40. Nanba Shiho’s “Kodona No Kaidan” Because Sakanaction needed even more praise this year – that group’s lead singer Ichiro Yamaguchi helped produce this single, which explains why this sounds so exciting and different from most whizzing-and-whirring idol pap in 2011. The opening synths icicles bring to mind “Rookie,” and the dance-centric beat was all…
Cubismo Grafico Five Half Dozen Not the actual artwork, but a filler photo. A lot of artists behind great albums in 2010 came back with impressive EPs in 2011, highlighted by She Talks Silence and Puffyshoes (well, I guess that was a mini album). Half Dozen isn’t quite in the same league, more of an…
Misato Kinoshita seems to roam in the same territory a lot of people who could be pretty good straight-ahead singers in Japan sometime wander into – instead of settling for safe sonic terrain, they instead mingle with experimental electronics, letting their voice loose over exciting new scapes. Kinoshita dabbles mostly with minimalism, various electric burbles…