#Tokyo Shoegazer

[visionsof-la]

cat album covers my beloved

[beatsforbrothels]

Tokyo Shoegazer - Your Relief

[smallroomstinysteps]

[shoegazekid]

@h_hellrec #shoegaze

[incubusparadox]

2023.01.28 Tokyo・ Toyosu PIT from 1st EP Automata DVD

Full video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMAfkvs05ys

[luuurien]

Tokyo Shoegazer - Moonworld Playground

(Shoegaze, Dream Pop, Post-Rock)

Some of the most lush and deafening shoegaze in recent years, Tokyo Shoegazer’s second album melds slow post-rock builds and a noise rock sense of weightiness with soft dream pop guitars and Rie Funakoshi’s sweetly sung vocals. Contrast is Moonworld Playground’s defining feature, but feeling the band’s full energy rush past you is nothing short of exhilarating.

☆☆☆☆½

Moonworld Playground was destroyed and recreated during the intense pandemic lockdowns in Japan, but it’s through the album's revitalization that Tokyo Shoegazer makes such an impact. An exciting name in the Japanese underground since their darling 2011 release Crystallize, the band’s mix of shoegaze fundamentals with the acidic edge of noise rock and post-rock’s gradual builds emphasized not only how varied their sound could be, but just how big they could be, too - few other shoegaze albums throughout the 2010s dared to be so ferocious and barbed in their use of distortion petals and endless reverb. In turn, Moonworld Playground keeps that biting edge at the core of its sound while extending their palette with moments of genuine elegance and softness, both their heaviest and loveliest set of songs yet that establish them as an essential name in this decade’s shoegaze scene. They know how to balance roaring tides with the sunshine that illuminates them, and that attention to detail brings Moonworld Playground’s every moment to success. Mixed by Yoshiaki Kondo of rock experimentalists Ground Zero fame and mastered by Dave Cooley, work whose credits range from Madvillainy’s swirling jazz rap to the hypnotic shoegaze of DIIV, Moonworld Playground hits that sweet spot between overbearing loudness and an intense yet approachable widescreen feel. Felicette and Silence kick things off pretty slow with the former’s six minutes of noisy ambiance and the latter’s minuscule opening half before erupting with ghastly guitars and Rie Funakoshi’s soaring vocals, but from there the album heads straight into fast-paced indie rock rowdiness: The Dreamer prickly guitar leads contrast against a dark bassline and blanketing distortion; Moondive assaults the senses with rumbling guitars and noisy percussion; album highlight Paradise reaches a stunning level of tropical lushness with its warm backing guitars and glowing melody. Loudness is an inherent feature of Moonworld Playground, but Tokyo Shoegazer along with Kondo and Cooley’s excellent handling of that loudness ensures Moonworld Playground is a thickly layered and richly detailed listen. When the baggy-influenced drumming sneaks its way into Constellations or Lucid leans into the ambient stylings of the opener with chiming bells and tender singing from Funakoshi, it’s not only a way for them to bring variation to Moonworld Playground but to give the album a sense of scope most shoegaze albums tend to ignore, Tokyo Shoegazer offering a handful of fantastic sounds rather than only a single one. The pandemic’s effects on the band also reveal themselves in how hearty and energetic an album Moonworld Playground is, Tokyo Shoegazer able to play with one another again and harnessing the power that in itself holds. Paradise and Constellations alone send the band on their liveliest expeditions yet, roaring guitars slammed against Hiroshi Sasbuchi’s drumming with a sense of urgency only ever brought on by the excitement of getting to make music with others again. Tokyo Shoegazer’s music relies on its power to bring the band’s ideas to life, but there’s a rejuvenation to their chemistry as a group you can tangibly hear in The Dreamer’s sunny guitar loops or the slow sunset of Tokyo Neon Lights accentuated with a buzzy bassline from Taizo Nakamura, the band sitting around the same table but putting incredible detail and lavishly treating each of Moonworld Playground’s nine songs - it’s shockingly stately for an album with this much noise holding it all together. There are few moments of softness within Moonworld Playground, but it’s seeing those vulnerable corners of the band fully exposed that allow Tokyo Shoegazer to build their wildest worlds from. All in all, Moonworld Playground is just a really good shoegaze album. The songs are huge, each song unique, and the inventiveness in its use of different indie rock styles along the way make Tokyo Shoegazer’s reintroduction to the world a near spotless one, reviving the energy that made their debut more than a decade ago so compelling while building upon it with new ideas and the spark of energy many artists felt when the opportunity to perform with others again opened itself up. The true power of Moonworld Playground, though, is simply the fact that it hits hard and never ceases to inspire with its creative and exuberant take on the bittersweet shoegaze sound they brought to life more than a decade ago.

This review is part of the ALL I MISSED: 2022, where I review all the albums I didn't get to from last year.

[shedrownsirl]

[total-derangement-of-the-senses]

Song of the Day

15 Jul., ‘24

[haveyouheardshoegaze]

Pictured: Moonworld Playground, released in 2022

[avomagazine]

Every week, we bring you a treasure trove of captivating music videos from lesser-known, new and intriguing Japanese artists who deserve your support! Join us on this extraordinary musical journey as we shed light on the artists who often go unnoticed but leave an unforgettable impact. We also maintain a YouTube Music playlist!

Find the latest article, published today for week 41 of 2023 in our bio. We highlighted the following artists/bands from Japan:

🍙 CANDYGIRL 🍙 杏仁クルーエル (Annin Cruel) 🍙 Yuko Araki 🍙 デラックス×デラックス (Deluxe×Deluxe) 🍙 Gill Snatch 🍙 すごいバンド名にしたかった (Sugoi Band Mei ni Shitakatta.) 🍙 Tokyo Shoegazer

Enjoy the music!

[dailyjpop]

Tokyo Shoegazer - Bright

[ezmerain]

my top shoegaze+dreampop albums :0

[kyou-no-kyo]

今日の京は、

Common destiny - Petit Brabancon

[soon-fm]

The somewhat obscure song of the day is “A Flower of the Ground” by Seventeen Years Old and Berlin Wall!

Seventeen Years Old And Berlin Wall is a Shoegaze / Dream Pop band based in Tokyo.