Frasco really moves on “Reality.” The duo have spent most of their existence at a more mid-tempo speed, creating synth-pop adjacent to the chill sounds gaining popularity in the greater mainstream while working in wonkier electronic details to give their songs a color all their own. But “Reality” moves at a swift pace, the usual…
Let’s “Bandersnatch” this one: select (1) to ask the music blogger why the video above is so short, select (2) to ask the music blogger about Frasco’s “Tatemae” by itself. (1) OK, sit down for a second, have I got some thoughts to unload on you. There’s this whole new class of Japanese artist emerging…
It felt for a split-second there that Frasco were taking a breather after a year where they’ve put out an impressive amount of synth-centered funk-pop. But they just needed some time to get a friend. “Era” finds the pair leaning in on their electronic side, crafting a fizzy backdrop loaded up with samples that reflect…
This is the sort of collaboration I wouldn’t have imagined making much sense on paper — Frasco dabbles in whatever you want to call the current wave of city funk, while City Your City creates shadowy R&B with a slightly unnerving edge to it. “My Summer Your Summer” works, though, by not trying to find…
Funk, boogie, acid jazz, city pop, even a little disco — all these styles have come back into vogue in some way or another in Japan. It has mainly been spurred on by young bands, some raised on Jamiroquai and others smelling an opportunity. Yet plenty of smaller acts have come around to it as…