Make Believe Mailer Vol. 18: Jadoes' Music Video Power Ranking Edition
I'm not going to justify my decision this week to spend the bits of free time I have watching the handful of videos Japanese band Jadoes on YouTube...I probably should study Japanese, or read a book, or answer emails (sorry!). Yet that is what I have done over the past seven days, revisiting all five clips uploaded to the Web originating from a relatively forgettable city pop band.
Jadoes formed in 1984, a handful of friends attending a college out in Saitama, and started life as...a comedy vehicle. Before releasing any actual music, they did comedy sketches on TV, and were pretty popular! In 1986, they started releasing actual music, the hook being that they got city pop savant Toshiki Kadomatsu to produce. It was right in Kadomatsu's wheelhouse -- funk-inspired fusion pop, all about bright lights and nights on the town -- and they even served as his backing band at various points. Jadoes work from this period often sounds good, but after Kadomatsu moved on in 1990 (and that city pop sound suddenly felt gauche in the early J-pop era), the quality dropped quickly.
The story doesn't end there, though. Lead singer Hideki Fujisawa started a successful second career in 1998 as Dance Man, a slightly problematic performer sporting a massive afro. In 1999, Dance Man started working as a J-pop arranger...and his very first credit was for Morning Musume's massive hit "Love Machine," the group's best-selling number.
It's tough to tell how popular Jadoes the band were in the 1980s. Based on the five music videos posted on YouTube -- all by user Kie Strife -- the group seemed to be staples on the music show Music Tomato Japan. Based on some Wikipedia sleuthing, though, Music Tomato Japan might have been broadcast by a local-access channel in Kanagawa prefecture. Regardless, the wonder of the Internet allows us to dive into their entire videography, and power-rank them accordingly.
5. "All My Dream" (1988)
It was between that shot and the percussionist drinking tea.
Easily the worst Jadoes' video, "All My Dream" mixes live footage of the band with shots of them playing music in a warehouse. That's it. A basketball appears early on, teasing the viewer that something exciting might happen, but it gets put away pretty quickly.
4. "Heart Beat City" (1987)
Although the song itself is probably my favorite of these five -- did Kosmo Kat go back in time to get those keyboard settings? -- the clip itself is just the classic "guys making music in the studio" affair. This one peaks in the first minute, with the members of Jadoes mugging for the camera. Also worth noting -- these guys love quick cuts.
3. 1 - 2 - 3 Fight! (1990)
The top three videos here stand out because they find Jadoes embracing their goofy side, the part of themselves that went on nationwide TV and pretended to drink wine for laughs. "1 - 2 - 3 Fight!" spends most of its six-plus minutes dance out of the sun roof of a moving vehicle, which isn't much more exciting than what came above. But it ends with a minute-long credits sequence...wherein Jadoes throw confetti around while sappy music plays. It's either comedic gold or embarrassingly earnest, both options resulting in something funny.
2. "Step Into The City Light" (1988)
That feel when the Make Believe Mailer hits your inbox and it's entirely about an obscure city pop band.
City pop conjures up images of decadence -- one of the most common factoids about Bubble Era Japan is "some restaurants had food with gold flakes sprinkled in!" Thank goodness for videos like "Step Into The City Light," which remind that it wasn't a complete orgy of wealth and opulence. This clip's big '80s signifiers are a rather sedate shot of the Tokyo skyline and footage of cars on the freeway. The whole story here is "Jadoes go to a bar."
That said, this video is one of the more fun Jadoes' affairs, and the moment at the 2:26 point -- where the bartender screams only to be followed up by a suave bald man playing a sax solo -- is a top-five city pop video moment.
1. "Friday Night" (1986)
Pop culture has gone through the ringer so thoroughly when it comes to "the '80s" that we've moved on from the ironic view of the decade...Japan got in on it too!...to an earnest embrace of it. The idea of "the '80s" has been so shaped by other people mimicking or mocking the decade that encountering something actually from the real '80s feels weird. "Friday Night" is most certainly of the '80s, and as Jadoes first proper single, it's tough to tell whether it's a commitment to the city pop vibe or taking the piss out of it. It really doesn't matter, because "Friday Night" is so of its time that it feels...way too real. Tumbling men and all.
Also, Jadoes go AOR Bergman here with a character representing time who just laughs in your face. And that one guy takes so long to undo his tie, does he have a problem or am I just trash at putting a tie on?
Japanese Music Highlights Of The Week
Good week for left-of-center electronic albums, with solid ones from Otomoni and Toyu.
Best release of the week, though, is definitely the latest installment of Fogpak, featuring great electronic sounds from Japan and beyond. Redcompass, the guy behind these, knows how to curate a great up-and-coming album.
DYGL (who are not buzzed-about outfit Ykiki Beat, besides featuring mostly the same people) shared some new songs from their upcoming "debut EP." One is called "Slizzard," but is unfortunately not about popping bottles in the ice like a blizzard.
Babymetal keep on chugging forward, and shared new song "Karate" yesterday.
News And Views
SXSW 2016 is well underway, and Japanese artists are doing pretty well it seems. Suiyoubi No Campanella scaled up some food trucks and got in a big bubble, oh and also announced she signed to Warner Music and will release a major-label album later this year.
Hey, Dub-Russell -- cop that Prank Poles album -- are trying to crowdfund a new beat machine, get on that! While you are at it, go help Double Clapperz, and remind me to get around to these too.
At this point, we could just update the Gesu / Becky drama every week. Enon Kawatani's band is currently on a nationwide tour, and -- shocker! -- the media is hounding Gesu's lead singer. Out of frustration that he couldn't live a normal life, he made some angry tweets before backing down on that one. Meanwhile, somebody made an entire goofy app about the two.
Let's enjoy this photo of Kyary.
Oricon Trail For The Week Of March 07 - March 13
Every week, I'll share the top-charting single from the Oricon Charts, because I probably should write about music not from the Reagan years.
#1 AKB48 "Kimi Wa Melody" (1, 237, 891 Copies Sold)
Earlier this week, Buzzfeed ran a story about Reika Oozeki, a super popular Vine star. Within the piece is a solid profile of the teen, with a few good stray observations about Japanese entertainment. Unfortunately, the author tries to tie the two together, and forces a narrative that doesn't really exist. Tough to blame him, as this is how the Internet works -- room for subtlety has vanished in favor of GENRES ARE DEAD and BERNIE BRO MUCH? and MACKLEMORE RIGHT? -- and non-English subjects have to be painted in similarly broad strokes. Never mind that Nico Nico Douga has existed for almost a decade and has allowed people -- including women -- a space to do the exact same thing or that their are no shortage of women artists aimed at actual women -- Reika Oozeki must be compared to AKB48, who represent all of J-pop. They are the "typical" path to stardom,* and all hail from cabaret clubs or are pin-up models.** Japan Today said so, it must be true.
Still, as eye-rolling as it all gets, you have to give a little leeway to all this stuff because, hey, here's AKB48 on top of the Oricon charts with another forgettable pop song with a video where they playfully kiss one another. This year, same as 2010.
*no
**nope
Look At Me!
Super group lists! If you saw the Visual Kei supergroup in Long Beach nearly ten years ago, get in touch.
Interviewed Perfume about Cosmic Explorer, out in April.
Written by Patrick St. Michel (patrickstmichel@gmail.com)
Make Believe Melodies / Twitter / Facebook
Header by Alan Castree (AC Galaga)