🎧 SS Sounds #26 - Mystery Bento

Welcome to this week’s issue of Shibuya’s Scrambled Sounds

It’s time for Mystery Bento! I’ve got a few interesting releases to talk about this week. Also, my last Mystery Bento was the most popular issue so far (according to the data so FACTS), so I may split up the bento and make it into a section that includes an older album every issue. Let me know your thoughts on this if you have them!

This week’s episode includes:

• The comfiest music I know

• A legendary artist’s debut (With my favorite bassist)

• A semi-modern classic Art Pop album

🍱Mystery Bento🍱

Roly Poly Rag Bear - straw, water, pinstripe (2004)

Genre: Shibuya-kei, Twee, Indie Pop
Spotify | YouTube

Alright, this is probably definitely 100% a guilty pleasure. Is that going to stop me from writing about it and recommending it to you? HELL NO

I’d rather listen to this and be guilty for the rest of my life. This album has also gotten me through some tough times and it’s the ultimate comfort food. I said it’s a guilty pleasure earlier because, yeah the songwriting is a little basic, but I guarantee if you listen to this album/EP more than 2 or 3 times, the songs will never leave your head. While catchiness doesn’t equal quality, the heartfelt melodies tug at your heart strings, leaving you feeling both happy and sad.

The lyrics reflect this mood as well. Some songs are love songs about loving so much it hurts, others are about saying your last goodbyes and not knowing when you’ll meet again.

My favorite moments are the songs that sound so warm and happy, yet the lyrics are so depressing (sorry my white boy love for Pet Sounds is coming out isn’t it). The perfect example of this is “Wave of the Hand, Goodbye”, where they sing about waving goodbye even though it hurts so much.

Also, do you know the Shoegaze band Pasteboard? This is literally them, just the Twee version. If you like that album, definitely check out this one too.

Favorite Tracks: Green, Sentimental Bus, Someday, Faraway, Wave of the Hand Goodbye

Yumi Arai - ひこうき雲 (1973)

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

The real question is, why does this have less than a 1000 votes on Rate Your Music? It’s a sin. This is a bonafide classic, like seriously, if you look up any top 100 Japanese albums of all time list in Japanese, this album will most likely be there.

It’s basically a Japanese version of Tapestry by Carole King, but this really acts as a precursor of sorts for City Pop in it’s chord and melody choices. Plus, Yumi Arai (also known as Yumi Matsutoya, her husband’s last name, or the nickname Yuming) was a part of the first wave of City Pop artists, so this makes sense. Also, maybe out of all of the artists I’ve talked about on this newsletter so far, she might be the most famous in Japan. I mean, almost everyone knows who she is. While not everyone knows about her early Singer-Songwriter era, her late 70’s and 80’s hits are extremely well known.

Also… I forgot to mention something important… HARUOMI HOSONO IS ON THE BASS! His bass playing on this album is silky smooth, noodling in the background in the most tasteful way possible.

This album is kind of a downer, a lot of the lyrics are about questioning life and dealing with tough situations. But if you’re in the mood for beautiful, emotionally driven piano rock, this is the perfect album for you.

Favorite Tracks: Tracks 1, 2, 4, 6, 8

salyu x salyu - s(o)un(d)beams (2011)

Genre: Electronic Pop, Art Pop
Spotify | Apple Music | YouTube

*Warning: I will talk about a musician with abuse allegations against him. If you feel uncomfortable about this, feel free to skip this section.

Ever heard of the band Lily Chou Chou? They’re not super famous but they have a decently large following over here. But even if you don’t know the band or the vocalist Salyu, you know the other names associated with this album.

So I’ve refrained from going into to much detail about my love for Cornelius because of the allegations that came up against him. I’ve done a bit of research on the matter and while it is not confirmed, it seems that the magazine twisted his words into something more grotesque than what actually happened. I found an interview where Oyama (Cornelius’ real name) was clear on the details and his story seems honest. Let me say this, there was probably some stuff that he could have stopped and I’m not 100% defending him. However, I would like to think that the guy I would at one point consider my biggest musical hero is not a horrible person. I could also just be searching for what I want to hear, who knows.

So from here on out, I will refer to him purely from a musical standpoint, but I wanted to spill my 2 cents about the situation before proceeding.

I think Salyu’s greatest talent is that she can adapt to any environment, providing vocals that can both soar and accentuate the beat. But let’s be honest, while her creative input is definitely here on this album, this is basically a Cornelius album. His signature tones and balance of rock and electronic music sensibilities are prevalent throughout the album.

Let’s talk about the first track, an amazing song that plays with odd time signatures while still considering the main melody. The rhythmic vocals from Salyu is just the cherry on top to this amazing track. There’s also the bass in “Mirror Neurotic”, which SLAPS, and I love the melancholy mood of the final track.

A lot of the lyrics on this album were written by both Tavito Nanao and Shintaro Sakamoto, adding to the star studded collection of creatives that helped make this album. Either way, I understand if you wouldn’t check out this album because of it’s connection with Cornelius, but if you’re willing to throw that aside, definitely worth a listen.

Favorite Tracks: Tracks 1, 2, 8, 9, 11

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See ya next time! Breakfast is ready.