Izumi Makura has come out of her room and into the daylight. The whisper-rapper started out barely rising above a breath and often sounded agoraphobic, OK to offer glimpses into her journal-rich world but without stepping too far out. Yet thanks to more opportunities — turns out, when people like your music, they want more of you! — she’s edged towards something a little poppier, all while still maintaining the ennui lurking in her words. “Inochi” is her brightest offering yet, finding her and guest Lovely Summer Chan rapping and singing over a skippy beat with a sampled bit of singing going “you did me wrong” breaking in every once in a while. It’s a pretty direct representation for what I described up there — the poppiness, the ennui — and it builds up to a chorus that delivers a subtle catchiness. Listen above.
New (Kinda) Metoronori: Metoronori Works ’14 – ’18 Pale
In weaker moments, I sometimes think every idea has been done and that all of the exciting sounds from a few years back have just become standard background music for vlogs. This is a touch too cynical for many reasons (usually, I just haven’t eaten breakfast yet), but listening to Metoronori Works ’14 – ’18 Pale reminds that there are artists out there who have crafted their own little sonic worlds that sound like nothing else. Metoronori’s brand of bedroom pop is jagged and in constant motion, but always locating patches of pop melody drifting through the jumble. She has been responsible for some of our favorite albums of this decade, and this set offers a great overview of what she’s done over the last four years, highlighting both wonkier instrumentals and disorienting tunes featuring her near-whispered voice. Get it here, or listen below.
New CHAI: “Great Job”
In case you missed it, CHAI were profiled in Pitchfork a couple weeks back, capping off a year that has seen them slowly but surely make inroads outside Japan (hey, I wrote about ’em too!). They really show the way forward for Japanese acts in a post-BTS world — along with Haru Nemuri, they point towards a path where it’s artists with more underground tendencies (regardless if they are underground…CHAI is a Sony act, after all) can stand out from Japan, which can offer an alternative to the authenticity-tinged perfection of K-pop (mainly, J-pop itself probably can’t go head to head).
So! “Great Job” is CHAI’s first new song in a bit, and it is…on brand for the quartet. It’s a bit sneakier message-wise to decode — it is about housecleaning, with lines about cleaning dust and taking out garbage. At times it sounds sort of determined, but then again you get a part where they sing “housework, it’s a great job” and then let out an evil laugh. More direct is how this is right in the band’s wheelhouse, featuring all sorts of distorted voices in the back, which creep in to disrupt the talk-sing verses. This is left-of-center sounds — specifically, via those keyboard melodies squanking up throughout, of Have A Nice Day! and similar Loft-centric groups — made just a little more accessible to a wider audience. That is the goal, after all. Listen above.
commune310 Shares commune310 Compilation 2018 Featuring HiRoSYO, Batsu, The Sub Account And More
Based off the cover art, this is actually commune310’s Autumn compilation, a yearly happening that follows all of their other seasonal offerings. But hey, we stick with what’s presented out there. Whatever the case, this series (and really, this label) rarely lets us down, and in recent times has become one of the more reliable sources for bubbly dance music in Japan. So, highlights this time around? HiRoSYO gets the energy off just right from the jump, with “Hello, Friends” and its almost-instant charge. Though, to keep the energy up, it also features a pleasant piano interlude that allows the drama to ratchet up a bit…and for a bit of a breath. Batsu gives fans of sliced-up vocals and squiggly synth notes plenty to be happy with on “Jamming,” while those more fond of the dusty future funk world can ride along with Mikazuki Bigwave’s “Don’t Wanna Lose Your Love.” The Sub Account delivers one of my personal faves with the rollicking “Baby,” which doesn’t need to do anything too clever…just deliver constant movement. Oh, and also spend a little time with D.Watt’s “Fake News,” which tries to transform one of those ever-present terms of 2018 into something…catchy (“everyone is dancing to the fake news”), complete with NASA samples. That’s the curveball I like to see from these things! Get it here, or listen below.
New Satellite Young: “Moment In Slow Motion”
Satellite Young was out in front on providing alternative angles to nostalgic sounds, and have always introduced some sort of wink into their retro-leaning synth-pop. “Moment In Slow Motion,” however, is a simple reminder that for all the app jokes and Twitter nods, Satellite Young can just write a dazzling pop number that doesn’t need any extra tricks to it. “Moment In Slow Motion” opens with machine percussion and a killer bass line, soon joined by sparkling synth melodies that give the song a familiar neon glow, but with a little more strut this time around. Over it all, the vocals are split up between an English and Japanese side, and while there is a reference to “screens,” the words here are purely on capturing feeling, something bittersweet and fleeting. Get it here, or listen below.