#moonworld playground

[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.

[toskarin]

listening to Moonworld Playground (2022)

[haveyouheardshoegaze]

Pictured: Moonworld Playground, released in 2022

[salthat]

Kilpey Derûn - Qadir Dilan

Bury Me at Makeout Creek - Mitski

I am the Dog - Sir Chloe

IGOR - Tyler the Creator

Impossible Animals - Roar

Moonworld Playground- Tokyo Shoegazer

Just Another Diamond Day - Vashti Bunyan

Darker Than Darkness Style 93 - BUCK-TICK

404 Not Found - Kuroi Kyushoku Toban

Slapdash music taste I know

ask game! current nine fav albums: chose 9 then tag 9 people

Tagged by @the-second-visitor

Bring the cold inside - 2 shadows

All fine/enif llA - stain the canvas

MONOMANIA - the word alive

Demons - get scared

She wants revenge - she wants revenge

Till Death Was never enough: in loving memory of the day you killed me - violent Vira

Hood hottest princess - sexyy red

Mannybar - mannyily and digbar

@h3rta-space-stat1on @sylver-seraphim @ezhrndle @cryptile @surgicalpen1sklinik @eldritch-clowns-blog @deiim @embarressment-erradicated @salthat

[milk-tea-house]

Playlist, Milk Tea House, May 29, 2022

VIQ - Wandering Time - Crystal Shores Aurelio Estel - I can't Stop(Holding On) - I can't Stop (Holding On) Misnomar - Maybe You're Right - Maybe You're Right Jason Takao - Crushing Over You - Crushing Over You Bouhinga - Bionic Feel - Bionic Feel 2009 - Upon Your Sea, There's nightwing - 2009 Ansaphone - Hello Stranger - Morning Lights Recover EP Damascus - Frozen Apple -  Superblaster Frizzy Hair - I don't Show You Know - Thai Shoegaze Compilation 1 Odd Sweetheart - Structure - Odd Sweetheart Living Too Late - F Song - Living Too Late EP Flying Saucer Attack - Wish - Flying Saucer Attack Cosmic Child - Blue/Green - Blue Mujjo - I see You in the Stars - Homework Radio Stoned Seahorse - Huh - Sleepless EP Tokyo Shoegazer - Constellations - Moonworld Playground Eloise - Sincerity to you Flamingosis - Want Me(Need Me) -  A Groovy Thing The Creators - You just Wouldn't Understand - Sound of Insanity Revisisted: Stage 2 CV313 - Subtraktive - Subtraktive The Timewriter - Soulstickers - Soulstickers Doomwork - Red Lips -  Club Abduction Ted Peters & JaBig - Something To Deal - Deep & Dope Sessions, Vol. 8 LSDXOXO - Mutant Exotic - Mutant Exotic Fred P - Journey On - Journey On The Range - Bicameral - Mercury Jeshi - 3210 - 3210 Orca - Trinity Bristol - Trinity Bristol Duburban - Back for More - Back for More DJ Cybercrunk - Breaker - Hexdecimal DJ Y - Tribe Of One - Tribe of One J Majik - Your Sound Remix - Your Sound Remix KidLib - Yeah-Uh! - Yeah-Uh! Subjects - Your Goal - Your Goal Sully & Tim Reaper - Windswept - Meeting of the Minds Vol. 7 Ricky Force - Dublin 1 - Dublin 1 Quiet, The Kids Are Sleeping - Lately - Lately DJ nagureo - 20, November (Hommarju Remix) - N/A Ethereal Universe - Toonami & Adult Swim Promo - N/A Equinox - From Above - Bassbin Section x.nte & elevation - Fighting Game Mike - Angel 933 Venetian Snares - One Eye - S***F****ERS!!! TYWB - Confused - N/A FFF - 20,000 Hardcore Members - 20,000 Hardcore Members Golden Boy - Hardcore Steppa - Hardcore Steppa Rainsdeaf - God Cries Alone - God Cries Alone Luxieluci - Collagen Triple Helix - N/A Yehno - Always - Always

[milk-tea-house]

Playlist, Milk Tea House, May 8, 2022

Shojoskip - Light & Delight - Cosodorokitsune Tokyo Shoegazer - the dreamer - Moonworld Playground Sunset Cliffs - Days Like This - Layers The Pillows - Brand New Lovesong - Runner's High Hello Noise World - Lost in my Mind - Lost in my Mind E.P. Sappy - Jesus Can't Save Us! - Jesus Can't Save Us! Rural District - Ocean - Ocean Spacetrash - Ultrasear - Post-Critical Chrome Sparks - Send The Pain On - Sparks EP Desktop Error - Everyday - Ticket to Home The Accidentals - Leave it in the Dust - Time Out Session #2 Broken Dreams Club - EYES - Broken EP William Prince and Serena Ryder – Sing Me A Song (Single) - Chromatics - Cherry - Cherry Sabb - Jeopordized - Radiant Demuir - Philippine Sunrise - An Artist Thinketh EP Logic 1000 - Can't Stop Thinking About - Rush/Can't Stop Thinking About Extrawelt - Dark Side of My Room - Schöne neue Extrawelt Plastikman & Chilly Gonzales - Contain (In Key) - Contain (In Key) Jawbreaker! - Loner - Loner Xander - Rock The House - Rock the House Hate - Cunning Love (pitched up mix) - Human Resources/ Cunning Love Psychotropic - Hypnosis (SL2 Remix) - Hypnosis(Remixes) Jungle Buddha - Drug Me - Jungle Buddha E.P. Patrik Cure - Varient - CDMUSIC005 Pugwash + Probe - Hell on Earth - Hell On Earth/Dominion Liquid X Pete Cannon - Stringys - Liquid X Pete Cannon Electronic Experience - I.Q. - I.Q./More I.Q. DJFokus - Vexxed - Vexxed / Chill Out Fugitive - Fugitive - Fugitive GnB Chili - Blazing in the Dark (Chili Mix) - Basement Popstar x.nte - Hnadful of Sand - Angel 993 Tight Control - Ruffin It Up - Stormtrooper / Ruffin' It Up X Dream, Troy Cortez - X.T.X. EP - B1 FFF - Voices - Full of Light ooxygen - care - Lightmay29 - crushed 2 - Crushed 2

Dub One - Tension Dub - Dub-One Xxtarlit - Fleeting Frozen Heart - Thousand Things I could Tell You

[milk-tea-house]

Playlist, Milk Tea House, May 1, 2022

Ebu - Unravel(The Day We Meet Again) - Unravel(The Day We Meet Again) Sadness - August Flower - Tortuga Violet Cold - Pride - Empire Of Love Institution - Memory Falha - Ruptura do Visivel Alcest - Ecailles De Lune(Part I) - Ecailles De Lune Mesarthim - The Degenerate Era - The Degenerate EraTrna - haja endlhëjëdahhe nu jahadlhjanva gjëri ha - Endlhetoneg Mesarthim - Ω - The Density Parameter The Fin - เกี่ยวกับเรา (About Us) - เกี่ยวกับเรา (About Us) Summoning - The Passing Of The Grey Company - Minas Morgul ***The Birthday Massacre - Dreams of You - Dreams of You ***Beach House - Once Twice Melody - Once Twice Melody Deafheaven - Worthless Animal - Ordinary Corrupt Human Love She Hers Hers - Diagram X - Afterglow Eunhadan - The Night Is Tender - Tender Is The Night Tokyo Shoegazer - The Dream - Moonworld Playground Tristeza - Blue - Resplandor Hello Noise World - Lost in My Mind - N/A Nullvoidjoy - Second Wind - Second Wind Tensnake - Adam Hills(Gerd Janson LA Noir Remix) - L.A. Noir Disco Lines - Baby Girl - N/A Burial - Street Halo - Street Halo Fresh & Low - New Life (Mixed) - Little i EP Chymamusique - Uber Vibes (Cannon Soul Mix) - House Dimensions HOUZ'MON - GET 2 STEPPIN REMIX Adryiano - Non___Stop - DJ Kicks Noise Engineer - Jelly Wobble - Kaos Theory Onumi & Akira Complex - Ethereal Cyber Angel XV - Ethereal Cyber Angel XV SDK - Sisehtnys MF Modnar - Sisehtnys MF Modnar PJ Bridger - Dancefloor Spesh - 3 Feed Deep DJ Eze - Cobalt - Cobalt Footclat - When 808 Aint Enuff DUCAT - Palm 3a (ft. Fabrix) - Checkered Floor ooxygen - WSI - flyinDodo Artificial Intelligence - Get Down(Remix) - N/A Juic-e - Naturally (TufStuf 002) - TufStuf 002 Hideki Okugawa - Akuma's Stage Killing Moon - Street Fighter III 3rd Strike: Fight For The Future: Original Sountrack Rosall - Horizons Type 4 - Horizons Type 4 Polyscream - Planet With. - MORPHO PARADIGM 4 DJ Marky & XRS - Going Deaf - Sounds Of The Innerground Bye2 - 不安協会 Liquid Angel Paralysis - Teeth Restoration Type R - Breakheaven 99 - Break2000