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New Elen Never Sleeps: Rum EP
The vocals found on Elen Never Sleeps’ songs are always an interesting confrontation – they are not traditionally “good” but the relatively ragged delivery are charming in their own way. They are pushed further than ever before on new EP Rum which finds Elen Never Sleep crafting his most vocally daring collection yet. It opens…
New Pops: Shiggy Jr.’s “Saturday Night To Sunday Morning”
The back half of 2013 has proven to be a fruitful time to be a fan of J-Pop willing to try out new sounds. DempaGumi.inc has made a theatrical leap forward, while outfits like Especia and Lyrical School have been gifted absolutely killer songs courtesy of gifted young producers given the keys to the idol-pop…
New Sapphire Slows: “Dry Fruits”
Sapphire Slows’ has a new album out in November called Allegoria, and here’s the first track to come out from that album, “Dry Fruits.” It’s a slinky number, a reminder that she comes from a scene every bit as interested in dance music as they are more shadowy sounds. Just listen to that particularly wet…
Pleasant Surprises: Lil’ Yukichi’s Ghetto Pop Idol
I am usually hesitant of artists remixing J-Pop into another form for a handful of reasons. Usually, I’m happy with the original pop form of song in question, and don’t need a remix. I’m also put off by the idea – implied or sometimes directly stated – that J-Pop (and often just pop) is an…
Now This Is A New Rush: Andersons
“Young Love” is one of the most exhilarating songs I’ve heard so far in 2013. It comes courtesy of a Japanese band I had no idea existed until last weekend called Andersons, a boring name concealing something really special. “Young Love” does a lot of what the music I’ve fallen for so far this year…
New Cuushe: “Twilight”
In a Japan Times’ story about her label Flau, the head of Flau reveals that Cuushe’s last EP was intended to get the artist pegged as “dream pop” rather than “electronic pop.” Mission accomplished I believe – who knows how many times I’ve referred to her songs as “dreamy.” Yet newest cut “Twilight,” in advance…
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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Hercelot Teams Up With Tomggg For “Greengum”
Maltine Records teamed up with the Red Bull Studios Tokyo for a two day event…and the first evening went down yesterday. Producers Hercelot and Tomggg teamed up for a song called “Greengum,” and it is one of those beautiful sonic moments where the stylings of both artists comes through so clearly. Neither gets muddled —…
Far-Off Climes: Ryoma Sakoh’s “Island…”
The ellipses at the end of the title here tell you a lot. Kagoshima-based artist Ryoma Sakoh conjures up images of coastlines and easy-breezy days in the sun on “Island’s…” gentle glide, highlighted by bell chimes and piano notes. It’s at times relaxing and calming, tied together by Sakoh’s near-whispered vocals. Yet that barely-there voice…
New Jesse Ruins: “L For App”
It has been a while since shadowy outfit – and CUZ ME PAIN group – Jesse Ruins have shared a new song…but they have a lot to reveal today. The group will release their second album Heartless in November (well, in Japan…an international release follows the next month), and here’s the first taste of it….
JAM The MOD: “Since Tomorrow”
インディ・ポップ・レーベルAno(t)raksが2月に新しいコンピレーション・アルバムをリリースします。既にいくつかの参加アーティストが発表されていて、このコンピが本当に素晴らしい物になると期待させてくれます。Post Modern Team、BoyishやThe Paellas等、お馴染みのアーティスト達に加え、JAM The MODという福岡のバンド等、新しい名前もいくつか。跳ねるギターやため息をつきたくなる歌詞からなる典型的な日本のインディ・ポップを想像していませんか?…とは言うものの、恥ずかしながら私も同じでした。そんな雰囲気を仮定しながら再生ボタンをクリックしたのはここだけの話。 今の所このグループはSoundCloudで”Since Tomorrow”だけしかリリースしていないのですが、これが凄く個性的。フォーキーなインディ・ポップが2007年あたりのダブステップ・リズムに乗っかってる独特なスタイルなんです。なんと言ってもこのビート感が他のTweeなアーティスト達との違いで、暖かく優しいメロディーが特徴的な曲に冷たい緊迫感を与えています。ただ単にジャンルをくっ付けるのは誰にだってできる事。でもJAM The MODは上手く異なる要素を組み合わせる事に成功していて、だからこそ注目すべきなのです。日本のインディ・ポップ・アーティスト達にとっても良いヒントになるのでは?JAM The MODのこれからが気になります…はたしてコンピにはどんな曲を提供するのか…いずれにせよ、これからもどんどん新しい事にチャレンジして欲しいです。試聴は以下から。
Kept Close: Family Basik’s “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 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….
