The J-Pop Thread

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

tumblr is a bit of a maze for me, but is anyone talkinga about how the evil "future" idol group is mixed race, brown and transgender (or at least cross-dressing? because i have no idea what is going on there.

yeah, I had the same o_O reaction as you but did you read the mbmelodies post? I think the intent here is more like "jpop goes global" and the old gang wants to get back together. denpagumi 2020 aren't evil; they're just who in the band at that point.

of course, I don't speak the language, so take what I say with a grain of salt.

yeah i want to believe that they aren't supposed to be evil but then there is that particular shot at the beginning where they are looking down at her and the music becomes really ominous. perhaps evil was a strong word then... maybe just unlikeable.

either way the video is pretty incredible!

yep, I'd like to believe there's nothing malicious going on there as well, but I gotta admit, that's partially because I love the song. I do think that BiS are clearly the villains here (the scene where they storm the denpagumi2020 stage brandishing menacing glow sticks! the standoff at the end!) but that doesn't omit the potential for cultural tone deafness, sure.

anyway, yeah, the video really is pretty incredible! very excited for an album after their last few singles.

Preview of Capsule album

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXSzet2N7hs

also Nakata has produced a track for Shiina Ringo's forthcoming collaboration comp
MCZs new Buddhist look is pretty lol!

new Perfume is giving me so many feeeeeeeels

A link to my review of the new Perfume album. Which is fucking amazing.

still figuring out how I feel about the whole charisma.com ep but I love the closer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4_6QdLa-eI

nothing fancy, just a sweet and breezy throwback jam.

whoopso:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4_6QdLa-eI

Seriously awesome album: tricot - "THE"

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

Feels like the kind of band that could reach sakanaction level success in the future.

so, the new capsule - very clean, stripped-down, and reminding me of melodic idm like isan more than anything. not at all what I was expecting but I think that I might love it.

Yeah! A great surprise. Very nice!

oh yeah that fucking tricot record is INCREDIBLE. i found it through a coworker who has literally never recommended me music before. god knows how he worked it out

anime wall scroll?

BN - yes, it's in serious danger of becoming my album of the year. If I'm correct that this is their debut I don't know how they managed to make every song sound so fully developed, rich. Seems they've been kickin around for a few years though, earlier footage suggests more tecnical show off-ery before the tunes fully arrived.

Debut album, they've released an EP before.

New Kyary video, enjoyably daft as ever
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bFHzDa9U9w

She's playing London again in the Spring as well it seems. Not going to miss that one!

http://i.imgur.com/XACug1X.jpg

Koshino Junko joins BiS

The fashion designer Koshino Junko (コシノジュンコ) joined BiS (Brand-new Idol Society) as a new member.

She passed secretly the audition held by the idol group.

Koshino Junko is going to make her first appearance on November 5 at Hot Denpo Festival 2013 in Tokyo. JK will also participate in BiS upcoming single Koi Suru Denpou Japan (恋する電報Japan).

Koshino Junko, 74 years old, is a famous fashion designer who worked for many brands.

Lineup for new year show Kohaku Uta Gassen (Red and White Song Battle) is out, nothing too surprising - Kyary, Perfume and MCZ are all back and Sakanaction are performing for the first time.

Yeah but no Babymetal (I was knocked out by this today https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EjQsayrmMoU )

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRaMsDyW-XQ

Smashing.

'STUPIG' is probably my favourite out of the last round of BiS things.

New Kyary vid is pretty sweet. Anyone seeing her on the World Tour?

Babymetal album out next week!

BiS album out in a couple of weeks too, splitting up after their show at Yokohama Arena on July 8th ;_;

these retro posters for the upcoming Perfume FES tour are pretty great tho

http://i.imgur.com/WoDxsBE.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/2uvP0DQ.jpg

Ooh, those posters look great.

anyone know who sings this
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/437863/02.%20.mp3

I dunno but I like it. Very Deerhoof sounding backing to the extent I wouldn't rule out their involvement.

possibly seiko oomori on vox?

The new Dempagumi single is amazing, next-level stuff http://youtu.be/NypVvG9fQ7o

haha just came to post that ^^^

yes! love it. so dense and catchy.

WORLD WIDE DEMPA was great too. (though sadly a little on the stingy with new tracks)

stingy SIDE

Tricot drummer is leaving the band this month, on the positive side they are booked to play a summer festival in Hungary so more European dates are likely to follow

Also Slovakia, also Czech republic

Curious who they land on to replace the drummer, not like you can get any old chump to do it. Also curious what 'creative differences' exactly made him leave, after releasing all that amazing music. Maybe they want to get a girl.

damn, that drummer was fantastic on The