Last year at the Fuji Rock Festial, a trio of bands played the gathering that were presented — by domestic media, and me at some point — as a new tide of Japanese rock music. Two groups definitely felt close to one another — that would be Yogee New Waves and Never Young Beach, bands…
Sometimes, you spend a weekend focusing on non-music writing work, and all sorts of incredible stuff drops at once. The past few days have seen new albums from Toiret Status, CRZKNY and way more. Curse you, having to make money, if only I could blog all day! Slipping in a little before any of those…
Kobe’s Radicalfashion has been kicking around for over a decade, releasing primarily piano-focused numbers on the sparse but intricate side. Singing popped up at times, though often in a warped way that added an out-of-space element to Radicalfashion’s work. “Way Home,” however, offers something a touch more straightforward. Japanese artist Tony Chanty guests, singing over…
Even more than previous entries into the Chains series, “Phase 4: Resemblance” offers as strong a front to back listening experience as one could hope for from a three-song set. That’s partially based off pure strength of song, two of which already appeared in the past few months — the shadowy release of “For F”…
DJ Aflow’s been part of the Japanese juke scene for quite some time, having put out albums on vital label Booty Tune all the way back in 2012 and consistently put out material since, whether on their own or with Foodman and California’s SELA. Smog offers up a speedy set celebrating DJ Aflow’s approach to…