Make Believe Mailer Vol. 32: What Universe Is This?
Ten years ago, a group released their debut mini-album to very modest attention. In the time since, they've gone on to be the single most influential band in Japanese music, even if their musical impact needed a while to become clear. But now, elements that they helped popularize and which cropped up on that first collection are everywhere in Japanese music, from the retro-leaning rock outfits to acts featuring vocals delivered in sing-speak style, which often put more of an emphasis on how words sound than what they mean. Sotaisei Riron's Chiffon Shugi isn't the group's best work, but it's the starting point.
Sotaisei Riron is one of those bands that are popular in Japan but mostly unknown abroad. The way they presented themselves after coming together in 2006, it isn't too surprising (and makes their domestic success feel slightly stranger, too). The group shunned — and frequently continue to avoid, albeit not quite as much today — media attention, opting for a mysterious angle. In the wrong band's hand, this probably just makes them look pretentious. But Sotaisei Riron's decision to obscure themselves worked wonders because their music ended up being as equally head-scratching and intriguing (plus, importantly, catchy), lending the whole project the feel of a puzzle. What's going on here, and how can I figure it out?
Chiffon Shugi laid the groundwork. The mini-album originally came out in 2007, but received a remastered re-release the following year, and it feels safe to say that was far more of a gateway in for listeners than the original limited run. It's five songs feature music drawing primarily from Showa-era pop and rock — the Japan Times summoned The Smiths in discussing it, and I think British rock lines the corners, but it's pre-90s touches taken from the early "new music" of the 1970s and group sounds of the 1960s that come off as the bedrock here, especially in the guitar melodies. Only they get played faster when needed, a song like "Love Zukkyun" moving at a beat a touch faster than The Golden Cups.
No single part of the band stands out more than Etsuko Yakushimaru and her vocals. On Chiffon Shugi she sings at a high, almost squeaky, pitch that's closer to idol pop than the popular rock of 2008...let alone that decade's most successful female vocalists, who stood out for perfection that doesn't resemble your average 20-something. Yakushimaru most certainly does, and she sounds a little too cutesy on "Ohayou Ooparts." Yet even at its roughest, she gives Sotaisei Riron something unique across Chiffon Shugi, especially when she teases a sing-speak style that would become more normal on future releases.
But her lyrics win the day, and really elevate the band. Yakushimaru's words are snapshots of daily life or they are flights of fantasy — Chiffon Shugi opens with a song about secret agents and communist conspiracies, and then swerves into a high school girl's stream of thoughts. What connects them is how Yakushimaru seems more interested in how words sound rather than what they mean. Language can be a barrier, or it can be a weapon, but she approaches it as one of those balloon's you can twist around into an array of shapes. Yakushimaru loves puns and linguistic goofs — the final song here concludes with a gag built around the Japanese for elements on the periodic table and the number nine. Opener "Sumatra Keibitai" rattles off the names of oceans in Japanese and mentions the "CIA, KGB, FBI" all because of how pleasing they sound when bouncing forward. Even better is "Love Zukkyun," where Yakushimaru uses repetition as a way to surprise listeners and capture the titular feeling of one's heart being squeezed by the sensation of love (translators have themselves quite a time working through this stuff). A lead vocalist's words being called an instrument is a cliche, but it's particularly true for this band, as trying to squeeze meaning out of these word exercises could turn maddening. But between the mysterious media presence, live shows that featured Yakushimaru standing perfectly still, and music videos consisting of footage of plans and weather reports, it feels like something more is lurking beneath. Yet Yakushimaru doesn't seem interested in anything more than stretching words out like Silly Putty. Which is pretty daring given how many people obsess over meaning in music — and I'm talking 2008, long before Genius and a deluge of daily thinkpieces existed.
Chiffon Shugi won the 2008 All Japan CD Shop Award, which set in a motion a rise in popularity that boiled over with the following year's full-length Hi-Fi Shinsho landing in the top ten of the Oricon album charts. And after their first mini-album, Sotaisei Riron only got better. Chiffon Shugi is the weakest point in their discography, as it is still the sound of a band figuring themselves out, marked by one best-of lock ("Love Zukkyun"), one great number ("Sumatra Keibitai") and three so-so numbers that sometimes come off as more fun when reading the lyrics page. But they had something, and over the next decade they explored it for all it was worth — if you haven't dipped into their catalog, dive into any of the full-lengths that follow Chiffon Shugi, and you won't be let down.
In 2008, Chiffon Shugi would have been an outlier, and it's a nice coincidence that it arrived a month after that year's other big J-pop shift — Perfume's GAME, which similarly offered an alternative to how women could sound in a pop song. But whereas Perfume's musical impact resulted in a short-lived trend of electro-pop groups, everything sounds like Sotaisei Riron in 2018. That's only a slight exaggeration, and it extends beyond the slew of straight-up imitators dotting the landscape. Rock music over the last few years has been shaped heavily by retro styles, with an increase in groups borrowing from the Showa era in a bid for throwback cool (go down to the indie level and it becomes even clearer). Sotaisei Riron was ahead of the pack. And more importantly, Yakushimaru set a template for a new type of female singer that has become far more pronounced this decade. Every "whisper rapper" from Izumi Makura and DAOKO (who basically made her own Sotaisei Riron song at an early bid for crossover success) draws from their songbook in some way. And then there are artists who don't sound like Sotaisei Riron, but channel their approach to language. Suiyoubi No Campanella's songs embrace the same linguistic gymnastics, down to a sheer love of puns and jokes — it's also telling that the shared criticism of both artists I've heard the most is they often sound like they are doing the same thing over and over again. Look closer, and you'll see a one-of-a-kind pummel horse performance each time, however.
That all starts with Chiffon Shugi, though definitely doesn't stop there.
News And Views
BABYMETAL member Yuimetal not being on their current US tour became one of the week's biggest stories as the week went on. Their US management eventually put out a statement saying she was still in the group but not on the tour, while I was able to get a statement from their Japanese label. Both statements still leave a lot to desire though -- while the American side at least offers some actual news, both sides rely too much on the "storyline / narrative" angle that leaves a lot more questions unanswered. One to keep an eye on.
Produce 48 is really happening, and I'm already lost. The J-pop / K-pop singularity looms.
Jero is getting out of the entertainment industry to go back to IT work, insert your own career-related dread here.
In one of the stupider happenings of the week, the band CHAI went on Music Station this past Friday, and got a bunch of netizens angry because they talked to casually to the host, Tamori. Respect your elders, or something. Thankfully, a large number of people on Twitter are now mostly talking about how dumb this is, and pointing out the hypocrisy at the center of it (like, how talent Rola did the same thing on a different Tamori show, but nobody went after her). At least they are getting attention!
How did Kumamon treat him?
Oricon Trail For The Week Of April 30, 2018 To May 6, 2018
HKT48, sure cool. More interesting is over in the album chart, where Tsuyoshi Domoto of Kinki Kids brought his ENDRECHERI character out of retirement for a new album which went to number one. Feels like more of Johnny & Associates older idols are bringing out once-retired side projects in recent years in order to connect with a nostalgia-hungry set of consumers. Here's hoping Bucky Kimura makes a comeback.
Perfume's GAME (33 1/3)
My entry in the 33 1/3 Japan series is out now! Get a copy at Bloomsbury or Amazon. Or at Kinokuniya bookstores in the US. Alas, they don't have any copies at the Kionkuniya in Shinjuku...one day.....
Look At Me!
Wrote about the state of American hip-hop in Japan...more specifically Tokyo...for The Japan Times. Really want to do a story looking deeper into this divide...especially after hearing a story that a US rapper (speculation being Ludacris) asked to be flown by helicopter from Osaka to Tokyo as part of his show demands.
Blog highlights: MSS Soundsystem, Mecanika, Kamisama Club.
Written by Patrick St. Michel (patrickstmichel@gmail.com)
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