That’s One Goal: Concentrate On Popping

ByPatrick St. Michel

The charm of indie-pop lies in the promise of anyone being capable of taking part in it. Twee isn’t all cardigans and crudely drawn cats, but also (at least hinted at by the Sarah Records lineup of yesteryear) a celebration of DIY pop unafraid to show off uneven edges. Concentrate On Popping sound very indie-pop, all fuzzy recording quality and skippy guitar work, yet their music also hides some qualities that an average dude on the street couldn’t replicate regardless of how many K badges adorn his messenger bag. COP can sing – vocalist ハシグチナツコ boast an easy, breezy delivery not far removed from what Vanilla Beans do. She sounds especially stellar on the skeletal but galloping “サボテン,” where the chorus of “sing sing in the high voice” feels less like a command and more like a cute placeholder for what she’s doing. The more languid “レインコートとねこ” finds her stretching out a little, her singing now strolling along save for giving into the moment every once in awhile via wordless rises. COP aren’t avoiding the twee label…they mention cats in the latter track, I believe…but there’s some gifted stuff happening here. Listen here.

Similar Posts

  • Half Beat: SNJO’s SF

    ByPatrick St. Michel

    SNJO is the solo project of the producer half of Kyoto’s Toxxies, a quick-moving electro unit that’s been on a good roll. SF, however, isn’t a simple exercise in instrumental tracks. The four songs often feature vocals, usually in the form of SNJO’s manipulated voice, or via guest Yuna Nakabayashi on the jittery “One,” a…

  • Shugo Tokumaru Further Clings To Youth, Releases New Song With Old Group Gellers

    ByPatrick St. Michel

    [youtube=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AsKb38VDtV0″] Remember the critical meme that popped up last year after the release of Port Entropy, the one where folks became skeptical of pop whiz Shugo Tokumaru because he seemed “creepy” sticking to sounds of kid-whimsy? Still a pretty dumb opinion (in my opinion) but the blog-owning chorus gets a little more evidence with the…

  • New Qrion: “2 U”

    ByPatrick St. Michel

    In which Sapporo’s Qrion, who has spent most of the year sharing relatively skeletal tracks that would sound at home in a misty forest, reveals her party side. It isn’t a total deviation from her other works this year…it still opens with a rush of strings and airy vocal samples, and at one point nearly…

  • Live Must: Ningen OK

    ByPatrick St. Michel

    Ningen OKは是非ライブを観てほしいバンド。彼らについてあまり詳しく知らなかったものの、先週末のライブセットは最近観たライブの中でも特に印象に残っています。手作りの白いピラミッドのようなオブジェに囲まれて彼等は演奏を開始。ギターTakurou Yamashitaは大量のペダルの前で演奏し、ドラムのKen-ichi Sakaguchiは時折ボコーダーを使用し、怪しい機械的なボーカルを披露。言葉が無いインストでもこのデュオには高度な一体感があり、ロックなグルーブ感を出しています。 ライブハウスだけで輝くのではなく、録音された作品も同様に素晴らしいです。”体温の行方”は静けさを打ち砕くカオスみたいなものが上手く表現されていて、Ningen OKの核となるスタイルを知るにはもってこいな曲（フィードバックを是非体感してほしいです）。試聴は以下から。最近リリースされた同タイトルのファーストアルバムからの曲なので、もし気に入ったら通して聴く事をオススメします。要するに、Ningen OKの音源にはライブから感じる事の出来る素晴らしさが詰まっています。是非ブックマークを。