2018 In Music

[legomaestro]

What in the name of haruhi is a 'signal chain' ?

[50 Words for Paipis]

You play electric guitar and it sends a signal through the cable. You put it into various things like guitar pedals, an amp, etc. Signal chain is the order of those things. If a guitar goes into a fuzz pedal and then a delay pedal, the fuzz pedal alters the signal first and the delay alters the already fuzzed out signal. If the delay pedal goes first, the delay alters the dry signal and the fuzz alters the delayed signal. They sound different. Typically, on most pedalboards, the fuzz goes before the delay, but it's not an uncommon trick to switch them.

[50 Words for Paipis]

Watching some Palm live stuff, particularly this video. "Heavy Lifting" (9:58) is amazing. If they aren't the best rock band going right now...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53RqW3Ep0UA

[Manimal]

Courtney Barnett, Tell Me How You Really Feel 

Remember everything that made Courtney seem interesting on her debut? Her second album is not that. It's 10 mopey grey songs firmly in cased in the generic indie sound. It does the slow thing, the noisy thing, but only in a couple moments does it do a good thing haha. Certainly it's an album meant to feel this way to reflect it's themes, but it lacks any real bite, even in it's most aggressive moments. Much like the dull album she did with Kurt Vile last year. She just kind of Lou Reeds a good chunk of the thing, especially with her very predictable rhymes. The song with Kim & Kelley Deal is the best. On her debut there was an interesting character with her lyrics, very detailed and rambly. If one wants a very rainy album then it works, but for me it's just boring. A typical modern indie bore.

     
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42XXZvrnHbM

Kero Kero Bonito's latest single "Time Today" is good, the music video especially. This new aesthetic is kind of trendy with the VHS quality, but the concept and all the shots in this video are so...unsettling. There are actually a lot of really cool shots here. Musically I really like this track to, the upbeat drums and all the details instrumentally. Of course Sarah's vocals are great as normal. This next album will be very different...I hope it'll be interesting.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8WqcPYOr--g
 
Also what, I didn't think Palm could even play their songs live. You mean to tell me those crazy tropical sounds are guitars? Jeez, I finally listened to the album again yesterday and ya it's just mad. It's so new. "Composite" is definitely my favorite track and watching it in that video is just...what is this band man.

[50 Words for Paipis]

Jonny Greenwood's soundtracks for Phantom Thread and You Were Never Really Here are quite nice.

Tropical F*** Storm's A Laughing Death in Meatspace and Elza Soares' Deus é mulher are two neat, gritty art rock albums.

Tetuzi Akiyama & Noël Akchoté's Tetuzi & I is good duo guitar free improvisation.

Also that last Ariana Grande song was kinda nice.

[50 Words for Paipis]

Pusha T's DAYTONA is getting a lot of hype as one of the best rap releases of the year. I can recommend with a couple caveats: 1. it's mostly about cocaine, 2. it's a bit too short at 7 tracks, 21-minutes, 3. "Come Back Baby" is kind of a weak track and is 1/7th of the album. It's quite good otherwise, though. I can't pretend that I haven't replayed "If You Know You Know" upwards of 15 times.

Father John Misty's God's Favorite Customer is a pretty solid addition to his catalogue. A few of the ballads fall flat for me, but the first trio of songs is unimpeachable.

Iceage's Beyondless sees the band expanding their stylistic and sonic palette for what is perhaps their most musically interesting album. Production is a bit cluttered and muffled, as usual, but it's still probably one of my favorites of theirs.

[50 Words for Paipis]

SOPHIE's (finally) debut Oil of Every Pearl's Un-Insides is pretty wild. Post-industrial bubblegum bass for the new millennium. Moments of heavy distorted bass and bizarreness aside sparkly pop hooks.

[Manimal]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uA7ZGV5z3i4 



This album is going to be fricking good and it's going to be the opener!

What an awesome song, sounds soft and has a really neat verse melody, but that chorus is nasty. Such an aggressive and mature sounding song. Even her look, she changes in little ways so much and it's not even been that long since she took off. What a build up as well, with such an explosive pay off. As a PV before the album this is a lot different than "Dogma Magma", an actually mighty ballad. It takes a lot for me to like a J Ballad but if it's Seiko that's not hard at all. Man oh man, what is this album going to be jeez. I just keep playing the song, I love the tone. This is a fricking good song. and a really depressing song to. Man this is good. 

First there's Utada's album next week but man...it's not even going to be close. I just hope it's enjoyable. 

I missed this song when it came out, it won't be on the next album. This is really good to! Man.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ln-iFD5Y4Ec 

This one is on the next record. This is just not going to be a good time. That Tokyo PV song will be on here as well, hopefully in a full band version. I mean it's fine as it is, but Seiko needs backing to make her songs pack a full punch for me.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=md84DT14BMA

[Manimal]

Utada Hikaru, Hatsukoi

20 years in the music scene Utada follows her return album Fantome with...a lot of quiet dramatics. Things start rough with a trilogy of ballads upfront. They are rather uninteresting and not very good melody wise, in fact Utada's high singer does no favours. "Forevermore" is when things get better, a good tune with strategic jazz cymbals and keyboard. "Too Proud" is neat, though the random UK guy rap cameo is weird. "Good Night" has nice guitar, it's a slower song but with more going on and in general a stronger tune then the opening chunk. "Pakuchi No Uta" is a simple but catchy tune. "Ozora de Dakishimete" is a really good tune, it has classic Utada instrumentation.

This is the album I thought Fantome would be, but wasn't. Much slower with lots of string ballads. The album has some good moments after the first bit, it's really just a quieter softer sound. Fantome had more songs that stuck out, Hatsukoi is more low key. I don't think anything after the first 4 songs are bad, now that I know the feel I'll see how it is after more listens. Right now I'm feeling pretty much how I thought I would. It's alright but nothing amazing. Utada is just making the music of her times. She's done so many amazing songs in the last 20 years and it's great that she is still at it making very sincere and honest music.

 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27CiluwCRNo 

Also I'm still rocked how good "Shinigami" is. Fricking hell it's just such a ripping track, it has that helpless and hopeless feeling like a movie where everything goes wrong and is unfixable by the end. It's a feeling I've got from Clannad, Little Busters and White Album 2. In fact the track reminds me a bit of "Song For Friends" but way more explosive. I love it so much, Seiko just rips it up. The song is way too good. First I was like "oh this is a balla-oh my God". It's great that she was able to nail this emotion, it's not one I hear too often. The song just creeps up, and when I listen to it I can't stop replaying it because the payoff is so mighty, and the build to it from that piano intro that feels just a little off. It's even better than "draw (a) drow". The melody just gets in my head.

BiSH dropped a new single and video, "NON TiE-UP", without warning. Wow they are good and just getting better and better. The video is awesome, great visuals. They look so cool.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZ_wJe50YzQ

[Manimal]

Wednesday Campanella, Galapagos 

An 8 song mini album, the group add some more jazzy elements to their sound, still expanding on their trademark tricks. This album has a lot of sounds but it often lacks tune and catchiness like Superman. There are a couple really good songs like "Melos" and the opener "The Bamboo Princess". "Melos" is actually a really really good song. The last two tracks are slower and don't really do much "The Sand Castle" feels awkward melody wise. This set of songs isn't so grabbing right away, but the group continue to do cool things. KOM_I only falters in the before mentioned last songs. It's alright.

 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qPSHOTzidw

Mondo Grosso, Attune / Detune   

Producer dude who gets a bunch of people to sing. Very contemporary chill electro songs, low-key instrumentation that is led by the vocalist. I listened for "False Sympathy" a good song which features BiSH's star member AiNA THE END. Not everything is good, I couldn't wait for the rap in the first song to end, and the piano instrumental is bland. Etsuko Yakushimaru saves the day in the last song because of course she would. The vibe of the album is not bad. There are good elements and the production is varied. A lot seems to depend on who buddy is collaborating with however, it's not surprising the two best songs by far are Etsuko and AiNA's. Worth it for those two tracks alone.

 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6Y-WsgpzlQ

[Manimal]

https://youtu.be/o70TdrXxxnU 
https://youtu.be/r33iHqUgZZ4



Oh God oh my holy my God wow. Seiko's new album is going to be great oh my oh Jeez oh yes. Lay it on me.

[Manimal]

Seiko Oomori, Kusokawa Party 

She's at it again with another album. One that doesn't feel overarching or overly important, but still explodes with song after song of random cool things. "Shinigami" is nothing short of a Seiko masterpiece, a totally amazing and powerful song that kicks off the album on a depressing note. I raved about how it blew me away the other week, and man is it quite a song. and for the opener it's just a kick in the feelings. Easily one of Seiko's most emotional songs for me, it's just violent and massively sad. I love the hell of it, the more I listen the more it just hits me. The album then does a fast rocking song and a classic upbeat but demented Seiko track with "Reality Magic", slightly let down by it's chorus. "Girl's Girl" is fricking great, with the fast verses, great instrumental and out of nowhere chorus. I love this song, it just goes mad then the chorus is a complete roof raiser. "Ameba no Koi" is also fricking hella good. "7:77" rocks like mad, with a mad run away Ani-Pop chorus. Sure enough "Tokyo to Kyou" is just tossed on as a solo acoustic moment that comes in with no real purpose or reason in pacing. "Watashimi" has a good build and "Kimoi Kawa" is monstrous.

As a whole Kusokawa Party feels like a cool selection of songs just tossed around. It's not an altogether epic so much, Seiko just kind of does whatever she feels like. It feels significantly scaled back from kitixxxgaia. "Shinigami" is it's best moment, it remains solid throughout aside from "Tokyo to Kyou" which is just placed near the end because why not. The flow and pacing doesn't feel like it matters. This is really her first big album that feels more like a collection of tracks then anything else. I'm a little let down since "Shinigami" made it seem like this would be an important record, instead it's a good fun quick release, with some amazing songs, Seiko is throwing things out there. Unlike her last three releases it doesn't do anything as a whole and feels clumsy at points. It proves that even the best of artists can't keep such a streak of gold albums going. Songs are great I just hope the album gets better the more I listen, sounds like Seiko still burning to make music but cooling her ambition for a bit.

 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uA7ZGV5z3i4

[Manimal]

Perfume, Future Pop 

Back again with a new album, Perfume are in stronger form than their previous release Cosmic Explorer. Since Nakata has written and produced so much music between all the groups he works with he has his craft done to such a perfection that Future Pop feels like a Perfume trick book put together. It has some great tunes, especially in the last half. "Tokyo Girl" was a very strong single and I kinda love "Tiny Baby" because the English in the chorus is so catchy. Also it uses the phrase "teeny weeny" which is amazing. Future Pop is nothing new, but it's not bad.

 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vxl4gsvgEQY 

Ghost, Prequelle 

"Rats" has been driving me crazy all year, playing on the radio so often I went from hating it to liking it very slowly. Now, Ghost is not a band with any draw to me, but on a listen I find the band is less an 80's metal throwback and more a mix of old styles with a taste for pop. The vocals are softer and melodic, and the music...is okay. The riffs are basically and often the big epic songs don't match their ambition. It says nothing profound to me like it seems to want to say. The songs aren't bad, but it's not an album I need to go back to. "Rats" is good though, even if the chorus is just "RATS! Wooo-wooo-wooo-wooo-whoooa". 

   
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_GFuodywPY 

My mid-way 2018 list is light, not enough great records.
1. Seiko Oomori : Kusokawa Party
2. Band-Maid : World Domination 
3. ......... , [         ]   
4. Scandal : Honey
5. Palm : Rock Island

[Manimal]

Holy, Seiko is starting an idol group ZOC (Zone Of Control or Zone Out Of Control). They don't have a single yet, just a video with one of the best songs from Kusokawa Party, but already they are amazing. The dancing in this video is mad, that bit of Seiko flicking her tongue at 1:11 would make a great gif...lol I love this idea already, 7 members like 7:77. I have a feeling this group is going to be pretty great, Seiko never stops doing cool things, I think she is like...the coolest Mom in music history by now. We just need some new tunes to hear what kind of vibe they'll have and how the other girls sound.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XtEiKlzpHfE

DAOKO is releasing a new album in November, pretty soon after Thank You Blue so the tracks should flow together a lot better. I haven't heard any songs after that album, I didn't even think she had any singles. Will be an album worth getting anyway. Kero Kero Bonito have a new single "Make Believe" which seems to carry a lot of similar themes to "Time Today" which was a great tune. Likely they will surprise drop an album some point this month or next. I think it will be better than their last if the singles indicate anything. Bonito Generation was good, but it didn't hold up after a while and I never went back. But these songs have been fantastic I think.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQsI_HEcrbI 

Also I listened to Kamikaze just for kicks, lol all it felt like was an old bitter Eminem complaining about how no one liked his last album and whining about the state of rap. It got really tired early on, everytime he mentioned Revival was mad cringy, he just never stopped bringing it up and being all "2017 was a hard year". It was like, dude stop. He still had some great flow and rhymes, but so many of the phrases where just awful. One of the worst is when he calls to "Humble" by going "REVIVAL DIDN'T GO VIRAL". It was like holy dude, get over it. You made a record that people didn't like, you've done it before, move on. The album wasn't just "take downs" or whatever, but I didn't think it was good at all, even if Eminem still brings it when it comes to his impressive fast raps and lyrical flow.   

Also why isn't "I Love It" a terrible song? My friend played it in the car twice yesterday and it wasn't awful at all. Lil Pump is a pile, but Kayne's verse was...actually pretty unique and great. Like I was disgusted that I was enjoying it than I was just like whatever. The "I'mma sick f**k I like a quick f**k (whoop)" was so ridiculous yet catchy that I couldn't help but be like...fine.

[Manimal]

Kero Kero Bonito, Time 'n' Place

Putting the J-Pop and cheery elements of the last album aside, the group return with a wack new sound. Taking on Internet age vapor with a bit of game music, shoegaze, indie and all sorts of styles in one. This is an awesome record, there are so many odd and cool bits. In general it's a lot more indie, even with Sarah's vocals which become secondary to the music in some songs. But she's a good enough singer to make things stand out, and plus this album does so many things. The songs are varied yet consistent. They flow together so well! I can't pin down the sound but it's very contemporary, in a good way. This is a better, and much different, release than their last, and it's generally a cool creative piece with plot twists, new tricks and not a bad song.

 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9eCOLWnD5VM