Hatsune Kaidan

The digital idol, anthologised. Best gathers ten tracks selected by Jojo Hiroshige himself from across the catalogue of Hatsune Kaidan, the project that pairs the Vocaloid singer Hatsune Miku with the harsh noise of Hijokaidan.

It works as an ideal entry point. The range of covers alone is startling - anime songs sitting beside the Velvet Underground and the cult singer Yoshiko Sai - all delivered in Miku's synthetic voice and then run through the group's roaring feedback. The result is pop song and noise assault held in the same frame, so improbably catchy at moments that it is hard to believe it comes from the self-styled King of Noise. As the project's own motto has it, noise is melody.

A concentrated dose of one of the more conceptually pointed corners of the Hijokaidan universe. Issued by Alchemy Records in 2018, its cover reworking the artwork of the earlier Noisy Killer.