Elen Never Sleeps: “Shine On Me”
January 4, 2013
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For fans of the ever-growing Japanese indie-pop scene (or just regular readers of this here blog), Elen Never Sleeps has become something of a cult favorite. After a string of digital releases including a nice split with Super VHS, the Tokyo-based artist is now readying a cassette EP entitled Silver, set to drop “sometime in January” via Memory No. 36 Recordings. “Shine On Me” is the first bittersweet taste from that release, and sees project-mastermind Kaji crooning his typically woozy melody over a circinate blend of sepia-toned synths. While the Tokyoite‘s high-sung baritone is well honed, “Shine On Me” is particularly vivid with a lively upswing and naively romantic lyrics. It’s the sort of track that’s an immediate comfort heard on headphones beneath well-insulated caps, and makes one think of warm nights and young lovers.
Cassette orders for Silver go live on January 10th
Written by Nathan Reese
Tags: elen never sleeps, Japan, Memory No. 36 Recordings, SUPER VHS, Tokyo
Mixtapes
We’re switching things from our usual format today for the premiere of Ç86, a brand spanking new compilation of bedroom-recorded music from across Japan. Chiba-based four piece möscow çlub conceived the comp as a celebration of coming of spring and the heterogenous universe of DIY production technique.
The sixteen artists and bands yield a diverse array of styles and sounds, encompassing various branches of post-punk, tasty bits of house, and a rainbow-flavored assortment of sample pop and include both familiar names and new discoveries. To save you some googling, here’s the list, complete with linkage: möscow çlub, SUPER VHS, Occult You, Lilacs, Elen Never Sleeps [hi, again!], It Happens, Slow-Marico, The Moments, figure, OMEGABOY, coffee_and_tv, Breezesquad, women in the dune, ILL DAZE, edel & weiss, and Exccow. In addition to the original tunes, the mix also includes 7 covers that we’re still wrapping our heads around. There’s plenty here to move your feet, warm your soul, and fill your playlists. We have our favorites, but the best advice we can give is that you explore this landscape for yourself. Prepare for a crash course in independent Japanese music.
Gay Vegan Vinyl Cassette is offering the entire compilation on Bandcamp
Written by Luke Carrell
Tags: again!], Asia, Breezesquad, coffee_and_tv, edel & weiss, Elen Never Sleeps [hi, Exccow, figure, ILL DAZE, It Happens, Japan, Lilacs, mixtape, möscow çlub, Occult You, OMEGABOY, Slow-Marico, SUPER VHS, The Moments, women in the dune
