Alone In Kyoto.
Lost in a Japanese translation like Air's atmospheric soundtrack, 'Alone In Kyoto' or Scarlett Johansson Shinkansen taking a solo bullet there in the aforementioned Sofia Coppola movie alongside the one and only Bill Murray, Phoebe Bridgers is back. And there's no better place for her to be right now than in the land of the rising sun...well apart from quarantined at home like the rest of us that is. Following her classic comeback single, 'Garden Song' in bloom, the Los Angeles, California indie darling is here in 'Kyoto'. The most traditional of towns for this instant vintage singer, retro like stores you won't find on Rodeo. The perfect song for us Far East during our Tokyo drift like Sung Kang's Han, via a Yokohama home. But over 200 miles away (or four days like the amazing cyclist this writer met in a hot spring in Hakone), or a couple of hours if you shoot a bullet from the bright lights and big city and Shibuya Scramble crossing (now with no need for traffic lights now everyone is staying home and staying safe as houses), under the Starbucks you'd now be lucky enough to get a seat looking over in (but make that coffee at home and self isolate. It's cheaper and better for your health), Kyoto is a picturesque far cry from the neon dream of the capital exclamation in electric. Beyond beautiful, surrounded by traditional temples and wood and bamboo, there is nowhere as compellingly classic and weary traveller reawakening and wonderful as this puncuation place for your gap year itinerary. It's the picture perfect postcard and soundtrack setting for this single, just a few train stops away from Osaka or the port and beef town that gave the late, great Kobe his name.
Sounding distinctly and traditionally in inspired instrumental like the country of this tracks origin, or a Japanese House or Breakfast, this terrific track would have found itself in translation to that Park Hyatt Hotel movies soundtrack back in the day. Just like BTS frontman R.M's 'Seoul' like '.mono' ode to the same 'Tokyo' British best Lianne La Havas bittersweetly found herself alone in. And like that karaoke parlour video amongst the taxis and temples, or 'The Jezabels' subway to Shibuya 'My Love Is My Disease' stalk, Bridgers bridges the gap with a mesmerizing music video that looks like an old school, 80's Japanese one you'd find on the television sets squirrled away in thrift shops. Taking you via Godzilla rays and cherry blossom skies on a neon time lapse shimmering tour like a ray of Madonna light. Bringing her new single to Jimmy Kimmel, 'Live From The Lavatory' via her bathroom under the creative influence of isolation (got to love those bathtub acoustics). Harmonising into a pink toy microphone like these were the school instruments of Jimmy Fallon and The Roots, she sings, "born under Scorpio skies/I wanted to see the world through your eyes/until It happened and I changed my mind." As "dreaming of Tokyo skies" the 'Georgia', 'Chelsea' and 'Smoke Signals' singer who has recorded for everyone from the 1975 ('Jesus Christ 2005, God Bless America') to the Zach Galifianakis 'Between Two Ferns' movie and has even named a record after Demi Moore like Angus and Julia Stone did Sylvester Stallone tells us, "Day off in Kyoto/Got bored at the temple/Looked around at the 7-Eleven/The band took the speed train". Should have gone to Lawson.
Convenience store browsing or not this is one of Phoebe's most personal and prolific best yet and she's been doing that constantly with the 'Garden Song' this Spring. The boygenius and Better Oblivion Community Center with Conor Oberst supergroup singer is now one of the most independent, wisest artists in this young mainstream age of cherry picking Spotify stream trends. She's full albums on repeat to everyone else's skipped stones. Her rainbow record dog days debut, 'Stranger In The Alps' and its 'A Ghost Story' like sketched artwork puts a sheet over the competition and is a haunting, stone cold classic. Still to this timeless day. It's crazy to think its been three years since its release. But now the 'Smoke Signals' atmospherically direct us to a new release when we really need it now with albums from legends like star (re)born Lady Gaga ('Chromatica') and the California Summer girls of Haim ('Women In Music Pt. III' and what quite possibly, five tracks in may be the album of the year) quarantined pushed back a year after Maggie Rogers (giving us the album of the year in January with 'Heard It In A Past Life'), 'Cheap Queen' King Princess and of course Lana Del Rey ('Norman F###### Rockwell') showed it really was a calendar like it is a time for women in music right now like it's always been and always should be. Now look to Phoebe F###### Bridgers dot com to lead the mother lovin' way with her new album 'Punisher' due June. As the 'Killer' EP artist in the Jack Skeleton jumpsuit looks to kill the competition again like Frank Castle to the skull with the bones of her bold and beautiful songwriting and flesh and blood storytelling. We're a long way away from finding a vaccine for this COVID-19, but in a home life starved for entertainment with sports postponed and cinemas cancelled like most actors, with music being somewhat healing, this 'Kyoto' song is the beginning of your stay at home, middle of the night boredom cure. TIM DAVID HARVEY.
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