Tokyo Jihen “Sa_i_ta” It might be hard to tell given the number of live DVDs and best-of releases that have packed store racks this year, but Tokyo Jihen called it quits back at the start of 2012. Assessing the group’s legacy ends up being a tricky task – lead singer Shiina Ringo’s solo albums remain…
This Sunday, Japan will hold a general election that could signal many political shifts for the nation. Yet despite the upcoming vote, which will close out a year that saw public opinion about the current government reach very low levels as more conservative politicians try to make strides, political music has been rare in 2012….
I try to approach music in a way that avoids categorizing songs as “guilty pleasures” or as things to be self-conscious about. If you like the way something sounds, that should be more than enough. Letting ideas of what’s “cool” or “authentic” dictate what you like is ridiculous – like what you like. That said…one…
Timothy Work covers a lot of ground in just four songs on their self-titled debut EP that dropped back in the summer. Which actually makes it surprisingly easy to overlook – 2012 saw all sorts of acts treating genre cornerstones as something meant to be thrown around, acts like Moscow Club touching on fragile indie-pop…
still sound isn’t shy about his influences – the name gives away his interest in Toro Y Moi before you even read the SoundCloud bio that calls Chaz Bundick his “bro.” It’s the project of a 17-year-old high-school student named James who lives in Naha on Okinawa – “well, like an hour north” he tells…