Kyoto band Hotel Mexico announced on their website tonight that they have officially split up. It means one of Japan’s finest indie bands of the last few years – and one of the first to receive attention from Western blogs and music websites – is calling it a day. Hotel Mexico began in late 2008,…
OK, here’s the song to officially soundtrack the definite end of summer 2013, courtesy of Fukuoka outfit Shtreimels (who do not put much information about themselves online). “Yacht” is a downcast guitar number that certainly takes cues from New Jersey outfits like Real Estate and (especially) Ducktails, full of reverb and with lazily unfolding vocals…
This one is only around for a little while longer, so lets not dilly dally – CUZ ME PAIN project White Wear (formerly :visited and part of Faron Square) has followed up his A Black From White Space EP with another trio of songs, this one titled Night In Blue. You can download the EP…
Look, it is far from perfect – no compilation with 41 tracks from 41 different producers can go perfect – but the eighth edition in the Fogpak series comes off as particularly strong, esepcially compared to the more hit-or-miss recent entries. This series, which gathers new music from electronic producers all over Japan (and, sometimes,…
Bedroom-whizz Shugo Tokumaru has released his first glimpse of the follow-up to 2010’s Port Entropy in the form of new single “Decorate.” For those expecting his whimsical, toy-instrument heavy music to morph into something new by now, prepare to be let down because “Decorate” is another solid example of his playroom pop. Tokumaru’s usual assortment of bells, woodwinds and acoustic guitar dominates this song, and at one point he even works in the sound of an alarm clock ringing off. Also intact – the same sense of wonder the majority of Tokumaru’s tracks possess. Listen above. You can buy the single in stores now, and if you do, you also will get the chance to hear Tokumaru’s take on The Buggles’ MTV-launching “Video Killed The Radio Star.” I don’t know what the single version sounds like, but watch Shugo deliver a cutesy live cover below.
Kindan No Tasuketsu just released a new collection of songs, Entertainment, and here’s a woozy taste of it. Kindan handles the dreamy chorus, while guest rapper Izumi Makura adds some flair to the verses. It’s a focused number, and features a very nice outro. Check it out above.
Not quite a homage to a certain ’80s jam, but the spirit of city pop flows through Caro Kissa’s newest song “Merry-Go-Round.” It’s a slower number, one where the words are allowed to hang out over the horn blurts and laid-back guitar playing. And it all builds towards that hook, which really plays up the…
文化の中心は東京だと思われがちですが、関西も同様に栄えています。それでも大阪や京都の印象が強いですよね。ここ2年くらいその2つの場所ではダンス・ミュージックが盛り上がっていましたし。かつての首都であり、大仏や鹿が有名な奈良はどうでしょうか?良いアーティストを多数輩出しているものの、あまりダンス・ミュージックのイメージはありませんね。でもそんな奈良からも最近Sakasaというアーティストが出てきて、Coin Bender EPでは前向きなビートやノイズを奏でています。”Let your body dance, and let your brain dance more,” と説明されるこの三曲入りEPからは、名古屋のHouse Of Tapesとも共通点を感じます。どちらもメンタルとフィジカル両方に響くので。一曲目のタイトル・トラックなんかは特にそうで、歯医者のドリルみたいな身震いしそうな激しいノイズでビートが構築されています。”Pond”では逆に柔らかな印象。華やかなシンセのレイヤーが乗っているビートがこちらも徐々に重なっていきます。体を動かすにも世界観にも浸るにも適した美しい曲です。
New year, same old great Music Alliance Pact. This month, we highlight the experimental wonder of Tokyo’s X-Files. Listen to it…and many more good songs…below. Click the play button icon to listen to individual songs, right-click on the song title to download an mp3, or grab a zip file of the full 18-track compilation through…
Virgin Babylon Records has, in consecutive weeks, released two albums that have grabbed my attention and stand out as a pair of 2016’s best Japanese albums thus far. The first is anything but a surprise if you’ve read this blog for a while — Metoronori’s latest full-length is a disjointed, fizzling rabbit hole of an…
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-etQjPbzFY&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xd0d0d0&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&fs=1] Spoiler alert: I got my hands on Predawn’s new mini-album A Bird In The Hand and will most likely have review of it in the near future. Further revelations – it’s a good and minimalist album, nothing but pretty singing and guitars save for the rare piano appearance. It’s a nice little album but…