Tag Archives: j-rock

Kweku of Ghana, Ariane Roy, Jyocho, and Mæntra

by Dæv Tremblay

Kweku of Ghana – Zone 6, Agege (Heavenly Sweetness)


So Kweku is the frontman of my #1 Afrobeat band of 2021: Onipa. This year, he released a new album under the name Kweku of Ghana, and so I was immediately drawn to it. Zone 6, Agege has a more traditional, folkloric, funky, reggaeish Afrobeat sound than the Afrofuturistic synthy Onipa. That’s neither a pro nor a con, as I love both sounds equally, but that’s just to set different expectations for when you listen to this. This is a beautiful, intimate, inspired, authentic album that truly speaks of Kweku’s… Read more

Lunatic Tone Orchestra, Forelunar, Brendan Byrnes, and Spinifex

by Dæv Tremblay

Lunatic Tone Orchestra – Chronicle of Faith


Take symphonic metal and J-pop, what do you get? If you thought Babymetal, you’re not far off! While the emphasis is less on high-energy rock anthems or mellow ballads, Lunatic Tone Orchestra—狂奏楽団 (Kyō sōgaku-dan) in Japanese—is focused more on the prog aspect of the genre, calling themselves “progressive philosophy metal”, whatever that means. If you have a Coexist sticker on your car, you better start listening to this album right away!

Forelunar – Beloved and a Thousand Seraphim


Iran is undergoing some kind of turmoil these days. Look it up, it’s a revolution!… Read more

Best of Math Rock 2021

by Dæv Tremblay


Math rock is usually characterized by odd-time signatures, but through the years it came to encompass a lot more than that. Now, you can find straight-up alt-rock bands under the math rock tag, and even though I used to be a valiant gatekeeper of the genre, these days are passed. I now fully embrace all kinds of math rock music, be they super rhythmically engaging, or only remotely belonging into math rock territory. I hope you’ll feel the same way as I do about these following albums.

Number Five: 水中スピカ – mEq


There always seems to be a new Japanese … Read more

fulusu – Old House #1

by Jeff Nixon


Most of my exposure to Japanese rock (j-rock) has been through Anime theme songs, but it’s a genre I’ve dipped further into from time to time when an Anime theme has really grabbed me, especially with bands like The Pillows, Flow, Nico Touches The Walls, Veltpunch, and Maximum The Hormone. So when I saw this promo for fulusu’s debut American release Old House 1, it totally piqued my interest. This album starts out with some ambient noise on ‘Ra’ that continues into second track ‘Consideration: Rain’ and abruptly ends to reveal the melodic j-rock … Read more