What are you listening to? (V)Music

[UKMikey]

As a Seattle native, I approve this musical message.

I'm sure Jimi and Kurt would approve also.

 

[Populuxe]

I'm sure Jimi and Kurt would approve also.

Speaking of Seattle bands, have you heard of La Fonda? They’re a personal favorite. They have a shoegazey, dream pop sound.

La Fonda - Delusional Bird


La Fonda - In the Summer


La Fonda - Kaleidoscope (Official Video)


La Fonda - Spokane Views (recorded live at Hall of Justice)


La Fonda - We Are Infinite (Live at KEXP)

 

[MIE1992]

 

[TexRex]

The Alarm - Unsafe Building

 

[Yard_Sale]

Good post-GTWSbingealldaynowitstimeforasolocampfirebecausethewifeisoitoftownforwork music

 

[MIE1992]

 

[Darla Starch]

 

[ScottPuss20]

 

[UKMikey]

Still eatin' good thanks to the Forza Horizon 6 soundtrack. UWANOSORA's 夜霧 (Night Fog) is the one with "Spin The Marvin" on from the Gacha City radio station (track 7) but I'm also giving its thematically linked predecessor 陽だまり(Sunlight) a listen.

Both discs are impeccably arranged and very easy on the ear so far. This is the second track on Night Fog "Hotel 70".


Japanese music website interviewed arranger/producer Kadoya Hirohide about the album here:

Uwanosora "Yogiri" Interview (2019)

To commemorate Uwanosora's awesome third album, Yogiri, finally being made available on Spotify last month, here is an interview about it. You owe it to yourself to give it a listen. Enjoy! Interview & text: Uchi Takahide of WebVANDA (Japanese text: part one & part two) English translati

kumomi.org

I'm kinda glad UWANOSORA (which means "distraction") didn't have the yen to record both albums as a double as originally intended since they were able to concentrate their full power on each one.

 

[UKMikey]

Swinging Popsicle - Orange, Change, Wild Sweet (2005). Korean, but J-pop.

 

[Populuxe]

Swinging Popsicle - Orange, Change, Wild Sweet (2005). Korean, but J-pop.

Me in 2010 after 15 years of obsessively listening to J-Pop and collecting more than a 1,000 CDs (okay, this is Korean, but the point still stands):

 

[UKMikey]

Me in 2010 after 15 years of obsessively listening to J-Pop and collecting more than a 1,000 CDs (okay, this is Korean, but the point still stands):
View attachment 1543355

That's exactly it. I never watched much anime and wondered why people were raving about something called city pop. But when I started listening to a lot of these tracks the ones I liked the most seem to be recorded with the same sensibilities as the ancient music of the past I grew up with. It's retro music.

I'm pretty sure an emphasis on relying on old-fashioned arrangement skills and crack teams of killer session musicians rather than samples and effects contributes a lot to this.

---

More FH6-inspired Seattleite music with KEXP favourites Deep Sea Diver's last three albums Secrets, Impossible Weight and Billboard Heart.

 

[MIE1992]

 

[TexRex]

Sugar - Your Favorite Thing

 

[MIE1992]

 

[05XR8]

For the young folk that sense they've heard it before.

 

[Chris30]

Earth Wind And Fire- Boogie Wonderland

 

[UKMikey]

Yet more Forza music. Everything about it says I should loathe Suki Waterhouse's sophomore release Memoir Of A Sparklemuffin; a celebrity girlfriend model-turned-singer moans about her exes and whines about her first world problems.

Plus it's an eighteen-track double LP with mid-to-fair reviews from an artist widely acknowledged to be influenced by Lana Del Rey whose music I just couldn't get on with which is seemingly created in a lab by a laundry list of producers.

She even opened for Taylor Swift whose songs just leave me cold and Laufey (whom I quite like in places).

But darn it if I didn't like almost every track on the album. She and her co-writers really have an ear for a catchy pop song and the playing, production and vocals sound well up to scratch for me.

Not sure if I'll try her previous and upcoming releases but I haven't deleted this from my Pop folder and think it'll be quite some time before I do. Maybe I hit my head without realising it or something, but this one gets an astonished recommendation from me.

 

[Populuxe]

Chillhop Essentials Summer 2026

 

[UKMikey]

I'm not a hip-hop fan but I'm willing to take a chance for that game and damn, if these tracks don't sound much better without a V12 engine roaring over the top.

Anderson .Paak - Yours To Take

This song apparently only exists as a beer advert unless it shows up on the game soundtrack in a longer version.



Riehata - Whatever



Stuts feat. JJJ - Changes

 

[UKMikey]

Gayle McCormick's 1972 album Flesh & Blood.

 

[TexRex]

Robert Tepper - No Easy Way Out


lol. I'm down bad. The song's stuck in my head but I'd never seen the video. I'm surprised there's no clips from the movie edited in.

Gayle McCormick's 1972 album Flesh & Blood.

Knew that name sounded familiar. She was with Smith, who covered "The Weight" for the Easy Rider soundtrack album because of licensing issues, though the original from The Band is what's heard in the movie. I...I actually prefer the Smith cover.

 

[Chris30]

Baha Men- Who Let The Dogs Out

 

[UKMikey]

Dislocation Dance - To Love And Be Loved


As a fan of the Manchester band for over forty years I'd recommend last year's album Road To Happiness from which "To Love..." was the lead single. It's as good as anything they've ever done in my opinion.

 

[MIE1992]

 

[Populuxe]

It’s Pride Month, so I’m going to highlight some queer creators I’ve been listening to lately.

Spoiler: Alice Longyu Gao - Lesbians ♡ (language warning)

Alice Longyu Gao - Lesbians ♡

Spoiler: Chappelle Roan - Red Wine Supernova (language warning)

Chappelle Roan - Red Wine Supernova

Spoiler: We Are the Union - Boys Will be Girls (language warning)

We Are the Union - Boys Will be Girls

Clairo - Juna


JER - That Thing You Do (The Wonders) Ska Cover

 

[Sprite]

Currently spinning some Iron Maiden on wax. Both are original 1st pressings. To be honest I wish I had more on wax from Maiden as they were a big part of my musical upbringing and one of the first major bands I saw live.

 

[TB]

Iron Maiden

This has been living in my head rent free for 37 years.

 

[Populuxe]

Spoiler: Lil Nas X - HOTBOX (language warning)

Lil Nas X - HOTBOX

Hayley Kiyoko - Feelings


Orville Peck - Daytona Sand


Lesley Gore - You Don’t Own Me


The Judybats - Being Simple

 

[UKMikey]

The Judybats - Being Simple
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I was smitten by the 'Bats (named for the wife-beating truncheon in a traditional puppet show) and am sampling their debut for Sire Native Son. They don't quite sound quite like anyone else to me. Regrettably the advent of grunge curtailed any chances they had of achieving megastardom.

I think I like them more than the Aquabats. That band sounded more like Space to me (sadly not the ur-Daft Punk electronic pioneers now known as spAce but the Liverpool indie band who had a moderate UK hit with "Female Of The Species").