L.A.H. does something few Japanese albums can – divide. Folks who follow the Japanese music scene – especially the indie community, to which Love And Hates members Yuppa (of HNC) and Moe (of Miila And The Geeks) certainly belong – rarely get riled up about anything. People have differing opinions sure, and it isn’t like…
This week, I talked to the founder of Day Tripper Records and INNIT member Seiho about his debut album Mercury for The Japan Times. It’s only January so take this next bit with a little caution, but Mercury is my favorite album of the year so far, a madcap mash of jazz and electronic dance…
[youtube=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EY3d-vViQAk”] Halfby’s The Island Of Curiosity was one of 2010’s most pleasant surprises, the Kyoto producer releasing an album with a beach theme in a year when it seemed like everyone was making a beeline to the coast. Halfby, though, wasn’t just retweeting musical themes, but rather finding a proper home for his sound. After…
The Only-Music Review Of Perfume’s JPN The following only deals with Perfume within the context of Perfume – no mentions of outside artists, or outside distractions. Stay tuned for part two, which will tackle those issues. The easiest knock against JPN is that it barely constitutes a new album, more of a glorified compilation disc…
Girls’ Generation’s cannonball into the Japanese pop scene – starting with the initial crossover singles last year and fully splashing with a record-breaking Japan-only album this year – charmed plenty of people, among them the foreign-born music writers/observers living in this country (guilty!). The shiny new sound of K-Pop gems like “Gee” and “Run Devil…