November 2020

New to me

Barda — Viento (2019)

Pingy, filtery, deep, dark, melodious. Exactly what I want from a techno release. My favorite track here is the echoing, finger-snapping Magia Horo with Jsfnbrrx.

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Haru Nemuri — 春と修羅 (Haru to Shura) (2018)

Well, this was unexpected. I always love records that are tough to classify and this one definitely fits that bill.

Is it pop? Haru's vocals sometimes seem to hit that cute idol range.

Is it thrash? The riffs get surprisingly heavy and there's definitely a hardcore aesthetic in places.

Is it math rock? The arrangements (and especially the clever basslines) remind me of other Japanese mathy ensembles.

Or is it spoken word? I don't speak Japanese so I don't know how eloquent the lyrics are, but I know that the pacing and delivery are really effective at turning voice into an instrument.

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