Shibuya’s Scrambled Sounds

Hey everyone and welcome to the first issue of Shibuya’s Scrambled Sounds! This is a weekly newsletter where I show you a little bit of what I’ve been listening to while I’m living in Tokyo, both the “raw” and" “scrambled” sounds of the Japanese underground music scene. I feel like having access to materials that people in other parts of the world might have a harder time getting, as well as the fact that (humble brag) I have the highest JLPT Japanese level certification (N1), I can help get over some of the language barriers that might exist.

The main goal of this newsletter is to show you guys some music you may not find otherwise and it’s a mutual benefit as I get to practice some writing skills. For now, I will only showcase albums that have come out in the past few weeks (couples of months in this case, oops), usually featuring a write-up about one album that I particularly had a lot of thoughts about. However, I hope to expand into some of the following in the near future:

・ New singles
・ Classic albums
・ Interviews
・ Live reviews
・ Links to the albums on social media platforms
・ Playlists

Fresh Out The Oven Albums

Manami Kakudo - Contact

Genre: Chamber Folk, Avant-Folk

Do you know how to juggle? I don’t for sure, but when I listen to Manami Kakudo’s music, it’s all I can imagine. Not many musicians can throw around so many instruments, sounds, and influences, then manage to put them together into one cohesive track. She did that not just for one song, but the entire album. With influences from Classical, to Minimalism, to Prog Rock (she particularly mentions King Crimson and Gong) and collaborating live with bands such as cero, it’s apparent that her tastes are broad… and it shows.

Imagine you’re a juggler in the circus, and you get signed to a major label. What would you do? The answer, is freedom, juggle whatever you want wherever you want. Her last record “Oar” was her major debut, showcasing her talent at crafting humble yet soaring melodies, as well as her seemingly random yet meticulously calculated arrangement skills. One thing to note about her music is that there are no limitations regarding recording and instrumentation. Her production is crystal clean, with every little woodwind and drum sound being comprehensible, yet she’s not afraid to push boundaries.

The difference from “Oar” to “Contact” is all of the flowing and winding pluckerings found on the previous record are spinning off like a pinwheel on a windy day. Sure everyone can throw around a guitar melody and piano melody here and there, but can you do it without being predictable? Unpredictability at every turn is the perfect way to describe this album. Whether it’s the constant groove changes in Flying Mountain, or the seemingly random percussive hits and melodies during the celebratory Nagasaki Burabura bushi, you never know what instrument or rhythm will come falling from the sky.

Whether you like circuses or not, Contact is something to behold. Very few albums sound so sporadic yet so refined, each listen bringing to light new details hidden under the dirt. It doesn’t matter what instruments Manami Kakudo throws in the air, she finds a satisfying landing for each of them.

Favorite Tracks: ioeo, Octopus Girl, Flying Mountain, Burabura bushi

Zazen Boys - Rando

Genre: Indie Rock, Funky Math-Rock / Post-Hardcore

未来電波基地 (Miraidempa) - init

Genre: Noise Pop, Indie Rock, Punk-adjacent

Thank you!

If you’ve made it this far, just wanted to say thank you for checking out the newsletter and I am thankful you are one of the first subscribers. To be honest, you’re probably a friend or family member and I really appreciate your support of this new project of mine. If you have any feedback or questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to either my email [email protected] , or the official Instagram page.

See ya next time! Breakfast is ready.