Make Believe Melodies For April 17, 2023
J-pop Wakes Up From The Winter
J-pop seemed sleepy in the first quarter of 2023. The clearest sign of this came on the charts, where Official HIGE DANdism’s 2022 single (and drama theme for silent) “Subtitle” reigned on top for…weeks upon weeks, especially on streaming. Not to take anything away from that band’s run at number one, as that’s the sort of legitimate hit people want to spend towering over the rest of the music landscape.
The problem though, nothing new was bubbling up underneath, ready to replace it. J-pop seemed to be hibernating through the winter. The biggest developments came from J-pop groups with next to no presence in Japan, at least for now. When a song finally bumped “Subtitle” from Spotify’s Japan Top 50 chart it was…a Vaundy cut from 2020. Someone seemingly hit the snooze button.
And then…J-pop just shot awake over the last couple of weeks. There’s been an adrenaline-powered rush of new singles signalling where 2023 might be going, both culturally and sonically.
YOASOBI — “Idol”
Let’s just start with numbers, because domestic hits rarely move this fast online. YOASOBI’s “Idol” has zoomed past 15 million views in just four days on YouTube, owing in part to it being the opening theme song to new, highly buzzed-about anime “Oshi No Ko.1” It’s not just booming thanks to the visuals, though. “Idol” almost instantly conquered the domestic streaming charts, and by a wide margin at that. Here’s your first true 2023 breakout hit.
Yet don’t let the data and obvious trends — of course an anime tie-up was going to do this! — distract from the best YOASOBI song since…I don’t even know. The duo debuted with pop epoch shift “Yoru Ni Kakeru” back in 2020, and established themselves as one of the voices of a new generation…but never quite reached the sonic or dramatic heights of that first offering, though they’ve certainly stuck around. “Idol” sees them inverse their formula — if “Yoru Ni Kakeru” excelled thanks to understated tension between music and lyrics, “Idol” finds YOASOBI throwing subtlety off the roof in favor of trap percussion, multi-tracked freakouts and choirs, both professionally trained and wota-ed out.
Here’s J-pop as miniature theater, cramming in details and embracing every musical side — rap percussion rattles us in, but from there we get an extra urgent take on the YOASOBI dash, along with a celebration of the country’s idol sound (those chants! what a detail!) that dissolves into psychological romp come those multi-tracked breakdowns2. All of this appears to tie into the central series well — based on my 30 seconds of research, seems like Perfect Blue for kids weened on Crunchyroll — but stands on its own as well, presenting pop as capable of being a glorious mish-mash without ever feeling disconnected. Listen above.
Kenshi Yonezu — “Lady”
Kenshi Yonezu’s never really been a sad sack. Despite helping kickstart the Vocaloid-indebted wave of glum J-pop helping the nation get through (or at least weep with) the pandemic, Yonezu is more bittersweet when exploring sadness, as highlighted on massive hit “Lemon.” Really, he’s mostly…a happy seeming guy musically, perhaps a little silly at times and low-key cryptic, but jovial all the same.
“Lady” is his musical set piece, full of horn bursts and the giddiest melodies he’s ever penned, all in service to the power of love. Yonezu isn’t that obvious, though, so the details stay a beat on bad moods and vacant looks…but even in these dour moments, he finds something to be rapturous about. The instrumental choices nod to the “city pop revival” of a few years ago but eschew cool in favor of big, embarrassing earnestness, with a touch of sonic disruption throwing the song into slight stutter. Here’s J-pop as big populist bursts. Listen above.
Fuji Kaze — “Fuji Kaze and the piano / Asia Tour” Teaser Video
“Lady” reminds me a lot of Fuji Kaze, an artist who was out ahead of everyone in welcoming back good vibes to J-pop after YOASOBI initially snuffed them out with their hit song about killing yourself3. He experienced another viral boom thanks to the song “Matsuri,” which blew up in Asia in the last few months, and now comes his first steps abroad in the region that embraced him. It’s also my one chance to remind that more artists are going to be testing global waters in the months ahead…he’s just first. Watch above.
millenium parade And Sheena Ringo — “Ｗ●ＲＫ”
Geez, Sheena Ringo sounds good here.
If you’re looking for a through line between the actual songs featured here so far (and, spiritually, Fuji Kaze’s 2022 output), it is pomp, whether delivered as unnerving drama, ecstatic joy or pent-up aggression here. Also…more horns! J-pop is balancing out after few years of minimalism — of dreary ballads by Awesome City Club, Yuuri and more — dominating charts. There’s still space for the stripped down, but the times are a-changin’ and they call for more fireworks…which is what millennium parade do quite well when channeling Rage Against The Machine and what Ringo has made her career on4. Listen above.
Spitz — “Utsukushi Hire”
OK, so somethings don’t change, like the popularity of Spitz. Still…horns, even though if that has been part of their sonic DNA for years now. Also credit to a reference to Charles Darwin and a nod to…the world becoming a nicer place. Listen above.
Mito Tsukino — “Around The World” (MONKEY MAJIK Cover)
Alright, if I was actually reaching for an example of the continued growth of Virtual YouTubers in the J-pop space, I’d go for the group Blue Journey, whose latest is already gaining steam and carries a sweeping melancholy drama to it that fits in well. But this cover is so good! Mito Tsukino tackles an Aughts J-pop classic that is starting to feel way more influential and prevalent today — or maybe MONKEY MAJIK’s PR team is doing a great job following the release of a new album — and nails it. Here’s what I really like about it — Tsukino has given a new generation of people with a passing interest in Japanese culture (in this case via VTubing) a gateway into J-pop…which is a vital step in building something more. Listen above.
Oricon Trail For The Week Of April 03, 2023 To April 09, 2023
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 — TROPICAL NIGHT (“Tiger”) (304,864 Copies Sold)
Classic chart bullshit, as this is by any standards an EP or maybe “mini album” if you are a stickler for that kind of term. This is a long-running Oricon issue, as you’ll routinely see no consistency on this front — TWICE’s latest mini album, which is the same length of this JO1 collection if we remove the instrumental tagged on to the latter, appears on the album ranking. I guess they separate “Tiger” as the single proper…but you can’t just get the song, which is the point of a single. This is why it’s generally good that charts have lost much of their value outside of fandom struggles in Japan.
Beyond that, TROPICAL NIGHT is pretty meh all around. JO1’s K-pop connection explains this, because K-pop boy bands are currently in the middle of an intense drought of good music, so it makes sense that the bulk of this…whatever you want to call it…sounds like reheated NCT songs from six years ago. Two exceptions: “Comma,” which adds some welcome funk electricity to the formula while also boasting one of the better rhythms out of a J-pop song this year, and “Romance,” a ballad dappled with future bass warped vocal samples.
News And Views
Kauan Okamoto, who shared allegations of abuse against Johnny & Associates’ founder Johnny Kitagawa to Shukan Bunshun recently, went to the Foreign Correspondents Club Of Japan to talk more about it. You can watch the entire interview here courtesy of Kyodo News. This was picked up by most outlets that have already covered the Kitagawa allegations in the past…and one that has historically been mum about it.
Oh my god, damny you Elon Musk, I have to do screenshots of Twitter now?
NHK reported the allegations, including on TV, a super rarity for any televised news program. Besides keeping the story in the media discussion, it actually advances the situation and presents some interesting possibilities. The immediate one is — how does Johnny’s respond to NHK, specifically? The image the company has cultivated in the minds of many is that of a strongman, one where they could whisk all their talent away from a station’s airwaves if they don’t do as they say. This has long been seen as the justification as to why TV stations haven’t reported on Kitagawa’s history.
So here’s a test case — Johnny’s could punish NHK by removing their talent from the national broadcaster’s programming, though the real main event would be Kohaku Uta Gassen much later this year. It would give a lot of credence to this reputation, and like…real obvious point here…optically look terrible for Johnny’s. But they could also…not do that? The company put out statements following the BBC’s recent documentary and once again after this press conference, underlining efforts to be more transparent about how they operate and in line with the 2020s. These TV channels (and sponsors) still need Johnny’s talent, though, because they bring in eyes. So well Johnny Kitagawa’s own legacy will continue to be properly examined, Johnny’s5 own situation won’t really change unless they press the issue. But whereas once they had to ignore this entirely, now they have to grapple with it in a much different way.Elsewhere…this year sees a massive vinyl re-issue campaign for Tatsuro Yamashita’s albums from the RCA/Air years, basically one a month starting in May. They made a delightful 8-bit style teaser video, featuring pixel Tats drifting through a resort world.
AKB48’s Hitomi Honda and Yui Oguri linked up with STAYC for some dancing.
Reviewed the new BABYMETAL album for The Japan Times. It’s OK to be a little goofy, that’s your charm!
RADWIMPS featured in The New York Times as part of a story tied to Makoto Shinkai’s Suzume (post on that coming soon?). Interesting development!
Related to that band, though, worth keeping an eye on…and now manifesting in new ways. RADWIMPS6 is currently on tour in North America, and said jaunt has been a big success, with multiple venues having to be changed to higher-capacity spaces and additional shows added. Here's one reason why, as part of the tour's title — "RADWIMPS Powered By Crunchyroll." That anime streaming platform is getting into music, and early returns are very positive.
Now comes an interview with Perfume, separated from any anime release though filled with anime talk (if you’ve ever wanted to hear Noochi say the words “cyberpunk” a bunch, or learn why A-chan has started buying peanuts, this one is essential). There’s a lot to dissect here — and a lot connects with the stuff in the new songs corner up top — but the main takeaway I have is anime truly is the ladder that which a lot of artists can use to reach new audiences abroad.imase visited South Korea, a country that seems especially wowed by his viral hit “Night Dancer.” He performed for the first time in the country, too.
The American charts are, no joke, just Oricon from 2013 now.
Again…damn you Elon Musk, because there is absolute gold coming out of the current campaign season in Japan, but I have to link over to that cesspool instead of just embed here. Shout out Jeffery J. Hall for documenting all this, which includes a potential avatar candidate and DROPS.
Maluma on THE FIRST TAKE. First Spanish-language artist I believe?
Fascinated by this “TRAPPIN IN JAPAN” video where some guy matches rap up with…footage of people walking backwards in Shibuya and some temples?
Written by Patrick St. Michel (patrickstmichel@gmail.com)
Follow the Best of 2023 Spotify Playlist Here
I probably had to watch this in the first place since it’s about idols, but now doubly need to owing to this song. My wife’s take after reading a plot synopsis — “I refuse to watch that.” Should be fun!
"Idol” is kind of a 2020s take on Dempagumi.inc’s more theatrical moments while also being as much a head trip as “Me! Me! Me!” It’s also kind of the mainstream version of this year’s “Internet Yamero,” albeit with less Eurobeat spirit.
And of course…Ado, the heir to Sheena Ringo for Gen Z, fits into all of this perfectly too.
I mean, this is why you should never name a company after a single person.
Full disclosure: I’ve been hired by their label to write the band’s bio / conduct official interviews in recent years, including for everything leading up to this movie soundtrack and tour.