OGRE YOU ASSHOLE, Fog Lamp/フォグランプ

Manabu Deto makes me want to learn Japanese because I seriously want to know what's going on with the mewing vocals, what those cleanly twisting guitar lines are coiling over in infectious ecstasy for. OYA sounds like the basterd child of The Shins and Vampire Weekend, and Fog Lamp (lo-fi, irrevocably melodic) is a masterpiece by any standard. Riffs broken by chops lit by flickering, fuzzy plucking, Wipers/ワイパー runs 9 minutes but those droning chords can go on forever. Cracker/クラッカー starts the album like a pebble skipping---delicate, rhytmic---before Fog Lamp/フォグランプ floods the gates with a dancey four count, guitars marching recklessly. And just when you think it couldn't get better, Stage/ステージ dives into Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain territory. Words simply fly out the window. Hooks, shiny chord shifts, invulnerable pop sunshine. All under 6 minutes. Rating: 10/10


Extras:

• OYA interview on Keikaku
• MV of しらない合図しらせる子 from 2008

KEN HIRAI, Candy

Ken Hirai never shied away from pop experiments, and single "Candy," is another oddball: neonized jazz sprinkled with jungle; a wobbly dance track but is pure sonic candy that melts in the ear. Blissful and strange. The less vocal version is cyberpunk sweet. Imagine robot dancing to overlapping flirty bleeps somewhere on a floating city. "フルサ・サイーダ" mixes belly-dancing riffs with drum n' bass, while "Do It!!" is more straightforward R&B (and wouldn't sound misplaced in Fakin' Pop), Hirai's voice still as smooth as spiked honey. Rating: 7/10