#30 Snail’s House Alien Pop II + Alien Pop III Near the start of 2019, Yasutaka Nakata shared the theme song he composed for an anime series about Virtual YouTubers, sporting vocals delivered by the digital influences themselves. It sounded a lot like Nakata trying to mimic the innocent bleeping of Snail’s House. Consider it…
Not much time has passed since For Tracy Hyde put out he(a)rt when you think about it, but two years feels like a whole other lifetime ago. It’s maybe a touch too precious to act like a ton has changed over about 24 months, but it does feel like the same qualities that made their…
#10 Ame To Kanmuri Nou Welcome to the top ten, where a common thread emerges in the releases Make Believe Melodies loved the most. This year was defined by artists who have been around for a while now hitting the sweet spot of their respective sounds, along with performers who crafted their own little fully-realized…
(This one has an official video, but it won’t play outside of Japan…where I am now. So this is how you guys feel all the time, huh?) Tokyo indie-pop band For Tracy Hyde have tightened up over the years. Initially a vessel for Sarah Records-indebted guitar chug mixed with experiments in chillwave, the group now…
The early 2010’s idol scene found groups grasping for any visual or sonic cue that would help them stand out from the crowd. Latching onto a specific genre could pay off big time, but it could also result in strange creations such as air guitar idols or steam-punk-themed outfits (with terrible music). Novelty has always…