Shibata Satoko debuts flower-filled music video for new song “Namida”

Rising indie pop singer-songwriter Shibata Satoko is back again with yet another music video, this time for her new song “Namida”, which was uploaded on the P-Vine YouTube channel.

Directed by Shota Sakamoto, who previously also worked on the music video for one of Shibata’s previous singles ”「後悔」” (“Koukai”), the cute and colorful music video features a bespectacled Shibata singing in a red sweater in front of a flowery, almost psychedelic CGI backdrop. The feel of the video is a great match for  the warm and gentle, blossoming progression of the groove in the song itself.

The last time we wrote about Shibata was back in November for the release of her single “Wankoromeetaa”.

With the release of her upcoming album 「がんばれ!メロディー」(Ganbare! Melody) scheduled March 6, both “Namida” and “Wankorometaa” showcase Shibata’s continued willingness to experiment and expand her sound, a continuation of the trend she started with her previous album DO YOU NEED A REST FROM LOVE? (愛の休日). Despite the shift in her overall style from her folk music origins, “Namida” is another great example of how Shibata never fails to adapt those folk sensibilities into her own uniquely earnest and relatable brand of pop music.

The details for 「がんばれ!メロディー」(Ganbare! Melody)  are as follows:

Ganbare! Melody Album Cover Art


Title :「がんばれ!メロディー」(Ganbare! Melody)

Release Date : March 6th, 2019

Label : P-VINE

Catalog ref. : PCD-18862

Format : CD

Price : ¥2593+tax

Tracklist: 

01.  結婚しました (“Kekkon Shimashita”)

02. ラッキーカラー (“Lucky Color”)

03. アニマルフィーリング (“Animal Feeling”)

04. 佐野岬 (“Sano Misaki”)

05. 涙 (“Namida”)

06. いい人 (“Ii Hito”)

07. すこやかさ (“Sukoyakasa”)

08. 心の中の猫 (“Kokoro no Naka no Neko”)

09. ワンコロメーター(ALBUM MIX) (“Wankoromeetaa (ALBUM MIX)”)

10. 東京メロンウィーク (“Tokyo Melon Week”)

11. ジョイフル・コメリ・ホーマック (“Joyful Komeri Homac”)

12. セパタクローの奥義(ALBUM MIX) (“Sepatakuroo no Ougi (ALBUM MIX)”)

13. 捧げます (“Sasagemasu”)


Pre-orders for 「がんばれ!メロディー」(Ganbare! Melody) are available at CDJapan here.

Don’t forget to check out Shibata Satoko’s website here if you would like to learn more.

So, without any further delay, please enjoy the music video for "Namida” below!






POLTA uploads music video for "SAIGO NO DRIVE" ("さいごのドライブ") from second album 『LOVE TO DIE』

Indie band POLTA is back with a new music video for their song “SAIGO NO DRIVE” (“さいごのドライブ”). The duo, which consists of members Onae Ai and Fukuda Suguru, uploaded the music video onto YouTube Februrary 9.


”SAIGO NO DRIVE” (“さいごのドライブ”) comes off of POLTA’s second full album LOVE TO DIE, which was released last January.

Matching the feel of the song’s lyrics, the video, directed by Sakurayashiki Tomonao, features actors Takeuchi Oto and Keisuke Shibuya in a drama-like setting.

If you want to hear more from the band, please check out their website here.

Enjoy the music video below!

smokebees preview new song “Miyoko” from upcoming album 『Imaginary Lights Never Fade』

Experimental indie pop band smokebees previewed a new song on SoundCloud from their upcoming first full album Imaginary Lights Never Fade. The album is scheduled for release March 20.

For those unfamiliar, smokebees is a two member home-recording unit whose namesake references the band Sparklehorse. smokebees consists of Taku Sudo of desksnail and Miki Hirose of Girl President, with me!, tonight?.

Imaginary Lights Never Fade will consist of nine brand new songs along with the previously unreleased “World Is Yours”, and also a full-band arrangement of “Begin Again”, which was originally released on their Sunstroke EP.

The release will also feature guest appearances by Ikemizu Mayumi (Three Berry Icecream, bridge) and fumi (yule).

Check out their homepage and follow them on Bandcamp and Twitter!


Imaginary Lights Never Fade cover art

Imaginary Lights Never Fade / smokebees

Release date: 3/20/2019

Label: Sauna Cool

Tracklist:

01. Playpark

02. Begin Again

03. Tear Lake

04. Made For Faking Strong

05. Are You There

06. Miyoko

07. Lonesome Tree

08. Lilac Leaves

09. World Is Yours

10. Sputnik

11. Illuminant

LUCKY TAPES Releases New Music Video for Yamagishi Santa Directed Drama's Theme Song

Three-member R&B Fusion Band LUCKY TAPES released the music video for their new song “Wonderland” (“ワンダーランド”) on YouTube.

“Wonderland” is a track included on LUCKY TAPES’ latest album, dressing. Concurrent with the music video’s release, the track has been chosen to be the theme song for Lumine’s Christmas drama, MATCH girls, which is available on YouTube.

In the drama, vocalist Takahashi Kai sings while playing an antique, upright piano inside of retro-style cafe, Anderusen. Yamagishi Santa served as the director for both the drama and the theme song’s music video, of which the performance scene featuring Takahashi serves as the focal point.

Furthermore, the drama will have a free showing on December 23rd at Cine Libre Ikebukuro in Tokyo.

Please enjoy both the music video for “Wonderland” and the drama MATCH girls below.

ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION Announces 48-hour Trial Listening Session for Upcoming Album “Hometown”

Popular band ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION announced that for a limited 48-hour period, they will have a free, trial listening session on a specially created website for their new album, ホームタウン (Hometown), which is to be released on December 5th.


The website has been arranged so that users will be able to listen to the album source only on a smartphone, with the ability to use the internal gyroscope to sense a user’s movement to stop playback.


The website in question can be accessed here