Kinoko Teikoku - 2012 - Uzuninaru

Kinoko Teikoku (or きのこ帝国) is a relatively new shoegaze band coming from Japan. They've been very diligent since 2012 releasing one album per year and they've landed a contract with EMI two years ago which should propel them even more into Japanese stardom at least. But back at the beginning they released Uzuninaru as their first proper album.

While their music isn't anything spectacularly new they merge the jrock sound with shoegaze very competently. The overall atmosphere is that unique melancholic feeling that Japanese bands often evoke. The solitary urban feeling oozes in all of the songs that are on this well written album. But despite the somewhat depressing atmosphere the album is paced pretty well. I could never zone out to it, every other song picks the pace after more slower cuts on the album. Never a dull moment and on top of it all the female vocals are implemented to great effect. And they're not high pitched, which is always a plus.

Definitely check this band out if you haven't already.

Get it here.

Tacoma Radar ‎- No One Waved Goodbye

Tacoma Radar are a relatively unknown band from Scotland that was apparently around for a long time but their recorded output is not very immense. They have this album, a pair of EPs and that's it. Their album came and went in 2004 and not much else happened after.

So why are they unnoticed? Well for starters the music they do is very confined in their genre of choice. It feels like a lost relic from the lovely, lo-fi and fuzzy days of indie records. I like it at least for what it is. It's very laid back, carefree and melancholic at the same time. It's one of those albums that get played when it's autumn and you're somewhere warm and it's raining outside. A perfect little mix of cozy and sad that makes you cuddle up in bed and read stuff. The female vocals only drives the atmosphere even more. They're less about expressive singing and more about just laid back humming.

It's samey but it's a lovely little homage to days gone by.

Sink in.

Mazzy Star - So Tonight That I Might See

Every time I think of the 90s I always picture a blurry rainy day. Actually all the memories from the 90s I have are in rainy and blurry days. I don't know why, it's like the whole decade had no sun whatsoever. My childhood was weird, living in that blur and listening to mad dictators. :S

Mazzy Star creates just that dreamy, foggy music and they were active in the 90s! Lots of guitar sliding notes and lazy sounding vocals. The music itself is a bit depressing but so was everything else back then. "So Tonight That I Might See" was their second and the most popular album in their short lived career. It also contains possibly the most commercial successful song from the whole dream pop era. Fade Into You, at least so the reviews say. In any case if you like shoegaze you'll like this sort of prototype shoegaze music and if you like dream pop you'll adore this.

Thanks Rise for telling me about this band a while ago. :)

Tracklist:

01. Fade Into You (4:55)
02. Bells Ring (4:32)
03. Mary Of Silence (6:02)
04. Five String Serenade (4:24)
05. Blue Light (5:10)
06. She's My Baby (4:25)
07. Unreflected (3:42)
08. Wasted (5:31)
09. Into Dust (5:36)
10. So Tonight That I Might See (7:19)


Won't upload again.

Bluedawn (푸른새벽)

* Bluedawn disbanded. 정상훈, male member of Bluedawn is doing solo project, The Invisible Fish aka 투명물고기. And also for female member, 한희정. *

Bluedawn (푸른새벽) is a Korean indie band made up of Dawn and Sorrow. Theirs is a melody of dream and sadness, a spring morning when sun shines brightly, but ice won’t melt. Filled with softness; soft guitar, soft piano, soft voice. Bluedawn is full of pure heart and calm.

To date Bluedawn has released two studio albums. A self titled album, and in 2005 submarine sickness / waveless was released. It was a two disc mini-album set, with five tracks on either side of the disc. While their first album featured mostly guitar, submarine sickness / waveless featured piano and strings equally with guitar. / waveless is quite different from it’s former half of the album. Notably, Sorrow sings on this half more and there is also more experimentation done with instrument.

This is an excellent band, too bad they split up. Oh well, life goes on I guess. Enjoy their albums for I am sharing all of them.

Vol 1. - 푸른새벽

Download.


Vol 2. - Submarine Sickness/Waveless


Download.

Vol 3. - 보옴이 오면

Download.

Asobi Seksu

Asobi Seksu (formed in 2004) is a New York City, United States based dream pop/shoegaze band. Singer Yuki Chikudate often incorporates Japanese lyrics into her songs. The band’s name in Japanese consists of two words, “asobi” meaning “play” or “for fun”, and “sekkusu” the Japanese imported word for”sex” . Their sound has been said to draw influence from the shoegazing movement of the late 1980s to early 1990s, which was coined to describe the textured and effects-heavy sound of alternative rock in that era. The band consists of Yuki Chikudate (singing|vocals), James Hanna (guitar, vocals), Haji (bass guitar|bass) and Ben Shapiro (drum kit|drums).

Asobi Seksu released their eponymous debut album in 2004. The band regrouped with a new rhythm section for their second album, Citrus, which was recorded in Gigantic Studios, New York City with producer Chris Zane.

One Little Indian Records re-released the band’s first album Asobi Seksu and the follow-up Citrus in 2006.

Highly recommended.

Citrus

Tracklist:

01. Everything Is On (0:17)
02. Strawberries (3:57)
03. New Years (3:01)
04. Thursday (4:17)
05. Strings (5:27)
06. Pink Cloud Tracing Paper (3:27)
07. Red Sea (7:45)
08. Goodbye (3:44)
09. Lions And Tigers (4:08)
10. Nefi + Girly (4:37)
11. Exotic Animal Paradise (4:06)
12. Mizu Asobi (2:40)

Download.

Asobi Seksu

Tracklist:

01. I'm Happy But You Don't Like Me (3:07)
02. Sooner (3:45)
03. Umi De No Jisatsu (2:23)
04. Walk On The Moon (4:33)
05. Let Them Wait (2:47)
06. Taiyo (2:01)
07. It's Too Late (7:17)
08. End At The Beginning (4:21)
09. Asobi Masho (1:25)
10. Stay (5:02)
11. Before We Fall (2:39)

Download.

Stay Awake/Then He Kissed Me 7''

Tracklist:

01. Stay Awake (5:31)
02. Then He Kissed Me (2:33)

Download.