The Feeling Of Love - Shintaro Sakamoto (Vinyl) (RSD Drops 2021)

Shintaro Sakamoto, the former frontman of legendary psych/rock band Yura Yura Teikoku, is a Japanese music composer, producer, writer and singer based in Tokyo. New 12-inch EP is the latest release on Records Store Day 2021, a collection of his new songs recorded during the pandemic, available on vinyl.

Tracks include "The Feeling Of Love" - a boogie number that features a tremolo guitar, an exotic steel guitar, and a robotic voice with a light mid-tempo beat, with lyrics depicting the everyday life within the　extraordinary situation. "Obscure Nightclub" is a ballad with a bottom heavy beat, a steel guitar, a clear flute sound, and an insect-voiced chorus. While portraying the scene of a nightclub, he sings about his　feelings under the pandemic. The B-side features "By Swallow Season" - a mid-tempo jazzy boogie track, with sentimental lyrics over a floating mellow wah-wah guitar and melancholy saxophone. "How many years does it take to return to normal~", Sakamoto sings, reflecting on the situation. The EP ends with "Don't Tinker With History", a boogie-funk song which opens with a James Brown-like guitar riff. An ultimate soul classic in contemporary Japan, the echoey steel guitar and the dry strumming blends in with the tight groove, along with his straightforward lyrics like "People and events that were pretended it didn't exist".

Side A 1. The Feeling Of Love 2. Obscure Nightclub
Side B 1. By Swallow Season 2. Don't Tinker With History