Ride the JR line on over into this week’s issue of Shibuya’s Scrambled Sounds !

Hi everyone, I hope you had a nice week. The Shibuya’s Scrambled Sounds Singles Playlist is officially up and going! Click/tap the links below to check it out. It will be updated usually on Mondays or Tuesdays right after the newsletter is updated 🙌

Playlist Links:
Spotify
Apple Music

Also, I had a busy week this week and it was difficult to focus on newsletter stuff, so unfortunately there is only one new album that I’m talking about this week. But the good news is that there are quite a few in the consideration tank at the moment, so next next week’s issues should have some more new music for you to dive into 😉

This week’s episode includes:

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

Genre: Indie Rock, Psychedelic Rock
Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube

Disregarding the goofy sounding name, OGRE YOU ASSHOLE are a band you’ve probably heard of. They’ve been a prominent name in the Japanese underground since the release of their 2005 debut album. While they originally sounded like a 2000’s Indie crossover of Happy End and Modest Mouse, their sound has been constantly evolving over the years.

The title suggests that this album should sound like the perfect balance of technology and nature, however, this album is just a whole lot of technology. The only acoustic instrument being the drums, all of the guitars are covered in effects and there are synthesizers present throughout nearly every track.

It’s worth noting that this album is pretty funky. Take the back to back dance grooves of “Where I Stand” and “More You Than You” as an example. Some tracks are just as melancholic as they are danceable, really showcasing the prominent Shintaro Sakamoto influence. While it grooves, it’s definitely not club music, with a lo-fi crunch creating a retro feel to every track.

While not as consistent as their last album, Nature and Computers shows a band continuing to evolve and change sounds as they age. Whether the future is covered in computers or we happen to revert back to our natural instincts, OGRE YOU ASSHOLE will be ready for it.

Rating: 🥧🥧 Oh that’s hot

Favorite Tracks: Where I Stand, More You Than You, Mere Curiosity, Outside of the House (Alternative Ver.)

An older album you should check out

Genre: Shoegaze, Indie Rock
Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube

If you’re into Japanese Shoegaze, this might have been one of the first bands you heard. Luminous Orange are legends of the genre, and were doing guitar vacuum cleaner impressions way before it was cool to do it in Japan.

The one thing that made the band unique was their original blend of Shoegaze and Electronic Indie Pop, sounding like a mix of MBV and Stereolab. Most of those comparisons come from their most popular album “Drop You Vivid Colours”, but this EP/mini-album shows them at a point where it sounds like they were figuring out how to combine these separate yet not so distant soundscapes.

The first track “Walkblind” comes in HARD. I would consider it in the top 5 Luminous Orange tracks of all time, you can find them at their harshest and most raw here. Another top-tier track would be “Sugarplastic”, a track for all the people who’s favorite Loveless track is “Sometimes”.

While I would recommend listening to Drop You Vivid Colours first if you’ve never listened to Luminous Orange, this is definitely the 2nd release to check out.

Favorite Tracks: Walkblind, Sugarplastic, Chapter22, Cottontails

Some good EPs that recently came out

Genre: Indie Rock, Shoegaze
Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube
*Oops, a little late on this one. The Yeah Yeah Yeahs cover is… okay, but the rest is solid

Genre: Sample-based Hip-Hop, Finger Drumming, Electronic Dance Music
Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube

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

For Spotify and Apple Music, check out the official playlists! (Should appear in the next day or two)

Playlist Links:
Spotify
Apple Music

Black petrol - Howlin' collective
YouTube
Genre: Hip-Hop, Jazz

luvis - Linda
YouTube
Genre: Indie Pop

Kaede - いけない (Wrong)
YouTube
Genre: Indie Pop

Kiyomaru Togo - あたらしい鰓 (New Era)
YouTube
Genre: Indie Pop, Jazz Pop

AKKOGORILLA, Taigen Kawabe, 食品まつりa.k.a foodman - Chimera
YouTube
Genre: Experimental Hip-Hop

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

See ya next time! Breakfast is ready.