Jan 31, 2011
Day 23 - Hamasaki Ayumi - ROCK'N'ROLL CIRCUS
My complaint about this album is the same as Zer0's: if you're going to call it "ROCK'N'ROLL CIRCUS," there needs to be some pretty significant amounts of rock on it. (Also, and this is only my opinion, but if you're going to call it "ROCK'N'ROLL CIRCUS" and not put very much rock on it, there should be a lot of "circus" music.") As is, out of 15 tracks there are two that fall in the rock category, and only one in the circus category. So, kind of a naming fail there, Ayu. Otherwise, the album is pretty solid. There's a lot of classic Ayu goodness ("Sunset~LOVE is ALL~," "BALLAD," "Sunrise~LOVE is ALL~"), some tracks with interesting instrumentation choices ("Microphone," "montage," "Don't look back"). There are only a few tracks that I think are just blatantly bad - "BALLAD" contains not just synth strings, but synth shakuhachi! WHAT?! - and the Asian-bollywood-Arabian-Nights flavor of "Don't look back" is frankly kind of confusing. But there are also some really interesting tracks. I like the rock/record scratchy/Ayu's poppy voice combo in "count down" and the acoustic + drum machine + real strings in "Last Links" is very good stuff. Same for "montage," only the classical instrument repertoire expands a little further with some pipe organ and harpsichord. Overall this is a pretty decent album, but the flaws with some of weirder tracks keeps me from enjoying it as much as the other albums I've reviewed so far.
Jan 30, 2011
Day 22- Furukawa Miki - Very
I'm in love! Again! Furukawa Miki mixes us up an ice cream sundae of elctropop (deliciously close to trance techno in many cases) with girl rock sprinkles on top and it's a beautiful thing. This album has solid beats, great vocals, and good variety, but it never goes over the top: everything's kept basic and minimalistic, the vocals and instrumentation all working together flawlessly to create great music. Each elements is dependent on the others to complete the song: even the vocals contribute musically, rather than using the music as the vehicle to get lyrics out. Miki's voice is surprisingly versatile, moving from cute and a little poppy in tracks like "Kingyou" and "Saihate" to languid and adult in the more rock-focused tracks like "Bridge to Heaven" and "Amore." Especially if you like techno or electropop, this album is a must. (Sadly, I couldn't find any PVs for this album, so you'll have to find out how awesome it is for yourself!)
Jan 29, 2011
Day 21 - Kamiki Aya - Gloriosa
"Gloriosa" certainly isn't what I was expecting based on the name. (Look, just get used to it. It'll be easier for your mind in the long run.) I mean, "Gloriosa?" It's a hip-hop title if I ever heard one! But instead, Kamiki Aya dishes out the rock on this album. Although it's nothing that's high musical art, it is fun to listen to. There's some solid shredding on "Fly Away," some rock with synth on "Satisfaction" and "Lost In The World," solid drum work that makes the song on "Truth Needs No Color." Of course, it also has it's issues: most of the songs sound really similar, and not in the "all this is so hardcore that I have trouble distinguishing one hardcore thing from the others!" way, like I experienced with Straightener. The only real departure in style is "Pop-eyed fish," which has more of a classic rock feel, including a piano. Also, I've been spoiled by the vocal quality of the past few albums I've reviewed. Aya's voice is good, but it's not fantastic and it's a little muddled through the entire album. Still, even with it's little problems, it's a thoroughly enjoyable and I'll be coming back to it when I need some girl rock.
Aya Kamiki - Revolver PV
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Aya Kamiki - Revolver PV
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Review of STRAIGHTENER's "STOUT" on GK!
I wrote a review of Straightener's new album, "STOUT," for Gaijin Kanpai! You should totally check it out!
Jan 28, 2011
Day 20 - JASMINE - GOLD
I'm so much more impressed by the album selections than I was the singles selections! "GOLD" is wonderful, like no other hip hop I've ever heard. In his review of the album, Jaylee says that "'GOLD' really does everything it can to raise the bar not just for J-Urban music but for Japanese music overall." I read that and had a hard time believing it, or that I'd be able to tell. I mean, I'm a pretty plebeian when it comes to music; you've probably noticed that a lot of my reviews are "This is good because I like it!" and "This is bad because I don't like it!" I try to not to be facile about my choices, but I don't really know a lot about how music is created and produced, so my likes and dislikes are all that I have to go on. That said, this is definitely a different kind of hip hop than I'm used to. Good different. JASMINE works in so many different, interesting things - from uncommon instruments to melding in different genres - that the music is far from the boring sugar pop that you get from Nishino Kana or Koda Kumi. Every track has something to recommend it: "L.I.P.S." is a sexy song that doesn't go into the "gross" range like a lot of American music has been doing for two decades, and is a bad habit that Japanese music is picking up recently. "Bad Girl" mixes in a strong rock feeling, even using electric guitars, to give it a much harder sound than bass alone could. "dear my friend" uses all kinds of uncommon instruments like harpsichord and sitar. But even if none of that does anything for you, the vocal quality is unmatched. JASMINE sings so sincerely and passionately that she makes you sit up and listen. Even if you don't like hip hop - hell, especially if you don't like hip hop! - you'll probably love "GOLD."
JASMINE(ジャスミン) 「This Is Not A Game」 [PV]
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JASMINE(ジャスミン) 「This Is Not A Game」 [PV]
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Jan 27, 2011
Day 19 - ICONIQ - CHANGE MYSELF
Thank god I was wrong yesterday. "CHANGE MYSELF" is a delightful album from track one. My husband and I listened to it literally 5 or 6 times in a row - we heard it come to an end and loop, and decided that we didn't mind listening to it again. We decided this at least 4 times. When I listened to it myself, to take a closer listen to the tracks for this review, I was sure I'd find something about the album that would change my mind - some annoying little bit of instrumentation or some annoying musical trick or just flat boringness. But none of those happened. I could have played it again and been happy.
The essence of what makes this album good is that it sounds fresh. I know that's a word that gets tossed around a lot in the music industry, especially the Japanese music industry, and it seems to have all kinds of meanings: "novel," "interesting," or simply "new." And although those words apply here, that's not the "fresh" I'm talking about. I mean fresh in the same sense as in "a breath of fresh air" or "fresh cut grass." Each song is poppy and electronic and light, and it should sound like every other album of pop out there but it somehow doesn't. It sounds like dew on budding flowers, or dappled sunshine on grass, or falling autumn leaves, or new fallen snow. I don't mean to wax poetic here, but it really is tough for me to use regular words to describe the sound of the album. It's otherworldly. It flows between pop styles, each song light as a bubble, even the ones with strong bass. My favorite is probably "CHANGE MYSELF," but every song has merit. There are no mediocre tracks, and certainly no bad ones. The best thing I can suggest is to listen to it. Just like Noanowa, it might not be your favorite style, but you'd have to be crazy or lying to claim that it's bad.
(Sorry for the partial PV. I can't get a full version from Youku to load on the blog for some reason!)
The essence of what makes this album good is that it sounds fresh. I know that's a word that gets tossed around a lot in the music industry, especially the Japanese music industry, and it seems to have all kinds of meanings: "novel," "interesting," or simply "new." And although those words apply here, that's not the "fresh" I'm talking about. I mean fresh in the same sense as in "a breath of fresh air" or "fresh cut grass." Each song is poppy and electronic and light, and it should sound like every other album of pop out there but it somehow doesn't. It sounds like dew on budding flowers, or dappled sunshine on grass, or falling autumn leaves, or new fallen snow. I don't mean to wax poetic here, but it really is tough for me to use regular words to describe the sound of the album. It's otherworldly. It flows between pop styles, each song light as a bubble, even the ones with strong bass. My favorite is probably "CHANGE MYSELF," but every song has merit. There are no mediocre tracks, and certainly no bad ones. The best thing I can suggest is to listen to it. Just like Noanowa, it might not be your favorite style, but you'd have to be crazy or lying to claim that it's bad.
(Sorry for the partial PV. I can't get a full version from Youku to load on the blog for some reason!)
Jan 26, 2011
Day 18 - Nishino Kana - to LOVE
I'm beginning to feel that Furukawa Miho and Noanowa are the HALCALI of the album list. Kana's "to LOVE" is a solid album, but there are some issues with it that keep it from being comparable with my two favorite albums so far. Most of the songs are simple, easy pop with an upbeat vibe. Although the genre and musical style are different, the production style is similar to Fukuhara Miho's "Regrets of Love:" the instrumentation is pushed far back and kept fairly minimal so that Kana's voice can come forward. It's easy to listen to but not particularly different from all the other pop offerings out there. The thing that this album most suffers from, however, is a lack of passion. You don't get this feeling on every track, not even close, but from "Prolouge~What A Nice" to "Summer Girl," Kana sounds like she's just going through the motions rather than singing about something about something she loves or because she loves to sing. She hits her stride starting at "Hey Boy" and the album comes to life at that point...Until "Love and Smile," where it turns into flat-as-week-old-soda pop again. She hits her stride again with "Wrong" and keeps it for the rest of the album, but I don't want to here her passion waver all over the map. I think one or two tracks at the beginning of an album being a little off is normal, but this off again-on again-off again-on again thing is no good. There are some other issues that just bother me, like the additon of "children sounds" in "Love and Smile," the vry abrupt endings of "Motto" and "Maybe," and the weird auto-tuning in "Maybe." Also, on more pet-peevy note, Kana seems to have an obsession with chimes. Seriously, I think they're on EVERY TRACK. Just join an addicts' support group, already, and stop toturing your listeners, girl! We're behind you!
Overall, when "to LOVE" is on, it's on! But it's sadly that's not often enough. I think the album really could have benefitted from giving Kana the space to get into her songs rather than rushing through them (as I'm sure she was encouraged to).
tags: advice to music execs, Nishino Kana
Overall, when "to LOVE" is on, it's on! But it's sadly that's not often enough. I think the album really could have benefitted from giving Kana the space to get into her songs rather than rushing through them (as I'm sure she was encouraged to).
tags: advice to music execs, Nishino Kana
Jan 25, 2011
Day 17 - Tripe Feature - BENI and Do As Infinity
Yes, I know that "two" doesn't equal "triple." I couldn't find the Galileo Galilei single as scheduled. So sue me.
BENI - JEWEL
The album is fun, upbeat, pop that's easy to listen to... And sadly drags on longer than it probably should. Each song is simple and straightforward, with a good beat and some fun electronic elements. Unfortunately, the simplistic pop style doesn't vary a lot from track to track, and after a little while I just get tired of listening. There aren't blatantly bad song on this album, I just get bored with it. Maybe it's because it's not precisely my style of music (though that didn't stop me from loving Miho yesterday). However, while there aren't any bad songs, there are certainly some with annoying elements: "Daisuki Na No Ni" sounds like it might have a sitar, which gives it a very cheezy vibe for some reason; the snap-track on "Toki wo Tomete" is just as annoying as a clap track, and harder to ignore. There are some songs that are absolutely solid, like "2FACE," but most are don't really stand out for me as being particularly awesome or awful. I think this album could have been greatly improved if BENI cut it from 13 tracks to 8 or 10.
BENI 2FACE PV
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Do As Infinity - EIGHT
This album would be so much better if it didn't spend so much time trying to be cool. "EIGHT" is a collection of pop-rock with some great brass usage that really takes the sound up at notch. Most songs are upbeat foot-tappers that get you grooving in your chair. The guitar work isn't anything spectacular, but it's decent enough for a group who don't live off the rock tracks. If they'd stuck with the rock-pop-brass combo that they have in "Baby! Baby! Baby!" and "Everything Will Be Alright" it would have been pretty good. Unfortunately, the music starts to get self-service-y...in parts. In "1/100" they bring in a shakuhachi, which sounds as cheezy as BENI's zither. But when the shakuhachi isn't playing, it's a great song with a little more edge than the previous two tracks. In "Hand in Hand" they suddenly switch to a "hardcore" sound (complete with synth strings, which everyone knows are the VERY ESSENCE of hardcore) that ruins an otherwise good song before switching back to the lighter sound and summarily melting my brain. They try "hardcore" again in "Fly to Freedom," but instead the sound is just labored and forced. I would have rather seen Do As Infinity keep rocking out than trying to be "edgy" or "different." More songs like "Baby! Baby! Baby!" "Everything Will Be Alright," "Jidaishin," and "Kimi ga Inai Mirai" would have made for a better album overall. (To bad the PV for "Kimi ga Inai Mirai" is so bad. Seriously, Do As Infinity, stop with the spinning! I never asked you to send me to Space Camp!)
BENI - JEWEL
The album is fun, upbeat, pop that's easy to listen to... And sadly drags on longer than it probably should. Each song is simple and straightforward, with a good beat and some fun electronic elements. Unfortunately, the simplistic pop style doesn't vary a lot from track to track, and after a little while I just get tired of listening. There aren't blatantly bad song on this album, I just get bored with it. Maybe it's because it's not precisely my style of music (though that didn't stop me from loving Miho yesterday). However, while there aren't any bad songs, there are certainly some with annoying elements: "Daisuki Na No Ni" sounds like it might have a sitar, which gives it a very cheezy vibe for some reason; the snap-track on "Toki wo Tomete" is just as annoying as a clap track, and harder to ignore. There are some songs that are absolutely solid, like "2FACE," but most are don't really stand out for me as being particularly awesome or awful. I think this album could have been greatly improved if BENI cut it from 13 tracks to 8 or 10.
BENI 2FACE PV
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Do As Infinity - EIGHT
This album would be so much better if it didn't spend so much time trying to be cool. "EIGHT" is a collection of pop-rock with some great brass usage that really takes the sound up at notch. Most songs are upbeat foot-tappers that get you grooving in your chair. The guitar work isn't anything spectacular, but it's decent enough for a group who don't live off the rock tracks. If they'd stuck with the rock-pop-brass combo that they have in "Baby! Baby! Baby!" and "Everything Will Be Alright" it would have been pretty good. Unfortunately, the music starts to get self-service-y...in parts. In "1/100" they bring in a shakuhachi, which sounds as cheezy as BENI's zither. But when the shakuhachi isn't playing, it's a great song with a little more edge than the previous two tracks. In "Hand in Hand" they suddenly switch to a "hardcore" sound (complete with synth strings, which everyone knows are the VERY ESSENCE of hardcore) that ruins an otherwise good song before switching back to the lighter sound and summarily melting my brain. They try "hardcore" again in "Fly to Freedom," but instead the sound is just labored and forced. I would have rather seen Do As Infinity keep rocking out than trying to be "edgy" or "different." More songs like "Baby! Baby! Baby!" "Everything Will Be Alright," "Jidaishin," and "Kimi ga Inai Mirai" would have made for a better album overall. (To bad the PV for "Kimi ga Inai Mirai" is so bad. Seriously, Do As Infinity, stop with the spinning! I never asked you to send me to Space Camp!)
Jan 24, 2011
Day 16 - Fukuhara Miho - Regrets of Love
*Gah! Another assignment that comes with more than one disc! Just like with Superfly's "Wildflower," I have no intention to reviewing a million tracks if I don't have to. My original assignments were to review all the Top 5 GK albums and singles, and Jaylee specifically listed the mini-album as his pick for #5, so that's what I'm reviewing.
If this album sets the tone for Jaylee's Top 5, I'm excited for the next four days. This album is gorgeous. As can be assumed from the title, the songs are fairly soft and sad, but rather than being just-another-R&B album, "Regrets of Love" is truly wonderful music. Each song has lean instrumentation, instead focusing on Miho's voice; most tracks have no more than a drum machine and some synth strings and piano to back her up, letting her voice shine out and carry the song. It's the best choice she could have made - it would be a crime to smother that voice with any music, good or bad. (It even has the power to completely mitigate the annoyingness of Chara's voice! That's practically a superpower!) She's expressive and hits every song exactly on target - every single song will give you goosebumps. I don't think I could pick a favorite if I tried.
If this album sets the tone for Jaylee's Top 5, I'm excited for the next four days. This album is gorgeous. As can be assumed from the title, the songs are fairly soft and sad, but rather than being just-another-R&B album, "Regrets of Love" is truly wonderful music. Each song has lean instrumentation, instead focusing on Miho's voice; most tracks have no more than a drum machine and some synth strings and piano to back her up, letting her voice shine out and carry the song. It's the best choice she could have made - it would be a crime to smother that voice with any music, good or bad. (It even has the power to completely mitigate the annoyingness of Chara's voice! That's practically a superpower!) She's expressive and hits every song exactly on target - every single song will give you goosebumps. I don't think I could pick a favorite if I tried.
PV Fail #1: The Ugly Girls
Brown Eyed Girls - Sign (Japanese version)
From: "Sign" / Release: 2011
Although I can understand that the Japanese are probably adverse to the violence of the Korean "Sign" PV, they didn't have to make this one so disappointing in comparison. Yeah, it has some interesting tricks to it - the way the photography contrasts their outfits, the fans as a dancing prop - but this PV isn't even a shell of the glory that Korean "Sign" is. The sets are boring, the dancing is lame, and the girls look like they're filming the PV in their sleep. It's completely different. And it's completely mediocre. Which makes it completely crap. If this PV didn't have an alternate version that kicked so much ass, I'd follow my new rules and not review it at all. But it does, and comparing them makes this PV so much uglier. It's like how average-looking girls bring less attractive girls with them to pick up guys, because the average-looking girls will look hot by comparison. Well, it works the other way too. Sorry, Japanese "Sign" - you're the slightly-below-average girl that now looks like a plague is eating her face because she's hanging out with a hot girl.
Hiromi - More & More Feat. Hinouchi Emi
From: "More & More Feat. Hinouchi Emi" / Release: 1/12
See, here is a perfect example of what I was talking about! Hiromi brought along Hinouchi Emi to make her look hotter, but Hiromi doesn't realize that Emi is the average-looking girl and is therefore making her look uglier instead of hotter. And besides that, the PV is a mess: horrible garish colors, horrible garish outfits, terrible dancing, crappy animation... And in the center, two ugly-ass girls. My eyes wanted to vomit. But I'm not judging purely on looks, okay? My ears wanted to vomit, too. It probably wouldn't have been so bad if not for the gross chorus "Ooh! (Ooh!) Ah! (Ah!) Ooh ooh (ooh) ah ah!" TIMES FOUR PER CHORUS. Then the fun English opening and closing: "I wanna make love with you...That means I wanna S.E.X. (S.E.X.!) with you." Blugh. As my husband put it, both of them are 3-beer girls, so if they really want to S.E.X. with anyone, they better be buying.
From: "Sign" / Release: 2011
Although I can understand that the Japanese are probably adverse to the violence of the Korean "Sign" PV, they didn't have to make this one so disappointing in comparison. Yeah, it has some interesting tricks to it - the way the photography contrasts their outfits, the fans as a dancing prop - but this PV isn't even a shell of the glory that Korean "Sign" is. The sets are boring, the dancing is lame, and the girls look like they're filming the PV in their sleep. It's completely different. And it's completely mediocre. Which makes it completely crap. If this PV didn't have an alternate version that kicked so much ass, I'd follow my new rules and not review it at all. But it does, and comparing them makes this PV so much uglier. It's like how average-looking girls bring less attractive girls with them to pick up guys, because the average-looking girls will look hot by comparison. Well, it works the other way too. Sorry, Japanese "Sign" - you're the slightly-below-average girl that now looks like a plague is eating her face because she's hanging out with a hot girl.
Hiromi - More & More Feat. Hinouchi Emi
From: "More & More Feat. Hinouchi Emi" / Release: 1/12
See, here is a perfect example of what I was talking about! Hiromi brought along Hinouchi Emi to make her look hotter, but Hiromi doesn't realize that Emi is the average-looking girl and is therefore making her look uglier instead of hotter. And besides that, the PV is a mess: horrible garish colors, horrible garish outfits, terrible dancing, crappy animation... And in the center, two ugly-ass girls. My eyes wanted to vomit. But I'm not judging purely on looks, okay? My ears wanted to vomit, too. It probably wouldn't have been so bad if not for the gross chorus "Ooh! (Ooh!) Ah! (Ah!) Ooh ooh (ooh) ah ah!" TIMES FOUR PER CHORUS. Then the fun English opening and closing: "I wanna make love with you...That means I wanna S.E.X. (S.E.X.!) with you." Blugh. As my husband put it, both of them are 3-beer girls, so if they really want to S.E.X. with anyone, they better be buying.
Jan 23, 2011
PV Fight Break-Up
Starting today, I'll be ending the PV fights.
It's not that I don't love doing them, but...well, they take up a lot of time, and I don't tend to get a lot out of them. Yeah, sure, it means I have an excuse to watch a billion PVs and write about them, which is great, but that's also the problem. Although it may not look like it, I put a lot of work into each little one paragraph review: I watch each PV at least twice (usually more like four or five times), looking at them from every angle I can to see if there's an interesting or artistic angle. If there is I watch even more to pin down exactly what I like and then express it clearly in writing. And if there's not, well, it take a lot of brain power to wittily rip apart those cloned pieces of crap, okay? While brain power is usually not all that limited, time really is, and I just can't afford to spend over an hour on each PV that comes out: I'd be homeless and alone, huddled outside a Starbucks to leach internet and gnawing on my headphone cable for nutrition. All to give you PV reviews.
Well I'm not doing it! I like my apartment, and my husband, and my baby, and my food.
But I do still love to watch and write about PVs. I don't want to stop watching them - any of them. One half of the reason I started this blog was so that I'd have a way to force myself to listen to new releases, and the other half was to force myself to watch and review PVs. (I really wanted a Top 5 PVs of 2010 article for GK, but that's hard to do when you've seen less than 1% of what's out there.)
But how can I satisfy my simultaneous desires for PVs, reviews, home, family, and food?
Well, net-friends, I'll be watching every PV that I can get my twisted, avaricious claws on, but I'll only be reviewing those things that I feel are noteworthy. Let's face it: there are so few that have anything unique, interesting, or truly wretched. Most of them are the 98% of the bell curve: countless "watch the band play the song" PVs, countless "couple montage with happy ending" PVs, countless "everybody's partying in the club" PVs... Concepts recycled so frequently that they may as well start recycling footage. There's almost nothing that's in the extreme 1% on either side; so few PVs like "Diver" or "Ballad" or "ONE," or like "Daisuki Da Yo," for that matter. So I'll be saving my virtual breath for those. If a PV is spectacular or wretched, expect to see a review. But if it's mediocre, why waste my time?
Thanks for understanding. I really don't want to have to eat rocks off the street to give you your PV review fix. (You should seriously consider getting professional help. Abusing strangers to feed your addiction is just wrong.)
It's not that I don't love doing them, but...well, they take up a lot of time, and I don't tend to get a lot out of them. Yeah, sure, it means I have an excuse to watch a billion PVs and write about them, which is great, but that's also the problem. Although it may not look like it, I put a lot of work into each little one paragraph review: I watch each PV at least twice (usually more like four or five times), looking at them from every angle I can to see if there's an interesting or artistic angle. If there is I watch even more to pin down exactly what I like and then express it clearly in writing. And if there's not, well, it take a lot of brain power to wittily rip apart those cloned pieces of crap, okay? While brain power is usually not all that limited, time really is, and I just can't afford to spend over an hour on each PV that comes out: I'd be homeless and alone, huddled outside a Starbucks to leach internet and gnawing on my headphone cable for nutrition. All to give you PV reviews.
Well I'm not doing it! I like my apartment, and my husband, and my baby, and my food.
But I do still love to watch and write about PVs. I don't want to stop watching them - any of them. One half of the reason I started this blog was so that I'd have a way to force myself to listen to new releases, and the other half was to force myself to watch and review PVs. (I really wanted a Top 5 PVs of 2010 article for GK, but that's hard to do when you've seen less than 1% of what's out there.)
But how can I satisfy my simultaneous desires for PVs, reviews, home, family, and food?
Well, net-friends, I'll be watching every PV that I can get my twisted, avaricious claws on, but I'll only be reviewing those things that I feel are noteworthy. Let's face it: there are so few that have anything unique, interesting, or truly wretched. Most of them are the 98% of the bell curve: countless "watch the band play the song" PVs, countless "couple montage with happy ending" PVs, countless "everybody's partying in the club" PVs... Concepts recycled so frequently that they may as well start recycling footage. There's almost nothing that's in the extreme 1% on either side; so few PVs like "Diver" or "Ballad" or "ONE," or like "Daisuki Da Yo," for that matter. So I'll be saving my virtual breath for those. If a PV is spectacular or wretched, expect to see a review. But if it's mediocre, why waste my time?
Thanks for understanding. I really don't want to have to eat rocks off the street to give you your PV review fix. (You should seriously consider getting professional help. Abusing strangers to feed your addiction is just wrong.)
Day 15 - Noanowa - Magical Circus
When GK reviewed "Magical Circus", I listened to it, but to be honest I only remembered "lalala-uh-uh-yeah!" because it has such a memorable quality. Because I'd been able to ignore the rest of the album, I assumed that I didn't like it and until now had not listened to it again.
I owe Noanowa an apology for not giving them a second change until now. "Magical Circus" is absolutely delightful, and I understand why both Zer0 and Loki put it on their Top 5 lists for 2010. The album features gorgeous music with a cute twist here and unique flair there. They use several different kinds of instruments, including handbells and cellos, and different backup vocal styles including choir and a capella. The main vocals are sung by Yukko, whose childlike voice imbues each song with a delightful sense of wonder. It's hard to pin Noanowa to a genre, so I won't try; instead, I found the inventiveness of the music similar to that of Shiina Ringo, like Noanowa was going for "Ringo lite" (and fully succeeded).
The opening tracks are cute and upbeat, like the opening songs for shojo anime, combining simple cuteness with musical playfulness in terms of both composition and instrumentation that keeps the tracks fresh. Then atmosphere of the album changes with "Tsunaide," which is considerably quieter and calmer than the tracks before it, and the transformation completes with "Squonk no Namida," which is upbeat but more mature than the tracks before it, as though it was written for "Cowboy Bebop" rather than a shojo. From here the album continues with it's more mature feeling, each song musically intense in a way that will make your heart beat faster.
The album is magical all the way through, and no matter what Jaylee says, is something that I could easily listen to any track from without hesitation. Did I like every little bit of this album? No - there were some parts that hit a bit of a pet-peevy nerve (especially those damn synth strings that tried to ruin "Tsunaide" and "Neverland!"), but no song is worth skipping or removing from a playlist. And although it may not be everyone's cup of tea, no one could claim that it's bad music. This one is worthy of the #1 album status that GK gave it, and well worth your time and money.
I owe Noanowa an apology for not giving them a second change until now. "Magical Circus" is absolutely delightful, and I understand why both Zer0 and Loki put it on their Top 5 lists for 2010. The album features gorgeous music with a cute twist here and unique flair there. They use several different kinds of instruments, including handbells and cellos, and different backup vocal styles including choir and a capella. The main vocals are sung by Yukko, whose childlike voice imbues each song with a delightful sense of wonder. It's hard to pin Noanowa to a genre, so I won't try; instead, I found the inventiveness of the music similar to that of Shiina Ringo, like Noanowa was going for "Ringo lite" (and fully succeeded).
The opening tracks are cute and upbeat, like the opening songs for shojo anime, combining simple cuteness with musical playfulness in terms of both composition and instrumentation that keeps the tracks fresh. Then atmosphere of the album changes with "Tsunaide," which is considerably quieter and calmer than the tracks before it, and the transformation completes with "Squonk no Namida," which is upbeat but more mature than the tracks before it, as though it was written for "Cowboy Bebop" rather than a shojo. From here the album continues with it's more mature feeling, each song musically intense in a way that will make your heart beat faster.
The album is magical all the way through, and no matter what Jaylee says, is something that I could easily listen to any track from without hesitation. Did I like every little bit of this album? No - there were some parts that hit a bit of a pet-peevy nerve (especially those damn synth strings that tried to ruin "Tsunaide" and "Neverland!"), but no song is worth skipping or removing from a playlist. And although it may not be everyone's cup of tea, no one could claim that it's bad music. This one is worthy of the #1 album status that GK gave it, and well worth your time and money.
Jan 22, 2011
Day 14 - AAA - Makenai Kokoro
I reviewed the "PARADISE" PV for GK, and based on that I was excited to listen to "Makenai Kokoro." AAA isn't my favorite group in the world, but "PARADISE" was a solid electro-pop song that's just fun to listen to, and I was hoping for more of the same. I was disappointed. Every song on the single is shoddily build, and the title track is the worst offender. "Makenai Kokoro" itself seem to take itself too seriously, with the music dropping back constantly as though to emphasize how important "x" part is in the lyrics, and thereby weakening it significantly at the musical level. "Day by Day" is a bit of a non-sequitur genre-wise after "Makenai Kokoro," and winds up sounding more like an Arashi/AKB48 alliance than a AAA song. "WOW WAR TONIGHT" lies someplace between "Makenai Kokoro" and "Day by Day" with its chill electronic elements and ska-esque beat... Which is only one part of what makes it bizarre to listen to. It suffers from an identity crisis. It starts as a laid-back electro-ska song, then morphs into a hyper electro-ska song, then morphs into just eletro-pop. Add to the identity crisis the annoying and oft-repeated chorus, and it's just no good. The two instrumentals are no better, unless it's to see why the regular versions of "Makenai Kokoro" and "Day by Day" are so broken. As badly as I want to like this single, I just can't to it. Pass.
PV Fight #2
Had so much fun with this that I thought I'd do it again. Second verse same as the first!
Nishino Kana - Distance
From: "Distance" / Release: 2/9
Typical "watch the performer perform the song" PV - boring. Although the visuals are very pretty, they get old really fast. There's only so much sparkle/shine/ribbon CG that I can handle, okay? It has a lot going for it: the color is nice, the "sparkle cage" is different, and Kana looks and sounds great. But without something to tie the video into the song more closely, the video itself is just mediocre. The song, though - wow. Until now I hadn't found anything that I liked - REALLY liked - by Kana, but this is a good, solid song. She's not making the mistakes of her past anymore: if those are synth strings, they're far enough in the back of the music that you can't tell. Her English pronunciation is solid. I'm sure that the video, in its own small way, helped push the song, but it did little to display Kana's creativity or make her seem more interesting as an artist.
MiChi - LOVE is.
From: "LOVE is." / Release: 12/22
Sadly, this is another variation on the "watch the performer perform the song." The entire PV is high speed shots of MiChi as she moves around the set, and as the set is put together around her. The opening scene with MiChi, where she walks into the "bedroom," I thought that it was trying to convey a sense of how love makes you feel like everything is sped up around you. The form of the video, with the high speed shots, also works well with the fast pace of the song. But I was fooled. After she got my hopes up, MiChi dashed them: she spends most of the video sitting, talking, and looking really, really ugly: the lighting on her is terrible and makes her skin look sickly yellow, and she's shot from slightly below rather than straight on or from slightly above, which does bad things to her face shape. Although I love the song, the PV is just sad and yucky and disappointing.
MiChi LOVE is. PV
Uploaded by dragonviet. - Explore more music videos.
Ketsumeishi - Ballad
From: "Ballad/Kimi to Tsukuru Mirai" / Release: 1/26
Finally a truly artistic PV! "Ballad" is a "couple" montage video, but with an alternate ending where the couple breaks up after what should have been a great vacation. I like the twist, but sadly the PV isn't all that it could be. In terms of camerawork, there's a lot of great photography, with mirror shots so that we can see the eyes of the actors. In terms of acting, I haven't seen better - both lovers look genuinely comfortable with one another during the happy scenes, and genuinely uncomfortable during sad scenes; there's a lot of skillful eye contact avoidance and ugly crying during the fight, and their connection at the beginning and pain at the end feel organic. In terms of the action, the PV is very lean: there's nothing there that doesn't work toward to the plot. But in terms of plot it's even more lean than a Japanese novel. They suffer a terrible break-up at the end, and there's no clue as to why. Although there are hints of trouble in paradise, it's nothing you'd think would lead to the (highly subtle and Japanese) blowout at the end. Even if you don't know that all the hand-holding they do would be out of the question for a first or second date in Japanese culture, the acting is good enough that you know these two aren't just getting out of a young relationship. In some ways, I like the not knowing: it almost seems to say that you have to cherish the love that you have, because love can be fragile, making the message more universal. But what does he say to her that makes such a bad breakup? "I have a wife back in Tokyo?" "My work will always be more important than you?" "I took you on this awesome vacation to tell you we should break up?" It must have been earth-shattering, but we never find out, and I can't handle not knowing.
ケツメイシ - バラード [PV]
Uploaded by _meg. - See the latest featured music videos.
Itano Tomomi - Dear J
From: "Dear J" / Release: 1/26
Here's my favorite interpretation of this video: Tomomi Itano is an android - a sex-and-dance-bot, to be specific - who was sent into this world to destroy it. She distracts women and Japanese men with her incredible dancing, and all other races of men with her sexiness. (Japanese men, of course, can't be distracted by sex.) In order to begin her destruction of humanity, she poses as a pop singer then proceeds to burn buildings to the ground using the trappings of human avarice against them. Sweet! Unfortunately, I think a more accurate interpretation is that some music exec decided that all a good PV really needs is dancing and fire, and so that's what he ordered up. Admittedly, you can't take anything away from the dancing: it's flawless as a Korean boyband. But the flat emotional performance from Tomomi leaves something to be desired, and the random, carelessly set fire gets on my nerves.
Tomomi Itano ~ Dear J - MyVideo
Brown Eyed Girls - Sign (Korean Version)
From: "Sign" / Release: 1/17
I'm super impressed with this PV. Although it's not in the "high art" category, it's a very beautifully crafted video with a solid plot. A man is getting the crap beaten out of him by a approximately one million guys in suits. The four members of Brown Eyed Girls appear occasionally, as though to cheer him on, but their faces are strangely lifeless. The shots they're in, it's clear that they're not truly there: the lighting changes, the filter on the camera goes a little misty, and the million bad guys disappear. Also quite strangely, almost all the members have blue eyes. These shots are juxtaposed against shots of the man being mercilessly beaten, and in term mercilessly defeating the guys who have been beating him. After defeating them, he hobbles into a building to find a gentleman who I can only describe as The Final Boss. And Final Boss is a sadistic fuckhead: he has all four of the Brown Eyed Girls in huge tanks of water to struggle and fight until they drown. Our guy stabs Final Boss to death - and Final Boss seems to welcome it - then goes to free the girls, but isn't in time to save even one of them. In the last shot, he looks up, and you see that our brown-eyed hero now has one blue eye. Oh, snap! Is it because he didn't save them and now he's dead inside? Only a few things about this PV bother me (mainly, how fast Final Boss was defeated), but everything else is wonderful. The music is good too, and other than the rapping sections is very fast and fun to listen to.
androp - mirrordance
From: "door" / Release: 2/16
"mirrordance" is a pretty basic PV: a lot of black and white shots, cheap effects, and not a lot of action. But for all that, it's pretty good. The purpose of this PV is clear: to underline that "mirrordance" is a love song. Almost every shot of the PV works towards focusing your attention on the girl, and highlighting her when she seems about to disappear. It's sweet and effective, showing you that, as far as the narrator of the song is concerned, she's the only thing that matters. Unfortunately, there's a certain amount of the video that's just made up of quickly flashing or brightly colored shapes that don't mean anything in particular. Although the effects point clearly to the girl when she's visible, it's easy to check out from this PV when she's not on screen because your brain gets tired trying to process the nonsensical stuff and tries to throw the girlfriend out with the bathwater. It's not bad by any means, and I recommend it. It's just not as good as it could be.
SuG - CRAZY BUNNY COASTER
From: CRAZY BUNNY COASTER / Release: 1/12
A very quirky video, but boring in the end. Takeru finds a weird cute/creepy amusement park where he and the rest of SuG play their instruments and ride the "Crazy Bunny Coaster." It's right on the very of being a "band playing the song" PV, but even the parts that aren't are just designed to be a visual overload in pink/blue/grey with quick cuts and copious use of high speed. The CG is pretty bad, and in the end I found myself comparing the design (though not the content) to Kimura Kaela's "A winter fairy is melting a snowman," and we all know how I feel about that. Also, I know that SuG is visual kei and that VK tends to have really weird outfits, but Takeru's grey spiky dress thing is just too ugly for words. The song is energetic, which is always nice, but it's in the "triple shot, quadruple sugar coffee" kind of way, which is less good. There is a high point to the video, though, and it's the band itself: rather than looking like they're just working their 9-5, they all look super excited to be playing and recording a PV. They're acting more like a new formed or newly signed band than a band that's been around for 6 years and pro-level for 2. It's refreshing and the PV deserves a look if for no other reason than that. (Sadly, the PV was deleted off the usual channels, and I couldn't find it anywhere. I'll keep looking and add back when I can find it again!)
Aqua Timez - Mayonaka no Orchestra
From: "Carpe Diem" / Release: 2/16
A pretty face, with very little behind it. The visuals in "Mayonaka no Orchestra" could easily compete with those in "Distance" in terms of sheer gorgeousness: it's a beautiful CG forest, mountain range, and seascape in a palette of blues, purples, and yellow that appears to be made of carefully cut and arranged paper pieces. (Think "South Park," if it was marketed to 13 year-old girls.) The band plays their instruments and Futoshi wanders through the fictional landscape with a butterfly companion...but a little less gay than that sounds. But that's all there really is to the PV: 6 minutes of pretty visuals, and they aren't enough to carry the PV on their own. There's no plot, no novel aspect that makes it really stand out. The song itself is very pretty, but too long: I found myself expecting it to end at 4 minutes, and instead Aqua Timez went for a late-game key change. Then I found myself expecting the end at 5 minutes and 5 and a half minutes, but instead it went on. Someone needs to teach this band the fine art of not dragging the song out until it's dead.
THE VERDICT
Nishino Kana - Distance
From: "Distance" / Release: 2/9
Typical "watch the performer perform the song" PV - boring. Although the visuals are very pretty, they get old really fast. There's only so much sparkle/shine/ribbon CG that I can handle, okay? It has a lot going for it: the color is nice, the "sparkle cage" is different, and Kana looks and sounds great. But without something to tie the video into the song more closely, the video itself is just mediocre. The song, though - wow. Until now I hadn't found anything that I liked - REALLY liked - by Kana, but this is a good, solid song. She's not making the mistakes of her past anymore: if those are synth strings, they're far enough in the back of the music that you can't tell. Her English pronunciation is solid. I'm sure that the video, in its own small way, helped push the song, but it did little to display Kana's creativity or make her seem more interesting as an artist.
MiChi - LOVE is.
From: "LOVE is." / Release: 12/22
Sadly, this is another variation on the "watch the performer perform the song." The entire PV is high speed shots of MiChi as she moves around the set, and as the set is put together around her. The opening scene with MiChi, where she walks into the "bedroom," I thought that it was trying to convey a sense of how love makes you feel like everything is sped up around you. The form of the video, with the high speed shots, also works well with the fast pace of the song. But I was fooled. After she got my hopes up, MiChi dashed them: she spends most of the video sitting, talking, and looking really, really ugly: the lighting on her is terrible and makes her skin look sickly yellow, and she's shot from slightly below rather than straight on or from slightly above, which does bad things to her face shape. Although I love the song, the PV is just sad and yucky and disappointing.
MiChi LOVE is. PV
Uploaded by dragonviet. - Explore more music videos.
Ketsumeishi - Ballad
From: "Ballad/Kimi to Tsukuru Mirai" / Release: 1/26
Finally a truly artistic PV! "Ballad" is a "couple" montage video, but with an alternate ending where the couple breaks up after what should have been a great vacation. I like the twist, but sadly the PV isn't all that it could be. In terms of camerawork, there's a lot of great photography, with mirror shots so that we can see the eyes of the actors. In terms of acting, I haven't seen better - both lovers look genuinely comfortable with one another during the happy scenes, and genuinely uncomfortable during sad scenes; there's a lot of skillful eye contact avoidance and ugly crying during the fight, and their connection at the beginning and pain at the end feel organic. In terms of the action, the PV is very lean: there's nothing there that doesn't work toward to the plot. But in terms of plot it's even more lean than a Japanese novel. They suffer a terrible break-up at the end, and there's no clue as to why. Although there are hints of trouble in paradise, it's nothing you'd think would lead to the (highly subtle and Japanese) blowout at the end. Even if you don't know that all the hand-holding they do would be out of the question for a first or second date in Japanese culture, the acting is good enough that you know these two aren't just getting out of a young relationship. In some ways, I like the not knowing: it almost seems to say that you have to cherish the love that you have, because love can be fragile, making the message more universal. But what does he say to her that makes such a bad breakup? "I have a wife back in Tokyo?" "My work will always be more important than you?" "I took you on this awesome vacation to tell you we should break up?" It must have been earth-shattering, but we never find out, and I can't handle not knowing.
ケツメイシ - バラード [PV]
Uploaded by _meg. - See the latest featured music videos.
Itano Tomomi - Dear J
From: "Dear J" / Release: 1/26
Here's my favorite interpretation of this video: Tomomi Itano is an android - a sex-and-dance-bot, to be specific - who was sent into this world to destroy it. She distracts women and Japanese men with her incredible dancing, and all other races of men with her sexiness. (Japanese men, of course, can't be distracted by sex.) In order to begin her destruction of humanity, she poses as a pop singer then proceeds to burn buildings to the ground using the trappings of human avarice against them. Sweet! Unfortunately, I think a more accurate interpretation is that some music exec decided that all a good PV really needs is dancing and fire, and so that's what he ordered up. Admittedly, you can't take anything away from the dancing: it's flawless as a Korean boyband. But the flat emotional performance from Tomomi leaves something to be desired, and the random, carelessly set fire gets on my nerves.
Tomomi Itano ~ Dear J - MyVideo
Brown Eyed Girls - Sign (Korean Version)
From: "Sign" / Release: 1/17
I'm super impressed with this PV. Although it's not in the "high art" category, it's a very beautifully crafted video with a solid plot. A man is getting the crap beaten out of him by a approximately one million guys in suits. The four members of Brown Eyed Girls appear occasionally, as though to cheer him on, but their faces are strangely lifeless. The shots they're in, it's clear that they're not truly there: the lighting changes, the filter on the camera goes a little misty, and the million bad guys disappear. Also quite strangely, almost all the members have blue eyes. These shots are juxtaposed against shots of the man being mercilessly beaten, and in term mercilessly defeating the guys who have been beating him. After defeating them, he hobbles into a building to find a gentleman who I can only describe as The Final Boss. And Final Boss is a sadistic fuckhead: he has all four of the Brown Eyed Girls in huge tanks of water to struggle and fight until they drown. Our guy stabs Final Boss to death - and Final Boss seems to welcome it - then goes to free the girls, but isn't in time to save even one of them. In the last shot, he looks up, and you see that our brown-eyed hero now has one blue eye. Oh, snap! Is it because he didn't save them and now he's dead inside? Only a few things about this PV bother me (mainly, how fast Final Boss was defeated), but everything else is wonderful. The music is good too, and other than the rapping sections is very fast and fun to listen to.
androp - mirrordance
From: "door" / Release: 2/16
"mirrordance" is a pretty basic PV: a lot of black and white shots, cheap effects, and not a lot of action. But for all that, it's pretty good. The purpose of this PV is clear: to underline that "mirrordance" is a love song. Almost every shot of the PV works towards focusing your attention on the girl, and highlighting her when she seems about to disappear. It's sweet and effective, showing you that, as far as the narrator of the song is concerned, she's the only thing that matters. Unfortunately, there's a certain amount of the video that's just made up of quickly flashing or brightly colored shapes that don't mean anything in particular. Although the effects point clearly to the girl when she's visible, it's easy to check out from this PV when she's not on screen because your brain gets tired trying to process the nonsensical stuff and tries to throw the girlfriend out with the bathwater. It's not bad by any means, and I recommend it. It's just not as good as it could be.
SuG - CRAZY BUNNY COASTER
From: CRAZY BUNNY COASTER / Release: 1/12
A very quirky video, but boring in the end. Takeru finds a weird cute/creepy amusement park where he and the rest of SuG play their instruments and ride the "Crazy Bunny Coaster." It's right on the very of being a "band playing the song" PV, but even the parts that aren't are just designed to be a visual overload in pink/blue/grey with quick cuts and copious use of high speed. The CG is pretty bad, and in the end I found myself comparing the design (though not the content) to Kimura Kaela's "A winter fairy is melting a snowman," and we all know how I feel about that. Also, I know that SuG is visual kei and that VK tends to have really weird outfits, but Takeru's grey spiky dress thing is just too ugly for words. The song is energetic, which is always nice, but it's in the "triple shot, quadruple sugar coffee" kind of way, which is less good. There is a high point to the video, though, and it's the band itself: rather than looking like they're just working their 9-5, they all look super excited to be playing and recording a PV. They're acting more like a new formed or newly signed band than a band that's been around for 6 years and pro-level for 2. It's refreshing and the PV deserves a look if for no other reason than that. (Sadly, the PV was deleted off the usual channels, and I couldn't find it anywhere. I'll keep looking and add back when I can find it again!)
Aqua Timez - Mayonaka no Orchestra
From: "Carpe Diem" / Release: 2/16
A pretty face, with very little behind it. The visuals in "Mayonaka no Orchestra" could easily compete with those in "Distance" in terms of sheer gorgeousness: it's a beautiful CG forest, mountain range, and seascape in a palette of blues, purples, and yellow that appears to be made of carefully cut and arranged paper pieces. (Think "South Park," if it was marketed to 13 year-old girls.) The band plays their instruments and Futoshi wanders through the fictional landscape with a butterfly companion...but a little less gay than that sounds. But that's all there really is to the PV: 6 minutes of pretty visuals, and they aren't enough to carry the PV on their own. There's no plot, no novel aspect that makes it really stand out. The song itself is very pretty, but too long: I found myself expecting it to end at 4 minutes, and instead Aqua Timez went for a late-game key change. Then I found myself expecting the end at 5 minutes and 5 and a half minutes, but instead it went on. Someone needs to teach this band the fine art of not dragging the song out until it's dead.
THE VERDICT
- Died Honorably In Battle:
- Nishino Kana - Distance
- MiChi - LOVE is.
- Tomomi Itano - Dear J
- androp - mirrordance
- SuG - CRAZY BUNNY COASTER
- Aqua Timez - Mayonaka no Orchestra
- Lives In Glory To Fight Another Day:
- Ketsumeishi - Ballad
- Brown Eyed Girls - Sign (Korean Version)
Jan 21, 2011
Day 13 - Yamashita Tomohisa - One In A Million
I've listened to "One In A Million" more times than anything I've reviewed so far except "Gloria" by Goto Maki, and I've gotta tell you, I don't remember a lot other than the title song. Having forced myself to listen to it a little more closely, I can offer you opinions: "One in a million" - good dance song. "Kuchizuke de Adios" - cheesy song that sounds like it belongs as the opening for Wayne Newton in Las Vegas, complete with high-kicking women in feathery skirts. "My Dear" - dance ballad that's good other than some lame auto-tuning that Yamapi doesn't need. "World Is Yours" - solid non-dance ballad that is as refreshing as it is surprising. It and "One In A Million" are the best songs on the single. The "One In A Million" instrumental - not as good as the version with lyrics, and as such I could do without it.
I don't mean to deal flippantly with Yamapi, but I just found so little about the single worth commenting on that there's not a lot I can say. Nothing on the single really got stuck in my head or really struck me, with the possible exception of "Kuchizuke de Adios," which I've already commented on, and which wasn't at all the kind of music I'm interested in. In the end, neither a bad single nor good.
I don't mean to deal flippantly with Yamapi, but I just found so little about the single worth commenting on that there's not a lot I can say. Nothing on the single really got stuck in my head or really struck me, with the possible exception of "Kuchizuke de Adios," which I've already commented on, and which wasn't at all the kind of music I'm interested in. In the end, neither a bad single nor good.
Jan 20, 2011
Gaijin Kanpai PV Play
Like I've said before, I do a certain amount of work for Gaijin Kanpai. This week it was a PV review! I took a look at:
JASMINE - ONE
Shimizu Shota - You & I
Tohoshinki - Why? (Keep Your Head Down)
NICO Touches The Walls - Diver
Alice Nine - Gemini
Jaylee says this is his favorite PV play so far. All the more reason to check it out!
JASMINE - ONE
Shimizu Shota - You & I
Tohoshinki - Why? (Keep Your Head Down)
NICO Touches The Walls - Diver
Alice Nine - Gemini
Jaylee says this is his favorite PV play so far. All the more reason to check it out!
Jan 19, 2011
Day 12 - karasu - Kaze no Melody
Oh "Kaze no Melody." You should be so great. You have a good, hard rock sound; you have a skillful singer; you have strong guitar. You'd never be a masterpeice, but you have the potential to be a good song nonetheless. But you make that one crucial, unforgivable mistake, what I like to call the "GLAY progression." It's most perfectly illustrated in "ASHES -1969-": the opening of the song is raw and hard - it's some guy that's such a BAMF that he'll screw your sister and your mom, and then you'll shake his hand for the experience. Then, around 48 seconds in, he reveals that he had your mom paint his toenails pink because he thought it would compliment his eyes. Then around a minute-thirteen he beats your ass for questioning his decision and goes back off to screw your mom again. The incongruity! No! NO NO NO! Don't give me a badass song with a lame transition partway through. Even if you bring it back up to the original level of badassery, you're ruining the song.
Now "Koko ni Naku" is more what I'm looking for. It sounds a bit like a rock ballad (maybe one by STANCE PUNKS), but it's got a pretty consistent sound that's fast-paced, major keyed, and and romantic. Although it also moves around a little like "Kaze no Melody," the drops in tempo, key, or intensity are carefully placed to give it a more intimate sound. They also happen more than once, so that they seem like they're on purpose.
"Mukai Kaze" has no drops at all - it's just a fast, rocking, "hopeful sounding" song. You know what I mean by "hopeful sounding," right? In a nutshell it sounds like it could be an anime opening: it has a ton of energy and moves you right through the song. I could see it opening "FMA" or "Bleach" or some other slightly-more-mature-but-essentially-shonen anime. Although it's not some remarkable piece of artistry, it is fun to listen to, which is the most important quality of any song.
Now "Koko ni Naku" is more what I'm looking for. It sounds a bit like a rock ballad (maybe one by STANCE PUNKS), but it's got a pretty consistent sound that's fast-paced, major keyed, and and romantic. Although it also moves around a little like "Kaze no Melody," the drops in tempo, key, or intensity are carefully placed to give it a more intimate sound. They also happen more than once, so that they seem like they're on purpose.
"Mukai Kaze" has no drops at all - it's just a fast, rocking, "hopeful sounding" song. You know what I mean by "hopeful sounding," right? In a nutshell it sounds like it could be an anime opening: it has a ton of energy and moves you right through the song. I could see it opening "FMA" or "Bleach" or some other slightly-more-mature-but-essentially-shonen anime. Although it's not some remarkable piece of artistry, it is fun to listen to, which is the most important quality of any song.
Day 11 - Arashi - TO BE FREE
*Note: I'm an idiot, and listened to Arashi twice and even 95% wrote the review before I realized that I was supposed to be reviewing karasu today. (It's really been one of those days.) Since all the work for it is pretty much done, I'm leaving Arashi in today, and will be returning tomorrow with karasu. Sorry for the mix-up!
Before I get to far into this review, I have a confession to make: I'm one of those people who doesn't want to like the things that are popular. I like to think that popular music is bad before I've listened to it, and then don't listen to it, because it's bad. Yep, you caught me. Take me to the firing squad - I'm a pretentious ass. But before you shoot me, know this: I'm also the kind of person that likes all different kinds of music, and I tend to forget that things become popular for a reason. All the marketing in the world won't make crap sell. (Case in point: the conspicuous lack of crazy Japanese inventions among actual Japanese consumers.) And although what's popular might not be my favorite genre or my favorite band or the most artistic work or the most intelligent, that doesn't make it bad.
Arashi perfectly illustrates both these points: I'd never heard anything by boy band Arashi, and I never wanted to. They and AKB48 literally held all ten of the Top 10 Oricon Singles spots for 2010, and that was enough to tell me that their music had to be terrible. But in the spirit of listening across genres (and, frankly, because Loki recommended it - he tends to like the music I do), I listened to this single. And it's good! Loki's right: it's just fun and easy to listen to. Much like AKB48, it has the "overvoice" ("WE ARE ARASHI. YOU WILL BE ASSIMILATED.") which is a particular pet peeve of mine concerning modern Japanese music, but other than that, there's not a lot wrong with it. It has some rock elements, some pop elements, some synth, some real instruments, and just a good sound. There's even a xylophone, for god's sake, and a delicious lack of chimes. Even the "karaoke" track isn't that bad. It's not as good as, say, the instrumental tracks for HALCALI's "ENDLESS NIGHT" or Kuroki Meisa's "5 FIVE," but it's not something I'd skip in a playlist if it came up, or turn off at a party; it can stand on it's own two feet. My biggest problem with this single is that it didn't come with any other songs, and when you consider that the list price on this is 1100 yen (about $13.42, at the moment) that's just a rip off, I don't care how good the song is. Sadly, right now that's the only way that you're likely to get it.
Before I get to far into this review, I have a confession to make: I'm one of those people who doesn't want to like the things that are popular. I like to think that popular music is bad before I've listened to it, and then don't listen to it, because it's bad. Yep, you caught me. Take me to the firing squad - I'm a pretentious ass. But before you shoot me, know this: I'm also the kind of person that likes all different kinds of music, and I tend to forget that things become popular for a reason. All the marketing in the world won't make crap sell. (Case in point: the conspicuous lack of crazy Japanese inventions among actual Japanese consumers.) And although what's popular might not be my favorite genre or my favorite band or the most artistic work or the most intelligent, that doesn't make it bad.
Arashi perfectly illustrates both these points: I'd never heard anything by boy band Arashi, and I never wanted to. They and AKB48 literally held all ten of the Top 10 Oricon Singles spots for 2010, and that was enough to tell me that their music had to be terrible. But in the spirit of listening across genres (and, frankly, because Loki recommended it - he tends to like the music I do), I listened to this single. And it's good! Loki's right: it's just fun and easy to listen to. Much like AKB48, it has the "overvoice" ("WE ARE ARASHI. YOU WILL BE ASSIMILATED.") which is a particular pet peeve of mine concerning modern Japanese music, but other than that, there's not a lot wrong with it. It has some rock elements, some pop elements, some synth, some real instruments, and just a good sound. There's even a xylophone, for god's sake, and a delicious lack of chimes. Even the "karaoke" track isn't that bad. It's not as good as, say, the instrumental tracks for HALCALI's "ENDLESS NIGHT" or Kuroki Meisa's "5 FIVE," but it's not something I'd skip in a playlist if it came up, or turn off at a party; it can stand on it's own two feet. My biggest problem with this single is that it didn't come with any other songs, and when you consider that the list price on this is 1100 yen (about $13.42, at the moment) that's just a rip off, I don't care how good the song is. Sadly, right now that's the only way that you're likely to get it.
Jan 18, 2011
Day 10 - Triple Feature Tuesday #2
alan x Fukui Kei - Ai ha Chikara
I was not expecting what I got from this single in the least. First of all, it's a one-song single, which is pretty uncommon in and of itself. Then, the music starts. Uh... What? I strive to listen and write across the genres of Japanese music, but I didn't expect to encounter this grand, operatic style at any point during my activities for this blog. I guess it just goes to show that even when you think nothing about Japan will ever surprise you, they have another surprise. The style is truly operatic and classical, sort of like "Time to Say Goodbye" from Andrea Bocchelli - very strong vocals from both singers, and solid music throughout, apparently played by a full orchestra. In addition to very clearly not synthesized violins, there were also upright basses, brass, and harps parts. Although it wasn't what I was expecting, it the song is still very good; however, you'll have to decide for yourself whether it's worth the buy, because this music is not up everyone's alley. (Then again, what is?)
Goto Maki - Gloria
This is an absolutely great album. I was surprised by it - I had assumed (from her name, what a shock) that she was another pop singer like Nishino Kana. Instead, the album is light on the pop and heavy on the rock, though it's not heavy rock. The only song that I'm not in love with is "Ashiato" (the only true pop song), but that's not to say that it's a bad song. Actually it's a good song, but when compared with everything else on the album, it just doesn't shine quite as bright. It would make a lovely A-side for some single; even as the "worst" song on the album, it's still that good. In terms of what I liked best, though, I think it's a tie between "Koi Ichiya" and "Fake." Or maybe a tie between those two and "Hanataba." Or maybe a tie between those three and "Age Kyoku." Did I mention there are only five tracks? Seriously - this album is solid all the way through, and every song is good enough that it could stand on its own. My only real critique would be that she's a little heavy on the chimes, but they only appear for two songs, so I don't know that the critique would be fair. Worth both a listen and a buy.
Monkey Majik - "Sakura"
Although I don't know a lot about them, I've pretty much decided that Monkey Majik is (for me, at least) the Japanese equivalent of Foo Fighters or System of a Down. No, not musically! I mean, I have never yet heard a song of theirs that I didn't like. "Sakura" is no exception. The title song is a ballad with piano, strings, acoustic and electric guitar... But it isn't whiny, which is my chief problem with the Japanese music industry's obsession with ballads. (Dear Japanese Music Execs: I know X Japan proved that ballads can be awesome. But that doesn't mean everyone's ballads are awesome.) The cherry on top is the PV - a must see. Although it's not my favorite (that would be "Change" feat. the Yoshida Brothers), it continues to prove that Monkey Majik can do no wrong. "With you" is also good - acoustic meets synth in a genre that I am having trouble pinning down. Listen to it. You'll know what I'm aiming at. The only track that I'm less than thrilled with is the acoustic version of "Sakura" on track 3, and that's no fault of Monkey Majik's: the song is still just as good acoustic. I just happen to feel that acoustic versions tend to be CD filler. I'm not sad that I got to hear it acoustic, and I would be quite happy if to hear the acoustic version live. But putting two slightly different versions of the same song on a single is just not cool. Save it for a "rare collections" disc or something. It's better marketing, anyway!
I was not expecting what I got from this single in the least. First of all, it's a one-song single, which is pretty uncommon in and of itself. Then, the music starts. Uh... What? I strive to listen and write across the genres of Japanese music, but I didn't expect to encounter this grand, operatic style at any point during my activities for this blog. I guess it just goes to show that even when you think nothing about Japan will ever surprise you, they have another surprise. The style is truly operatic and classical, sort of like "Time to Say Goodbye" from Andrea Bocchelli - very strong vocals from both singers, and solid music throughout, apparently played by a full orchestra. In addition to very clearly not synthesized violins, there were also upright basses, brass, and harps parts. Although it wasn't what I was expecting, it the song is still very good; however, you'll have to decide for yourself whether it's worth the buy, because this music is not up everyone's alley. (Then again, what is?)
Goto Maki - Gloria
This is an absolutely great album. I was surprised by it - I had assumed (from her name, what a shock) that she was another pop singer like Nishino Kana. Instead, the album is light on the pop and heavy on the rock, though it's not heavy rock. The only song that I'm not in love with is "Ashiato" (the only true pop song), but that's not to say that it's a bad song. Actually it's a good song, but when compared with everything else on the album, it just doesn't shine quite as bright. It would make a lovely A-side for some single; even as the "worst" song on the album, it's still that good. In terms of what I liked best, though, I think it's a tie between "Koi Ichiya" and "Fake." Or maybe a tie between those two and "Hanataba." Or maybe a tie between those three and "Age Kyoku." Did I mention there are only five tracks? Seriously - this album is solid all the way through, and every song is good enough that it could stand on its own. My only real critique would be that she's a little heavy on the chimes, but they only appear for two songs, so I don't know that the critique would be fair. Worth both a listen and a buy.
Monkey Majik - "Sakura"
Although I don't know a lot about them, I've pretty much decided that Monkey Majik is (for me, at least) the Japanese equivalent of Foo Fighters or System of a Down. No, not musically! I mean, I have never yet heard a song of theirs that I didn't like. "Sakura" is no exception. The title song is a ballad with piano, strings, acoustic and electric guitar... But it isn't whiny, which is my chief problem with the Japanese music industry's obsession with ballads. (Dear Japanese Music Execs: I know X Japan proved that ballads can be awesome. But that doesn't mean everyone's ballads are awesome.) The cherry on top is the PV - a must see. Although it's not my favorite (that would be "Change" feat. the Yoshida Brothers), it continues to prove that Monkey Majik can do no wrong. "With you" is also good - acoustic meets synth in a genre that I am having trouble pinning down. Listen to it. You'll know what I'm aiming at. The only track that I'm less than thrilled with is the acoustic version of "Sakura" on track 3, and that's no fault of Monkey Majik's: the song is still just as good acoustic. I just happen to feel that acoustic versions tend to be CD filler. I'm not sad that I got to hear it acoustic, and I would be quite happy if to hear the acoustic version live. But putting two slightly different versions of the same song on a single is just not cool. Save it for a "rare collections" disc or something. It's better marketing, anyway!
Jan 16, 2011
Day 9 - Nishino Kana - If
The only Nishino Kana I've ever heard until now was her "Kimitte" PV, and although she's not someone that I'd pick out to buy, her music is pretty good sythny pop. "If" is a pretty typical offering, as far as I can tell, progressing from the pop ballad "If" to the energetic "Beautiful."
"If" is a pop ballad with a decent sound - there's an interesting variety of instruments, including some that aren't very common: in addition to the usual drum machines, synthesizers, and chimes, there are also hand bells and a choir! If you listen carefully to your music at all, "If" makes for an interesting listen. But not necessary a good one: among the synth are gross synth strings. (As a violin player, I can smell those fake strings from all the way across the Pacific, and if GLAY can't get away with it, neither can Kana.) Other than that, though, the song is pleasant enough. A pretty good A-side, but not a standout song.
"I'll be there" is a basic R&B-pop fusion, and my least favorite. Even more gratuitous synth strings! Pardon my third-grade French, but barf! There are also come cutely hilarious parts, like her backup lyrics of "Freva! Freva!" for "Forever! Forever!"*
"Beautiful" is easily the best song on the single, and in my opinion sounds more like an A-side than the A-side! It's fun, bassy, and has a good dance vibe. Also, good pronunciation on this one! (Weird but welcome.) It's a song good enough that I'd be happy to add to a playlist. (Watch the PV!)
*I'm not above making fun of performers' pronunciation.** There's no excuse for blatantly bad pronunciation. There are enough foreigners in Japan and they're rich enough that they can either get language coaching or fluent backup singers. Besides which, even if they don't have a good grasp on how big their Western fanbase is, I'm pretty sure that they know it exists and should be trying to add to that fanbase. Good pronunciation is a good foundation on which to expand into the West.
**I'm hard on them because I love them. It's called "tough love," people!
"If" is a pop ballad with a decent sound - there's an interesting variety of instruments, including some that aren't very common: in addition to the usual drum machines, synthesizers, and chimes, there are also hand bells and a choir! If you listen carefully to your music at all, "If" makes for an interesting listen. But not necessary a good one: among the synth are gross synth strings. (As a violin player, I can smell those fake strings from all the way across the Pacific, and if GLAY can't get away with it, neither can Kana.) Other than that, though, the song is pleasant enough. A pretty good A-side, but not a standout song.
"I'll be there" is a basic R&B-pop fusion, and my least favorite. Even more gratuitous synth strings! Pardon my third-grade French, but barf! There are also come cutely hilarious parts, like her backup lyrics of "Freva! Freva!" for "Forever! Forever!"*
"Beautiful" is easily the best song on the single, and in my opinion sounds more like an A-side than the A-side! It's fun, bassy, and has a good dance vibe. Also, good pronunciation on this one! (Weird but welcome.) It's a song good enough that I'd be happy to add to a playlist. (Watch the PV!)
*I'm not above making fun of performers' pronunciation.** There's no excuse for blatantly bad pronunciation. There are enough foreigners in Japan and they're rich enough that they can either get language coaching or fluent backup singers. Besides which, even if they don't have a good grasp on how big their Western fanbase is, I'm pretty sure that they know it exists and should be trying to add to that fanbase. Good pronunciation is a good foundation on which to expand into the West.
**I'm hard on them because I love them. It's called "tough love," people!
Day 8 - GIRL NEXT DOOR - Freedom
I've never heard any GIRL NEXT DOOR!
(I had no idea they were dance pop.)
(Is it wrong of me to always expect rock when I like the name of a band/group?)
(Don't answer that.)
Because of the singer's voice, "Freedom" has kind of a Hamasaki Ayumi-type feeling, and the heavy reliance on post-processing doesn't help. Not a bad thing! But it's more heavy-handed than I'd like. Still, it's a fun catchy song, and it's easy to see why Zer0 liked the single enough to add to her list.
"Sayonara" sounds like a sad song trying to be happy. More maybe vice versa. The music is upbeat, but there are a lot of chimes. There's the slightly minor-keyed chorus, but there are also synthesizers. A song that suffers from a major identity crisis. Not my favorite on the single.
"Seeds of dream" sounds a little like Gundam music for the first minute or two, then rapidly turns in to DDR music. Listening to it, I was thrown back in time to college, to the basement of the EMU trying to beat "Butterfly" on medium then walking home with no shirt on because I was too hot. Figurative time travel, of course. Though if the CD came with scrolling, multi-colored dance steps it would have created enough temporal force to literally displace my body in space-time. That's not precisely a bad thing - I loved college! - but it is a little unexpected, and would likely turn off a lot of people in America. Even I don't think I could listen to it too often.
"Freedom (instrumental)" is solid music, though I liked it better when there were lyrics. That is, I liked it better when I wasn't listening too closely to the music. Not that it's bad! Not at all. I enjoy it quite a lot: it has these gorgeous high-pitched melodic elements and a rock vibe that I can get behind; I can see myself dancing to this at a club. It's good! But I don't think that it could stand up next to all the great dance music from MiChi and HALCALI that I've just discovered. For one thing, it has a yucky clap track that I could do without. Also, those pretty melodic bits don't last all that long, and they really are the best part of the song.
Overall, it was a pretty good single, and it kept being pretty good all through. On the other hand, I wasn't in love with any of it. How many times in a review should I have to say "Not that that's a bad thing?" I rest my case.
[PV] GIRL NEXT DOOR - Freedom
Uploaded by Maki-dream. - Explore more music videos.
Also: Woo! An entire week! :D Other than the JYJ mishap, I think I'm doing pretty well. Wish me continued luck, because I'm sure I'll need it.
(I had no idea they were dance pop.)
(Is it wrong of me to always expect rock when I like the name of a band/group?)
(Don't answer that.)
Because of the singer's voice, "Freedom" has kind of a Hamasaki Ayumi-type feeling, and the heavy reliance on post-processing doesn't help. Not a bad thing! But it's more heavy-handed than I'd like. Still, it's a fun catchy song, and it's easy to see why Zer0 liked the single enough to add to her list.
"Sayonara" sounds like a sad song trying to be happy. More maybe vice versa. The music is upbeat, but there are a lot of chimes. There's the slightly minor-keyed chorus, but there are also synthesizers. A song that suffers from a major identity crisis. Not my favorite on the single.
"Seeds of dream" sounds a little like Gundam music for the first minute or two, then rapidly turns in to DDR music. Listening to it, I was thrown back in time to college, to the basement of the EMU trying to beat "Butterfly" on medium then walking home with no shirt on because I was too hot. Figurative time travel, of course. Though if the CD came with scrolling, multi-colored dance steps it would have created enough temporal force to literally displace my body in space-time. That's not precisely a bad thing - I loved college! - but it is a little unexpected, and would likely turn off a lot of people in America. Even I don't think I could listen to it too often.
"Freedom (instrumental)" is solid music, though I liked it better when there were lyrics. That is, I liked it better when I wasn't listening too closely to the music. Not that it's bad! Not at all. I enjoy it quite a lot: it has these gorgeous high-pitched melodic elements and a rock vibe that I can get behind; I can see myself dancing to this at a club. It's good! But I don't think that it could stand up next to all the great dance music from MiChi and HALCALI that I've just discovered. For one thing, it has a yucky clap track that I could do without. Also, those pretty melodic bits don't last all that long, and they really are the best part of the song.
Overall, it was a pretty good single, and it kept being pretty good all through. On the other hand, I wasn't in love with any of it. How many times in a review should I have to say "Not that that's a bad thing?" I rest my case.
[PV] GIRL NEXT DOOR - Freedom
Uploaded by Maki-dream. - Explore more music videos.
Also: Woo! An entire week! :D Other than the JYJ mishap, I think I'm doing pretty well. Wish me continued luck, because I'm sure I'll need it.
Jan 15, 2011
Day 7 - Superfly - Wildflower
Before I go any further, I need to explain that I'm only reviewing the "Track 1" sections of this single, and will not cover the best-of album or "Track 3" single that's attached to it. That would be almost 20 tracks, and I just don't have that kind of stamina yet.
I wasn't expecting a lot after the "Superfly" PV that I reviewed for GK awhile back, but I was pleasantly surprised. Every track on this single is upbeat and easy to listen to. There are none that I dislike. They have a good sound, they're all solid rock with good instrumentation and vocals, and they're all toe-tappers. I wouldn't say that these are my favorite songs I've heard so far - I prefer something rock with more complex guitar, or something that's a little more dancy - but all the tracks good. I especially like "Tamashii Revolution," which has both traditional rock guitar with brass. It's a great combination that makes it really stand out from the usual rock faire. It feeds into "Free Planet," which has a similar style to "Tamashii Revolution," just without the brass. Definitely good for a listen.
I wasn't expecting a lot after the "Superfly" PV that I reviewed for GK awhile back, but I was pleasantly surprised. Every track on this single is upbeat and easy to listen to. There are none that I dislike. They have a good sound, they're all solid rock with good instrumentation and vocals, and they're all toe-tappers. I wouldn't say that these are my favorite songs I've heard so far - I prefer something rock with more complex guitar, or something that's a little more dancy - but all the tracks good. I especially like "Tamashii Revolution," which has both traditional rock guitar with brass. It's a great combination that makes it really stand out from the usual rock faire. It feeds into "Free Planet," which has a similar style to "Tamashii Revolution," just without the brass. Definitely good for a listen.
Day 6 - Kuroki Meisa - 5 Five
"5 FIVE" is a pretty good single overall - better suited for the Top 5 spot it got than AKB48, to be sure. But still not as good as HALCALI's "ENDLESS NIGHT." I told you so!
The title track is pretty solid - a good dance track, but with highly repetitive lyrics that make me want to kind of punch Meisa. I mean, how many times am I expected to listen to someone sing "SAY ONETWOTHREEFOURFIVE!" Blech. The PV is pretty hilarious and weird, though.
"Only One" is also a pretty good dance track, but suffers from a problem as well. No, not repetitive lyrics - come on, you think Kuroki Meisa is some one-trick trick? - but instead it has a tendency to just STOP each time the chorus has been sung. It's kind of like Meisa gets a little lost, so she stops the musicians, thinks for a second, then cues them up again when she finds her place in the song. Weird. If not for that, it would be quite enjoyable. As is, I found it too frustrating.
"So Smooth" is probably my favorite vocal track. It suffers a little from repetitive lyrics (because Kuroki Meisa is a two-trick trick), but they're not nearly as bad as in "5 FIVE," and I actually really liked listening to it. I think I might add this one to my ongoing list of Fun Dance Songs That I Want To Hear More Than Once.
The instrumental for "5 FIVE" is the final track, and I hate to say it, but it's actually better than the version with the lyrics. I mean, there aren't any lyrics to be repetitive! What more could a girl want? Of course, it does suffer from a proliferation of 90s-dance sirens... *sigh* Meisa, how about you stop making repetitive music? Okay? Please? PLEASE?!
The title track is pretty solid - a good dance track, but with highly repetitive lyrics that make me want to kind of punch Meisa. I mean, how many times am I expected to listen to someone sing "SAY ONETWOTHREEFOURFIVE!" Blech. The PV is pretty hilarious and weird, though.
"Only One" is also a pretty good dance track, but suffers from a problem as well. No, not repetitive lyrics - come on, you think Kuroki Meisa is some one-trick trick? - but instead it has a tendency to just STOP each time the chorus has been sung. It's kind of like Meisa gets a little lost, so she stops the musicians, thinks for a second, then cues them up again when she finds her place in the song. Weird. If not for that, it would be quite enjoyable. As is, I found it too frustrating.
"So Smooth" is probably my favorite vocal track. It suffers a little from repetitive lyrics (because Kuroki Meisa is a two-trick trick), but they're not nearly as bad as in "5 FIVE," and I actually really liked listening to it. I think I might add this one to my ongoing list of Fun Dance Songs That I Want To Hear More Than Once.
The instrumental for "5 FIVE" is the final track, and I hate to say it, but it's actually better than the version with the lyrics. I mean, there aren't any lyrics to be repetitive! What more could a girl want? Of course, it does suffer from a proliferation of 90s-dance sirens... *sigh* Meisa, how about you stop making repetitive music? Okay? Please? PLEASE?!
Jan 14, 2011
Day 5 - Day of Fail
So, yesterday I was supposed to listen to something by JYJ, but wouldn't you know it, since there wasn't any specific single listed, I didn't actually listen to them at all. Awesome. Day 5 - my lucky day! - is a day of fail. I'm still going to be listening to Jaylee's JYJ single pick just as soon as I know what it is. And by "just as soon as," I mean as soon as I find out what it is, I'll tack it to the end of the list.
There is one really great thing that's coming out of all this, though: I'm listening to a lot more Japanese music, just like I wanted. You might have noticed the huge stack of PVs I put up in addition to all the music I'm scheduled to listen to. It's because now that I have something to motivate me, I've re-found my love for Japanese music! Woohoo!
I hasn't realized it when I first started this blog, but there are a lot of things that I want to do with Japanese music: I want to see all the PVs that I can, I want to listen to all the music that I can, I want to write reviews, I want to translate interviews... Everything that I'm doing at Gaijin Kanpai (they have a new episode up, btw - "BatFish" - you should check it out!), but on a much wider, grander scale. The only thing keeping me from just doing it for GK is that they need consistent content; that is, it needs to be of consistent quality and maintain a consistent level. I mean, I could produce three articles in a week, but then the next week I can barely eke out one. I have a job. I have a baby. I have a husband. I have a mother that just got out of the hospital and needs help at home. Life gets in the way sometimes, and I don't want GK to suffer.
But you guys? Feh. You guys can suffer my bad writing and my inconsistent level of content. Right?
Guys?
There is one really great thing that's coming out of all this, though: I'm listening to a lot more Japanese music, just like I wanted. You might have noticed the huge stack of PVs I put up in addition to all the music I'm scheduled to listen to. It's because now that I have something to motivate me, I've re-found my love for Japanese music! Woohoo!
I hasn't realized it when I first started this blog, but there are a lot of things that I want to do with Japanese music: I want to see all the PVs that I can, I want to listen to all the music that I can, I want to write reviews, I want to translate interviews... Everything that I'm doing at Gaijin Kanpai (they have a new episode up, btw - "BatFish" - you should check it out!), but on a much wider, grander scale. The only thing keeping me from just doing it for GK is that they need consistent content; that is, it needs to be of consistent quality and maintain a consistent level. I mean, I could produce three articles in a week, but then the next week I can barely eke out one. I have a job. I have a baby. I have a husband. I have a mother that just got out of the hospital and needs help at home. Life gets in the way sometimes, and I don't want GK to suffer.
But you guys? Feh. You guys can suffer my bad writing and my inconsistent level of content. Right?
Guys?
Jan 13, 2011
Day 4 - HALCALI - ENDLESS NIGHT
I'm completely in love with this single. It's the best I've heard so far: the music is bassy, synthy, and chill, and all four tracks are good. And when I say "all four," I really am including the instrumental tracks. That's right: the music is good enough to stand up on it's own, even without lyrics. I was shocked by this single from the first note, because the last (and, incidentally, the first) thing I heard from HALCALI was "Rouman Hokou," which is a mess, no matter how you slice it. (I even hate the PV.) I could listen to this entire single on endless loop all day, and I don't think I'd get tired of it. Okay, maybe throw in a single rotation of "LOVE is." and "YEAH YEAH YEAH" from MiChi to break it up. But then back to "ENDLESS NIGHT." Although I haven't heard the other selections for GK's top 5 singles or albums, I'll go out on a limb and say right now that this is my #1. Seriously - if there's a better single or album than this, I'll die of music-gasm before I can write about it. Big kudos to HALCALI: with "ENDLESS NIGHT" you've taken me from wishing you'd disappear off the face of the planet to actually looking forward to your next CD.
PV Fight!
I love me some PVs. And I hate me some others. Let's figure out which by having them fight for my affection! Who doesn't love a good old-fashioned battle to the death?
RADWIMPS - DADA
From: "DADA" / Release: 1/12
Fun with kanji! As I first started to watch this video, I was afraid that it would turn into a copycat of Sakanaction's "Aruku Around" video (which, as good as that video is, a copycat would not be welcome), but I was happy to find that I was wrong! Although some aspects are similar, the entire video is different enough to be novel. The band plays the song while screwing around with various kanji that are in the lyrics. They hold them, throw them, kick them, put them into piles, kick the piles... Along with a greyscale color palette and a curiously non-cheezy use of a negative filter, the entire thing was a blast to watch. The song is also great - solid rock. Add the PV to the song, and you get a PV that actually made me interested in buying the single. (Sadly, I couldn't make embedding work for this video, but you can see it here.)
Jounan Nokaze － Bakuondan~BOMBERMAN~
From: "Bakuondan~BOMBERMAN~" / Release: 1/12
I want to like this PV. The style is set up like an animated manga, where the camera moves back and forth along animated manga cells, and the narration of the story is told through word bubbles. It's a great concept visually because it's different enough from everything else out there that it sets itself apart and is memorable, and it also keeps a lot of visual tension going so that you don't want to look away from the screen. The lyrics are mixed into the narration of the story strongly so that in your mind the music and PV reinforce one another, making both even more easy to remember. Honestly, if I was writing this review in Japanese, I think my only complaint would be that the animation at the end leaves something to be desired. But since I'm writing in English, I do have another complaint: you must have an understanding of Japanese to get everything out of this PV that you should. From a Japanese marketing standpoint, this is fine; from a worldwide marketing standpoint, this is stupid. Although I'm sure that no potential fans are being alienated from the band, it doesn't make it any easier for us to like them or the song, and actually makes us feel a little excluded. Otherwise, a great PV with good music.
NICO TOUCHES THE WALLS - Diver
From: "Diver" / Release: 1/12
For every rule, there is an exception. For PVs, the rule is that if 95% or more of the time is spent on watching the artist perform, the PV sucks. The exception to that rule is this PV. This PV is gorgeous: the color palette is blacks and blues, and the band keeps up visual tension by projecting different flashes of imagery behind them and changing the camera angle regularly. I don't know if I have it in me to express how good this PV is to watch. You'll have to see if for yourself.
Yuzu - HeyWa
From: "HeyWa" / Release: 1/19
This PV almost proves the "band playing the song" rule outlined above. However, a little more happens in this PV than just us watching Yuzu strum their guitars: we also get to take a look at various objects strewn about some kind of forest/desert/wasteland/wonderland, and watch a little girl wander through it, get hit in the head with an acorn, find a 3-1/2" floppy, and hand it to a robot. There's some implication that this is a world of peace where weapons aren't needed, but it's hard to tell from there whether technology is also not needed, or if it's humans that aren't needed. It's also not clear if the robot is as confused about the use of 3-1/2" floppies as the little girl must be, though I can only assume it is. Although there's nothing wrong with this PV, it's not particularly interesting either.
Galileo Galilei - Boku kara Kimi He
From: "Boku kara Kimi He" / Release: 1/19
It's hard to know how scary Japanese people can be until they stare at you like you're a dirty foreigner who needs to just get the hell out of their country before they mob you like a bunch of expressionless zombies and crush you beneath the weight of their extreme racism. If you want to know what that experience might be like, take a look at this video. I'm sure that's not what Galileo Galilei was going for, but that's sure as hell what the wound up with. I honestly don't remember the music (other than a vague recollection that it was pretty okay) because I was so focused on how scary all those people were, and how much one of the band members looks like an ex-boyfriend of mine.
HIROKO - GIRLZ UP~stand up for yourself~
From: "GIRLZ UP~stand up for yourself~" / Release: 1/19
A negative portrayal of Americans?! I'm partly offended and partly intrigued! HIROKO is an office girl who has to deal with an immature, lazy, fat American boss, while apparently doing all his work for him. He chows on candy bars and donuts while she snacks on diet pills. Judging by the name of the song, you'd think this PV is all about how she single-handedly takes over the company and makes it twice as successful as it had been. Or at least how she hands him the most strongly-worded letter of resignation he's ever seen. Nope. She just keeps working for him, while executing some killer dance moves and sporting sweet sunglasses that I'm sure she borrowed from Lady Gaga. The visual elements of this PV are awesome - the color is sharp and pretty, the outfits are good, the dancing is flawless - but the plot elements leave much to be desired. I want HIROKO to kick her boss in the face or stage a coup, but instead she does the exact opposite of stand up for herself and continue to be a slave. Lame.
HIROKO - GIRLZ UP ～stand up for yourself～ [PV]
Uploaded by _meg. - See the latest featured music videos.
Lil'B - Daiksuki Da Yo
I'm probably endangering all your lives just by posting this video. You know how some people say that something is so sweet that it gave them cavities? Well this video is so sweet that it melted my entire head off. Seriously, don't even open this unless you want to personally experience what it would be like to open the Ark of the Covenant. Rundown: girl has a crush, so the magical beings (made entirely of sugar) that live in her pompom cell phone strap come out to make the boy fall in love with her. Complete with flowers, and hearts, and feathers, and badly animated Cupid arrows. And clones. Endless sugar fairy clones. You've been warned!
THE VERDICT
RADWIMPS - DADA
From: "DADA" / Release: 1/12
Fun with kanji! As I first started to watch this video, I was afraid that it would turn into a copycat of Sakanaction's "Aruku Around" video (which, as good as that video is, a copycat would not be welcome), but I was happy to find that I was wrong! Although some aspects are similar, the entire video is different enough to be novel. The band plays the song while screwing around with various kanji that are in the lyrics. They hold them, throw them, kick them, put them into piles, kick the piles... Along with a greyscale color palette and a curiously non-cheezy use of a negative filter, the entire thing was a blast to watch. The song is also great - solid rock. Add the PV to the song, and you get a PV that actually made me interested in buying the single. (Sadly, I couldn't make embedding work for this video, but you can see it here.)
Jounan Nokaze － Bakuondan~BOMBERMAN~
From: "Bakuondan~BOMBERMAN~" / Release: 1/12
I want to like this PV. The style is set up like an animated manga, where the camera moves back and forth along animated manga cells, and the narration of the story is told through word bubbles. It's a great concept visually because it's different enough from everything else out there that it sets itself apart and is memorable, and it also keeps a lot of visual tension going so that you don't want to look away from the screen. The lyrics are mixed into the narration of the story strongly so that in your mind the music and PV reinforce one another, making both even more easy to remember. Honestly, if I was writing this review in Japanese, I think my only complaint would be that the animation at the end leaves something to be desired. But since I'm writing in English, I do have another complaint: you must have an understanding of Japanese to get everything out of this PV that you should. From a Japanese marketing standpoint, this is fine; from a worldwide marketing standpoint, this is stupid. Although I'm sure that no potential fans are being alienated from the band, it doesn't make it any easier for us to like them or the song, and actually makes us feel a little excluded. Otherwise, a great PV with good music.
NICO TOUCHES THE WALLS - Diver
From: "Diver" / Release: 1/12
For every rule, there is an exception. For PVs, the rule is that if 95% or more of the time is spent on watching the artist perform, the PV sucks. The exception to that rule is this PV. This PV is gorgeous: the color palette is blacks and blues, and the band keeps up visual tension by projecting different flashes of imagery behind them and changing the camera angle regularly. I don't know if I have it in me to express how good this PV is to watch. You'll have to see if for yourself.
Yuzu - HeyWa
From: "HeyWa" / Release: 1/19
This PV almost proves the "band playing the song" rule outlined above. However, a little more happens in this PV than just us watching Yuzu strum their guitars: we also get to take a look at various objects strewn about some kind of forest/desert/wasteland/wonderland, and watch a little girl wander through it, get hit in the head with an acorn, find a 3-1/2" floppy, and hand it to a robot. There's some implication that this is a world of peace where weapons aren't needed, but it's hard to tell from there whether technology is also not needed, or if it's humans that aren't needed. It's also not clear if the robot is as confused about the use of 3-1/2" floppies as the little girl must be, though I can only assume it is. Although there's nothing wrong with this PV, it's not particularly interesting either.
Galileo Galilei - Boku kara Kimi He
From: "Boku kara Kimi He" / Release: 1/19
It's hard to know how scary Japanese people can be until they stare at you like you're a dirty foreigner who needs to just get the hell out of their country before they mob you like a bunch of expressionless zombies and crush you beneath the weight of their extreme racism. If you want to know what that experience might be like, take a look at this video. I'm sure that's not what Galileo Galilei was going for, but that's sure as hell what the wound up with. I honestly don't remember the music (other than a vague recollection that it was pretty okay) because I was so focused on how scary all those people were, and how much one of the band members looks like an ex-boyfriend of mine.
HIROKO - GIRLZ UP~stand up for yourself~
From: "GIRLZ UP~stand up for yourself~" / Release: 1/19
A negative portrayal of Americans?! I'm partly offended and partly intrigued! HIROKO is an office girl who has to deal with an immature, lazy, fat American boss, while apparently doing all his work for him. He chows on candy bars and donuts while she snacks on diet pills. Judging by the name of the song, you'd think this PV is all about how she single-handedly takes over the company and makes it twice as successful as it had been. Or at least how she hands him the most strongly-worded letter of resignation he's ever seen. Nope. She just keeps working for him, while executing some killer dance moves and sporting sweet sunglasses that I'm sure she borrowed from Lady Gaga. The visual elements of this PV are awesome - the color is sharp and pretty, the outfits are good, the dancing is flawless - but the plot elements leave much to be desired. I want HIROKO to kick her boss in the face or stage a coup, but instead she does the exact opposite of stand up for herself and continue to be a slave. Lame.
HIROKO - GIRLZ UP ～stand up for yourself～ [PV]
Uploaded by _meg. - See the latest featured music videos.
Lil'B - Daiksuki Da Yo
I'm probably endangering all your lives just by posting this video. You know how some people say that something is so sweet that it gave them cavities? Well this video is so sweet that it melted my entire head off. Seriously, don't even open this unless you want to personally experience what it would be like to open the Ark of the Covenant. Rundown: girl has a crush, so the magical beings (made entirely of sugar) that live in her pompom cell phone strap come out to make the boy fall in love with her. Complete with flowers, and hearts, and feathers, and badly animated Cupid arrows. And clones. Endless sugar fairy clones. You've been warned!
THE VERDICT
- To Be Executed:
- Lil'B - Daisuki Da Yo
- Died Honorably In Battle:
- HIROKO - GIRLZ UP~stand up for youself~
- Galileo Galilei - Boku kara Kimi He
- Yuzu - HeyWa
- Jounan Nokaze - Bakuondan~BOMBERMAN~
- Lives In Glory To Fight Another Day:
- NICO TOUCHES THE WALLS - Diver
- RADWIMPS - DADA
Jan 12, 2011
PV Review - French Kiss's "If"
I was really surprised by this PV. French Kiss is a side project of three of the members of AKB48, and the music is very similar: pop that's tarted up a bit with some synth. I've never heard anything by them, but I assumed that it would be the same drab stuff that AKB48 produces. And while is very similar in style, but I found that (at least for this song) I liked it a lot better. I can't really put my finger on why. The music was energetic, and just synthy enough to be interesting without going over the top like T.M. Revolution has a tendency to do.
The PV itself is also surprisingly good. The three girls make a pact at the beginning to talk to the boys they like. It sounds so stupid and simple, and I guess when you get right down to it, is. But despite the simple concept, it's well-executed. Although I do speak Japanese, you don't need to understand the lyrics to understand the plot - always a plus for Western fans. Here's the story: the girls work on various schemes to encourage one another to talk to their love interests, and they're all so endearing that you can't help rooting for them. They make their pact together, they fail together, they make videos together so they don't have to profess their love in person, and in the end they all succeed together. Hooray! Girl power! The three girls also take this PV as a chance to display the differences between each of them; a rare opportunity for girls whose main gig is a 48-member group. Yuki is the normal girl who likes a douchy-looking guy from class, Asuka is the nerdy one, and Aki is into classical Japanese archery. Although the girls are practically clones of one another in terms of looks, these little differences help differentiate them a lot for the viewer. The dancing between scenes isn't spectacular, but it's good; same on the outfits. Although I can't say that this PV is a work of art, it's at least enjoyable and fun.
[PV] French Kiss - If
Uploaded by 48line. - Explore more music videos.
The PV itself is also surprisingly good. The three girls make a pact at the beginning to talk to the boys they like. It sounds so stupid and simple, and I guess when you get right down to it, is. But despite the simple concept, it's well-executed. Although I do speak Japanese, you don't need to understand the lyrics to understand the plot - always a plus for Western fans. Here's the story: the girls work on various schemes to encourage one another to talk to their love interests, and they're all so endearing that you can't help rooting for them. They make their pact together, they fail together, they make videos together so they don't have to profess their love in person, and in the end they all succeed together. Hooray! Girl power! The three girls also take this PV as a chance to display the differences between each of them; a rare opportunity for girls whose main gig is a 48-member group. Yuki is the normal girl who likes a douchy-looking guy from class, Asuka is the nerdy one, and Aki is into classical Japanese archery. Although the girls are practically clones of one another in terms of looks, these little differences help differentiate them a lot for the viewer. The dancing between scenes isn't spectacular, but it's good; same on the outfits. Although I can't say that this PV is a work of art, it's at least enjoyable and fun.
[PV] French Kiss - If
Uploaded by 48line. - Explore more music videos.
Day 3 - AKB48 - Beginner, Type B
Second verse, same as the first.
I don't know if I should even be writing a second entry for Type B. There's literally only one song different between the two of them. (Instead of "Kimi ni Tsuite," Type B has "Nakeru Basho.") I didn't realize this when I made the schedule, though, and dammit, I'm determined to post everyday!
I have a pretty big problem with this single, and there's no nice way to put it, so I'll just go ahead and say it: I just couldn't tell the different between the two of them. No, not like that - they do sound different. I mean, for one thing, the two songs that are different have different lyrics. But they're both slow songs, and it doesn't create that big of a difference on the single as a whole. I mean, for gods' sake, I had to listen to each song again just now to remember which was which. And when I listened to "Nakeru Basho" I literally couldn't remember ever having heard it before. At least with "Kimi ni Tsuite" I remembered hearing it, and that I thought it was a pretty okay song. Sorry Type B - you fail. But that's Japan for you: the Japanese music money-making machine is all about selling gullible consumers things that they already own but with slightly altered features. And I guess if it works for them, more power to them. Just don't expect me to buy any of that shit.
I don't know if I should even be writing a second entry for Type B. There's literally only one song different between the two of them. (Instead of "Kimi ni Tsuite," Type B has "Nakeru Basho.") I didn't realize this when I made the schedule, though, and dammit, I'm determined to post everyday!
I have a pretty big problem with this single, and there's no nice way to put it, so I'll just go ahead and say it: I just couldn't tell the different between the two of them. No, not like that - they do sound different. I mean, for one thing, the two songs that are different have different lyrics. But they're both slow songs, and it doesn't create that big of a difference on the single as a whole. I mean, for gods' sake, I had to listen to each song again just now to remember which was which. And when I listened to "Nakeru Basho" I literally couldn't remember ever having heard it before. At least with "Kimi ni Tsuite" I remembered hearing it, and that I thought it was a pretty okay song. Sorry Type B - you fail. But that's Japan for you: the Japanese music money-making machine is all about selling gullible consumers things that they already own but with slightly altered features. And I guess if it works for them, more power to them. Just don't expect me to buy any of that shit.
Jan 11, 2011
Day 2 - (Not So) Magical Monday #1
I think I've given up on the "post at night" idea. Hasn't worked for two nights in a row. Lame. I guess instead I'll just post when I can until I can get into a groove. Maybe I'll change Magical Monday to Triple Feature Tuesday? There's nothing magical about Mondays, anyway.
ABK48 - Beginner, Type A
I actually really liked this single, even though I didn't want to. I'd heard "Beginner" before and liked it, but I wasn't too fond of the b-sides initially. I'll admit that I'm not much of an AKB48 person in general: I find the style of "manufactured group" too artificial to be enjoyable; the music and fan experience they offer is just flat. (Unless we're talking Perfume, which is my Achilles heel.) And although "Beginner" is not exception, the b-sides did eventually grow on me. I'm not fond of the overmind-esque "WE ARE AKB48 YOU WILL BE ASSIMILATED" vocals, and the style is a little late-90s for my taste, but for being a manufactured single, it's pretty good. Let's put it this way: "Beginner" isn't a single I'd voluntarily put on, but if someone else turned it on I wouldn't turn it off.
TETSUYA - COME ON!
This album is much more my style. Sadly, it's not terribly memorable. Don't get me wrong - I rather liked it. The style is (big surprise) very much like that of L'arc-en-Ciel, and Tetsuya kind of sings like Hyde, which adds another layer of similarity. It was nice to listen to some rock again, and individual songs are very fun to listen to, and the album itself if solid from start to finish. But it's not memorable. Maybe I didn't give it enough of a chance, but when I try to think of music from the album I wind up thinking of L'arc-en-Ciel music instead. I'd say that this is just because Tetsuya is still too tied into L'arc, but I don't think of L'arc when I listen to VAMPS, and I think Hyde's probably pretty tied in. Like "Beginner," I probably wouldn't put "COME ON!" in of my own volition, but not because it's not my style; instead, I likely won't listen to it again because I'll simply forget that it exists after a few weeks. (Read the interview!)
MiChi - LOVE is.
I was not expecting a lot from this single. Maybe it's because I wasn't too impressed with the first several lines of the interview, or maybe it's because I saw that she was covering "Pretty Fly for a White Guy," which is very near the top of "Why Was This Song Created And Who Can I Kick In The Nuts For It?" list. (If you want a good MiChi cover, listen to her rendition of "Smells Like Teen Spirit.") And although I'd be happy if the final two tracks never darkened my mp3 player again, I absolutely loved the first two tracks. "LOVE is." is a great song, achieving the catchiness sweet spot where I find myself singing it, but don't find myself annoyed to be singing it. "YEAH YEAH YEAH" is the same way, but with a more melancholy style. I'd say they're both 5-star songs, and will probably stay favorites of mine for a very long time.
ABK48 - Beginner, Type A
I actually really liked this single, even though I didn't want to. I'd heard "Beginner" before and liked it, but I wasn't too fond of the b-sides initially. I'll admit that I'm not much of an AKB48 person in general: I find the style of "manufactured group" too artificial to be enjoyable; the music and fan experience they offer is just flat. (Unless we're talking Perfume, which is my Achilles heel.) And although "Beginner" is not exception, the b-sides did eventually grow on me. I'm not fond of the overmind-esque "WE ARE AKB48 YOU WILL BE ASSIMILATED" vocals, and the style is a little late-90s for my taste, but for being a manufactured single, it's pretty good. Let's put it this way: "Beginner" isn't a single I'd voluntarily put on, but if someone else turned it on I wouldn't turn it off.
TETSUYA - COME ON!
This album is much more my style. Sadly, it's not terribly memorable. Don't get me wrong - I rather liked it. The style is (big surprise) very much like that of L'arc-en-Ciel, and Tetsuya kind of sings like Hyde, which adds another layer of similarity. It was nice to listen to some rock again, and individual songs are very fun to listen to, and the album itself if solid from start to finish. But it's not memorable. Maybe I didn't give it enough of a chance, but when I try to think of music from the album I wind up thinking of L'arc-en-Ciel music instead. I'd say that this is just because Tetsuya is still too tied into L'arc, but I don't think of L'arc when I listen to VAMPS, and I think Hyde's probably pretty tied in. Like "Beginner," I probably wouldn't put "COME ON!" in of my own volition, but not because it's not my style; instead, I likely won't listen to it again because I'll simply forget that it exists after a few weeks. (Read the interview!)
MiChi - LOVE is.
I was not expecting a lot from this single. Maybe it's because I wasn't too impressed with the first several lines of the interview, or maybe it's because I saw that she was covering "Pretty Fly for a White Guy," which is very near the top of "Why Was This Song Created And Who Can I Kick In The Nuts For It?" list. (If you want a good MiChi cover, listen to her rendition of "Smells Like Teen Spirit.") And although I'd be happy if the final two tracks never darkened my mp3 player again, I absolutely loved the first two tracks. "LOVE is." is a great song, achieving the catchiness sweet spot where I find myself singing it, but don't find myself annoyed to be singing it. "YEAH YEAH YEAH" is the same way, but with a more melancholy style. I'd say they're both 5-star songs, and will probably stay favorites of mine for a very long time.
MiChi Interview Translation: "LOVE is."
MiChi speaks about her new single, "LOVE is." Exclusive interview translation on Gaijin Kanpai!
Jan 10, 2011
Day 1 - Miura Daichi - The Answer
Before I go further in the post, I'd like to apologize for it (the very first one!) being late. Although I had some good plans for the night, my son didn't like that they didn't include him. So I got to go to bed an hour earlier to help him get to sleep. Hooray.
Now to the music!
As a whole, I wasn't a huge fan of this single. I mean, I'm not not a huge fan, either, but....well, it's really just not my style of music. I really loved the A-side: "The Answer" is a really good song, even for not being my style. It hits the sweet-spot on the catchiness scale: it's catchy enough that it would make a good dancing song because you can remember it well, but it doesn't turn into a "the winter fairy is melting the snowman" (Kimura Kaela) or "Telephone" (Lady Gaga) when you close your eyes at night. I can actually see myself listening to this again, which is really a feat for a hip-hop song.
The B-sides on the other hand...meh. "Gotta Make You Mine" has some pretty annoying electronic elements, but it's another otherwise okay song. Very catchy. I caught myself singing it to my son while I was feeding him dinner and right before bedtime. Ouch. The third track, "Human Nature," I just find totally annoying. I'm actually listening to it now as I write, and I just want to get the paragraph over with so that I can turn it off. ("Why? Why? Tell them that it's human nature..." *barf*)
I think that this might be a good single for someone who likes hip hop, but that's just not me. "The Answer" has some serious re-play value, but the other two songs fall short.
Before I go, I have another bit of news. As I may have mentioned during one of my other posts, I translate and write articles for Gaijin Kanpai. I like to listen to what the Jaylee, Zer0, and Loki are listening to while I'm writing so that I can actually have an opinion during the uStream broadcast on Tuesdays. Therefore, I'll be folding that listening into the listening I already do here to give you three reviews on Mondays. (You can call it "Magical Mondays" if you want - catchy names ftw?) First up are TESTSUYA's album "COME ON!" and MiChi's "LOVE is." Which are due for me to write about today. Hooray!
Jan 8, 2011
Sore ha Nihon
Just took a look at the Oricon daily singles chart, and guess what's beating out three different AKB48 singles to take #1? A CD called "Toire no Kami-sama." Translation: "God of the Toilet."
It's by a woman name Uemura Kana, and it looks like she only just debuted this year. Beating out AKB48 is no small feat, but I can see why it happened. The Japanese are suckers for anything toilet-related, and anything nostalgic. Mix the two, and you apparently have musical gold.
It's by a woman name Uemura Kana, and it looks like she only just debuted this year. Beating out AKB48 is no small feat, but I can see why it happened. The Japanese are suckers for anything toilet-related, and anything nostalgic. Mix the two, and you apparently have musical gold.
Assignments!
So now that I've got the blog set up, I think I'm going to have to actually give myself assignments. I mean, that's what I set out to do, right?
Fun!
Scary!
So I'll give myself something easy to start out with, since I don't really know where else to start: listen to all Top 5 singles and albums for 2010 listed on the the most recent episode of GK.
That should keep me busy. Expect some words on Miura Daichi's "The Answer" tomorrow!
(Listening schedule!)
Fun!
Scary!
So I'll give myself something easy to start out with, since I don't really know where else to start: listen to all Top 5 singles and albums for 2010 listed on the the most recent episode of GK.
That should keep me busy. Expect some words on Miura Daichi's "The Answer" tomorrow!
(Listening schedule!)
My Blogging Intent
I'm such a sucker for blogging.
I love to write, and I love to read, and I love crazy ideas. Blogging takes care of all three. When you add into the mix that people have gotten RICH! and FAMOUS! doing it, OMFGROFLCOPTER I'm so on board. I just have some problems with commitment.
I should let you know that I technically have several blogs, and that none of them are updated often. There's Erin Buying American, Daily Best Thing Ever, and my LiveJournal, Picking Up the Pieces, none of which have been updated in the past three months, and some of which haven't been updated in years. So the same may happen to this one. I tend to be long on crazy ideas and short on the ability to see them through. This is mostly because I always expect that the world is just dying to know what I have to say, and when it turns out that's not actually the case, I get disappointed and quickly stop writing. (That'll show them!)
But!
I'm hoping that I can make this blog work, if for only the fact that I'm writing it totally for myself.
I've been into Japanese music since I was in high school, when I fell madly in love with the band GLAY. Now (one institute of mandatory education, one institute of higher education, two trips to Japan, two career changes, a husband, a baby, and ten years later) I'm not as in love with GLAY but still a huge fan of Japanese music. Unfortunately, all the things that have happened in the past ten years have moved me slowly away from it so that I don't know as much as I once did. To help remedy this, I began translating for the (seminal, ultimate, world-shaking, name-taking, ass-kicking) J-music podcast Gaijin Kanpai, but I still don't know as much as I'd like.
That's where this blog comes in. I'm going to give myself a new Japanese music assignment each day, listen to it, then blog about it. Depending on how much time I have, that might be a single song, a single, or an album... Or maybe it'll be a DVD of a live. The music might be new or old, since there are a lot of classics I've missed. The point is just to get me listening. Maybe now and then I'll include a translation of a interview or a bit of news that I'm working on separate from GK. I might not get RICH! or FAMOUS!, but with any luck I'll be able to keep up on Japanese music, learn about some bands that I didn't know exist, re-discover acts that I already knew, and get some writing in to boot. Everybody wins. And by everybody, I mean me.
So come along, if you wish! Let's see what's out there.
I love to write, and I love to read, and I love crazy ideas. Blogging takes care of all three. When you add into the mix that people have gotten RICH! and FAMOUS! doing it, OMFGROFLCOPTER I'm so on board. I just have some problems with commitment.
I should let you know that I technically have several blogs, and that none of them are updated often. There's Erin Buying American, Daily Best Thing Ever, and my LiveJournal, Picking Up the Pieces, none of which have been updated in the past three months, and some of which haven't been updated in years. So the same may happen to this one. I tend to be long on crazy ideas and short on the ability to see them through. This is mostly because I always expect that the world is just dying to know what I have to say, and when it turns out that's not actually the case, I get disappointed and quickly stop writing. (That'll show them!)
But!
I'm hoping that I can make this blog work, if for only the fact that I'm writing it totally for myself.
I've been into Japanese music since I was in high school, when I fell madly in love with the band GLAY. Now (one institute of mandatory education, one institute of higher education, two trips to Japan, two career changes, a husband, a baby, and ten years later) I'm not as in love with GLAY but still a huge fan of Japanese music. Unfortunately, all the things that have happened in the past ten years have moved me slowly away from it so that I don't know as much as I once did. To help remedy this, I began translating for the (seminal, ultimate, world-shaking, name-taking, ass-kicking) J-music podcast Gaijin Kanpai, but I still don't know as much as I'd like.
That's where this blog comes in. I'm going to give myself a new Japanese music assignment each day, listen to it, then blog about it. Depending on how much time I have, that might be a single song, a single, or an album... Or maybe it'll be a DVD of a live. The music might be new or old, since there are a lot of classics I've missed. The point is just to get me listening. Maybe now and then I'll include a translation of a interview or a bit of news that I'm working on separate from GK. I might not get RICH! or FAMOUS!, but with any luck I'll be able to keep up on Japanese music, learn about some bands that I didn't know exist, re-discover acts that I already knew, and get some writing in to boot. Everybody wins. And by everybody, I mean me.
So come along, if you wish! Let's see what's out there.
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