Hi everyone, I hope you had a nice week this past week.

Not too much going on this week here. The weather is finally getting warmer, like, a bead of sweat down the back level warm and I like it. I don’t know if any of you have ever researched this, but Tokyo summers are HOT. Like, real hot, and I lived in Atlanta, USA for 8 years and I still think it’s a little worse over here. But actually, maybe not driving cars with AC is what contributes to the heat factor.

What do you guys think? What’s the hottest place you’ve ever been to? Feel free to reply to this email and let me know!

Now, on to the music.

🥧Fresh Out The Oven Albums🥧

Rating System

Pretty warm - for the hardcore fans of the genre
Oh that’s hot - for any fan of the genre
We gonna need oven mitts - potential classic, good entry point for the genre
The kitchen’s on fire!! - modern classic, must listen

Masafumi Gotoh - Recent Report I

Genre: Ambient, Electronic
Spotify | Apple Music

Masafumi Gotoh has won the world over with the Post-Hardcore/Pop-Punk sound he crafted as the front man of ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION. While their sound is most relatable and fun when you’re in middle or high school, when reflecting back, they definitely had good songwriting chops that have helped them stand the test of time (especially with the 2000’s Pop-Punk resurgence as of late). So I hope you noticed the genre tags here, we’re not talking about stadium-filled rock-anthems over here.

Masafumi would be a really good tour guide since he’s really good at taking you on a journey. The tracks slowly evolve, weaving you through his glitch maze. Take for example “Lost in Time”, it starts out with a piano looming in the background, acting as the starting point, but there are glitch sounds coming from both the left and right channels. Another highlight is the drums that come in halfway through The Other World Drive, a rare instrument to find on an ambient sound but when it hits, it hits hard. I guess you could say Ambient banger of the year and really gives some Akira vibes.

Rating: We gonna need oven mitts

Favorite Tracks: Lost in Time, The Other World Drive, Rest in Peace

Yo Irie - Renai

Genre: Pop Rock, Singer-Songwriter
Spotify | Apple Music

An active and celebrated singer-songwriter within Japan, Yo’s 7th album Renai, which translate to Love, is just as you expect, a batch of love songs. He sings about the ups and downs of love, the passion, the fights, and the apologies. Some of these songs, such as the 1st and 6th were featured in popular Japanese dramas.

With the opener and second tracks, it’s apparent that the guy has a good sense of melody and knows how to craft good songs. Is he pushing boundaries? No. Is he hit and miss? Maybe. But as Japanese pop songwriter, he knows when is the right time to to put in the violins or the horns. A very talented arranger with knack for heartwarming melodies. No fluff, just solid Japanese pop.

Rating: Pretty warm

Favorite Tracks: とまどい feat. 藤岡みなみ, 気のせい, 続・充電器、道がたくさん feat. sugar me
(Tracks 1, 2, 7 and 11)

very lue & ji2kia - gotta smile ma boy EP

Genre: Hip-Hop
Spotify | Apple Music

Lowki - Colorful EP

Genre: Dubstep, Garage, Ambient-influenced
Bandcamp | Spotify | Apple Music

*Came out in December 2023 but eh, close enough!

🍵Piping Hot Singles🍵

marucoporoporo - Cycle of Love
Bandcamp | Spotify | Apple Music
Genre: Folktronica, Experimental Pop

doooo - Bad Life
Spotify | Apple Music
Genre: Experimental Electronic

Lilniina - _black cherry moon_ (Sped Up)
Spotify | Apple Music
Genre: Hyperpop
*Regular version isn’t bad too!

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 by replying to this email, or the official Instagram page (click the icon below). 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.