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April 23, 2005
Four New Albums
I’m going to divide this into two categories. I guess I’d call the first avant-pop with Japanese female (and english male in the case of Fleckfumie) vocals. The second isn’t so much of a category as it just doesn’t fit in with the first. heh.
Category A :
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1. Fleckfumie / Starcloud Moonsky And Ocean
Do you ever hear something for the first time and just get pissed that you didn’t know about it already and then feel mad at all your friends because there wasn’t a single one of them that knew about this band that clearly they should be listening to? This isn’t even the first album by Fleckfumie, so I’ve got to go buy their previous stuff now as well. Their website explains it all, and there are some song samples as well, though perhaps not from this newest album.
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2. Gutevolk / Twinkle
This is basically a solo project by Hirono Nishiyama (music+vocals) with guest musicians. It’s pop, it’s sweet, it’s childlike, it’s poetic, it’s melodic, it’s Gutevolk’s Twinkle :D. It’s on 12K’s side/sub label Happy, which I actually just heard of for the first time. It seems the only artits on it so far are Gutevolk and World’s End Girlfriend. This is available outside Japan through Frank Stofer’s label, Sonore, who I might add also distributes our W+KTokyoLab releases. Here is a link to one of the songs from the album.
Category B :
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3. Caribou / The Milk of Human Kindness
The artist formerly known as Manitoba. The signature sound is still there, and it sounds like a logical, well-composed, and beautifully produced progression from Up In Flames so I’m not sure why the name change... Maybe it’s a sneaky way of avoiding pressure of having to live up to or surpass the last Manitoba album. If it’s a different band name, then it’s easily a smash debut album. So developed for a first release! Theorizing aside, I’ve only listened through this once, but it sounds very good. My first impression is that it is still very much sylisitcally recognizable as Manitoba, but touching on a wider breadth of musical genres and less of the shoegaziness of Up In Flames. Time will tell if it really sticks with me.
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4. Piano Magic / Disaffected
(Sorry it’s a shitty image) I always liked Piano Magic. I often thought of this band as the new This Mortal Coil. So then it seemed fitting (or disturbing maybe) when Writers Without Homes showed up on 4AD. I think I feel more comfortable with them back on a nice indie label like Darla. Of course the album’s good. Here is a nice synopsis as well as MP3 sample.
Posted by shane at April 23, 2005 07:24 PM