Make Believe Melodies For July 8, 2024
usabeni And nonayu Appreciation Post
usabeni — AIR
usabeni and nonayu — “Ice Bahn”
usabeni and nonayu — “PEEK-A-BOO!”
“Idol” is only as limiting a concept as the person embracing it chooses it to be. While there’s a stereotypical and often common image of what constitutes the look and sound of a J-pop idol, the history of Japanese music has always made room for artists willing to push at those imagined boundaries. Idols usabeni and nonayu know this all so well. Both first popped up as part of the post-BiS grab at the underground avandoned, which embraced a rock-centric sound as a foundation, working best when distorted. In the years after, the pair drifted through other projects before reconnecting as FRUN FRIN FRIENDS, an idol project offering an eclectic set of sounds. Again, they went off in their own directions at some point, this time mainly as soloists.
They’ve been hitting a stride in the last year. With her EP textures!, usabeni largely embraced dance-pop running from the maximal to the sparse, showing her range over a variety of…textures, all of which fit her hushed delivery just right. She’s built on that in 2024 with new EP AIR. The tempos get pushed up, with the title track becoming a dash turned pounding via pulverizing percussion, through which usabeni swoops and glides without ever slowing down. “Purei” isn’t quite as speedy, but still highlights her upbeat side, while “atmosphere” slows down to explore more laid-back grooves. It’s the sound of an idol continuing to experiment, avoiding easy classification while still embracing what that word represents.
A similar spirit has guided nonayu forward. Following FRUN FRIN FRIENDS, she became nonamera to ride the HyperPop wave, producing one solid album along the way. She’s explored similarly zippy sounds as nonayu this year, both by herself and teaming with neo-gal duo PINKBLESS. Yet reuniting with usabeni — very much a kindred spirit in this idol niche — results in two of her best moments to date. “Ice Bahn” is all zero-gravity dance-pop, giving itself to club escape as it chugs ahead. The newest release “PEEK-A-BOO!” offers a swifter interpretation of the nonamera sound, every bit as nervy but a little smoother around the corners. It’s the sound of two idols having a blast seeing how far they can stretch out their sound. Listen above.
macaroom — “geinin”
A fever dream delivered in whispers. This is the formula macaroom has used before to wow, pairing a playful approach to pop experimentation with hushed vocals, giving their songs an illusionary quality. Latest track “geinin” is no different, even as the singing verges on rapping. The words breeze by, but the electronic blur around them cushions every syllable as to make even the fastest periods feel caught in the air. Listen above.
BUDDHAHOUSE — “Tropical Island”
I just spent the weekend in Okinawa, and it’s a beautiful albeit bewildering place to try to relax. Not to imply I have the brains to head out on vacation thinking “ahhhh yes, the history of colonialism…I must investigate this while eating lots of pineapple!,” but it is the sort of thing that’s hard to avoid when you are there (complicated by a trip to an actual U.S. military base…stay tuned for that one!). The region’s traditional music plays a huge role in this, as you can hear it all across the biggest island, sometimes deployed as chintzy trinket-shop BGM but other times being a true reflection of the region’s history, carrying a lot of pain and joy within it.
Yet it isn’t simple history-book material. Okinawan traditional sounds continue to be merged with modern-day styles. Just being in Naha for a few days, I came across goofy-fun Eurobeat mutations on it and stumbled across a gaggle of teens doing a Saturday night rap freestyle party in a park over sanshin plucks. Producer BUDDHAHOUSE’s “Tropical Island” blends a little bit of that island sound with a variety of club-ready styles, including a healthy dollop of synthesized sax on top. A great example of how far Okinawan sonic ideas spread…and how they remain just as kinetic today. Listen above.
MFS — “Don’t”
I love the MFS and Stones Taro partnership, and glad to see it continue to produce some of the year’s best rap in Japan. Listen above.
Various Artists — 88 - Double Happiness Vol. 8
Speaking of, Hong Kong label FuFu Records features a new track from the Kyoto house don on its latest continent-spanning compilation. “Buri Buri” is an energetic slice of house delirium, but the headline here should actually be the presence of a new song from Paperkraft. There’s no shortage of Stones Taro around in 2024…but “E 4 Egg” is the rare dispatch from the producer, and a welcoming wonky one built around some pre-school-education samples. And hey…lots of other great tunes too! Get it here, or listen above.
One Boiling Point — “Natsukashi”
Nostalgia is never simple. Producer One Boiling Point aims to capture the jagged edges of memory with “Natsukashi,” a seemingly tender mutation interrupted by jolts of electric guitar. It’s a disruption that shakes the otherwise melancholy melody into something a bit more unnerving, and makes the eventual mutation of the song into a dash on the verge of falling apart all the more exciting. Listen above.
pinponpanpon — “Bath Bomb”
All that stuff up top about idols and bucking expected sounds? Yeah, that’s pinponpanpon too, albeit in a much more chaotic package. Like previous songs about ding-dong ditch and cooking, I’m not totally sure if “Bath Bomb” uses bathing as a metaphor or is straight-up about taking a nice warm soak. Whatever it is, the duo bring tubs-worth of confidence with them to sell this, while working in tandem with music in constant mutation courtesy of producer French Cries. And don’t forget the goofs — an OnlyFans tease, how 2020s! Listen above.
Oricon Trail For The Week Of June 24 2024 To June 30, 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.
INI — THE FRAME (LOUD) (672,867 Copies Sold)
Oh my god…2024 has it’s first true Oricon slugfest, and it’s a down-to-the-wire affair.
There’s a lot to draw from this. The first is INI has the support to stand up there with other top-level J-pop male groups. Next, idols of all types continue to command loyal fanbases in the digital age — Sakurazaka46 aren’t slouching even if they finished second. Any other week, they are probably number one. Finally, and perhaps most shocking, this is one of those weeks really reminding of the value of the Oricon Charts. Not because it reflects the actual mainstream embrace of either song — but rather because it’s a perfect fandom chart in the 2020s, and this result offers an interesting glance at how idol supporters are coming out for both sides of the spectrum.
Though I will say…both songs are pretty good, both blasting ahead on maximal dance beats lurching into the unsettling. The Sakurazaka46 song, in particular, really uses sampled vocals well to create an uneasy atmosphere. Listen below.
News And Views
I talked with Creepy Nuts for The Japan Times last week, one of my favorite interviews in recent memory. Especially because I got to chat Bandmanrill and Latin rap with them…a great reminder that “Bling-Bang-Bang-Born” isn’t just a familiar success story for J-pop in 2024, but a reminder of how international-minded the creators in the industry are today.
I’ll spare you my deeper thoughts on Virtual YouTubers and the scourge of overly serious baseball fans…but Hololive Night happened at Dodger Stadium over the weekend, and it appeared to be a beautiful event. Honestly, even this hater’s heart has melted a bit…if the Dodgers win the World Series, I’ll only be slightly bitter about it.
Anime music is booming…and I guess that applies to piracy too, because Sony Music Japan and Bandai Namco are going after the site Hikari-no-Akari.
Homicidols talked with WACK overlord Junnosuke Watanabe, lining up nicely with the reunited BiS lineup out to celebrate its tenth year since breaking up the first time, which featured a special free concert in Kabukicho Monday night…which I went to. Expect a report in this week’s premium edition!
The age of the animated girl rock band is upon us — the fictional bands (with real-life versions) MyGO!!!!! (from Bang Dream) and Togenashi Togeari (from Girls Band Cry) will perform a joint show in January 2025.
MISIA releasing a song IN FRENCH for the forthcoming Olympic Games in Paris.
Not quite music…but another week of America’s Got Talent, another chance for performers big here with no global footprint to find an audience to charm. One of the most underrated paths for attention globally going right now.
Everyone take a moment to appreciate that Perfume’s Triangle came out 15 years ago this week.
BE:FIRST and ATEEZ collabed on a new song.
Written by Patrick St. Michel (patrickstmichel@gmail.com)
Twitter — @mbmelodies