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Sound Of The City: YYSHIDD
シティ・ポップスは、日本経済がピークを迎えたバブルの頃に盛り上がったジャンルですが、数年前から復活の兆しを見せています。ジャパンタイムズでこの流行について取り上げられています。Things That Fadeをリリースしたデュオ、Greeen Linezを中心として書かれてるのですが、彼等の音はまるで銀座のホテルでくつろいでいるような気分にさせてくれます。最近注目している他のシティ・ポップスアーティストといえば海老名のYYSHIDDです。SoundCloudのプロフィールには、“Japanese composer/student” (日本の作曲家/学生)と紹介されています。彼の“Naomi’s Love Affair”という曲では、シティ・ポップスの醍醐味が全て取り入れられています。シンセやベース、そしてトロピカルな雰囲気を持つパーカッションが、仕事の後のリラックスタイムのような空気感を表現しています。夏の暑さを和らげてくれるようなスムーズなボーカルも印象的です。 だからといってYYSHIDDはシティ・ポップスに留まろうとしている訳ではありません。Greeen Linezのように、他のジャンルからの影響も積極的に取り入れられています。例えば、“Potato”では涼しく心地良い楽曲の上にラップがサンプルされています。視聴は以下から。
New k■nie (Kenie_T): “Papapa”
In which Tokyo producer Kenie_T…who on SoundCloud now goes by knie with a block symbol between the “k” and “n”…realizes Vocaloid doesn’t have to be just a replacement singer. The productions released by this artist over the past few months have been warm and dizzying, yet it’s on “Papapa” in which the digi-voice of Sekka…
Music Alliance Pact August 2013
This month’s Music Alliance Pact has arrived! As always, MAP finds 30-plus blogs from all over the world sharing one song from a domestic act with the rest of the bunch. Make Believe Melodies represents Japan, and this month we are putting the spotlight on ultra-pop specialist Yoshino Yoshikawa and his “I Feel You, I…
New Talking City 1994: “Love Won’t Let Me Wait”
Talking City 1994 is one of the Japanese bands having a really good 2013. After being quiet for more than two quarters of 2012, the Osaka band has come back strong, releasing a strong three-song EP and several great stand-alone tracks. They’ve come along way since when they first popped up, developing a more polished…
New i-fls: Decade In A Day
I’m running out of ways to write about nostalgia and i-fls. At what point do I throw my hands up in defeat over my computer and decide, “screw it, time to dig into myself and write about the feelings dude’s music brings out of me!” Every time I play an i-fls album…and I’ve got a…
New Boyish Video: “Crazy For You”
Due to shifting work priorities and a general time crunch (plus, still gotta burn through the new Arrested Development guys), albums tend to get lost in the shuffle around here. We make time for stuff like May.e and (as you’ll see soon enough) Moscow Club…but lots fall through the crack. Like Tokyo indie-pop darlings Boyish,…
New Elen Never Sleeps: “Slow (Neu)”
“Slow” originally appeared on Moscow Club’s C86 compilation back in the spring, but has now been touched up a bit (hence the “Neu” in the title) and sounds a lot crisper than Elen Never Sleeps’ original version. Well, it sounds as crisp as something so hazy can sound – the song title is almost an understatement, because “Slow” practically crawls, the guitars and drums sounding glacial. It’s all intentional, though, a decision meant to match up with Elen Never Sleeps repeated cries of “but you slow down/slow down/slow down,” delivered in a dejected-but-pretty voice that this project has gotten so good at utilizing. The original version was good, but this slightly fleshed-out version shows what can happen when an artist spends time perfecting their creations. Listen below.
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New LLLL Featuring Asia Marie And Kiddeceus: “Loaded Gun”
The latest in LLLL’s monthly project, “Loaded Gun” sounds, on first brush, far more upbeat and even at times downright happy (that synth line!). It’s a heavy-hitting number, the beat drawing from modern bass music but opting to not dive into the deep end of the style, with the big breakdowns on “Loaded Gun” serving…
Controlled Karaoke: Japanese Band Wears Outfits Resembling Nazi Garb, World Not So Pleased
Some Japanese rock band named Kishidan recently did an interview with MTV Japan. Most of the time, nobody except maybe really die-hard Kishidan fans (do those exist?) would give a care. But said interview featured the group wearing uniforms resembling the clothes members of the SS wore in Nazi Germany. This has spurred Jewish human…
Avex Horizon: Saue and Nakae’s “SO.RE.NA”
The sheer size of Avex — the Japanese music/entertainment label — guarantees a few interesting ideas tucked away. Even though the face of the label is anchored by heavyweights such as Ayumi Hamasaki (neve rmind her steadily sinking stock), various EXILE groups and a sack full of K-Pop acts, Avex has spent a lot of…
Digi Twee: The Someday’s “Remember Me”
It’s a simple addition, but one that makes “Remember Me” far more, uhhh, memorable than a lot of other indie-pop-leaning numbers coming out of Japan over the last few years. Osaka’s The Somedays give the song all the hallmarks of a typically twee number – a slouching rhythm designed for melancholy walks near bodies of…
Spin It Around: Volley Boys “Sotsugyou”
This year’s Record Store day in Japan features all sorts of special releases and reissues…which is to say, same as it ever was, please pay a lot of yen for a (still great) Tentenko single on vinyl. Still, aside from all the sales gimmicks, it has prompted Tanukineiri Records to get the band Volley Boys…
New Seiho: “I Feel Rave”
I’ve never actually been to anything that could be considered a “rave,” so forgive the generalizations I’m about to make. I’ve always figured one major draw of a rave is the opportunity to just trance out from the world around you and get lost in a moment. Osaka producer Seiho’s newest song is called “I…
