Musicwhore.org Music and memory

Aran Tomoko, Fuyuu Kuukan

Released in 1983, Fuuyuu Kuukan is an album ahead of its time. Yes, it’s got its moments of era-appropriate city pop, but other times, it sounds like it could have been made in 2024.

Chappell Roan, The Rise and Fall of a Midwestern Princess

The Rise and Fall of a Midwestern Princess was released in September 2023, but it didn’t really take off till 2024. Part of me really wants to include this album in the Favorite Edition 2024 list, but I will abide by the letter of the law and call it one of the best catalog finds of the year.

Onitsuka Chihiro, UN AMNESIAC GIRL -First Code 2000-2003-

The music in this boxed set is thoroughly vetted, and I’ve even come around to THIS ARMOR, which I didn’t actually like at the time of release.

John Zorn, Simulacrum

John Zorn doesn’t usually talk to the press, but he did speak to Rolling Stone years back about how his ensembles have influenced heavy metal and vice versa. Zorn pushes his collaborators to do things they can’t picture themselves doing, and the resulting performances brim with nervous energy that always sounds confident. All that is on display with Simulacrum.

Yellow Magic Orchestra, Naughty Boys

The path from Kraftwerk and Roxy Music to the Human League and Duran Duran runs through Yellow Magic Orchestra.

Princess Goes, Come of Age

Princess Goes to the Butterfly Museum has truncated their name, and on this second album, the songwriting has gotten tighter. The band’s debut THANKS FOR COMING felt a bit scattered, but on this outing, they’ve created an album that holds together from start to finish.

SZA, CTRL

Yes, yes, I’m a late-comer to SZA, which all you all have known about for the past seven years. (I gave SOS a shot on the streaming services, but I never gave it a second listen. Maybe I should.) The remarkable thing here is that I bought a used copy of the vinyl record. It’s harder to find recent hit albums like this one as used CDs.

Shannon, Let the Music Play

The title track of this album is a classic, but it cast such a long shadow that the album from which it came gets overlooked. No, the remaining tracks aren’t as strong as “Let the Music Play,” but they aren’t complete filler either.

Xenakis Minor, XM1

There is some ferocious piano playing on this sprawling three-track EP, which clocks in at 41 minutes. (I’m not making the rules here. That’s what they call it.) And it’s prog rock. Actually prog rock on a piano, no guitars. Sit with that for a while.

Other favorites:

• Tyler Childers, Rustlin’ in the Rain
• Descendants, Milo Goes to College
• LaBouche, Sweet Dreams
• Haim, Women in Music, Pt. III

Tags: aran tomoko, chappell roan, descendents, favorite edition, haim, john zorn, la bouche, onitsuka chihiro, princess goes to the butterfly museum, shannon, sza, tyler childers, xenakis minor, yellow magic orchestra