Make Believe Melodies For June 19, 2023
So, What Is It Then?
pandagolff — IT’S NOT FOOD!!
Food has a way of inspiring bands, ranging from Shonen Knife to more recent odes to culinary treats courtesy of CHAI. Post-punk outfit pandagolff claim that this isn’t quite the case, at least if we are going to buy the title of their fourth full-length at face value — it’s not food! But eats are all over the place here, whether referenced in rollicking guitar rambles like “Additional Lemon” or memories of flavors popping up in the fragile ode “Fleece Love You.” Maybe it’s not food, really — maybe it’s about the inspiration thinking about food or anything else sparks in the band, and how that can lead them to play around with rock.
Following up on last year’s Sweetie sweets medicine, pandagolff’s latest continues building on the jaggedness of that release. The group — joined here by TsuShiMaMiRe drummer Maiko Takagi — veer between slow-building exercises in uneasy tension (“Hamburg Lemon”) and more out-the-gate ragged rockers repetition (“Radio Papa, Radio Mama”), along with the left-field ballad. The key across them all is the group’s lyrical repetition, utilizing the sound of words and phrases — sometimes food related, other times not — as an anchor while they let the music around them shoot off in different directions. It’s not food, mostly because pandagolff don’t make things that simple. Listen below, or get it here.
CHAI — “PARA PARA”
God, talk about being out of time. As someone who spent the last year deep in the Eurobeat, you can imagine my initial rush of giddiness / confusion at CHAI’s newest being titled “Para Para.” Velfarre this ain’t though, but rather a return to the ‘80s — featuring the line “back to the ‘80s here we go” — except also not quite the city-pop revivalism any of that promises, either. Instead it’s like boogie-funk with a ‘70s sheen, further complicating all of this, a song still built around the concept of “para para,” a very ‘90s concept. Even if ironic, CHAI are still dabbling in nostalgia, but it ends up so all over the place as to be much more interesting than most historical exercises. And, since it’s CHAI, there’s a surprisingly tender heart at the center of all this. Listen above.
e5 — “no idea”
An already melancholy electronic song ratchets up at the very end when e5 just starts quoting from livetune’s “Tell Your World,” transforming a song originally about the power of artistic creativity into something more emotionally complicated. Listen above.
Kaoruko And Stones Taro — “Mostera”
A pairing that has produced agile pop in the past year returns for another floor-focused session. Kyoto’s Stones Taro lays down a slippery electronic foundation over which Kaoruko — voice warped into a beautiful digital beam — navigates. Listen above.
Cho Co Pa Co Cho Co Quin Quin — “Kayonenka”
Gotta own up to the misses when necessary — this song came out late last year, but I did not know it existed until this week, when it appeared on subscription streaming. Huge oversight, especially because of how incredible “Kayonenka” is. Here’s a pop song produced in heavy humidity, every element seemingly playing out over a layer of sweat and guided by the sort of percussion you would expect from a retro-tinged experiment via someone like VIDEOTAPEMUSIC. Yet there’s none of that direct nodding to the past here, just a muggy and slightly delirious atmosphere surrounding a lovely song. Bonus points after you see how they put it together, which involved ultimately unneeded physical harm to one band member…but hey, got a good sample. Listen above.
SUNNY ONLY 1 Featuring Mori — “Dance like a monkey”
Artist and bala member SUNNY ONLY 1 teams up with one half of perpetual party-starters Dongurizu for a fittingly sweaty dance number. The unifying theme between their projects is an embrace of the escape clubs and dancing can bring, so together they give in completely to letting go and…looking like a monkey on the floor. Listen above.
CANDYGIRL — “TAKE MY HAND”
Off-balance R&B from duo CANDYGIRL, a little less oddball and a touch more sweet here, without flattening out their sound. Besides, love is never so straightforward — if the world isn’t spinning, something might be off. Listen above.
FIRE BOYS — YARUSHIKANEE / LET'S GO
Every FIRE BOYS’ song makes me want to flip over a table. Nothing changing here. Get it here, or listen above.
Oricon Trail For The Week Of June 5, 2023 To June 11, 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.
Johnny’s West — “Shiawase No Hana” (216,313 Copies Sold)
I might buy 20 copies of the physical version of “Idol” this week just so it helps potentially breaks up the hold Johnny & Associates’ acts have on the Oricon charts this year. I’m running out of anything to say about the current re-look into Johnny Kitagawa’s alleged sexual abuse…and dippy feel-good pop like the above isn’t offering anything substantial on the musical side either.
News And Views
Rolling Stone Japan wrote a thoughtful feature about Spotify Japan’s “Gacha Pop” playlist, below. It’s a deliberate effort from the subscription streaming platform to re-brand J-pop for a new era, and the interview reveals they are pretty savvy about the whole approach. They correctly note that what makes Japanese music appealing in the modern era is how unique songs can sound, especially when compared to dominant global pop trends. J-pop doesn’t follow along, but rather every song can be a surprise…a “gacha” if you will. The Spotify official also shares how what catches the interest of foreign listeners can be wildly different than what works at home — which probably explains the presence of Haru Nemuri, Otoboke Beaver and many more (along with the lack of LDH or most other domestic-facing acts, though good job &TEAM getting on, at least for now).
It reinforces a lot of known trends from the last few years — the power of anime, the strength of rock, the sheer variety present in the J-pop ecosystem right now — while also reminding we should be wary of tech companies with musical context (the claim people really started coming to Japanese music via “Mayanaka No Door ~ Stay With Me” c’mon Spotify, give it up to YouTube on this one). Still, most interesting reveal here? That everyone involved in Japanese music is getting savvier at how to market it.
Related, I wrote about Japan’s Galapagos Syndrome…and how that has actually proven to be a cultural winning strategy after years of feeling like a detriment, for Newspicks. Music is one area where this is true…rock might as well be a flip phone in terms of global sounds…though I think the surprising rise of kei trucks might be the best example of this (we all got high-tech offerings…and realized they kind of stink! Give us small cars and CDs).
Totally forgot to note that Happiness, the LDH girl group, will disband later this year. Most of the members in this outfit are now in SG5, who recently reminded fans they still exist.
You never want to be caught up in Shukan Bunshun happenings, though I guess Night Tempo wasn’t the focus of their reporting, so that’s something. That publication has been covering actor and singer Ryoko Hirosue’s affair with a chef, and images obtained by Bunshun revealed that she was working with Night Tempo on a song. “Was” being key, as Night Tempo expressed frustration that, due to Bunshun, the number was off. And people say cancel culture isn’t real…
Fuji Rock Festival let people around the world enjoy parts of their festival for free online via YouTube stream in recent years. Now, they are trying to put that proverbial toothpaste back in the tube by cancelling livestreaming this year. Good luck with that!
BBC News uploaded their full documentary on Johnny Kitagawa with Japanese subtitles to YouTube.
This look at how the soundtrack to Oshi No Ko is recorded is pretty interesting!
I’m usually not one to fixate on the drama of anime conventions in the United States, but we’ve got a grade-a clusterfuck unfolding at Anime Expo centered around their yearly rave event Neon District. After DJs reported being ghosted by the largest anime convention in the United States, the bulk of the event’s Japanese performers, including TORIENA and YUC’e, were no longer on the bill. The same appears to have happened with Vocaloid artist Kikuo. Again, not my usual area of expertise…but I have heard from plenty of friends and sources who do deal with Anime Expo that it can be a pretty…difficult experience.
So, why aren’t they taking part? No reason has really been given by Anime Expo…maybe because they were to busy announcing that the headliner of Neon District would be Shaquille O’Neal. Yes, that Shaq, the NBA hall of famer, who will DJ as Diesel, a thing he does do. As funny as it is seeing Shaq perform alongside Taku Takahashi, it is pretty suss watching an anime-centric event gut its lineup to host a gimmick. I get the anger!
New Angura looks at Wang Dang Doodle!
Written by Patrick St. Michel (patrickstmichel@gmail.com)
Twitter — @mbmelodies