New cassettes from Neoncity Records (うさこ // kotu), Alternate Skies releases a new forecast album and Manila Ice surprises us with the best of album of the day.
Physical Releases
Miracle Romance! by うさこ // kotu (Limited Edition Cassette)
Neoncity Records is one of the most well known labels in the vapor scene for releasing albums with artists like マクロスMACROSS 82-99, Future Girlfriend, Desired and more. So when a new artist is added to the label, high expectations that the artist is of a high caliber. Miracle Romance! by うさこ // kotu completely fits that requirement with a cute mix of anime groove and kawaii vocals. The track Shiny Baby! is the perfect song to introduce you to うさこ // kotu with it’s high tempo dance mixing and gleams of sounds that draw similarities from Salior Moon. Cassettes are now available at 14 USD.
Getaway Forecast by Alternate Skies (Limited Edition Cassette)
Another album out by Alternate Skies doing what he does best, mixing weather forecasts and a distinct sound of News type jazz. Alternate skies really knows how to craft a focused sound that really does fix this theme of New Forecast and make it into a week day morning nostalgic experience. An edition of 75 cassettes now available.
Digital Releases
Amphibious by Manila Ice
Manila Ice has been releasing strange looking albums since 2018 so when this showed up on B O G U S after not listening to him, I wasn’t sure what to expect. First off, the album art is clean and probably inspired by Mario Sunshine in some way were before most albums were dark and mysterious. The album starts off with I’m on international time, a track that begins ambient but quickly picks up into a high tempo IDM track that actually keeps you hooked until the end of the song. Track two, Amphibian alter, playing off the album title, continues style of post-seapunk. The drum styles, the melody and experimental samples used and everything inbetween puts this at one of the best digital albums released this week for me.
AIA by NTSC地域ロック
First Class Collective has been struggling with their twitter presence due to account sharing between the two labels owner but that hasn’t stopped that from building up the label into one of the fastest growing in the scene. Through some kind of luck of their own, they keep pulling on great artists that actually are worth listening to. AIA by NTSC地域ロック starts off slow with ambient sounds that mix soundscapes with a bassline that keeps your ears guessing. Then every once inn a while the album get’s into a experimental vapor theme with tracks like Class Muscle Car and Just Like He-Man. The album ends with what sounds like a track off an Alternate Skies album mixing weather and jazz. Overall this album blends vairous sounds of vapor and presents it in a nice package.
Album of the day
I like to pick an album from past releases that might have been forgotten but still should be listened to. Today we have Echelon by █████████. Although a short album with only 4 tracks, █████████ has packed us a beautiful atmospheric album of dreamy synths, experimental arcade glitch, mysterious after life and a japanese track that sounds like it could have been made on the DS game Electroplankton. Originally released on FORM7, Echelon might not fit typical vapor but it’s a fun short trip to broaden your normal listening.
