Make Believe Melodies For Feb. 1, 2021
Kyary Pamyu Pamyu, SOPHIE And News From Japanese Music This Week
Kyary Pamyu Pamyu And SOPHIE. Photo via Dazed, credit to photographer Masha Mel
Kyary Pamyu Pamyu — “Gum Gum Girl”
The Kawaii Monster Cafe closed its rainbow-bright halls for good Sunday, nudged towards calling it a day due to the COVID-19 pandemic (and the complete collapse of tourism into Japan amidst it, depriving the venue of its primary patronage). Opened in 2015, the Harajuku spot quickly joined Robot Restaurant and the fake Mario Karts as a cornerstone of the capital’s tourist-pandering and influencer-baiting era, one now ended thanks to the novel coronavirus. While it’s an easy target for the long-term resident of the city to mock, Kawaii Monster Cafe had its fans — fully on display during its final bow — while also serving a fantastic fries/onion ring plate with a literal palette of dipping sauces.
It’s closing also robs Harajuku of something of a tribute to Kyary Pamyu Pamyu, whose music and videos from the first half of the 2010s defined the international image of Japan. While not explicitly debuted as any sort of commercial shrine to the neighborhood’s global ambassador, most writing from its opening makes the obvious connection, only underlined more by the fact the whole undertaking was produced by Sebastian Masuda, who also contributed to Kyary’s big viral moment…the same one setting the pace for how so many saw Japan in the years to come, crystalized in a themed eatery overcharging for drinks where you inject fruit flavor with a cute syringe.
Years later, and Kyary Pamyu Pamyu finds herself in weird standing. New single “Gum Gum Girl” (at top) reminds of how much she did accomplish in the early 2010s, both in the number of non-Japanese people flocking to the YouTube comments, but also in how she retains some advertising spark. This skippy dance-pop creation appears in the video game Ninjala, and that title is referenced throughout the song itself — down to gum being a way to generate weapons during a match — while Kyary herself has factored in heavy to the promotion of the Splatoon knockoff. Once again, it’s the image of Japan she played with in her music years ago — contemporary riffs and sonic cosplay of ninja and fashion monsters and 20 year olds — pushed out to promote something with a whiff of Cool Japan, to the point of self parody (polygon DJ saying “shinobi energy”).
“Gum Gum Girl” is a solid-enough song, a nice continuation of 2018’s imagined country building of Japamyu. It’s also somewhat of a new start — as this interview with Buzzfeed Japan underlines, she’s launching her own label with this song, on the occasion of her 10th anniversary as a performer. Yet that chat further reveals a person wrestling with more than just what to do musically, as she details how tough life during a pandemic has been and how, a decade in, her real name has almost been replaced by her stage name, leading to some understandeable confusion.
What’s left unsaid is what comes next. “Gum Gum Girl” works fine and doubles as what I imagine is a pleasant-enough payday for Kyary, but those halcyon days of peak Harajuku and zany eateries born from her entire aesthetic are gone. Her impact and influence from 2011 to 2014 remains undisputed and still persists (the entire “kawaii but creepy” vibe she mastered remains prevalent, like via the internet-beloved hamster cars), but even that’s starting to fade. “Gum Gum Girl” reminds of Kyary’s charm, but doesn’t fully face the new reality in front of her.
Namie Amuro Featuring Hatsune Miku — “B Who I Want 2 B” (2015)
There’s nothing I can write about SOPHIE, who died last weekend at age 34, that won’t have been better said elsewhere on the internet. She was one of, if not the, most important musical forces of the 2010s. I could highlight all the circa-now examples of her impact — how so much music sounds like SOPHIE imitation, how the very SOPHIE-like obsession with individual sounds and textures is how music on TikTok functions — or just blather on about all my personal experiences (doing everything I could to get into a Taco-Bell-branded venue at SXSW to see SOPHIE for the first time).
What I can zoom in on was the absolute thrill I…and many others…felt when Dazed revealed in 2014 that SOPHIE and Kyary Pamyu Pamyu were working on music together. At this point, these were two of the most exciting artists emerging on the global stage — one representing a new era of J-pop, the other bridging pop with experimental electronics without losing any of the fun — and the idea of them coming together for something seemed mind bending. The potential…unlimited!
That collaboration never emerged, though we got an interview and the novelty of SOPHIE presenting Kyary with various items to consider “kawaii” or not (tire…no…but eggplant…yes). SOPHIE’s intersections with Japanese music persisted. Her sound is one of the better examples of Yasutaka Nakata’s influence on global pop — Nakata’s bio goes as far as to directly reference SOPHIE as an example of a creator inspired by his work, while the two have hung out (which, not evidence of anything, but eh) — crystalized clearest on the one instance of a Western artist coming closest to replicating Perfume. “Hey QT” (above), produced alongside A.G. Cook, literally looks like a Perfume video, and features an electro-pop bubbliness close to Nakata’s work from that group. Her biggest J-pop crossover came out in the same year…and was kinda hinted at in that Kyary chat.
“B Who I Want 2 B” appeared on Namie Amuro’s final original full-length album, _genic, produced by SOPHIE. It’s a double-take-inducing inclusion considering that, when it came out in 2015, Amuro was winding down her celebrated career, and she easily could have coasted into sold-out farewell concerts and million-plus-selling best-of compilations. But nope…here’s a “featuring Hatsune Miku” cut that is also pure SOPHIE (just check the SOPHIE-only version floating around SoundCloud, below).
In context of J-pop, it’s a total curveball, going against then-contemporary trends and even operating in its own universe away how other established acts were playing around with Miku at the time. In the context of SOPHIE, it was one of her first major pop projects, coming out a year before her work with Charli XCX. It also predicted shifts for her — specifically, how “B Who I Want 2 B” is “Immaterial” in chrysalis — while also being an early highlight of how she played with vocal manipulation, here delivered via a singing-synthesizer software that has provided a sonic tool for the LGBTQ community. It’s an important number in her catalog, both signalling a larger arrival and pointing towards her future.
RIP to one of the most important artists of the 2010s.
Oricon Trail For The Week Of Jan. 18, 2021 To Jan. 24, 2021
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 the 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 drip down…the Oricon Trail.
Snow Man — “Grandeur” (801, 681 Copies Sold)
Now hey guys, don’t discredit your older stuff like that!
I can’t tell if Johnny’s is trying to adapt to global pop trends…or hoping they eventually land on whatever that piano melody wriggling through the verses is supposed to signify. It’s overall alright — at least they don’t hold back on energy — but I’m still not sold on what makes Snow Man a potential next generation heavyweight. At least SixTONES goes in on the guitars.
News And Views
Momoe Yamaguchi enjoying newfound buzz thanks to national broadcaster presenting her final concert ever on TV, in remastered form. The ratings success — coupled with how her songs are performing well on subscription streaming — remind how much traction older artists can get by making their material available…and I’m starting to wonder how this will impact the usually lucrative best-of CD market, now that going digital is becoming the norm. Will these plastic celebration slowly vanish…or will we really find out which artists tower above the rest by getting folks to drop yen on familiar songs.
The First Take remains on a hot streak, with this week putting K-pop outfit TXT in front of the microphone. This episode also features the group…basically outlining what exactly The First Take is, just in case you needed a refresher.
Idol KOTO plans on retiring this spring. This 2018 album remains one of idol’s high points in the last few years!
SHE IS SUMMER also calling it a day with the project later this year. One of the better efforts at the whole “new city pop” sound, excited to see what she does next.
The Weeknd is releasing a best-of CD ahead of the Super Bowl, but sure yeah Japan is the Galapagos music industry.
Speaks for itself
Yes, it is a Twitter-heavy week, don’t look at my deadline list! Anyway, YOASOBI’s “Yoru Ni Kakeru” now has an “audio drama” version up on at least Spotify. The song itself was already based on a short story…but now it has been turned into something resembling a radio drama? I hope someone at another tech company (Amazon, get in the groundfloor!) can greenlight “UF-No: A Podcast Investigation Of Pink Lady & Jeff,” my new audio pivot pitch. patrickstmichel@gmail.com, checks acceptable.
Appears has a nice look back on Ayumi Hamasaki’s evolution.
In newsletter news…I’m now working with OTAQUEST to bring a monthly round-up version of this round-up to their site, as a way to help readers discover new Japanese music that might otherwise slip by them…but in a way that might be appealing to those who don’t want a weekly email shouldering its way into your inbox. The first edition is up, and it won’t have any impact on what you see here. You should be way more worried about my own goofy schedule on that end, honestly.
Programming Note — Best albums of 2020 list….¯\_(ツ)_/¯ It will happen soon, stick tight and uhhh review the last installment.
Written by Patrick St. Michel (patrickstmichel@gmail.com)
Twitter — @mbmelodies