Wakusei Abnormal dropped one of my favorite Eps of the year, can't find anything on youtube but it's recommended for those who dig Shiina Ringo/Tokyo Jihen
Anything else from any genre would be much appreciated.
------------------------------- If life is stupendous one cannot also demand that it should be easy. - Robert Musil
5. "Sorry to disappoint. " In response to Reply # 0
I haven't really listened to much new music the last few months.
I didn't enjoy the Wakusei Abnormal as much as I thought I would. It's definitely Shiina-inspired, but the overall melodies and songwriting weren't as interesting.
There are a few Japanese albums I enjoyed, but even the ones I enjoyed the most I still have major reservations about. That "Polarize" track by Tam Tam sounds better than most of the stuff I've heard this year. Off the top of my head there are some interesting songs/bands, but I haven't loved many albums this year.
Kinoko Teikoku - eureka (http://youtu.be/xLLqGseXBTs). Shoegaze-y. This is the standout track for me, and the rest of the album is OK but is sort of generic-sounding.
Passepied - Fever (http://youtu.be/sTzfwboG1w4). Not my favorite track but I can't find the one I want on YouTube. The singer has a nasally voice like YUKI and the singer from Nano.Ripe, which I'm sure turns a lot of people off. The album is alright, but it's had a lot of replay value from me for some reason.
Kyary Pamyu Pamyu - Noriko to Norio (http://youtu.be/62CaiWk0Cpw). She's huge now, right? It seems like most people are enjoying the new album more than the last, but I' m not really feeling it like that. Overall pretty solid, but nothing amazing like "Candy Candy" this time around.
Base Ball Bear - The Cut -feat. RHYMESTER- (http://youtu.be/-jYaGz8tow0). Yeah, a rap-rock song in 2013. I don't really like RHYMESTER much, but I think it's a pretty interesting song. It's most likely that funky riff, and the video's continuous dual camera shots is pretty neat.
Honestly the album I'm most excited for now is from JASMINE (http://youtu.be/0DU2MxqrX78), although I don't think it appeals to most OKPers (maybe Joey because the two of us like those R&B jamz). And the new Perfume record if it's coming out this year. There's a new Akai Ko-en EP that I haven't seen leak on the internet yet, but I listened to the previews on the iTunes Japan store and thought the songs were alright.
Akai Ko-en has a new album coming out, and they had a really strong EP they just released. Unforunately their videos on YouTube are blocked for people in the U.S.
Spangle call Lilli line put out a "best of" compilation of their material from 2008-2013, and it's also really good. I prefer a lot of their earlier material (check out their album Nanae, which is my favorite), but their newer stuff is nice as well. Some pretty nice remixes on there too (e.g., from the guy from Ling Tosite and Yumi sfp/la la larks).
11. "have no idea what they are saying in these vids but i'm surprised" In response to Reply # 0
american artists don't sometimes flat out steal the concepts or tempo from songs like these the whole auto tune movement a couple years of ago was basically a direct copy of what popular west african highlife artists were already doing (t-pain by no coincidence was signed to a west africans label (akon)) i'm just picturing an struggling artist like solange adapting that salyu x salyu song and having a moderate hit on her hands might as well
27. "Oomori Seiko is my latest obsession" In response to Reply # 0 Fri Dec-20-13 09:51 PM by Steve O Tron v2
Probably the next big thing. Her styles can jump all over the place, but it's all good. I wasn't that impressed with her early on for some reason, but she's really knocking it out of the park in all of her projects. Her collaboration with Lai Lai Lai Team is probably my favorite; it's pretty accessible and probably would appeal to indie rock fans. Her other stuff seems to be toungue-in-cheek idol-ish sounds to somewhat bare guitar and vocals numbers.
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