Ehhh, screw it, let’s lean in on this “kawaii” thing for today. Via Attack The Music, idol duo Happy Kuru Kuru shared a new two-song set called Good Morning Tokyo. The pair themselves are quite in line with what most people think of Japanese idol music — cheery vocals that are far from polished, songs…
Over at Bandcamp Daily, I wrote about the new wave of “kawaii” artists who are helping expand the sound often associated with that word. Think of it as a continuation of this piece looking at the history of “kawaii” music, and one that tries not too simply settle (the fact is, each artist I talked…
Metome has been consistently active over the last few years, and now some of the more left-field highlights of recent times have been gathered together on new set Shibboleth. This comes from a period where Metome was interested in texture, and how different sounds could sound as they weave in and out of one another….
Producer Takaryu’s first full-length album Resources doubles as a snapshot of the many ways electronic music in Japan has gone over the last five years. Takaryu has been around since about 2014, though the bulk of work they’ve shared in that time has been remixes alongside one mini-album. So Resources gathers songs that have appeared…
Funk, boogie, acid jazz, city pop, even a little disco — all these styles have come back into vogue in some way or another in Japan. It has mainly been spurred on by young bands, some raised on Jamiroquai and others smelling an opportunity. Yet plenty of smaller acts have come around to it as…