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(High Five by Nobuo Uematsu) When I heard this in FFVII Remake for the first time during a battle I paused the gameplay, cranked the music, and danced while tearing up with joy.

(Jam Jam by IU) It's crazy how this era is so long past now. This is still my IU jam, I can't resist a song that holds back going all out until the final chorus.

(Kill This Love by BLACKPINK) Step aside IU because this was the dawn of a new era. I still love how the chorus starts with just horns, no beat. So fucking badass.

(forsurebelieve by ventla) Ventla is a true genius. this little nugget of joy is a perfect example of his ability to pull together a bunch of haunting lofi elements over an off the grid stumbling beat and somehow create a whole new reality that exists for only 2 minutes

(恋文・過ぎ去りし思い出「銀太のバカヤロー!!」by Rie Hamada, Keiichi Oku, Takeshi Ike) The Marmalade Boy anime ost is full of extreme nostalgic and saccharine feelings, but like Miki and her romantic woes it all feels as important as the cosmos itself. So emotionally resonant it feels like exploding.

(a stairway to the stars by The Caretaker) For a period in my life all I did was play FFXI and loop The Caretaker discography. It's still insane to me that one of my all time favorite niche electronic artists became a viral sensation. Sometimes feels like finding a bunch of strangers in your house.

(I've hummed this tune to all the girls i've known by Leyland Kirby) Speaking of The Caretaker this is my favorite original track by Leyland Kirby. Haunting and beautiful and touching on the sweetest but most fleeting joys of romance.

(Non-self by Jaeho Hwang) Korean hardcore industrial. I was lucky to be on the bill with him at FORESTLIMIT Tokyo, where his relentless assault of massive violent beats broken up with samples of traditional Korean instruments and Buddhist chants became a transcendent spiritual experience.

(1995年の秋葉原に雪が降る by AOTQ) [first track of linked comp] I'll never forget listening to this with @suteaca.bsky.social as he drove us along the cliff-laden coast above the Japanese seaside, twisting and and out of tunnels between breathtaking views. 🥲

(Being a Good Girl Hurts by Yena) Ex-IZ*ONE Yena has been crushing it the last few years. I picked this up blind at a kpop store and was surprised to find a jpop/anime/kpop hybrid bubblegum bop with an extremely complex arrangement

(Ballad of Big Nothing by Elliott Smith) The polar opposite from pristine Asian corporate pop. Elliott Smith is a part of anyone who was ever touched by his post-Beatles songwriting genius. I especially loved it when he reached for a huge, powerful sound. The broken cooing over the final chorus...

(The Star You Left Behind by Quasi) Speaking of Elliott Smith, his Heatmiser bandmate Sam Coomes and Sleater Kinney drummer Janet Weiss make the duo Quasi: hands down "my band" when I was in high school. If you like my sense of chord progression, Quasi shares it. We are kindred.

(Isn't It A Pity by George Harrison) I discovered Quasi by hearing the above track in a store and losing my shit because I thought it sounded like this George Harrison song. One of those songs that could go on and on forever - and that Hey Jude coda 🤌

(Message From Nightopia by Tomoko Sasaki) I didn't have a Playstation growing up, I was a Sega Saturn kid. Nights was everything to me - especially the music, which I tried to compositionally emulate for my Winter Sleep project.

Radical City: Living In The City by Richard Jacques and TJ Davis) Sampling this song put DDS on the map, but I had this game as a kid and used to play the game disc in CD players just to jam the ost. I genuinely love it so much.

(Binasu by Kate NV) Sparkling indie synth pop from a lost era of Orange Milk. My Kate NV introduction, I was completely obsessed with this song - I would ride my bike around Philly singing along with the "NA NANA NANA!"s at the end, tearing up, heart racing.

(シェットランドに頬をうずめて by Mariya Takeuchi) The closer to the famous VARIETY album is a sweet lounge jam that tugs at my heart. At the end when she sings "I say I love you, and I always will, my dear…" in English I fucking lose it every time 😭 (sorry for Apple Music link it's not on YT and fuck Spotify)

(Natural Woman by Ryusenkei) Speaking of loungey city pop, a modern favorite are the café friendly Ryusenkei. They have worked with some amazing vocalists in the past (including Hitomitoi!). This track features Atsuko Hiyajo and is just one of those songs I have looped 1000 times.

(Flash of Light by Hitomitoi) More neo-city pop, this was the track that kind of got me into the contemporary stuff, this francophile shit just fucking slams. Interesting fact, Hitomitoi is Yoshitaka Amano's daughter-in-law 🤯

(Tweeter And The Monkey Man by Traveling Wilbury's) More dad influence. One of my first favorite songs, back when I was like 7 years old. Fucked up when you listen to the lyrics but I didn't know what was goin on lol

(Prologue/Twilight by Electric Light Orchestra) Despite growing up with the Traveling Wilburys, I didn't figure out who ELO and Jeff Lynn were until I was 25. Time especially fucked me up, now I have an ELO tattoo on my leg to remind me you're never too old to discover something life altering.

(Gats by Susumu Hirosawa) Absolutely sacred music.

(Pharo by Freedom Call) When I was in my 20s, my band kind of had a power metal awakening. We loved everything massive and legendary sounding, even if cheesy as hell. This song, it's like you can imagine seeing a giant god strolling over the mountains, head in the clouds...