Spring Time Delights

Spring is upon us, which means it is time to put on some fitting music as well. Today, I brought three records that are perfect for a carefree, sunny spring day. Honorable mention goes out to the ultimate spring record, Nurture by Porter Robinson, which I already wrote about extensively in a separate article. Enjoy !

Lamp -  ランプ幻想

Shibuya-kei Jazz Pop Folk Pop

Lounge Chamber Folk

Lamp's  ランプ幻想 (Lamp Phantasma) exists on the more melancholic side of their discography compared to a record like 東京ユウトピア通信 (Tokyo Utopia Communications), while still carrying that comforting feeling that all of Lamp's music has. The feeling that in the end everything will be fine. It's the perfect record for the beginning of spring, when winter is slowly fading and life starts to look a bit more optimistic again. It's not the warm hug 東京ユウトピア通信 will give you, but it's the perfect record for sitting in your kitchen on the first sunny day of the year, looking outside at the birds and the green leaves of the trees, ready to embrace the new year and its opportunities. The melancholy of the winter months still weighs on your heart, but somehow, with this record, you feel okay with it knowing that soon enough, that'll be forgotten and you will be sitting in a field of spring flowers.

 

 Rei Harakami - [lust]

 Downtempo IDM

Ambient Folktronica 

Rei Harakami most frequently found himself on the whimsical side of IDM, far away from the mechanical abstraction of  Autechre or the ever increasing insanity of late Aphex Twin. He created music that sounded just like the album cover for his record [lust], or that of the reissue of his first record, Unrest (which I talked about here). Not always happy, and often melancholic, but always with a sense of whimsy, joy and playfulness, [lust] is perfect music to play in your headphones while taking a stroll around your neighbourhood, coffee in hand, smoking a cigarette, and enjoying the fresh air.

 Bladee - 333

Cloud Rap Art Pop

Ambient Pop Pop Rap

  

Talking about one of the three Bladee records (Exeter, 333, and The Fool) from what some have called his spiritual phase just made sense to me. Just like spring is often associated with rebirth, these records were a rebirth of sorts for Bladee as well, switching up a lot of his persona and lyrical themes. This new incarnation of his persona being more hopeful and upbeat, compared to the depressive and self destructive persona found on his three previous records: Icedancer, Working on Dying, and Red Light.  

333's opening track, Wings in Motion, already describes this with the first verse reading: "Crystalline bliss from within and everything clears up / You're still there, and more than that / Clears up, you're still there and more than that too / Ripples broken, wings in motion". While the depression that existed on his earlier material is still there, he has found something inside himself that gives him the ability to fight back and cope in a more healthy way. Other tracks on the record continue these themes. For example, Reality Surf with it's themes of taking ownership of your life, describing an attitude of living spontaneously from moment to moment, like surfing a wave. Oh Well talks about acceptance of your circumstances, with it's slightly funny, repitive chorus "Oh well, play the cards that I'm given", and in Noblest Strive he says "Turn your mental prison to a maze / Turn the maze into a place where you're safe".

Musically the record follows in the footsteps of Exeter, with its lush and beautiful beats, and Bladee embracing a more whimsical, at times almost whispery, delivery. Compared to Exeter, it feels less abstract and more grounded, though, which also gives it a nice catchiness that makes you wanna sing along while the spring sun shines on your face.

𝑺𝑬𝑬 𝒀𝑶𝑼 𝑺𝑷𝑨𝑪𝑬 𝑪𝑶𝑾𝑩𝑶𝒀..