Make Believe Melodies For October 7, 2024
More concerned about sounds than names
4s4ki — Collective Obsession
Pitchfork’s recent “The Lost Promise of Hyperpoptimism” was an interesting read from a Western musical world perspective, offering a nice summary of an online-centric style that accelerated, exploded and then sorta fizzled out. It was also an opportunity to turn an eye to the sonic mutations the style inspired in Japan around the start of 2020…and observe the differences between the two sides.
There’s many details to sift through in figuring out how they grew differently, ranging from the Japanese take on “hyperpop” branching out into actual IRL events present even before the pandemic and staying strong as club restrictions were lifted (whereas those in the US, a much bigger place too, largely existed online) to the fact the Japanese major labels never really made a true effort to commercialize digi sounds in the way US companies did1. I think the most important element, though, is that those on the Japanese side never got swept up in the idea of “hyperpop,” and if anything actively pushed against that labeling while still trying experimenting with their music.
Fittingly, this feature arrived at the same time 4s4ki released Collective Obsession, an EP showing how one of the pioneers of this new-era style in the country continues to poke and prod her sound, not remotely interested in how you classify it, but rather getting swept up in what she makes.
Perhaps tellingly, despite drifting closer to the mainstream in recent years and straight-up covering trf albeit in a techno-occult style earlier this year, the songs on Collective Obsession find her in one of her most abrasive modes to date. That’s immediate on an opener that features De De Mouse coming through with the least De De Mouse-sounding track ever, a rave-out where the electronics are practically flaking off and 4s4ki is breaking through the noise to kick against conformity and celebrating smoking areas. Elsewhere she reunites with rinahamu — who guested on an early highlight, and one that at least makes her connection to hyperpop clear via its gecs-nod — for a heavily filtered bit of stutter-pop. It only grows more unnerving and off-kilter on the final two songs, which load up on vocal manipulation, creating an a fever dream through which 4s4ki figures herself out.
What I hear Collective Obsession — and what I pick up in new releases from the likes of PAS TASTA or e5 or LIL SOFT TENNIS, or what happens when I see lilbesh ramko selling out Shibuya venues with a sound that refuses to settle down — I pick up on the artistic freedom this world allowed 4s4ki, and how she still continues to chase it. Forget names or history or playlists…she’s reminding that this corner of music thrives because the creator’s themselves remain fascinated by what’s possible. Listen below.
Toriena — Kengai
Perhaps the secret to all of this is the flexibility of the “community” around this sound. Toriena is not someone you’d natural link to 4s4ki — she started out as a chiptune whiz who was active for nearly a decade before the latter. Yet she’s branched out over the years, diving into digital hardcore, EDM and so much more. Tenth album (!?) Kengai further shows her desire to push her musical curiosity, playing around with web-damaged rap on “Moral” and shifting into the shadows on the dark house groove of “Dominant.” Besides finding new ways to play with her 8-bit origins (see the cartridge scuzz around “Arm In Arm”), she’s really stepping out of her comfort zone on songs like “Emily,” where she “Creep”-s her way towards maudlin rock with a heavy touch of distortion. Toriena remains as eager to push herself as ever, and here’s another set of songs where she embraces new sounds with open arms…not so different than the other artists around her. Listen above.
Haru Nemuri And Frost Children — “Burn”
Let’s also not discount the way this space can bring artists together. Haru Nemuri isn’t someone I’d associate with this world — she’s more underground indie, someone I associate with like Shinjuku Loft rather than Okubo Bacon — yet her whole sound is shaped by the internet too. So maybe a collab with Frost Children makes perfect sense. It sounds like it does…she brings rock swagger spiked by a digital edge, while the New-York-based duo offer extra energy and what I assume is a bit of winking electronic hijinks. It all works, making for a propulsive song interested in seeing how these acts can come together to make something anthemic. Listen above.
OZIGIRI, OVRSLPTR, And Akatora — “Trauma Usagi”
Kawaii colliding with chaos is hardly a new sonic idea, but credit to this trio for finding a way for cuddly synth melodies and throat-shredding to coexist without one overshadowing the other. “Trauma Usagi” blasts off with upbeat dance melodies that linger, but which OZIGIRI and company are happy to tear through via their digital hardcore blasts. Get it here, or listen above.
DJ Fulltono — “Hotel Juke”
Japanese juke pioneer DJ Fulltono aims for luxury with the rich but still rollicking “Hotel Juke.” Reminding of the beauty of this Chicago-born genre is that anything can be pulled into the footwork universe and turned into a body mover, “Hotel Juke” builds its skitter around the sort of caviar-dream BGM I’d expect to soundtrack a video about yachts or something. Listen above.
Yunovation — “now growing”
A skippy pop number from melodica-wonder Yunovation documenting some day-to-day happenings, including buying cream from a drug store. The Kansai artist makes the mundane sound like an absolute delight, especially when the woodwinds enter to offer extra push. Get it here, or listen above.
Shannon Featuring Hatsune Mikus, GUMI and Kaai Yuki — “Shinkansen Too Hard Ice Cream”
There’s multiple painful memories running through producer Shannon’s latest song…including right in the title. If they wanted to, Shannon could not order the too-hard ice cream once served out of the little carts pushed around the Shinkansen as those ended last year (at least on major routes). A simpler, tastier…albeit annoying…time, lost to the chug of progress.
That feeling haunts all of “Shinkansen Too Hard Ice Cream,” a Vocaloid whirlwind built around 8-bit locomotion and what sound like actual Shinkansen honks. It isn’t just sweets being longed for — our protagonist sees the era they grew up in vanishing, with Showa and Heisei eras receding as the country around them scraps the past in favor of a new present doomed to be forgotten in the future. The Shinkansen itself becomes a metaphor — a technological wonder in its heyday that’s now just a fast train that, as Shannon observes, might be replaced by the promise of a Maglev years from now.
It’s the story of modern Japan…inspired by the desire to attempt to scoop out frozen vanilla ice cream while on a trip. Listen above.
Oricon Trail For The Week Of September 23 2024 To September 29, 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.
Hey!Say! JUMP — “UMP” (216,522 Copies Sold)
STARTO groups interacting with other corners of Japanese music is always fascinating, though the results can be hit or miss. That’s especially true in the 2020s, where the frantic sounds of post-Vocaloid J-pop feel at odds with the very manicured, very controlled structures the groups under the agency’s umbrella deal in. This has not stopped intersections, though at best you end up with “oh, SixTONES kind of sounds like YOASOBI, that’s neat.”
It’s an awareness but distance from modern J-pop trends that makes “UMP” a highlight of the STARTO 2024 songbook. Rather than go directly to someone making the hits on the other side of the aisle, Hey!Say! JUMP link up with Kenta Kataoka of rock group sumika to pen lyrics clearly trying to get in on the woe-is-us vibes of most modern artists (lines about information overload and “noise poison,” funny enough it has a few similarities with that Shannon song above). Yet they turn to music pros to make the music, which is a more STARTO-paced take on modern J-pop, complete with zig-zagging piano melodies, but here never overshadowing the group. Listen above.
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News And Views
Last week, social media accounts for the band Suchmos, who have been on a hiatus for several years, posted this:
Obviously, that doesn’t give you much to work with. Yet it was fair to assume the band was up to something. That something was apparently revealed by radio station J-Wave — whose building Suchmos’ filmed the “Stay Tuned” video in — who reported via letter that the group will indeed resume activities next year, including a big live show in June happening at Yokohama Arena. The power of topping a songs ranking, perhaps?
Snow Man released a new single, which in and of itself is notable news. Yet the actual hook for “One” is that it is the first time the biggest domestic pop group in Japan has shared a song on subscription streaming services, underlining the continued shift in how J-pop gets distributed in the 2020s. This is STARTO’s biggest act…and it is available on like, Spotify. That’s possibly because the song serves as an ending theme, which means it has a higher probability of reaching new listeners…if it’s available.
I really want to put something fun here before the next story, so…the opening animation to new series DAN DA DAN is fun, and I think the Creepy Nuts’ song for it works really well.
Former member of musical group / YouTube annoyance Repezen Foxx DJ Maru was accused of domestic violence against Kanano Senritsu, member of the group femme fatale. She herself hinted at it on her Instagram, and then a Twitter account obtained audio of alleged abuse against her by DJ Maru. Big listener discretion warning: the audio is disturbing, as are the allegations, which go as far as DJ Maru forcing her to drink like cleaning chemicals alongside physical violence. Senritsu has been in the hospital, though she was released yesterday, sharing a message with fans.
Rock band mitsume announced they had officially broken up at the end of September. The group had a hell of a run, and were deeply influential on the Japanese music scene…you better believe this week’s essay is about the outfit.
A huge camera fell into the crowd at a festival in Osaka this past weekend. Nobody appears to have been hurt, which is kinda nuts given how heavy it was.
Yuji Shibasaki’s recent column has been really good, looking at the history of “dasai music” and the roles labels have played in helping Japanese fusion music find new life.
AKB48’s next album to be…a history of idol?
New media alert! This past week, Japanese culture website scrmbl launched. I’m contributing on the music front, so far having written a kind of overview of where J-pop is at in 2024 and…important for readers of this blog…Bandcamp Friday recs.
I caught up with Ginger Root to talk about his lovely new album, wanting to avoid being pigeonholed as “city pop,” and attending Hosono’s birthday party for The Japan Times.
Alfa Records is celebrating its 55th anniversary by releasing…a special sake costing over ¥30000, in special YMO-themed container. Folks…become a premium subscriber, and maybe I’ll be able to justify ordering this for a post.
Written by Patrick St. Michel (patrickstmichel@gmail.com)
Twitter — @mbmelodies
Follow the Best Of 2024 Spotify Playlist here!
There’s also a whole argument to be made that the central fissure of Western “hyperpop” — between the British plasticity of PC Music and the more American blown-out sound that took off during the pandemic — doesn’t exist in Japan because Yasutaka Nakata was doing PC Music’s whole thing like a decade before and creating legitimate pop hits.