Make Believe Melodies For May 24, 2021
Sad Pop, Internet Damage And Takayan
Takayan — Zutto Ikite Ne
J-pop is all about exploring the grimier parts of the human mind in 2021, whether from the glum short stories of YOASOBI or the vocal dropkicks aimed at polite society courtesy of Ado. Just as important as the less-than-sunny emotions central to the music is how they are delivered. These artists are online natives, emerging from the Nico-Nico-Douga-fostered Vocaloid scene and delivering their work to listeners through web channels, to the point where Ado’s “Usseewa” only exists as a digital single. There’s something to this downer shift playing out in pop music at the same time kids raised through social media comes of age — I imagine that I, someone who has had to taken month-long breaks from Twitter for my mental health, am not alone in feeling like being plugged in this much isn’t good for anyone’s brain.
While not a mainstream force, internet rapper Takayan might capture this web 2.Oh-No energy better than anyone in the country. The 23-year-old creator started out as a jacked teenager lipsynching to rap songs before becoming…an even beefier young adult creating original songs in his bedroom, often from the perspective of women. Going through his channel’s history is to see what actually happens when a kid says their dream is to be a YouTuber — he’s had a covers phase, a Filthy Frank phase and more. Now he’s capturing the unease of youth in modern Japan, with songs titled “Everything Is Boring,” “What’s The Meaning Of Living” and “Shit Named ‘Gender’” among others. With anime-style videos and seemingly relaxed backdrops, it’s a borderline subversion of lo-fi hip-hop beats, except to stew in while reflecting the pain of existing.
It looks like Takayan is on the verge of some major label push — his video budget has gone up significantly, while his rap group STUPID GUYS (hell yeah) appear to be on Universal Music Japan — so getting familiar with his work now might be a good move. Luckily, he released the album Zutto Ikite Ne (above), the best gateway into his take on modern Japanese life. Seeing as this guy creates song at a rapid clip, a lot of it isn’t great, but the ratio of hits to misses on this just-under 20 minute release is solid, showcasing his melodic sing-song delivery, which can swing from a sort of frantic style replicating the feel of having your brain go haywire, to a more upbeat voice that adds welcome optimism to often heavy numbers (suicide and self-hate swirl in these songs, but his best ability is finding a way to turn that into something genuinely therapeutic, with an intention of boosting the mood of fans who need it). If you want to understand how a new generation of Japanese artist is expressing themselves…and how the internet has shaped it…Takayan is worthy of exploration.
connie Featuring Ram Rider — “Mo Ichido Music”
Wherein long-running Negicco songwriter / producer connie teams up with Yasutaka Nakata satellite Ram Rider to create some throwback electro-pop begging for the AgeHa big room.
Xiangyu — “Milan Sando A”
First off, props for celebrating the best sandwich…my go-to lunch in desperate situations…from coffee chain Doutor. Second, the summer of Kenmochi Hidefumi continues, as this marks the return of longtime production project Xiangyu, with a smoother number complete with an incredible video just…using Google Maps to find a bunch of outlets of the store.
Healthy Cream — FOGGY ROM
Another great reminder of the flexibility Vocaloid software allows ambitious electronic artists. Healthy Cream contorts digi-syllables into rap on “Highway,” pogoing pop on “MEME” and more on this release from Omoide Label. Get it here.
EMPiRE — “IZA!!”
I’m a simple music listener — if Seiho produces an idol group’s song, I’ll listen, and leave it being more than happy (what a hook! And wild video to boot).
Ali Featuring Lil Chill — “On My Luv”
Just to close the loop — SoundCloud rap, in all its messy melodic melancholy, remains an intriguing space. This pairing produces a particularly hooky track, featuring some subtle saxophone notes.
Special Announcement!
Allen Huang and I are launching POD48, a podcast series looking at the 2018 series Produce 48, which saw the worlds of K-pop and AKB48 collide in a glorious mess of synchronized dancing, geopolitical mishaps and economic swindling! I still think about this series all the time — like in this post, which got the ball rolling on this project (which we had talked about a longtime ago) — and it’s impact on pop culture remains highly visible. Follow the Twitter account to get updates and see all the screen captures / video clips that continue to wow us.
Oricon Trail For The Week Of May 10, 2021 To May 16, 2021
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 the 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 drip down…the Oricon Trail.
Hey! Say! JUMP — “Negative Fighter” (215, 258 Copies Sold)
There’s definitely a tendency to over-emphasize the impact of very important developments in music, such as seeing a gaggle of boys wearing colorful clothes and dancing on a pastel football field and instantly thinking “is this K-pop influenced?” Like, YG Entertainment didn’t invent the idea of “flashy threads.” And yet, Hey! Say! JUMP’s “Negative Fighter” feels heavily shaped by the sounds and images coming from Japan’s neighbor. It goes beyond the video, trickling over to the music itself, featuring sudden twists into rap and lyrics about being OK giving into bad feelings as long as you push forward, which seems in line with K-pop’s dominant messaging at the moment.
Yet rather than be a knockoff, the folks behind “Negative Fighter” get what makes K-pop click just wrong enough to result in something interesting. Like…what’s that squeaky horn melody in the chorus? Why is the energy subdued? What are these Dick-Tracey-ass hats they are wearing? It exists in the same zone as Saint Snow’s “Dazzling White Town,” a stab at TWICE that goes off the rails into Saxobeat territory…and ends up better for it. “Negative Fighter” misses the point on a few major details…but ends up a solid entry thanks to that confusion.
News And Views
On the topic of Johnny’s groups, one of the crown jewels of that talent agency has finally embraced the internet. King & Prince have started social media accounts and an official YouTube account, in the latest big embrace of digital realities from a company once terrified of losing any control to the internet. Subscription streaming remains the final frontier for the group, but this is a big step for them.
Speaking of streaming…B’z, who are technically the best-selling Japanese artist in the country’s history, have made their discography available on all platforms. At this point, the number of legendary names not on the services is dwindling, as holdouts from the past who had no reason to put their music up on, say, Spotify, when they could sell their umpteenth best-of comp see where things are going.
The actual biggest entertainment news of the week — maybe year? — in Japan is that Hoshino Gen and Aragaki Yui announced they were married. “Koi” is now autobiographical I guess.
At long last, worlds collide
Though…Hatsune Miku might warrant commemoration in pony form? This interview with TikTok influencer Bella Poarch finds one of the most popular people on that platform citing Miku has her biggest influence.
Plastic Lover talks! Further exploration into how “Plastic Love” became a viral hit courtesy of Cat Zhang.
The newfound interest in Japanese ambient music reaches its logical conclusion, with retailer Muji uploading their in-store background music to streaming services. Now you can feel like your starting at beige chairs…from the comfort of home!
Kenshi Yonezu’s next single can be had in “puzzle” form.
MIYACHI is all gas, no brakes in…Konbini Confessions.
Talked to rapper Daichi Yamamoto for The Japan Times.
Are you looking for a truly deep dive into how Japanese electronics shaped dance music? Attack Magazine has you covered.
Time for a cup of CHAI! The quartet released their latest full-length album WINK last week (review to come in this newsletter? I can’t make promises), their first with American label Sub Pop. That upgrade from…oh god let’s just move on…has become clear in the press cycle behind the album, because CHAI are everywhere. Vulture has a profile, as does The Guardian (which finds CHAI shying away from any “feminist” tags…how Otoboke Beaver of them!), and The New York Times among others. Pitchfork looked over influences for the new album, while Ryo Miyauchi chatted to the band for Tune Glue, which is my personal fave because of how it goes into more Japan-related topics (not to mention chatting about…Thai rock bands!). Maybe the biggest week for coverage of an individual Japanese artist since…uhhhh, BABYMETAL?
KFC Spain…likes Snail’s House?
Written by Patrick St. Michel (patrickstmichel@gmail.com)
Twitter — @mbmelodies
