So what exactly is this? Black Bass are a musical collective that have been kicking around for a couple years now, hitting a stride in 2018 with the bobbing “Looop.” The constant use of rap hands in that clip might offer a hint where Black Bass see themselves, but the sound isn’t really anything you’d tie to any contemporary rap trends, falling somewhere between The Weeknd (read: “experimental” R&B) and, like, Yahyel (while “Looop” in particular sounding not far off from what W-inds have been doing as of late). Newest number “LFP” — from a pretty solid release of the same name — shows them continuing down this blurred path, which suits them best (compared to efforts at outright rap, which kinda feel flat). Black Bass warp voices — samples or their own — to create a song constantly teetering on collapse. The vocals opt for singing over rhyming, which fits the disorienting mood of the number nicely, and making the hook feel all the more claustrophobic once everything starts getting out of focus. Listen above.
Calming: Wagatsuma’s “Slowdown”
“Sleepy” can be a good adjective, too. Wagatsuma’s “Slowdown” is pure after-lunch comedown, a chiming number in no rush to get anywhere and featuring vocals that are just totally relaxed. It’s almost too sedate, but Wagatsuma charms just enough to avoid this becoming an excuse for why you napped off for a couple hours on a Wednesday. Listen above.
Breaking My Rule: Powder’s “New Tribe”
One of those stubborn personal opinions I cling to is that music should be able to stand on its own, free from visuals and choreography and whatever else people would rather gravitate to. This is one of the most old-man things about me — even though I appreciate all the other stuff (I mean, the whole reason I do this is because of Perfume, whose dancing is vital to the act as a whole) I still want good songs to be embraced as just that.
But also! The main reason I’m writing about Powder’s “New Tribe” is because the video is bonkers. Powder is one of the more prominent electronic artists and DJs going in Japan right now, but she has also been the type of artist who works best in live settings and via mixes, which isn’t exactly fitting for this blog. “New Tribe” as a song is pretty solid, a bleary eyed rave-out that appears on a new mix.
But in this case…the video takes it to another level. Done by AC-bu, responsible for plenty of gems, it’s half Akira spoof, half zonked out meditation on quitting your job. And it matches up just right with the music. Solid song, but even better with the clip. Listen above.
New Feather Shuttles Forever: Zujyo No Seaside Town
“Bedroom pop” implies a certain amount of roughness. This is, after all, music made in the same spot someone sleeps, a space like that doesn’t imply top-notch quality being guaranteed. But — and I’m not breaking ground here with this observation — artists have become far more sophisticated with how they create music, resulting in stuff that can sound incredible, if not top notch. Feather Shuttles Forever have been piecing together some of the more intriguing numbers to come from an independent project in the last few years, and with Zujyo No Seaside Town it all comes together into something triumphant. The pair of Hikaru Yamada and Mukuchi skip between synth-glazed members and brassed-out number…sometimes the two dies coming together…but always being intricate and catchy. Here’s the first real earworm album out of Japan in 2019 (and a nice change-up from Local Visions…no real experiments in nostalgia, just solid songcraft from start to back).
A handful of these songs have popped up online before, but that only makes Zujyo No Seaside Town the defining document of Feather Shuttles Forever. The title track is the most thumping thing they’ve ever recorded, guided by synth squiggles and one of the more persistent beats found in their catalog, balanced out by understated vocal delivery and a passage where they just throw every idea into the mix (piano fingering! tropical woodwinds!). “Shiroku Tsumetai Utsuwa” loads up on horns and unfolds at uptempo, leading to some wild saxophone blurts and all-together-now singing that just does a fantastic job lodging itself in the brain. Mellower moments bubble up later on — though even something like “Oka” always feels a little tipsy, like it is seconds away from tumbling over the acoustic guitar plucks and synths — but Feather Shuttles Forever do jaunty best. Their opening team up with fellow Local Visions releaser SNJO goes from hop-scotch to loopy synth explosion by the final stretch, while closer “Teian to be continued edit” updates an earlier jam featuring a bunch of familiar faces into a triumphant closer. A fitting end to a breakthrough. Get it here, or listen below.
Soft And Inviting: Smokebees Tonal Memory
Tonal Memory plucks a few songs featured on Tokyo duo Smokebees early EPs, and turns this into a great gateway into their intimate and at times energetic rock. That seems intentional — the pair have their first full-length album out later this year, and Tonal Memory works as a wonderful gateway into their world. They work best when going soft, whether via the warm acoustic guitar strums of opener “Smokebees” or the more unnerving “Ancient Lies,” which uses muffled vocal samples and guitar distortion to generate tension. But Tonal Memory works because it also shows off their speedier side, such as on the fuzzed-out “Tame The Dog” and the chugging “Eleven Brothers.” As an introduction, it works well, and makes that upcoming full-length all the more interesting. Get it here, or listen below.