I was sixteen when I first listened to The Bilinda Butchers. During a bleak streak in December, I found a few of their early demos and held them close. Now, five years later, I still find a sense of warmth and familiarity in each of their releases. Since putting out two EPs, Michal and Adam have added a third member to the project as they worked on their debut full length. Heaven soundtracks the diary of Nakajima Ume— a story that follows a trail of catastrophically romantic movements towards self-realization and a lost lover. Read more about the album’s backstory and the Edo period on the band’s website. Heaven is out July 15 on Orchid Tapes.

Alright, so I know pretty nothing about the band Haikarahakuti except that it’s an unsigned experimental rock project led by frontman Kamada Yuu from Niigata, Japan. Since Japanese does not flow from my lips, Haikarahakuti’s blog looked like nothing more than a beautiful tapestry, but google translate is quite swell. In 2008 the band started releasing handfuls of relaxed tunes which they say draw from a wide variety of influences spanning hip-hop, country, jazz, techno and rock. I would describe Kamada’s soft vocals as innocent, but I really don’t know what they mean. It could be some really profane jive, who knows (drop me a line if you know what he’s going on about). Not incredibly similar to the only other Japanese artist I’m familiar with, Shugo Tokumaru, Haikarahakuti’s songs are generally minimalistic, simple, driven by the lyrics, steady drums and simple guitar riffs. You can download the group’s older music right here or their newer stuff over at their soundcloud.

Haikarahakuti - 君が残したコカコーラ (Coca-Cola Left By You)

Haikarahakuti - さざ波 (Ripple)

Haikarahakuti - サノバビッチ (Son of a Bitch)

Japanese singer-songwriter Shugo Tokumaru is set to release his fourth album Port Entropy, in the US on October 18th via Souterrain Transmissions. ‘Rum Hee’ is definitely my favorite track off the album. The song is full of clean acoustic guitars, scattered bells, xylophone twinkles, soft drums and Shugo’s whisper-like vocals. Download the track for free from the label’s website.

Shugo Tokumaru - Rum Hee

Shugo Tokumaru - Malerina