Capsule Playlist: Summer Week Four
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.
I Miss You 「愛密集」by Yakkle feat. Shing02
this song has started many evenings turned night this past year. There’s a connective tissue from Nujabes to Shin02 and into Yakkle, a newer talent on the scene. the song has a wonderful presence, between the loose rap and the sparse piano notes. the song ignites the elusive but exciting feeling of stepping into night. getting ready for a night out, texting the group for the meetup, getting into the right mind space for special night out. so much possibility. it starts here.
Kimi ga Kureta Mono 「君がくれたもの」 by Home Made Kazoku
the song hails from yesteryear. its a bit gooey and little over the top, but somewhere in there is a true bop. it leans into the groove and the sway, its sincere and upfront. who can put down that kind of effort? it leans a bit dorky, but rises above and beyond. “what i gave to you” it says, as the old school R&B lulls you into its undeniable charm. i’m always singing it by the end, a little silly a little serious. 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 wanted to lean into city pop without doing the outright hits. HITOMITOI definitely needs some extra love 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 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 light sweat while walking 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 specifically amps up the special factor for me. bringing it into a nighttime atmosphere makes it a necessary clubbing song, i know i’d be out there. “Distance” is blessed up by m-flo’s “astroliner” themeing found among their other works, especially in their album Planet Shining. 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 pain and hurt we may find or need to process after the sun goes down. 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 any compartmentalized box. his ever rising pitch seems to put a perfect 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 explosive expression through crashing instrumentation and vocal yelling. it never feels like to much, but more like a cathartic release. i think there’s a lot of unprocessed and subconscious accumulation that feel most at home to be expressed after midnight. what was abrasive in the morning, now feels like the needed amount. Yonezu is captivating for his ability to really drive into the heart of something, especially with abandon. he manages to make the crashing and exploding seem graceful.
Koi no Yokan「恋の予感」by Anzen Chitai
a long favorite of mine. Anzen Chitai commands the room for all the time they require. “Koi no Yokan” is both mysterious and deeply affectionate. it balances everything on a sharp edge. masterfully building from floor to peak in just a minute, the song never quite lets up after. weaving a tale steeped in woe, the power ballad is an instant classic. it asks the listener for a lot, but gives it all back in full. 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 with an interesting ensemble of noise 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, but also on a midnight walk through the city. put in some earphones, enable on noise cancellation and drown out the ambient urban 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 this past year. 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. a burnout that eases into a clean saxophone sign off. after everything is spent: the money, the energy, the feelings, the 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 —
