Make Believe Melodies For October 14, 2024
Make Believe Melodies For October 14, 2024
Welcome To The PAS TASTA Fan Blog
PAS TASTA Featuring PinocchioP — “B.B.M.”
I could spend hours just listing reasons why PAS TASTA is the best project going in Japan. I already started that work when writing on GOOD POP, but probably have another, like, two dozen paragraphs minimum in me about this netlabel-born producer collective gleefully smashing sounds together. What’s perhaps the most important detail to this is the group isn’t keeping others out of the sandbox, but rather inviting anyone around to join them in colliding everything on hand and imagining the wildest noises possible…before trying to make them a reality.
Of course Vocaloid would fit in as naturally as a Tonka truck for these guys. All of their individual internet origins points towards them all dabbling in the technology, if not outright using it. And hey, why not bring in a pro boasting their own imaginative and downright wacky interpretations of what the software can be? PAS TASTA bringing PinocchioP into the fold is just a natural extension of GOOD POP, an album doubling as a speed run of the sound of modern J-pop. How could you even begin to understand it without Hatsune Miku?
With these guys, it’s never that simple. “B.B.M.” lets PinocchioP work their lyrical magic through the digi-delivery of Vocaloid, crafting a twisty-turny peak at the emptiness of modern commercialism and the void within us all we try to fill with shiny appliances. It’s on point for Vocaloid, a corner of Japanese music often overlooked for its subversion (see a recent song about cement-like ice cream that’s actually a commentary on the constant flux of the Japanese landscape).
Then comes PAS TASTA to ratchet it up. The music around PinocchioP’s synthesized singing is clanging percussion that sounds like someone knocking over a K-Mart utensil aisle rubbing up against part beats. Discombobulated voices come in and out, and the track blurbles and gurgles, without losing its swagger. There’s touches of metal, including a throaty “Best Buy,” possibly referring to the big-box store or just the general concept. A familiar echo of modern J-pop comes through…but these guys are here to let their imaginations run wild over it. Listen above.
Fellsius — you / pure
There’s a newfound humanity surging through this two-song offering from producer Fellsius. Already an ace at sound production, here he aims for earnestness by working in a persistent guitar strum on the melancholy rush of “you” while “pure” uses repeating vocal samples and sudden breaks in tempo to create a dancefloor dream transforming from garage to juke to something borderline ambient. Get it here, or listen above.
rirugiliyangugili Featuring Ryugo Ishida And Lil Ash Zange — “Drug makes me nani?”
I’m guilty of focusing too much on rirugiliyangugili’s dirtbag-sound side at the expense of his other experiments…but if you heard “Pocket Tish” first, I think you would too. “Drug make me nani?” actually does a great job of capturing his chaotic side while not dissolving into sonic hijinks. Despite sounding zonked, the beat actually stays pretty upbeat, and allows everyone involved to show off a range of delivery, from swagger to shouting. Perhaps the presence of Yurufuwa Gang’s Ryugo Ishida, who definitely knows how to carry himself in any condition, helps to center this one. Listen above.
Hoshimiya Toto And Sozen Otsubo — “Shade”
What I like about Hoshimiya Toto’s collaborations with TEMPLIME is the urgency the three get out of one another. What I appreciate about something like “Shade” — made in advance of a collaborative EP between the virtual artist and producer Sozen Otsubo, who appeared on last year’s triumphant POP-AID as a guest — is how unhurried it is. The song practically defies gravity in how it moves forward, featuring fragmented elements but never feeling particularly in a rush. That doesn’t mean the emotional longing fails to come through…it just floats instead of sprints. Listen above.
Manaka — “Tapping”
Here’s the opposite situation playing out, with young artist Manaka turning to the tempo of Jersey Club to make a sweet sprint of a pop song. Listen above.
Guchon — “Sweet Land”
Serotonin-boosting producer Guchon’s contribution to French label Happiness Therapy’s latest compilation is just the sort of track I want to hear before diving into what comes next. Listen above, or get the comp here.
XG — “IYKYK”
What the hell is Avex is the 2020s? “A mess” might be too mean, but the long-standing J-pop powerhouse feels adrift at a time when the industry they helped pioneer is actually making global movements. This isn’t even me speculating — though, it doesn’t take much sleuthing to pick up on the fact Avex lacks artists of its own with greater appeal, leaning mostly on projects they help distribute instead — as I’ve heard the same from plenty others in Japanese music. During a time of rapid change, Avex feels like a relic.
Which ironically might be its strongest advantage now. The company’s rich history serves as a foundation on “IYKYK,” the latest song from XG, the one project Avex can push to the forefront (and the only one they really are). It samples m-flo’s “prism,” and builds around that, without departing too far from the source material.
It’s a logical move from a group whose best work to date already sounded like m-flo, or at the very least played in the same Y2K orbit as the project. History does a lot of heavy lifting here. I’m largely anti XG, repulsed by its “X-pop” bullshit and turned off by songs such as “WOKE UP,” probably still the worst thing I’ve heard in 2024. All of its goofiest elements still find a way to rise up on “IYKYK,” with the group’s rap bits both managing to sound juvenile (“hey do my dancey dance”) and try hard (whatever online AAVE they are taking…I don’t know find a better one).
Yet “IYKYK” is still a highlight from them, largely because of how sleek it comes off, feeling dreamier than the jagged “Something Ain’t Right” and at least always zooming ahead, even when weighed down by rap interludes. The secret, though, is the source — this works because it’s largely just m-flo’s “prism,” offering a nostalgia hit while simply just being a good song to sample (especially as the 2000s sound dominating pop in recent years starts to feel short of breath…hey, just go back to the actual times than recreate it). Perhaps this is the answer to Avex’s existential conundrum — the present might not be all that great, but at least we have yesteryear to fall back on. Listen above.
Oricon Trail For The Week Of September 30 2024 To October 06, 2024
Back in the day, the Oricon Music Charts were the go-to path to music stardom in Japan. Acts of all sorts traversed these lands, trying to sell as many CDs as possible in order to land a good ranking on a chart choosing to only count physical sales, even as the Internet came to be and the number of versions offered for sale got ridiculous. Today, with the country finally in on digital, these roads are more barren and only looked at by the most fanatic of supporters needing something to celebrate. Yet every week, a new song sells enough plastic to take the top spot. So let’s take a trip down…the Oricon Trail.
JO1 — “WHERE DO WE GO” (542,527 Copies Sold)
Relying on whistling to hold the chorus together…tough look. Which is a shame because a lot of the other pieces of “WHERE DO WE GO” hint at serviceable dance-pop.
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News And Views
Tone Glow’s Joshua Minsoo Kim talked with Hikaru Utada, and that one is up now. One of — if not the — best interviews with the J-pop performer I’ve ever encountered, including some incredibly personal revelations. I was very fortunate to sit in on this one1, and can say this one is special.
Planck Stars — Japan’s premier idol trolls — say they’ll break up early next year. Is this going to be the ultimate swerve? Stay tuned.
Nice look at Peter Barakan’s Live Magic! as it enters a new phase.
Elsewhere on the Perfume beat…Nocchi to release a book gathering her columns about gaming.
Haruomi Hosono prepping a “digital museum.”
BABYMETAL to appear in the sequel to a popular Nordic comedy.
The latest issue of Popeye is all about “band music.”
Book-Off, the used-book megastore, has released the best item of 2024.
Written by Patrick St. Michel (patrickstmichel@gmail.com)
Twitter — @mbmelodies
Follow the Best Of 2024 Spotify Playlist here!
Full disclosure, as part of my work with Vegas PR Group I work with Utada for English-language promotion.