Make Believe Mailer 62: Bandcamp Friday Special February 2023
Or, Catching Up On Early Highlights Of The Year
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. After a brief break, this promotion returns, and at a perfect time…as you can get some of 2023’s best albums so far on Bandcamp. Here’s a dive into Japanese releases worth your time, attention and money.
SARI — Ending
It seems dramatic to present anything as the “end of an era,” or even imply any piece of art signals the end of a specific period for a creator…yet Ending feels like just that for SARI. The first full-length album from the former NECRONOMIDOL member serves as a summation of her first extended period of creating solo songs, revealing her inclinations for electronic experimentation, touches of traditional Japanese sound and vivid lyricism. It comes months before she moves to Sweden for a year, marking a true end — yet in these 10 songs, she’s delivered a whirlwind, both in personal expression and in how pop can be wrapped up with left-field electronics.
Part of what makes this 2023’s first great album out of Japan is the collaborators SARI pulls in to make her vision real. She gravitates towards electronic producers with edge, from Takahiro Miyoshi of Quine Ghost to T5UMUT5UMU to Amenkensetsu, who provide arrow-sharp backdrops bordering on drill (the swelter of “Milky Way”) and acid-tinged electro fireworks (“Sari No Shitaku”). Multiple songs work in traditional Japanese instruments, seeing how they can intertwine with modern productions. Yet the real connective tissue comes from SARI herself, animating all these songs with a delivery dashing from rap (“VOID”) to urgently sung (“Paraiso”) to softly-delivered lines bordering on confessional speaking (“tohiko”). In the last few years, she’s been figuring herself out…and with Ending, offers a stunning portrait of working through that discovery to find your voice. Get it here.
Inu — Yume No Kage Ri
Chiba-based artist Inu warps their voice and loads songs up with electronic flourishes, but uses these touches to find new angles to traditional pop songwriting across Yume No Kage Ri. Belonging in the same lane as Kabanagu or quoree, Inu uses new technology to turn familiar structures into pop cyborgs. Get it here.
Sho Yoshimura — Cabbage
Japan’s current crop of experimental artists love to push sounds to the sonic extreme, but Sho Yoshimura spends Cabbage wondering if leaving some space while retaining the loopy flourishes of other electronic creators can result in something every bit as compelling. Big resounding “yes” from this newsletter-blog, as Yoshimura constructs songs from a left-of-center collection of sounds — whether they be synths, drum clonks or samples, all rendered through a bedroom lens — but builds sweeter and downright fragile melodies over them (all while being mastered by woopheadclrms, someone who exemplifies the sample-splatter of contemporary Japanese experimentalists). A triumph of bedroom recording, with plenty of daring…that just happens to be blended up perfectly with accessibility. Get it here.
aus — “Until Then”
A Pacific partnership between Tokyo’s FLAU and Los Angeles-based all my thoughts gets the founder of the prior to return to the spotlight. “Until Then” serves as the first original music from aus in quite some time owing to the Cuushe robbery incident, and his return comes via a blanket of electronics, strings and machine beats. Vocal samples turned to stutters run up against ominous electronic whooshes and skips, giving “Until Then” a tense dynamic that makes this more than something to be simply wrapped up by. Get it here.
De De Mouse, Hylen And OuiOui — “Love All Day”
Keeping feelings central and letting music just bounce deliriously ahead can work wonders, too. De De Mouse links up with compatriot producer Hylen and South Korean duo OuiOui for a dance-pop shimmer that never lets the light fade, bouncing ahead on upbeat energy and an intoxicating melody courtesy of the guest singers. Get it here.
Pasocom Music Club — DEPOT Vol. 1
A collection of odds and ends from Pasocom Music Club that could stand up against the highlights in most producers main catalog. Part of the thrill with these four dusted-off tracks — including a hectic remix of “Inner Blue” from their first full-length album — is hearing the duo operate in the pure club-oriented mood (or perhaps vision is the better word, since they were working out of home at first) present in their earliest work as opposed to more recent stabs at pop. I’m open for them giving that a go, but here their off-kilter sound stands out even more. Get it here.
Gezan With Million Wish Collective — Anochi
This starts with a wall of bagpipes, so you know you are in for something heavy.
Gezan is in a fascinating position in the Japanese music ecosystem, with the group and specifically leader Mahito The People starting to gain something resembling mainstream attention (dude collaborated with Kaela Kimura). Yet they aren’t backing away from their sound, which often sounds like one of those drum circles in Yoyogi Park turning into a revolutionary force. On Anochi, the band’s power lies in channeling voices together into an sonic force, turning them into a battering ram on “We All Fall” or drawing utopian sweetness from chanting on “Third Summer Of Love” (when they let individual voices just hang out, they…and I think I mean this derisively…sound like The 1975, with “Tokyo Dub Story’s” rush of samples talking about “World War III” and “algorithms” feeling like notebook scratches than something fully thought out). However they channel, it’s undeniable when united. Get it here.
Foodie — Lip
Foodie return after a few years away with a simple, direct and catchy set of songs with a feminist edge. They sound all the better when they let anger seethe through ever so slightly, as on standout “Distance,” which also features a great reference to masks. If Otoboke Beaver is that game where you flip the table over, Foodie are like a long-lasting game of Whack-A-Mole. Get it here.
Acidclank — “Night Signals”
Even shoegazers need to strut it off sometimes. Acidclank breaks out one of the most rubbery grooves they’ve ever put down, pairing it with a sweet vocal melody that gives this one the right balance of confidence and ennui. Get it here.
geeker-natsumi — ZOO-ZOO-SEA
This is one of those albums that probably deserves a much deeper look, because it’s a really goofy set of pop songs unafraid of being silly and letting the sewing around the edges show, but that proves to be charming, as does the use of sheep baaaa-ing samples on “a sheep that never gets lost” or sea lions barking on the off-kilter “yes, we are the sealions” (the theme is “zoo” if you couldn’t tell). Anyway, until deeper analysis can come together, here’s the key — there’s a song here called “pui pui nightclub” that is everything it promises and more. Get it here.
DJ GEN — Love With You EP
Last August, I visited Sendai for a research / work trip, but the first day I arrived — a warm but pleasant Saturday — I had ample free time to walk around. I passed by a tiny event space advertising a happy hardcore event and boy oh boy did I want to see what Tohoku’s happy hardcore community looked like. Alas, I would have only been able to stay two hours tops before my next engagement, and that would be if I was pushing it.
I should have anyone, because listening to Sendai’s own DJ GEN, I’m just like…that would have been a blast! Get it here.
HYRADIANCE (aka Hiroki Yamamura) — HYRADIANCE II
The proper way to do a sequel. Hiroki Yamamura’s madcap blend of juke, future funk and beyond returns with a dizzying four-track set, highlighted by the limber movements of “Hold A Dance” and its helium-pitched vocals bending around beat skitters. Get it here.
Yuri Urano — Melodic Release
Happy for anyone to chase down their muse, but I’m also happy to hear Yuri Urano (aka Yullippe) returning to her melodic side after spending recent releases gathering samples of nature. Here, she keeps the tracks spacious, using synths and her own voice to construct absorbing worlds, punctuated by beats and…hey, no reason to deviate too far from what she loves…sounds of frogs and other wildlife on closer “Ousatsu.” Get it here.
Lady Flash — Dokonimo Ikenai Door
Some bands just excel on the live stage better than on the album. I saw Lady Flash a bunch during the brief time I lived in Osaka over a decade ago, right when they were just starting out. In the years since, the recorded stuff they’ve put out has always felt like it lacks the punch they have live. Not so with their latest! Here, they expand ever so slightly, bringing plenty of energy but exploring new tempos and times for them to create something with a little more depth. I’m sure it kills live, but I can at least enjoy it in the moment. Get it here.
Aya Gloomy — SHIRO KURO
Here for the “SHIRO” side of this, which creates a bleary-eyed vibe via its rattling percussion and maybe the best vocal performance Aya Gloomy has ever provided, using stretched-out syllables and quicker sing-speak to create a real tension that fits in nicely between the music. Get it here.
Snail’s House — Lumi
Snail’s House sometimes has the reputation of being a near lo-fi beats, very-nostalgic, anime bear-hug kind of creator, but they know how to move. The best moments on new album Lumi find the producer picking up the pace and letting their swirl of electronics work their magic, like on “lumiukko” and “frostbite.” Get it here.
Fetus — “Horizontal loop / hatahata”
Let’s end with two examples of dance-centric energy being harnessed to create something memorable. First, two zippy tracks hiding a lot of off-beat sonic textures behind the beat. Get it here.
CRZKNY — HOTEL HAUZ
And then, the newest album from CRZKNY, showcasing his wide-range of electronic versatility all in one place…but being at its best when pounding ahead. Get it here.
Written by Patrick St. Michel (patrickstmichel@gmail.com)
Twitter — @mbmelodies