// MUSIC

ethereal wave / dream pop / shibuya-kei / alt j-rock

Mind-blowing discovery I made just a few months ago. Seien (Silent Flame) was my formal introduction to niche, somewhat obscure Japanese music.

The entire album is great, and you jump from one banger right into another. Special mention goes to two of my favorite songs from this album, "disposable body" and "hungry girl", which also double as two of my top songs by the band in that order.

ethereal wave / dream pop / electronic downtempo / alt j-rock / shoegaze

Yet another delightful treat of an album that I stumbled upon not long after listening to Seien. Released in the early 2000s, this was, if I recall correctly, their second album.

While I was more fond of some specific songs in Seien, Jougen no Tsuki (Half Moon Waxing, as per the band's own translation) felt more memorable to me as a whole. The entire EP just works beautifully as a concept, and every song feels perfectly intertwined with the next.

j-indie / indie pop / dream pop / shibuya-kei

oolt cloud was my entry album to the works of Advantage Lucy, a Tokyo based band formed in 1995 under the name "Lucy Van Pelt", and which not long after that changed their name due to copyright issues. It's interesting to say the least, though, that a Japanese band decided to name themselves after a Peanuts character, but then again, Peanuts is apparently quite popular over there.

A generally upbeat and cheerful album with some bittersweet and somber tones in between, oolt cloud feels like an open invitation to sift through deep-rooted nostalgia and core past memories. Also, one of the songs has a cool trumphet solo.