Slow Beach are a Japanese indie-pop supergroup of sorts – they feature Kai Takahashi and Twangy Twagny (a.k.a. Dai Ogasawara), but find both of them making surf-leaning music (see – the name). They’ve released their first album, called Lover Lover and you can get it for free here. Go do that! I’ll write more on it later…for now you can also listen below.
Tokyo Jihen “Sa_i_ta” It might be hard to tell given the number of live DVDs and best-of releases that have packed store racks this year, but Tokyo Jihen called it quits back at the start of 2012. Assessing the group’s legacy ends up being a tricky task – lead singer Shiina Ringo’s solo albums remain…
Indie-pop outfit Fandaze have a new EP called Balloon Songs out on October 26, and here is a peek at what to expect. A quick, not particularly strong Google search indicates there are no other indie-pop songs to be named “Kinda Sad,” which is surprising since that (or, I guess, kinda happy) would be the…
Cokiyu’s recently released Haku EP is a pretty collection of songs, highlighted by a collaboration with Los-Angeles-based-artist Baths. It is a collection very much worth your time. That said…the Tokyo mood-maker’s once-unreleased-but-now-released song “Vapor Doll” is the best track to emerge from the Haku period so far. It’s a collaboration with Tokyo-based sound artist 34423,…
大阪を拠点とするAnd Vice Versaのアルバム、”E. Tender”は４月に発表されていましたが、まだそれについて書けていませんでした。しかし聴き続ける事で、今では私の2012年度のベストアルバムの一つになりました。 And Vice Versaは単音を好むアーティストだと感じます。そして”E. Tender”で使われているノイズはまるで触る事のできるような質感を持っています。 And Vice Versaの新曲、”Its Me”は、E. Tenderには含まれていないものの、そのスタイルはとても似ています。アルバムでも使われていた素晴らしい音が多く使われていて、その特徴的なシンセや、エフェクトが加えられたボーカルは何重にも重ねられ、幻想的なレイヤーを生み出しています。更に、And Vice Versaは曲中に、見つけたら嬉しくなる、細かい工夫を多く盛り込んでいます。”Its Me”とアルバムの曲の違いと言えば長さでしょう。アルバムの曲は３分程なのに比べ、この曲は６分半近くあります。でも、この曲は一瞬たりとも興味を離さないよう、上手く工夫されています。
Editor’s Note: A lot of great music came out over the weekend so we will probably be playing catch up for a bit around here. This EP’s opening track seems like it is going to be Picnic Women business as usual – the juke producer grabs Adina Howard’s 1988 song “T-Shirt & Panties” and footworks…
OK, here’s the song to officially soundtrack the definite end of summer 2013, courtesy of Fukuoka outfit Shtreimels (who do not put much information about themselves online). “Yacht” is a downcast guitar number that certainly takes cues from New Jersey outfits like Real Estate and (especially) Ducktails, full of reverb and with lazily unfolding vocals…