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 D∀NGER D∀NGER returns with a compilation album of sorts coming out on Miles Apart Records. Biggest twist? Turns out this is the solo project of Koji Takagi, the lead singer of Pictured Resort. Which I wouldn’t have known in 2015, but which in 2017 completely explains the laid-back neon strut of “About U.” Saying it’s Pictured Resort filtered through synth-pop is a touch lazy, but also pretty accurate. Every note and word drips down, the song sounding like its sweating while wrestling with romance. Listen above.

Similar Posts

  • 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 Pa’s 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…

  • Soft As Snow But Warm Inside: “Vogue”

    “Soft As Snow (But Warm Inside)” was the opening track on My Bloody Valentine’s debut full-length Isn’t Anything, released in 1988. Seeing a band named after that track…minus the parenthesis…prompts all sorts of assumptions, most of them tied to words like “shoegaze.” Although this Japanese duo shares a few elements in common with Kevin Shield’s…

  • Glory Days: i-fls Residential Town Loneliness

    二年前、私が大都市東京ではなく三重県の山奥に住んでいた頃、アメリカから旅行で来ていた友達を人口80,000人くらいの街にある我が家へと招きました。その前には一週間程東京で過ごしていたのですが、この田舎では騒音も無く、お店も少なく。暇な時でも、スーパーに行くくらいしかやる事はありませんでした。そんなある日、友人は言いました。 「ここはミシガン州のフリントみたいだね。」 前に住んでいた場所の悪口を言うつもりはありませんが、確かに大きな世界から疎外されたような、小さい電車やマクドナルドくらいしかない場所でした。そのようなさみしい街の世界観をi-flsがニューアルバムResidential Town Lonelinessで表現しています。アメリカのレーベルZoom Lensから発表されたこの作品では、“Monorail”、“Used Bookstore Chains”、“After School”や “Local Line At Twilight”等、場所を連想させるタイトルの曲が並びます。シンセサイザーとビートのみで構成されていて、とても心地の良いサウンドが特徴的なのですが、i-flsの魅力はそれだけでは留まりません。高校生時代に感じる孤独感のような物をわかりやすく、ノスタルジックに描いています。小さい街をベースにしたこの物語は万国共通なのではないでしょうか。多くの人が共感出来るはずです。Residential Town Lonelinessでのi-flsはLullatoneとも共通点があります。Lullatoneもシンプルで感情的な音楽をやっているのですが、このデュオは幼少期のノスタルジアを思い起こさせる楽曲が特徴的で、i-flsはどっちかというと学生時代ですね。小さな街のもつ寂しさを美しく表現した、素晴らしい作品ですよ。