#40 Universe Nekoko Kimi No Youni Ikiretara Bump into someone walking down the main shopping arcade in Koenji and you have pretty good odds that they play in either a shoegaze band. Few styles have persevered in Japan like this corner of rock, and as a result standing out from the field can be a…
“Kimi No Youni Ikiretara” is made for the tender-hearted teen lurking within. Universe Nekoko have been students of shoegaze and indie-pop since starting out, but this release finds them just nailing the feeling just right. Maybe I’m just getting a bit too wistful for youth, but “Kimi” captures that sense of longing lurking underneath waves…
Sometimes its the moment not happening that ends up being the most memorable. Universe Nekoko’s “Like A Raspberry” goes for something more delicate, more spacious than some of the band’s more outright shoegaze material. Everything feels near whispered, while the music itself feels barely there, like a light wind grazing over someone walking in the…
Another year draws to a close, and that means its time for the annual rush of year-end blog posts looking back on the year that was. And, again, I try to write an intro to this collection trying to say something original, about putting together lists and what it all means. But at this point,…
Shoegaze-leaning outfit Universe Nekoko (formerly written as Uchu Nekoko because we love our Japanese words at Make Believe Melodies) recently teamed up with singer-songwriter Tsvaci for an achingly sweet song called “Online Love.” “Down In The DM” this isn’t — whatever musings about tech-guided romance this song ponders on aren’t really clear, as it is…