Shibuya’s Scrambled Sounds

Hi everyone, I hope you had a pleasant week! I just want to say thank you again to everyone who read the first edition of Shibuya’s Scrambled Sounds. I’m still working out some of the design kinks and I hope to eventually have some original art designs instead of these “original” (*ahem, AI) pics. I’ve also included something I didn’t think could be done… links!!! I hope it makes it easier for everyone to check out the artists featured in this newsletter. Unfortunately, there is a chance that you might not be able to listen to them where you are. If that’s the case, while I can’t officially suggest it, there are ways around it.

As for me on a personal level, it’s still pretty cold over here. However, I’m hopeful that Spring and Cherry Blossoms, which is honestly one of the best parts of living in Japan, is around the corner. I also found some new websites for discovering Japanese music which will make my job a lot easier while also providing y’all and myself with more content that I enjoy.

Fresh Out The Oven Albums

Satoko Shibata - Your Favorite Things

Genre: Indie Pop, Soul, R&B

Spotify | Apple Music 

New Year New Me. A phrase someone might say at the beginning of the new year. However, for Satoko Shibata, this year it seems like she decided that the Lunar New Year was the beginning of her new year. It’s already March, but she’s declaring a new direction in her sound design.

If you’re unfamiliar with Satoko’s discography, I recommend you take a dive in after listening to this album. Firstly, she’s known for her lyrics. Seriously, she gets praised by poetry/literature fans for her ability to describe situations in such vivid and unique ways. She’s the type of artist who doesn’t require a dictionary to understand her lyrics, but creates such a Surrealist portrayals of every day situations.

But she also has the melodic chops to match her lyrical prowess. Take for example her first album, Shibata Satoko Jima, a bit of a modern cult classic in Japan. It’s raw but still full of catchy hooks, keeping you on the edge of your seat. That album was more Folk sounding, and with each album after, it felt like the Folk kinda disappeared and she became… well Pop. She kept going with the same Pop / Indie / Folk sound for a few albums, but you could tell on her last album, Bochi Bochi Galaxy, she was maybe getting a little tired of it (check out the drums on the title track for reference). So where does that leave Satoko on this album?

She made a genre shift. She got some Soul and R&B going on now. And you know what? It suits her well. This is her best full length since her first. While she of course had rememberable melodies before, this album brings in the addition of grooves. Take “Side Step” for example, a fun track that still retains her pop sensibilities, potentially my guilty pleasure track of the year. Following that is the funky, City Pop-infused “Reebok”, describing the rainy day with a potential lost lover, but starting with the rain in the distance then becoming covered in rain by the end. This is juxtaposed with lines like “you wrapped your arms around me, put your chin on my shoulder, and when you acted like a dog I started to cry, and when the traffic light changed, you easily untangled your arms”, implying the fleeting relationship that they may have had together.

While some tracks are definitely stronger than others, the best tracks on the album are already personal favorites from this year. Sentimental moments such as the first and last tracks are what bookends this experience, this journey into a new Satoko Shibata, one that I fully embrace and makes me look forward to what she does next. New her, new me, new you.

Favorite Tracks: Movie Light, うつむき, Side Step, Reebok, Your Favorite Things

Blurred City Lights - 天使のいない街で (Tenshi no inai machi de)

Genre: Shoegaze, Dream Pop, Indie Rock

Bandcamp | Spotify | Apple Music

TAMTAM - Ramble In The Rainbow EP

Genre: Neo-Psychedelia, Art Pop, Dub-Influenced

Bandcamp | Spotify | Apple Music

Thank you!

Thanks again for reading this issue of Shibuya’s Scrambled Sounds! 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. If you like what you read, please tell your friends, like our Instagram etc. I hope to eventually be a primary source for Japanese music for the English speaking world because I want to share my love of music with as many people as possible, and you all would be the way that could happen.

See ya next time! Breakfast is ready.