Make Believe Melodies For January 31, 2022
Bandcamp Friday back this week so...let's look at other platforms! Even the bad ones!
Ako — ANTI BLUE
It’s the little moments of unease that stick with you. ANTI BLUE isn’t far removed from the laid-back sounds intersecting with the J-pop overground, but Ako always makes sure to smudge those good vibes up enough to make her music dizzying rather than dull. She mutates her voice by overlapping her vocals on the otherwise funky “bye,” or lets horn blasts disrupt the otherwise locked-in “As I Landed On Mars.” Let’s not undersell Ako’s songwriting chops, as she’s still providing a catchy base even when adding offbeat streaks to songs like the melancholy “Jocho” (below) or the more uptempo closer “Somewhere.” Yet the details elevate it, and add some welcome disruption. Listen above.
Lil Light Plus Cyber Milk — “Aspiration”
A perfect balance between fizz and heartache. “Aspiration” imagines “what if Snail’s House made HyperPop?” (OK, that already happened), and the resulting track does daydream extremely well, topped off by a lovely verse from Cyber Milk. See also: Lil Light’s just released Angels EP, which frequently pulls off a similar emotional tightrope. Listen above.
Cristal Bere — “I”
Previously seen guesting on Kazumichi Komatsu’s Emboss Star among other places, Cristal Bere takes the solo spotlight for the disorienting but confident “I.” It’s a reflective left-field pop song in the style of Le Makeup or NTsKi, using glazed-out synth arrangements and a light but assertive beat to nudge everything forward, while Bere turns over situations in a half-rap delivery, choosing to live in the moment. Listen above.
Dadada! — “Nobody Suhai”
Here’s a name for ya — Charisma.com. Remember them? Potentially more ahead of the curve than anyone could have anticipated in the early part of the 2010s. One half of that project, Itsuka, recently launched a new solo project called Dadada! With songs lasting around a minute and videos centered on dancers, this seems geared towards TikTok. Thankfully, the music itself rises above viral bait, packing in a lot of energy into about 60 seconds. Listen above.
Kaho Nakamura — “Sayonara Claire”
A whole adventure in four minutes. Listen above.
Tohji — broken EP
Friday Night Plans — In The Rearview
Two artists primed for mainstream attention slipping into themselves. I wouldn’t call either of these strong works from either creator — both Tohji and Friday Night Plans discard of their strongest abilities (unpredictable energy and clear singing, respectively) in favor of seeking fractured moods. Yet that’s what makes both super interesting. Tohji keeps it low key and frequently lets other voices — samples and recordings — interrupt his space, while even the more fleshed-out songs sound shook. That it’s a sort of freestyle diary about how Tohji felt after a car crash goes a long way to understanding it — rattled and turning a lot over, while dealing with scars. Listen above.
In The Rearview similarly rejects familiar form in favor of vapor. Beats barely factor into this EP, and the music rarely rises above a wisp. Friday Night Vocal’s lyrics just…drift over them, like they are lost and looking for somewhere to settle. There are moments here — like “The Cottage Of Memories” — that are closer to Emamouse than millennium parade. It’s a strange one to get lost in, and a hell of a curveball. Listen above.
Johnny’s West — “Mixed Juice”
We need pop music to be more unabashedly stupid. Bless Johnny’s West for embracing pure goofballery — and, maybe repeating myself here but, musical theater, which I think is what the entire talent agency was founded on — on this, the title song from their forthcoming full-length album. It’s fun because it doesn’t take itself all that seriously, but it’s also not trying too hard to be silly. It’s as pleasant as this group has ever been, and a strong argument for letting J-pop outfits…nee, all pop stars…embrace their inner Himbo. Listen above.
Oricon Trail For The Week Of January 17, 2022 To January 23, 2022
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.
Johnny’s West — “Reimei / Susumu Shika Nei” (194,814 Copies Sold)
Oh shoot, oh geez, I didn’t plan for this. Writing about Johnny’s West back to back? What have I done.
Remember all those words above about goofiness and having fun? Yeah, that doesn’t apply here. You get a woeful ballad and a cheesy rock number worthy of making “silly” a pejorative.
The runner-up spot, though, features some gems courtesy of yet another virtual group, this one utilizing Vocaloid.
There’s an entire backstory to this group that is probably worth digging into — something about secretronic phone calls? — but even removed from any lore, these two songs utilize familiar electronic sounds (including the sort of playroom textures I associate with Tomggg, low key super influential producer) to create something speedy and with an appropriate level of drama.
News And Views
Reviewed Hikaru Utada’s Bad Mode for The Japan Times, even broke out the rare “five stars” for it, but totally deserved.
Singer-songwriter Yuuri scored arguably 2021’s biggest overall hit of the year with “Dry Flower.” On February 1st (lolz tomorrow), he will release “Dry Flower (English Version).” Billboard writes that he “will be releasing the English cover in response to numerous requests from non-Japanese speakers for an international version of the heartrending breakup song.”
I’ll add that it’s probably just a no-lose proposition, similar to what YOASOBI did with their own English-language album. The Japanese original already exists…why not put out an English version, maybe it will hit? The far more interesting development that this signals is…it feels like the Japanese music industry is getting way more aggressive about trying to appeal to international listeners, especially in the West. Not to be too “industry insider” here, but I’ve also heard about J-pop artists already planning for U.S. tours when feasible. Five years ago, didn’t feel anywhere close to that.Hey, ya wanna know what some anime maker’s favorite music is? Here you go. Shout out to the person putting Maneskin on there.
“Cover by Japanese Sushi Man” oh hell yeah
Most festival / live news in Japan has been bad during the *Perfume voice* Omicron wave, but a little positivite tidbit has come through. Metrock, held in Osaka and Tokyo in May, is coming back after two years of cancellations.
Shiba Tomonori has an essay on Ado’s debut album (maybe I’ll write about it later???), arguing that the singer is becoming a hub for internet culture.
The wars of tomorrow won’t be fought with weapons…but rather, Touhou music.
A big news story that you could see coming for a while now, but still probably deserves a deeper dive in the near future…Tsutaya will stop doing rentals in 2023.
Tokyo venue Stuido Coast / ageHa officially closed its doors this past Sunday. I’ll hopefully have more on the space’s legacy / ~what it means~, but it’s a significant moment, and really does signal the end of an era, especially for Japanese clubs. The last week of shows looked great, and ageHa gave people attending a very special gift to mark the moment…bottles of beach sand and, most importantly, the fabled pool water.
Many paid their respects and shared memories, from W. David Marx to bus companies. Natalie talked to a bunch of artists who shared thoughts on the spaces. Meanwhile, I’ve been reflecting on how ageHa (I never actually went to Studio Coast, which is technically the “live house” / daytime venue) loomed in my life, from riding the EDM Train to one of the weirder moments of my life, when I somehow was able to get in to the backstage area to see Yasutaka Nakata and assorted Asobisystem folks just…existing there (Ram Rider, very drunk, mad respect).
Let’s end with some “cool, Japan!” Here’s Bobby Shmurda playing with a kendama.
Written by Patrick St. Michel (patrickstmichel@gmail.com)
Twitter — @mbmelodies