Nikaido Kazumi

Idiosyncratic songwriter Nikaido Kazumi's Nijimi will go down as one of the best Japanese albums of the year, a record that's as generous in its melodies as it is determinedly un-cloying in its emotions. The Hiroshima native is getting to the end of a lengthy national tour in support of the album, accompanied by a band including bassist Gandhi Nishigaki and percussionist Daiho Soga from Cinema Dub Monks. If you didn't manage to get tickets for her WWW show back in October, now's your chance.