Tyme. x Tujiko

Over the years, Editions Mego has earned a rep for being one of the most forwarding-thinking experimental labels out there. But GYU, the new collaborative full-length from Tujiko Noriko and Tatsuya Yamada (aka Tyme), stands as one of the imprint's most left field releases yet. After all, it's not often you get a record this unabashedly pop from the folks of Mego. Recorded by Noriko and Yamada over the course of six years, meeting once at the end of each year and once at the start, the pair made no attempts at toning down their J-pop sensibilities, but AKB48 this is not. As Noriko's softly sung, all-Japanese vocals straddle the line between atmospheric and sugary, Yamada lays down a thick bed of old-school IDM-indebted beats and floaty electronics, showing an appreciation for both '90s Shibuya-kei and Warp's heaviest hitters without ever getting too nostalgic. It all becomes the type of morose, electronic-driven pop best consumed between a pair of headphones, or perhaps during some solitary late-night soul searching. Sure, having an appreciation for Japanese pop helps, but it's hardly required to hear that Tyme. x Tujiko have made one stellar slab of sensitive, heart-on-sleeve dance music with GYU.