Make Believe Melodies For Feb. 28, 2021
Will J-pop End Up Being Bigger Than K-pop??? Surely This Newsletter Knows
PEKOS — I Promised Myself Will Never Go Outside…
The way music ends up distributed tends to get just as much attention as what it actually sounds like in 2021…so shout out to duo PEKOS for releasing the entirety of their first album through Twitter, with bonus cuteness. Clever, but also seems like a fitting approach for a project that mostly reminds me of the emphatic madness of Gagakiraise, another outfit that got together and just let it rip. The songs here last for a couple minutes or a few seconds, each one finding the pair just locking in and making a mess with guitar, drums and a little vocals sneaking through the fuzz. Pre-recording banter and slower grooves (“I’m gonna destroy all”) always give way to a rush of clatter. It’s a fun and frantic album, nailing how this type of experimental rock can be consuming and cathartic all at once. Get it here, or listen above.
Various Artists — FOGPAK #21 x DESKPOP
The FOGPAK series has been one of the most important electronic compilation series in Japan over the last ten years, allowing burgeoning creators to submit tracks to themed sets. Sift through the Bandcamp history and you’ll encounter some prominent names in this corner of the country’s music scene make early appearances — Licaxxx, PARKGOLF, Tomggg (doing non-cuddly stuff early on, rare!), Kai Takahashi of Lucky Tapes. The appeal of FOGPAK has never been about spotlighting the next big thing, though. Rather, it’s about artists from all across the country (and beyond) offering up great music, usually way ahead of the curve.
After a three-year hiatus, FOGPAK is back, teaming up with DESKPOP for a wedding-themed set featuring one of the most geographically diverse sets of artists they’ve put out (though, hey, been a long decade, maybe I’m forgetting some). As has always been the case, just dive in and start getting familiar…the folks behind this series always know how to put a winner together. Get it here, or listen above.
Kitri — “Michi Kaidan”
When I interviewed the sister duo Kitri in 2019, they were a young project still trying to figure out whether they were trying to tip-toe into pop territory or exist in a classical space. They’ve done a solid job of balancing the two sides over their career, but never quite as well as they do on “Michi Kaidan.” This one’s dramatic and swooping courtesy of the pair’s swift piano melodies, featuring small details that add a sense of surrealism to the whole number (the percussion being the best example), but peaking with a chorus offering something that could fit in the landscape of modern J-pop. Listen above.
Taichi Mukai — “BABY CAKES”
SIRUP — “Overnight”
Both of these artists have enjoyed major-label pushes in recent times — SIRUP is appearing on The First Take! — but I think any hopes they have of leaping up a level in the J-pop hierarchy hinges on a change in consumer mood. Which is to say…if Japanese listeners decide, hey let’s take a break from feeling down all the time and have some fun, they would do much worse than gravitating towards these two young R&B tinkerers. Here’s two example of the lighter vibes they bring — Mukai’s song, in particular, is an agile J-pop trapeze — and examples of alternative paths I could see the country going down as the weather warms up and needles start jabbing into flesh. Though hey, don’t get too optimistic about 2021 yet, you know?
Oricon Trail For The Week Of Feb. 15, 2020 To Feb. 21, 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.
SixTONES — “Boku Ga Boku Janai Mitai Da” (430,553 Copies Sold)
I went to Tower Records Shibuya for the first time in…a year?…earlier this week, and was just blindsided by everything going on. Part of the company’s strategy in Japan to keep going has been to turn spaces like this into more than just a destination to buy CDs — they put on shows, meet-and-greets and pop-up eateries among all kinds of other on-property entertainment meant to transform Tower Records into, like, a music nerds version of Discovery Zone. Maybe while you are there, looking at tote bags and enjoying an indigo-la-end-themed pastry, you’ll check out the big cardboard displays full of albums too!
SixTONES featured prominently on the ground floor, and there was a big gaggle of fans snapping photos of it. Johnny’s will always have space in music stores, it turns out. I literally don’t know what to say about this actual song so…uhhhh I almost bought YOSHIKI’s red wine from Tower Records Shibuya?
If YOSHIKI actually picked the grapes it might justify the $55 price tag….
News And Views
The Wall Street Journal has an “exclusive” featuring a headline designed for SEO and fandom stoking — “BTS and K-Pop Took Over the World. These Companies Say J-Pop Will Be Even Bigger.” “These companies” means AEG Presents and Avex, who have teamed up to launch the new joint venture AEGX (move some letters around and you get “a gex”), which is the actual news item buried under that headline. Alone, that’s an interesting development, as Japanese music is becoming more accessible and Japanese pop culture is booming right now (more on that later), so a collaboration helping to get Japanese artists playing shows abroad actually makes sense.
Yet the article raises plenty of questions to, far more than the baiting “can J-pop really become bigger than K-pop?” up top, which is more of a way to siphon in ARMY traffic than anything else (one of the best tricks in any websites toolbox today!). First off…can Avex afford something like this? Second…this sounds like it might be more beneficial to non-Japanese artists trying to tour the archipelago. Third…or is it, because what???
K’s Denki Stadium Mito — are you ready for Post Malone!?!?
Definitely one to “keep an eye on,” but Avex’s involvement makes the hmmmmmmmmm really start going. The challenge is right up front, as WSJ names YOASOBI, LiSA and One OK Rock as examples of contemporary J-pop highlights…and those are great choices underlining the potential the industry has. It just so happens none of them work with Avex (though the article later says they “championed” One OK Rock which…is think isn’t true? Uhhhh tell me if I’m wrong).
Avex might be better off hoping some of those INTERSECTION boys keep impressing on Chinese competition show Chuang 2021, so they can sneak into that every lucrative and ever controversial Mainland market.
Two year old who charmed nation gets record deal.
Japan takes UNESCO World Heritage Sites very seriously, as do the country’s idols, as outfit RINGOMUSUME have created a single to help land a historic site in Aomori that status. Craziest part — it kind of goes!
Let us all pray for electronic artist Batsu as they attempt to DJ for 24 hours.
While entertainment companies and livehouses / clubs in Japan have received government compensation during the COVID-19 pandemic, a new article complete with interview with Creativeman CEO Naoshi Shimizu reveals organizers dealing with international acts haven’t gotten the same assistance.
Anyone taking the time to read this newsletter should definitely dive into Cat Zhang’s look at the “city pop” revival online for Pitchfork. It’s a great look at the digital exchange between Japan and the West that contextualizes this YouTube-fueled boom, managing to be as sharp as any academic paper without reading as boring as one. It also does at least one other noteworthy thing, albeit maybe just for me which is…properly point out just how popular globally Japanese pop culture really is right now. Maybe that seems obvious but…gritting my teeth here…you’ll be surprised how much Japanese media here considers pop culture the lowest rung possible. This phenomenon…and piece…shows just how rich it actually is.
Speaking of going back in time…James Hadfield writes about the new Heisei No Oto comp for The Japan Times!
I’m also in the paper with my feature on For Tracy Hyde. Great album, an early 2021 highlight.
Programming Note — Maybe two emails this week? Look, I don’t want to promise anything but it’s a possibility. Also I think the formatting went to hell at some point here, whoops!
Written by Patrick St. Michel (patrickstmichel@gmail.com)
Twitter — @mbmelodies