🎧 Issue #43

Get in the cab into this week’s issue of Shibuya’s Scrambled Sounds !

Hi everyone, I hope you’re doing well and are as ready for the season change as I am!
It’s been the best couple of weeks for Japanese music so far this year. Let’s get right into it.

Get ready for:

• The return of an angel

• And another solid addition to one of my favorite label’s lineups

• A grab bag of varied tracks

• The quickest EP you’ve ever heard and more!

🥧 Fresh Out The Oven Albums 🥧

Reviews of the best new albums that came out recently
*with some exceptions

Ichiko Aoba - Luminescent Creatures

Genre: Chamber Folk, Singer-Songwriter
Bandcamp | Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube

Since I first got into her music around 2015-2016, Ichiko Aoba has always been one of those artists I like to say “I knew her before it was cool to know her”. Whether you want to call it “indie cred” or think “wow cool flex bro”, it doesn’t matter when or where you were when you first heard Ichiko Aoba, it becomes an unforgettable experience.

If this is your first rodeo, strap in for something exciting… in a very subtle way. I always felt like the more love you put into Aoba’s music, the more it returns the favor. Learning every subtle guitar pluck, melody, and orchestral arrangement is just as rewarding as the time you put into it.

This album doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but instead polishes it, smoothing out all of the crevices and cracks that remained in the creative process. While her music has shifted from nearly all nylon-string guitar crafted songs to guitar, piano, and a mix of everything else, her mission statement of “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” has always been a characteristic of her music. And honestly, she’s one of the few artists where here music is so beautiful and charming, she can get away with it.

As for this time around, Luminescent Creatures is about the extremities of life, the light and the dark, the beginning and the end. There are so many moments throughout the album that made me feel both joy and heartache, sometimes within the same track. The album opener “COLORATURE” is a standout in her discography that might be one of the best songs she’s ever made, and that’s saying something. I also love how “SONAR” has one of my favorite chord progression of the album with it’s roller-coaster of emotions, yet it feels like it goes everywhere and no where at the same time, ending with just a lone voice.

You could start anywhere with her discography, and if this is your first time ever hearing about Ichiko Aoba, find a fire (in a safe place ofc) and your favorite warm drink, put on this album and let your self sink into her musical world.

Rating: 🥧🥧🥧 We gonna need oven mitts
Favorite Tracks: COLORATURA, tower, FLAG, Luciférine, SONAR

Kenonary - Metropolital: to Live in The City

Genre: Experimental Electronic Music, Vocaloid Vaporwave??
Bandcamp | Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube

Remember how I talked about KAOMOZI a month ago?? Well they’re at it AGAIN!

And this might be my favorite release of everything I’ve heard from this label, probably one of the only music labels to be the perfect fusion of Experimental Electronic Music and Vocaloid. Kenonary is one of the most forward thinking in this style, fully embracing the extremes of both genres I just mentioned.

Some of my favorite moments are the Math-Rock tinged flavors of track 2, or the surprisingly groovy, video game OST inspired track 5. But for me, track 9 is an absolute standout and a top-tier track, no matter the genre. I’m not going to go into too many details because I’m limiting myself to only 1 longer write-up a week, but just note that this is also amazing and it’s unfortunate it came out at the same time as an Ichiko Aoba album (which slightly edges this one by a little for me).

You may notice that the versions on streaming services and Bandcamp are different, with the Bandcamp version being a little longer and having different arrangements. It gets to be a choose your own adventure where YOU the fan gets to decide which version you prefer. However, this review will be about the (MONOQLO EDITION) because comparing and contrasting the differences would be an entire write-up on it’s own.

Rating: 🥧🥧🥧 We gonna need oven mitts
Favorite Tracks: 2, 3, 5, 6, 9

Bunn Noguchi - Fujiko

Genre: Indie Pop, Hip-Hop, Jazz
Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube

Going no where and everywhere all at once, this album is Bunn Noguchi’s 2nd array into album territory under his own name. This whole album was recorded over a month’s time in a house, with all the musicians living and relaxing together. I imagine that bonding in this environment contributed to the open space that this album continuously plays with, a concept that would require everyone to be on board with.

To me, this album sounds like a Pop interpretation of a Jackson Pollock painting, with all the musicians throwing paint against the walls seeing what hits and what doesn’t.

I definitely like some tracks more than others　and some tracks just go on for a little too long, but I think the way it evolves and surprises makes it a super interesting listen from front to back.

Rating: 🥧🥧 Oh that’s hot
Favorite Tracks: 1, 2, 3, 4, 7

🍱Mystery Bento🍱

An older album you should check out

Ryusenkei - Natural Woman (2009)

Genre: City-Pop Revival
Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube

I’ve reviewed a newer Ryusenkei album on this newsletter, but this is my first time talking about one of their classic albums. Honestly, I might be really biased and this album could totally be an album others find boring, but I’ve gotten through some really tough and lonely times with these tracks, so I have to talk about it.

To me, this is a nearly perfect collection of smooth and somber tracks and is one of the few times where a City Pop Revival album is the same level of quality as an album from the original scene. Speaking of, there’s a Taeko Onuki cover on here and it’s almost just as good as the original, it really highlights how the drummer on this album really crafts the rhythms and guides the directions of these songs. Whether it’s the silky smooth guitar on track 5, or the goose-bump inducing vocal melodies of track 6, every track has something that stands out.

I guess you could say all the songs sound the same, there isn’t much originality, or that the production sounds a little flat (except for the drums omg just listen to them), but that doesn’t stop this album from being a 9/10 (probably 4 pies) for me. Amazing performances, it feels like it should be a guilty-pleasure but it’s completely okay to like it (I think).

Favorite Tracks: 1, 4, 5, 6, 8

♨️ Steaming EPs ♨️ 

Some good EPs that recently came out

NI-HAO!!!! - EP!!!! NI-HAO!!!! - EP

Genre: Punk, DIY
Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube
*I guess you could call the first song Hip-Hop? A really eclectic EP that grew on me the more I listened to it.

🍵 Piping Hot Singles 🍵

Here’s where you find the newest hottest singles on the planet from Japan

For Spotify and Apple Music, check out the official playlists!
*It’s taking me a little longer to update the list compared to usual. Check again in a couple of days!

Playlist Links:
Spotify
Apple Music

❤️‍🔥 Thank you! ❤️‍🔥 

As always, thank you thank you sooooo much for reading this issue of Shibuya’s Scrambled Sounds! 🥹

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See ya next time! Breakfast is ready.