for a brief bit of background, this one is by an artist from japan who is kind of tied to the hyperpop and hip-hop scenes but never goes fully in a single direction. my favorite project by lilbesh ramko is shumatsucollection, a dreamy project that threads the needle between gamecube-era animal crossing & distorted bass heavy modern "digital" hip-hop. it is catchy while never turning into a full on pop record, with more edge than the music a lot of ramko's contemporaries have gone on to make after receiving attention. if you think the idea of someone screaming "i don't give a fuck" into a clipped microphone is fun, you'll like his whole thing. if you liked "the world ends with you" on nintendo ds and that whole era of internet culture, shibuya crossover, etc etc...this is for you. and the new one is for you too! here's why:
i think starting off with a continuation of the animal crossing motif while not outright using KK Slider was some clever stuff
porsche/kure earns the bpm change, and i think it does a pretty good and purposeful job of balancing pleasant and unpleasant
inside/machi is probably my favorite here, it threatens to be different things at different points and that tension kind of makes it great. the tiny exclamation points of chopped breaks are showing enormous restraint
starting 2020dialogues with guitar played to metronome in low quality, then flipping that into what it does, is magical. has to be what it felt like to watch Bo-en do his debut SPF420 set, i would know
dancingtilwedie hits on that same stuff that makes kimj and the deep good. it understands that sometimes we hit the club through our lowest moments, or at least listen to music about hitting the club in our lowest moments.
homesic feels like crying to the lost woods theme in zelda. but then it hits that yeah woo break…emotionally potent
this is clearly by the same person who made the other music with a few more years of experience with life kicking their ass and i respect that a lot
i have a great admiration for the EP as a format. i think a lot of artists, particularly in the hip-hop and pop spheres, could benefit from the kind of editing and focus that comes with a shorter tracklist length. this isn't to say i'm in favor of the current tiktok-length song meta, but for some people, they operate at peak efficiency when adhering to such constraints. i think it ultimately comes down to what kind of listener you are; if you find yourself overwhelmed with over-long tracklists that are trying to game the streaming meta, stuff like lilbesh ramko's EPs will feel like a breath of fresh air for you. nothing overstays its welcome, it's not loaded with a bunch of "hey i recognize that name" guests like jingling keys, it's focused, it's precise.
lilbesh ramko has a new project coming out very soon called "ramko helvetica," so i highly recommend getting on the gravy train right about now because i think it's only getting bigger and better from here for him. if you are like me and think that hyperpop writ large as a scene is kind of dead and past its prime but still really like the idea of people toying with distorted instruments (but pop songwriting ambitions), this stuff will satisfy you immensely.
here's a sampler:
everything is on streaming, it doesn't seem like it's on bandcamp though. you'll be able to find it with a little effort. and i really mean "little"
enjoy & more blurbs to come soon