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New I-fls: Frost Ribbon – Xmas Greeting Tracks Compilation

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Just in time for Christmas 2018 comes one of the best gifts anyone could ask for. The ever-reclusive producer I-fls has descended down the digital chimney to deliver a set of holiday-appropriate numbers. Like most of I-fls’ music, these tracks consist of simple but aching melodies constructed from simple tools, often bursting open to reveal thumping segments carrying the same sense of suburban longing. But now…more jingle bell sounds, and a few other winter flourishes that help give this one a more specific setting without losing the feeling. Get it here, or listen below.

New Spangle Call Lilli Line: “Mio”

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OK, time to start getting hyped for 2019! Spangle Call Lilli Line announced that they will release a new album in early January, and that comes only a few months before a 20th anniversary tour. “Mio” offers the first listen from that full-length, and finds the group crafting a slow-burning bouncer where there usual subdued guitar melodies are joined by a jaunty keyboard line adding some springiness to the song. But this is Spangle Call Lilli Line, and after 20 years they aren’t suddenly going to get giddy on song. “Mio” remains on-brand melancholic, a reminder that they know what works best for them. Listen above.

New Kamisama Club: “Mamono”

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“Mamono,” the latest from wonky pop duo Kamisama Club, does something all of their previous work has done, but in a much clearer way. All the ingredients of this songs feel slightly off if not downright cartoonish — electronics squiggle off in the background, random percussion bangs off back here too, and even the moment right before the chorus is interrupted by a sudden guitar riff. Kamisama Club’s vocal shave always been on the more creative side than the polished, and here’s no exception, with both members coming together for a delirious sing-a-long on the bridge. Then the second half finds everything move from animated to slightly more uneasy, with slightly harsher noises creeping in. But as off-beat as it gets, “Mamono” remains catchy, with even the weirder flourishes, accessible and fun. Listen above.

New (Kinda) Parupunte: Best Of Parupunte 2013​~​2015

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Our year-end list starts posting soon, but in a nice bit of “ahhhh remember that?,” pop project Parupunte released Best Of Parupunte 2013​~​2015 over the weekend. The group, which creates (created?) simple but affecting pop, landed in the top ten of our 2015 list with the still-striking Primitive. Large chunks of that album appear on this compilation, along with loosies they released via SoundClound, and it’s as comprehensive a collection of music from Parupunte as you’ll find today. More importantly, it’s a fantastic way to get a listen to what makes (made???) this project so interesting, whether from the simple-but-endearing harmonies of “Nyan Toka Nyarusa” to the dance-thump of “White Sucide” to the drum ‘n’ bass fireworks of “Yume Miteru.” And re-listening to their work, it feels like they were ahead of the curve when it came to how genre borders would collapse completely in the late 2010s…which, well, wait for this year’s countdown. Get it here, or listen below.

New Koutei Camera Actress: “Mataitsuka”

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We (lolz it’s just me, you get it by now) are currently trying to put together Make Believe Melodies’ year-end list, and that has involved a lot of revisits to releases from across the last 12 months. Koutei Camera Girl Drei’s New Way Of Lovin’ stands out as one of the year’s very best — you’ll have to wait to see just where it lands for the site personally — in how it uses rap and raved-out electronic styles to push idol music (and, frankly, pop in general) forward. Associated project Koutei Camera Actress’ “Mataitsuka” isn’t quite as fireworks-ready as anything on New Way, but across its playtime they do hit on things that make everything associated with this project work. Mainly, how they use a rap delivery to really make those verses pop, and how they deploy it in a way that isn’t imitation of American styles done worse, but comes off more like them trying to find the vocal style just right for them. Watch above.