Brilliant. I included "geinin" on my Best of 2024 DJ mix, but it was only after that I spent time with the album and am now an even bigger fan. Super good with killer hooks and melodies.
You'll enjoy this if you like Björk or The Sugarcubes or The Notwist and aren't bothered about Japanese lyrics (I don't understand them so consider them just another instrument).
Wears its 80s influences proudly and confidently—there's some "Love Talkin' (Honey It's You)" in track 6 and "Clouds Across the Moon" in track 8—but for me that makes it even more charming.
Still so very, very good. I love how his vocals are processed in places. Just a music lovers dream of an album. Reminiscent in places of Nick Drake and Jeff Buckley, but most of all a unique sound of its own.
Reminds me of Tennis in a lot of ways, which is just fine by me. It's janglier, and a bit more uptempo, and there male and female vocals are shared more. The band have really got it. If I had to choose I'd say I prefer the tracks with female vocals.
Very cool to have them back after all this time, but for me it's not a patch on 1995's Funky Little Demons. Some of the vibe remains, but the irreverent humour and undercurrent of oddity seems lost. Lack of brass instruments is the biggest miss for me.
For those of us that have been listening over the past few years not much of this is new, but it's great to have it all in one place. Stellar tracks, with none that I would call filler. I like the shoegaze-y tracks, so the Day Wave tracks are less to my taste but still very good.
If I had to nit-pick I would appreciate the vocals being slightly more clear and less processed.
And "Hamilton" is a bit of an odd track out because it's so electronic compared to the rest, but again still very good.