Sunday 29 August 2021

Guest Mix 3: The Buildings

Hailing from Manila in the Philippines, The Buildings have released one of this year's most impressive albums in Heaven is a Long Exhale, which sees the band hovering playfully around the border between indiepop and indie rock with its sweet melodies interspersed with distorted guitar textures. The album is available over on our Bandcamp. Meanwhile, to help give some background to the music, drummer Kean, guitar/vocalist Mariah and bassist Dom picked out a playlist of music that influenced or inspired them in the songwriting and in the studio and explain how these diverse songs affected aspects of the album.

フィリピンのマニラ出身のThe  Buildingsは、今年リリースされたアルバムの中でも印象的であった「Heaven is a Long Exhale」をリリースしました。このアルバムは、インディーポップとインディーロックの境界を遊び心たっぷりに行ったり来たりしており、甘いメロディーと歪んだギターのテクスチャーが散りばめられています。また、このアルバムはBandcampで入手できます。

The Buildingsの音楽がどのようなものであるかが分かるよう、ドラマーのKean、ギター/ボーカルのMariah、ベースのDomが作詞作曲やスタジオレコーディングをする上で影響やインスピレーションを受けた音楽のプレイリストを作りました。これらの多様な曲が彼らのアルバムにどのように影響したかも各曲紹介パートで説明されています。


Kean’s Tracks:

1. Foxygen - Follow The Leader

Jonathan Rado is one of my favorite producers. I love his approach to layering instruments in a track, and he has a video with Reverb breaking down the arrangements in this song. One particular thing that inspired me was having a Rhodes and Wurli hard panned left and right, which can be heard in 'Phantom Limb'. Rado also mentions that he's heavily influenced by Todd Rundgren whose 'I Saw the Light' inspired the arrangement on 'Thorn in Ankle' but I ultimately stripped down for the final mix, so only remnants remain.

ジョナサン・ラド(Jonathan Rado)は私のお気に入りのプロデューサーの一人です。トラックの中で楽器を重ねていく彼のアプローチが大好きで、本人がReverb(楽器を紹介するYoutubeチャンネル)でこの曲のアレンジを解説している動画を観ました。特にインスピレーションを受けたのは、ローズと ウーリッツァーピアノを左右にハードパンする手法で、「Phantom Limb」でも聴くことができます。また、ラドはトッド・ラングレン(Todd Rundgren)の「I Saw the Light」に多大な影響を受けたと述べていますがthe buildingの「Thorn in Ankle」のアレンジのインスピレーションにもなっています。最終的にはミックスの時に削ぎ落とされ、その名残だけが残っています。


2. Stereolab - Metronomic Underground

The first time I may have noticed (or even heard) a Farfisa in a song was in 'Metronomic Underground' by Stereolab. It immediately caught my attention, because it wasn't as reed-y as a Vox Continental or as swirly as your typical Hammond and Leslie. This organ was simple yet thick. I looked everywhere for a Farfisa I could afford, which of course came in the form of software. I wanted to put it in all the songs, but I told myself to calm down. It only ended up in a couple of songs on the album - most noticeably 'Caricatures'.

私が初めてファルフィッサ(Farfisa)ピアノに気付いた(あるいは聞いた)のは、Stereolabの「Metronomic Underground」だったかもしれません。ヴォックス・コンチネンタル(Vox Continental)ほど、リード・オルガンっぽさもなく、典型的なハモンド(Hammond)やレスリー(Leslie)のようなうねりも少なく、すぐに注目しました。このオルガンはシンプルでありながら音の厚みがあります。私は自分が買える範囲でファルフィッサをあちこち探したのですが、最終的にはソフトウェアという形で手に入れることになりました。本当は全部の曲に入れたかったけど、自分に「少し落ち着こう」と言い聞かせました。結局、アルバムの中では2、3曲にしか使われていないけど、「Caricatures」には顕著に使われています。


3. Faye Webster - Room Temperature

I tried to recreate the drums here for 'Detour' but in a more heavy hitting setting. Got one of those ride sizzlers and cranked up the compression to get the sustain needed. It also inspired the slide guitars in 'Doghouse'

「Detour」でこのドラムの音を再現しようとしたけど、もっとヘビーなサウンドになりました。ライドシズラーを用意して、必要なサスティーンを得るためにコンプレッションを上げました。「Doghouse」のスライド・ギターにも影響を与えていると思います。


4. Delicate Steve - Wally Wilder

Ok, if I'm being really honest, this is the song that truly inspired the slide guitars in 'Doghouse'. I just love his tone here! I haven't yet researched what exactly he uses — some kind of overdrive, compression, octaver with some really charming tracking artifacts maybe. I took out the octaver because I didn't want to be just a total rip off. But yeah, I love the wild and free energy of his songs and the way he makes his guitars sing. So groovy.

正直に言うと、この曲が「Doghouse」のスライドギターに最も影響を与えたと思います。ここでの彼のトーンは最高です。彼が何を使っているのかはまだ調べていないんだけど、オーバードライブ、コンプレッション、オクターバー、それに魅力的なトラッキング・アーティファクトがあるんじゃないかな。オクターバーを外したのは、完全なパクリにしたくなかったからです。とにかく、彼の曲のワイルドで自由なエネルギーと、ギターの歌い方が大好きなんだ。とてもグルーブ感があります。


5. Drugdealer - Honey

Michael Collins of Drugdealer was talking about good guitar solos, and how, he explains, they usually come from guitar players who want to sing but can't. And Weyes Blood is always going to be my go to inspiration for backing vocals and harmonies.

Drugdealerのマイケル・コリンズが良いギターソロについて話していて、それはたいてい歌いたいけど歌えないギタリストから生まれるものだと説明していました。Weyes Bloodは、私のバッキング・ボーカルやハーモニーのインスピレーション源です。


Mariah's Tracks:

6. Television - Marquee Moon

This album taught me that you didn’t need to swathe guitar in fuzz to make a song that rocked. The way Tom Verlaine uses vibrato to pull the most out of a single note is awe-inducing. He’s one of the many guitarists who influenced my approach to playing guitar on this album in a “less-is-more” kind of way. How can I play something where there’s no wasted note? How can I push the duration of a note without worrying about losing motion? 

このアルバムは、ロックな曲を作るのに、ギターをファズ音で覆い尽くす必要はないということを教えてくれました。トム・ヴァーレインがビブラートを使って単音の魅力を最大限に引き出す手法は、畏敬(いけい)の念を抱くほど素晴らしく感じます。彼は、私がこのアルバムでギターを弾く際に意識した、「より少ないことはより多いことだ(Less-is-More)」アプローチに影響を与えたギタリストの一人です。無駄な音がないように演奏するにはどうしたらいいか?どうすれば、動きを失うことなく、音の長さを伸ばすことができるか?について考えさせれました。


7. Speed Glue & Shinki - Ode to the Bad People

In between our first album and this one, the great rock legend Pepe Smith passed away. This is his band before his meteoric fame, back when he was stationed in Japan, drumming away on the streets of Shinjuku. I don’t know how popular this band is in Japan; the writings online say they’re legends, while the people I’ve asked have found them in an obscure manner. Still, Filipino and Japanese bands aren’t so far apart, aren’t they?

私たちのファースト・アルバムとこのアルバムの間に、偉大なロック・レジェンド、ペペ・スミスが亡くなりました。彼が、有名になる前に、日本に住んでいて、新宿の路上でドラムを叩いていみたいです。このバンドが日本でどれほど人気があるのかはわからないけど、ネット上では「伝説的なバンド」と書かれていて、私が尋ねた人たちは、はっきりしない経緯でこのバンドを見つけたと聞きました。フィリピンのバンドと日本のバンドにはそれほど違いが無いのでは?と思いました。


8. 泣き顔ツインテール / Nakigao Twintail - 祈り / Inori

I LIKE BEING IN A BAND SO, I CAN’T QUIT IT.

私はバンドが好きだから辞められない。


9. Charity Work! - Unacceptable

One of my favorite Filipino bands from the past five years. When The Buildings started out in 2016, guitar rock was kind of the odd ones out. But I’m glad to know younger bands are still making raucous, fuzzed out pop songs. Charity Work!’s EP brings me back to the thrill of when a band starts out--there’s nothing like it, but lasting for two albums has its own kind of satisfaction too.

過去5年間で最も好きなフィリピンのバンドの1つです。The Buildingsが2016年に活動を開始したとき、ギターロックは一種の変わり者扱いでした。でも、若いバンドがいまだに騒々しい、ファズの入ったポップソングを作っていることを知ってとても嬉しいです。Charity Work! のEPは、新しいバンドを始めるときのスリルを思い出させてくれるし、あれほど素晴らしい経験はなかなか無いです。でも、2枚のアルバムを出すまでバンドを継続することができたのは、それなりの満足感があります。


10. Wilco - I’m Always in Love

Summerteeth is a crazy example of how electronic and acoustic instruments can mix by colliding head-on with each other. Instead of trying to iron the kinks of each out, Wilco embraced having disparate elements that stubbornly work. The arrangements are rich and I still find new things about this even after years of listening to this album, and that’s sort of what I aim for when it comes to a studio recording. I love listening to albums that reward repeated listens; I aim for the same for myself.

Summerteethは、電子楽器とアコースティック楽器が正面衝突したら、どのように混ざり合うかを示したクレイジーな例です。ウィルコは、それぞれのねじれを解消しようとするのではなく、頑固に機能する異質な要素を受け入れました。アレンジも豊かで、何年経っても新しい発見があり、私がスタジオ録音で目指していることでもあります。何度も聴きたくなるようなアルバムが好きで、自分もそうありたいと思っています。


Dom's Tracks:

11. Serge Gainsbourg - L’anamour

When I heard the first draft for “Doghouse”--before all the slide guitars, doo-wop, and ornaments came in--I immediately thought of this song. Since I thought they had a similar chord progression, pace, and feel, I was inclined to hope that “Doghouse” would follow this trajectory--a track littered with funk and orchestral touches, fit for some European film from the ’70s--rather than a folk, country, Neil Young-esque tune.

「Doghouse」のドラフトを聞いたとき、スライドギターやドゥーワップ、装飾要素が入る前の状態で、すぐにこの曲を思い浮かべました。

コード進行やテンポ、雰囲気が似ていると思ったので、「Doghouse」も、フォークやカントリー、ニール・ヤングのような曲ではなく、70年代のヨーロッパ映画に出てくるような、ファンクやオーケストラの要素が散りばめられた曲にしたいと思っていました。


12. The Double - Idiocy

I always use this track to show my bandmates one way we could bridge noise and pop together. I like how this band demonstrates that layering feedback on a rigid structure of pop hooks can work--there’s no need to manipulate the amorphous noise and have it conform to the song’s rhythm and melody. We pursued this idea in the intro for “Doghouse”, a song which I thought needed some semi-disruptive element to counteract the sheen.

私はいつもバンドメンバーにノイズとポップスの架け橋となるサウンドアローチを共有したいときにこの曲を参考として出すようにしています。このバンドは、厳格なポップスのフックという構造の上にフィードバックを重ねることが機能することを実証している点が気に入っています。このアイデアは、「Doghouse」のイントロでも追求しました。曲が持つ光沢感を打ち消す、半破壊的な要素が必要だと考え参考にしました。


13. The Chills - Pink Frost

This song was the first that came to my mind when Mariah let us hear “Heaven is a Long Exhale”. I thought we could use this song as a reference. At first, I thought we could turn “Heaven is a Long Exhale” into a hypnotic and deceptively upbeat track--jangly but depressing like “Pink Frost”--due to its length.

マライアが 「Heaven is a Long Exhale」 を聴かせてくれたとき、真っ先に頭に浮かんだのがこの曲でした。この曲を参考にできると思いました。最初は、「Heaven is a Long Exhale」の長さを利用して、「Pink Frost」のような、ガチャガチャだけど憂鬱、催眠術にかかったようなでアップビートな曲にしたいと思いました。


14. Young Marble Giants - Wurlitzer Jukebox

“Detour” was the last track from Heaven is a Long Exhale that I heard. We were almost done with the album when I heard it. It reminded me a lot of Young Marble Giants--sparse and glacial, both eerie and comforting. Since “Detour” is quite different from our other songs, we almost made it a bonus track, which I thought would make it lose its impact. I suggested we put it in the middle, which would give it the function of providing space and time for listeners to breathe before we proceed with our longer and more dense songs. I think the idea that a group like Young Marble Giants was active around the same time as louder, faster, and messier post-punk bands like The Pop Group helped me see how “Detour” could complement our other songs really well.

「Detour」 は、私が聴いた『Heaven is a Long Exhale』の最後の曲でした。この曲を聴いたとき、私たちはほとんどアルバムを完成させていました。この曲は、ヤング・マーブル・ジャイアンツを彷彿とさせました。「Detour」は、他の曲とはかなり違うので、ボーナストラックにしようとしたのですが、それではインパクトがなくなってしまうと思い、私はこの曲をアルバムの中盤に入れることを提案しました。そうすることで、長くて密度の高い曲に移る前に、リスナーが一息つく時間になると思いました。ヤング・マーブル・ジャイアンツのようなグループが、ポップ・グループのようなラウドでスピーディでごちゃごちゃなポスト・パンク・バンドと同時期に活動していたということは、「Detour」が他の曲の引き立て役として成立するだろうということに気が付かせてくれました。

Thursday 31 December 2020

Our favourite releases of 2020

2020 is over, and it was a strange year for us here at Call And Response. We’ve always relied so much on the live music scene as a place to build a community, and while some gigs were able to take place, we were mostly left to distribute and enjoy music from the dull safety of home. With that in mind, we asked some of the artists from the label to send us their personal favourite 2020 releases, together with a short comment.

I’ve added Bandcamp links where they exist. Where they don’t, you can generally find them on Spotify if that's your thing, or dig out the physical release if it's available near you.


BIG.O (illMilliliter)

2020年は総じて意気消沈気味だったので、歌と言葉の強いロックバンドに鼓舞される事が多かったなと言うことで個人的な2選。

In 2020, I was mostly pretty depressed and what inspired me was mostly rock bands with strong songwriting and lyrics, so I made two personal choices.

SuiseiNoboAz - 3020

こんな世の中にあって真っ直ぐに未来を歌っていて、それがこんなに様になるバンドというのも中々いないんじゃないでしょうか。"それから"という曲の「この希望には必ずパート2があるぜ」というフレーズの力強さに随分助けられました。

I don’t think there are many bands in this world that can sing about the future as honestly and purely as this. The power of the phrase "There is always part 2 in this hope" in the song “Sore kara” helped me a lot.

Discharmingman - POLE & AURORA

これだけキャリアのある人がこんな衝動剥き出しのアルバム作ってくれたというだけで2020年という年にも意味があったなと思えるくらい。バンドって良いぜ。俺もやるぜ、とそういう気持ちになれました。ありがとうございます。

One of the few things that gave 2020 some meaning was that someone with such a career made such an album with this sense of raw motivation. Good band. It made me want toi do this too. Thank you very much.

JON (illMilliliter)

SHINER - Schadenfreude

19年振りに新譜って、それだけ長い時間が経過したにも関わらず今も変わらず当時の衝撃を受けることが出来る。心掻き毟られるよう。



OGNX (illMilliliter)

サブスクで音楽聴くようになって、国外作品は殆ど古いのしか聴いてないことに気づき反省しています。

As I started listening to music on subscription services, I realized that I was only listening to foreign music and nearly all old stuff, which I kind of regret.

WONK - Rollin'

無機質なトラック上に突然出てくる有機的なギターソロがカッコよくて、これはコピーしたいと久々に思った(してない)

The organic guitar solo suddenly appearing on an inorganic track was cool, and for the first time in years I got the feeling of wanting to do a cover version (I didn’t do it).


GROUNDCOVER. - ib/ack/tom/ars

全編リモートで制作し、そのまま配信のみでリリースされた意欲作。複雑なクロスリズムの本楽曲を必死で再現している様は最近のライブの見どころの一つ。

An ambitious work that was produced remotely and released as it is. One of the highlights of recent live performances is the frantic reproduction of this complex cross-rhythmical song.

SuiseiNoboAz - 3020

作品の内容にコロナ禍の状況が後追いでマッチした、東京インディーズバンドの鬼滅の刃。1000年単位で歌を歌えるのはハイロウズとボアズだけ。

The Demon Slayer of Tokyo indie bands, in a year when the corona catastrophe caught up with the content of their work. Only the High-Lows and Suiseinoboaz can sing in terms of 1000 years like this.


Oonishi Kazumasa (TG.Atlas)

BAMBARA - Stray

今年は家でこればっかし聞いてました。アルバム通して湿度が高くて好き

I listened to this a lot at home this year. I like the sense of humidity that runs through it. 



ICEAGE - lockdown blues

ラストひと展開ゾワゾワする

買うと国境なき医師団に寄付されるそうです

The last movement in this made the hairs on my arm stand on end. If you buy this, they will donate the money to Doctors Without Borders.


Sato Motoi (TG.Atlas)

Trash Talk - Squalor

熱くて格好良くて押しのバランスも最高の8分

Eight minutes of hot and cool with a fantastic balance of tension.


Thurston Moore - By the Fire

新しいことは何も無い、Sonic Youthのニューアルバム

There’s nothing new here. It’s a new Sonic Youth album.




METZ - Atlas Vending

聞くほど脳に残り、残り始めたらもっと欲しくなるやつ

The more you listen, the more it sticks in your brain, and once it sticks, you just want more.




Sean (Tropical Death, Sharkk)

Alchemist, Boldy James - The Price Of Tea In China

This is not a very good album. This is a very, very good album.





Killah Priest - Rocket to Nebula

Pairs well with a bottle of gin and a serviceable couch.





Sa-Roc - The Sharecropper’s Daughter

Every now and then there is an artist that you really enjoy listening to. I enjoy listening to this artist.




Shingo (Tropical Death)

Sam Gendel - Satin Doll

高級ホテルのラウンジでコーヒーを飲みながら聴きたいスモーキーでムーディな一枚。今年聴いた中で1番スムーズでジャジーなエレクトロニカアルバムです。近年盛りあがっているニューエイジ、オブスキュア感も程よく含まれていて、室内でリラックスしたい人に超オススメ!

A smoky and moody piece that you want to listen to while drinking coffee in the lounge of a luxury hotel. This is the smoothest, most jazzy electronica album I heard this year. It also has a new age and obscure feeling that has been gaining momentum in recent years — highly recommended for people who want to relax indoors!

Thiago Nassif - Mente

リオデジャネイロ出身の新世代変態ギターリスト・コンポーザーによるボサノバニューウェーブアルバム。アートリンゼイがプロデューサーとして参加との記載があり、気になってジャケ買いしたら大当たりでした!ノーニューヨークのD.N.Aを受け継ぎながら、トロピカリア、ミュータントディスコ感もありブラジルという土地柄の陽気な感じか出ていて最高な一枚!最先端のワールドミュージックをご堪能あれ。

A bossa nova new wave album by a new generation metamorphosis guitarist composer from Rio de Janeiro. I saw a statement that Arto Lindsay would participate as a producer, which made me curious curious enough to buy it just from the jacket and it was a big hit! While inheriting the DNA of No New York, there is also a feeling of tropicalia and mutant disco, and the cheerful feeling of Brazil is the best piece! Enjoy cutting-edge world music.

Bananagun - The True Story of Bananagun

脱力系オルタナトロピカリアバンド、バナナガンのニューアルバム。1曲目からキラーチューン。ゆるゆるでトリッピーで何度も聴きたくなる。ワウペダルを使うバンドっていつもダサいとずっと思っていたけど、これはあり!こんなバンドやったら楽しそう。シルバーアップルズとかムタンチス等のサイケバンド好きにおすすめ。

The new album by Banana Gun, an easygoing alternative tropicalia band. It’s all killer tunes from the first song. Loose and trippy, I want to listen to it over and over again. I've always thought that bands that use wah pedals suck, but then this comes along! I think it would be really fun to do a band like this. Recommended for lovers of psychedelic bands like Silver Apples and Os Mutantes.

Eugene (Tropical Death)

Fiona Apple - Fetch the Bolt Cutters

Like a Call and Response Quarantine 2020 album, except made by someone with talent. 






Coriky - Coriky

I’ve often thought “What is the natural maturation process for aging post-hardcore musicians,” and, as with most genres, the answer is “make it jazzier.” This might not be one of the best albums of the year, but for the last time will you stay off my lawn you fucking kids?


Haruka (Looprider)


LINKIN PARK - Hybrid Theory: 20th Anniversary Edition

LINKINPARKが好きなので

Because I like LINKIN PARK.


藤井風 /Fujii Kaze - へでもねーよ / Hedemo Ne-Yo

実はほんとについ最近知って聴きはじめたんだけど天才すぎて衝撃だった。アルバムももちろん良かった。多才。

I only just found out about him recently, but I was shocked at how much of a genius he is. His album was great too. Very multi-talented.

Deftones - Ohms

とにかく聴きまくった。deftonesあんまりハマったことなかったけどこれは聴いた瞬間やられた。ギターのリフもグッとくるのが多いけどとにかくリズムが最高。そしてドラムのサウンドが美しい。下半期こればかり聴いてた。

I listened to this album a lot. I was never really super into Deftones but this drew me in as soon as it started. The riffs are great but the rhythms are amazing. The drum sounds are beautiful. I listened to this all throughout the second half of the year.

Ryo7 (Looprider)

Mark Jenkin - Bait

I love it when directors make their own film soundtracks and this drone/ambient album is a damn fine accompaniment to a damn fine film. Serene soundscapes are interrupted with an overwhelming sense of dread - something bad is going to happen; it’s just a question of when.

Bob Dylan - Rough and Rowdy Ways

Yeah, a bit of a cliche to think that every Dylan album is some sort of messianic scribe, but seriously, this period of Dylan’s output will be studied just as much as Johnny Cash’s last few albums were once he’s left us.


Third Man Records - Southeast of Saturn

A compilation?! That can’t be on a top album list, surely? Well, yes it bloody well can be. TMR’s collection of shoegazer/dreampop lost heroes, fronted by one of the best bands who ever walked the planet, Majesty Crush, shines a spotlight on some truly unknown aural pioneers. Fun fact: Majesty Crush once supported Curve and the Verve in their shoegaze days and I cannot think of a better reason to try to build a time machine that to see that gig.

Ryotaro (Looprider)

Anna von Hausswolff - All Thoughts Fly

For whatever reason, this was the album I kept coming back to in 2020. Entirely instrumental featuring just pipe organ, the sonics and drones on this album are at times lush and beautiful, and then sometimes feel like you are peering into the voids of death itself.

Ai Aso - The Faintest Hint

An appealing part about Ai Aso’s music is the space she creates. When watching her perform, she never brings that chord or vocal line in exactly when you expect it to. Stripped down to the core but never feeling bare, the lack of sounds is what’s carefully constructed here.

Emma Ruth Rundle & Thou - May Our Chambers Be Full

The combination of the funeral/sludge doom of Thou with the ethereal vocals and melodies of Emma Ruth Rundle is perfect here. The behemoth riffs blanket the haunting but beautiful songwriting in a fuzzy haze that just works.


Onuki Makoto (Sea Level)

石原洋 / Ishihara You - formula 

ALSO: Oscar Jerome - Breathe Deep | Blank Banshee - Gaia | Anthony Moore - out (re-issue) | John Carroll Kirby - conflict | Sam Gendel - DRM | Frankie Reyes - originalitos (re-issue) | Villaelvin - headroof | Jeff Parker - suite for max brown | G.I.S.M. - detestation (re-issue)

石原洋がダントツ後は気分的な物でした。

The Ishihara You album was by far the top one, and I picked the rest based on how I was feeling in the moment.

Yamamoto Takeshi (Sea Level)




Sam Gendel - DRM

Sam Wilkes - Live on The Green






Chihei Hatakeyama - Autumn Breeze






John Carroll Kirby - Conflict







ニューエイジやアンビエントなどの余白がありイメージを想起させるような音楽がフィットする一年でした!

It was a year suited to music like new age and ambient, that bring an image of space in the margins!

Soejima Takuma (Sea Level)

Amaarae - The Angel You Don’t Know

ポップでアフリカン。今年一番聞いていて気持ちいいアルバムでした

Pop and African — this album was the most comfortable liste for me this year.


anndoe (jailbird Y)

neccc - yabatopia

ようこそ ヤバトピアへ の一言でぶっ飛ばされる尊さ溢れる一作 ブッとびました

2020年ブチギマりで賞 受賞

ヤバさとPOPさがヤバトピアの扉を開く、、

満州候補者ectで活動する mori、yocoscumらによるカラフルな犯罪的音響記録。ゲスト共犯陣もカラフル。

Welcome to Yabatopia, a precious work that will blow you away in one word! This takes the award for most fucked-up high of 2020! “Yaba” (“dangerous”/“super”) and POP open the door of Yabatopia:

Colorful and criminal acoustic recording by Mori, Yocoscum and others who are active in the band Manchurian Candidate ect. — The guest accomplices also make a colourful contribution. It was released on cassette by Soloist Anti Pop Totalization’s Instant Tunes label.

ANISAKIS - 大いなる

ユニークなのに刺してくる歌詞と曲の合い方がすごい 世界観が完成されている…

めっちゃ素晴らしい作品 泣きそうになる。LPもしっかりした作りだし。後世に残る作品だなって思いました。ライブもめちゃかっこよかったです

There’s a complete worldview here in how the unique lyrics and the the songs are all tied up together. Very nice work; I almost cried. The LP is also very well made. I thought this is a work that will stand the test of time. They were really cool live too.

OOPS - out of pictures

Voの等身大な歌とオルタナティブなハードコアサウンドがカッコよすぎました。ライブもめちゃかっこよかったです 泣きました。新譜ももうすぐ出るみたい めちゃくちゃに楽しみ 生き様を感じるバンドだなって思います

The vocalist’s life-sized songs and alternative hardcore sound were too cool. Their live performance was also really cool - I cried! It feels like they’ll have a new album coming out soon.

tentative four - tentative four

ドープ…!!!!!!!!

宇多田のスクリューで幕を開けたかと思いきや冷たい音色のネガティヴポストパンクハードコアサウンズがはじまった時はマジでビビりました すごい世界観 刺しまくりです。

ロウなトラップやエクスペリメンタルノイズ(?)インダストリアル的(?)なリミックスもおり混ぜてもうやりたい放題で最高!Z世代感じる!!!Voのタキシタ君はBushBashで定期にパーティーオーガナイズをしています!広島でライブやりたがってくれているので何とかしたい…!

This is doooope!!!!!

I thought the curtain was rising with a screwed Utada, but when the negative post-punk hardcore sounds with a cold tone kicked in, I was really freaked out. It was an amazing feling of being stabbed with this band’s worldview.

There’s low traps, experimental noise, industrial, remixes, so you can mix them as much as you want! I git a real feeling of Generation Z!!! Vocalist Takishita regularly organizes parties at Koiwa BushBash and he wants to do a live show in Hiroshima, so I want to do something about that!

YOCOSCUM - Last Month's Music

necccにも参加しているYOCOSCUM君のソロ音源。Aaron Dillowayばりのノイズエレクトロニックサウンドを奏でながら自由奔放に己のチャントをシンギングしてて最高だなって思いました!かっこいいです!魂は自由!って思った。すごい世界を描いてると思う

This is a solo release by YOCOSCUM, who’s also in neccc. I love how he sings these chants so freely while playing this Aaron Dilloway-esque noise electronic sound! I thought “The soul is free!” creating an amazing world with sound.

Saeki (jailbird Y)

SACOYANS - Yomosue

染みます。

This touched me deeply.





Tagesu (jailbird Y)

Meridian Brothers - Cumbia Siglo XXI

Los piranas, Frente Cumbiero 等でも活躍するコロンビアの鬼才ギタリストEblis Javier Alvarezさんのプロジェクト。この人の腰が砕けたみたいな放屁サウンドが大好きです。

A project by Colombian genius guitarist Eblis Javier Alvarez, who is also active in Los Piranas, Frente Cumbiero, etc. I love his sound, like a laid-back guy farting.

Mayumi (P-iPLE / jailbird Y)

AOL - GOLD PLUS

すき

Like.





Mariah Yonic (The Buildings, ex. The Male Gaze)

Fiona Apple - Fetch the Bolt Cutters

Our lord and savior Fiona is back once again with a brutally transcendental album that reminds me that life is still worth living. 


Irene and Seulgi (Red Velvet) - Monster

This was the year of my Kpop enlightenment. Honestly thought pop music had grown stale over the past few years, but it turns out that the best of it had been happening in South Korea.



Kubo Masaki (former_airline)

山本精一 / Yamamoto Seiichi - CAFÉ BRAIN

近づき過ぎず離れ過ぎず。そことここの絶妙な境界でふわり漂い遊ぶ無意識の脳内音楽は、現実の外気から身をそらして繭の中で陶酔するにはすこぶる多機能な音景色であり、誰もが接続可能でひたすら居心地が良い。極めて清らかなコロナ時代のアヴァンBGM。何周もしたしこの先何周でもイケる。

Don't get too close, don't get too far. The unconscious music in the brain that floats and plays on the precise border between here and there is an incredibly diverse sonic scenery that’s extremely versatile in how it distracts from the real outside air, lets you get euphoric in your cocoon, and anyone can connect and earnestly. It's cosy. Extremely pure Corona-era avant-BGM. I've done many laps with this album and it'll be cool for many laps in the future.

Joe (Velvet Ants)

Idles - Ultra Mono

I hadn’t been aware of the existence of this band from Bristol called Idles who’ve already put out two full lengths, several singles and EPs before this record, full of not only anger and anxiety for the environment we are living in, but also energy and attitude going forward. 

Most of all the songs from Ultra Mono will be our anthems for the future. It’s everything.

Metz - Atlas Vending

Their collaboration with Steve Albini looked like kind of a success, so my expectation was like, "What’s next?" Their aggressively constructed guitar riffs got more constructive. That’s the point. But there’s more notable things there. Their songs sound almost the same because of the style of the singer. I think no one who likes Metz cares about that, but here you go, he sings and the songs have tons of hooks that, with the guitar riffs affect each other, which made me so surprised.

The Strokes - The New Abnormal

Who would have been looking forward to this veteran band’s new stuff? Me, never. 

When I was in a car, the lead track from The New Abnormal was aired on the radio and I thought it was interesting but I didn’t dig it at that moment. A few weeks later, I tried to listen to the whole album on Spotify and I was so shocked. The first track titled The Adults Are Talking sounds exactly how they've kept doing, but something is slightly different. I don’t know what it is. Then the second track, titled Selfless, which is my favorite one from this record, is totally awesome. The rest is also great to have a listen. I think they spent 20 years to make this masterpiece. You may think this is not The Strokes but this definitely is. 

Disq - Collector

First I thought from its cover art and the name of the band that Disq was post punk/new wave somehow. It was all wrong I know. Disq is absolutely like something I’ve already known but the additional tone of synthesizer makes it a little bit different than what I know. Although their guitar driven emotional songs easily remind me of Weezer, they are very unique. If I was a teenager, Disq could be my heroes.


Kayoko Yoshizawa - Service Area

She’s simply my muse. This is her long awaited fourth single.