A great look at a key moment in the Japanese scene – an early 70s stretch when musicians were going for a style that was warmer and more intimate overall – which would then lead to all the big changes in music to come, but in very surprising ways! Gone are the more postured rock modes and Anglo-aping styles of the previous decade – and in their place are more confident, personal styles delivered in this mix of acoustic and electric instrumentation that maybe echoes some of the sophistication of the early 70s Cali scene, but which has a very unique approach overall. Most music here is from the first few years of the decade – and titles include "Beautiful Song" by Hiroki Tamaki, "Hitoribotchi" by Niningashi, "Gingatetsudo No Yoru" by Ken Narita, "Man In No Ki" by Takashi Nishioka, "Kawa" by Hiroki Tamaki, "Anmari Fukasugite" by Tokedashita Galasubako, and "Kaze Wo Atsumete" by Happy End. LP, Vinyl record album

A record that picks up on a very particular strand of Japanese music in the 70s – and one that's maybe not even fully described with all the evocative words in the title! The sounds here are leaner and more open than work you'd know from the city pop years – but also not like Japanese rock of the late 60s, and maybe not even like some of the bigger names of the 70s who crossed over to American audiences. Instead, the whole package is very creative and inventive – certainly with currents of psych and soul, but often moving into territories that really defy easy categorization – as if these Japanese artists feel free to pick and choose whatever they want to put in the mix! The sound is great, and the album is a treasure trove of discoveries – with sounds that include "Aoi Galasu Dama Blue Glass Ball" by Yoshiko Sai, "Have You Smoked Gauloise" by Hiroshi Kamayatsu, "Jikan Wo Koero Go Beyond Time" by Tadashi Goino Group, "Omae You" by Jun Fukamachi, and "Hachigatsu No Inshow Augusts Impression" by Momotaro Pink. LP, Vinyl record album

A really unique selection of Japanese reggae tracks from back in the day – and work that's very different than sounds from both the underground scene in Kingston, and the big wave of reggae hits on the major labels! The pace of many of these cuts has them moving in almost a lovers rock sort of mode – easygoing, warm, and with lots of soulful touches – often served up with instrumentation that echoes some of the city pop generation as well, although maybe a bit more down to earth, given the genre! You might almost think of these tunes as city pop reggae variants – mostly with female singers in the lead – and titles include "Hittin Me Where It Hurts" by Marlene, "Johannesburg" by Junko Yagami, "Coffee Break" by Miharu Koshi, "Tsukikage No Nagisa" by Miki Hirayama, "Music" by Chu Kosaka, "Lazy Love" by Izumi Kobayashi, and "Tenkini Naare" by Lily. LP, Vinyl record album