Decades ago, when Japan was undergoing its Economic Miracle, one of its effects was a push of residency away from the main city into the suburbs, or as we affectionately call them now, the boonies. And back then, these new bedroom towns surrounding train/subway stations were being given the name "New Town". So there were suburban communities filled with concrete danchi apartment buildings and infrastructure with names such as Chiba New Town and Tama New Town.
Nowadays, these hubs seem to be still cropping up like mushrooms although without the dated name of New Town. One such neighbourhood is where my good friend and his family currently live, Musashi-Kosugi, just west of Tokyo, and it's no longer just concrete towers but towers of that, and glass & steel, supplemented with stylish stores, restaurants and other accouterments to make for some comfortable (if somewhat expensive) living. I even saw Musashi-Kosugi get its due on a regular NHK show a few weeks ago.
"Tamatama New Town" was written and composed by Tica Alpha（ティカ・α）who is also Sotaisei Riron vocalist Etsuko Yakushimaru（やくしまるえつこ）. Yakushimaru was someone that I first heard about through her anison contributions, including "X-Jigen e Yokoso"（Ｘ次元へようこそ）, the ending theme for the popular "Space Dandy". Knowing her voice quite well now after multiple listenings to "X-Jigen e Yokoso", her quiet and steady delivery against all of that sonic wave makes for a strangely soothing contrast. The one heard here is an extended version since the original take is only 3 minutes-and-change long with the last half of this version filled with a guitar solo.
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