In this Special Edition’s final week, we visit music that dives into the deepest areas of musical expression. Midnight is when things go sideways, but maybe that’s how they’re meant to go. this week touches on each part of the night. whether you’re getting ready to go out, already in the club, or finding something else out in the streets, it’s all covered here. the streets have their own special kind of allure. beneath the feel of your shoes, you know where you stand. or maybe you just want to go have some fun.
I Miss You 「愛密集」by Yakkle feat. Shing02
this song has started many evenings turned to night for me this past year. There’s a connective tissue from Nujabes to Shin02 and into Yakkle, a newer talent on the scene. one that passes a baton of respect for music and its form, from one artist to the next. one felt in a larger web. the song has a wonderful presence, between the loose rap and the sparse twinkles of piano, “I Miss You” creates tight atmosphere pressure and and light brittle feeling. it ignites the elusive but exciting feeling of stepping from day into night. the process of getting ready, texting the group for the meetup, getting into the right mind space for special night out. all that possibility starts here.
Kimi ga Kureta Mono 「君がくれたもの」 by Home Made Kazoku
this song hails from many many many years ago, the yesteryear of 2005. it’s a bit gooey and little over the top, but somewhere in there is a true honest-to-god bop. it leans into the groove and the sway, it’s sincere and upfront. who can put down that kind of vibe? it leans a bit dorky, but rises above and beyond. “what i gave to you/ kimi ga kurate mono” it says, as the old school R&B hush lulls you into its undeniable charm. i’m always singing it by the end. with a little silly, a little serious. it may be cheesy, but all your favorite songs are too. Home Made Kazoku doesn’t get enough attention, especially for their feel-good attitude. an essential track for walking around at night, when everything starts to feel right.
Summer Breeze ’86「サマーブリーズ ’86」 by HITOMITOI
i’ll say it, “I am in love with HITOMITOI”. there i said. let’s move along. i wanted to lean into city pop without doing the outright hits. HITOMITOI definitely needs some extra love (not just from me (restraining order pending)) across the world and on this site. even among her most well known songs “Summer Breeze ‘86” gets lost in the shuffle. i love how it just bops and nods its way through an easy breezy 5 minutes. on the right headphones the bass really keeps the vibe on track. in the late summer night, it feels like the right song to work up a little light sweat while walking out to the first venue.
DISTANCE - m-flo remix by Hikaru Utada feat. m-flo
i’ve had a nice through-line of m-flo on the site up till now. i wanted to keep the love going a bit longer, why not. not to mention i can squeeze one last Utada drop before i’m SILENCED (till my next write-up). i think seeing this one in concert especially amps up the special factor for me. i’d love to talk about it but i’m getting called for going overtime already. bringing it into a nighttime atmosphere makes it a necessary club song, i know i’d be out there. Utada’s “Distance” has been blessed up by m-flo’s “astroliner” themeing found among their other works, especially in their album Planet Shining (review here). it launches the song from atmosphere to outer space. a damn fine remix.
YASASHISA by Fujii Kaze
getting into the emotional side of midnight, Fujii Kaze crushes down on the essentials in “YASASHISA”. the song invites any listener to share in the hurt we may find or need to process as the moon rises high. the kind of hurt that needs an extra helping hand. Kaze cracks the code into the heart in what might be his best song from the album. his soaring vocals crack the lid held down tightly on our compartmentalized inner boxes. his ever rising pitch seems to put a perfect single finger’s worth of pressure on the pain, the kind of pain you feel on a wound halfway healed. the kind of pain necessary to know that healing has already begun.
JUNK「がらくた」by Kenshi Yonezu
Kenshi Yonezu achieves an explosive expression through crashing instrumentation and near vocal hysteria. but it never feels like to much, more like a cathartic release. i think there’s a lot of unprocessed and subconscious accumulation that are best expressed after midnight. what was abrasive in the morning, now feels like the proper medicine. Yonezu is captivating for his ability to really drive into the heart of something important, especially with meaningful abandon. he manages to make the crashing and exploding seem graceful, necessary.
Koi no Yokan「恋の予感」by Anzen Chitai
a longtime favorite of mine. Anzen Chitai is a bit old school, but i like that. “Koi no Yokan” is both sorrowful and deeply affectionate. it balances all this emotion on a sharp edge. masterfully building from murky rock bottom to clear mountain top in just a single minute, Anzen Chitai utilize vocal upheavals to signify ascension. by weaving a tale steeped in woe, the song attains clarity through acceptance. a power ballad, an instant classic. it asks a lot of the listener, but gives it all back in full, plus more. when listened to in the deepest night hour, Anzen Chitai casts a heavy spell.
Oddtaxi by Skirt and PUNPEE
coming from a the eponymous anime, in the very setting of this week’s theme, “Oddtaxi” is one of the strangest and coolest songs i’ve ever heard. it has a sturdy beat and an interesting ensemble of noises and instrumentation. it has a little bit of hip-hop and little bit of jazziness. i especially enjoy the vocals, where it locks in the song’s unique identity. there’s so much happening, great acoustics, great backup chorus, great static around the edges. terrific for a midnight walk through the city. put in some earphones, enable noise cancellation and drown out the ambient urban sounds and emotional noise. you’ll be hitting replay as the final notes of saxophone wash out the night.
Orange Sea by JU!iE
“Orange Sea” always seems to find it’s way into my listening at the end of most nights. it has a little bit of city pop and a little bit of R&B. JUL!iE’s voice is the right level of disconnected, letting the listener find their own footing with the song. it enacts a long burnout that eases into a clean saxophone sign off. after everything is spent: the money, the energy, the joy, the pain, this song seems to be the right amount of soothing to end the night on. or the right amount of juice to keep things going a little while longer.
written by
Marcus Landeros
— see the full list here —
