I’m back to round out 2023 with a few standout songs on my personal playlists. Overall 2023 was a fun year where I experimented with listening to music through playlists rather than just by listening to albums by artists. Since starting to write for O!susume RadioBeat, I’ve watched a lot more music videos and listened and explored music in new and different ways, and I can’t wait to keep evolving, exploring and sharing my music tastes with you all!
Fujii Kaze – Workin’ Hard
Last year after hearing the name a few times, I finally sat down and listened to a few songs from Fujii Kaze on his Netflix special, “Love All Serve All Stadium Live.” It was clear right away that he was very popular in Japan with his full stadium concert and his larger-than-life charisma that’s very relaxing and intentional. At the time I had only heard of and seen a few live concert recordings from Japanese artists on streaming platforms, so I definitely had to see Fujii Kaze’s. Since then, “Workin’ Hard” is the first song of his that I’ve been drawn into, especially with his compelling music video which features Kaze telling people in all kinds of jobs that they are “Workin’ Hard.”
YY – Y∞Y
One of my favorite instruments is the zither, which is a type of instrument that generally has many strings layed out onto a horizontal board that is plucked with the fingers or a plectrum. I’m always impressed by traditional zither music as well as musicians who interpret modern music using the zither. YY (waiwai), which means “a lot of people having a good time”, is the project of Asuka, who plays the koto (a type of Japanese zither) who infuses traditional music with her own modern techniques to create new music with the koto. This song has been on my rotation for a few years now, and it’s great to sit back and relax to, so sit back and enjoy the music!
la la larks – ego izm
la la larks is a band that formed with the same vocalist from SCHOOL FOOD PUNISHMENT after they disbanded, which I’ll be recommending soon on the O! blog. With preparation for the article, I’ve also been listening to some songs from la la larks including this immersive and atmospheric single, which has some awesome keyboard and synth elements that really pull you into the music with those emotive vocals that I love from SCHOOL FOOD PUNISHMENT.
indigo la End – “Wasureppoinda”
忘れっぽいんだ (“Wasureppoinda” – “I Ended Up Forgetting”) is another song on my list from a band called indigo la End that incorporates intricate instrumental elements including the keyboard. This song is wonderfully melancholic and is a smooth listening experience that I was really in the mood for during the end of 2023. As always, it’s great to listen to Kawatani Enon’s vocals, and the overall song feels distinctly like his style, so make sure to check out the band if you like it!
negoto – Mercirou
After realizing that the singer from the song “Esper” from my October Mixtape was previously in a band called negoto, I’ve been slowly listening to their music and so far I’ve been completely amazed and wish I had heard of them earlier. Apparently the band formed when the members were in high school which I never would have guessed because their music has a great fully formed style that’s unique and cool. I’m looking forward to listening to more of their music!
Links
YouTube Playlist:
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL3ak6RpCfPegC6Ei05vNe4hoI1cDRZdy3&si=Qwzio5kl0VD2JurH
Spotify Playlist:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5RVUe0jXfvSKCzgoZmV7JT?si=58442261e71049ed
This Broadcast was written by Erin; you can find them on instagram at @thekniterin.