CAT's favorite music of 2015!

[CAT5 9075]

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Greetings everyone! I actually did not plan on making a list this year, as 2015 wasn't my favorite year in music, but I was moved to do so after viewing everyone else's wonderful shares! Please note that this isn't a "best" list by any means, as I believe that music is much too subjective and personal for that to apply. This list is simply the things I enjoyed most over the year.

This time, I made no distinctions between Japanese and non-Japanese music. The order is also inconsequential, as I can never bring myself to create rankings. Inspired by @hiroki, I created some short audio snippets, so don't hesistate to sample some of my picks! If they don't start immediately, please give them a second or two to load. I also apologize if the loading time for my post is initially a bit slow, but it should work itself out after a few seconds. ^^;

Finally, if you take a moment to go through my list, I'd love to know your thoughts about it! Did anything catch your eyes/ears? Were there picks that you could agree/disagree with? Feel free to comment!

CAT's favorite music of 2015

宮内優里 - 宮内優里miyauchi yuri - miyauchi yuri

I could literally sit and listen to miyauchi yuri's glitchy folktronica all day and not get tired of it. Overall, his work DOES tend to be quite interchangeable, but I'm so utterly enamored with his sound that it doesn't even matter. I'm pretty much guaranteed to enjoy whatever he makes, and his latest self-titled album is more of the delicious same. This one does seem to be a bit less overtly melodic and more focused in ambient and IDM, though. So a few minor differences, but it's all just as lovely as ever!

Braids - Deep in the Iris

I've always thought of Braids as the Canadian counterpart to haisuinonasa, as both bands share a dreamy mix of electronica and indie-pop with just the right amount of experimental tendencies. They're also both very similar in atmosphere. But on this new album, Braids have taken that sound and made it more accessible and poppy. The results are stunning! Deep in the Iris is one of the few albums that I was looking forward to in 2015 that actually exceeded my expectations - I fell in love with it instantly!

ハイスイノナサ - 変身 haisuinonasa - henshin

Like @Pho, I'm also a proud haisuinonasa fanboy and agree that they've never released anything less than excellent. Unfortunately, their high bar quality seems to come at the expense of a slow and infrequent release schedule, but that just makes everything they put out even more precious. 変身 is only a single, but it's also a complete experience. It's fraught with all of their imaginative and technical post/math-rock signatures, but it shows various new sides of the band as well. I love this single, but it's such tease with no album in sight!

Doldrums - The Air Conditioned Nightmare

When Aoki Robin of Downy mentioned that he enjoyed Doldrums in an interview, I didn't hesistate to seek out their music, and I'm more than glad I did! Doldrums shares a similar, warped, Radiohead-esque aesthetic to Downy that resonates with me easily. There's something very dystopian and 'cyberpunk' about it that just tingles my musical senses!

水曜日のカンパネラ - ジパングSuiyoubi no Campanella - Zipangu

I managed to avoid the hype for this group, but was finally swayed this year. I'm still not completely sold on the vocalist, but the songwriting is so infectious and the production so masterful that I can't help but be charmed. "Wedcamp" is just a completely fun and vivacious mix of Jpop, hip-hop and club music.

Alina Baraz & Galimatias - Urban Flora

Smooth female vocals, sleek, coercive beats, and dreamy overtones? I'm always game for this type of music and Urban Flora delivers it in spades. The tone and the lyrics of this EP are incredibly sensual, but it's all very tasteful too. Great music to vibe-out or chill to...or netflix and chill to. XD

湯川潮音 - セロファンの空Yukawa Shione - Cellophane no Sora

Despite being one of the more reknown modern folk-pop artists in Japan, ----I've avoided trying Yukawa Shione's music until this year, but this just happened to be the perect time for me to do so. Cellophane no Sora is probably her most adventurous album yet and features production and instrumentation from musicians of acts like NATSUMEN, EGO-WRAPPIN', PETROLZ, pupa, anonymass, and more. With a line-up like that, you can't go wrong and Yukawa certainly did not!

Hiatus Kaiyote - Choose Your Weapon

So-called "future soul" band Hiatus Kaiyote has been on my radar since 2012's "Tawk Tomahawk" and what they've delivered on this exquisite follow-up was well worth the wait. "Choose Your Weapon" is a magnificent album with strong soul influences from the past and forward-thinking execution.

mothercoat - GOHUM

My favorite quirky indie-rockers have returned with their first album after changes to their line-up, and while GOHUM doesn't have the instant accessibility that allergies had, its off-kilter charm will burrow into your ears and reveal itself on repeat listens.

Pretend - Tapestry'd Life

I had a mighty need for math-rock in 2015 (as I do every year), and other than haisuinonasa, no other band was able to appease my appetite like Pretend did. Tapestry'd Life is only nine tracks, but it's an absolutely massive album with most tracks easily pushing past seven minutes. It's an absolutely eargasmic listen with a non-stop barrage of lush, mathy guitars and incredible, spastic drumming that never misses a beat.

Dråpe - Relax/Relapse

The last timed I listened to Norse band Dråpe, they were a dreamy shoegaze band with female vocals, but most of that has changed on Relax/Relapse. The vocalist is now male (although you could easily mistake his voice for female like i did). Most of the shoegaze elements have vanished and been replaced with neo-psychedelia - a move that made this band a winner in my ears!

シャムキャッツ - TAKE CAREsiamese cats - TAKE CARE

siamese cats originally started off sounding like a poor man's OGRE YOU ASSHOLE, but they've refined their sound over the years and become a force of their own. TAKE CARE is a short, twenty minute EP, but it's easily my favorite release from the band so far. It's summery, laidback, and carefree indie-rock with impeccably smooth execution. Despite siamese cats having a substantial presence in Japan's indie world, I'm always surprised that they seem to go unnoticed by overseas fans - their music would fit perfectly in a playlist with bands like ミツメ (mitsume), CARD and younger acts like Tempalay and never young beach!

the north end - balance

The Japanese emo veterans have returned after seven years since their last nation-wide release with the "Balance" EP, and it's a uniquely powerful mix of emo sensibilities, sprawling post-rock, and dub grooves. Simply three tracks were not enough for me!

Tierpark - The Moment Two Worlds Meet

I don't know much about music from Korea, but much like many other Asian countries outside of Japan, their indie scene seems to be experiencing a boom of sorts lately. Thankfully, my musical confidant @Pho has a keen ear to the scene and recommended Tierpark to me - a band with strong, emotive female vocals, soaring post-rock instrumentation, and a few mathy rhythms for good measure. What more could I ask for? I've always had a natural predilection towards female vocals, and since this area of music often tends to be overwhelmingly male-oriented genres, this recommendation was extra fortuitous for me!

muffin - 茂みとイバラmuffin - Bushes & Briars

muffin is a little-known, singer/songwriter from the Japanese indie-folk realm and an absolute gem for me. 茂みとイバラ (Bushes & Briars) is her latest release - a CD-R that's not widely available for purchase, but definitely worth obtaining. It's enchantingly distilled psychedelic-folk, with sweet, somber vocals laid atop a variable mix of warm and cold acoustic melodies. muffin reminds me of her fellow indie-folksters ゑでぃまぁこん (eddie marcon), who incidentally pitched in and played on this record as well!

THE NOVEMBERS - Elegance

THE NOVEMBERS have gotten to the point where it's difficult for them to do any wrong in my ears. Elegance does lack their darker, more melancholic side that I prefer, but they've tackled their lighter, fluffier sound like never before here. It's often compared to its similarly sunny predecessor "GIFT", but whereas that was more expansive and rough around the edges, Elegance is more reigned in, polished, and catchy. It's probably THE NOVEMERS' most cohesive record yet, with each track maintaining the whimsical and dreamy atmosphere (except for the last song). Elegance may not be the most compelling release from THE NOVEMBERS as a whole, but it's an impressive mark of refinement for the band, and one that'll grace my speakers for a while to come.

シベールの日曜日 - Gypsy HouseCybele no Nichiyobi - Gypsy House

Psychedelic rock is perhaps one of Japan's least prominent music exports, at least in modern times. There are plenty of Japanese bands playing psyche-influenced material, but very few contemporary acts play it as faithfully as Sundays & Cybele. Gypsy House doesn't attempt to bring anything new to the genre, and it doesn't have to - If you're like me and enjoy this sound in general, then there's plenty of it here to wrap your ears around!

Ropes - dialogue

Dynamic indie vocalist Achiko and ART-SCHOOL guitarist Masafumi Todaka took me by surprise with their second album as Ropes. I found their debut album pleasant, but forgettable overall, so I wasn't expecting much, but on dialogues, their songwriting seems much more self-assured and purposeful. Achiko's wilting vocals now bring out the best in Todaka's sentimental guitar play.

PLAY DEAD SEASON / This Time We Will Not Promise And Forgive Split

Japanese emo/post-hardcore bands PLAY DEAD SEASON and This Time We Will Not Promise And Forgive have proven themselves to be a perfect pair on this new split. Each track is brimming with emo-rawness punk spirit and it makes me hopeful for future releases!

the piqnic - ZyouK

Major thanks to @Jigsaw9 for recommending this one, as ZyouK became a favorite for me almost instantly. The fact that they sound eerily similar to THE NOVEMBERS (one of my favorite bands) certainly had a part to play, but they've definitely got their own things going. Some have even compared their brooding atmosphere and expansive soundscapes to bands like Boris. Extremely impressive for a CD-R release and a band that seems to have cropped up out of nowhere. I'm very optimistic about this band's future!

Thank you for viewing, and indulging in my awkward taste for a bit! ^^

[emmny 4139]

WES WHERE THE FUCK IS THE VEEEEEEEEKEEEEEEIIIII

i'll check the play dead season split and the north end ^.^

[Chi 2624]

everyone after waiting for cat's list

 

congrats on posting your list before 2017, loser

 

 

 

 

JUST KIDDING.....or not

 

 

your list looks completely different from what i had imagined wow i a m disappointed

i think i only got suiyoubi/piqnic/novembers right :c

 

i liked siamese cats (since i dig mitsume) & cybele no nichiyobi so i wanna dive into their music nowww

 

 

ok

IM OUT

[beni 2149]

Perfect, love the layout. If I would check out non Japanese music more often, I'd totally try out more of Baraz (yes netflix and chill is right) and Dråpe. Really need to check out more from haisuinonasu and siamese cats. Nice seeing suiyobi, ofc, and not surprise with mothercoat, ofc~ Tierpark is new to me, must check that out. And I should really get to THE NOVEMBERS' and the piqnic's albums now, aha. Also, I had no idea ART-SCHOOL's guitarist is a part of ropes. I have that in my dls but haven't gotten to it yet... Really must now! Thank you for such a lovely made list.

[Tokage 5930]

Yes! Some cool shit on here, was pleasantly surprised by Hiatus Kaiyote. I still haven't actually delved into Doldrums more after seeing him(them?) live, but i remember enjoying what I heard. I'll have to look into that album, and finally actually take some time to listen to Braids as well..

 

Ah, by the way, have you heard Agent Fresco's Destrier? I feel like it might be up your alley as well

[yakihiko 1480]

Thankyou for the list and for doing those samples, your list looks completely different from what i had imagined[2]

Would you be disappointed if I only know/like that Koba's Elegance album? I saw some around like picniq, but it don't catch me, kind of far from my music taste.

last thing

WHERE ARE DECAYS BRO??!!! X'DD

[The Reverend 3566]

Couple things I've never heard that sound intriguing on your list.. will be exploring those more, thanks!

 

I didn't know Braids had a new album out! Funny (probably just to me) story about them. They were playing at a small venue probably two miles from my house in like 2011 (?) and I kept getting excited when I saw the show listed online or on flyers because I thought it was the post-hardcore band Braid who'd gotten back together around then. After being tricked like the fourth freaking time by their similar names I just said 'fuck it' and went to the show anyway. It was pretty awesome and I ended up really liking Native Speaker.

[Amoz 34]

I wouldn't enjoy Wedcamp as much without KOM_I's vocals.

Other than that I should check miyauchi yuri at some point.

[doombox 4421]

I love the layout and I'm grabbing a good number of releases from this, because you always post good stuff. I didn't know about Robin and Doldrums. That sounds great! And Hiatus Kaiyote, I've been waiting to see what release I should start with from them. This sounds like a good one~. I just need to hunt down that PLAY DEAD SEASON split now...

[enyx 903]

Senpai included one of my recommendations on his year-end list? I feel so accomplished.

 

Solid list overall! Not surprisingly there are quite a few similarities between our lists. In addition to those I was really close to including 宮内優里's album on mine as well, in fact he was on my first draft for the list and I only took him off at the last minute. The only thing that stopped me being that, as you mentioned yourself, it's still pretty much interchangeable with the rest of his discography. I enjoyed it a lot but I could just as easily recommend any of his other works in its place. I never checked out that Ropes album even though it was on my radar a while. Perhaps I should give it a shot after all.

 

Also, whatever site you're linking to just gives me a Korean censor warning, yay for Korean internet restrictions.

[fitear1590 2414]

Nice list, bruh!

I'm so happy to see you co-signing Alina Baraz! Her album was such a pleasure to listen to this year.

While Braids and Cybele no Nichiyobi didn't feature on my short lists, I'm glad to see them as well! I had never thought of Braids's sound as being an equivalent of haisuinonasa... Not sure I agree yet, but it's an interesting and surely provocative comparison!

I know you've been pushing Siamese Cats for a while now and especially since you said this is your favorite release of theirs, it seems like a good time to officially try out their indie pop goodness! Dråpe also sounds totally up my alley!

[freesia 714]

Great list!

I didn't know about that Miyauchi Yuri new album. Gotta catch up!

There are also lots of interesting albums and a few that I'd neglected before that I need to check out. I already downloaded one album that I managed to find on the internet. xD