Tokyo's Coolest Sound

This is Tokyo's Coolest Sound's own radio show, which is featured on La Face B (Facebook page), an Internet radio based in Montréal (Québec, Canada). It brings you some favorite songs and artists that you've read about in these pages. Tune in at the times below at https://lafaceb.live.

"Noël Nippon" édition 2024 was aired at https://lafaceb.live on December 19 from 20:30 (EST = Montréal/New York).
* Japan time: December 20, 2024 from 10:30 a.m.

This episode is not archived as-is.

Listen to the Spotify playlist of some of the songs played (according to Spotify availability), or scroll down this page to find music videos and individual songs, and also listen to the narration.

Below is the full tracklist with liner notes, and narration parts you can listen to.

1. Hazy Sour Cherry "Bell of the beginning" (2021)

"Bell of the beginning" is Hazy Sour Cherry (Instagram, Facebook, Bandcamp)'s first Christmas-themed song, released in 2021. The EP of the same name can be found on Bandcamp, and on various streaming platforms (Spotify, , YouTube Music). It also includes a cover of The Pixies Three's "Cold, cold winter".

Hazy Sour Cherry just recently released a horror-themed album, titled "Hazy Horror Party". It's available on vinyl and download/streaming.

🎙 Listen to Narration I
Presenting: Hazy Sour Cherry, YMCK

2. YMCK "Minasama, Go Anzen ni" (2024)
(Japanese title: YMCK 「皆様、ご安全に」)

YMCK has released this month an EP of three Christmas songs, titled "YMCK's Cozy Christmas Song Collection" (Spotify, , YouTube Music). It includes this brand new song titled "Minasama, Go Anzen ni" (meaning "Stay safe, everyone") as well as two more songs previously performed only live. Watch the music video for "Minasama, Go Anzen ni" below, their first live-action music video.

Find a message about the release on YMCK's Facebook page.

3. Michiru Hoshino "suteki ni X'mas Night" (2016)
(Japanese title: 星野みちる 「素敵にX'mas Night」)

This is Michiru Hoshino's Christmas single from 2016. It seems that Tower (Japan only) still has the 7" available for backorder.

Michiru hadn't been active musically for the last few years, her latest album being "Midnight Confessions" (2019). However, she has recently appeared in some Smooth Ace shows singing backing vocals. She also opened an online shop of goods she designs, named Okao Shop.

Single sampler clip

4. The Pen Friend Club "Christmas Delights" (2018)

"Christmas Delights" is an original Christmas song by The Pen Friend Club. First released in 2018 on their Christmas album "Merry Christmas from The Pen Friend Club" (Spotify, , YouTube Music), it has also appeared on their brand new greatest hits compilation "Best Of The Pen Friend Club 2018-2024" out now on CD and digitally (Spotify, , YouTube Music).

The band released this year a new album titled "Back In The Pen Friend Club", the first featuring their latest singer Niina.

🎙 Listen to Narration II
Presenting: Michiru Hoshino, The Pen Friend Club, Learners

5. Learners "Hot Club Of Christ" (2016)

This one is a cover of Aztec Camera's "Hot Club Of Christ", performed by Learners, from a 7" Christmas EP released in 2016. One copy of the 2nd pressing is available at time of writing at Bandcamp! It's also available digitally (Spotify, , YouTube Music).

Learners is the rockabilly-style band led by Matsuda "Chabe" Gakuji (also of Neil & Iraiza, aka Cubismo Grafico), featuring on vocals Sara Mary, and on guitar Chie Horiguchi, on bass Masamitsu Hamada, and on drums Taichi Furukawa (Konkos). The band is currently on hiatus but several members are active separately. Chie Horiguchi has a new single titled "Cosmic Highway" to be released on January 10, 2025. Chabe has recently released a track as cubismo grafico, find details here.

6. Hideki Kaji "The Winter Fields" (2021)
(Japanese title: カジヒデキ Kaji Hideki 「冬の野原を疾走する子供たち」 "fuyu no nohara o shissō suru kodomotachi")

"The Winter Fields" (Spotify, , YouTube Music) is an original instrumental song from Hideki Kaji's 3-song Christmas CD EP "(I Wish It Could Be) Christmas Everyday", released in 2021.

Hideki Kaji released this year the brand new album "Being Pure At Heart", also available on vinyl.

7. MANON "Winter Lil Life feat. Sleet Mage" (2019)

Maybe this song isn't available anymore? But here it is as a winter favorite!

MANON (Instagram, 𝕏) has been active with her unit bala —releasing this year the EP "bala-llel world" (Spotify, , YouTube Music)—, and recently she released new solo songs "seichōtsū" (music video) and just today "Nobody Like Kyun" (Spotify, , YouTube Music).

🎙 Listen to Narration III
Presenting: Hideki Kaji, MANON, Toshiyuki Yasuda & Tarō Sukegawa & The Firefly Clan & Satoru Wono & Seigen Tokuzawa

8. Toshiyuki Yasuda & Tarō Sukegawa & The Firefly Clan & Satoru Wono & Seigen Tokuzawa "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" (2011)
(Japanese title: 安田寿之 & 助川太郎 & The Firefly Clan & Satoru Wono & 徳澤青弦 「Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas」)

In December 2010, I had the great pleasure to be at this event organized by Toshiyuki Yasuda and held in an old and comfortable house. For the show's encore, all of the musicians part of the event got together to perform this cover of "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas". Find a report of the event with photos, even one taken during this song, here.

A year later, songs from the event series were released digitally as album "We 'hub' music Vol. 01-04" (2011), available on iTunes.

Toshiyuki Yasuda has been working on a new 7th album, from which several songs have been released in advance. These can be found in a Spotify playlist.

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Find previous radio shows right here. You can also listen to some older ones on Mixcloud.