Kyoto’s Emerald Four have always let themselves drift, but earlier releases from the duo felt lost in space, marked by synthesizer and echo-grazed vocals. New song “Marigold” brings them down to earth, though the spaced-out vibe remains. It’s a sparse song, featuring guitar and a simple drum beat (and eventually some keyboard) wrapped in a…
#20 Cicada Formula It’s easy to recreate the past, as no shortage of Japanese bands borrowing from ’80s city pop and ’90s acid jazz have shown in recent years (and, really, globally…this is all Daft Punk’s fault). Cicada’s earliest work slid in nicely to this safe but oftentimes overly familiar space. But Formula decided to…
Solitude can be so valuable. It’s where the rawest emotions and desires crystallize, where honesty and progress really emerge. Kyoto duo Emerald Four excel at occupying this isolated place — their music unfolds slowly, allowing the vocals to play out like an inner monologue, unconcerned with the world around it and rather focused on feeling…
At their best, Kyoto’s Emerald Four make music that sounds optimal for people stranded in deep space. Last year’s fantastic Nothing Can Hurt Me was a slow-moving, reflective album where every word dripped forward. “Tameiki,” the duo’s newest song, bursts to life — synths squiggle forward, but only seconds later that familiar feeling of slow…
Note: I’m going to SXSW for the next week! If you are around, find me and say hello! And with that, keep in mind posts will be a little less this week [more so than they already are!] and when they do go up they’ll be synched with Texas time. So this is what Kyoto’s…