#40 Kyary Pamyu Pamyu Japamyu The world finally caught up to Yasutaka Nakata, and then Nakata himself tried to catch up with all the kids weaned on Capsule downloads. Looking at the J-pop producer’s year could lead someone down multiple paths, but the one I keep coming back to is how Nakata — always chasing…
#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…
I’ll ideally have more on this one soon, but also worth pointing out — long time experimental artist Phew’s newest album Light Sleep is out now, and very much worth your time. She has created an album of unnerving electronics — made from an array of older synthesizers — and beats that just lurch forward,…