recommended japanese albums (part 1)

Let’s be honest how many of us could honestly name just one Japanese based album...maybe half of you but the other half that’s what I’m here for. Today I’m going to be giving you a bit of good music and a little bit of culture...well let’s get into it.

TOKOY SINPER-Ryusenkei

A very underrated project here in America and in Japan surprisingly. It has a very 70’s or even 80’s japenese girl band vibe if that makes any sense. Being a jazzy soulful album with a couple pop elements spread around for just a little pazzaz. Before I get into the tracks, I would like to introduce the members of Ryusenkei: there is guitarist Cunimondo Takiguchi（クニモンド瀧口）, bassist Takehiro Oshizuka（押塚岳大）and keyboardist Yuz:

TRACKLIST-

•タイムマシーン・ラ

•花びら

•レインボー・シティ・ライン

•恋のラストナンバー

•薄紫色の彼方

•TOKYO SNIPER

•DANCING INTO FANTASY

•スプリング・レイン

•雨のシンデレラ

ENGLISH TRANSLATION-

•Time Machine Love

•petal

•Rainbow City Line

•The last number of love

•Beyond the lilac

•TOKYO SNIPER

•DANCING INTO FANTASY

•Spring Rain

•Cinderella in the rain

a very lively project that can make your feet tap. While it’s internationally underrated it is probably one of the better Japan based albums out there with a mellow, summer, soft, urban, melodic, lush feeling . With only being able to find a few translations for the lyrics I gather the album is about love, being in a certain society, and general humanization. If this is something you may be into check it out because it’s a great project with beautiful production, great vocals and is extremely laid-back.

Flood-Boris

This album has a small cult following but still highly underrated amongst most. A minimalist progressive rock album with a run time of 70 minutes. This project is broken down in four segments and served as the band's most intimate and progressive works.

TRACKLIST~

•I. Part 1

•II. Part 2

•III. Part 3

•IV. Part 4

BAND MEMBERS~ Atsuo-Drums, Percussion, Gong, Vocals

Takeshi - Vocals, Bass, Guitar, Words.

Wata - Guitar, Effects, Performer

Boris - Producer

With mostly instrumentation throughout the project its very well put together but it also has an underlining chaotic feeling I really can’t describe it but it’s a constantly great project. But let now let me go through each flood

FLOOD 1~

contains a simple guitar on loop for 14 minutes with heavy waves of reverb it’s very hypnotic...

FLOOD 2~

A very beautiful piece that showcased mellowness and frailness that for many reasons goes into

FLOOD 3~

the sludgiest, heaviest drone metal that anyone had ever produced, now and then. A twenty minute finale that outright demands the twenty minute

FLOOD 4~

With unsettling soundscapes to calm the reader down after flood 3. The sounds are almost like whispers very calm indeed.

Most would say that the project is very repetitive but it’s so good you hardly can even tell...it’s crisp production and instrumentation is just to good to pass up even if you just want to take a peep at each segment it’s definitely worth anyone’s time.

love trip-takako mamiya

An infamous album that had left many wondering what happened to the singer and just the very vague history behind it all. Being released in 1982 this album is a city pop, funk, soul release that many regard as one of the best. With takako almost husky female voice its just so soothing to listen to. All the different instruments go together so well drums, guitar, bass, and piano. All of this is incorporated meaningfully and with much thought. Nothing seems out of place. It’s something you can listen to while cleaning or just while enjoying day full of nothingness as it’ll bring a little color into a boring day.

Taeko Ohnuki-Copine

All these songs sound like they belong in their own movie. Sounding like w soundtrack for you early 1990’s esque film. Every song has their own distinct sound which is why this is a project that can be put on repeat and you’ll never grow tired of it. Her voice is almost like a screaming whisper at times which i don’t know if that makes much since but that is the only way I can actually describe it. The production is a playful, rhythmic, lush of goodness. It’s almost eccentric.

TRACKLIST:

1.Les aventures de TINTIN

2.ベジタブル 3.春の嵐 4.Siena 5.Amico, sei felice? 6.OUT OF AFRICA 7.Leave me alone 8.Jaques-Henri Lartigue 9.しあわせな男達へ 10.野辺