LSTNGT will take part in a new compilation coming out via Eco Futurism Corporation later this week, and their “Hydropolis” serves as a preview of what to expect. It’s one to bathe in, at least for a little bit — the first stretch of the song features sampled chanting played behind the sort of synths and piano melodies that have defined a small but striking community of Japanese artists creating unsettling electronic music with touches of grace (Cemetery being the other big name). “Hydropolis” aims for a slightly unsettling wash for the most part, though it picks up the intensity slightly for its final stretch. Yet that feeling of being draped in sound is what artists in this zone do so well, and this is a solid entry in that style. Listen above.
New Annie The Clumsy: Broaden Your Minds
Annie The Clumsy’s music often veers towards the funny, her sparse recordings putting jokes and wordplay up front to charming effect. Broaden Your Minds features plenty of these moments, from the tipsy night-in drift of “Mug Of Wine” to the buzzing rumble of insomniac jam “3AM.” Yet her latest full-length also finds emotions — always lurking in their — poking out a little more prominently. “I Wish I Was The One” is a sparse, painful meditation on unrequited love, full of Annie The Clumsy’s observations turned painful, each specific action pricking the skin deeper. “Steamy Ocean” finds her going Beach House and doing it quite well, while the skip of “Small Party” exudes good vibes. Even something seemingly silly as “My Body Is Ready,” with its drum-machine beat and synth pings and jellyfish dance moves, conceals a real excitement that bubbles over. Those emotions make all the clever stuff hit all the better. Get it here, or listen below.
New Browned Butter: Fall EP
Kyoto’s Browned Butter follow up this Spring’s galloping “Fall” — the first song the group shared online — with an EP kicking off with that impressive debut. “Fall” remains one of the year’s best indie-pop numbers out of Japan’s still-vibrant community, an energetic number marked by just-exhaled vocals and a rough edge to the guitar. The two new songs unfold slightly slower, with “Smooth” chugging along (topped off by the most specific lyrics on the EP, being the one song here that makes you wonder if Homecomings success is trickling down to other Kansai-area youngsters) and “Fever” displaying a bit more drama via it’s guitar melodies, which mostly swallow up the vocals (but when the singing gets through, the sweetness rushes in). Get it here, or listen below.
Punch Up: Lady’s Only’s For All Time
For All Time bleeds energy drink, but the most charming moments come when the guarana taste recedes ever so slightly and a softer side comes through. Lady’s Only has kicked around Tokyo’s club scene for a few years now, playing high-energy sets that refused to take a breather (with the four members of the project every bit as amped up as the tracks themselves). It’s something that can be overwhelming even in the context of a club (or, gasp, I’m getting old), and a four-track EP of barraging bass could be a risky proposition. But it’s the moments where they tone it down that makes For All Time work…even if they don’t come too frequently. “Digital Tattoo” and “Systema Breathing” are rave ups, both featuring a consistent pound and samples woven in to ratchet up the energy considerably. On their own, it would be too much, but as precursors to the back half of For All Time, it’s a good rush. The title track calls on China from the project Xyloz to add some singing during the wispier passages of the song, which intersplice between more wild passages, turning the number into a proper journey rather than a shot. Same goes for “Sunset Stroke,” which finds time for piano alongside slippery bass. This is how you pace yourself…sometimes, a little water is good between the shots of that weird German liquor they sell at every Shibuya club now. Get it here, or listen below.
Still Jukin: DJ Kaoll’s “Cloudy To Rain”
Revisiting the Japanese Juke & Footworks Compilation from 2012 — one of several hyper-vital comps put out around that time capturing Japan’s take on juke music — reminds of how many notables took part in that collection. Better still, the bulk of them are still going strong in 2018. Kaoru Nakano contributed a track late to that set, and the Osaka artist — now going as DJ Kaoll — has released plenty of solid juke tracks in the time since. “Cloudy To Rain” adds a dash of late-200s UK dubstep into the mix, starting with a smokey beat that only grows more shadowy as everything rattles ahead. And then late in the song comes another beat, which throws some new energy in and works in some familiar juke flavoring to it. Listen above.