https://shikuramengarden.bandcamp.com/album/nicole
Back when I spent a lot more time writing about the music from Illuminated Paths, I began to think I knew what vaporwave was. But, you see, the idea that I have in my mind for vaporwave is made up of sounds which have audio clips and music. It's very chopped up and served as the artist sees fit, with singing sure but usually it's sampled. On "Nicole", Suli Hyuga takes the idea of vaporwave to a whole new level.
What was once thought of as being sampled as an audio clip now stands out as someone actually singing on the song. It's nothing against the electronic nature of vaporwave (I love it) but this has that more organic sound to it, as if someone was making vaporwave but rather than sampling used real elements. This has an R&B feel to it though there are also beats. There are big beats, but again, I'd still say this is more about soul than to think of it as hp-hop.
I've also taken note of the length of the songs as other artists- closer to the mainstream- might have made these songs and put them at four minutes long. That's one of the things which bothers me about modern music: no one seems to know when to stop. It's like you get this idea in your head and think it's so great you just keep it going until by the end I'm sick of hearing it. Or as Sage Francis would say: "You know the repetitive songs that keep playing".
Aside from always leaving them wanting more, Suli Hyuga have mastered that craft of writing a song which can both tug at your heart strings with lyrics like "I don't trust nobody / not even her" just as easily as the beat can make you want to get up and move. From a mainstream perspective this type of music seems to be all style and no substance (In the sense that if you make it, you must dress a certain way, have a certain haircut, etc.) and Suli Hyuga is bringing all of the substance-- though that isn't to discredit any of the possible style because they do manage to make this look oh so good.
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