Romantico

On Romantico, Japan's 800 Cherries debuted their blissful style of indie pop to an American audience. The disc begins with the organ-based "Painty Paint Pots," which also includes a stylish xylophone. The duo of Manami Marufuji and Masayuki Takahashi create an innocent and simple blend of pop sounds throughout the disc. On the title track, a soulful and short instrumental, the duo collaborates to solidify their pop sound, after having appeared on various indie pop compilations before this full-length disc. On "Planc-tone," the synthesizer and keyboards take on a more ambient sound. That song is followed by the subdued pop-electronica of "Through." "La Pa Ti Ta" follows next. It's possibly the most carefree and blatantly poppy song on the album. "Honeydew Blue" continues with a moderately upbeat tempo, while things return to a minimalist and downbeat ballad with "Frozen." The disc ends with a cover of the Velvet Underground's "Here She Comes Now." Takahashi's controlled high vocals are a certain highlight, while Marufuji performs most of the instruments on the disc. Stereolab and the Free Design are obvious influences. March records released Romantico in 1999.