olive's cd corner

diggin through the (physical and digital) cd rack for hidden music gems!

[olivescds]

imajuku* - imajuku cafe

artist: imajuku*

album: imajuku cafe

year: 2001

summary and olive's take:

stumbled across this hidden gem using the algorithmless music discovery platform lazyrecords! Mixed, composed, and produced by EDM artist Quandra (Hiroshi Watanabe) - Imajuku Café is one of few hard to find releases mysteriously tied to model and singer Asami Imajuku (pictured on cover). listen for funky, seamless, and smooth house with quirky japanese ambient electronic elements throughout. light and airy, this is a fantastic summer album. enjoy!

[olivescds]

pola - même

album: même

artist: pola

release date: 2004

summary and olive's take:

following the lead of ambient japanese electronica by the likes of rei harakami, même is the first album release from tokyo-based abstract electronica producer pola. the album is trance-like, glitchy, but clean - one can't help but notice the sounds of water interwoven throughout via sampled sounds or drop-like rythmic patterns. the tracks easily coast from one to another, introducing new textures and soundscapes. to put it oddly, listening to this album makes you feel like a very cool microbe.

[olivescds]

sugar plant - dryfruit

album: dryfruit artist: sugar plant release date: 2000 summary and olive's take:

long time no see! coming back with a very mellow, very rounded japanese shoegaze/dream pop album by japanese band sugar plant (vocalist chinatsu shoyama and guitarist shin'ichi). the instrumentals are lovely and simple - with completely nonoffensive tones (do you guys get that thing where sharp noises make your ears hurt? this album is completely devoid of those) making noise for shoyama's clear, smooth voice. like a gentle kiss on the ears or a warm spring day, this album is a delight from start to finish. support the artists here!

[olivescds]

cim - reference

album: reference

artist: CiM

release date: 2000

summary and olive's take:

through a happy accident I stumbled across this particular album in CD form on ebay. reference is an IDM electronica album released by producer simon walley, otherwise known as CiM. swinging constantly between atmospheric and quirky, walley juggles rhythmic complexities with ease, matching soft synths with gentle beats crafted from a variety of low-bit, glitchy textures. listen for subtle uses of ambient, drum and bass, house, and funk influences throughout. this album might be something you'd imagine as a video game soundtrack but turned up a notch on the sophistication and futurism front. enjoy!

[olivescds]

blue six - beautiful tomorrow

album: beautiful tomorrow

year: 2002

artist: blue six

summary and olive's take:

I picked this cd up on a whim in the damp, cave-like media room of my local thrift store. what a find! blue six, otherwise known as producer jay denes, is the cofounder of naked records. beautiful tomorrow is an hour plus of smooth, sophisticated downtempo house. light, complex beats are paired with gentle synths, flutes, and bare, clean vocals. with track titles like "let's do it together", "love yourself", "come inside", it's clear this album is hinting (not so subtly) at a certain lushness and sensuality. enjoy!

[olivescds]

honeydip - another sunny day

album: another sunny day

year: 2000

artist: honeydip

summary and olive's take:

it's no surprise that i'm an absolute sucker for shoegaze judging by this blog's posting history (lmao), but honeydip's another sunny day takes the cake. formed in osaka, japan in 1995, honeydip was a four-piecer consisting of jun shibuya (vocals), eiji ichihara (guitar), takahito kajimoto (bass), and masato hayashi (percussion). with origins in the shoegaze and space-rock genre, another sunny day marks honeydip's last firm entry in their original genres before their forays into shibuya-kei and funk. this album is nostalgic, glowing, atmospheric, and gorgeous. the catchiest track by far is summer's gone, which features emotional choral voices layered on top of driven, shoegaze noise and a repetitive guitar riff that works for the entire song. while playing with the more sonically experimental instrumentation of space-rock, honeydip manages to weave in the strong melodic basslines and chord progressions of classic japanese pop, creating a sense of wistfulness that permeates through the whole album. a great listen for shoegaze enjoyers.

[olivescds]

julia - julia

album: julia

year: 1994

artist: julia

summary and olive's take:

julia is the self titled album from san diego post-hardcore band julia (chad haley, jeremy miller, matt yeager, noah wilson). following the lead of earlier bands like unwound and helmet, julia doesn't let its influences confine its sound - infusing their music with an "emotive" spin. every instrument works together to carve out visceral feelings in each song - gritty, coursing guitar noise makes its way through an extremely tight rhythm section, paired with raw garage vocals and an assortment of experimental sounds. every song builds and flows with an abundance of texture and emotion, often employing dissonance between instruments in between moments of harmony, cacophony between moments of calm. the uniqueness of this album has cemented it as a cult-favorite among both old and new post-hardcore fans. enjoy!

[olivescds]

rei harakami - unrest

album: unrest

year: 1998

artist: rei harakami

summary and olive's take:

unrest is the first studio album release from visionary ambient electronic artist rei harakami, who has maintained a passionate following since his passing in 2011. rei sets forth a cleverly layered, cool, futuristic composition in each song: shuffling downtempo, techno, and jungle beats are paired with rounded, chunky synth leads, a myriad of intriguing electronic sounds and textures, and atmospheric musical themes that appear throughout the album much like they would in an orchestral arrangement. the album ebbs and flows effortlessly through various moods: chilled, jovial, apprehensive, slow, spacious, and contemplative. think of unrest as the animal crossing ost's intricate, innovative predecessor. it's clear, even from his earliest work, that rei was destined to think outside the box.

[olivescds]

mahumodo - waves

album: waves

year: 2003

artist: mahumodo

summary and olive's take:

uk based experimental hardcore band mahumodo was the brainchild of mehdi safi and featured several different players on its roster (on this particular record, mehdi on vocals, tom harriman on drums, richard chapple and jonny renshaw on guitars, and steve-o on bass). mahumodo fills the post hardcore soundspace with heroic, rushing drive, managing to balance pure force with moments of clean, emotional softness. mehdi's raw screams are tempered by free flowing musicality when he sings, complimenting the two moods perfectly. if you're a fan of deftones or post rock, you'll surely enjoy mahumodo. feel free to support them here!

[olivescds]

kraus - eye escapes

album: eye escapes

year: 2022

artist: kraus

summary and olive's take:

a collection of recordings from texas based one-man band kraus - the bulk of eye escapes is sourced from a scrapped album between two of his other projects: path and view no country. kraus artfully layers grit and noise - swirling soundscapes merge with ethereal, distant vocals and an almost nu-metal rhythm section. this combination gives eye escapes all the softness of shoegaze and dreampop while adding a hardened, driving emotional nuance. a superb listen for all noise rock enjoyers - support kraus here!.

[olivescds]

heprcam - cohcox

album: cohcox

year: 2004

artist: heprcam

summary and olive's take:

cohcox is the only release from elusive japanese three piece group heprcam (mihoyo tsubokura on vocals, junichi haruki on percussion, and tatsuya koda on bass). the band specialized in a self-described "inorganic sound" while embracing a certain warmth - gently weaving electronic samples and tsubokura's ethereal vocals into a comforting, glowing tapestry of ambient music. inorganic is balanced with soft organic noise: water is recurrent theme in the album - you'll often hear the ebbing sounds of of water trickling or flowing between tracks, creating a sense of calm and "floatiness". abstract and hypnotic, a great hidden gem. miraculously, their 2004 website still stands here. enjoy!

[olivescds]

the sea and cake - oui

album: oui

year: 2000

artist: the sea and cake

summary and olive's take:

oui is the 5th of 11 studio albums from jazz-infused indie pop / rock band the sea and cake (sam prekop, archer prewitt, john mcentire). the influence of bossa nova is crystal clear on this album - texturally, each song is crisp, bubbly, and light; rhythmically, shuffling and gentle. the use of subtle layering of light vocals, traditional jazz instruments, and soft electronica elevates this album from general easy listening to something much more experimental and nuanced. a superb listen, feel free to support the sea and cake here, and enjoy!

[olivescds]

rex - self titled

album: rex

year: 1995

artist: rex

summary and olive's take:

ny based band rex (doug scharin, curtis harvey, phil spirito, rob king) puts a unique, folksy spin on grunge in their first album release, rex (self titled). through fuzzy vocals, twangy guitars, and wooden folk percussion, rex sways softly in psychadelic, rural melancholia while occasionally letting their grittier grunge roots peek through. often heralded as a early leading voice in slowcore - rex is innovative, contemplative, and downtempo - truly underrated. feel free to support rex here!

[olivescds]

asheru and blue black - 48 months

album: 48 months

year: 2003

artist: asheru and blue black

summary and olive's take:

48 months is the second and last release from virginia rapper-producer duo unspoken heard (asheru and blue black) and serves as as a compilation of sorts of music the duo had written from 1996 to 2000. unspoken heard sticks close to the stylings of early 90s rap: jazzy, funk samples are thrown over boom-bap beats and paired with cleverly written, freely flowing verses. asheru, also a longtime educator, said this about the album: "it is really for the cats who supported us through the years". enjoy!

[olivescds]

tabar - hugs

album: hugs (ep)

year: 2011

artist: tabar

summary and olive's take:

big thanks to @skellidoro for submitting this one! this ep was the one and only release from UK based band tabar (emily harris - vocals, daniel wright - guitar, dan castledine - guitar, joe lang - bass and vocals, dan emery - drums). tabar weaves flowing, melodic riffs and feather light female vocals together effortlessly, calling on the melancholic sounds of midwest emo with enough uptempo-ness to land solidly in the math pop category. perfection in just three sweet songs and a treat for the ears!

[olivescds]

all natural lemon & lime flavors - turning into small

album: turning into small

year: 1999

artist: all natural lemon & lime flavors

summary and olive's take:

the second of two releases from local new jersey band, all natural lemon & lime flavors (anl&lf for short), turning into small is a dreamy, hazy late psychedelic / shoegaze wonder. drawing influences from my bloody valentine, anl&lf manages to hit a lighter, more playful tone by experimenting with a fun assortment of electropop noises and psychedelic elements, balancing crisp, jangly sound textures with rushing, thoughtfully layered orchestrations. truly a shoegaze treat! enjoy!

[olivescds]

balloons - 9:40 p.m.

album: 9:40 pm

year: 2003

artist: balloons

summary and olive's take:

balloons was a japan based math rock band (1996-2016)! 9:40 p.m. was the first of three releases. perhaps a key feature of balloons' sound is how clean the ensemble's tone is. the guitars are almost bare, laid carefully over oscillating bass lines and crisp drums. while within a certain strictness expected of math rock, balloons plays with rhythmic switch-ups and interesting progressions, allowing 9:40 p.m. to retain a fresh, modern sound. also - intriguingly (and perhaps unexpectedly, given how culturally insular japan can be), all of balloons' music is written and performed in english. feel free to support balloons here and enjoy!