Tag: japan review

Top Albums of 2021

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Honestly, I’m pretty over lists at this point. They’re arbitrary and don’t really reflect anything but someone’s tastes, except here where they reflect the tastes of three individuals…because that’s how we roll. So, take this list with a grain of salt. These are the records we thought were the best, which mostly just means these are the ones we listened to on repeat throughout the year! Feel free to leave a comment on what you think we missed, or why we’re dumb; we love good comment trolls.

Also, because this list is really about crediting the art that made us happy, we wanted it to make you happy too, so we included purchasing links where we could. Read more

Last Week’s Jams Today (10.18 – 10.22)

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We were back on our game last week, for the most part. We had tons of great tunes, so we’re hoping you caught wind of at least a few of these on the site. But, if you didn’t, Monday’s a great day to just sit back in your chair and relax. I also threw in a few tunes from the likes of Spirit Was, Keg, Power Supply, Belaver and Dummy who all released most excellent albums last week. You get 20 songs to ease you into this week. Might I still suggest listening to Japan Review. That Rural France tune isn’t half bad either!

Japan Review Share Channel Waves Single

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I’m not sure if Japan Review is on everyone’s radar just yet, but I’d really like to continue to push for the band’s inclusion in your listening rotation, thus why I’m here dropping this new single. From the get-go, you get this sampled machine gun drum beat, working in unison with this wall of guitar noise, clouding the horizon for the listener. Then Adam O’Sullivan drapes his voice carefully in the empty space, and while there’s a quiet softness, he seems pained, or tired (like us all). Still, the song’s not done there, moving into a more melodic moment for the chorus, then opening up in the track’s back half for sonic exploration of striking ambient noise. I’m totally in love with Kvetch Sounds; it’s out on October 29th via Reckless Yes.

Last Week’s Jams, Today (September 20 – 24)

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Here we are kicking off another great week in life, am I right? We wanted to start your Monday with a glance over our shoulders at last week’s hits. I think we covered some pretty great stuff last week, some of which you might have only been able to find through us, some of it you just need to be sure you check out. Love the new Ovlov track, and can’t stop playing this Smallgoods album; you’d also do well to visit that Japan Review tune too! Tons of different vibes, which is always our vibe. Have a good week loves.

Japan Review Share Kvetch Sounds

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What on Earth is this beautiful sound coming from the latest Japan Review single? Immediately my ears filled with these discordant angular riffs, just heavily jangling, bouncing notes off one another to create this dense background of anxiousness. Moments later, synth work rolls into the picture, polishing the song like a fine gem, letting the melodic vocals calm your nerves as drums snap at the mix from below. Every sound works against each other, and in crashing together, they mix and leave you blanketed with this sublime piece of artful noise. I’m totally floored by this tune, and hoping that the whole of their new LP, Kvetch Sounds, lives up to this track; it’s out on October 29th via Reckless Yes.

Last Week’s Jams, Today (August 16 – 20)

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Let’s start off Monday right, sneaking right in with a great track from the latest Flowertown LP. The rest of our playlist is pretty solid too, as there were some jams last week. I’ll admit I kind of feel like too many people are sleeping on Cindy still, so be sure to check out their latest single in this weeks hits. Plus, it’s great to hear our friends Letting Up Despite Great Faults drop right back in where they left off years ago. Ease into Monday with a playlist of jams we were digging last week…and have a decent day.

Japan Review Announce Debut LP

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Feel like it might just be a solid day to kind of hang in the corners of this darkened brand of dream pop/shoegaze notes, so here’s another to follow that Letting Up tune; it’s the album announcement from Glasgow’s Japan Review. The duo have evolved from the bedroom project of Adam O’ Sullivan into this creative duo fusing cavernous sounds to create a bit of melodic topsoil for your listening day. This announcement of a new LP comes with the single “Competition Winner,” which is dominated by this propulsive drum sample, allowing the band to sort of throw anything on top. Here’s there’s a blend of noise and melody, Adam’s voice lurking somewhere in the song’s purgatory; it all reminds me of the early days of Radio Dept. Kvetch Sound will be out on October 29th via Reckless Yes!