Make Believe Melodies Favorite Japanese Albums 2021: #50 - #31
Challenge: Keep The Babbling To One Paragraph. Outlook: Bad
The 2021 list continues! Usually, this is when I start letting myself let loose, and also the chunk that tends to derail me in publishing these lists in a timely manner. Rather than spend three paragraphs rambling about J-pop idols creating their own imaginary soundtracks, I’m forcing myself to keep all these blurbs down to…a paragraph (though while doing this I realized…paragraph can be long!). Somehow, I still have to split this into two parts. You gotta get to the top 10 for the really verbose stuff. Catch up with the first half here.
#50 nate And Yamakagebeats Sweet Planet
“Kawaii” remains a pop cultural sand trap for those trying to wrangle with Japanese entertainment. It’s a conceptual labyrinth all its own, with the potential of being dismissed too quickly or becoming an over-relied-upon cliche. Best to think about “kawaii” as an ever-changing aesthetic molded by young creators. Sweet Planet offers one of the best interpretations of “kawaii music” in recent years. The collaboration between SoundCloud rapper / HyperPop proponent nate and producer Yamakagebeats uses playroom textures and cutesy imagery, but pairs it with bass drops and disorienting pacing (highlight “poping candy” using samples in a particularly fever dreamy way). Kawaii isn’t static, and Sweet Planet shows how much remains to be squeezed from this particular confectioners tube. Listen below.
#49 Kaede Youth - Original Soundtrack
Never dismiss the ambition of an idol. Negicco member Kaede built on two fantastic 2020 full-lengths with an exercise you usually expect from ambient producers. Youth - Original Soundtrack finds her and Yusuke Sato composing tunes for an imagined film, ranging from jaunty pop interludes to string numbers. It’s a chance for everyone involved to play with new sonic ideas, with Kaede slipping into ‘80s idol cosplay and spoken word, among more. Listen below.
#48 CANDYGIRL How is the ALt universe?
The details are warped and doubled-over, but at its core How is the ALt universe? is just a particularly effective set of dance-pop songs. Duo CANDYGIRL flaunt the idea of “alternative J-pop” in their busy numbers, but really it’s the second half of that classification where they shine. For all of the pitched-around notes and skittering percussion, it’s the melodies and choruses that stand out, showing an attention for catchiness most major labels pray for daily. They surround it with sparkles and glitter, but the appeal is simple — CANDYGIRL made one of 2021’s catchiest pop albums. Listen below.
#47 mitsume VI
Like a particularly snuggly blanket or nightcap to close out the day, mistume offers constant comfort amidst hectic times. For all of the pinballing changes in Japanese music over 2021, VI tethered listeners to familiar ground. The Tokyo quartet have mastered their particular vein of rock — relaxed, but never lazy; complicated, but never rubbing it in your face. The songs on VI do what any mistume cut manages, which is connect immediately thanks to its breezy guitar lines but, gradually, reveals new depth and details (the criss-crossing melodies of “Suima!” the build-it-up-and-break-it-down structure of “Repeat!”), while also just having some flat-out whippers in their too (“System”). Their elder statesman by now, but for good reason, and continue seeing what’s possible with their brand of familiarity. Listen below.
#46 Nana Yamato Before Sunrise + Before Sunrise (In Tokyo)
The hottest take I’ll unleash in this set of blurbs…Nana Yamato’s Before Sunrise is fineeeee. What makes it a 2021 highlight is Before Sunrise (In Tokyo), somewhere between a re-imagining and redo, wherein Yamato tinkers with the songs appearing on the earlier album and reveals new angles on her disenchanted garage rock (and, in a lot of cases, finds more interesting and messier sonic ideas burrowed within). Together, they make for the rare glimpse into the artistic process, and a reminder of how a song doesn’t simply freeze once its put out into the world…but rather, can keep mutating. Get them here, or listen below.
#45 uami Hiru Ni Nemuro Hito
Escapism gets a bad rap. It doesn’t have to be a rejection of the world around you, but rather a dip into a different place, with its own feel and language separate from the familiar. Here, voices drift on top of one another, and beats stutter forward as guitars twang off in the distance, all the dissonance somehow forming into something charming. The jagged aligns into the comfortable, and what initially seems off-putting just turns into a once unknown sonic vocabulary to get lost in. It’s a retreat, but to the surreal and private, adding new perspective to what is known. Listen below.
#44 Various Artists DEATHTOPIA
There’s no real way to make the “Now That’s What I Call Japanese HyperPop (Or Whatever Name You’ve Got For This)!” compilation. The big names in this galaxy are spread out, buried in SoundCloud and scattered about Spotify, while trying to construct a coherent story would prove tough too. DEATHTOPIA isn’t perfect…it over represents a few acts, who are good, but appear at the expense of more sonic diversity…but comes closest to offering a gateway into 2021’s most thrilling musical development in Japan. Focusing exclusively on female creators, the comp gives space to a solid mix of sound, including Yoyou’s skittering cut-and-paste pop, ponika’s blurred digi-rap and Neon Nonthana’s constricting beat bops. Two other reasons it excels beyond being educational material: 1. Minami Nakamura delivers the song of her life via “Roulette,” a swift synth dart finding her dropping the over-flexes of her past in favor of a delirious bob-and-weave, and 2. the presence of a Dr.Anon track, which alone shoots this one into the top 50 given how daring that trio (of e5, ponika and Haku) is, and how poised they are. Listen below.
#43 Koh-Gaku Opto2: Miho Tsujibayashi + Opto3: Neibiss
Three of the best artists at warping images of the past into new shapes gather together for a special project where they each contribute one song for a guest vocalist to do their thing over. The two Koh-Gaku releases from 2021 allowed a trio of young visionaries I’m most familiar with from the Local Visions ‘verse — SNJO, HiRO.JP and Tsudio Studio — showing off their behind-the-boards skills, from the mellow vibes overflowing on Opto2 (the flute on Tsudio Studio’s contribution! Pacific breeze!) to the funkier and more fragmented pop of Opto3 (the vocal effects just fly here, god bless). Everyone alone has already shined on their own…but it’s nice to be reminded of what they’re capable of. Get them here, or listen below.
#42 Yumi Iwaki Juniper
I go through phases where I just want to submerge in music, usually when I reach defcon-one stress levels and need to simply be shoved into sound. Yumi Iwaki’s Juniper served as the sonic dunk tank for me upon its release in August, with its synthesizer arrangements slowly morphing in ways to keep even the most burnt-out individual invested. Not to imply this is some kind of ambient Bacta…the strength of Juniper lies in the distortions that break the peace, from the fuzzy interlopers interfering on “Whistling At Night Attracts Snakes” to the deep-space messages scrambling the otherwise pristine “Quadrillage.” Get it here, or listen below.
#41 Lucky Kilimanjaro Daily Bop
I would like to feel just half as happy and bright-eyed as every single song on this album. Listen below.
#40 Buffalo Daughter We Are The Times
Hey hi there, sorry, I know these last few blurbs have been heavy on the first person, but this is the “speaking my truth” portion of the list. And if we’re totally open…most pandemic art is shit, right? Goopy and sentimental, any song about “being alone…together” or offering permission to feel good is just the worst, and I don’t think a lot of stuff from the past two years (…plus???) is going to age very well. Buffalo Daughter’s We Are The Times is the rare exception. Despite dropping the word “quarantine” eight seconds into its playtime, the long-running trio’s latest isn’t so much a reaction to COVID-19 as it is a mental snapshot of life during it. As they told me, the bulk of the songs were recorded before any of that, and they seethe with anxiety and unease (including “Global Warming Kills Us All,” which tackles another topic rarely conveyed well musically, but here is presented as discombobulating rather than a screed better served for an Instagram caption). Yet life under a State Of Emergency inspired something approaching optimism…and the group continues to find joy out of acid house squelches, odd time patterns and slogan-ready quips. An actual good set of songs to remember these times. Get it here, or listen below.
#39 Tohji, Loota And Brodinski KUUGA + Loota And Gliiico Ephemeral
Wouldn’t have expected Loota to have the weirdest year of anyone featuring on KUUGA, but here we are. Tohji remains one of the wildest voices going in the Japanese rap sphere right now, and Brodinski’s beats offered a new challenge for him to vocally parcour over (what the fuck is “Yodaka”). Yet it’s Loota transforming into vapor on KUUGA and mutating into countless forms on Ephemeral (not to mention all the loosies…“Barefoot / Holy” probably holds its own alone against both these releases) that steals it. Listen below.
#38 CHAI WINK
More songs about food and complexes…but delivered at a more relaxed, synth-centric pace complete with a guests lists featuring Ric Wilson and YMCK. CHAI continued to offer thoughtful, encouraging and often times silly (“Donuts Mind If I Do”) songs that stayed true to who they were, but with greater sonic variety and more experimentation. You think you know CHAI…but they always find a way to keep it fresh. Listen below.
#37 FNCY FNCY By FNCY + G.Rina Tolerance
FNCY’s time machine pop remains fun and faithful on FNCY By FNCY, with the trio putting modern spins (and pandemic-inspired quips) on throwbacks such as new jack swing and hip house. If not quite as tight as 2019’s self-titled debut, their sophomore effort reminded of how to actually approach well-worn sounds without simply recreating a musical diorama of times gone by. Helping it a lot, though, was linchpin G.Rina’s solo album Tolerance, featuring appearances from FNCY friends Zen-La-Rock and Chinza Dopeness along with guests spots from Nene from Yurufuwa Gang and BIM. Her own release matches FNCY By FNCY in the past-made-present department, though together they make for one of the stronger trips down memory lane to come out of a country in love with looking back. Listen below.
#36 AAAMYYY Annihilation
Motion proves the key element of Annihilation. Whereas AAAMYYY’s previous work swirled about with no clear direction, the songs here march towards a specific place, with the Tempalay fixture featuring firmer percussion throughout. That newfound backbone adds structure to otherwise peaced-out numbers like “Leeloo,” and offers an essential kick to the swaggering “Tengu,” complete with guest spot from Dos Monos (remember them for later…) member Zo Zhit. And it transforms slow-burners like “Utopia” into career highlights, with AAAMYYY’s voice going supernova and receiving extra thrust from the newly focused sounds around her. Listen below.
#35 Hallkarimaako TERMINAL
Three fantastic but slightly undervalued talents, forming a Voltron of funk-indebted J-pop. The people involved in Hallkarimaako was enough to get this newsletter standing up and clapping, as the project brings former Especia leader Hallca, electro-pop whiz-kid Seira Kariya and dance-pop maker AmamiyaMaako in order to let them just lean into their strengths…as one. This five-song offering shines brightest, though, when all three work together to craft bleary-eyed pop on “Glitter” or the ecstatic mission statement of the title track, fusing their individual strengths into one force. Listen below.
#34 Various Artists NC4K COLLECTION Vol. 3
You could probably fill out a sturdy year-end lookback using only tracks from the artists featured on Kyoto dance label NC4K’s third compilation. Considering that last year I was discovering Stones Taro releases while putting together the 2021 list, let’s keep it simple and praise this one. Easy to do — NC4K remain at the forefront of house, from the catharsis of Archipelago Soundsystem’s “The Quincy Jones Principle” to the ecstatic rush of Paperkraft’s “Rave Extra Pt. 1.” At times nostalgic, disorienting and just plain fun, it’s a highlight from the Kansai regions always active club community. Get it here, or listen below.
#33 YOASOBI The Book + The Book 2
Let’s not even get into their meteoric rise over the last two years, a sudden shoot up the charts that cemented a change in how people in Japan listened to music (online) and how they felt (glum). YOASOBI can write and record stunners, though the constant churn for content sometimes dilutes that knack. The Book and The Book 2 capture the duo’s strengths fully while offering a compact history of Reiwa J-pop up until today. “Yoru Ni Kakeru,” modern pop masterpiece underlining everything the Japanese music industry can offer to the global stage (narrative, craftsmanship, Vocaloid, the tension between upbeat melodies and downer lyrics). Yet these EPs also show an ability to process lo-fi-hip-hop-beats-to-study-and-or-chill-to into pop gold (“Tabun”) or channel the hearts-racing bigness of early 2010s Sakanaction (“Gunjo”). Important documents of J-pop in the 21st century, sure, but strong statements all their own. Listen below.
#32 Yukichi Kasaku/men Karada Portable
In some perfect world, Hakushi Hasegawa becomes the go-to J-pop producer and a whole wave of similarly thrilling producers ascend to the upper ranks of music creation in the country currently controlled by, like, LDH ringers and whatever Nordic writers Johnny’s shells out for. Make sure Yukichi Kasaku/men has a seat in this beautiful place. The teenage artist has already written songs for Dempagumi.inc among others, and embodies an exciting new community of musician in Japan. Karada Portable serves as a mission statement, outlining their intricate but spirited approach to pop structure. It’s unpredictable…but always inviting, holding your hand even through the wonkier bits and glimpses at a bright future. Listen below.
#31 PICNIC YOU HYPERENOUGHIMPOTENZ + Life Without Buildings
That duo PICNIC YOU released a song — a good song — called “piss & poops” alone probably warrants inclusion on this best-of list. Yet for all the goofballery popping up across their 2021 output, it’s the pairs vulnerability…sometimes obscured by jokes, but poking through constantly…that makes them a highlight out of the country’s “HyperPop” corner. The music zips from alternative rock interpretations (“visible boy”) to more etheral experiments (“love is love”), capturing the whatever-goes thrill defining so many young Japanese groups right now, with lyrics allowing for a sweetness to shine, even if they are also happy to smear some silliness over it. Listen below.
Written by Patrick St. Michel (patrickstmichel@gmail.com)
Twitter — @mbmelodies