Make Believe Mailer 24: Bandcamp Friday Special October 2021
One Of My Clients Paid Me Today...Bless You, For That Timing
I used to write a feature for Otaquest rounding up some Japanese recommendations for Bandcamp Friday. Since the site went on hiatus, I’ve debated whether to bring the same idea over here, but up until now decided against it because…I think I had a ton of work on the last few Fridays it happened? It was pure laziness. Luckily, I’m more free this week, so here’s a special selection of music from Japan worth supporting / listening to because it’s great.
In this iteration of the feature, I’ll divide the round-up into three parts — contemporary releases from the past month, reissues/compilations of older material and…just because I want to give y’all a bonus…a smattering of non-Japanese Bandcamp releases I’ve been digging.
RECENT JAPANESE RELEASES
Uchuu Nekoko — Hino Ataru Basyo Ni Kiteyo (artwork above)
Having not seen music in a livehouse over the past 18 months, I’ve come to truly miss shoegaze and the assorted fuzz-dipped indie-rock variants alongside it that used to dominate venue lineups in Tokyo. Right on cue, Uchuu Nekoko return with a new set of tender rockers to let wash over, even if I’m doing it from a dirty office rather than a club complete with sticky floors. Uchuu Nekoko have always stood out a little by making sure the vocals stand out a bit in songs, adding an extra sweetness that never gets lost in the squall. Here, that formula pops up on cuts like “Heya,” but that approach to highlighting the singing also helps makes more stripped down numbers like “Slow” and “Hikage” stand out. Get it here.
The Vegetablets — The Vegetablets 4
Being stuck largely at home over the last year-plus has, from my vantage point, dulled people to the charm of creating from the comfort of home. We’ve all been trapped in our rooms, yeah? Who cares about your twee album recorded before bedtime? Get that cynicism out of here, because Nagoya’s The Vegetablets…the most unexpected but welcome Pitchfork assignment I’ve ever received…return with a jaunty set of kitchen-sink indie-pop set on offering pure delight. Get it here.
Guchon — Tropical Pizza EP
Have definitely written about this one in some previous newsletter, but god what a blast. Thank goodness someone hasn’t hidden a camera in my work office, because the way the title track gets me squirming about would probably repel most of you. Get it here.
Pharakami Sanders — Under The Sun EP
You should also check out Guchon and Pharakami Sanders party-staring collaborative release, but to keep this edition fresh, I’ll throw some spotlight on this new EP from the latter, which reimagines Nicki Minaj, jungle and “Fake ID” in rollicking ways. Get it here.
AOTQ — catnap (Dream Ticket)
*whispering* I think my top ten for 2020 will finally come out sometime this month, and AOTQ is part of it. So…uhhhhh…enjoy this new release, which is extremely comforting. Get it here.
i-fls — Unfinished Completion
i-fls out here linking to and expressing their gratitude towards the person who created the drum break sample all over this release…what a person. That percussive element also adds a new texture to i-fls bedtown meditations. Get it here.
Alice Schach and the Magic Orchestra — SCHACH
“We use a self made language ‘Alician’ in all songs,” goes the description for this project, and you have me hooked right there. Beyond the 2020s version of Hopelandic, this album features a mix of poppy and forelorn electro. No need to understand what’s going on, as they use digital sounds to push feeling forward. Get it here.
Calum X And Steffen Yoshiki — esc
Whether you opt for the term “HyperPop” or something else, the evolution of this internet-centric style starts from the country’s SoundCloud rap community. The people involved in Tokyo’s Dosing were involved in those early days, so it makes sense to see them crossover to this very 2020s world, both with their own world and collaborating with artists associated with projects like STARKIDS. Get it here.
Seimei — A Diary From The Crossing
Trekkie Trax co-founder and all-around great guy Seimei offers up a love letter to hard-hitting techno. Get it here.
woopheadclrms — Lawn Without Extravagant Meat
A companion piece to EXPO!, and a must for anyone desiring more mind-scrambling experimental electronics from the Nagoya creator. Get it here.
DEAD BITCH — self-vandalism
Here’s something for the folks craving a heavier, blackhole of sound. Emerging from a collective based out of east Tokyo called Discipline, DEAD BITCH offers an overwhelming and often pulverizing take on electronic sounds. Get it here.
Oshirijima — Contemporary Giraffe Attack EP
I think this is called passing it forward? I learned about Oshirijima from friends on previous Bandcamp Fridays, and you should spend time with all of their releases, touching on a wide range of dance sub-genres, with this just being the newest. Get it here.
Prettybwoy — Tayutau
As someone who overuses the word “unnerving” a lot when writing about music, I’m all aboard this tense and…well, you know, electronic from Prettybwoy, which moves from vocal-assisted numbers to pure electronic workouts. Get it here.
REISSUES AND COMPILATIONS
Henry Kawahara — Cybernetic Defiance and Orgasm: The Essential Henry Kawahara
Slightly cheating here, but my feature on Henry Kawahara’s music came out on Bandcamp Daily in September so…why not. Also, this compilation continues to fascinate me, especially Kawahara’s explorations of Southeast Asian music, which remind me so much of Haruomi Hosono’s early “exotica” efforts but with an earnest new age attitude lending it the conviction of a devout yogi. Absolutely fascinating both musically and as a snapshot of a brief moment in Japanese history (splurge and get the CDs, totally worth it for the notes alone). Get it here.
dip in the pool — “What about this love”
This whole corner of the newsletter might be cheats…not a reissue per se as much as it is dip in the pool covering a Mr. Fingers’ song from 1989. Still…look at that last sentence and tell me this doesn’t belong here. Get it here.
Boris — Golden Dance Classics
Boris love Bandcamp in a way I haven’t encountered before, so it only makes sense they’ve been releasing rarities via the platform. Here comes their side of a split EP, with some special live sessions and Goth-Trad-featuring performance in tow. (“Fun” story — when I did that linked Bandcamp Daily story, I initially missed that it was a column focused on asking artists what releases on Bandcamp they enjoyed, despite my editor very clearly spelling out said function in email. Whoops! So I conducted a whole interview with Boris just talking about last year’s No, only to realize a week before the deadline that I…completely fucked up the assignment. Thankfully, the members of Boris were up for talking again and providing recommendations, saving the story. The point of this is…Boris, not just great artists, but really kind people!)
Ryo Fukui — My Favorite Tune
Well hey, isn’t this calming! Get it here.
Mir — This Tiny World
Before I moved to Japan but after I found out I would, indeed, be moving to Japan, I spent hum-drum nights working on a college website looking at MySpace, seeking out Japanese music. One of the earliest groups I accidentally came across…seriously, whose “top eight friends” lead me to this?…was Mir, a band releasing music via Japan Times writer Ian Martin’s Call And Response Records. While this isn’t my preferred release, it has gotten some attention lately, and the group definitely deserve some love. Get it here.
WAMONO A to Z Vol. III - Japanese Light Mellow Funk, Disco & Boogie 1978-1988
“Jadoes - Friday Night (Extended Dance Mix)” is all I need to see. Get it here.
BONUS NON-JAPANESE PICKS
Super Magic Hats — Super Magic Revolution
Released via Omoide Label, this long-awaited set from Australian artist Super Magic Hats delivers fuzzy yet lively beats to soak up. Bonus points for a clever twist at the end. Get it here.
Yikii — Crimson Poem
Prolific Chinese artist Yikii offers their best work yet with this ambitious sound experiment…I’ve only had a couple listens so far, but an album of the year contender based off those initial brushes. Get it here.
Parasol — 1800-PARASOL
Speak ill of Spotify playlists all you want, but the HyperPop playlist lead me to this MIDI mindfuck. An experiment in creating maximalism from constraints that reminds me of early PC Music. Get it here.
KIRARA — 4-2
A fantastic South Korean electronic composer has returned in recent months with the same glee in creating buzzsaw songs. Here’s the latest single, complete with Flash Flood Darlings remix. Get it here.
Written by Patrick St. Michel (patrickstmichel@gmail.com)
Twitter — @mbmelodies