Make Believe Melodies For August 15, 2022

Just A Quick One, Busy Week

Aug 15, 2022

Carpainter — Plastic Dancer

I’ve spent a lot of this summer thinking back on Trekkie Trax’s absolute cut-up of a tenth anniversary party at a seaside park in Kawasaki at the start of June. Just the perfect mix of artists, atmosphere and attitude from a crowd ready to welcome the season while celebrating a Tokyo club institution. A highlight — as is often the case — was Carpainter, whose air-light take on dance sounds always deliver a boost. All of those good feelings and swift speeds pop up on new release Plastic Dancer, a set of tracks exploring familiar ground for the producer (shimmering garage on “Block Party” and “Voicing”) along with some newer experiments (a Carpainter take on disco, on the delirious “Disco Shader”). Throughout, he keeps the pacing just right, always joyous but never too much, instead knowing how to keep the energy constant. Get it here, or listen above.

i-fls — I’d like you

I’ll push the usual “memories of family restaurants and chain drugstores dotting the suburban mind map” stuff aside for a second to say…i-fls’ actual sound here is really sharp and crisp, yeah? There’s a lot of use of layers — at times glassy, at times synth-sick woozy — on “Soundcloud6,” and a real shift in musical palette with the cymbal smacks and guitar notes of “architecture,” a deconstructed American Football song until the synth comes in. There’s also plenty of familiar flair aimed right at the feels — “tomomi,” perfect ennui, give me that electronic swirl and vague longing — that continues to make the i-fls project among the most fascinating in Japan, but let’s take some time to appreciate how sonically rich they’ve become in…ten years later this month!?!?!? Get it here, or listen above.

RYUTist — “Uragirimono”

Approach the void, idols. RYUTist have the good sense of finding creators on the cutting edge to help craft their sound, and on the highlight from their latest two-side single, they opt for something a touch more chaotic. Whereas side two follows a surprisingly predictable path from ballad tease to sprint — quick aside, but I’m a little worried that Pasocom Music Club is giving into J-pop demands rather than trying to shape songs around their style — the lead-off number finds RYUTist trying to stay on the path while it collapses into sax-blasted cacaphony. Shun Ishikawa crafts the sound, while Botsu of Dos Monos shows a knack for idol lyrics with a slightly sinister side (a lot of reflecting on shitty conditions and uncertain futures!). Listen above.

De De Mouse And AZK — “Disco Revenge”

I’m always here for De De Mouse’s trips into dance music past, and “Disco Revenge” shines by not holding any release back. A pure glitter bomb from the start, drawing from the head-first rush of future funk but built from the ground up, and topped off with a great vocal courtesy of AZK. Listen above.

(((Sssurrounddd))) — After Hours

It was wise of this duo to also share the albums they released earlier last decade that were like, proto city pop revival with a MacBook chip powering them, alongside the release of this new one. Because After Hours is a true departure, more stripped down and geared towards the dancefloor than an imagined beach resort. Familiar in parts, but also a pretty fascinating effort in finding a new way further, with some big highlights (feel the Jun Kamoda pumping through “Tell Me”). Get it here, or listen above.

Beachside Talks — “Umibe No Hanashi”

I need to start posting more goosebump-covered indie-pop again. Here’s a really strong debut single from Tokyo quartet Beachside Talks, which sprinkles in some vocal effects for good measure. Listen above.

Various Artists — GAL

“Compilation album inspired by gal.” Alright, got my attention! The past two years about have seen a pretty big resurgence in “gyaru” culture, at least from younger artists in all fields drawing from the ‘90s and early Aughts for inspiration. I’m not sure how much of this album really ties to that, though the inclusion of a new song from duo HYPER GAL instantly makes it a must for those keeping an eye on youth mutations on familiar sounds. Beyond that…kind of just a great experimental electronic collection, ranging from sample-heavy dance numbers to pitch experiments. Get it here, or listen above.

Photon Maiden — 4 phenomena

A large chunk of this, the debut album from D4DJ outfit Photon Maiden, features contributions from netlabel legend and Kirby-sampler fu_mou. Already worthy of attention, it’s also a strong full-length from the world of mixed-media anime projects, with the songs here tightroping between big-tent EDM and more slipper nerd-baiting production (the lightspeed kick of “Overcome”). Plus, one great disco-pop cut! I need to spend more time with it, but initial listens…even before checking the produciton notes…point towards one of the strongest J-pop dance albums of 2022. Listen above.

Oricon Trail For The Week Of August 01, 2022 To August 07, 2022

Back in the day, the Oricon Music Charts were the go-to path to music stardom in Japan. Acts of all sorts traversed these lands, trying to sell as many CDs as possible in order to land a good ranking on a chart choosing to only count physical sales, even as the Internet came to be and the number of versions offered for sale got ridiculous. Today, with the country finally in on digital, these roads are more barren and only looked at by the most fanatic of supporters needing something to celebrate. Yet every week, a new song sells enough plastic to take the top spot. So let’s take a trip down…the Oricon Trail.

Johnny’s West — “Hoshi No Ame” (291,727 Copies Sold)

I get it, these types of groups need to “get serious” and “show vulnerability” sometimes, but Johnny’s West only work when being goofballs. “Mixed Juice,” remember that? That’s this project working at its best because they just lean into being big ol’ silly guys open to rap interludes. And here’s the thing…I think the silly stuff is more revealing than the cliche ballad. There’s nothing to glean from “Hoshi No Ame” other than this group can perform a boilerplate song like this.

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