The J-Pop Thread

So, anyone else coming to Perfume in Shepherds Bush tomorrow? We should be having some drinks nearby beforehand if anyone fancies joining us.

didn't know that the BiS noise collaboration song was a cover of a Jun Togawa song, the original is p great

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQkG-5M0qd8?t=1m8s

That's one of my all-time favourite Togawa songs. Not *entirely* convinced by the cover, though the conceit is certainly in keeping.

Also, zappi, it's not too late to jump on a train and come to Perfume with us. ^__^

lol i wish :_; hope you and mr craig have fun

Keen keen keen for tonight!

Posted about BiS/Biskaidan on Burning Ambulance today. I like their other video, where they're ska-punk skinheads.

I dig some BiS songs, this one fer instance:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHwPVTtYum0

but their 'anti-idol' thing feels way more contrived than the idol culture they're lampooning to me. blood, nudity, noise... 'edgy' but not nearly as weird or unique as, say, momoiro clover z. and if you're covering togawa, well she's nothing if not the real deal...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=-uxpylXf5fQ

So I had fun at Perfume. Sound wasn't great, and they seemed to blow their visual budget in the first couple of songs but vibes were good and both the group and the crowd were very much into it. They did the projection-dress thing from Cannes for the first song and it was amazing. Particularly enjoyed watching the crazy dancing fan at the front of the left-hand balcony. I'm not a big fan of audience participation but who couldn't fall for "Fish! Woo! Chips! Woo! Fish and Chips! WOO!".

Worried the crazy dancing fan at the front of the left-hand balcony was one of us.

Haha, it could have been one of us. But, I think it is more likely it could have been the guy with millions of perfume badges on a hat, a face mask and a Michael Jackson glove with a teddy bear attached.

That wasn't you?!?!

In my DREAMS!

Haha, it could have been one of us. But, I think it is more likely it could have been the guy with millions of perfume badges on a hat, a face mask and a Michael Jackson glove with a teddy bear attached.

Yep. Were you guys also up there?

Aye! I was just behind that guy for the last half of the concert, emil.y and C were a few people back next to the balcony. I usually prefer to be down the front for gigs, but found having a view and space to dance great.

Jealous of seeing the projection dresses live. Would go to see them every week if I had the chance.

AKB48's new surprise 'center's 'tude creating some hope for the future of idols... useless if the next girl is kicked out for it of course.

In the July 2 episode of Dancing Sanma Palace, Rino Sashihara looked back at the scandal which was scooped by Weekly Bunshun.

"If that didn't happen, this (placing 1st) wouldn't have happened. I'm grateful to that weekly tabloid, Weekly Bunshun."

Then Sanma asked: "What kind of guy do you like?"

Sashihara: "A person who can keep a secret."

So, I just discovered that Pefume Complete Best contains a track called ‘Wonder 2’, as does MBV. Coincidence?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62CaiWk0Cpw

this whole album is such an eargasm but the songs that combine traditional japanese instruments and scales are the stand-out tracks for me.

Salyu & Cornelius playing live with copious loop pedal fuckery
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSkNKYnxcsk

reeeeally into this dempagumi.inc track:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMHj3U3-RA4

the pachelbel's canon part with the distorted rapping really seals the deal. anything else similarly dense and hyper and FAST that I should be checking out? kind of need more stuff like that and momoclo's battle & romance in my life right now.

this whole album is such an eargasm but the songs that combine traditional japanese instruments and scales are the stand-out tracks for me.

Ooh, I like this. Sounds Okinawan to me, but I doubt I know what I'm talking about.

(Man I wasn't really into much new music the first six months and then everything just exploded and I can't keep up. Some of that explosion involved backtracking and discovering already released things some of which I had heard.)

The Salyu & Cornelius is nice too.

I've mostly avoided watching the live Perfume videos but I have to admit they are pretty wild. I would probably go see them live in a large venue just from the spectacle angle.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_P1MmBEYpJU&feature=youtu.be

can't tell whether this is just Capsule 2.0 or an interesting "dark" direction for Kyary

Note that the song is only co-written by Nakata - the 'stock' song is given to different artists in different countries.

Also think it would've fit Perfume better.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4AGe4ZfZsbg

BABY I'm not okay and also
I'm not okay at all, and moreover
BABY I'm not okay

between the 'suki suki daisuki' cover, the noise-pachelbel bridge, and this video, the influence of Jun Togawa seems to be riding unexpectedly high this year

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffH_Mp74xh4

what's the togawa angle there?

it is more of a stretch, there, but I would connect it to the stare on the one who's eating caterpillars

ah, ok.

good vid btw.

What other 2013 music have you been enjoying in 2013, Milton? Can be classical, though that will generally be wasted on me.

I mostly listen to old stuff but those Solfeggio youtubes Scott posted to the ASMR thread dovetail nicely with my recent self-mortification via 1985-1995 era Hearts of Space albums. You probably don't mean reissues but that David Tudor box set is wonderful.

My pal Safety Scissors put out a new record this year called 'In A Manner Of Sleeping' which I am very impressed by. Did catch up on the last few Perfume b-sides after abcfsk posted Daijobanai upthread.

I bought this today, anybody read it?

http://i43.tinypic.com/nxoyuf.jpg

The title is slightly misleading as the book ends at 1990, but I'm looking forward to digging in.

No but be sure to post your thoughts.

While waiting for Perfume's next album, here's what we would end up if Nakata decided to go big bang
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EnHDHByOK9I

Big band* obviously, too much time spent with asian pop

Doesn’t do much for me.

No but hearing unprocessed Perfume vocals is a bit like spotting a snow leopard in the wild. Doesn't happen often. Better if it was live of course http://youtu.be/TcA5HtvhOrw

ha, i think that's the time i've heard them singing live & untreated. amused that it's a cover of this, those lyrics! http://youtu.be/DZTNAhYP2A4

It’s a bit of a trend I guess, Magic of Love had the vocals comparatively unprocessed.

Nakata not busy enough finishing albums left and right - produces pop rock band SCANDAL's new single. You wouldn't necessarily guess it on first listen http://fuckyeahscandalband.tumblr.com/post/58902897458/scandal-over-drive-sp-footage-for-those-who

Starts off sounding like Boys Don’t Cry.

40 seconds in it starts sounding like Nakata though

i really like it, the layers sound great!

lol tracklisting for new Capsule album CAPS LOCK

01. HOME
02. CONTROL
03. DELETE
04. 12345678
05. SHIFT
06. ESC
07. SPACE
08. RETURN

Incredible lol

omg

this came out on ltd vinyl recently so i had to buy it

http://i.imgur.com/D4XBz4A.jpg

Nice. I read a few interviews with them recently and those girls are pretty into pushing their balls out version of idol art. From coming up with their own zany stage ideas like these sets http://response.jp/imgs/feed_l/593119.jpg to fighting rockism:

"Before (Ozzfest) an internet backlash like, "This is not a stage (event) for idols," was blowing everywhere. Even more than the actual members, the adults were on edge. Naturally the members could infer the strange atmosphere.

The moment they got on stage Kanako yelled, "Watch first, then decide!" {見てから決めろ！ / Mitekara Kimero!} letting the air out of the current of bashing based on the label “idol.” Then she howled, "Now, in front of you, WE ARE IDOLS."

"When we got on stage, everything was covered in black t-shirts. It's like, if we don't dye this place MomoClo's colors immediately... It's not like they're going to come to us if we just give them time. We have to force the decisive moment from the very beginning.

"Usually when we're 'away' we drift in their direction, right? But this time, out of all our costumes, we're wearing something that makes you think, ‘Is it even possible to be that idol-like?’ Yeah. I think this is a new fighting style for us""

-If you really try new things, while you're still at it, the opinion of the people watching keeps changing.

"It's way more fun than always doing the same thing. I have a deep confidence that this 'some people love it- some people hate it'- stuff is fun. When the people who say, "I don't like it" come around, and I'm feeling, "I'm so glad we did it!" I'm just totally happy.

The current MomoClo can't continue forever. I don't want to say that I suggest hate it/ love it stuff for it's own sake. Just the feeling of I want to do the absolute best things, and they always turn into these good-side-bad-side ideas. Which is to say, aren't we on the cutting edge?

- Too far onto the cutting edge. Some of the audience is scared half to death. After "The 5th Dimension Tour" you overcame the 2 days at The Seibu Dome [Haru no Ichidaiji 2013]. Well... Nissan Stadium. Just doing the math, it's double the size of the Seibu dome.

"Uh, what to do?. But, at MomoClo shows, aren't the far seats and the near seats are the same price? For the same price, if you ask which is more fun, I'd think the close seats. We're really thinking of and trying everything to make the fans in the distant seats have as much fun. I want to do a show where they'd even say they had MORE fun.

Both from the 'leader' Kanako Momota

new denpagumi inc. - w.w.d. 2!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wyZOePtID6s

video is somethin else. takes place in 2020 and former band members have now become shut-ins, hostess girls, etc. cameo from BiS too. nice breakdown with the context for it all up here:
http://mbmelodies.tumblr.com/post/61051780049/dempagumi-inc-w-w-d-ii-2013-somehow-i

like the song too but I think I prefer w.w.d. 1