Indiefest 01 (Jazzpop~ Port of Notes & Swinging Popsicle)

Sick and tired of the same melodies and lyrics being played on the radio (or Youchoob)? Maybe you’d want to consider some Japanese indie. This is my first ever music post, so be nice. :3

Port of Notes

To be honest, apart from the fact that it comprises a male-female duo whose music is probably what I would call jazz-pop, there’s little else I know about them. I came across them on Youtube serendipitously some months back and have come to enjoy the satin-smooth vocals and classic  use of instruments. Below are some of my favourite songs from them. I should also add that they have a fair number of English songs despite being wholly Japanese. There’s a little bit of Engrish at times but in totality, very good pronunciation.

More than Paradise http://youtu.be/VXDt6KLiJgY

Probably my favourite song from them. Firstly, it’s completely in English. I just love the vocals in this song. Her voice delivers a clear, crisp groove which is quite aptly complemented by the use of bossa nova in the background. Smooth, melancholic and catchy all at the same time, anyone really should give it a listen.

ほんの少しhttp://youtu.be/6u04XJqepaQ http://youtu.be/Az_Wrn009ts (live)

A little slower than the one above, this one’s less jazz-based and more languid in pacing. Light, slightly breathy vocals and gentle, unobtrusive bass make a song good to unwind to after a long and/or stressful day.

These two are probably the most indicative of PON’s style and thus the ones I selected to put in this post. To be honest, they don’t stray very far away from this format but I for one have never found their music to be formulaic to the point of uncreative. If you’d like to listen to more of their music, just google Port of Notes on Youtube or alternatively hit me up on the comments.

Swinging Popsicle

Yet another band I found by accident. Lucky aren’t I? Consisting of three members, although labelled as pop, they produce pretty diverse stuff. From more conventional acoustic music to more offbeat, “indie” type music, they seldom sound the same from album to album. Below are a selection of songs that I feel aren’t just good, but also show their diversity as a musical group.

Course Out( From the album “Transit” )

The song that got me sucked into this band. (Shameless promotion but I linked it to Bass and he loved it. :p) Really great jazz-acoustic number. Soft vocals and subtle strumming in the background make for a fairly minimalist, but thoroughly enjoyable song that I kept replaying and replaying till before I knew it, the playcount hit 60 in one day.

07 Course out.mp3

Cinema Ni (From the album “Transit”)

Now, this is one of their more diverse songs. Alternating between light acoustic and heavy distortion, this adds a strangely appealing, yet not jarring effect to it all. The vocals are fairly controlled but very much in sync with the overall feel of the song. Delightfully quirky.

08 Shinemani.mp3

Go on (From the album “Loud Out”)

Another one of my favourites. The verse is done in an electronica-esque fashion before transitioning into soft vocals and light strumming. This pattern continues throughout all 7 minutes of the song with a seamless switch between the former and latter up till the bridge. From there on, there’s a little ambient play before the background music gets heavier and more bass-oriented. Maybe not for everyone, but give it a listen nonetheless won’t cha?

14. Go on.MP3

Well, that about sums up my first indie post. There are some Korean indie bands that I like quite a bit too. If it’s all right with you, I might expand into Asian indie as opposed to just Japanese. Have an opinion? Suggestion? Recommendation? Hit the comments!

PS: If any of you are interested in Swinging Popsicle’s albums, let me know. But as usual, if you like them, buy their albums and support the artists!

/ 7 Commentsleave a comment /

• Elyon says:

  July 1, 2011

  OOOOOOOOOOOOOH thank you for posting this!! *o* These are all great songs, but I think I like Shinemani the most!
  I hope you do more of these in the future. And as for whether you should do other languages besides Japanese, I say go for it! A bit of diversity is always a good thing. :3
  My recent post J-Indiefest

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  • fuu says:

    July 3, 2011

    No problem! Glad you enjoyed it. I'll be sure to pump out more of such posts in the future. :)

    Reply
• Jesus159159159 says:

  July 1, 2011

  OH WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT SWINGING POPSICLE HELL YEAH!!!! I actually mistook their name as "Swing SIDE Popsicle" back then, and couldn't get that out of my system. I was pretty devastated… it's like mispronouncing your best friends name for 10 years and him/her not telling you about it! But yeah, wonderful band!

  I see you chose their more chillax joints. I'm more of a fan of their catchier, upbeat jams, like "I Love Your Smile" and "Parade" from their first album Swinging Popsicle (though I think I Love Your Smile had a single version. Never heard it, though). But yea, definitely agree on their diversity. Probably my fave slow joint is サテツの塔 (not sure what that translates to) from "Fennec!" Ahhh, good times =3 I should probably give them a refresh; it's been much too long (but not really)! Hmmm, Port of Notes… never heard of them! I'll give them a listen as well =3

  Oh, and just a tiny nitpick: Go On was originally on their album "Go On", and the one you're referring to is probably the remastering. it's pretty much the same song… so yeah, same song, diff album!

  (P.S. I still think Swing Side Popsicle sounds better…)
  My recent post Ao no Exorcist 09

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  • fuu says:

    July 3, 2011

    I've only listened to about 2-3 albums so I'm not nearly as well-versed as a superfan (such as yourself I'm assuming :p) I'll definitely check out more of their stuff in the future and maybe write about them again!

    Btw, thanks for the correction. Must've listened to one of those best-hits albums methinks. And Swing Side Popsicle eh? Sounds raunchy. ;)

    Reply
• morri says:

  July 3, 2011

  Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu. : D

  This looks awesome and I can't wait to read it when I get home and am on a computer with sound.

  Reply
  • fuu says:

    July 3, 2011

    You better! And you better enjoy it! :p

    Reply
• Bass says:

  July 4, 2011

  I don't think I've tried that Port of Notes yet, but I LOVE Swinging Popsicle the moment you recced it haha.

  Great post, you need to make more of these since you have so many cool indie bands in your bag lol
  My recent post Blood-C/Double J [First Impressions]

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