Recorded over weekends from January to August 1998 at Studio T408 in Sapporo, romantico is 800 cherries’ third release and their first full album after the 1997 mini album. Manami Marufuji and Masayuki Takahashi build these songs from acoustic and electric guitars, Casio tones, JP-8000 synths, organs, percussion and programmed rhythms. The production has a small-room warmth, with the electronics kept soft around the melodies rather than pushed into the foreground.
There’s a gentle European pop tint here, alongside the minimal floating quality of Stereolab, the wistful electronic pop of Donna Regina and traces of early Salon Music. “romantico”, “la pa ti ta” and “honeydew blue” suggest the album’s bright, carefully made pop side, while the closing stretch includes “here she comes now”, their version of the Velvet Underground song. The original 1998 release came through Clover Records, a Japanese label connected to the Sapporo indie scene, and this paid edition is available in FLAC, ALAC, WAV, AIFF and 320 kbps MP3, with CD and cassette editions also listed. A good fit for anyone drawn to handmade bedroom pop, soft synthpop and Japanese indie records that leave a little air around every part.
