Make Believe Melodies For February 5, 2024
Official Siren For Charlotte Stan Account
neon-neuron — Somewhere, but not here
Shinda Gankyu — Shinda Gankyu No Subete
I always gravitate to labels playing around with established ideas and being unafraid to flip them over. Maltine Records looked at pop, dance and rap, and slammed it into Japanese internet culture. Local Visions fiddles with “city pop” and the very idea of nostalgia to create something distinctly now. Fledgling label Siren For Charlotte introduces concepts like “post shoegaze” and “long-distance music,” and manages to host albums by artists truly smashing down sonic walls via a merger of 21st century sounds. Already responsible for my favorite album of the young year, the imprint has now released two more works showing just how eclectic its vision can get…and why they’ve become the most thrilling new source for music in Japan.
Somewhere, but not here is a fragmented meditation on love and life in a metropolis. It’s overflowing with ideas (filtered vocals, Vocaloid smears, frantic digi-rap buried under a layer of distortion) and imagery (youthful images of lovesick teens leads into metaphors about city life touching apocalypse and blood pouring out of kitchen items). Artist neon-neuron creates something imagining Sekai No Owari under several layers of Koenji dirt. It’s a harrowing listen, and one finding a creator thrilled at the concept of tossing all kinds of ideas together and also being giddy to mutate their own voice. Hatsune Miku pops up multiple times to add texture, but also as something resembling a muse or perhaps a gremlin of sorts (“Brain City System Down”). It’s appropriate though — she represents the freedom to warp into whatever you want, an ethos neon-neuron embraces here. Listen above, or get it here.
Shinda Gankyu, meanwhile, revels in chaos, but as a means to understanding their own trauma. This collection gathers songs the artist has put out previously — including ones released on an album that appears to only be available on YouTube — but works so well together as to function as a gateway into their art. Imagine a harsher version of the sliced-up experiments artists like woopheadclrms or DJWWWW dabble in, but with synthesized vocals grappling with adolescent anguish. At times claustrophobic and cathartic, it’s a true expression of self, exploring its own sonic territory to make the emotions truly ring through. Listen above, or get it here.
America Minyo Kenkyukai — “Datte Koware Terujyan Sore”
Very much Siren-For-Charlotte adjacent, America Minyo Kenkyukai continues to create vivid poemcore playing out like distorted diaries. This newest number features one of the jauntiest melodies the project has come up with yet, but one disrupted by vocal skipping and general distortion, adding a layer of unease to a song about magic and baking bread. Listen above.
ano — “Chu, Tayousei” (The LASTTRAK Remix)
The LASTTRAK just do not miss when they remix a song. Here’s ano’s big breakout hit given a sleek U.K. Garage rework, complete with typical goofy samples from Japanese TV. Listen above.
Jun Kamoda — “A Torch”
Electronic artist Jun Kamoda offered up a track for British label Shall Not Fade’s eighth anniversary compilation, and it’s a sparse affair that shuffles along until dropping melodic delights late via vocal samples. Deceptively light, because the back end really cooks. Listen above, or get the whole compilation here.
MFS — “Combo”
Rapper MFS can always be expected to deliver understated heat (see, last year’s “Makuhari”). The hook on “Combo” is who produced this shuffling track. Stones Taro of Kyoto’s NC4K shows that his style can translate well to hip-hop, giving MFS the right pace for her to swagger over. Listen above.
YENA — “DNA”
If you want to make slick pop eyeing the world, rush to South Korea. Now…if you want to make rock, Japan is your answer. Choi Ye-na, formerly of IZ*ONE, works well in both spaces, but she really nails the latter with “DNA,” a Japanese single really leaning into the rock sound. Riffs upon riffs, leading to big ol’ drum fills! Scream-along hooks! Pure focus, no detours! It’s pop-punk with edge done right, highlighting YENA’s versatility and market smarts. Listen above.
Oricon Trail For The Week Of January 22, 2024 To January 28, 2024
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.
Kanjani8 — “Anthropos” (159,384 Copies Sold)
Speaking of…Kanjani8 have also busted out the guitars for its latest, and honestly, pretty solid! A little more old-school than YENA, but it’s fitting, and I like this version of the group way more than…almost any other form they’ve taken (wacky jazz pop aside).
More importantly though…this is almost certainly the unit’s last single as Kanjani8. They announced this week that they will become SUPER EIGHT moving forward, owing to the pun hiding in the old name (Kan-Johnny, as in Johnny’s, the agency’s old, disgraced name). Load up on those CDs now for historic purposes!
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News And Views
Nothing more important this week than this…Ed Sheeran played shows at Tokyo Dome, but he also played a surprise gig of sorts at a cat cafe. As Good Morning America points out…he’s done this before. But the reaction this time…well, just watch.
My wife’s commentary: “Those poor cats!”
Ichiko Aoba…going to Hong Kong…to play with Slowdive?!?!
Atarashii Gakko! star in a Playstation ad.
Personally, I’m not sold on the current dispute between Universal Music and TikTok being anything more than negotiating tactics, and I’d be stunned if it lasts too long. AND YET! It is a big development for J-pop, as TikTok is one of the major delivery channels for Japanese acts, including many Universal acts (such as Creepy Nuts, currently blowing up the viral charts). I don’t think having their music pulled from TikTok will hurt the Ados and Fujii Kazes of the world, but it will hurt the next generation of acts who could get big via the platform. Perhpas YouTube Shorts is the future?
Japanese internet went bananas for this video, of voice actor Rie Takahashi covering “Idol” because…she’s the voice of Oshi no Ko’s golden-idol Ai Hoshino.
Written by Patrick St. Michel (patrickstmichel@gmail.com)
Twitter — @mbmelodies