This week’s FTZone!! opens with 文藝天国’s “かがやき,” which also opens the band’s album. From there, it moves through mayu’s three-piece lineup, flip-flops’ finely chopped vocals and Cwondo’s exchange of beats without singing, before arriving at 高井息吹’s Wonder Tree.
Here are the opening five tracks from “New Alternative Music ◤FTZone!!◢,” FTZ’s weekly updated playlist, in the order shown on Spotify as of November 1.
文藝天国 / かがやき
文藝天国 placed “かがやき” at the start of their first full-length album, プールサイド・コア. haru sings, while ko shinonome, who wrote the lyrics and music, plays guitar and bass.
The track’s Music Film was directed and filmed by fellow member and color artist すみあいか. The film even includes a scene of writing in a snowfield, with someone to whom a letter can no longer be delivered in mind. After discovering the song through its sound, it is worth returning to it through the film.
文藝天国’s introduction to the release
mayu / さらば太陽
mayu handles vocals and guitar, んoon’s 積島直人 plays bass, and 岸田佳也 plays drums. Against the light-footed pop song the three create, mayu places the “sun” (太陽) alongside a “void” (空洞) in the heart that its light alone cannot fill.
The single follows “ふたりの惑星,” with lyrics and music by mayu herself. The distance between the song’s breezy step and its wish for things to stay the same lingers in the word “さらば”—farewell.
“さらば太陽” streaming links and credits
flip-flops / sweet liar(s)
It begins with a voice cut into tiny pieces, joined by the sound of fingers brushing against acoustic guitar strings. On “sweet liar(s),” flip-flops, a duo based in Hokkaido and Tokyo, leave both textures intact.
Listen to how the voice is used in different ways. The lead vocal has no Auto-Tune, while the surrounding backing vocals have pitch correction and distortion. Even with the same voice, its contours shift depending on where you focus your ears.
Related article: flip-flops’ “sweet liar(s)”
Cwondo / Pecha Kucha
近藤大彗, who plays guitar and sings in No Buses, chose around two minutes without vocals for his solo project Cwondo. Rhythms moving in different cycles overlap; as you follow one pulse, another beat comes to the fore.
“Pecha Kucha” is an advance track from the next album. Its title suggests lively chatter, but here the exchange takes place between rhythms rather than voices.
“Pecha Kucha” release information
高井息吹 / Tick it, Tock it, Turn it True
“地球” leads into “Tick it, Tock it, Turn it True,” followed by “ながれていくもの.” Closing this week’s five selections is the second track on Wonder Tree, 高井息吹’s first full-length album in nine years.
All 12 tracks were recorded at the home studio of Taikimen, who co-arranged the album, nestled in the mountains. Percussion, woodwinds and even harp join 高井’s piano and vocals. Returning from here to the beginning of the album also reveals how this song fits into its flow.
Wonder Tree release information
