Hi, everyone. Heythony Yestano here, the internet's busiest music nerd. It's time for a review of this new Ginger Root album, Shinbangumi.

Here we have the latest full-length LP from Ginger Root, the musical project spearheaded by DIY producer, singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, Mr. Cameron Lew, who has been industriously finetuning this nostalgic blend of soul and synth funk and pop in disco for quite a few years now, and doing so with a lofi fuzzy veneer, are reminiscent of indie singer-songwriters that had a hypnagogic flair to their output, the likes of Toro Y Moi or a Neon Indian, Alan Palomo, who recently came out with a new record as well, Ariel Pink, too.

However, as far as influences go, Lew's musical DNA expands outside of the west a bit, actually quite a bit more into Japanese city pop. And many of these elements and reference points were baked into the Ginger Root recipe pretty early on, reaching as far back as formative singles like "Two Step". And it's interesting to dig through the past Ginger Root catalog and just see how Lew's arrangements and pop sensibilities and vintage pop shtick have all just strengthened since then, really reaching a point on two banger EPs that were released, respectively in 2021 and 2022.

And now from those projects, Lew is pretty much graduating to a big indie deal with Ghostly International, on which he is releasing this new record over here. And for the most part, the songs on this LP feel like he is taking the skills and magic that he forged on those two recently released EPs and just extending them out to an album's length. A strategy that might make the most sense, given that this opportunity may lead Lew to new listeners, a larger audience.

I mean, the prime tracks that have been released from this album thus far have already netted him millions more streams and views across various platforms. But as catchy and rich with arrangements as a song like "No Problems" is with its strings and killer key change, many of the tracks on this album feel a bit less eccentric than very cheeky fan favorites like "Loretta" have proven to be. And as a result, it feels like Lew is attempting to give this revivalist brand of pop a more professional presentation.

Everything here reads as very sweet and groovy throughout the project. In fact, the entire record sounds like a weird long lost pop gem that you would catch in some random crate at a record store or out of the craziest YouTube algorithm recommendation, or even a dead music blog that hasn't been updated in eight years. And again, while it is cool to hear a young up and coming artist making music that is so obviously indebted to the likes of Yellow Magic Orchestra, as well as the weirder side of new wave and synthpop, like the Buggles or Devo, who I'll mention a bit later. I do feel like Lou is playing it a bit safe in terms of reeling back some of the odd and quirky qualities that made those artists so interesting beyond the obvious music skill that went into their work.

And while the slightly lofi presentation of these tracks most definitely contributes to this sense that all the music you're hearing here is old and from a bygone era, I feel like that vibe could have easily been achieved with a cleaner recording, too, one that would have made the vocals seem as versatile as they actually are. I feel like in a sense, they come off a bit pinned in inflection and range-wise because of just how dirty they feel. Still, despite those complaints, though, I do think there is a lot of ear candy on this record, especially on instrumental side, and many a strong hook as well, like on "Only You", which I think is one of Lew's most catchy and soaring anthems yet, with bold lead vocals, glistening keys, and very refined disco grooves.

There are also some very lovely harmonious Beatles-esque instrumental flourishes on the track "There Was A Time" that certainly make that track a highlight. Meanwhile, the track "All Night" contains some of the most raw and driving synth funk grooves on the entire record, and a surprisingly dark bridge that flows in and out of these much brighter verses and choruses really well. Then "Giddy Up", in many respects, is your typical Ginger Root fare, if there is such a thing at this point. But the twangy post-punk guitars and beats that make up the backbone of the track seem very, very, very indebted to the first couple of Devo records. And this song, I think, is actually the best example of Lew really yucking it up on the vocal side of the song, too. When will you love me? When will you care?

Which brings me back to earlier tracks like "Loretta", where he is just being very silly, very over the top, really selling it on the vocal side. I wish he was doing just a bit more of that throughout this record because Lew really does have a fun and expressive voice when he's laying into it, and I would encourage him to avoid being shy with it.

One other surprising moment on the record comes in the form of "Kaze", which is Japanese for "wind," which not only brings an interesting switch up on the lingual side, but it's also this tropical little bossa nova type vibe with lots of quirky and zany arranged instrumentation on top of the cords. While the hook is not that strong, the instrumental itself comes across some very bright, kooky, cartoonish elevator music or like, I don't know, an '80s or '90s video game start or menu screen. And again, I feel like a track like this shows the potential for what we could have heard more of throughout the album or maybe on a longer version of this album because it's really not all that long. If you strip out the interlude cuts, you really have nine core songs on the record that total up to 30 minutes and change.

As long as I'm complaining, I feel like the record has a bit of a weak finish to it, too, where Lew, unfortunately, paints Ginger Root into a bit of a corner. And that's despite, again, not having a super long run time to begin with, as I feel like "Show 10" feels like we're hearing a starrier version of many musical ideas that were nailed earlier on the album, namely on "Only You".

And then "Take Me Back" lyrically is not really the powerhouse emotionally. It could have been given the topic of the song. And the track presents a very weak reprise at the finish with a callback to "No Problems" as a closing track. It doesn't really bring a great sense of finality or anything like that to the record.

But overall, I felt like this album was just some very good quality, catchy vintage ear candy that is impressively produced and assembled for the most part. But I think some major depth and artistic weight could have been added to this project with some more versatility, with some more standout lyrics, with even a more versatile array of influences being displayed on the instrumental side.

But with all of that being said, Ginger Root's big graduation indie label moment on this record was still fun, was still entertaining, was still colorful, and still undeniably creative, which is why I'm feeling a light to decent seven on it.

Anthony Fantano. Ginger Root. Forever.