Make Believe Melodies For July 11. 2022
Summer Mirages
Pictured Resort — Once Upon A Season
Osaka’s Pictured Resort truly delivers on new album Once Upon A Season when the edges of his tropical fantasy wobble, and their mirage qualities become clear. For the most part, this is pure summer breeze. Once a more indie-pop leaning rock act, Pictured Resort has gradually slowed down a touch and added more synth elements to their music in recent years, without really losing the higher-temperature excitement and ennui of early releases. They exist somewhere between the mellower moments of Cut Copy, Phoenix or Lake Heartbeat. Even when it isn’t showing the ripples in the edges, Once Upon A Season is a sturdy pop listen, thanks to uptempo numbers like “Oceanizing” or more dramatic nocturnal strolls like “Safari Night.”
Yet as is often the case, anything dabbling in smooth sounds and a vague sense of nostalgia often carries something a little more slippery beneath. Like fellow Kansai creators Tsudio Studio or Emerald Four, Pictured Resort often lets something a little more surreal slip through, and disrupt the breeze. That’s usually through his vocals, which are often manipulated or put lower in the mix, effects that give songs like the otherwise elastic “Day In Day Out” a slightly unnerving feel, like he’s fading into the heat. “Frozen Pacific” pulls a similar trick, boosted by the rhythmic choices, making it a highlight. These little twists on seaside pop — the ones touching on the disorienting experience of nostalgia in modern times, a feeling of being out of time — stand as Pictured Resort’s best moments here, and while most of Season is happy to bask in the warmth, the moments where that image glitches a little make it a compelling work. Listen above.
Ko. Oyama — Oriai
An uncomfortable chill. Ko. Oyama lays down smooth guitar lines and breezy melodies, with the first song lulling you into a sense of coziness via prominent bird chirp and cat meow samples. This is a Local Visions’ release, though, so this sonic hammock gets turned inside out. Oyama plays with sonic texture, burying and then blasting his voice up in the mix, while also fiddling around with tempo throughout this brief release, especially on shorter songs like “Sleep Walk,” where all that relaxation gets replaced with nervous energy. Listen above, or get it here.
PICNIC WOMEN — Nude EP
PICNIC WOMEN returns after two years with a trio of sweltering dance numbers. Just pure rush aimed right at whatever part of the brain gets joints moving around and feet hopping. Get it here, or listen above.
FIRE BOYS — “GANRYUJIMA”
Had the privilege of watching FIRE BOYS open up for Otoboke Beaver a couple months back, with the duo bringing the perfect balance of unrestrained energy and blockhead-ness to their set. New song “GANRYUJIMA” captures this tipsy tightrope act just right, opening with baseball fanfare before turning into a hardcore blitz. Get it here, or listen above.
valknee — vs.
There’s no such thing as a hard pivot when you always shift. In her solo work, valknee has been dashing between styles since 2019’s Fire Bae, and she’s been brushing up against sonic elements associated with “HyperPop” for a while there. The change on vs. comes more in mood than music. The music is crunchier and more likely to eat up her voice (see “DESTROY!” and how she practically plummets into the song at times), while also utilizing blown-out electronics nodding to the current interest in Eurobeat and other club sounds (not surprising, valknee recruits producers like hirihiri and BENXNI). Critically, valknee has a knack for adding her personality to whatever sonic backdrop she tries out, so she feels natural amidst this digital frenzy, whether singing straight or having her voice glitch out. Listen above.
Ado (As Uta) — “Gyakko”
Genuinely did not expect a soundtrack to One Piece to appear so stacked.
Ado’s full-length debut from earlier this year doesn’t hide her love of Sheena Ringo — I’d go as far to say she’s trying to create a Gen Z version of Muzai Moratorium, an album where Ringo explored the nooks and crannies of Tokyo and explored the city’s many musical lineages — but man, she’s screaming out how important she is on this song. Like literally. Just listen to the way she snarls syllables around, and knows just when to let the vocals really rip on the chorus. Wildest part, Ado does it really well, and appears to only be getting more comfortable in applying the lessons from a personal favorite as she starts her era. Listen above.
Oricon Trail For The Week Of June 27, 2022 To July 03, 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.
Tsubaki Factory — “Adrenaline Dame / Yowa Sa Jyanai Yo, Koi Yo / Idol Tenshoku Ondo” (70,830 Copies Sold)
I’m usually always all in on the Hello! Project meta songs, about being an idol and navigating the life that such a choice brings with it. “Idol Tenshoku Ondo” certainly stands out as a fun little exploration of the idol life, reminding the hardcore fans and dweebs writing blurbs about an outdated music chart weekly that the idols, too, are working their asses off like any 9 to 5. Also, fun summer festival sounds in yet another year where a lot of those won’t be happening.
But gotta say…it’s the middle song in all its melty young love energy winning this round of Tsubaki Factory singles. The wackiness and pent-up nerves of “Adrenaline Dame” have their charm, but this leans fully into sweetness, bolstered by backing music managing goosebump-generating nerves through the beat, ennui via those synthesized strings and keyboard notes gliding throughout the verse and an honest-to-goodness bit of upbeat takeoff late. Self-aware idols keep the whole industry on its toes, but sometimes you just want a little heart-racing drama. Listen above.
News And Views
Gee, wonder if any Japanese news stories tower over everything else this week. Haven’t seen too much reaction to this from the musical world outside of shock (which generally seems like the main response in Japan), though Shinzo Abe has a surprisingly long history of intersecting with music, which I wrote about in this newsletter’s fourth installment. Thought it won’t be part of any mainstream media narrative about his legacy, the fact Abe sparked such fierce reaction from J-pop performers, K-pop groups and domestic indie acts (“I AM NOT SHINZO ABE”) is really worth highlighting. Nobody cares about Fumio Kishida enough to write a feedback-bombed rock number about him…but Abe got everyone going. Here’s a Southern All-Stars video featuring him wrestling with a certain disposed leader of South Korea!
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before…COVID-19 case numbers are going back up, and it’s starting to impact live music. Fujii Kaze tested positive, forcing him to postpone four shows. Electronic artist tofubeats also had to put off some shows for the same reason. He probably won’t be the last. The real stress test is going to come with the bigger music festivals…Fuji Rock is right around the corner, and if acts start having to pull out, well…
This news was something everyone knew was coming, but now a date is attached…Nakano Sunplaza, a historic event hall in Nakano, will close on July 2, 2023. A historically significant space based on the number of famous acts who have performed there since it opened in 1973 (think of it as a spot growing in tune with Japan’s domestic rock scene in general), I personally love it for the subtle Showa charm it exudes (bowling alley in the basement) and am happy I can cling to memories of a fair amount of shows seen there (including Tatsuro Yamashita).
CHAI landing in the McDonald’s Japan in-store music, alongside…the fish doctor comedian talent guy?
Controversial fashion brand Dolls Kill is collaborating with Hatsune Miku…and folks aren’t happy about it. As a fashion illiterate person, I knew nothing of their reputation, but I guess they steal…everything and also love cops. Stay away Miku!
In more upbeat Hatsune Miku news, she made a cameo appearance in an anime that I think is about demons.
Kenmochi Hidefumi working on a song for the new Hey! Say! JUMP album…what a time be alive.
Idols winning elections! Former Onyanko Club member Akiko Ikuina took her first election, while former SPEED member Eriko Imai held on to her seat.
Speaking of…Suiyoubi No Campanella’s “Edison” has become a legitimate hit? I know the tune and a hand-centric dance have taken off on TikTok, but that has now pushed it into the top ten of Spotify Japan’s domestic chart which…pretty impressive! Seeing as you have to account for subscription streaming in the ranking of music (you only use Oricon or Billboard? Bye bye!) this is big for the act.
Avex USA is ready to SPEND BABY.
Johnny’s continues opening up to the world, as Travis Japan are set to appear on America’s Got Talent. I guess I can talk about at least one J-pop act with my dad now.
Max Matsuura really needs to get off of YouTube, volume 23. Though let’s be clear…kinda savvy when you get down to it, because he and Avex clearly know that going the FAKY route isn’t the way, and piggybacking as much as possible on K-pop for the new girl group XG is the way to go. Though if they actually hit globally…that could complicate things? But the same is true of any of the Korean-associated pop groups in the country today?
Anyway, it’s a little tough for me to get too interested in this so far, because XG’s music has been garbage up to this point. Oh yeah, I remember the song “It’s My Party,” I would rather listen to that.I talked to Hazy Sour Cherry for The Japan Times. Strange World is a really fun listen, and the band’s desire for escapism seems in line with what a lot of folks crave at the moment. Get it here.
Kinda can’t comprehend Virtual YouTuber Mori Calliope being on the rap-centric YouTube channel NEET Tokyo. Until I remember they did feature Peanuts-kun.
Written by Patrick St. Michel (patrickstmichel@gmail.com)
Twitter — @mbmelodies