music – Dickens of a Blog

Mrs. Green Apple’s “Kyohan” [MVP #28]

On 2026-10-08

In Doug's Daily Music Video Pick, Music, Music Video

The current record holder for most viewed video in my Music Video Pick series to date, I am pretty sure, Mrs. Green Apple’s “Kyohan” (「共犯」):

Not only does the video already have 8.6 million views (across 5 days), but Mrs. Green Apple just recently released “A Posteriori” a few days before and that one has ALSO hit 8.6 million views. Good for them.

To give you an idea of how fast the video is climbing, I saw these posts back to back this morning when I was catching up on Youtube posts:

If Mrs. Green Apple’s POPS doesn’t win a small stack of awards this year, I would be surprised.

This video is an absolute joy to watch a few times and note all the little things. Here are some of my favorites:

0:09 – Postman is iconic
0:20 – We see the letter A and a newspaper with the headline “More than a festival, a renewed Riverton” followed by the first blink storm
0:29 – We get our first pair of twins (and near-twins). The video is full of duplicates [and oversized food].
0:43 – On the left we have the cop-twins [with childish gun] and on the right we have the sun + moon twins.
0:47 – The dancers go through a range of emotions and might be happy or distraught depending on the particular shot. I also just love the way their dance is delightful but also just slightly offputting.
1:36 – Postman is our first slip out of joy at the start of the second section
1:47 – Guys carrying the umbrella are absolutely struggling while over on the left we get green-coat lady with double ballons [like the theme is starting to glitch]
2:00 – The Band is playing whimsical instruments that do not really match any real world counterparts. It’s a good touch.
2:22 – In a video of duplicates and pairs, we get the genius touch to expose the audience right at 2:22. It doesn’t take long before we realize who the audience is… We also see Studio B.
2:27 – The cut back to the “video” has the movements even less human while to the left we have a guy with a pink beard and a bald head that stands out.
2:46 – As the audience starts participating (becoming “complicit”) they become more animated. Feeling like part of the system.
3:22 – The word play is pretty exquisite around this part.
3:53 – In the last 10 seconds or so of the actual video, we see another audience (and the letter C). Turns out participating is just another spectacle, eh?

The play between complicit as both condemnation and something hopeful is so well done. It is bright and beautiful but also terrifying.

Easily my second favorite video of the year. I think I need to share #1, tomorrow. The two combined are some of my favorite videos of all time, as well.

My Music Video Picks [MVP] is a series of posts highlighting various music and dance videos from Youtube. No particular schedule (sometimes lots, sometimes little) though it started as “daily”. It might not even all be music or dance videos. Absolutely picked by me, though. Usually I have to like both the song and the video, but we’ll see.

You can see at least the most recent songs here: [Doug’s] Music Video Picks [Youtube Playlist]. Size of that list will change as the mood strikes. Playlist might contain spoilers for unpublished posts. Just enjoy.

30 September = Singles Drop Apocalypse, Apparently

By Doug Bolden

On 2026-09-30

In Music, Music Video

Today, 30 September 2026, was for some reason an absolute collision of several singles by bands which I either listen to on the regular or just generally appreciate.

We’ll start with the one mentioned in yesterday’s post, mM7th’s newly rerecorded and released ｢エメトワ｣ aka «Aime Toi» aka “Love Yourself” [and yes, all that was just so I could use all the different quotation marks]:

It’s a fun video and the re-recording of the song does a lot to help the parts that already shine shine just a bit brighter. Originally the vocal mix felt a bit off compared to their other tracks but now when the Bridge/Chorus hits and eventually band members are chanting “One Day!” it works quite well.

There was also a new song by Pami, “Loser,” which is the video used in the graphic at the top of this page. The lyrics are a bit obvious but the video is anything but. I assume it is a metaphor. For what? Like, look… that feels personal.

It might win for best new video for today which is apparently a stacked category.

THEN, there was Nanajuuhachi’s “Half & Half” which is good song but the video will introduce you to “bedazzled pizza” and I tell you… kids these days, amirite?

I saw that Sezko had a new single coming which turned out to be a whole EP and then a video drop for “Honestly” which means there is only one more song without a video from the EP [which I expect around November(?) when the rest of it hits].

Finally, from today’s drops, alone [but wait, there’s literally more as I found out before I could click submit, see below] we have Froukje’s “Geen Rem” which, if nothing else, can act as a warning as to why you don’t use an eating contest to flirt. Two reasons, really. This is from an album that comes out in about three or four days so look forward to me chatting more about it, then.

NOW, going back just a little bit we have…

[one day ago] Lee Emi’s “Destroy Everything” and like I told Kaz having someone sing about the Devil telling them to destroy everything is fun and all but it would be a much worse conversation to have on a bus.
[four days ago] Cephalo’s “Bougainvillea” which is a nice song with a video in the always venerable “Blue tinted scene of Japanese woman by body of water” camp and finally, speaking of blue…
[five days ago] Mulasaki Ima & muque’s “Blue Cheese” which, and I say this with zero irony, does not actually feature as much blue cheese as it could have featured. Thank you. Might have done me in.

And we had other stuff like Olivia Rodrigo teasing the new Amazon exclusive reimagined-singles album, whoever is running the Oliver Tree account releasing the 3-in-1 “Remarkable Life of Cornelius Cummings” video, AND Mrs. Green Apple promoting their recent entire album.

The last one has a cute little green apple as you hover over the seek bar…

It’s only been one week since the new Brandy Senki song hit. Is this something to do with the new fiscal year? Prices of digital singles going up tomorrow?

No clue, but at least have lots of music to…

…..and, I kid you not, after I started typing this… Harha just released the “Teen Love” video to build up to the release of their first album. Good lord.

This feels like a record.

No pun intended.

Anyhow, I might be get off the internet for a bit before a dozen new tracks get released I get stuck for another few hours.

MM7th’s “Two of a Kind” [MVP #27]

By Doug Bolden

On 2026-09-29

In Doug's Daily Music Video Pick, Music, Music Video

Tomorrow (the exact +/- 24 hours I am not sure, but anywhere from around 6 hours to 26 hours I would guess), mM7th is going to release their 7th single and I have it pre-ordered.

Before it hits, though, let’s go back to their 6th single and jam out to nice city pop with a very slight touch of funk in the bassline with that slap of a voice, “Two of a Kind“:

I’m going to be honest, even knowing what this song is about I am not 100% sure what it is about? Met someone in the ER and then tried to hit it off during a moment of medical distress? Is Flower Shower Girl a person, a song, or the laundry detergent?

Eh, it’s all good. It’s a great single-take [probably with some trickery] video filmed right in a live street with a twee kidnapping plot and some awesome knit headware.

There’s a behind the scenes if you want to watch that, after.

My Music Video Picks [MVP] is a series of posts highlighting various music and dance videos from Youtube. No particular schedule (sometimes lots, sometimes little) though it started as “daily”. It might not even all be music or dance videos. Absolutely picked by me, though. Usually I have to like both the song and the video, but we’ll see.

You can see at least the most recent songs here: [Doug’s] Music Video Picks [Youtube Playlist]. Size of that list will change as the mood strikes. Playlist might contain spoilers for unpublished posts. Just enjoy.

Brandy Senki’s “Blood♡Sparks” [MVP #26]

By Doug Bolden

On 2026-09-23

In Doug's Daily Music Video Pick, Music, Music Video

Brandy Senki, a frequent feature on the Music Video Picks series, has returned with a new single, “Blood♡Sparks“:

Probably a full contender for2026’s catchiest song about flirtation through vehicular homicide. Let’s see what the last couple of months of the year might bring, though.

Really enjoy the aesthetic of the video and the song is a perfect continuation of the Brandy Senki style.

The one “downside” is that I have spent too long watching Backroooms/etc- style lore and hidden secrets videos this past couple of weeks so I found myself scanning all the various posters and pictures in the background to see if there were any hidden messages.

Are those two maps down below? 7pm? Wednesday or October 24? What could it all mean!? [Doug’s Note: They do have a concert on 24 Oct coming up and nothing scheduled for Wednesday, 21 Oct…wink…]

Also, HUGE CAVEAT, I don’t care how cute they are…if the cute person asks you to run over somebody: deny absolutely everything. Even if they promise kissy time.

For real for real…

Good luck, Space Pilgrims.

EDIT: Oh, almost forgot. For some reason the song has two versions on iTunes with one marked “Explicit” and the other not. I got the uncensored version but I’m not sure what the difference is [if any]. Might take a day or two for it to filter up [no pun intended].

My Music Video Picks [MVP] is a series of posts highlighting various music and dance videos from Youtube. No particular schedule (sometimes lots, sometimes little) though it started as “daily”. It might not even all be music or dance videos. Absolutely picked by me, though. Usually I have to like both the song and the video, but we’ll see.

You can see at least the most recent songs here: [Doug’s] Music Video Picks [Youtube Playlist]. Size of that list will change as the mood strikes. Playlist might contain spoilers for unpublished posts. Just enjoy.

[Synced Lyrics for…] azure’s I Believe in Magic

By Doug Bolden

On 2026-09-05

In Music, Synced Lyrics

synced lyrics for azure’s I Believe in Magic EP (LRC format)

Last night the Osaka-based Alternative Folk Rock band azure dropped a video for their song, “That Day” [aka “その日”]. It had some fun color contrast stuff which patterned the album cover: deep red with washed out blues. I liked it and commented as such and woke up to find pretty much the entire video was gone.

I’m sure there’s a story but it IS a good song and hopefully the video returns so I can make that post but for now I can just share that I (again with help from LyricSynapse) have now synced the EP and included it in my folder, above.

As always, the lyrics belong to the creators and everything I did can be treated as CC-0.

In the “Everything will be alright!” section of the song “Everything will be alright!” my brain is slightly convinced there’s an “and Everything…” but after listening a dozen times I’m convinced my brain is hallucinating. Which means it is likely time to call it, there.

I am sharing lyrics when I have contributed significant amounts of time syncing them [and in some cases: translating]. These are mostly for a personal project and the original lyrics, timings, songs, and so forth are all property of the performer and songwriters. My personal contribution is being released CC-0 but this does not include the lyrics themselves OR their translations. I make no guarantee about the translations.

Lyrics can be found via Google Drive. They are almost always in LRC format and in a naming convention that matches my source {Bandcamp, Apple, etc}. You might need to change them to suit your naming scheme if it varies.

A Hearty [year-long] Farewell to an Amazing Band… Scandal’s “Koisuru Universe” [MVP #25]

By Doug Bolden

On 2026-08-30

In Doug's Daily Music Video Pick, Music, Music Video

Scandal has just recently announced that after 20-years together as a band they are going to embark on a year-long, 47-prefecture concert and then finish off with a big solo-show [I think I can link directly to Youtube posts, I have no idea…if not, I already wrote the gist]. It is an astounding run and while I am of course sad to see such an amazing group go, I am much more appreciative than sad to have had a chance to listen to them for a while.

Which brings me to a video that is a bit different than their rest, and an inspiration for all of us wanting to share ice cream with our besties, Scandal’s “Koisuru Universe”:

It’s not their most watching video and not my favorite song from even the same album, Honey, but as one of the top comments used to say: “It is a vibe.”

My second favorite comment I have seen said something like, “When the singer is late to band practice, the band has to figure out something to pass the time.”

With about finally meeting someone that makes it all make sense and not even God can interfere with the attraction between them… I don’t, maybe it’s a metaphor.

At any rate, it is a vibe.

Anyhow, Space Pilgrims, if you want to know: my favorite song from that album is is probably “Take Me Out.” Might be my favorite Scandal song of all time. I don’t really know. They have had a lot of good ones. I’m going to have to deep dive and see how it goes.

My Music Video Picks [MVP] is a series of posts highlighting various music and dance videos from Youtube. No particular schedule (sometimes lots, sometimes little) though it started as “daily”. It might not even all be music or dance videos. Absolutely picked by me, though. Usually I have to like both the song and the video, but we’ll see.

You can see at least the most recent songs here: [Doug’s] Music Video Picks [Youtube Playlist]. Size of that list will change as the mood strikes. Playlist might contain spoilers for unpublished posts. Just enjoy.

De-J-‘ing My Music Collection (well, some of it…)

By Doug Bolden

On 2026-08-28

In Music

One of the causalities of my PLEX music library crashing was a feature that is not wholly unique to PLEX but is strange absent by default in a lot of others: Country of Origin.

There are a lot of musicians that carry their nationality with them in their style and presentation but are also not completely limited to it. Generally there is nothing to stop someone from another country from having a similar style. Sometimes language does make an impact about what kind of sounds work best, but even then, well…

However, there are times where the country/language get heavily linked to the genre identifier and this specific to some countries.

You don’t tend to see The Ramones sold under US-Punk while The Clash gets hit with UK-Punk. That gets brought up, sure, but it’s not treated like a meaningful genre signifier.

When you buy some Japanese music, though, it might be labeled as precisely as J-Rock or J-Pop or J-Rap (sometimes J-Pop gets used to absorb all of these).

I’ve also seen World Music, International Music, and other variations of that get slapped to pretty much any non-English track. The one that irritates is me is seeing entire Japanese language albums listed as “Anime” for a genre. And I’m not just talking about those singles used as anime OP/ED.

There are of course some situations where a country code works in an absolutely meaningful way. A lot of what I call K-Pop sounds like K-Pop to me (as a term I don’t precisely limit to to music from South Korea). And some J-Pop is pretty unique to itself (before we even get to distinct subgenres like City Pop). There are plenty variations of folk music and scene music. Some of the latter blends out with the Internet but even now you can find moments where some chunks of the world are producing a specific sound.

There can also be a relative meaning. Japanese style shoegaze can have differences than shoegaze from other places.

It is just, overall, I don’t treat The Pillows as substantially different than The Smashing Pumpkins, Pommelien Thijs as substantially different than Paloma Morphy, or Band-Maid as different from The Warning.

The latter, by the way, sort of inspired this. The way that The Warning don’t get slapped with M-Rock while a Japanese band might be slapped with the J-.

AND TO BE CLEAR, I AM NOT SAYING YOU DO THIS. You are probably fine. I mean, frankly, I don’t care if you come up with a half dozen country and locale codes. “This is Vlaanderen Muziek, or as I like to say, BeVla-Pop.” Knock yourself out, Space Pilgrims.

At any rate, my plan is just to build a custom MP3/M4A tag, Country, and apply it to all my “J-” bands and then swap out their genres into a few categories. Alt, Shoegaze, Rap, whatever. I’m not going to speed run it. Just tweak it a bit. I thought about doing the same for language but frankly that’s unnecessary. This is my own music library. If I ever get into the moment where I just have to hear a French-language song, I’m sure I can figure something out.

NMIXX might get their own genre as NMIXX, though. I don’t know.

PLEX tags, how I miss you.

[Synced Lyrics for…] The Warning’s Everything’s Falling

By Doug Bolden

On 2026-08-28

In Music, Synced Lyrics

The Warning’s Everything’s Falling synced lyrics (filetype: LRC)

Look, The Warning has popped off hard enough that I’m sure someone will have uploaded these (and probably multiple someones) but this morning as I was sitting down to jam out to the full album for the first time there were only three songs fully synced (being the singles): “Ego,” “Kerosene,” and “Ritual.”

I really liked the album and figured it could be fun to fire up LyricSynapse again and get them all in place [and tweak a few timings on the existing ones].

The results are in the Drive.

Think my favorite is possibly “Bite My Tongue” but I’ll give it a few days to sort through.

Felt wrong picking just one to be in the header so I flipped it sideways. That also feels wrong but what can one do?

I am sharing lyrics when I have contributed significant amounts of time syncing them [and in some cases: translating]. These are mostly for a personal project and the original lyrics, timings, songs, and so forth are all property of the performer and songwriters. My personal contribution is being released CC-0 but this does not include the lyrics themselves OR their translations. I make no guarantee about the translations.

Lyrics can be found via Google Drive. They are almost always in LRC format and in a naming convention that matches my source {Bandcamp, Apple, etc}. You might need to change them to suit your naming scheme if it varies.

[Synced Lyrics for…] Crazy Blues’ “Natsu, Kakenukeruyona”

By Doug Bolden

On 2026-08-26

In Music, Synced Lyrics

Crazy Blues released a new song, today: “Natsu, Kakenukeruyona“. I really like and have played it a good handful of times already.

While I’m sure someone will have synced the music is no time at all [turns out the video has timed subs and it would have been trivial to get those], I thought it might be nice to go through and do my own syncing. Sometimes I like breaking up lines a bit differently than “normal” and this one has a few repeated lines and diversions I had fun working in.

The “hey!” “ooo” and “aa” might not be the most exact, but that’s what they sounded like to my English speaking ears so I went with it.

All in all, it matches up with “YoungGirlsNeverApart” and “Light Song.” Crazy Blues is a perfect name for their sound. Joyous and wistful in equal measure. Whatever EP/LP they are cooking up will be astounding.

I am sharing lyrics when I have contributed significant amounts of time syncing them [and in some cases: translating]. These are mostly for a personal project and the original lyrics, timings, songs, and so forth are all property of the performer and songwriters. My personal contribution is being released CC-0 but this does not include the lyrics themselves OR their translations. I make no guarantee about the translations.

Lyrics can be found via Google Drive. They are almost always in LRC format and in a naming convention that matches my source {Bandcamp, Apple, etc}. You might need to change them to suit your naming scheme if it varies.

The best pro-cilantro propaganda you will see all day… Veno’s “Pakuchi” [MVP #24]

By Doug Bolden

On 2026-08-24

In Doug's Daily Music Video Pick, Music, Music Video

I’ll be real, I was going to avoid premieres for a half second to focus on the backlog AND I had planned to do a monthly-check-in type thing today but Veno just dropped an astounding song about cilantro…

Ok, maybe not so much about cilantro but about being a taste that stands out — for better and worse — rather than something that other people offer. It’s a cute way of using a well-understood food metaphor to flirt.

I support this.

And Veno is a queen of food-based flirtations. From the more obvious “Midnight Lu Rou Fan” to the somewhat subdued request to sip some orange juice in “Don’t Stop the Thrill.”

I really like this song. Ok, NOW…now I’ll try and get through the backlog.

My Music Video Picks [MVP] is a series of posts highlighting various music and dance videos from Youtube. No particular schedule (sometimes lots, sometimes little) though it started as “daily”. It might not even all be music or dance videos. Absolutely picked by me, though. Usually I have to like both the song and the video, but we’ll see.

You can see at least the most recent songs here: [Doug’s] Music Video Picks [Youtube Playlist]. Size of that list will change as the mood strikes. Playlist might contain spoilers for unpublished posts. Just enjoy.