HEAR THIS: Japanese Breakfast
*photos by Julian Master and Zachary Chick
Japanese Breakfast do so much more than conjure up images of scrumptious okonomiyaki or warm miso soup. The Philadelphia-based lo-fi band create an elegance fitting for the party celebrated once someone drops into the afterlife (“In Heaven”). Each time vocalist Michelle Zauner sings her dreamy lines, orchestral-sounding strings dazzle like the lights of a Japanese hot spot. In “Jane Cum,” the band channels Björk, while a track like “The Woman That Loves You” leaves one remembering scenes from Lost in Translation as each note becomes human enough to have its breath taken away. The band’s debut record Psychopomp is a wondrous soundtrack to strolls through busy but lovely districts.