Make Believe Mailer 39: Bandcamp Friday Special April 2022
This Is A Substack About Politics And Cancel Culture Now...April Fools, Still Just Linking To Bandcamp Pages
I used to write a feature for OTAQUEST rounding up some Japanese recommendations for Bandcamp Friday. I’ve decided to keep doing that for the remaining installments of this campaign. Here’s the April 2022 edition…I’ve had a mysterious illness over the last two days that has left me sleeping for like 20 hours and feeling like I’m constantly carrying a big boulder on my back. Not great! So any spelling error or grammatical screw ups can be blamed on my condition. Let’s go!
Koh-Gaku — Opto4:Utae
The entire Koh-Gaku project warrants a listen — three of the most promising artists in the country (Tsudio Studio, SNJO and HiRO.JP) team up with a guest to create an EP-worth of new material. The fourth installment brings singer/songwriter and trackmaker Utae into the project’s fold, and finds everyone tinkering with their sound. Tsudio Studio takes a turn towards the minimalist, using space as a way to amplify Utae’s voice, while HiRO.JP adds a jazzier bend to their city pop re-imaginations. Though the best moment comes when everyone comes together on closer “Nami,” to craft a fizzy funk song balancing experimentation and fun just right. Get it here, or listen above.
Pee.J Anderson — Activoid/Propamin
Chalk it up to my current cold-medicine-addled brain, but hearing the more ethereal tracks of Pee.J Anderson on this release is extremely comforting. The two songs never get too heavy — “Propamin” comes closer, but even the late moments of release on that number feels more giddy than pure rush — and instead let their synthesizer notes gloss over everything. Bonus points for an incredible set of remixers. Get it here.
Native Rapper — Itsu Made
The latest from the Kyoto creator is a cathartic set of dance-pop celebrating the act of wildin’ out. Native Rapper remains one of the best at plugging into the feelings powering Japan’s underground music community, and on this Trekkie Trax release they flash the goofier possibilities of artistic freedom (“Pizza”) while also reminding of the sweeter emotions possible when you control the feel of your work (“Baby Steps”). Get it here.
Takuto Kinoshita — Girls Still Dreaming Today
A great set of shoegaze topped off by the particularly longing mood made on “Darkside,” which stirs up those teenage emotions like the best of them. Get it here.
Juke music covered in moss. The latest from Kool Switch Works boasts an uneasy atmosphere, but ensures that the high-energy tempos central to the style that the label celebrate comes through clearly. Get it here.
Milk Talk — “Sakura Chill”
Here’s a hot take for you — most hanami aren’t fun. Just sitting around, under a tree, eating and drinking. Give me some movement! “Sakura Chill” imagines a funkier way to welcome the spring season, with plenty of ennui leftover for the transience of the times. Check those post-chorus keyboard strut-outs! Get it here.
every_de & mori_de_kurasu — Misasagi
Half-speed electronic compositions to drift off to, with just enough unease in the details. Get it here.
Uri Gagarn — no. 2 oracle
I often imagine myself interacting with younger versions of…myself. Like, teleporting to a sophomore-era dorm and being like “dude, you really like Animal Collective this much?” and having younger me slap me over the disrespect shown to Feels. I picture every version of me on the timeline shaking hands and agreeing on this release, which dabbles in math-rock graphing but allows enough raw emotion to spill over the top of those guitar riffs. Get it here.
Tentenko — In The Wall
Tentenko — still going strong. Her latest offering is very much of the Phew school, creating an uncomfortable atmosphere out of synthesizers and samples that never lets up and always just keeps creeping (see that title track, opening with enchanting bell chimes that give way to bass drills). Get it here.
butasaku — forms
The debut album from a collaborative project featuring butaji and Yusaku Arai leaves ample room for the pair of artists to highlight their vocal prowess on detail-rich songs. Don’t ignore the music, however minimal it is. The little touches, guitar strums and looped vocal samples set the mood, and can turn down right celebratory on jams like “In My Brian.” Get it here.
hallycore — maniacs, dance, the older i got
A quick little sampler of club sounds, perfect for whatever mood is needed when you want to go out (or at least imitate the experience from home). Get it here.
Various Artsits — Stars EP
A release so bright it even got me to feel a little more upbeat despite the presence of a fever. Just pure optimism, delivered by synth fireworks and (gasp) Eurobeat workouts. Generally a nice shot of sugar during a pretty bleh week. Get it here.
DJ Obake — Atomic Love
This is being presented as the final project from DJ Obake, who produced a fantastic and decisively underrated duo called Her Ghost Friend. Atomic Love offers one last hurrah towards Obake’s production skills, moving between hard-edged tracks to twinklier dance-pop works suited for that project. Get it here, and speaking of…
Her Ghost Friend — Loop And Leap
…a new Her Ghost Friend album, out of nowhere and months after that project officially ended. It’s more a mix of demos, new songs and remixes than any unified offering from the duo, but offers a final surprise present from the pair. It also highlights everything that made their sound so thrilling in the early part of the 2010s, with dreamy electronic dance-pop colliding with Shinobu Ono’s singing. Get it here.
Written by Patrick St. Michel (patrickstmichel@gmail.com)
Twitter — @mbmelodies