Make Believe Melodies For January 30, 2023
Rock And / Or Roll Edition
Spangle Call Lilli Line — Ampersand
Spangle Call Lilli Line vocalist Kana Otsubo’s solo full-length under the name Nini Tonuma is a true lost classic in the world of Japanese music is. Released in 2010, copies of Woolgathering aren’t like buried in the Tottori sand dunes or anything, but this pivot-to-electro experimental piece only exists on physical releases, which in the streaming-first era of now makes it invisible. A shame, since it’s an absolutely mind-bending release from an artist primarily involved with a rock band dabbling in much more coherent songcraft, reduced to scattered uploads and Rakuten resale sites.
When I first encountered that album and project in general, I vastly preferred it to what Spangle Call Lilli Line was doing as a band, going as far to write in a 2010 year-end list that Otsubo really should focus on this glitchy sound more than her main group’s seemingly moody rock strolls. What young, dumb me — salivating at any shifts to electronic sounds — didn’t realize was that Spangle Call Lilli Line also engaged in experimentation, just in a much more subtle, slow-burning way. It clicked for me on the following year’s New Season EP, highlighted by a roaring re-arrangement of a go-to number titled here as “for rio.” The trio weren’t simply revisiting the past…they were poking at it, finding new angles originally missed and engaging with elements — sonic, textural, emotional — missed.
They’ve become one of my favorite Japanese groups in the years after, because of how they constantly re-contextualize their history and sound in new ways. Ampersand, their 14th original album, is both a return to the familiar and their most outright experimental effort to date as a trio. They’ve linked back up with prodcuer Zin Yoshida (of influential ‘80s project Salon Music) for the first time since 2008’s Purple, and now in 2023 they revisit the mid-tempo strolls dotting that album. Yet as the album copy declares, they’ve melded that old-time Spangle Call vibe with “sounds of the Reiwa era.” What that means is…more synths, more synthetic touches, more echoes of Nini Tonuma.
The band play with tempo, teasing a dash on “suddenly” before letting the song’s sprinting pace turn glacial late, or stutter-stepping across “lean forward.” The interludes are pure electronic flights of fancy, while most notably the group embrace more machine beats, crashing up against guitar squall (“She Is”) and Otsubo’s longing (“Chroma”). But she’s been over this terrain before, and on Ampersand she melds her experimental past with the band’s present, without losing the sweetness of either. Spangle Call Lilli Line keep moving forward by looking inward. Listen above.
Subway Daydream — RIDE
Ahhhhh, bless the kids and their star-eyed ambitions. If anyone told me they want to be a “radio star” in the 2020s, I’d be worried how to break the realities of shifting consumer tastes to them…but when Subway Daydream shout “I wanna be a radio star!!!,” well I’m all in. The band’s first album RIDE excels at this youthful drive, wrapping it up in power-pop and indie-pop rushes. They’re smart, too — to go back to “Radio Star,” all that rah-rah AM/FM stuff comes wrapped up in a little bit of winking at how the medium is doomed, and how the very act of creating music is sort of foolish because it just fades away. But thankfully, that’s not a roadblock but a wall to smash through as they decide…hey, if you get caught up in it now, that’s all that matters. Listen above.
yonawo Featuring Skaai — “Love”
The easy-going faux-city-pop sound carries on in modern Japanese rock, but yonawo deserve credit for realizing it can be made more vaporous. “Love” avoids overdoing it in favor of leaving lots of space for everyone involved to float over, capturing the helium-filled qualities of the titular emotion. Listen above.
NOMELON NOLEMON — “Da Da”
This and the latest from CHAMELEON LIME WHOOPIEPIE point towards a return to ‘90s tendencies, whether you want to link this to Shibuya-kei or Beck (or…what’s the difference?????). I prefer NOMELON NOLEMON’s take a bit more, owing to it’s faster tempo and willingness to blend more of the now into the mix. Listen above.
Kaneko Ayano — Towel Ketto Wa Odayakana
Whether soaring on the opening number or working over more relaxed guitar backdrops, Ayano Kaneko’s voice does some fantastic work here, wringing feeling out of it all. Listen above.
LEX — King Of Everything
Oh, twist!
The bulk of rapper LEX’s latest is…rap, which is how he’s turned into a rising force in the genre within Japan and landed GQ video documentaries. Stretches drag (and...a Matt Ox appearance out of nowhere) but he’s also doing a lot of interesting things scattered throughout, whether helping push the Jersey agenda1 on highlight (and Tohji-ish) “Busy, Busy, Busy” or going anti-gravity with Young Dalu on "Love Pistol."
But it’s when he tries to go rockstar on King Of Everything does this one really get wacky. We get disco strut on “Killer Queen” pretty early, but that’s nothing compared to the final stretch, wherein LEX tries out being Post Malone but turns into…a bedroom indie weirdo? “This Is Me” absolutely isn’t because it sounds like Chairlift, but works, especially when bleeding into a song featuring acoustic guitar sunshine and howled longing. Then there’s a…piano ballad? And more dance-pop to close it out. By-the-book rock, no, but this one has the swagger of a rock opera, and it’s better for it. Listen above.
Oricon Trail For The Week Of January 16, 2023 To January 22, 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 — “The Story Of Us” (173,102 Copies Sold
Is this song about the environment? Or about…KinKi Kids, who happen to reside on Earth, name checked frequently in this humdrum ballad? It’s too vague to rise above the musical cliche of the arrangement, begging for something more to grasp on to.
News And Views
Makoto Ayukawa of Sheena & The Rokkets died today at age 74. A prolific creator both within the group and outside it, he’s a vital part of Japanese rock history.
Not gonna lie, Nante Japan got me with this headline, was expecting much more spicy…but Kyary Pamyu Pamyu did, in fact, talk about her relationship with Sekai No Owari, whose lead singer she famously dated in the early 2010s. Yet, as the popstar celebrates her 30th birthday, she’s not talking about that, but rather revealing she’s on good terms with everyone in the group and well aware that the band…which receded a bit from the Japanese charts in recent years, partially because they just couldn’t get over a Western crossover…came back strong last year with “Habit.” While still carrying plenty of cachet abroad, Kyary has been a non-entity musically at home, but has hope from seeing that a comeback is possible.
BABYMETAL back, with a huge set of weekend shows last week.
A very interesting interview with the producer behind KAF, the music-oriented virtual YouTuber, getting into how the project works and how to make it last.
It is happening again…it is happening again…
Offered predictions for what 2023 will bring for J-pop over at The Japan Times (featuring a little bit of crossover with these parts).
Also profiled Cafe La Siesta for the paper, a vital (and very cool…get the tacos!) spot in Kyoto that has helped chiptune and electronic artists figure out themselves. Also make sure to check out Master Kohta’s EP from last year.
The Chainsmoker’s playing Cola Splash’s “Curry Drinker,” let’s go
Hope someone plays it at Summer Sonic too, as that festival is starting to take shape.
Speaking of fests…Rolling Loud Thailand features a bunch of Japanese rappers.
The government plans to end the recommendation that people not cheer / make “big noises” at events, which includes concerts and other live gatherings. That’s a huge development, as I’ve heard from a lot of people lately how weird it is going to bigger shows and…nobody knowing what to do, and it kind of being awkward. It won’t change right away, but I do think this will push the live industry back to how it used to somewhat be, especially with foreign acts on the rise again.
Fans of pink vinyl and city pop…well, Momoko Kikuchi has great news for you!
Gonna be a big year for PUFFY nostalgia…fresh off newfound TikTok success, McDonald’s Japan nods to the ‘90s powerhouse with the new ad for their “Asia No Juicy” line of burgers, riffing on PUFFY’s “Asia No Junshin” music video. Also, fully admitting I have the taste buds of a child, these sandwiches look great.
So apologies if this is something you are personally into, to each their own, but also I think you are kind of a freak. The next six months are going to be dominated by talk about AI, prompting the people who trumpeted the game-changing nature of Clubhouse and Cryptocurrency to once again say “the future is now” because a computer can imagine what Peter Griffin would look like if he was in a K-pop group. None of these images or texts are actually all that compelling — so far it feels more like a way to quickly generate shitposts above all else — and lack any of the human creativity that actually makes art vital. Besides, humans already imagined Peter Griffin in a K-pop group, our best minds are already working overtime2.
Here’s a great example…AI-generated Rick Astley singing Tatsuro Yamshita’s “Ride On Time.” It’s…just Gene Miller’s 1985 cover with a deeper vocal, and with all the cracks showing. There’s nothing here except the cheapest of references, which even the creator knows. “Using ai for the funny go brrrrrrrrrr.” That’s sorta the whole deal with this world.Written by Patrick St. Michel (patrickstmichel@gmail.com)
Twitter — @mbmelodies
In an effort to not break the very weak theme established for this, I’ll also point to the latest from Bleecker Chrome as further pushing it…you even get a squeak!
I could write a god damn THESIS PAPER about this clip…look beyond the Seth MacFarlane racism and you have an attempt at pinning K-pop down a la “Weird Japan” and…then BTS happens, and the entire image of the industry changes. If anyone has a spare genius grant they want to give out, I’m here to dig in to humanity’s stupidest media.