New group Lucky Tapes – fronted by Kai Takahashi – have their debut EP out now, and here’s another taste of the laid-back group’s sound. “In Paris” is an especially Sunday-morning-in-bed-ready song, a slow groover of a number that adds sweet vocal dollops behind Takahashi’s love talk. Listen below.
Today Japan’s Lower House passed a controversial security bill that, if it goes through and results in Japan’s Constitution being changed, would allow the country’s Self-Defense Force to participate in overseas operations where Japan or one of Japan’s allies are in danger. It’s a huge departure from the nation’s previous pacifist position and, even though…
Fall a little behind on your blog reading and, yeesh, you find yourself totally out of the loop. Both JPOP Lover and personal-recent-discovery Neaux Clicked On It (it’s good, read it) recently big-upped JinnyOops! I think two makes a trend, especially in the tiny universe of Japanese music blogging. This Osaka five-piece plays a punk-tinged…
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…
Welp, here’s my most anticipated Japanese album of 2011. J-Pop siren Salyu boasts an absolutely attention-grabbing voice, able to transform what should have been ho-hum J-Pop into something special. Musical tinkerer Cornelius creates forward-thinking pastiches, having released a handful of excellent albums and putting together one of the best (and precise!) live shows around. Tokyo…
Of course, it has to be said — this is labelled a “demo,” so it is totally possible that down the line Tokyo indie-pop band Evening Cinema make “Everlasting Summer” better, or manage to muck it all up and turn it unlistenable. Anything is possible! But despite that, this is an indie-pop group, and that…
Programming Note: It’s Silver Week in Japan, and I’ll be in the countryside for the next three days! This either means less posts or more, all depends on Internet connection. Moscow Club’s second album, Outfit Of The Day, comes out next week, and here’s the third taste of it. “Carven” is the most refined number…