Great to hear this slice of fun this morning. I though MDE had disappeared ages ago. But Beep Sweep sounds like what happens if you plug in a synthesizer and drum machine and set all the dials to “smile”. This accelerated upbeatery reminds me of Citrus, another of my favourite Japanese bands. They have also… Read more »
Posts Tagged: Japanator Radio
Perfume — Laser Beam
Perfume’s new single sounds even more like a ’90s video game soundtrack than usual. So many bleeps, so much energy. And the autotune is in fine voice as ever. My favourite part is the chorus, which starts with the word “straight”. That’s “straight” pronounced “su-to-re-e-to” in that transliterated Japanese way. Cute! Source: Japanator Radio 168.
Aira Mitsuki — ???
Peppy and punchy, and that’s just the drum track. Nice techno hoover sounds too, and a heavily vocodered vocal from Aira. My feet are tapping right now. This is the title track from her confusingly named new album. I’m glad Uneasy Listening isn’t a podcast because I have no idea how to pronounce it. Source:… Read more »
Perfume — Nee
The Perfume ladies sound slightly less robotic than usual in this pleasant pop romp. The best thing is the title, a very popular Japanese word often tacked onto the end of a sentence with a similar meaning to the English “Right?”. Speaking of popular words, I keep hoping somebody will come up with a J-Pop… Read more »
Spitz — Polar Bear
I haven’t even listened to my extensive Spitz collection for months, but their unique sound grabbed me as soon as I heard this new track. It’s a gentle pop-rock number, tuneful and tasteful as ever. It’s great to hear that they’re still making some noise. Source: Japanator Radio 152
pal@pop — Zipper & Yasashii Kimochi
pal@pop’s Zipper is a lovely lightweight synth pop texture, sprinkled with piano, chugging along under a gentle female vocal. The singing is by Makino Yui, who uses the classic J-pop nasal little-girl voice. The verses have a fast two-note melody and the chorus is lovely and simple. Quietly uplifting. Yasashii Kimochi is very slightly tougher,… Read more »
The Brilliant Green — It Really Makes My Day!
It really made my day. Well actually, the gangsta rap video my friend made with his hamster really made my day. But this great song came a close second. The Brilliant Green are back and sound as if they never left with this sunny ’90s indie-pop singalong. It’s an extra track on their “I Just… Read more »
My Dead Girlfriend — My Piggish Girl Died Miserably
Song name of the year. The name of the group is interesting too because it reminds me of My Bloody Valentine, and so does this track. A wall of guitar with slow lazy vocals and languid drumthumping. One to get lost in. Via Japanator Radio 146.
Pop Chocolat — No Way!
Awesome shrill Japanese fuzz-pop. Is that even a word? This track reminds of Dweeb, another obscure band who were already derivative enough. The vocals sound a lot like the Pancakes, with that same high-pitched nasal tone and carefully rounded English vowels, though I actually can’t understand any of it. Except for the “No Way!” Source:… Read more »
Noodles — Cover Me Shakespeare
More jaunty driving power pop from this duo. Frankly, I’d rather listen to it than write about it. Source: Japanator Radio 132