Here’s the good news about Past < Future: It’s much better than Queen of Hip-Pop and Play. While the former was mumbly and dull, and the latter tended toward loud and cluttered, Namie Amuro’s ninth album sounds refreshingly clean and energetic. “Love Game” delivers a hard urban groove without any distracting frills. The hamony in …
Tag Archive: amuro namie
Nov 30
[interview] AKB48: A classic fantasy for the 21st century
New York Anime Festival was the Big Apple hub for thousands of anime, manga and J-music fans from Sept. 25 to 27. What musical act would have better fit the convention than one from Tokyo’s own pop culture district, Akihabara? AKB48 is a 65-member idol collective that takes the winning combination of cute girls in …
Oct 16
[interview] Swinging Popsicle Swings into New York
Swinging Popsicle makes an unlikely link between indie music and anime/video game fandom. While its laid-back retro rock isn’t the typical soundtrack for animated entertainment, the unassuming trio has played at conventions in North America and composed the music for the well-regarded 2009 PC game Sumaga/Star Mine Girl, introducing their 12-year catalogue to a new …
