Category: songs i heard this week
Songs I Heard And Liked March 18 2023
So back once again with a roundup of some cool songs I’ve heard recently.
Kamelion – Happy
And I think it will be fair to say after hearing this slice of rare groove infused nu-disco you will be too. Vocals are lovely although it’s hard to say who they remind me of – perhaps Charlie Puth? But whatever, fans of Metronomy and the Weeknd will be most satisfied.
Waves_On_Waves x Sonic Shades Of Blue x Tommie Sunshine – Coming By Your House Tonight
Following in a similar vein from Kamelion we have Waves on Waves with a solid electro pop song coming about after a chance meeting when the various artists met backstage at Ultra Music Festival in Miami; sometimes great things can come from happenstance! If you like The Midnight or even John Waite (from way back) you’ll probably like this too.
Tonal – Flutter Bond (feat. Kanako Takatsuki)
Well, this is a Japanese music blog and this is robust City Pop with a neat, updated, sound. Alas, Tonal doesn’t write that much in the way of a band bio on Submithub so I really have not much idea about who they are. Still, this is a nice wee number.
Eliza Roe – Ethereal Junkie
This collaboration between LA-based Eliza Roe and New York-based artist Kevin Kim is about a good a definition of Dream Pop as one could hope for. Lush vocals drift in and out of an excellent production by our man Kevin and it’s all backed up by one of the best bass lines I’ve heard in a very long time.
Brandon Liew – ILOVEYOU (feat. xiinya)
It’s hyperpop of the Japanese style from Brandon Liew! Yay! There are quite a few Jrock bands that are tangentially similar – Scandal or maybe Hatsune Miku. I dare say a fun song to dance to but I don’t dance so much these days.
Amir Ekbatani – Tell Me You Love Me
A strong vocal here and a very good song too. It takes a while to get going and the verse is maybe a bit pedestrian to my ears but the chorus builds and builds into something super duper melodic that will hook you right in. Fans of A-Ha or even Ultravox will identify.
Songs I Heard Recently And Liked
Urban Hane – Natter Utan Drommar
Nattan Utan Drommer translates to ‘nights without dreams’ and I can’t really segue neatly into anything logical at this point apart from the fact this track is relentlessly 80’s and mixes together The Damned, The Scorpions and some uber obscure Polish banned called Kombi which I shall post here because I fricking love this song:
Jake Huffman – Highs and Lows
Highs and Lows is the first single of an upcoming EP and has very British sensibilities: The Verve and Razorlight spring to mind immediately. A really solid track that bodes well for what I’m sure will be a good EP next year.
darkDARK – Ghost Complex
This one does take a while to get going but by the time the vocals kick in at 30 seconds you’ll be hooked. A lovely pared back production really lets the track breath and flow as every good production should and I am reminded very much of Feist or Imogen Heap – surely a good thing.
Guggenheim Bilbao / Koki Nakano – MONUMENTAL: Ep. 2
A real adventure this one. Starting off as slightly circular piano piece and then evolving into performance art courtesy of Tess Voelker’s intimate dancing, this is a highly unusual and involving body of work.
Tiger Del Flor – Living In The 90s
All I can remember from the 90s is being miserable and hating pop music and listening to nothing but heavy metal. Pop music in the 90s was terrible. Change my mind. However, Tiger Del Flor makes good pop music and this is like a very laid back Lana Del Rey or – oft quoted in these blog pages – Miranda Lee Richards. This is some great Americana.
Christian Loffler – Roused (Ft Malou)
When reviewing songs for the blog often times you’re struck by the occasional production that is utterly flawless and our Christian delivers a huge but very understated track. If M83 were a bit more grown up it might sound a bit like this.
Dual Aeon – Tokimeki Christmas
And what better to round of this selection with a very silly Xmas song by Dual Aeon. Don’t know what else to say – it’s gloriously happy and Santa San will be sure to add this band onto the Nice List this year!
Songs of the Week October 17 2023
Hey ho another round up of songs I found recently and rather liked. Some via Submithub and some on random travels on Twitch.
The Kites – Drunk In Japan
Well, this being a Japanese music blog (mostly) these young scamps make the blog by virtue of singing about ‘being drunk in Japan’ which I have not done yet, although I have been trashed most other places.
The band tell me “[we] have followed the trusty formula of releasing unrelenting guitar bangers that sound custom-made for radio airwaves, festivals, headline shows and everything in between”.
Quite. And Drunk In Japan is a great song. It does remind me very slightly of a band called The Milky Tangerine in terms of jangly guitars and composition. Vocally, this is very reminiscent of Simon Neil from Biffy Clyro, as is the whole song. So if your fans of the latter and want to get drunk to the former over sake, I say go for it. But drink responsibly, unlike, er, me.
Bobbi – One Fine Day
I imagine a video for this might run with small kittens or tiny talking flowers. Listen, I don’t come up with these comparisons, my random other self does. Enjoy!
Lumero – Dreaming
Not a style of music I feature often times on the blog but this progressive house masterpiece fits in with the minimum of fuss.
While I may not be all about Dat Phat Bass I am about massive drops and this track has a belter that will melt your face. Lumero tells me “Dreaming manages to encapsulate an emotion whilst delivering a melodic; thought-provoking soundtrack to drive the audience to move and feel the music”. It sure will, Lumero, it sure will!
James Joseph Brown – Fly
Last up on this weeks list and bringing the drinking circle to a close is this gorgeous slice of Balearic deep groove from JJ Brown of Scorpion Music Group, utterly perfect for that pool side cocktail.
Not much to say, except when I heard it over on Twitch I sat up and took note and contacted the artist who told me the inspiration for Fly is John Milton’s book Paradise Lost. I would never have guessed that but I’m glad this is paradise found (I’m so sorry about these terrible puns).
Et c’est ca! Verily, you can hear great music everywhere and if you fancy giving me a heads up on something you’ve heard, the can do so here.
Song of the Week Louie Rubio – Echo
Louie is “a one stop shop, [who] writes, engineers, and mixes his music at his full-fledged studio in LA” and ‘Echo’ is a song that has such and interesting chorus – it doesn’t resolve per se but flips modally into something I can’t quite pin down; all I can do is feel and I feel happy and sad at the same time. This is a good thing.
Watch out for this guitarist. Ps Louie – I have a Flying V, although I can’t play it as well as your Strat/Tele xx
Random Songs of The Week I Found and Liked – September 28
As many folks of this once world famous Japanese music blog know I often times find great music at the back of my sock drawer and will write about awesome new music I find!
So without further ado, lets jump in and see what we have!
Reality Addiction – Grow Up
When I write about music I’ll often find inspiration from lots of sources, one of which is perusing the Popular Charts over at Submithub. And that’s where I found this really cool song which caught my attention with the minimum of fuss. A super melodic pop-rock song very much in the vein of Keane (of whom I’m not a particular fan, but production and stylistically this is similar).
I hope to hear more from these guys in the future, some talent here.
B.Miles – Separate Rooms
Fans of Feist will love this. B.Miles has a lovely soft, lilting voice and the song has strong echos of another independent artist called Dresage whom I found via Bjork’s producer, Damian Taylor.
A lovely slice of summer pop to accompany a trip to a baseball game. And she clearly loves popcorn, but who doesn’t?
Kid Phenomenon – Wheelie
This song is a super well produced track that could easily pass for a male version of FEMM but exists fine as a punchy pop-rap track all on its own.
But here’s the kicker – this 7 piece boy band has an average of 17! They have a long future ahead I am sure.
Nervous City Nervous Self – Stories of Our Names
Nervous City Nervous Self is the English language debut of Swedish singer/songwriter David Josephson and he tells me this and other songs “portray a wandering singer’s delightful doom, and are the expression of an artist staying committed to his path”. Which segues nicely onto my comparison: Jon and Vangellis once had a song called Find My Way Home from waaaay back in the day of which this reminds me. And while about obscure comparisons, see also Justin Hayward and Jose Gonzales for your vocal mood board.
Dance Yourself Clean – 2 Late
I almost typed Dance Your *Elf Clean, hey ho; early morning typos lend well to hilarity I guess.
Dance Yourself Clean started in Seattle (2013) as an indie dance party that grew into the first touring dance party in North America and the band produce high quality indie electronic music of a highly melodic nature.
Not sure what 2 Late is about but it’s a very M83 inspired track with shades of Years of War. Solid vocals and epic synth work blend together to form a highly expansive and involving production.
I look forward to hearing more from these *elfs 😉
*I know it’s spelled elves, but typos are funnier-er.
Todd Binder – Alameda
Pitched against a backdrop of somewhat country-esque or Americana instrumentals, Todd’s Damien Rice or even Daniel Bedingfield inspired vocals make my final choice, Alameda, a really compelling track.
When I asked Todd about the song, he tells me:
I drew inspiration from this song from a visit to Forbidden Island Tiki Lounge in Alameda, CA. The patrons there pin dollar bills with personalized inscriptions to the ceiling above the bar — a practice started by sailors, who would do the same for good luck before shipping out. I wanted to continue that story, writing about a man searching for validation and acceptance in his circumstances. It’s also fair to say the song as a whole walks a divide between — on one hand — that character, and — on the other — my own internal struggles as an artist searching for the same
Anyone that’s been to a Tiki bar in the bay area can probably relate – yes, that means YOU Trad’r Sam.
Anyway, that’s this week’s roundup and if you have any songs, do send my way and if I like it, I’ll write about it!
Song Of The Week August 7
Yi – Runaway
To all the fellow producers reading this blog, a great way to meet new artists is to hang out on Twitch feedback streams where all the other producers send in their tracks for analysis by those watching and the stream creator. And so it came to pass as I was hanging around streamer Todd Champ‘s channel, a young chap called Yi pitched in with this absolute gem of a song. Clearly inspired by M83, FM84 and all your face synthwave greats, this is a very strong tune with a seriously infectious chorus. I really really rate this one.
Songs I Heard This Week And Liked
ウィアグリーバー – Singer
It’s nice to get some more Jrock through to the blog as a lot of folks seem to think I like listening to RnB and hip hop, which is fine n all, but that kind of music isn’t why I started Najinsan.
ウィアグリーバーcomments “how luxurious is the freedom we have taken for granted? I wrote this song while thinking about that.” It’s a fairly predictable pop song but a really nice listen, nonetheless.
Turbo Knight x Sonic Shades Of Blue x Castles Made Of Sky x Waves_On_Waves – Healing Hands
Wave on Wave are collaborators from Finland, Sweden, and the US and this is a track from their up-and-coming album Miami Arcade Vice Parade. This is a great slice of Synthwave with rolling basslines and big drums but the excellent vocals are what really stood out for me.
Salad – Too Good To Be True
I like a good salad, given my other blog is a food one. What’s your favourite salad? This song could be a salad with leaves by Neil Young, Dressing by Miranda Lee Richards, sprouts and beans by Joanna Newsome (did you see what I did there?). The last time I’ll use salad references to review tracks. Maybe.
Femke – Love Somebody Else
This reminds me a lot of Shawn Colvin and has it’s roots firmly in late 1990s Americana. Femke has a lovely voice and has used her musical talents to win a Latin Grammy with her contribution on the Transformacion album of Beto Cuevas. I expect to hear more from her in the coming months on the back of her new EP.
Louie Rubio – Find Your Light
Louie is a multi instrumentalist and when I asked him what the song was about he told me “Thematically the song follows a disenchanted protagonist escaping the Escher-like labyrinth of workaholic careerism and the status quo” then he went to great pains to lovingly describe the various instruments and musical themes running through the track, which I won’t go into here, but which tell me he’s really passionate about what he does. Great song.
Najinsan!!!!!!!!! 