I stumbled upon EAST END X YURI by chance last week while watching a compilation of number one singles of the 90′s on youtube and was pleasantly surprised. EAST END consists of rapper Gaku and two DJ’s Rock Tee and Yoggy while the YURI part comes from former Tokyo Doll Performance idol Yuri Ichii. Initially DJ Yoggy was skeptical of collaborating with Yuri because he had only seen her as an idol and was unsure of her ability to perform live. He later came around after watching her perform which proved to be extremely beneficial for the group as East Ends first album failed to meet sales expectations, the addition of Yuri gave them another chance in the music industry. Their 1994 release Denim-ed Soul which contained their hit single Da.Yo.Ne broke them into the mainstream as the single went on to sell over a million units which was unprecedented at the time for Japanese hip hop. (To offer a little backstory, だよね or da yo ne is an informal phrase which basically translates to isn’t it or I know right, apparently it’s only used with Tokyo-ben (tokyo dialect, the most common and the only one I know how to speak) so I was surprised to find out about all of differing regional versions the song inspired from places like Osaka, Sapporo, Hiroshima and more) EAST END X YURI went on to release a follow up in 1995 Denim-ed Soul 2 but unfortunately weren’t able to maintain the popularity of the first release and single. There’s not a whole lot of solid information on them past this point. I read that they had another follow up in 2003 but I can’t find anything else on it. They also had some sort of game on the original playstation called Eexy Life which came out in 1996 but I have no idea what it’s about or how it plays. Yuri went on to marry Nigo of BBC and Bape fame in 1999 only to divorce three years later. He had apparently outfitted her in bape as EAST END X YURI were on the come up so maybe part of his success lies with them? You can download Denim-ed Soul HERE

CVN is the latest brainchild of Nobuyuki Sakuma, the former founder of my beloved Jesse Ruins (R.I.P). While Jesse Ruins’ earlier works were very ethereal and almost dreamlike their later releases had a dancier, colder almost distant sound about them, CVN doesn’t really happen to be either however. If I could best describe the feeling I get while listening I would say it’s the onset of a panic attack. Metallic clangs, bubbly synths, loops played in reverse, hectic drum patterns and chopped glitchy vocals all combine together to create something quite special and a little nightmareish. While I know that description might not exactly be appealing to everyone, I would urge you to give it a listen anyways as you might find yourself refreshingly surprised. This is the song First Distinction off of his first album Matters, released in February of this year. You can get it HERE or on itunes HERE. He also released another EP by the name of Unknown Nerves a few days ago which you can download off of bandcamp HERE.

chelmico are a female rap duo based out of Tokyo which consists of members MC Rachel and MC Mamiko. Formed in 2014 at the Shibukaru Matsuri they released their first song ラビリンス'97 (Labyrinth ‘97) which has since been remixed by the likes of it’s original producer Hiragi Page and Batsu. They then went on to release two more Hiragi produced tracks, the upbeat bouncy jersey house influenced “JUNEJULY” and the slightly more chilled out and funky Oh, Baby!. This year they’ve followed up their previous releases with a couple of collabs with Maltine Records very own Mikeneko Homeless. The first being the Love is Over EP which you can download HERE and the almost shibuya-keiesque single Summer Holiday which you can get here or on itunes. While it’s still pretty early in their career, I personally feel like they get better with every song. So here’s hoping they continue to maintain a quality output and are able to garner the recognition they deserve with their upcoming album, which is set to release on October 19th of this year. You can Follow chelmico on twitter HERE On instagram HERE Or Rachel and Mamiko on their individual instagrams HERE and HERE

Some of you might recognize Tokyo based rapper KOHH from the It G Ma video that went viral earlier this year, in fact that’s actually where I first came across him but his verse was definitely a standout for me. 

He released his newest mixtape a few months ago called Yellow Tape 3, which I hadn’t gotten a chance to listen to until now. At a tracklist stretching to 20 songs long it holds a variety of material both new and old that KOHH has put out over the past little while. In addition to local producers that you might expect like TOFUBEATS and Dj Souljah it features a fair number of beats taken from western artists like Drake, Fetty Wap and Big Sean, however his take on them is fresh and interesting and overall it’s definitely a solid endeavour.

This music video is a mash up of two songs featured on Yellow Tape 3, Paris and 結局地元 or Kekkyoku Jimoto, the latter being one of my favourite songs on the entire thing. Unfortunately Yellow Tape 3 is not available on itunes for whatever reason, but you can download it HERE.

World’s End Girlfriend posted an arrangement of the song “Music” by the ambient Bunkai-Kei artist Smany on soundcloud today. A very calm quality sound worth listening to. 

You can download the song HERE and while you’re at it you can download the full album “Polyphenic” HERE. 

Quintessential shoegazer band Suichuzukan (水中図鑑) and this must watch MV are exactly why I enjoy this transformed style of higher paced new age shoegaze. They are a 5 piece from Tokyo and a total forerunner of what to expect of Japanese shoegaze for the next few years. While bringing a fresh sound with this single "Nami" (波) and the bonus tracks "Kuruma no Futari" (very Dinosaur Jr.-esque sound) and "Yuudachi" they are all I could ask for and more. Definitely worth checking out as well is their highly underrated mini album "Fureru Tokoro, Sasaru Toge" which was released in 2013. 

Surely this band is for fans of Kinoku Teikoku or Luminous Orange so please support them and enjoy!

Hailing from Tokyo, Yudachi (ゆだち) are a five piece composite of post rock, shoegaze, and ambient acoustic stylings that are mainly for fans of How To Count Planets, Ichiko Aoba, Toe, and Sunday's Echo.

Their first and only studio recorded album "Yuretemo, Nokoranai" (2013) carries a wistful blend of heavily delayed electric guitars, peaceful acoustic picking, and angelic vocals. Instrumentally, it is just as impressive as many of my top favorite picks from this blog while also having an aloof sense of style to their sound that probably can attract many first time listeners from all across the board.

They recently released an EP from a live acoustic session that you can download for free on their bandcamp if you are so inclined to.

I was very tempted to somehow upload their longest track "A-me" (clocking in at an outstanding 20 minutes) simply because I've never really found myself studying the emulsifying mixtures of sounds for such a long time until I heard that song, but due to the amount of compressing i'd have to do it would not do the song justice. Instead, here's my second favorite track "Enrai" (遠雷), and I urge you to get this album listen to it, listen again, and fall in love with this band.

LLLL have announced a release date of December 16th for the remix EP "Paradice: Revisited by Friends & Lovers". With "Paradice" being one of my favorite albums released this year I was very excited to hear that this EP was happening, and featuring amazing artists like Mus. Hiba. The EP will be released on the U.S. based label ZOOM LENS with Make Believe Melodies premiering three of the songs from the collection leading up to the release date. 

Opposed to the original track for "Because of My Eyes" Mus. hiba has the song take it's time to build, twist, rise, fall, and rise again before giving it a sendoff. With this teaser track setting a very high bar for the rest of the EP I can't wait to hear the full project. 

Keep up with new releases for it at MBM's site HERE

Get the EP on ZOOM LENS 12.16.14 

Download the original song HERE

Syoko (G-Schmitt) - Milledi

For info on G-Schmitt click HERE

I finally got to sit down and listen to some new releases from some of my favorite artists including one of my all time favorite bands Kinoku Teikoku. You can read what we had to say about them previously in the link above, but this post will be focusing on their second and latest album "Fake World Wonderland" (released in October of this year). 

Overall i'm under the impression that they may try to be reaching a broader audience with this album being significantly less shoegaze influenced compared to their previous albums (don't get me wrong it's still there). I hear a lot of Asian Kung-Fu Gen in this new sound and personally I dig it just as much as "Eureka" and "Uzu Ni Nara". 

This featured track "Chronostasis" is definitely a good example of how they've chosen to branch out. It's jazz influenced vibe is what sets it apart from the other tracks, but ultimately what makes it one of my favorite songs is Satou's amazing voice. Seriously guys, if you aren't keeping up with this band i thoroughly urge you to do so they are all very talented and deserving of your attention. 

You can watch the music video to this song HERE.

Visit their website HERE.

Thank you for 600 followers!

Etsuko Yakushimaru (やくしまる えつこ) also known as the lead vocalist for Sōtaisei Riron released the new single "Chia Chia" yesterday. As well as taking up musical side projects (sometimes under the name Etsuko Yakushimaru Metro Orchestra) she has collaborated with many producers for anime such as Space Dandy, Penguindrum, Arakawa Under the Bridge, and Tatami Galaxy. Although not much is known about their personal life she is constantly being featured in highly acclaimed pieces. 

Normally her music varies from ambient to experimental pop. Vocally she reminds me a lot of Izumi Makura and Strawberry Machine. I can wholeheartedly say that if you haven't listened to this artist's entire discography you are truly missing out. 

You can visit their website HERE (as a side note this is the coolest artist website I've ever visited! click on the objects at the homepage for nice bonus pages)

Shintaro Sakamoto is a folk-pop artist mostly known for being lead vocals/guitar in the 90's psych band "Yura Yura Teikoku". Currently he is making music as a solo act with two albums under his belt. This most recent singles EP features three tracks which all harbor the same psych pop feel from the previous album "Let's Dance Raw".

Honestly speaking I am not much of a fan of their solo project as a whole, and really I find it bearable at best, but this last track "World Without Sadness" made sifting through his discography much more worth while. It's the only track on the record that wasn't released as a single but ironically I find it to be the best song they've done so far. Just like the soundtrack to a melancholy scene in a coffee shop it feels sentimental and just in tune with the cold seasons. Sakamoto is under the Other Music Recording's company as well as his own label Zelone and the EP can be bought HERE as a 7" or digitally. 

While this four piece band frequently gets tagged with the genre of "shoegaze", their jangly guitars, reverb heavy snare drums, demanding bass lines and shaky distant vocals remind me a lot of that classic 80's post punk sound. This is Fiedel off of their their 2013 EP Fourth wall where you can download HERE. Anyways that's all folks! Sit back, relax and let THE NOVEMBERS take you into November. I hope the majority of you discovered something new and enjoyed everything we posted today. Stay tuned for any future events and news and if you ever have any requests or suggestions never hesitate to drop us a message. XO and Happy Halloween from Marcel and Kadeem.

少女人形 (Shoujo Ningyou or Girl Doll) is a band I heard approximately one song of and then spent the next 2 hours scouring the internet for a working download link. I didn't have much luck until I happened to stumble upon some hidden russian website where someone had kindly posted their entire discography. Well now it's my turn to share their music and what better a night than Halloween to do it. My favourite release by them is their 1985 7" 狂人のモノローグ (Kyoujin No Monorogu which translates to Monolouge Of A Madman) I think it's the slowest record in the discography but the wailing vocals and sludgy doom inducing bass riffs just really do it for me.

This is 口紅 (Kuchibeni or Red Lipstick) off of that same album which you can download HERE along with the their other two releases.

Visual Kei has always been a genre of music i'd never been completely enthralled with, but at times a band catches me by the ankles and surprises me with a unique approachable sound. This would be the case with the 90's group Light & Shade and the gritty mini album "Trial Product" (an expemplative title might I add since every track seemingly samples all aspects of New Wave, synth, and psychedelic VK). 

Enjoy the hair-raising initial track S.M.D!

Aural Vampire is an industrial electronic duo from Tokyo. Calling them theatric would be a bit of an understatement, the two of them met in high school and after finding a shared love of horror movies and art began participating in various music related projects together until they created Aural Vampire. Exo-Chika takes on the guise of a vampire vocalist while Raveman acts as a masked horror movie serial killer producer. Needless to say they're the perfect band to listen to around Halloween. 

This is their song ケルゲレンボルテックス (Kerguelen Vortex) off of their latest release RAZORS ON BACKSTREET which came out earlier this year. You can download it HERE.