Make Believe Mailer Vol. 15: Taste The Feeling
The superstar-laden charity single presents a dilemma. In theory, songs such as "Do They Know It's Christmas?" and "We Are The World" exist for very altruistic reasons, to raise money for good causes. Yet these things always look intensely goofy, a gaggle of recognizable faces standing next to one another and clenching headphones against their ears like a slug will crawl out otherwise. Japan has them too, including talent agency Amuse's effort post 3/11, "Let's Try Again." These are incredibly dippy looking things -- have you seen Band-Aid 2014??? -- but have their hearts in the right place. What to do???
Thank goodness, then, for unBORDE all stars' "Feel," a song wrangling together a bunch of artists for a big sappy one-off...celebrating a label? Selling Coca-Cola? Showing us how Rip Slyme have aged?
J-pop, of course, lives on commercial tie-ups, with most singles from popular artists commissioned to be used in ads. Perfume's "Polyrhythm" exists because of a recycling ad, and for that I'll always separate plastics from burnables. Coca-Cola is no stranger to this, having been doing this in all sorts of countries for decades, some more blatant than others. Without the fine folks at Coke, Gesu No Kiwami Otome wouldn't have had a way to deliver 2015's biggest surprise hit.
Though Coke probably wants that third bottle from the left scrubbed out
"Feel," though, belongs to a different sort of goofy musical tie-up, the far-less forgivable "special project built for brand partnership, most likely with a carbonated beverage." We are only five years removed from the FANTA band, an outfit featuring former Megadeth guitarist Marty Friedman and a big doll, among others, singing the praises of Fanta. And lest we forget about Z-Machines, a robot band sponsored by Zima (get the name?) and the strongest argument against technological advance in quite some time (they collaborated with Squarepusher).
None of this is new -- Daisuke Inoue felt coke several decades ago -- but the unBORDE all stars are a weird take on it. Mainly because...they primarily exist to trumpet up the five-year anniversary of a major label. But it's also stealth marketing for Coke? Despite the hook sounding like English nonsense, "Taste The Feeling" is Coke's new catchphrase for 2016, one geared at uniting all of their brands into one international force (gotta love marketing gibberish!). There actually exists an "anthem" far worse than the uNBORDE all stars one, which is probably going to be heard by way more people, and Avicii is going to do his version later in the year, oh god.
But honestly, enough trying to read the brand tea leaves...just watch this again, and bask in the complete lack of self-awareness (or seven-layer hyper-awareness) of this thing, and its video. Marvel at the shots of Yasutaka Nakata sitting behind a mixer and moving a knob. Take in the sight of Shinsei Kamattechan bouncing along next to Nagoya's favorite idol daughters. Check out all those sweet shots of bikes and people jogging, maybe thrown in to make sure Gesu No Kiwami Otome don't take up too much screen time here. Mandatory Rip Slyme rap interlude, hell yeah! Tofubeats pointing at his watch! Much like Cartoon All-Stars To The Rescue, every viewing reveals a new, unintentionally wonderful detail to take in. Taste the feeling...of weird brand synergy.
Japanese Music Highlights From The Past Week
Tokyo indie-pop outfit Carpool still indie-poppin' away. Indie-pop outfit Lake Michigan has been Michiganized, a bit more ethereal now.
I'm always up for vanishing in to Metoronori's off-kilter pop world, and her latest two-song set is no different.
Tofubeats reminded that he's more than a pop-banger machine, while Omoide Label got hyper on their newest comp.
AZUpubschool had himself a busy week -- he released a lovely little solo effort, and then his Kiwi project with Cor!s put out a nice EP as well, one featuring a song that imagines what a non-terrible version of Kyary Pamyu Pamyu's "Crazy Party Night" could have sounded like.
Please enjoy ten seconds of the new Babymetal song, "Karate."
News And Views
A week full of interesting developments that feel more like foreshadowing than anything else...but I'd be foolish to glance over a slight bit of drama enveloping vaporwave-idols Especia. Their primary producer Schtein&Longer is angry at...someone...and leaked a large chunk of their new album before it hit stores. He originally posted three numbers on to SoundCloud complete with angry comment aimed at...somebody, though the initial tag #victorsucks seemed clearly aimed at Especia's label...and they remain up, but now with proper titles and no angry comments (though responses to them remain).
SOPHIE and AG Cook were in Japan over the past week, the prior playing a few shows but the pair presumably getting busy on the business side of things. SOPHIE appeared on the latest (solid!) line-up announcement for Fuji Rock, while the pair snapped photos with Yasutaka Nakata and dined with Sekai No Owari, who Cook's Dux Content remixed. Sources say it was a very productive week for them...and Kyary changed her Twitter avatar to a photo from her now-old shoot with SOPHIE...so hmmmmmmm
Big week for Nakata smiling
Speaking of Kyary, she's gone mature for a new photo shoot for a fashion magazine, featuring the title "From Girl To Woman." Let the fifth-year makeover begin!
The first two years I lived in Japan, I watched the weekly music TV show Music Station as a way to really dive into the deep end of J-pop. This meant for 24 months and I put off going out so I could listen to AKB48 songs and [insert Johnny's group here]. I then wrote about it...here's an example where I somehow totally nailed Hoshino Gen? Dang, go me. Anyway, it's not a program worried about highlighting interesting new artists! Yet one week after featuring Charisma.com, Suiyoubi No Campanella put on a puppet show and performed a song with Jersey Club touches on it. Also gave us this photo of her sitting in front of an Arashi doofus:
Ayumi Hamasaki is all in on avocado toast.
Oricon Trail For The Week Of Feb. 15 - Feb. 21
Every week, I'll share the top-charting single from the Oricon Charts, a deeply flawed ranking system that offers a warped view of music where idols remain everyone's favorite thing.
#1 Kobushi Factory "Sakura Night Fever" / "Foolishly Honest! Impulsive Actions!" / "Osu! Kobushi Tamashi" (33, 903 Copies Sold)
If you click just one of those links above...you brave, brave soul...make it the last one, which has some actual funk going for it unlike the other two, which come off as LinQ and Morning Musume derivatives. "Alternative" idols tend to get the bulk of English-language attention, but its upbeat outfits like this...from a company existing somewhere within the tangled universe of Hello! Project...which have and always will take up the most space. Even with totally standard music like this, bubbly pop that has been grinded into dust since the late '90s.
Look At Me!
Talked to Zombie-Chang for The Japan Times, and it was a treat. One of the most energetic people I've interviewed in a while, and also responsible for one of 2016's better albums so far, Zombie-Change.
I also reviewed the new EP from Nagoya's Crunch for the JT. A really good, really downtrodden set of songs certainly worth your time.
Last, I interviewed (pre-leak) Especia for MTV 81. I have more about them coming...next week?...but this was fun, even if my editor didn't give me any candy until the end of our chat.
Written by Patrick St. Michel (patrickstmichel@gmail.com)
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Header by Alan Castree (AC Galaga)