</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-fuji-chao-youkoso-bokura-no-homepage/) - Few independent artists are as exciting as Fuji Chao, who over the course of several albums has created a private world of loops and off-kilter electronics, one over which she sings, semi-raps and mostly talks. The topics central to her music are often closely tied to being a teenage girl in this current world, and
- [New Electric Candy Sand: <em>Wasteland</em> EP](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-electric-candy-sand-wasteland-ep/) - So, how does the world end? One big burst, or a slower, more suffocating death? I'm not here to offer any answers (right now...probably a coin flip), but rather to share how Tokyo-based artist Electric Candy Sand imagines the latter on his Wasteland EP. The three tracks move at a slime-creeping-down-a-wall pace, and while each
- [New Aoi Yagawa (Produced By Tomggg): "On The Line"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-aoi-yagawa-produced-by-tomggg-on-the-line/) - It's always a welcome site to see worlds collide, even if you could kinda see it coming. Aoi Yagawa is a member of maison book girl, one of the many idol outfits to splinter out of BiS (uhhh, the original one). They initially seemed just like every other group sprouting out from that "anti-idol" outfit's
- [New House Of Tapes: "Dark Lands"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-house-of-tapes-dark-lands/) - Nothing says "abnormally warm October day in Japan" like some ominous electronic music. Yet Nagoya's House Of Tapes does it well, and "Dark Lands" pulls out yet another switch-up from a producer who was recently getting back into crowded sounds. Here, though, space is ample -- "Dark Lands" moves along, letting the synthesizers and drum
- [New Frasco: "Viewtiful"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-frasco-viewtiful/) - Duo Frasco have been offering up a nice alternative take on Japan's current interest in laid-back music, and "Viewtiful" highlights just how. Whereas other young groups tend to keep everything super laid-back -- and, more importantly, build around guitars -- Frasco let a little tension sneak into their synth-pop jams. "Viewtiful" is in no rush
- [NES Delivers The Best Remix Of W-inds "We Don't Need To Talk Anymore"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/nes-delivers-the-best-remix-of-w-inds-we-dont-need-to-talk-anymore/) - Released at the very start of the year, pop trio w-inds' "We Don't Need To Talk Anymore" beat most J-pop to the trop-house punch, leading to a (surprisingly solid!) full-length riffing on similar ideas. The song became a go-to for a lot of remixes from all corners of Japanese music, many of them good but
- [Jumbled Up: Rakia's "Dimples"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/jumbled-up-rakias-dimples/) - Everything in "Dimples" sounds a split second away from collapsing in on itself. Composer Rakia's latest starts off with sparse keyboard notes that initially give off some serious Flau vibes, but that gives way right after as the beat skitters off and everything gets whirled up. A lot happens across "Dimples," including some hi-def vocal
- [Tucked Away: Albino's "Hidden Place"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tucked-away-albinos-hidden-place/) - Albino thrives on a sense of intimacy. The Japanese artist -- who doesn't reveal much info about where she is or how long she's been creating music -- creates a warm escape on her latest song "Hidden Place," a dreamy number that sounds like it is folding over itself. Everything unfolds at a syrupy pace,
- [New Jun Kamoda: <em>Steel City Dance Discs Volume​​.​​5</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-jun-kamoda-steel-city-dance-discs-volume​​-​​5/) - A set I still think about frequently -- despite almost turning one year old in a few weeks -- is Jun Kamoda's performance at Maltine Record's showcase at WWW X back in 2017. The mix itself has now vanished from the internet, but the flash-bang blend of funk and dissected rock rumbles around in my
- [New Sappy: "Sleepless"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-sappy-sleepless/) - So many Japanese shoegaze bands are just biting My Bloody Valentine...why not make it clear? In the clearest nod to the band since the Yellow Loveless cover project from 2012, Sappy share "Sleepless," a song lifting a melody straight from MBV's "When You Sleep." Blatant? You bet! But they also clearly know it, and are
- [All Over The Place: Mom's <em>G.E.E.K</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/all-over-the-place-moms-g-e-e-k/) - Trying to pin the artist known as Mom to one specific trend proves pointless. Which, funny enough, might actually be all the hook needed. The album G.E.E.K comes courtesy of Ano(t)raks, but stands as a particularly odd addition to their catalog. It starts out feeling both fitting and timely with the laid-back funk of "Boyfriend,"
- [New Happy Kuru Kuru And Tomggg: "Namida Gusya Gusya](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-happy-kuru-kuru-and-tomggg-namida-gusya-gusya/) - This seemed inevitable. Happy Kuru Kuru is one of those idol groups who have long used contemporary cuddly sounds -- cough cough kawaii bass if you please cough cough -- as a basis for their sound, working with producers such as Yunomi and Yuigot on chirpy cuts. So why not hook up with the producer
- [New Shigge <em>Burn Out</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-shigge-burn-out/) - Streaming in Japan is a weird topic to tackle. It still hasn't taken off at the level I imagine global giants such as Spotify and Apple would have hoped by now, but it does offer a new angle on the music scene here, and alongside YouTube has made it easier than ever to block out
- [New Carpainter: <em>Changeling Life</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-carpainter-changeling-life/) - Changeling Life highlights producer Carpainter's versatility better than any of his other recent releases. The middle two tracks zero in on his more aggressive side -- "Dump Truck" rumbles along, only interrupted by distorted voices, while "Linkage" moves swifter but still leans towards the harder hitting. Yet its the songs bookending this EP that demand
- [New CHAI: "N.E.O."](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-chai-n-e-o/) - "Sayonara Complex" was a slight outlier in the world of CHAI. That song -- alongside its goofy, joyful video -- captured the Tokyo quartet at their most earnest, the playfulness of earlier EPs making space for something slightly bittersweet, too. "N.E.O." offers a look at CHAI at their more natural state, which is like lawful
- [Good Sounds Though: Youheyhey Featuring Haruruinu Love Dog Tenshi's "Bad Weather"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/good-sounds-though-youheyhey-featuring-haruruinu-love-dog-tenshis-bad-weather/) - Rapper and producer Youheyhey has been kicking around for a few years now, and even put out a very solid EP of woozy rap last year that sounds like its playing out in another universe than most Japanese hip-hop from that moment (or now). New song "Bad Weather" features a beat somewhere between Yoshino Yoshikawa
- [Good, But Strange, Vibrations: Casio Toruko Onsen's "Biwako Wanwan Oukoku"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/good-but-strange-vibrations-casio-toruko-onsens-biwako-wanwan-oukoku/) - What are the hot trends in Japanese music right now? You could point to a few musical similarities, or you could try to deduce something larger from big songs such as Daoko's big breakout hit, or Hoshino Gen's gloopy TV theme song. Yet I would say what's happening now is nothing specific, that things are
- [Simple Memories: Hachimitsu To Kamenberu's "Scenery From Seabed" And "Monorail"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/simple-memories-hachimitsu-to-kamenberus-scenery-from-seabed-and-monorail/) - Simplicity goes a long way. Osaka's Hachimitsu To Kamenberu creates sparse synth tunes oozing out emotion, tapping into the complicated feeling a few electronic notes can conjure up and going from there. This two song set highlights what makes the producer so intriguing. "Scenery From Seabed" offers up a delicate whir of electronics in the
- [New Neshizuku: "Vague"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-neshizuku-vague/) - Sometimes, after a long day, you just want a number that gets you nodding along on your couch. Producer Neshizuku's end-of-summer gift to the world is "Vague," a slightly menacing dance cut pulsing with energy. This one doesn't mess around -- from the start, Neshizuku lets steel-tipped synth lines graze over the beat, constructing a
- [Yuzame Label's Hatsune Miku Compilation <em>I Want To Tell You</em> Features Yunomi, Mecanika And More](https://makebelievemelodies.com/yuzame-labels-hatsune-miku-compilation-i-want-to-tell-you-features-yunomi-mecanika-and-more/) - In general, I'm drawn to music utilizing Vocaloid software in an experimental manner, or just pushing it to its digital extreme. Basically, give me a computer voice that sounds like a computer over a computer voice trying to be human. Yuzame Label's I Want To Tell You isn't pushing the singing-synthesizer program in any new
- [New Le Makeup: "Red Tinged Memories"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-le-makeup-red-tinged-memories/) - The shift Osaka's Le Makeup made earlier this year, moving from Bala Club-inspired dance cuts to more reflective numbers often utilizing guitar, has allowed the young artist to start developing a sound all his own. "Red Tinged Memories" builds on the fantastic Hyper Earthy, finding Le Makeup crafting a woozy number that only grows hazier
- [New Acidclank: "Lionel"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-acidclank-lionel/) - Acidclank's newest song "Lionel" goes on sale tomorrow, so now seems like a good time to check it out. The band first caught our attention as a shoegaze outfit, and their earliest albums matched everything you imagine a group described as (or self-describing as) that would. Yet recent songs have hinted at Acidclank edging away
- [New Crunch: "Blue"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-crunch-blue-2/) - Nagoya trio Crunch wisely lead off their first brush with major-label life with their finest moment to date. "Blue" isn't new -- it originally appeared on last year's short-but-sweet Blue Blue Blue, serving in the lead-off spot and delivering one of the year's most emotionally wrenching numbers out of Japan, building slow and growing in
- [New Andrew: <em>Edits Vo. 1</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-andrew-edits-vo-1/) - This has been the year where I've accepted the fact I have no real idea of what's happening in American music. This development probably solidified like two years ago, but I'm at peace with it in 2017, a stretch of time where the amount of time spent on Twitter means I get a certain exposure
- [Speak Up: HoneyComeBear's "Rainy Girl"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/speak-up-honeycomebears-rainy-girl/) - Simply adding singing to a song can take it from familiar to thrilling. Tokyo duo HoneyComeBear create uptempo, at times claustrophobic, electronic music ("future bass" if you please), the sort of songs that sound like they were recorded in HiDef. Yet Kakko, who sings on their songs as well as pens them and helps compose
- [New Buddhahouse: "See You"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-buddhahouse-see-you/) - "Tropical" has become such a meaningless buzzword that hearing something that genuinely sounds tropical is a genuine shock to the system. Buddhahouse has done this well over the last two years, whether via the cool shimmy of "Summer Breeze" or borderline kitsch of "Mango!," each of which have genuinely gotten me writing about weather.* "See
- [New Luby Sparks: "Thursday"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-luby-sparks-thursday/) - [looks at calendar] Oh hey, nice. Indie-pop outfit Luby Sparks are the latest up-tempo group charging through ennui to get the call up to a bigger label. They just released their debut album via Space Shower Music, and shared the title track. "Thursday" zooms ahead, featuring a slightly fuzzed guitar melody which adds some force
- [Westside Bounce: AFAMoo's "New York, New York" And "Surf"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/westside-bounce-afamoos-new-york-new-york-and-surf/) - Kobe-based producer AFAMoo has been sharing house tracks that sound like a layer dust sits on top of them for a year now (lo-fi house, if that works better for you), and a handful of them are quite nice. But his latest two releases feel like particular breakthroughs, partially because they find a groove all
- [New De De Mouse: <em>Via Alpha Centauri</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-de-de-mouse-via-alpha-centauri/) - De De Mouse always knows how to brighten up a mood. He played this weekend's Ultra Japan 2017 festival, and his set was such a joyful blast of chopped-up syllables and keyboard twinklings. A fair amount of said performance featured cuts from the recently released Via Alpha Centauri, a bright set following up this year's
- [Fogpak #19 Arrives, Featuring Loopcoda, Chanbe, Fire Emoji And Many More](https://makebelievemelodies.com/fogpak-19-arrives-featuring-loopcoda-chanbe-fire-emoji-and-many-more/) - Always a good month when a new Fogpak compilation emerges, bringing with it a handful of budding trackmakers from Japan and beyond. The 19th edition emerged on Bandcamp tonight, boasting the theme of "reverse" and featuring an ever-shrinking tracklist. The latter fact, though, isn't a bad thing, as a tighter run gives this edition of
- [New Cemetery: <em>Excoriation</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-cemetery-excoriation/) - excoriation (瘢痕) by Cemetery Producer Cemetery is keeping busy, as much as one constructing uneasy but at times peaceful electronic music can get. The project's latest EP, Excoriation, comes via Spanish label angoisse, and highlights the lighter side of a project that can get dark (I mean, it's called Cemetery). The producer gets downright spiritual
- [New House Of Tapes: <em>Nu Tears</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-house-of-tapes-nu-tears/) - Nagoya's House Of Tapes releases music at a fast clip, but credit to him for also keeping listeners on their toes. His latest album, Nu Tears, moves away from his recent return to crushing noise to embrace something that, while still cacophonous, hides something more dynamic within. Nu Tears mixes more earnest, soft moments with
- [New Yoshino Yoshikawa: "Slack Bubbling"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-yoshino-yoshikawa-slack-bubbling/) - Earlier this year, Tokyo's Yoshino Yoshikawa traveled to Seoul to play alongside the city's Subbeat crew, a set of producers creating plenty of great music very much worth your time. Didn't take long for the two sides to meet again, on the collective's just-released compilation album Kitties #1. I would have bent my self out
- [New Secret Space: <em>Believe</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-secret-space-believe/) - Add to the "late to it, but still great" file I'm filling up quite nicely -- producer Secret Space released the album Believe one month ago, though it sounds every bit as enchanting now as it probably did then. As has long been Secret Space's style, these songs are dreamy and nostalgic -- "Past" literally
- [Don't Stop: Shinichiro Yokota's "Timeless"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/dont-stop-shinichiro-yokotas-timeless/) - After Japanese house maker (and chiptune enka genius) Soichi Terada started getting a bit more shine over the last few years, those near him also began to get more attention. Shinichiro Yokota, a long-time collaborator, benefited a lot, releasing his first album last year to a nice amount of attention. And he isn't done yet.
- [New Native Rapper: <em>Keep It Real</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-native-rapper-keep-it-real/) - Kyoto's Native Rapper excels when it comes to the small details. Last year's triumphant Mass Maker EP hit immediately for its celebratory mode centered around netlabel artists, but subsequent listens also reveal a release full of strange little details and sudden vocal twists. This latter point feels more pronounced on Keep It Real, an album
- [New Ame To Kanmuri: "Hungry"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-ame-to-kanmuri-hungry/) - One of 2017's best songs to come out of Japan so far was Ame To Kanmuri's "Lie Night," a nervy number riffing on the lo-fi house trend that found Molm'o'mol of ever-intriguing idol outfit Koutei Camera Girl rapping over the lonely sounds. Looking beyond just the realm of idol-adjacent music, this was one of the
- [New Gaburyu Featuring Eru Amaga: "Pop It Soda"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-gaburyu-featuring-eru-amaga-pop-it-soda/) - Less than a month after releasing a solid set of UTAU-centered electro-pop, Gaburyu and digi-singer Eru Amaga return with the sweet shuffler "Pop It Soda." What's most remarkable about it is how Gaburyu takes familiar elements of dance music sub-genres -- Jersey club for one, and whatever you want to classify the thing most begrudgingly
- [Electric Fellows: Iivvyy's (Kosmo Kat And Hvns) "Want You"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/electric-fellows-iivvyys-kosmo-kat-and-hvns-want-you/) - Tokyo producers Kosmo Kat and Hvns have orbited the same spaces for a couple years now, so the two coming together to form a new project isn't totally out of left field. But the first song under their Iivvyy moniker surprises in just how effective it is in capturing what both artists do so well
- [New ELLEH: <em>Anthems Part 2</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-elleh-anthems-part-2/) - Today in "catching up on releases from the summer," Tokyo duo ELLEH shared Anthems Part 2 in late August, building on the sad boy disco of the first installment in the series. If Anthems Part 1 dwelled mainly on the downtrodden side of their dance-pop, Part 2 adds a little hope to the mix via
- [New Yullippe: "Monemone"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-yullippe-monemone/) - Recorded during a live set at Osaka's Zakuro back in July, "Monemone" features an extra rawness thanks to its in-the-moment nature. Yet however this sounds, Yullippe manages to make the uneasy nature of its rumble come through clearly. The beat shambles forward, the industrial influences she has long drawn from adding a nice crunch. And
- [New Yunomi Featuring Nicamoq: "Shugorei"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-yunomi-featuring-nicamoq-shugorei/) - Jumping off of something written the other day, it's nice to see artists continue to push their sounds into new directions rather than simply abandon them or let outside influence shape it for them. Yunomi boasts one of the more distinct sonic palettes in Japan, a mix of hyperactive EDM-inspired electronics merged with traditional Japanese
- [Fizzy Beat: Tubaki's "Soda Water"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/fizzy-beat-tubakis-soda-water/) - A rap song serving as the lead-off number to a label's special compilation might not seem like usual fare for this blog. Yet rapper Tubaki's "Soda Water," the first cut from an album put out by the Pitch Odd Mansion collective, jumps out thanks to a beat far away from the usual boom-bap fare of
- [New MPEG-7: "Tokyo Neon"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-mpeg-7-tokyo-neon/) - Tokyo's MPEG-7 has recently been creating tracks leaning more on the beat side of things, which while sounding fine also come off like they are lacking something. They sound like a frame looking for one final piece to complete it (mainly: vocals). "Tokyo Neon" isn't the same case. While clearly influenced by the hazy vibe
- [Off Center: Flyingdaughter's <em>.white.white.white.</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/off-center-flyingdaughters-white-white-white/) - Osaka electronic unit Flyingdaughter have been kicking around for a couple years now, creating a skittery take on electro-pop that swaps out the often joyful sounds associated with the style in favor of something a touch darker. Think criss-crossing beats and singing just a smidge muffled. .white.white.white. packs everything intriguing about the duo into a
- [Sweet Hit: Beignet's (Nor And YUC'e) <em>Mint Comet</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/sweet-hit-beignets-nor-and-yuce-mint-comet/) - The trajectory of all things "kawaii" follows a predictable route. Anything tagged as such is embraced initially, both by artists and fans, who flock to all things pastel and bubbly and somewhat unsettling in their radiance. Then, as all trends do, everyone associated with whatever the "kawaii" field are get uneasy about it, and try
- [New Soleil Soleil: <em>My Way Or The Highway</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-soleil-soleil-my-way-or-the-highway/) - Given how everything sounds vaguely tropical in 2017 -- well, that or totally grey -- it's weird thinking back on how Osaka's Soleil Soleil was so ahead of this trend. If he was outside Asia, he'd be Kygo! However, the Kansai artist is always a few steps ahead of the sounds clogging festival grounds, and
- [New LLLL: <em>Chains "Phase 3: Reflect"</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-llll-chains-phase-3-reflect/) - The latest installment in LLLL's Chains series finds the Tokyo project in a softer, more melancholic mood. Not to be too obvious, but it's right there in the title -- "Phase 3: Reflect", and the accompanying three songs aim for a head space looking back, without any of the harder thumping sounds that popped up
- [New Sapphire Slows: "The Edge Of My Land"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-sapphire-slows-the-edge-of-my-land/) - As premiered on The Fader earlier this week, Tokyo's Sapphire Slows offered a taste of her forthcoming mini-album Time, in the form of "The Edge Of My Land." Vocals have always played a central role in her electronic compositions, primarily as something flowing through the song, adding tension to the song even when not clear.
- [New (Kinda) Cemetery: "House Of Angels Healing Their Wounds"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-kinda-cemetery-house-of-angels-healing-their-wounds/) - I'm not the best at doing things I mean to do. Ask my email inbox. When it comes to posting around these parts, working life often gets in the way, knocking off all sorts of drafts just begging to get out of Wordpress purgatory. I see you latest, very solid The fin. release, stay strong.
- [New Masayoshi Iimori: "Kickin' Up"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-masayoshi-iimori-kickin-up/) - Few artists in Japan do hard-hitting release better than Masayoshi Iimori. The Trekkie Trax member has a new one called "Kickin' Up" out via Good Enuff, and it works wonders as a roughneck dance cut...and as a good one to dive into after a long day of work (maybe letting personal experiences color that one).
- [New Qrion: <em>Just A Part Of Life</em> EP](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-qrion-just-a-part-of-life-ep/) - Electronic artist Qrion is at her best musically when exploring the quieter, almost hidden side of the genre's sound. It's a little too precious to position something like Sink as an alternative to busy EDM -- Qrion just played Hard Fest in California, so she isn't existing in a whole different world -- but she
- [New Tempalay: "Shinsedai"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-tempalay-shinsedai/) - The current generation of rock bands getting looks from the mainstream -- Suchmos, Never Young Beach Yogee New Waves among others -- offer up a positive outlook on the future in Japan. The headlines tell a different story, one about a lack of permanent jobs and of a country facing a bit (that's an understatement)
- [New Paisley Parks: <em>Coffin #2</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-paisley-parks-coffin-2/) - Well, that didn't take long. Following a lengthy period of silence, Japanese footwork outfit Paisley Parks returned with the glorious Coffin #1 like a week ago. Now comes Coffin #2, a further dive into what the project was cooking up in that relatively silent stretch of time. As you'd expect, this set is a nice
- [New Broken Haze: <em>VTEC</em> EP](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-broken-haze-vtec-ep/) - Broken Haze's chop-shop bass continues to reveal new layers to itself. The producer's newest release, the VTEC EP, explores similar right-off-the-production-line sounds as previous releases via the BetaPack collective -- opener "NSX" features drill sounds among other garage details, rounded out by tight bass notes and party-starting percussion. Despite the sleek, chrome exterior, Broken Haze
- [Aged Fine: Yüksen Buyers House's "Slowdance"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/aged-fine-yuksen-buyers-houses-slowdance/) - The band Yüksen Buyers House has been around for quite some time, at least in the context of Tokyo-based bands. They've played shows alongside the likes of Jesse Ruins and Moscow Clubs...which is to say, they were kicking around five years ago. And for the most part, they were deeply alright, a fine enough opener
- [Summer Feel: Commune310 Presents <em>Commune310 Suika</em> Featuring Loopcoda, Dog Noise And More](https://makebelievemelodies.com/summer-feel-commune310-presents-commune310-suika-featuring-loopcoda-dog-noise-and-more/) - Summer might be nearing a close, but Commune310 refuses to let it pass without a final rush of party-ready tunes. Commune310 Suika gathers tracks from a variety of producers, all leaning towards the up tempo and vaguely summery (which, I guess for me, means fast and/or sweaty). This ranges from the faded future-funk bounce of
- [New Tatsuro Yamashita: "Reborn"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-tatsuro-yamashita-reborn/) - Partially, the charm of "Reborn" comes from how it bucks current movie trailer trends in Japan. Following Radwimps massive success with the Your Name. soundtrack, a slew of similar songs have shown up alongside coming attractions, ranging from Bump Of Chicken, Sekai No Owari (who, let it be noted, totally had their lunch eaten when
- [Omoide Label Presents <em>Juke Shiyouya ~ILLMATIC SCIENCE~</em> Featuring 1NDV, Lotus Echo And More](https://makebelievemelodies.com/omoide-label-presents-juke-shiyouya-illmatic-science-featuring-1ndv-lotus-echo-and-more/) - Think of the Juke Shiyouya series as a pleasant come down from the grittier Atomic Bomb Compilation. Whereas the latter uses juke music as a way to warn about the dangers of nuclear power and weapons -- often by taking a darker, at times doomsday-ready tone -- Omoide Label's ongoing collections simply gathers tracks from
- [New Mukuchi: <em>Party (Lonely) People</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-mukuchi-party-lonely-people/) - Singer/songwriter Mukuchi excels at making bouncy bedroom pop, featuring a wide variety of sounds ranging from synthesizer notes to toy instruments. Her playful voice ties it all together, and she's even gone as far as to create a new (at least to my knowledge) genre called "seagaze" to describe it. Don't let shiny tags on
- [New Amunoa: "Smmr"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-amunoa-smmr/) - Producer Amunoa excels at turning small moments into anthems. "Smmr" is poised as, well, a summer jam from the frantic artist, featuring a warm disco vibe and some sweltering synth work. The real hook of "Smmr" is the vocal snippet rippling throughout -- it sounds like it was recorded through a talk box, but rather
- [New Carpainter Featuring Onjuicy: "Pam!!!"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-carpainter-featuring-onjuicy-pam/) - The artists in the Trekkie Trax universe have been inching towards more songs featuring vocals -- or at least tracks suitable for someone to sing or rap over. Masayoshi Iimori's work has seen Dotama rap over it, while Carpainter has co-worked on songs by budding Avex star Daichi Miura. For the most part, these have
- [New Paisley Parks: <em>Coffin #1</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-paisley-parks-coffin-1/) - The Japanese juke scene moves quickly -- it's really a testament to its continued strength that one of the cornerstone outfits of the scene, Paisley Parks, could go a couple years without releasing a new collection and the community as a whole feels just as vibrant. Still...it's nice to have a new Paisley Parks album
- [Electronic Round-Up: Pavilion Xool, AVV And House Of Tapes](https://makebelievemelodies.com/electronic-round-up-pavilion-xool-avv-and-house-of-tapes/) - We spent the weekend at Summer Sonic, and are still catching up on new music. Here are three notable uploads from the last few days. -- Pavilion Xool caught our attention thanks to "I Still Smoke," a number featuring an appearance by Osaka's Yunovation. But the Tokyo producer mostly works solo, and "At 2am" highlights
- [Fleeting Thoughts: Ex Confusion's <em>Tears</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/fleeting-thoughts-ex-confusions-tears/) - Nara's Ex Confusion opts for sparseness. This is partially due to recording surroundings -- he makes bedroom music, the sort where the sound of the (literal) outside world sneaks into the music and disrupts the dreamlike atmosphere he conjures up. Yet it's also simply what he wants to do, driven home via a release on
- [New Half Mile Beach Club: "Bee Line"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-half-mile-beach-club-bee-line/) - Zushi outfit Half Mile Beach Club has always let a certain darkness creep into their music -- distorted vocals turned a tropical breezer like "Yankee" into something alien, while numbers like the still-spell-binding "Twilight" sounded lonely thanks to a late-fall-at-a-resort feel. "Bee Line" finds them getting a bit more direct with their grittiness. It opens
- [New Boys Age: <em>New World Pregnancy</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-boys-age-new-world-pregnancy/) - The vision surrounding a Boys Age album tends to be more unexpected than the music itself. New World Pregnancy, a long gestating full length, comes billed as "an imagined soundtrack" to a story one half of the Saitama rock duo wrote. It gets pretty detailed...a machine goes sentient...and stands as the most ambitious bit of
- [New Nemui PJ: <em>Pumpkin EP</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-nemui-pj-pumpkin-ep/) - Nemui PJ, the collaborative project between Noah and Kidkanevil, released their first EP at the start of the week, which further highlights the duo's bleary-eyed sound. A pairing of two artists with established styles either needs to move in an entirely new direction, or reveal new layers to what each participant has been doing. Pumpkin
- [Dramatic Noise: Yasuhito Fujinami's "Dream Ritual"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/dramatic-noise-yasuhito-fujinamis-dream-ritual/) - Going into "Dream Ritual," by noise artist Yasuhito Fujinami, I expected something harsh. I mean, that's what he's known for, with songs inspired heavily by the cacophony of Merzbow. Yet "Dream Ritual" avoids pure chaos in favor of slow-building drama, using its near-eight-minute playtime to develop tension rather than pummel the listener over the head.
- [New In The Blue Shirt: "Stevenson Screen"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-in-the-blue-shirt-stevenson-screen/) - Bonus songs tacked on to a special edition CD or vinyl issue of an existing album might not normally grab our attention, but when it comes to In The Blue Shirt, we are eager to listen to what micro-level dance tinkering dude gets up to at any time. "Stevenson Screen" comes from the record version
- [Soft Escape: Haruno's <em>Flowers Laugh</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/soft-escape-harunos-flowers-laugh/) - Tokyo-based artist Haruno's Flowers Laugh offers up a brief but comforting set of synth-pop, the sort of fragile music designed to slip into for a bit. The best moments come on the front end, on the two songs featuring guest vocals courtesy of Amegorou, who brings a soft but affecting touch to Haruno's keyboard-guided melodies
- [<em>Atomic Bomb Compilation Vol. 5</em> Is Here, Featuring CRZKNY, Dubb Parade, Skip Club Orchestra And More](https://makebelievemelodies.com/atomic-bomb-compilation-vol-5-is-here-featuring-crzkny-dubb-parade-skip-club-orchestra-and-more/) - The Atomic Bomb Compilation's continued relevance isn't so much the result of coincidences as much as the entire inspiration for this project's existence taking up more of the frame with every passing year. Vol. 5 arrives in the middle of a summer featuring a news cycle featuring nuclear weapons...and threats for said devices to be
- [New Voices: Gaburyu Featuring Eru Amaga: <em>Tokeru</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-voices-gaburyu-featuring-eru-amaga-tokeru/) - I don't know what it is about UTAU synthesized vocals themed after weather, but they always make for such a great instrument in electronic music. Snow-themed singer Sekka Yufu has been central to mus.hiba's creations, and now Yokohama-based producer Gaburyu offers up a strong set of numbers based around the rain-referencing Eru Amaga. Tokeru
- [New i-fls: <em>No Start Point / Earphone Song</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-i-fls-no-start-point-earphone-song/) - The bedtown sounds of i-fls always sound appropriate for walks...that is, after all, the activity you're most likely to engage in when living in a suburb and have a lot on your mind. No Start Point / Earphone Song presents a swifter version of the dreamy Garageband symphonies the producer has been making over the
- [New Picnic Women: <em>The Dance Music Anthem EP</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-picnic-women-the-dance-music-anthem-ep/) - I will not bore you with the details of how I missed last week's Anthem event at ageHa (but if you must know...not finding buses in time and having my socks ruined by rain). But I did, and it was a personal low point for 2017 (which, all things considered, isn't too bad). Thankfully, Picnic
- [Warm Fright: HelloHowLow's "Menhera Girl (Summer Nightmare Mix)"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/warm-fright-hellohowlows-menhera-girl-summer-nightmare-mix/) - Aiming for outright catchiness in the summer is too easy. Sapporo-based electro-pop duo HelloHowLow released a song caled "Menhera Girl" about a year ago, and it's an upbeat bouncer featuring digitally manipulated vocals, the sort of catchy number that fans of Perfume probably can get into easily. Yet it's also a little too breezy, save
- [New Foodman: "Nanika"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-foodman-nanika/) - I often feel an exciting rush of confusion when listening to Foodman's music. How can those sounds be turned into that!? How did he make that noise?! What's going on???? Given the whirlwind and wonky nature of the Yokohama-based artist's creations, it's a fair reaction, but sometimes the sheer WTF-ery happening across a song blurs
- [New Zombie-Chang: "We Should Kiss"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-zombie-chang-we-should-kiss/) - Gang!, Tokyo-based artist Zombie-Chang's most recent album from earlier this year, showed off her pop credentials. Plenty of the Shinjuku Loft-leaning dankness of last year's absorbing Zombie-Change snuck in, but they were matched by moments of relatively un-fuzzy numbers not far removed from something that could sneak into mainstream rotation. With the benefit of a
- [New Attic Note: "Happening"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-attic-note-happening/) - Tokyo-based producer Attic Note delivers a solid electronic track with "Happening," a bit of pitch-bended sharpness that plays around with a familiar approach but hits on something all its own. It wasn't that long ago that tipsy numbers anchored by vocals manipulated to be faster or slower were the dominant sound of the community here,
- [Noise And Novel: Koeosaeme's <em>Sonorant</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/noise-and-novel-koeosaemes-sonorant/) - Orange Milk Records knows how to find them. The American label that shined a bright light on Foodman, DJWWWW and Toiret Status among others now presents Tokyo-based artist Koeosaeme, who explores similar ground as the aforementioned but ultimately finds their own path forward on the woozy Sonorant. Koeosaeme stands out because of speed -- whereas
- [Familiar Names: ・・・・・・・・・'s "Slider"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/familiar-names-・・・・・・・・・s-slider/) - The early 2010's idol scene found groups grasping for any visual or sonic cue that would help them stand out from the crowd. Latching onto a specific genre could pay off big time, but it could also result in strange creations such as air guitar idols or steam-punk-themed outfits (with terrible music). Novelty has always
- [New Toiret Status: "#47"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-toiret-status-47/) - Last year in Japanese music, for me at least, was defined by the experimental meaning-we-do-not-need-no-meaning-here wonder of producers such as Foodman, DJWWWW and Toiret Status. Their chaotic but delightfully dizzying exercises in exploring sounds -- regardless of how out there those noises got -- crystalized the most head-spinning movement in the country going, and made
- [Cinnamons Team Up With Evening Cinema For "Summertime"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/cinnamons-team-up-with-evening-cinema-for-summertime/) - Your summer probably won't get any smoother than this. Laid-back rock outfit Evening Cinema teamed up with equally chill outfit Cinnamons for "Summertime," a song that certainly operates as a carefree number, but which stands out for actually having a skip to it. It jogs ahead, never getting heavy, but plays out swiftly thanks to
- [New Masterpiece Presents <em>Imaginary Dinosaur Landscape</em> Featuring Boogie Idol, 909 State And More](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-masterpiece-presents-imaginary-dinosaur-landscape-featuring-boogie-idol-909-state-and-more/) - New Masterpiece's latest compilation, Imaginary Dinosaur Landscape, doesn't set out to identify any new trends or solidify around any specific sounds. Rather, every artist brings something different to the mix, which might ultimately be more reflective of the label than if they coalesced around a theme (a theme beyond "every track is named after a
- [New Paellas: "Shooting Star"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-paellas-shooting-star/) - Sometimes, you do something long enough it ends up aligning just right with a trend...or presents a shadow version of a booming sound. Paellas have been creating shadowy music since around 2012, initially starting off making late-night-lounge indie-pop before transitioning to a style drawing more from R&B and weaving in electronic touches, but maintaining the
- [New LLLL: "Slowly We Come"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-llll-slowly-we-come/) - LLLL's Chains project has allowed the Tokyo-based producer to explore a wide range of sounds and tempos, some entries offering speedy dance numbers, while others have leaned closer to something more reflective and slower. "Slowly We Come" hints at its pace right in the title, finding the producer creating a song that takes its time
- [New Chelmico: "Highlight"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-chelmico-highlight/) - Building off of a lovely debut album last year, hip-hop duo Chelmico will release a new EP titled...EP next month. They've previewed it with the bouncy "Highlight," which finds the pair tag-teaming in and out over the skippy dance-pop beat, delivering smooth rap flows and sing-song styles in equal measures. Central to Chelmico's music has
- [To The Sea: Suntra's <em>Oblivion Summer Coast</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/to-the-sea-suntras-oblivion-summer-coast/) - Over the past two years, a very specific set of sounds have come to define "tropical" music, popularized by producer Kyogo and absorbed by...almost every pop star to some degree or another. Summer 2017 marks the full arrival of this style to Japan, highlighted by popular tunes from the likes of w-inds to lol. Just
- [New Metome: "Passage"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-metome-passage/) - Metome's "Sathima" caught me off guard in how sad it sounded. Part further deconstruction of his style but also featuring more flourishes of his past work than other recent releases, "Sathima" bobbed along, but also struck me as wistful, looking back on something and coming off as a bit lonely (blame the vocal sample). "Passage"
- [New Yahyel: "Rude"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-yahyel-rude/) - Visuals play a massive role in yahyel's existence as a band, exemplified at this year's Fuji Rock Festival. The video for forthcoming single "Rude" played during that set, and was easily the most unnerving part of the band's set, and it remains just as creepy in an uncanny valley way on its own. It's also
- [New Kissmenerdygirl Featuring Situke And Gomibakoru: "Step Into The Light"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-kissmenerdygirl-featuring-situke-and-gomibakoru-step-into-the-light/) - This is familiar territory so I'll just give the TLDR version -- future funk on its own can often feel a bit lazy and forgettable, at least in the wrong hands. Yet as a base for something else -- singing or rapping -- the idea behind future funk can work quite well. "Step Into The
- [New Lovely Summer Chan: "Fly Fly Fly"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-lovely-summer-chan-fly-fly-fly/) - Lovely Summer Chan makes her major label debut today, with the song "Fly Fly Fly." Moving to a bigger company comes with some tricky baggage -- check the video above, which transforms into a commercial midway through, straight from the Hoshino Gen playbook -- but her music sounds unchanged, built on driving guitars and her
- [New Monico: "New World"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-monico-new-world/) - Monico has had a busy 2017, most recently teaming up with Kindan No Tasuketsu for the fantastic "Goodbye My Cinderella." She's back on her own for "New World," a team featuring her singing over music created by Tomggg, described in the info box as a "pop maestro," which seems about right. "Kawaii" as adjective gets
- [Tomorrow Comes Today: <em>Scintillate For A Moment Presented By STERN</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tomorrow-comes-today-scintillate-for-a-moment-presented-by-stern/) - Vocaloid technology sounds best when it is part of a digital maelstrom. Although it feels like the majority of producers fond of the software place it against rock, the best applications of the instrument have all come in electronic music, whether over start-stop patterns or sparser, icier fare. Although envisioned as a replacement for human
- [New Pa's Lam System X Parkgolf: "Fireworks"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-pas-lam-system-x-parkgolf-fireworks/) - Pa's Lam System recently released their first major-label release, Whatever, and it's a varied set of body movers. That's something the outfit remains near flawless at -- their high-energy numbers are designed to get people jumping around (sometimes on to other people as I've seen / felt at their shows), and the tracks here should
- [New Lulu And Mikeneko Homeless: "Asago"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-lulu-and-mikeneko-homeless-asago/) - The pairing of Lulu and Mikeneko Homeless has proven to be especially successful, and here they are with a new summer-ready tune just as the hottest stretch of the year approaches. Released via Maltine Records, "Asago" highlights how well both artists work together. Lulu's singing wraps around the bouncy beat just right, the lyrics touching
- [Seimei Teams Up With Kent Alexander For <em>Back On The Blue</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/seimei-teams-up-with-kent-alexander-for-back-on-the-blue/) - The latest from Midnight Cult finds label director Kent Alexander and Trekkie Trax founder Seimei splitting space to share a batch of new juke songs. Back On The Blue finds the two Japan-based producers showing off their jittery beat-production skills, and it isn't unknown territory for either. Still, differences emerge between the two, and make
- [Say Yes, Say No: Second Apartment's "Height"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/say-yes-say-no-second-apartments-height/) - Tokyo's Call And Response Records will put out a new compilation album, titled Throw Away Your CDs And Go Out To A Show, on August 16. It shines a spotlight on the country's best "modern Japanese postpunk, no wave and noise-rock," anchored by relative notable names in music geek circles such as Melt-Bananana and (ok,
- [Warm Season: Twin Flamingo's "Long Hair"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/warm-season-twin-flamingos-long-hair/) - This has all the makings of a song that gets a lot of plays from us over the next few months. It's a male-female duet from a new indie-pop outfit hailing from the Kansai region, the part of Japan that tends to do this skippy style better than the rest. But really, all those details
- [Not So Fake: Pollyanna's "Breaking News"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/not-so-fake-pollyannas-breaking-news/) - Always up for a pick-me-up on a Monday, and indie-pop outfit Pollyanna's "Breaking News" delivers just that. It's the title track to the group's second mini-album, and it is a driving number packed tight with guitars and keyboard. It's energetic, but never overwhelming, and the vocals add a sweetness. At a time when a lot
- [New Le Makeup: <em>Hyper Earthy</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-le-makeup-hyper-earthy/) - It's a bit premature to say something like Osaka producer Le Makeup's Hyper Earthy represents a major sonic shift for the artist. Up to this point, they've released one album and a handful of tracks, so small sample size. Yet that previous material was up-tempo, influenced by the sounds of the Caribbean and the Latin
- [New Poor Vacation:  <em>F/E/E/L/S</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-poor-vacation-feels/) - One of my favorite things is when an artist refuses to leave a song alone. I like seeing artists poke at their creations in an effort to find new angles to them -- see Spange Call Lilli Line's multiple versions of "Rio" or even Radiohead's long-time-to-release "True Love Waits," to name just a couple. Tokyo's
- [New Shelling: "Shining Pool"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-shelling-shining-pool/) - Duo Shelling released a very strong, very dreamy album called Waiting For Mint Shower!! earlier this year on White Paddy Mountain. It got lost in our shuffle for a bit, but the new video for "Shining Pool," one of the slowly unfolding shoegaze highlights of the album, reminded us to give it a shout out.
- [New Boogie Idol: <em>Ongaku Yori Tooku</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-boogie-idol-ongaku-yori-tooku/) - Boogie Idol sits across the way from Pasocom Music Club when it comes to Japanese artists finding interesting new ways to play with the sounds of the past. And if this year's Park City showed how music from a bygone era (and, like, malls) could be refashioned into something new, Boogie Idol's latest Ongaku Yori
- [New Mecanika: "Couleur"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-mecanika-couleur/) - Shiga-based electronic producer Mecanika has a new EP due out for the end of the year, but the 18-year-old artist decided to share a track from it way earlier than most net-centric promotion tends to do nowadays (good for you!). "Couleur" does something in its own way that has made a lot of new electronic
- [New Fredricson: "Paralyze"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-fredricson-paralyze/) - The latest from producer Fredricson confirms that the artist -- who is also a member of the group Remigai -- firmly shows that even though he mostly operates outside of dance music circles, he makes some of the most compelling electronic tunes currently in Japan. "Paralyze" is his most dizzying work yet, a rumbling number
- [New Hikaru Yamada And The Librarians: "My Unterritory"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-hikaru-yamada-and-the-librarians-my-unterritory/) - "My Unterritory" seemingly falls apart at the seams. The latest from Hikaru Yamada and The Librarians features what sound like samples of strings, guitars and other instruments seemingly deteriorating in the back, Yamada letting the rough edges stick out and at one point lets it all fade out (to the point of literally skipping at
- [New House Of Tapes: <em>Hopeless Peace</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-house-of-tapes-hopeless-peace/) - I don't need to lecture someone who listens to music all the time that your relationship to a song changes on your mood...if you're happy, sad, blah blah blah. For me, a crucial way to appreciate music happens when I'm sick, especially if I have a fever or just feel like I'm moving at half
- [New Nayutanayuta: "Sagittarius"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-nayutanayuta-sagittarius/) - Indie outfit Nayutanauyta earn their dreamy title with their songs thanks to their embrace of Auto-tune, which lends a hazy vibe to their creations. "Sagittarius" is an especially strong example of this approach, as a slow number building up to a guitar solo turns into something more thanks to the vocal warping. This is a
- [New Teenagers In Love: "We Were Young"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-teenagers-in-love-we-were-young/) - Sorta bouncing off of the shore-side indie-pop featured yesterday, Teenagers In Love's newest number "We Were Young" makes for a great follow-up number for those seeking out guitar-based songs apt for sad drives next to the ocean. This is a group called Teenagers In Love for god's sakes, you should be able to get the
- [New Pictured Resort: "Southern Highway"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-pictured-resort-southern-highway/) - Wind-swept indie-pop outfit Pictured Resort have a new EP out in early September, which I guess is close enough to the summer...but thankfully, they've shared the title track now, which is perfect for warmer times. "Souther Highway" is a breezy mid-tempo number, one featuring the in-no-rush guitar playing guided by an easy-going beat, interrupted only
- [New Pasocom Music Club: <em>She Is A</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-pasocom-music-club-she-is-a/) - Up until now, Pasocom Music Club have been an outfit creating sleek, catchy dance-pop songs echoing a particularly plastic past, but almost never giving into nostalgia (even covers, such of Sugar Babe's beloved "Downtown," turn into something so radically different as to be more than the equivalent of staring at your record collection). This year's
- [New Kindan No Tasuketsu: "Goodbye My Cinderella (Kindan Ver.)"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-kindan-no-tasuketsu-goodbye-my-cinderella-kindan-ver/) - Few groups in Japan...or anywhere else, really, at a time when pop music is suffocatingly serious (save for hip-hop)...balance humor with longing as well as Kindan No Tasuketsu. "Goodbye My Cinderella (Kindan Ver.)" isn't the song to use as a jumping off point into a deeper discussion of this, because last year's "Chasing The Eurobeat"
- [New TamakiRoy: "Harari"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-tamakiroy-harari/) - The mid point of...pretty much any year means I'm desperately trying to catch up on all the music I've fallen behind on hearing from the past six months. 2017 has been particularly backlogged, and I've been trying to just go hogwild through my list of "probably check this out" albums. So far, the highlight has
- [New The Neon City: "Sunset Drive"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-the-neon-city-sunset-drive/) - Osaka-born dream-pop-maker The Neon City shares a lot of demos online, so it's nice to see her drop one without that word, hinting that this is more solid than the presumed sketches she's posted before. "Sunset Drive" is a bit of a throwback tune, built around some of the brightest synthesizer notes she's laid down
- [New Toyohirakumin: <em>Aurora Town</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-toyohirakumin-aurora-town/) - Vaporwave -- or things that can easily be tagged as such -- is a tricky thing. The bulk of it, especially in the last three years, is disposable, slowed down songs and jingles poorly imitating the artists who were the first to get the genre going. What they are lacking is emotional resonance -- a
- [New Homecomings: "Play Yard Symphony"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-homecomings-play-yard-symphony/) - Kyoto's Homecomings have excelled at turning the heartbreaks of daily life into big musical fireworks over their last two albums, and through two major-label releases have subtly expanded on this mid-tempo approach. There's nothing wrong with an artist choosing to explore consistency over radical artistic swings, and for the most part you know what to
- [New Buddhahouse: "Mango!" And "Sex Drug Rock'n'roll"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-buddhahouse-mango-and-sex-drug-rocknroll/) - Producer Buddhahouse is the latest to get in on the summery atmosphere. He shared two new songs last night, highlighted by the tropical delight of "Mango!" It is less "tropical house" and more closer to a sweltering dance number bringing to mind older Halfby, full of tiki-drink synth notes and breezy percussion. Yet Buddhahouse adds
- [New She Talks Silence: "Sorry, I Am Not"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-she-talks-silence-sorry-i-am-not/) - The word "uneasy" gets wheeled out a lot around these digital parts, and the project that first really got Make Believe Melodies to plunk that one down on Wordpress was She Talks Silence. We named the then-solo-project's debut Noise And Novels as our album of the year in our first year of full publishing, and
- [New Dubb Parade: <em>Sigh</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-dubb-parade-sigh/) - Always nice to see two familiar names join together. Producer Dubb Parade has long been one of the most consistent producers juggling juke, house and techno in Japan in recent years, while netlabel Omoide Label has been a pretty reliable place for underground dance music. They team up for Sigh, a three track set starting
- [New QQIQ: <em>000-000</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-qqiq-000-000/) - The group QQIQ always have worked in somewhat secretive ways. Sure, they posted all of their songs to YouTube, so it wasn't that mysterious, but they rarely shared any pictures of themselves, and the only way to get their albums was to follow a special online ordering process. And the music could carry that same
- [New Gigandect: "More Than You"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-gigandect-more-than-you/) - Zoom Lens recently released Metempsychosis, a special collaboration with Fakku, which is part compilation and part art book. Would highly recommend getting it, as it includes a lot of great tracks from familiar names (Meishi Smile's "Angel's Egg," The Blinda Butcher's "Lotus Eaters" and more), plus LLLL's "If You Say You Love Me Then Die
- [New Nemui PJ (Noah And Kidkanevil): "Pockets"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-nemui-pj-noah-and-kidkanevil-pockets/) - On their own, Japanese artist Noah and England's Kidkanevil create their own dreamy worlds in music, the prior favoring silence and the latter leaning more towards an innocent electronic sound (see 2015's My Little Ghost). Together, as Nemui PJ, they venture into an area that is still just as private...but much, much stranger, the sleep-ready
- [New Keita Sano: <em>Not Too Late</em> EP](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-keita-sano-not-too-late-ep/) - It's the halfway point of 2017 (more or less), which means...well, actually, everyone has already gotten most of their mid-point lists out by now. The thirst is real! I'm not big on putting things together only six months in, but I will say one of my favorite live shows of the year came courtesy of
- [Suzuki Mamiko (From Chelmico) Shares Solo Album, Listen To "Blue"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/suzuki-mamiko-from-chelmico-shares-solo-album-listen-to-blue/) - It's smack dab in the middle of the rainy season here in Japan, and a particularly wet Saturday last week meant I stayed in and listened to new stuff on Apple Music. Surprise surprise -- Suzuki Mamiko of Chelmico released a solo EP, the lovely Deep Green. Hunt that one down if you are in
- [Into It: Animal Hack's "Plastic Night"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/into-it-animal-hacks-plastic-night/) - Electronic unit Animal Hack appeared last year in 2016, but felt like they got a further push over the last few months following the release of this year's Boy, which got a lot of promotion on streaming services (which, while still very fledgling, feel like they are starting to carve out space...maybe...in the Japanese market).
- [High-Rise Life: Takahiro Miyoshi's "Cheap"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/high-rise-life-takahiro-miyoshis-cheap/) - Always up for writing about songs that exist in the current "city pop revival era," but which actually sound closer to the '80s style given that name than the more laid-back stuff getting that tag today. Takahiro Miyoshi's bouncy "Cheap" is a solid bit of mid-tempo throwback rendered through synths I'd expect on the Earthbound
- [New House Of Tapes: <em>Heavy Heaven</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-house-of-tapes-heavy-heaven/) - Nagoya's House Of Tapes recently started a new netlabel to share music, called Sleep Jam Records. So far, the digital label has put out a compilation and two House Of Tapes' albums, the latest of which is Heavy Heaven. And it's somewhat of a throwback for the artist. The three songs here hearken back to
- [New (Kinda) Kindan No Tasuketsu: "Minamo Mina Omou Wa"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-kinda-kindan-no-tasuketsu-minamo-mina-omou-wa/) - Kindan No Tasuketsu have been teasing a few things lately -- highlighted by the arrival of a new member -- but with no new songs as of yet. So "Minamo Mina Omou Wa" will have to do for now. It originally came out on a special single put out in 2015, but it's a rarity
- [New Yahyel: "Iron"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-yahyel-iron/) - Electronic outfit Yahyel caught our attention primarily because of the unnerving edge lurking in their music -- the way things are bent ever so slightly, or prone for rippling. Yet despite a pretty clear James Blake influence, the group haven't gone crazy with manipulating their vocals. On previous song, the singing was pretty untouched give
- [Inner Nutrients:  Nazoyama Meisoun's <em>Mineral</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/inner-nutrients-nazoyama-meisouns-mineral/) - Nazoyama Meisoun's work on Mineral makes for a nervy, at times disorienting listen. The 11-song set highlights the producer's approach to beats, but it is not a simple collection of skeletons begging for something more. "Quartz" rumbles ahead, adding in metallic sounds that seemingly lower on to the song (like...a docking bay from Star Wars?),
- [New Gnyonpix: "Tropical Cider Blue"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-gnyonpix-tropical-cider-blue/) - "Can this be called juke?" Gnyonpix wonders this in the description for "Tropical Cider Blue," and my initial reaction is no, as it resembles more of the reggae-inspired output of someone like Quarta330. But also! Maybe lightening up about genre would be a good thing (to a degree) in 2017, and "Tropical Cider Blue" does
- [Goes Down Nicely: ((The Submariners))' <em>Mitsuya Cider</em> EP](https://makebelievemelodies.com/goes-down-nicely-the-submariners-mitsuya-cider-ep/) - One of the areas where I've lightened up in regards to music is getting bent out of shape out of unorthodox band names. Which isn't to say that a random semi-colon or WaCKy CapiTILIzation is something I just swallow...I just roll with it more, content that most new band names are pretty dumb all over
- [New ΔKTR: <em>Lala</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-δktr-lala/) - Busy year for Yokohama sample whizz ΔKTR. He's already shared one of the year's warmest releases via the hazy dance grooves of suburbanfunkessentials, and now he's letting listeners even deeper into this world with Lala. Via Fuzzoscope, it's a beefed-up set, clocking in at 22 tracks, ranging from the laid-back glow of "Toundsrack" to the
- [Metropolis Reading: Futari No Bungaku's "City Liner"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/metropolis-reading-futari-no-bungakus-city-liner/) - A little context...I'm listening to (and writing about) this one from downtown Shibuya, so seeing all of the bright lights and people wandering around (on a Monday! What a city!) is playing a role here. But Futari No Bungaku's "City Liner" manages something not much city pop revivalists can, which is actually get some emotion
- [New Carpainter: "Orange Wind"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-carpainter-orange-wind/) - Given his presence in the harder-edged world of Trekkie Trax and the current Tokyo electronic music scene, it's easy to forget Carpainter shines when he's moving swiftly. "Orange Wind," his new single released via Secret Songs, breezes ahead, Carpainter using space as a tool to bring out the sensuality hiding in the corners. Which isn't
- [New Crystal Featuring Matias Aguayo: "Kimi Wa Monster"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-crystal-featuring-matias-aguayo-kimi-wa-monster/) - The current increase in interest around older Japanese music -- especially from the individual members of Yellow Magic Orchestra -- has been a neat development, and makes the music electronic outfit Crystal has been making this decade look all the more ahead of the curve (errrr, by looking back). Crystal Station 64 found the group
- [New Boys Age: "Dēmiourgos"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-boys-age-demiourgos/) - I've been waiting for the actual album to drop, but Boys Age's "Dēmiourgos" is so pretty and fragile that, hey, might as well wait a little bit until New World Pregnancy emerges. It has been a while since checking in on the group, and true to their spirit, Boys Age remain adept at introducing strange,
- [New Snail's House: <em>Ordinary Songs #3</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-snails-house-ordinary-songs-3/) - One of Snail's House's biggest skills on Ordinary Songs #3 is making intricacy sound so laid back. The five songs here unfurl at a mid-tempo bop, getting crowded at times (the springy "Bouquet" being a good example) but offering far more room to breathe than other contemporary producers in Japan. This is an album bound
- [New Tominaga: <em>Limbus</em> And <em>Songs</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-tominaga-limbus-and-songs/) - Electronic artist Tominaga highlights two sides of her sound on a pair of albums that came out at the end of May. Limbus gathers several of her ambient, often wordless, creations from 2016 to now, highlighting her approach to constructing sound exclusively. The revelation is she's capable of squeezing a lot of feelings out of
- [Blurred Dreams: Madame_nhu's "Spacy"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/blurred-dreams-madame_nhus-spacy/) - Madame_nhu describes themselves as a "dream artist," which on first brush simply conjures up images of shoegaze bands occupying space in a cramped Tokyo club. Yet "Spacy" offers up a bit of a surprise, at least to those made slightly cynical by Japan's eternal love of My Bloody Valentine...it's more blurry than anything else, Madame_nhu's
- [New Yackle: <em>SnowySummer</em> EP](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-yackle-snowysummer-ep/) - Ano(t)raks is probably best known for being a destination for new Japanese indie-pop (or, if the term fits for you, city-pop inspired cuts), but the netlabel-turned-physical-label also has a long history of highlighting electronic music, ranging from Kai Takahashi's 80s-brushed numbers (which eventually morphed into the lounge pop of Lucky Tapes) to the minimalism of
- [Travel Guide: Fujin Club's "Tabi To Ferry"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/travel-guide-fujin-clubs-tabi-to-ferry/) - Everyone could use a vacation at some point, and the music created by Fujin Club makes dropping everything and hopping on the next train to the coast sound necessary. It's tough pinpointing just what Fujin Club is -- it's a group of four women, all of whom hide their faces and refer to themselves as
- [New Metoronori: "Carmin Seishitsu No Shi"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-metoronori-carmin-seishitsu-no-shi/) - Needed something to write up quickly for a busy night...and along comes Metoronori with a new, short look into her alternate-dimension pop world. This brief but intriguing song is the first taste of her new album Hanryo, which is out in August. Definitely one to look forward for those who like their warm weather months
- [New Dotama: "Y☆kai Watch"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-dotama-y☆kai-watch/) - One of the reasons Dotama has stood out from the pack of ascendant Japanese rappers that have been gaining buzz over the last few years is his selection in beats. His latest, "Y☆kai Watch," features production from Imai of (very ahead of their times!) group_inou, and the slippery feel and simple-but-emotional approach that make that
- [Deviled Up: Lotus Echo's <em>Sell Your Soul</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/deviled-up-lotus-echos-sell-your-soul/) - Juke in Japan takes on many forms, but nearly demonic feels pretty rare. Producer Lotus Echo delves into these heavy and dark corners on Sell Your Soul, an album put out via American label Fusion. Lotus Echo gets harsh right away, with the deep-voiced demands of opener "Do You Say That Sell My Soul," before
- [New Cornelius: "Sometime / Someplace"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-cornelius-sometime-someplace/) - If "If You're Here" found Cornelius reflecting and letting his music wander, "Sometime / Someplace" pivots back...at least partially...to the synchronization of Sensuous. Here, every sound is locked in, and even the syllables coming out of Cornelius' mouth work in a sort of lock-step. He's still leaning towards something more melancholy than on his previous
- [Feels Real: gu^2's <em>Bad Trip</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/feels-real-gu2s-bad-trip/) - Make me feel, indeed. The latest from Trekkie Trax comes from producer gu^2 in the form of two-song release Bad Trip. It stands out because of how damn textural it is -- musically, it follows the aggressive, club-centered template many releases on the netlabel have followed, but dang if the sounds here don't jump out
- [New ELLEH: "I Can Be Your Best Friend"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-elleh-i-can-be-your-best-friend/) - The music Tokyo-based duo ELLEH have released thus far has resided in the shadows, dance music for people with a lot on their minds. As loose-limbed as their songs can get, a sense of doubt -- or melancholy for some relationship lost -- hung over head. "I Can Be Your Best Friend" is the first
- [New LLLL Featuring Yeule: "If You Say You Love Me Then Die With Me"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-llll-featuring-yeule-if-you-say-you-love-me-then-die-with-me/) - The partnership between Tokyo's LLLL and Singapore-born, London-based (last time I checked) artist Yeule has been quite fruitful over the past year. The latter has appeared quite a bit on the prior's Chains series, adding a sweetness to the often jittery and -- sometimes -- dark music. It's a bit of a simplification, but Yeule
- [New Anemone: <em>Killing Me Softly</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-anemone-killing-me-softly/) - Dreams are never an easy escape. They are, after all, fantasy -- they end, and even the sweetest mental zone-out eventually pivots back into reality. This tension lurks in the corners of duo Anemone's first EP Killing Me Softly, a lush two-song set that retreats into a hazy fog but always has one foot just
- [New 99 Letters: "BAZOOKA!! (Sweet Streets Magazine Version)"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-99-letters-bazooka-sweet-streets-magazine-version/) - Could the world soon see another surge in artists relying heavily on video game noises? It's possible...Crystal Castles just dropped a highly touted LP, and album-of-2010-thus-far Cosmogramma by Flying Lotus pushes 8-bit sounds into new far-out realms. So maybe chiptune raver 99 Letters can get a little attention from this could-be trend. He's got another
- [New 99 Letters Demo: "NO LADY NO CITIZEN"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-99-letters-demo-no-lady-no-citizen/) - His debut single drops on April 30, but that hasn't stopped manic Osaka chiptuner 99 Letters from posting a new demo. The curiously titled "NO LADY NO CITIZEN" features a prominent vocal sample - a dude yelling "go go" over and over again - alongside his trademark pixel carnage. But 99 Letters has a nice
- [New 99 Letters: "Hey! Satan, Play Game Of Life?"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-99-letters-hey-satan-play-game-of-life/) - Osaka Game Boy wizard 99 Letters has put a sample of his debut single "Hey! Satan, Play Game Of Life?" His signature sound - chiptune chaos mashed up against against heavy cacophony - remains, but the clip hints at some downright upbeat stuff. Sounds good right now. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92CQpmhW2TY&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=ja_JP&feature=player_embedded&fs=1]
- [New 99 Letters: Booon!](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-99-letters-booon/) - 99 Letters recently put up a new album of his spastic chiptune music for free over at his blog. It's a big download, but completely worth the half-hour wait. Booon! shows why 99 Letters frequently pops up on this blog, as his Gameboy-clatter easily morphs song to song from chaotic dance music to rave-esque to
- [Chip-tastic: 99 Letters](https://makebelievemelodies.com/chip-tastic-99-letters/) - Osaka's 99 Letters doesn't quite make chiptune music - sure, his songs overflow with video game bloop-bleeps and nearly every promotional photo of him features an old-school Game Boy. This stuffs on the same "loaded with Nintendo sounds but not defined by it" bender Crystal Castle downed en route to success. 99 Letters hits even
- [Space Is The Place: T4CKY](https://makebelievemelodies.com/space-is-the-place-t4cky/) - For some reason, the message system on this blog was broken for...the last few months, so every message people sent to me via the site did not actually get to me. Sorry! Upon realizing this problem, I went through all the mails and...well, found a lot of new music to listen to, a lot of
- [Check The Notes: Pavilion Xool Featuring Yunovation "I Still Smoke"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/check-the-notes-pavilion-xool-featuring-yunovation-i-still-smoke/) - It takes skill to make a song leaning heavily on a sample from The Notebook work, but all credit to Pavilion Xool, whose "I Still Smoke" manages to do just that. The producer's previous works bends heavily towards future-funk, but "I Still Smoke" features a woozy bed of synthesizers that whirr off, over which guest
- [New Metome: "Sathima"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-metome-sathima/) - Not to get too goopy about it, but I recently visited Osaka (uhhh, look out for that one soon?) and was frequently revisiting...mentally and verbally...the period from about 2011 to the start of 2014 where the city's electronic music scene was going full gear. Today, like it has in many places, the gap between underground
- [Smudged Surprise: Tempalay's "Kakumei Zenya"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/smudged-surprise-tempalays-kakumei-zenya/) - Tempalay seemed like a pretty forgettable rock band in 2016. The group released an album called From Japan, and the songs within sounded like most of the other Mac DeMarco-derived sunny-day rock that was just starting to take off -- in no hurry, practically bored with itself, some forced wackiness (especially in videos). But this
- [New Acidclank: "Rocks"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-acidclank-rocks/) - Acidclank seems to have grown quite a bit since last checking in with them. A while back, it was a solo project that leaned towards shoegaze, albeit in a way more interested in catchy melodies than waves of distortion. With new single "Rocks," Acidclank appears to have a full band behind him, and the sound
- [New Wooman: "Still Inside"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-wooman-still-inside/) - The throwback vibes of earlier Wooman songs have receded with "Still Inside," the post-CUZ ME PAIN band project of several prominent names in the Tokyo indie scene. The fuzz remains, but rather than an Ariel-Pink-ish (or Hotel Mexico-like) shambling, "Still Inside" finds the group hollering off in the distance, the verses and hook practically shouted
- [Round 'Em Up: Cattle's <em>Slow Sailor</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/round-em-up-cattles-slow-sailor/) - Always up for a nice blast of indie-pop. Cattle hail from Tokyo, and Slow Sailor is their second EP, released via Jigsaw Records in Seattle. It's exactly what you expect from a Japanese indie-pop...though, if you need to place them on a map, they are closer to the driving rock of Homecomings than the dreamy
- [New Yoshimi: <em>Atavism</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-yoshimi-atavism/) - Yoshimi doesn't see Tokyo in a positive or negative light -- the producer just hears the city beat. Atavism is the follow-up to last year's pulverizing Tokyo Restricted Area, a set gazing back on the capital's ancient past -- and summoning traditional Japanese instruments and singing styles -- while also placing it into its claustrophobic
- [New Meuko! Meuko!: <em>About Time</em> EP (Featuring Foodman And Satanicpornocultshop)](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-meuko-meuko-about-time-ep-featuring-foodman-and-satanicpornocultshop/) - For the purpose of this blog's guiding principle, I should focus on the Japanese artists involved in About Time. It comes via Japan's Kool Switch Works label, and features remixes of the title track by Foodman and Satanicpornocultshop, who both put their disjointed takes on the song. The whole thing is mastered by Metome...so yeah,
- [Wan The Track: 7mm's <em>Dog Compilation</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/wan-the-track-7mms-dog-compilation/) - This one isn't just for fans of dogs -- or "doggos," as the kids call them. Put out by Ayamati-Records and 7mm, this compilation reels in people who are prone to clicking anything with canines on it -- so, me -- and then hits them with a set of diverse, always energetic dance music, often
- [New Karen Felixx: <em>Colorless Girl</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-karen-felixx-colorless-girl/) - Loud and crushing can be just as good as anything else. Producer Karen Felixx's Colorless Girl runs with this hypothesis, and comes out with a solid album of heavy -- but still making way for moments of melodic escape -- tracks. Numbers such as "Dark Love" and "So Sorry" pile up on distorted elements --
- [New House Of Tapes: <em>Jump Up</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-house-of-tapes-jump-up/) - Nagoya's House Of Tapes offers up something hypnotic on Jump Up, a three-track album released via netlabel Force Records. Roughness exists around the edges -- every song here sounds like flakes are coming off of it, while the beat itself often sounds especially clattering (track one in particular) -- but it never gets overwhelming, allowing
- [Found It: Yunosuke Featuring Hatsune Mikue "I Seek You"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/found-it-yunosuke-featuring-hatsune-mikue-i-seek-you/) - Released earlier this month, the VREATH VOL.1 compilation features songs merging the digi-singing of Vocaloid with EDM. This isn't a breakthrough by any means necessary -- ever since the idea of a drop reached wide-spread visibility, producers have been trying to work synthesized singing under the umbrella term -- and for the most part this
- [New Yuichi Nagao: <em>Lumina</em> EP](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-yuichi-nagao-lumina-ep/) - Electronic producer Yuichi Nagao teamed up with Omoide Label for this EP, a brief but whimsical set. It doesn't come far from last year's enchanting Reverie, and Lumina finds Nagao further exploring how to turn twinkling sounds into dance-leaning cuts. Bells and chimes are the go-to element -- part of the charm here is, at
- [New Kamisama Club: "Sugarhead No Koibito"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-kamisama-club-sugarhead-no-koibito/) - Duo Kamisama Club have a mini-album on the way via Purre Goohn, and "Sugarhead No Koibito" shows they are only getting trippier with their music. "Sugarhead" plays out like a distant cousin of "kawaii bass" fare, zipping ahead on a stuttering beat and featuring all sorts of loopy details in the mix -- pitched-up voices,
- [New Suiyoubi No Campanella: "Melos"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-suiyoubi-no-campanella-melos/) - Not to play the "midyear report" card too soon, but Suiyoubi No Campanella's Superman remains near the top of my personal list. It's an album where one person's character -- in this case, KOM_I -- shines through and illuminates the project wholly, a nice flip of how this usually goes in J-Pop (the producer making
- [New i-fls: <em>Wasted</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-i-fls-wasted/) - General Overview [Boring, Factual]: i-fls is a producer working out of a suburban commuter community -- a "bedtown" -- somewhere outside of Tokyo. i-fls creates all of their music using primarily Garageband. Unlike everyone else doing that, i-fls' music overflows with melancholy, bittersweetness and a nostalgia that isn't limiting, but like actually trying to remember
- [Apocalypse Juke:  KΣITO's <em>Revelation</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/apocalypse-juke-kσitos-revelation/) - Plenty of Japanese juke music sounds dark -- see a fair amount of what came out of the Ghost label, or the Atomic Bomb Compilation series. So producer Keito Suzuki -- who records as KΣITO -- fits right in with his two-song set Revelation. The title track rumbles to life, and features a skittery vocal
- [New Toxxies: "Satellite"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-toxxies-satellite/) - Kyoto's Toxxies get a touch slower on newest song "Satellite," a drifting number highlighting the duo at a different tempo than usual. Similar to their hometown's Emerald Four, "Satellite" floats along and isn't afraid to let some space surround the song, with the verses featuring the slightest synth and beat, which allows the digi-dusted vocals
- [Alphabet Soup: AVV And RGL Team Up For <em>001</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/alphabet-soup-avv-and-rgl-team-up-for-001/) - Two producers who are fond of letters -- AVV (And Vice Versa) and RGL (Rigly Chang) -- team up for a split single released via fledgling label 4x0.2ss. AVV's "The Forrest And Friends" shuffles ahead, featuring a mix of ghostly vocal details and a sturdy beat that makes sure it doesn't get too unsettling. As
- [Coastin': Tenma Tenma's "Nettaiya"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/coastin-tenma-tenmas-nettaiya/) - The temperature rarely stops producers from putting out warm, summer-ready music, but now that the season actually reflects the sound, something like Tenma Tenma's "Nettaiya" connects way more powerfully than if it was the end of February. The Osaka artist has put out some solid stuff before -- see this winter's Kitahama, though maybe that
- [New Le Makeup: "Friends"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-le-makeup-friends/) - Maybe it is just small sample size, but all of the music from Le Makeup I've heard thus far has been on the more hectic side. So "Friends" is a nice switch up, a slower-tempo song more intent on reflection than movement. The criss-crossing synths end up comforting, and even the slightly pitched-up voices behind
- [More Than Sugar: YUC'e's <em>Macaron Moon</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/more-than-sugar-yuces-macaron-moon/) - It's tough to talk about kawaii bass...or any hyper-crowded electronic music to come out of Japan over the last year and a half...without bringing up YUC'e. Her "Future Candy" is one of the defining songs of the sub-style, a catchy pop number that goes lightspeed at various points...but always manages to return to that main
- [New Evening Cinema: "Wagamama"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-evening-cinema-wagamama/) - Roughness helps Evening Cinema stand out from the ever-smoothing Japanese rock crowd. Intentionally or not, the group's harsh vocals add a sandpapered-edge to twinkling pop full of tight bass lines and sparkly keyboard notes. "Wagamama" shows this isn't just a demo situation, but rather that the elements just not quite fitting -- but coming close
- [New Hiroto Kudo: "Blink"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-hiroto-kudo-blink/) - Producer Hiroto Kudo crafts something calming but with a little kick on latest song "Blink." For the most part, it is a sparse number featuring synthesizer driplets and a fidgety (but understated) beat. Save for some voices floating by in the back, it is straightforward and relaxing. But Kudo knows how to turn all of
- [New Fragile Flowers: <em>Psyche</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-fragile-flowers-psyche/) - Indie-pop project Fragile Flowers called up a lot of heavy hitters from the country's twee-leaning scene for their first album, but have now settled on more fixed lineup for Psyche. It also feels a little more settled sonically, hovering in the same dizzying space that For Tracy Hyde occupied early on in that group's existence.
- [Rough But Ready: Tamao Ninomiya's "Migaku Hoo Rhythm Of Eyes"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/rough-but-ready-tamao-ninomiyas-migaku-hoo-rhythm-of-eyes/) - Producer Tamao Ninomiya transforms rough numbers into charming little songs. The producer's 2015 demo Heavenly Disorders highlighted that well, with chirpy little synth numbers wandering off in all sorts of directions, but most of the creations featuring a melodic grounding of some sort -- even if said grounding moved out of frame quickly after. Ninomiya's
- [Drifting Out West: Ruby Lemon's "The Ship Of Imagery"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/drifting-out-west-ruby-lemons-the-ship-of-imagery/) - Based out of Fukuoka, Ruby Lemon is the new solo project of Kumiko, formerly of the band Amorphous. Under her new alias, she's moving towards something more reflective and more sun-bathed, vaguely tropical but ultimately more on the dreamy side. "The Ship Of Imagery" unfolds slowly, synthesizer notes drifting across all blurred and the beat
- [New Cornelius: "If You're Here"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-cornelius-if-youre-here/) - Cornelius has returned, and he sounds at home with the current state of J-Pop. "If You're Here" is the first song from Mellow Waves, his first original album since 2006's Sensuous. And similar to the numbers on that full-length...and prior release Point..."If You're Here" uses abrupt breaks and just-off rhythms to construct a song. Bits
- [New Dustin Wong And Takako Minekawa: "Elastic Astral Peel"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-dustin-wong-and-takako-minekawa-elastic-astral-peel/) - Usually, Japan gets new movies or TV shows way later than the rest of the world. But sometimes it works the other way too -- I figured Dustin Wong and Takako Minekawa's latest album Are Euphoria was out everywhere, since you can find it at music stores here in Tokyo. But nope! It comes out
- [New Jun Kamoda: "Blind Disco"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-jun-kamoda-blind-disco/) - One of the best live sets I saw last year came courtesy of Jun Kamoda at last year's Maltine Records event at WWW X, a shape-shifting and exhilarating hour of music featuring splashes of guitar and moments of pure release. Echoes of that set appear in "Blind Disco," the first song from Kamoda's forthcoming release
- [New MPEG-7: <em>Rain Grain</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-mpeg-7-rain-grain/) - Space is a critical aspect of producer MPEG-7's latest song, "Rain Grain." Not silence, as sound is present at all points of the song, but MPEG-7 lets skittery beats and keyboard lines hang out exposed early on, slowly letting more elements creep in to the fidgety electronic number. Eventually, the song bursts open, thumping ahead
- [Softly Spoken: Shiwashiwa's "Blue"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/softly-spoken-shiwashiwas-blue/) - Many newer women rappers (but not all) in Japan today operate in a whisper-like voice, a topic most certainly worthy of an essay or two (quick aside: I mostly come back to MCpero telling me that she wishes she was a man, to rap better). Beyond thinkpiece-ready topics, it also means a lot of it
- [24 Rainbow Gold: Estl's "Mars"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/24-rainbow-gold-estls-mars/) - This is as simple a track you are going to see around these parts, but done so well as to transform it into a big, gooey gumball of a song lasting for just about two minutes. Yokohama producer Estl takes parts of Bruno Mars' "24K Magic" -- particularly a few notable vocal yelps from Mars
- [New LLLL: "Mahou"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-llll-mahou/) - The latest from Tokyo's LLLL moves away from clearly identifiable vocals in favor of playing around with the human voice as instrument. "Mahou" is a rumbling number featuring the synthesizers the project has long fancies, the sort that add a sense of melancholy to the track as a whole even when everything drops out for
- [Double Serving: Cor!s' "Firefly" And AZUpubschool's "Sakuragai"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/double-serving-cors-firefly-and-azupubschools-sakuragai/) - Both members of KiWi shared new songs tonight, a nice reminder to anyone who enjoys the duo's Adam's Family EDM that both are accomplished artists in their own right. Cor!s' "Firefly" is a sweet number doubling as a floor-filler, the lyrics considering the transience of relationships and what it takes for something to last...but backed
- [Split-Second Bliss: ΔKTR's <em>suburbanfunkessentials</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/split-second-bliss-δktrs-suburbanfunkessentials/) - I've been thinking a lot about samples recently -- mainly, the dilemma that so many artists stir up in me when they create songs that are just slightly edited versions of obscure tracks. On the one hand, it seems lazy and obscures the original. On the other...this has always been part of dance music, and
- [In A Trance: Prince Graves' "Secret Valley"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/in-a-trance-prince-graves-secret-valley/) - Ami Kawai is half of Tokyo band She Talks Silence, and she also has a solo project under the name Prince Graves. Her first full-length album, Half Awakening, comes out on May 24, and ahead of it she has shared the hypnotic "Secret Valley." It's a lithe number, centered around repeated words and small electronic
- [New Woopheadclrms: <em>Kamechiyo</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-woopheadclrms-kamechiyo/) - Wasabi Tapes just keeps on bringing the textural bliss. The label's latest release comes from Woopheadclrms, and it is 20 tracks of frantic, tactical noise, featuring rushing water mixed with sudden synth twists ("Bonfire") and instructional voices clashing with bell chimes ("Misonikomi"). Kamechiyo sounds a bit more anarchist than other sound explorers like Toiret Status
- [New Broken Haze: <em>Nizmo</em> EP](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-broken-haze-nizmo-ep/) - Since helping launch Beta Pack a while back, producer Broken Haze has embraced a piston-pounding, all around aggressive sound that seemingly draws inspiration from the world of cars. The Nizmo EP is the latest exploration of this HD-like approach to hard-hitting dance, featuring four new songs full of trunk-rattling beats and shiny synthesizer notes. Opener
- [New Noah: "Back"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-noah-back/) - Ahead of a few opening gigs with Liima, Noah has shared a new song called "Back." The usual adjectives apply -- sparse, delicate, fragile, etc etc. -- but what stands out is the ability for the song to simply stand on its own. Noah's work to this point has mostly been centered around EPs and
- [Brewin' Up Something Good: CHAI's "Sayonara Complex"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/brewin-up-something-good-chais-sayonara-complex/) - Plenty of Japanese bands have gone to South By Southwest, but I can't remember one using said Texas exodus to create a video as outright charming as the one CHAI made for "Sayonara Complex." Not sure I've seen anyone else in 2017 seemingly having so much fun as the quartet as they conga through a
- [New Smany: <em>Kotoba</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-smany-kotoba/) - Nothing wrong with a little electronic retreat every once in while. The delicate songs Smany puts together feel like little escapes, every number featuring a sparse set of instruments enveloping her voice, which runs from sing-speak to near murmur. Little details add to the songs -- "Emigre (Album ver)" matches the sound of waves crashing
- [New Kotetsu (From Picnic Disco): <em>MAVTAPE  1</em>](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-picnic-disco-mavtape-1/) - It takes a lot to elevate a beat tape from Bandcamp loosie to something absorbing on its own, but Kotetsu from Picnic Disco pulls it off the rare feet with the disorienting MAVTAPE 1. Based on how they describe it -- "chill&vapot-trap beats" -- I was bracing for something like one of those YouTube mixes
- [Digi Maw: KOHH's "I Don't Work (IA Version)"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/digi-maw-kohhs-i-dont-work-ia-version/) - I don't know why the fuck this exists, but god bless whoever gave it the greenlight. Looks like it was first made back in December...produced by TeddyLoid...for a phone app. Well, sure, but this is the real arrival... KOHH, far and away the most well known rapper in Japan and abroad at the moment, shared
- [New Tofubeats: "What You Got"](https://makebelievemelodies.com/new-tofubeats-what-you-got/) - Fantasy Club is right around the corner, and the latest hint at what Tofubeats has planned for his latest comes via "What You Got," a dance-pop number that mutates frequently across its six-plus minutes run. It's a shifty number that slowly adds elements -- including strings, which seem to be popping up a lot recently

## Pages

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- [J-Pop](https://makebelievemelodies.com/j-pop/) - [catlist name=j-pop]
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## Categories

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## Tags

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- [ain't i a little stinker](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/aint-i-a-little-stinker/)
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- [all caps when you spell the mad name](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/all-caps-when-you-spell-the-mad-name/)
- [aloha](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/aloha/)
- [also sleepy](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/also-sleepy/)
- [also whats up with naming Keikaku the best Japanese music site they haven't updated since last year](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/also-whats-up-with-naming-keikaku-the-best-japanese-music-site-they-havent-updated-since-last-year/)
- [altered zones wins this round](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/altered-zones-wins-this-round/)
- [ambient](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/ambient/)
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- [and the geeks](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/and-the-geeks/)
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- [anime music videos gahhh](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/anime-music-videos-gahhh/)
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- [ANOTHER PERFECT PERSON](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/another-perfect-person/)
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- [anyo](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/anyo/)
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- [army strong](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/army-strong/)
- [article](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/article/)
- [ashigaru youth](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/ashigaru-youth/)
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- [Å](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/å/)
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- [baby loop code](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/baby-loop-code/)
- [backstreet's back alright?](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/backstreets-back-alright/)
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- [bad Devo reference](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/bad-devo-reference/)
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- [based writing](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/based-writing/)
- [basketball season is back by the way](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/basketball-season-is-back-by-the-way/)
- [baths](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/baths/)
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- [be thankful this didn't end up 50](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/be-thankful-this-didnt-end-up-50/)
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- [BIEBS!](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/biebs/)
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- [BIG NEWS](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/big-news/)
- [Big ups if ya can figure out the picture](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/big-ups-if-ya-can-figure-out-the-picture/)
- [birds melt sky](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/birds-melt-sky/)
- [blackface](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/blackface/)
- [blog matters](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/blog-matters/)
- [bloghouse](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/bloghouse/)
- [bloodthirsty butchers](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/bloodthirsty-butchers/)
- [blue satellite](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/blue-satellite/)
- [blur](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/blur/)
- [boa](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/boa/)
- [boffo](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/boffo/)
- [bonnie pink](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/bonnie-pink/)
- [boom boom satelites](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/boom-boom-satelites/)
- [boom boom satellites](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/boom-boom-satellites/)
- [Boredomes](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/boredomes/)
- [boredoms](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/boredoms/)
- [boring](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/boring/)
- [boris](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/boris/)
- [bossa nova](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/bossa-nova/)
- [boy this will look dumb when i post the moscow club post in the morning](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/boy-this-will-look-dumb-when-i-post-the-moscow-club-post-in-the-morning/)
- [boyfriend material](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/boyfriend-material/)
- [boyish](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/boyish/)
- [boys noize](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/boys-noize/)
- [brainfeeder](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/brainfeeder/)
- [break up](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/break-up/)
- [BREAKERZ](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/breakerz/)
- [breaking the fourth wall](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/breaking-the-fourth-wall/)
- [breezesquad](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/breezesquad/)
- [broken little sister](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/broken-little-sister/)
- [bruno merz](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/bruno-merz/)
- [buckethead>slash](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/bucketheadslash/)
- [buddy girl & mechanic](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/buddy-girl-mechanic/)
- [budo grape](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/budo-grape/)
- [buffalo daughter](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/buffalo-daughter/)
- [bugseed](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/bugseed/)
- [bugy craxone](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/bugy-craxone/)
- [bump of chicken](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/bump-of-chicken/)
- [burger king](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/burger-king/)
- [but great song!](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/but-great-song/)
- [buy stuff](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/buy-stuff/)
- [Buzzer Beat](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/buzzer-beat/)
- [buzzu](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/buzzu/)
- [can't write much must pack for flight](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/cant-write-much-must-pack-for-flight/)
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- [caroline](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/caroline/)
- [Caroline Rocks](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/caroline-rocks/)
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- [cats](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/cats/)
- [caucus](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/caucus/)
- [cee lo green](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/cee-lo-green/)
- [cero](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/cero/)
- [chabe](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/chabe/)
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- [che'nelle](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/chenelle/)
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- [chemistry](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/chemistry/)
- [cherryboy function](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/cherryboy-function/)
- [children's music](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/childrens-music/)
- [chill-wave](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/chill-wave/)
- [chimp beams](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/chimp-beams/)
- [chiptune](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/chiptune/)
- [chizawa q](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/chizawa-q/)
- [chocolatre](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/chocolatre/)
- [christmas music](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/christmas-music/)
- [christopher wade](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/christopher-wade/)
- [chromeo](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/chromeo/)
- [chunli & hikari](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/chunli-hikari/)
- [cinema staff](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/cinema-staff/)
- [clear bias on my part](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/clear-bias-on-my-part/)
- [closest i'll ever get to doing drugs in japan](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/closest-ill-ever-get-to-doing-drugs-in-japan/)
- [cloudy busey](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/cloudy-busey/)
- [cocc](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/cocc/)
- [cocco](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/cocco/)
- [cocoon](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/cocoon/)
- [cokiy](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/cokiy/)
- [cokiyu](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/cokiyu/)
- [COMA-CHI](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/coma-chi/)
- [comeback my daughters](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/comeback-my-daughters/)
- [comical sewing co-applique](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/comical-sewing-co-applique/)
- [compilation](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/compilation/)
- [concentrate on popping](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/concentrate-on-popping/)
- [concert](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/concert/)
- [conflicted](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/conflicted/)
- [contrarian stances](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/contrarian-stances/)
- [contrary parade](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/contrary-parade/)
- [controlled karaoke](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/controlled-karaoke/)
- [controversey](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/controversey/)
- [cooking for you](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/cooking-for-you/)
- [cooking metaphors](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/cooking-metaphors/)
- [cop outs](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/cop-outs/)
- [corin tucker](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/corin-tucker/)
- [cornelius](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/cornelius/)
- [cosmic home](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/cosmic-home/)
- [could i interest you in the great taste of popcorn chicken?](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/could-i-interest-you-in-the-great-taste-of-popcorn-chicken/)
- [counterpoint](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/counterpoint/)
- [cover](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/cover/)
- [crime](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/crime/)
- [crystal soda](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/crystal-soda/)
- [cryv](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/cryv/)
- [css](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/css/)
- [cubismo grafico](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/cubismo-grafico/)
- [cubismo grafico five](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/cubismo-grafico-five/)
- [CUSTOM NOISE](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/custom-noise/)
- [custommummy](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/custommummy/)
- [cute](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/cute/)
- [cuz me pain](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/cuz-me-pain/)
- [czecho no republic](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/czecho-no-republic/)
- [daft punk](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/daft-punk/)
- [DAHHHHHH](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/dahhhhhh/)
- [daimon](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/daimon/)
- [daisuke](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/daisuke/)
- [daisuke tanabe](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/daisuke-tanabe/)
- [daisyblue](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/daisyblue/)
- [dance](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/dance/)
- [dance contest](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/dance-contest/)
- [dancing](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/dancing/)
- [dare to be stupid](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/dare-to-be-stupid/)
- [DARK-EYES](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/dark-eyes/)
- [days of the week](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/days-of-the-week/)
- [de de mouse](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/de-de-mouse/)
- [death metal](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/death-metal/)
- [deerhoof](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/deerhoof/)
- [DELI](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/deli/)
- [dennis wilson shout out](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/dennis-wilson-shout-out/)
- [desmond & the tutus](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/desmond-the-tutus/)
- [dessert buzz words](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/dessert-buzz-words/)
- [dfa](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/dfa/)
- [die antwoord](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/die-antwoord/)
- [discovery were still better than owl city though](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/discovery-were-still-better-than-owl-city-though/)
- [diskotopia](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/diskotopia/)
- [dj obake](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/dj-obake/)
- [do it is amazing though](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/do-it-is-amazing-though/)
- [DODDODO](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/doddodo/)
- [DOES](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/does/)
- [Does It Float](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/does-it-float/)
- [dogs](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/dogs/)
- [Dominika](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/dominika/)
- [don't blame me I voted for weed](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/dont-blame-me-i-voted-for-weed/)
- [donnis](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/donnis/)
- [doraemon](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/doraemon/)
- [dorian](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/dorian/)
- [download](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/download/)
- [DOZ](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/doz/)
- [dracaena](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/dracaena/)
- [dream morning musume](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/dream-morning-musume/)
- [dry river string](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/dry-river-string/)
- [dub-russell](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/dub-russell/)
- [dubstep](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/dubstep/)
- [dvd trailers](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/dvd-trailers/)
- [earthbound is the best video game ever made](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/earthbound-is-the-best-video-game-ever-made/)
- [eastwest boys](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/eastwest-boys/)
- [easy way to start the week](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/easy-way-to-start-the-week/)
- [eccy](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/eccy/)
- [educational tv](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/educational-tv/)
- [Eel](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/eel/)
- [electric eel shock](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/electric-eel-shock/)
- [ELEN NEVER SLEEPS](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/elen-never-sleeps/)
- [elite gymnastics](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/elite-gymnastics/)
- [embarassingly personal](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/embarassingly-personal/)
- [emerald four](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/emerald-four/)
- [emi takei](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/emi-takei/)
- [end's not near](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/ends-not-near/)
- [enie meenie](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/enie-meenie/)
- [enka](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/enka/)
- [enya](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/enya/)
- [erectricmole](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/erectricmole/)
- [erykah badu](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/erykah-badu/)
- [Etsuko Yakushimaru](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/etsuko-yakushimaru/)
- [ewwwww](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/ewwwww/)
- [exile](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/exile/)
- [extraperlo](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/extraperlo/)
- [遊助](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/遊助/)
- [関ジャニ∞](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/関ジャニ∞/)
- [虫のしらせ](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/虫のしらせ/)
- [fairies](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/fairies/)
- [false](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/false/)
- [fanfiction](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/fanfiction/)
- [fanta](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/fanta/)
- [fantastic explosion](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/fantastic-explosion/)
- [faron square](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/faron-square/)
- [feel free to write hateful comments too you'll just break my heart is all](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/feel-free-to-write-hateful-comments-too-youll-just-break-my-heart-is-all/)
- [ferri](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/ferri/)
- [festival](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/festival/)
- [ffeeco woman](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/ffeeco-woman/)
- [figaro the kid](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/figaro-the-kid/)
- [fight like apes](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/fight-like-apes/)
- [film references](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/film-references/)
- [fix yr website](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/fix-yr-website/)
- [fizzy dino pop](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/fizzy-dino-pop/)
- [fizzy dino pop. Perfume](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/fizzy-dino-pop-perfume/)
- [flake records](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/flake-records/)
- [flau](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/flau/)
- [fliers](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/fliers/)
- [flight egg](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/flight-egg/)
- [float down the liffey](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/float-down-the-liffey/)
- [flumpool](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/flumpool/)
- [flying lotus](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/flying-lotus/)
- [foreignland](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/foreignland/)
- [fpm](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/fpm/)
- [fragment](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/fragment/)
- [fraqsea](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/fraqsea/)
- [free music](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/free-music/)
- [free stuff](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/free-stuff/)
- [freind of trip](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/freind-of-trip/)
- [frenesi](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/frenesi/)
- [frie](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/frie/)
- [friendly hearts of japan](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/friendly-hearts-of-japan/)
- [friends](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/friends/)
- [frontier backyard](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/frontier-backyard/)
- [fruit joke i didn't notice until halfway through the post](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/fruit-joke-i-didnt-notice-until-halfway-through-the-post/)
- [fuck frat rap](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/fuck-frat-rap/)
- [fuck the internet](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/fuck-the-internet/)
- [fuji rock](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/fuji-rock/)
- [fuji rock festival](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/fuji-rock-festival/)
- [fukui mai](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/fukui-mai/)
- [Fumitake Uchida](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/fumitake-uchida/)
- [funky monkey babys](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/funky-monkey-babys/)
- [furil](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/furil/)
- [fu_mou](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/fu_mou/)
- [GACKT](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/gackt/)
- [gagakirise](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/gagakirise/)
- [galileo galilei](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/galileo-galilei/)
- [game boy](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/game-boy/)
- [gather round for a story](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/gather-round-for-a-story/)
- [geeks](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/geeks/)
- [Gellers](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/gellers/)
- [ghibli](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/ghibli/)
- [giddy](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/giddy/)
- [gimmick post](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/gimmick-post/)
- [girl next door](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/girl-next-door/)
- [girls generation](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/girls-generation/)
- [give me wallets](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/give-me-wallets/)
- [glay](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/glay/)
- [go usa beat england put them in roo-ins](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/go-usa-beat-england-put-them-in-roo-ins/)
- [god already?](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/god-already/)
- [gold panda](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/gold-panda/)
- [good causes](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/good-causes/)
- [good on the dancefloor](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/good-on-the-dancefloor/)
- [goosehouse](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/goosehouse/)
- [goth-trad](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/goth-trad/)
- [grammar-tastrophy](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/grammar-tastrophy/)
- [great band terrible name](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/great-band-terrible-name/)
- [greeen linez](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/greeen-linez/)
- [group tamashi](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/group-tamashi/)
- [gucci mane reference](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/gucci-mane-reference/)
- [guess this is Japanese cover week](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/guess-this-is-japanese-cover-week/)
- [guide](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/guide/)
- [guinea pigs](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/guinea-pigs/)
- [gypsy paradox](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/gypsy-paradox/)
- [hair cut valentine](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/hair-cut-valentine/)
- [halcali](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/halcali/)
- [halfby](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/halfby/)
- [halloween](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/halloween/)
- [hanaco principe](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/hanaco-principe/)
- [handsomeboy technique](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/handsomeboy-technique/)
- [happy birthday](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/happy-birthday/)
- [HARUOSEVEN](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/haruoseven/)
- [harvard](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/harvard/)
- [hate is all you need](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/hate-is-all-you-need/)
- [hate you internet commenters](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/hate-you-internet-commenters/)
- [haters gonna hate](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/haters-gonna-hate/)
- [hatin' on james blunt](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/hatin-on-james-blunt/)
- [hatsune Miku](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/hatsune-miku/)
- [haven't made a nuggets reference in a while](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/havent-made-a-nuggets-reference-in-a-while/)
- [heavenstamp](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/heavenstamp/)
- [help](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/help/)
- [helpin' ya out](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/helpin-ya-out/)
- [her ghost friend](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/her-ghost-friend/)
- [Herajika](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/herajika/)
- [hey! say! jump!](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/hey-say-jump/)
- [hideaki tokunaga](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/hideaki-tokunaga/)
- [hideki kaji](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/hideki-kaji/)
- [highered-girl](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/highered-girl/)
- [higu](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/higu/)
- [hilchryme](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/hilchryme/)
- [Hilcrhyme](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/hilcrhyme/)
- [himawari batake](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/himawari-batake/)
- [hint both songs suck](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/hint-both-songs-suck/)
- [hip-hop quote-un-quote](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/hip-hop-quote-un-quote/)
- [hiraga sachie](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/hiraga-sachie/)
- [hiromi go](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/hiromi-go/)
- [history](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/history/)
- [Hminh](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/hminh/)
- [HNC](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/hnc/)
- [holy crap lois](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/holy-crap-lois/)
- [holy shit i'm excited](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/holy-shit-im-excited/)
- [honey l days](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/honey-l-days/)
- [honeydew](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/honeydew/)
- [hootie and the blowfish](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/hootie-and-the-blowfish/)
- [Hoover's Ooover](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/hoovers-ooover/)
- [Horrid Rip-Offs](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/horrid-rip-offs/)
- [hoshina anniversary](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/hoshina-anniversary/)
- [hosome](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/hosome/)
- [HOT HOT SEX](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/hot-hot-sex/)
- [hotel mexico](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/hotel-mexico/)
- [housemeister](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/housemeister/)
- [how long until the lil wayne collab?](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/how-long-until-the-lil-wayne-collab/)
- [hugga hugga bear chan](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/hugga-hugga-bear-chan/)
- [HUH](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/huh/)
- [hump back](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/hump-back/)
- [hunting pigeons](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/hunting-pigeons/)
- [HY](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/hy/)
- [hyadain](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/hyadain/)
- [Hyakkei](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/hyakkei/)
- [i admit the ending could be better](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/i-admit-the-ending-could-be-better/)
- [i am also surprised heavenstamp somehow corralled animal collective into this](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/i-am-also-surprised-heavenstamp-somehow-corralled-animal-collective-into-this/)
- [i am busy sorry for quick post](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/i-am-busy-sorry-for-quick-post/)
- [i am way late to this](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/i-am-way-late-to-this/)
- [I bet half of there fans are creepy men](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/i-bet-half-of-there-fans-are-creepy-men/)
- [I don't care how much money VAMPS makes that is the worst song I've heard all year](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/i-dont-care-how-much-money-vamps-makes-that-is-the-worst-song-ive-heard-all-year/)
- [i don't even know anymore](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/i-dont-even-know-anymore/)
- [i don't get that charlotte gainsbourg video one bit and I think that is the point](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/i-dont-get-that-charlotte-gainsbourg-video-one-bit-and-i-think-that-is-the-point/)
- [I don't know what chillwave is](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/i-dont-know-what-chillwave-is/)
- [I don't like Oasis go Blur go Pulp](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/i-dont-like-oasis-go-blur-go-pulp/)
- [i don't like writing this](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/i-dont-like-writing-this/)
- [i don't want to go off on a rant here but](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/i-dont-want-to-go-off-on-a-rant-here-but/)
- [i have been up for like 15 hours now and will be up four more hours hence the short post](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/i-have-been-up-for-like-15-hours-now-and-will-be-up-four-more-hours-hence-the-short-post/)
- [i haven't seen that movie in 11 years so yeah!](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/i-havent-seen-that-movie-in-11-years-so-yeah/)
- [i just watched the rugby world cup hence the word scrum](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/i-just-watched-the-rugby-world-cup-hence-the-word-scrum/)
- [i might be totally wrong](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/i-might-be-totally-wrong/)
- [i report you decide](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/i-report-you-decide/)
- [i spent a long weekend at the beach and i'm very tired so i may not be that enthusiastic today sorry](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/i-spent-a-long-weekend-at-the-beach-and-im-very-tired-so-i-may-not-be-that-enthusiastic-today-sorry/)
- [i think the kid wanted to score honestly](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/i-think-the-kid-wanted-to-score-honestly/)
- [I went this whole review without making a Balloon Boy joke that's pretty good](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/i-went-this-whole-review-without-making-a-balloon-boy-joke-thats-pretty-good/)
- [i'll show myself out](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/ill-show-myself-out/)
- [I'm a hipster I'm so sorry](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/im-a-hipster-im-so-sorry/)
- [I'm feeling sick so forgive my bad prose](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/im-feeling-sick-so-forgive-my-bad-prose/)
- [i'm not actually going to steal books from my school](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/im-not-actually-going-to-steal-books-from-my-school/)
- [I'm not going there](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/im-not-going-there/)
- [I'm not spelling pink with ! sorry](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/im-not-spelling-pink-with-sorry/)
- [i'm only slightly tipsy at the moment](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/im-only-slightly-tipsy-at-the-moment/)
- [i've now mentioned dipset christmas two times on my blog somebody stop me](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/ive-now-mentioned-dipset-christmas-two-times-on-my-blog-somebody-stop-me/)
- [ian astbury](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/ian-astbury/)
- [ice cream shout](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/ice-cream-shout/)
- [ICECREAMMAN](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/icecreamman/)
- [idaho burger probably not like what they eat in idaho](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/idaho-burger-probably-not-like-what-they-eat-in-idaho/)
- [idiot pop](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/idiot-pop/)
- [idols](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/idols/)
- [if by yes](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/if-by-yes/)
- [Ikimono-gakari](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/ikimono-gakari/)
- [im sorry if you like enya](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/im-sorry-if-you-like-enya/)
- [IMALU](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/imalu/)
- [immi](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/immi/)
- [impersonation](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/impersonation/)
- [in which i make my hate for akb48 very very clear](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/in-which-i-make-my-hate-for-akb48-very-very-clear/)
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- [my internet connection at work is not very good](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/my-internet-connection-at-work-is-not-very-good/)
- [myspace dissin'](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/myspace-dissin/)
- [mystery](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/mystery/)
- [myuuRy](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/myuury/)
- [N'shukugawa boys](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/nshukugawa-boys/)
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- [naoto inti raymi](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/naoto-inti-raymi/)
- [nara street style music](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/nara-street-style-music/)
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- [near disasters](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/near-disasters/)
- [needs more cassingle](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/needs-more-cassingle/)
- [needs more runaway five](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/needs-more-runaway-five/)
- [neko meow](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/neko-meow/)
- [neko!](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/neko/)
- [neon cloud](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/neon-cloud/)
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- [new banner!](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/new-banner/)
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- [next stop music station](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/next-stop-music-station/)
- [next time not so much twee I swear](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/next-time-not-so-much-twee-i-swear/)
- [NICO Touches The Walls](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/nico-touches-the-walls/)
- [night vision](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/night-vision/)
- [Nini Tounuma](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/nini-tounuma/)
- [Nisennenmondai](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/nisennenmondai/)
- [nites](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/nites/)
- [nmb48](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/nmb48/)
- [no cars](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/no-cars/)
- [no seriously](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/no-seriously/)
- [no snark no problem](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/no-snark-no-problem/)
- [No3b](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/no3b/)
- [nobody knows what chillwave is](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/nobody-knows-what-chillwave-is/)
- [nobody knows what witch house is](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/nobody-knows-what-witch-house-is/)
- [noise and milk](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/noise-and-milk/)
- [NOKIES!](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/nokies/)
- [NONONO](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/nonono/)
- [norah jones](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/norah-jones/)
- [norihito ogawa](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/norihito-ogawa/)
- [nostalgia](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/nostalgia/)
- [not glo-fi](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/not-glo-fi/)
- [not gonna lie i was a little tired when i wrote this](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/not-gonna-lie-i-was-a-little-tired-when-i-wrote-this/)
- [not gonna lie i'm rambling but i'm in a very based mood right now](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/not-gonna-lie-im-rambling-but-im-in-a-very-based-mood-right-now/)
- [not human](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/not-human/)
- [not sure I used addendum right](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/not-sure-i-used-addendum-right/)
- [not sure whether I dig this or hate it](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/not-sure-whether-i-dig-this-or-hate-it/)
- [not technically japanese](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/not-technically-japanese/)
- [not very critical actually](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/not-very-critical-actually/)
- [Not Yet](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/not-yet/)
- [not-so-gold-soundz](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/not-so-gold-soundz/)
- [nothing wrong with a man loving a record label](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/nothing-wrong-with-a-man-loving-a-record-label/)
- [november rain video vs Axl swimming with dolphins who ya got](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/november-rain-video-vs-axl-swimming-with-dolphins-who-ya-got/)
- [nu clear classmate](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/nu-clear-classmate/)
- [nujabes](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/nujabes/)
- [numb to cars](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/numb-to-cars/)
- [number girl](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/number-girl/)
- [nuxx](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/nuxx/)
- [NYC](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/nyc/)
- [occult you](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/occult-you/)
- [odd future wolf gang kill them all](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/odd-future-wolf-gang-kill-them-all/)
- [OGRE YOU ASSHOLE](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/ogre-you-asshole/)
- [oh my god white people why](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/oh-my-god-white-people-why/)
- [oh the humanity](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/oh-the-humanity/)
- [ojs48](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/ojs48/)
- [old man rants](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/old-man-rants/)
- [old old old old](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/old-old-old-old/)
- [Olympics](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/olympics/)
- [omegaboy](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/omegaboy/)
- [ominous note](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/ominous-note/)
- [OMODAKA](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/omodaka/)
- [one day diary](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/one-day-diary/)
- [one listen through review](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/one-listen-through-review/)
- [one week one band](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/one-week-one-band/)
- [one week with](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/one-week-with/)
- [OOIOO](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/ooioo/)
- [oorutaichi](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/oorutaichi/)
- [opaluc](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/opaluc/)
- [orange range](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/orange-range/)
- [oricon](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/oricon/)
- [ORIGAMI](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/origami/)
- [orland](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/orland/)
- [Osaka](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/osaka/)
- [oshiripenpenz](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/oshiripenpenz/)
- [otogi banashi](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/otogi-banashi/)
- [otogivanashi](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/otogivanashi/)
- [OWARIKARA](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/owarikara/)
- [O___o](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/o___o/)
- [pain is funny when it happens to other people!](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/pain-is-funny-when-it-happens-to-other-people/)
- [pains of being pure at heart](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/pains-of-being-pure-at-heart/)
- [pajama pop](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/pajama-pop/)
- [pandaboy](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/pandaboy/)
- [pandering for weekend hits I admit it](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/pandering-for-weekend-hits-i-admit-it/)
- [PARADISE](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/paradise/)
- [passion pit](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/passion-pit/)
- [pastel blue](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/pastel-blue/)
- [pasteur](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/pasteur/)
- [pavement](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/pavement/)
- [peach](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/peach/)
- [pechica](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/pechica/)
- [penn state reference kinda](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/penn-state-reference-kinda/)
- [pepsi](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/pepsi/)
- [perfect piano lesson](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/perfect-piano-lesson/)
- [Perfume](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/perfume/)
- [phoning it in](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/phoning-it-in/)
- [photoshop](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/photoshop/)
- [picture has nothing to do with anything](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/picture-has-nothing-to-do-with-anything/)
- [pictureplane](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/pictureplane/)
- [PINKLOOP](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/pinkloop/)
- [pitchfork](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/pitchfork/)
- [pixar](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/pixar/)
- [pixies](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/pixies/)
- [plastic girl in the closet](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/plastic-girl-in-the-closet/)
- [PLASTICZOOMS](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/plasticzooms/)
- [pleasure](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/pleasure/)
- [pocky](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/pocky/)
- [pointless educational lesson](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/pointless-educational-lesson/)
- [pointless video](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/pointless-video/)
- [politics](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/politics/)
- [polyphonic parachute](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/polyphonic-parachute/)
- [polysics](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/polysics/)
- [pop](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/pop/)
- [pop chocolat](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/pop-chocolat/)
- [pop-office](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/pop-office/)
- [Porno Graffitti](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/porno-graffitti/)
- [post modern team](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/post-modern-team/)
- [praha depart](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/praha-depart/)
- [predawn](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/predawn/)
- [predictable](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/predictable/)
- [pretentious review](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/pretentious-review/)
- [probably a few cultural errors in that clip!](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/probably-a-few-cultural-errors-in-that-clip/)
- [protest song](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/protest-song/)
- [PSG](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/psg/)
- [publications that actually print on paper](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/publications-that-actually-print-on-paper/)
- [Puffy](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/puffy/)
- [puffy shoes](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/puffy-shoes/)
- [puffyshoes](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/puffyshoes/)
- [puns](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/puns/)
- [Qomolangma Tomato](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/qomolangma-tomato/)
- [quack quack quack](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/quack-quack-quack/)
- [quarta 330](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/quarta-330/)
- [queen](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/queen/)
- [quinka with a yawn](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/quinka-with-a-yawn/)
- [race](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/race/)
- [radio friends](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/radio-friends/)
- [radom-tastic](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/radom-tastic/)
- [rainbows](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/rainbows/)
- [rainstick orchestra](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/rainstick-orchestra/)
- [rants](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/rants/)
- [rap](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/rap/)
- [rapunzel8083](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/rapunzel8083/)
- [rayons](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/rayons/)
- [re-kid](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/re-kid/)
- [really good like a g6 reference right?](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/really-good-like-a-g6-reference-right/)
- [record scratch](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/record-scratch/)
- [red hot chili peppers](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/red-hot-chili-peppers/)
- [rega](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/rega/)
- [rei harakami](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/rei-harakami/)
- [religious music](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/religious-music/)
- [remioromen](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/remioromen/)
- [remix](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/remix/)
- [rest in peace](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/rest-in-peace/)
- [review](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/review/)
- [riddim saunter](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/riddim-saunter/)
- [riddim saunter orchestra](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/riddim-saunter-orchestra/)
- [rihanna](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/rihanna/)
- [rilakkuma](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/rilakkuma/)
- [rino sashihara](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/rino-sashihara/)
- [rip slyme](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/rip-slyme/)
- [RIZE](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/rize/)
- [rocketman](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/rocketman/)
- [root thumm](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/root-thumm/)
- [ropes](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/ropes/)
- [ryu konno](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/ryu-konno/)
- [ryuei kotoge](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/ryuei-kotoge/)
- [sad news](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/sad-news/)
- [sainas](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/sainas/)
- [saints 35 Colts 32 book it](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/saints-35-colts-32-book-it/)
- [Sakanaction](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/sakanaction/)
- [salyu](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/salyu/)
- [salyu x salyu](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/salyu-x-salyu/)
- [sandy beach surf coaster](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/sandy-beach-surf-coaster/)
- [sapphire slows](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/sapphire-slows/)
- [saritote](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/saritote/)
- [Satanicpornocultshop](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/satanicpornocultshop/)
- [saturday night live](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/saturday-night-live/)
- [sax](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/sax/)
- [sayutony](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/sayutony/)
- [SCANDAL](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/scandal/)
- [SCARLET](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/scarlet/)
- [schloder](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/schloder/)
- [school food punishment](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/school-food-punishment/)
- [schoolgirls](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/schoolgirls/)
- [scotch tapes](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/scotch-tapes/)
- [scott pilgrim](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/scott-pilgrim/)
- [scottish fold](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/scottish-fold/)
- [scum boys](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/scum-boys/)
- [SEBASTIAN X](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/sebastian-x/)
- [sebu hiroko](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/sebu-hiroko/)
- [second royal records](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/second-royal-records/)
- [seedy underbelly](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/seedy-underbelly/)
- [seiho](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/seiho/)
- [selling out](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/selling-out/)
- [sentimental toy palette](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/sentimental-toy-palette/)
- [serani poji](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/serani-poji/)
- [series of letters](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/series-of-letters/)
- [seriously the village people](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/seriously-the-village-people/)
- [seriously this is exciting stuff](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/seriously-this-is-exciting-stuff/)
- [seven inch](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/seven-inch/)
- [sex](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/sex/)
- [sexy all sisters](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/sexy-all-sisters/)
- [sexy zone](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/sexy-zone/)
- [sexy-synthesizer](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/sexy-synthesizer/)
- [sgt.](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/sgt/)
- [she](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/she/)
- [she talks silence](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/she-talks-silence/)
- [she went to space don't you know](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/she-went-to-space-dont-you-know/)
- [shena ringo](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/shena-ringo/)
- [shiina ringo](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/shiina-ringo/)
- [shikao suga](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/shikao-suga/)
- [SHINee](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/shinee/)
- [shinichi yamamura](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/shinichi-yamamura/)
- [shinji masuko](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/shinji-masuko/)
- [shintaro katagiri](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/shintaro-katagiri/)
- [shintaro sakamoto](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/shintaro-sakamoto/)
- [shit shit shit music](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/shit-shit-shit-music/)
- [shoko nakagawa](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/shoko-nakagawa/)
- [shonan no kaze](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/shonan-no-kaze/)
- [shonen knife](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/shonen-knife/)
- [shortcake collage tape](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/shortcake-collage-tape/)
- [showdown](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/showdown/)
- [shugo tokumaru](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/shugo-tokumaru/)
- [simon and garfunkel](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/simon-and-garfunkel/)
- [simple monday post](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/simple-monday-post/)
- [SIO Sounds](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/sio-sounds/)
- [ske48](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/ske48/)
- [skee-lo reference](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/skee-lo-reference/)
- [skegg](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/skegg/)
- [slate](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/slate/)
- [sleepy tokyo](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/sleepy-tokyo/)
- [sloppy joe](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/sloppy-joe/)
- [slow-marico](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/slow-marico/)
- [small color](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/small-color/)
- [SMAP](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/smap/)
- [snarkin off](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/snarkin-off/)
- [snoop dogg](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/snoop-dogg/)
- [snoozer](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/snoozer/)
- [so many cultural references call me the family guy](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/so-many-cultural-references-call-me-the-family-guy/)
- [so much hair](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/so-much-hair/)
- [so sorry about the lolcat](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/so-sorry-about-the-lolcat/)
- [so sorry for projecting](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/so-sorry-for-projecting/)
- [soar](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/soar/)
- [soda fountains](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/soda-fountains/)
- [someones gettin sued](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/someones-gettin-sued/)
- [sonar pocket](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/sonar-pocket/)
- [song still sucks](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/song-still-sucks/)
- [Sonic Youth](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/sonic-youth/)
- [sonie yukie](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/sonie-yukie/)
- [sorry anime](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/sorry-anime/)
- [sorry fans of love actually](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/sorry-fans-of-love-actually/)
- [sorry for the sports joke](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/sorry-for-the-sports-joke/)
- [Sorry goin to see the suzan tonight had to make this sorta brief](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/sorry-goin-to-see-the-suzan-tonight-had-to-make-this-sorta-brief/)
- [sorry I'm sleepy not writing much](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/sorry-im-sleepy-not-writing-much/)
- [sorry other city](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/sorry-other-city/)
- [sorrys!](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/sorrys/)
- [sorta bad but sorta good too?](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/sorta-bad-but-sorta-good-too/)
- [soul searching](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/soul-searching/)
- [soulkids](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/soulkids/)
- [sound of stereo](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/sound-of-stereo/)
- [soundtrack](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/soundtrack/)
- [Soutaiseiriron](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/soutaiseiriron/)
- [south by southwest](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/south-by-southwest/)
- [southern lord](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/southern-lord/)
- [spangle call lilli line](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/spangle-call-lilli-line/)
- [spats](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/spats/)
- [SPEED](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/speed/)
- [spitz](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/spitz/)
- [spookey](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/spookey/)
- [spoon+](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/spoon/)
- [spread](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/spread/)
- [spunky](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/spunky/)
- [sputniko!](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/sputniko/)
- [stage production](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/stage-production/)
- [STAR GUITAR](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/star-guitar/)
- [still pretty spent from Ghana-US](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/still-pretty-spent-from-ghana-us/)
- [studio apartment](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/studio-apartment/)
- [stuff we missed month](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/stuff-we-missed-month/)
- [style band tokyo](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/style-band-tokyo/)
- [sub clip art picture](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/sub-clip-art-picture/)
- [submerse](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/submerse/)
- [subtle control](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/subtle-control/)
- [sugar 'n' spice](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/sugar-n-spice/)
- [sugar's campaign](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/sugars-campaign/)
- [sukima switch](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/sukima-switch/)
- [summer guitar camp](https://makebelievemelodies.com/tag/summer-guitar-camp/)