Tuesday Tracks: New music discovery – Sept. 6

Fujiya & Miyagi, Fujiya and Miyagi

Fujiya & Miyagi, courtesy.

I was clearly in a cinematic mood this week. Unloved has the soundtrack of our lives, while Tim Sheinman has the perfect soundscape of a song. Tripping Jupiter literally created a film in its video with a story of a song. And of course, we all need to get up and move, so let’s add in dance music with HAAi, Peel Dream Magazine and Fujiya & Miyagi.



Tim Sheinman, “River of Roses” – If you’re a video game fanatic, you might just recognize Tim Sheinman. The game developer and designer (“Rivals,” “Family”), also wrote the soundtrack for new video game “Riley & Rochelle.” Natalia Yanchak of Montreal’s The Dears helped write these songs. “River of Roses” looks to be a cool video game based on the song alone. Like the song title, it’s dreamy and ethereal feel with so much emotion. When Yanchak’s vocals finally enter, it seems like so much can happen.

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Unloved featuring Raven Violet“Turn of the Screw” – David Holmes is one-third of Unloved. You may not know him by name, but he’s behind some pretty big soundtracks like Steven Soderbergh’s “Ocean’s” film trilogy. Unloved, which includes Jade Vincent and Keefus Ciancia, did the soundtrack to “Killing Eve.” The band’s latest song, “Turn of the Screw,” is a banger. The song begins at full speed with guitars coming at you. It’s driving, fast and feels like it belongs in a movie. Add shimmering keys, turn up the volume, let Raven Violet’s voice engulf you and let go.



Tripping Jupiter, “We Are Starlight” – Madstone Rowan (they/them), the artist behind Tripping Jupiter, is all glitter and sparkle. “We Are Starlight” is an emotional ballad. The song has the anthemic rock sounds of Kings of Leon and The Killers. There’s a David Bowie “Starman” vibe to it. As Rowan sings and looks to the stars, it’s hard not to imagine the White Duke up there. Add Bowie collaborator Gail Ann Dorsey on bass, and it adds to that distinct sound. The biggest pull of the song is the rawness of Rowan’s vocals with the accompanying video.

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Peel Dream Magazine, “Pictionary” – Joseph Stevens is the man behind Peel Dream Magazine. This baroque-pop number is a gem with a bit of bossa nova and folk. It has hints of Burt Bacharach but manages to add a bit of Beach Boys’ psychedelia to it. It’s light and breezy, and those vibratos and melodic keyboard hook are contagious. “Pictionary” has something for everyone. Stevens’ third album, Pad, comes out this October. Be sure to catch him in San Francisco, opening for Beach Fossils at The Chapel.



Fujiya & Miyagi, “Slight Variations” – More than 20 years in, Fujiya & Miyagi are still putting out some great electro-clash dance music. There’s so much funk that Prince would be proud. Throw in some disco and keyboards and you get yourself a party on the dance floor. “Slight Variations” is hypnotic with its repeating vocals, yet never gets tired. It still has the band’s experimental edge with plenty to groove on. Fujiya & Miyagi never seems to disappoint, and while LCD Soundsystem was getting all the love, I was lucky to see them in a small club once upon a time.

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HAAi featuring Alexis Taylor, “Biggest Mood Ever” – This song is a hallucinatory exploration of sound, with Alexis Taylor of Hot Chip taking us on this journey. He seems to be a guide as the song meanders and weaves its way through a beautiful soundscape, putting listeners into a trance. The melodic keyboard parts fade into the background as the song transcends space. HAAi is London artist and producer Teneil Throssell. The song is from her debut album, Baby, We’re Ascending. And if the rest of the album is anything like this, we’re in for one hell of a trip.

HAAi will be performing at Portola Fest.



Rachel’s Pick: I’m all about songs that take me somewhere. Unloved does just that. But nostalgia is hard to escape, and Fujiya & Miyagi take me back to 2000s New York. The dance floors were packed and all the music clubs had a “slight variation” of electro-dance-clash bands. Fujiya & Miyagi remind me of !!!, LCD Soundsystem and all those other amazing bands. The band has gotten even funkier.

Follow writer Rachel Goodman at Twitter.com/xneverwherex and Instagram.com/xneverwherex.

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