Do you ever feel like your music tastes change with the seasons? My August Mixtape is full of new releases from familiar artists, as well as one gem from Yorushika that I found while re-listening to some of their albums again. Let’s say goodbye to summer together with Erin’s August Mixtape!
sukekiyo – MOAN
You may remember that sukekiyo is a superband composed of talented artists from different visual kei bands, including Kyo from Dir En Grey (my favorite band), and that I included a song from sukekiyo in my personal 2022 New Year’s post called “Candis.” Like that song, “MOAN” recalls 80s glam rock in a beautifully nostalgic way, putting a modern upbeat twist on it that Kyo’s vocals surprisingly mesh with in both tone and style. I’ve always been enamored with the Visual Kei movement in which I first found Dir En Grey, so this music video and song evoke the typical 80s glam, as well as 90s Japanese Visual Kei which was influenced by 80s glam rock. I’m obsessed with both songs, and I hope that sukekiyo continues to release songs in this specific style in the future as well.
9mm Parabellum Bullet – All We Need Is Summer Day
I’ve been slowly getting acquainted with 9mm Parabellum Bullet ever since I found out that the Straightener song I love called “Kamome” is actually a cover of a 9mm Parabellum Bullet song. “All We Need Is Summer Day” is from their latest album Tightrope (2022), which has a gritty rock sound that I’ve been digging lately. The vocalist has a way of bringing out a dissonant feeling in my stomach, but it all somehow comes together in a pleasant way, just like the ebbs and flows of a summer day.
Yorushika – In May, from the Window of the Emerald Green
“五月は花緑青の窓辺から” (“Gogatsu wa Hanarokushou no Madobe Kara” – “In May, from the Window of the Emerald Green”) is another song that’s about summer and memories, this time screaming out in a sense of loss and despair. I was recently in the mood to revisit Yorushika, so I re-listened to the album That\’s Why I Gave Up on Music, and found this song hitting me hard with both instrumentals and the emotion behind Suis’s vocals. This song has been a welcome song to spend more time with this summer, and if you are interested in more, definitely check out Nagi’s introduction to them here: https://arnamantle.com/osusume-yorushika
Omoinotake – Happiness
I’m always excited for a new Omoinotake release, and I was overjoyed to see them do the intro song for the special Horimiya: The Missing Pieces episodes that I’ve been watching recently. Horimiya also introduced me to Kamiyama Yoh, so make sure to check him out if you like the vibe of this song. Omoinotake is consistent in making songs that have catchy earworms in them, and “Happiness” has me humming along to the vocals that effortlessly glide throughout the song. I always make sure to watch their music videos, and this one is very cute as well, featuring a literal flower boy in a romance storyline.
QUEEN BEE – Rejuvenation
QUEEN BEE is an artist that I’m always interested in seeing what they come up with next, and while I love their theatrical and extreme songs like “FIRE” and “BL,” some of my favorite songs from them are gentle and beautiful, like “Suicide Dating,” and “Rejuvenation.” Avu-chan does both the higher and lower vocal ranges, and is able to show off a beautiful harmony. The music video is set up similar to “Baishun” with Avu-chan on both sides singing both parts of the song, this time facing away from each other. Interestingly, there is a version of “Rejuvenation” that features Hikari Mitsushima on the higher vocal range lines that is beautiful in its own right, but I still go back to the version with just Avu-chan time and time again. There’s something about the duet with just Avu-chan that gets into the perfect sweet harmonies together that I can’t get enough of.
Links
Youtube Playlist:
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL3ak6RpCfPehT21GAiABsfGOl7asqc3Gz&si=LMdRGAZ61ZR6JrNC
Spotify Playlist:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5kYFjkKloyGiG6hebSs8ig?si=0cb483fceabd4ae4
This Broadcast was written by Erin; you can find them on instagram at @thekniterin.