art pop
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One of the great things about autumn is that it presents an opportunity to share music that’s a bit more ruminative, something that takes its time to reveal its true colors. I’m reminded of this as I revisit Kuo Heng Chi’s underappreciated but surprisingly prescient, contemporary-sounding music, particularly his 鸽子与海 (The Dove and the Sea).
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With fall fully in season, I think now is a great time to turn over a few leaves I’ve neglected. Lately, my mind has been gravitating toward the music of Japanese singer Kuniko Fukushima and her 1983 leftfield turn, 夢幻 (Mugen).
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As I write, it sometimes takes me a beat to realize just how connected I am to a person’s story, just as much as I am to their music. Reflecting on the life of the recently departed Serge Guirao, whose long struggle with multiple sclerosis ended in 2021, I’m reminded that for some of us,…
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Sometimes, it’s the combined power of simpatico ideas that yields the biggest payoff. I remind myself of this whenever I listen to the wonderfully sunny, “summery” music of Carole Serrat. Made in Japan but born in France, Carole’s OSE serves as a perfect gateway into a little-known bit of musical symbiosis.
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Once again, we’re back at the shoreline or more like: I can’t seem to leave the water’s edge. As summer continues to wind down, I keep going back to explore my kind of deep easy listening: “resort music.” My mind and ears keep heading down to the early works of Moonriders’s Masahiro Takekawa and his…
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When I think of summer, when I think of the vibrancy of this season, I think of albums like the Ten Plants series, spearheaded by video game composers Nobuo Uematsu and Toshiyuki Sasagawa.
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If you’re like me, sometimes all it takes is one listen to feel that a certain album or artist should have made a bigger mark. When I listen to Yow Okazaki’s Damage, with its fusion of hip-hop, techno, ambient and French Pop-influenced acid jazz, I think: now here’s music that merits a certain introduction.
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I gotta say: some of my favorite albums are those “imperfect” ones. Although they may not contain a complete record full of highlights, all is forgiven, because of those that do exist in one album. It’s those albums like the late, great, Richenel’s Deep As Blue.
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As I write this post, my mind goes back to the ideas posited in Claire Dederer’s new book, “Monsters: A Fan’s Dilemma”. I keep thinking: to what degree do I promote or endorse the work of Miguel Bosé? At this moment in time, I can’t escape that I vehemently disagree with his most current views…
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We all have our soft spots. Lately, for me, it’s been sharing certain kinds of “rainy day” albums tailor-made to appeal to the more mature audience. Less fussy with sonics, less messy with pretentiousness, these are the kinds of albums that I’d like to think others would find as graceful, sophisticated, and measured as I…
ambient art pop art rock balearic brazilian electro-acoustic england environmental music experimental fourth world Funk fusion japan jazz minimalist Mix neo-folk neoclassical new age walearic