VA - DIE IN POP (2018)

No label does compilations quite like Ano(t)raks. This decade, their stuffed-tight collections have highlighted artists who have gone on too much bigger things in the Japanese market…and also highlighted some of the more interesting artists to stay in the indie world, too. Die In Pop is the label’s latest, and like previous efforts offers a glance at Japan’s indie-pop scene. This comp zeroes in mostly on the guitar-centric side of things, opening up with a zippy number from Bearwear before touching on other artists from Japan’s vast indie-pop scene. It ranges from the slightly dreamy sounds of BLANCO’s “Paradise” to the more straight-forward jangle of I Saw You Yesterday’s “Girlfriend.” A few familiar sounds come up —- Youthmemory’s “Neo Tokyo,” still a gem — but the bulk of this comp is a chance to jump in and find something new.