Make Believe Melodies For January 8, 2024
Make Believe Melodies For January 8, 2024
Welcome Returns, And Youthful Chaos!
group_inou — HAPPY
I’ll argue that group_inou is among the most influential Japanese artists of the 21st century all day long. Any group over the last ten years playing around with a rap delivery in a very “not rap” way? Especially if they are more interested in how words sound and the silliness within those syllables? If they were inspired by the duo, they owe them some respect at least. The project went on hiatus in 2016, though producer half imai has stayed wonky…plus, their influence remains ever-present, from the underground up to the mainstream (best example of the latter…Suiyoubi No Campanella). They never really left, though they absolutely did in a literal sense.
But what a wonderful to ring in 2024 with a new EP from the duo, after a few teases to close out last year reminding they haven’t lost anything that makes them a 2000s essential.
HAPPY signals a return, of group_inou leaning into their strengths to remind that, even after nearly eight years off, few can transform so little into so much. The specifics remain the same — imai creates fidgety synth-powered beats while vocalist cp rap-sings overhead, enthusiasm guiding him more than raw skill (when I interviewed the duo for MTV 81 way back in the day, he bristled at being called a rapper…he’s a singer with a punk rock background, who likes rapping). From this foundation, group_inou go on flights of fantasy — I mean, there’s a song called “FANTASY” all about re-imagining the everyday as something surreal, but opener “ON” does it better by transforming nightly TV into an other-world playground, complete with “Peter Barakan” used for rhythmic delight.
Every song is joyful, a celebration of just creating and having fun with the possibility of language. Don’t dig too deep into meaning — in the same way “dolphin therapy” was less a metaphor and more a clever idea, HAPPY is full of party-starting news broadcasters, youthful ninjas and mice that sound like cats. What group_inou have always captured best is the creative spark, and the thrill of making your most wack-a-doodle daydreams come alive in song, with the pair’s energy making even the most outlandish lyric sound essential. They haven’t lost a step. Get it here, or listen below.
pinponpanpon —PinPonPeaceProject
Sometimes the only way to deal with an uncaring world is to laugh at it all while stealing various health bars from your local Family Mart. Idol trio pinponpanpon balance TikTok-prank-era ridiculousness alongside humanity across their debut album PinPonPeaceProject, an ode to staying alive and also playing ding-dong ditch. Given a hyperpop glaze in part by producer French Cries, the topics explored over these 10 minutes range from lifting SOYJOY bars from your local convenience store (“SOYJOY”) to…cooking? (“Bistro Maho Ryori Gal”). It’s funny and verging on PLANCK STARS “they could be nuisance YouTubers in six months” territory, but all of it stems from real world stress. On the closing track, devoted to ringing doorbells and then fleeing (itself a metaphor for…life, including part-time jobs and relationships), the group screams “I want to live!” through digital distortion and…yeah, I feel ya. Listen above.
SSSCLUB — “YUMMY”
While not quite as Gen-Z-damaged as pinponpanpon, SSSCLUB offer a similar on-edge energy to idol sounds on “YUMMY.” The more claustrophobic they get, the better. Listen above.
4s4ki — “winter again”
It’s the drums here that give 4s4ki’s seasonal sadness extra power. Perhaps she learned from a similarly titled song — if you want to sell your snow-covered ennui, make sure it really echoes through the conditions. Listen above.
nerdneko — “Tenshi”
Gonna be a big year for the intersection of Vocaloid and new-era shoegaze, so let’s start it right with a new one courtesy of nerdneko. They made a solid addition to the Miku-rock library last year with Another Planet, but ups the heaviness on “Tenshi.” Which makes the digi-delivery of the singing synthesizer software all the more dizzying, with Miku’s lighter voice mixing in just right with the fuzz swirling around it. Listen above.
Oomori Seiko And Noko — “Koakumatekii ⭐︎ Soto Kireteru”
A combination of artists who, when they get together, sound like a mental breakdown. That’s a positive! Listen above.
Guchon — Piano Bros EP
Another year, another set of heat from Guchon, who remains Japan’s best dancefloor scientist going. This trio of tracks captures him in a particularly euphoric mood, with the tone set immediately on the piano-house hallelujah of the title track. He dips into mutations on UK Funky on “Funky AI” and channels the physical pleasure of Chicago house on “Don’t You,” nodding to history while finding his own delirious perspective on each. Get it here, or listen above.
SUSHIBOYS — “Nengajo 2024 (Tatsu)”
To come full circle, here’s a contemporary duo channeling the same kind of go-for-it energy of group_inou, with an arrangement assist from PARKGOLF. Playful with a streak of sweetness come that drop, here’s a prime example of a familiar sound and ethos continuing to grow in a new era. Listen above.
Oricon Trail For The Week Of December 25, 2023 To December 31, 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.
KinKi Kids — “Schrodinger” (179,227 Copies Sold)
I’m going be real with you guys…kind of didn’t pay attention to Oricon during December, with my occasional check-ins leading me to say “ehhhh, maybe I’ll listen later.” Still love traveling down these roads…but sometimes you have to set up camp and get your energy back up.
Thankfully we end 2023 in Oricon singles chart fare with a delightful paradox of a pop song. I recently saw a STARTO group live at Yokohama Arena (premium subscribers, get ready!) and was reminded how, even when projects under this management company aim for the modern, they have to include nods to this perceived idea of old-timey entertainment. KinKi Kids at least can flex their veteran status when it comes time to pull off theater-residency funk-pop, resulting in a pretty solid song, albeit nothing approaching other recent explorations into this style.
But what makes it shine is the perceived metaphor running throughout the lyrics, a good ol’ fashioned J-pop high-wire act of writing. It’s about Schrödinger's cat but…kind of stretched to approach what dude was talking about in regards to quantum mechanics? KinKi Kids are mostly interested about the cat being in a box here. Don’t base your dissertation off of it, but this is the type of ridiculous idol songwriting I respect, taking an idea and seeing how it could possibly work in pop form, logic be damned. See also: Yasushi Akimoto trying to say…something…by connecting Albert Einstein with Dianna Agron,1 though this 2023 offering is much more elegant. Listen above.
News And Views
NHK’s Kohaku Uta Gassen happened! It recorded the worst ratings in its history. A bunch of STARTO acts, most notably Snow Man, held YouTube livestreams on New Year’s Eve too! Those shattered records. I haven’t watched either yet, though I plan to this week for a post later on so…stay tuned.
The only slight story I’ve picked up on is that YOASOBI performed 2023-defining hit “Idol” on the show, and their bit saw all of the idols also present at Kohaku come out to dance with them, including K-pop acts. I think I saw some Korean netizens were angry the K-pop acts were behind YOASOBI…or maybe it was Japanese users angry Koreans were on stage at all…or I don’t know JO1 fans being offended by something. Honestly, don’t really care — the vibe for 2024 is zoning out social-media-based anger, who needs that anymore — looks cool to me, and also my personal vision of “Asian pop intersection” come alive!Geez, when was the last time I did this feature…not even sure what to include for the first week! If you missed it, Japanese concert organizer Creativeman announced plans to hold a Summer Sonic event in Bangkok this August. While the prospect of a music fest in the heart of Thai summer seems intimidating, it is a great example of the continued interest Japan has in the emerging Thai market, and I’m intrigued to see how it goes. Wear lots of sunscreen and load up on Pocari Sweat, punters.
Speaking of J-pop spreading throughout Asia…Malaysia, you have your own -48 branch on the way! Meet KLP48, set to properly debut (with actual members) later this summer.
Kanjani8 shared its music on streaming services…the latest STARTO group to do so.
I need to go through more, but you should also check out This Side Of Japan’s year-end lists…all of them!
Both me and Ryo joined the Nante Japan Podcast for its year-end episode…and I was fresh off a Pacific flight back to California, so I was a bit saucier than usual.
Written by Patrick St. Michel (patrickstmichel@gmail.com)
Twitter — @mbmelodies
Follow the (new!!!) Best Of 2024 Spotify Playlist here!
Younger readers…this was a whole controversy back in the day. Not saying Akimoto gets a pass for the lyrics, but as the years have gone on I’d argue the cringiest part of this song is actually how much it treats Glee like a cultural institution. Great example of pop as time capsule!
i just started a bluesky account on december 30 , 2023