The J-Pop Thread

Sounds very much like bis or Helen Love.

Let's get light-hearted

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sl7B_7h2-OM

Best Momoiro Clover single in a long while

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPKX9gsZhi8

...aaaand two new momoiro clover albums just dropped

I haven't even liked any of their singles since 5th dimension really... but man... still feel like calling in sick to work and just playing these a lot tomorrow http://icons.iconarchive.com/icons/emoticonshd.com/emoji/64/Emoticon-Thinking-Confused-Shrug-icon.png

Word on the street is Amaranthus is pretty great and their most coherent album-album yet. Still haven't found time to take a listen.

so, this is good shit. hakkin no yoake initially feeling like battle and romance anime mayhem, amaranthus like 5th dimension classic rock moves. gonna need some time to take it all in but surprised by how much I'm enjoying these. kinda wrote momoiro clover off for a minute!

Keyakizaka46 debut single "Silent Majority" http://www.dailymotion.com/video/k3oZTwoBwp9AMUg8YfX

Almost a full BiS reunion including Mitchel <3

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKUX8KKKbM4

BiSH's major label debut is a 90 second punky thrash? hell yes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-hs9iqBDHM

I've played that song a lot in the past week.

The HatsuneKaidan album is a surprisingly easy listen, guess it helps that Junko isn't screaming all over it lol. Has covers of songs by Perfume, Jun Togawa, protopunk weirdos Zuno Keisatsu amongst others
you can listen to it and buy the LP(!) here

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

song of the year

^^obsessed with this now, thanks

Was coming on to the thread to post the very same song. I know FEMM's stuff but not really familiar with the others of the group.

http://aramajapan.com/news/music/femm-faky-and-yupin-combine-to-create-fammin-with-mindblowing-results/58103/

patrick st. michel provides solid context:

http://makebelievemelodies.com/?p=12656

if the rest of the EP is any indication, the individual acts' music is fine but nothing special. the FAKY song that autoplays after FAMM'IN on youtube is the best i've heard from the lot, sort of like old japanese market SM stuff, which makes sense given avex was the label for most of that.

but "circle"...i wouldn't hesitate to put it in my j-pop top 5. at least since the '80s

This tofubeats is pretty pop, but it probably doesn't belong on the j-pop thread. So where does it belong? The Japanese indie thread seems more underground oriented.

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

The video is a bit too patty-cake-patty-cake for me, but I kind of like the song.

new Tentenko single is a fun lofi rewrite of Roadrunner + toytown noise.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDX3dEzXz20

Really liked this 2016 single, which to my unseasoned J-pop ears sounded like Perfume's "Polyrhythm" with Skrillexy cut-up production.

Aira Mitsuki - Detective A
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDa8Q3hUDIY

Is this an emerging style, where the idol becomes an electronica producer's toy, even more so in more "mainstream" J=pop? I want more of this.

where the idol becomes an electronica producer's toy

That's most J-Pop. Or at least all Nakata.

Jun Togawa is releasing a new album shocker! recorded with Vampillia, out in December.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SkNU0QbXVsw

that's a Yapoos track isn't it?

her voice definitely sounding a bit different these days!

yes, a Yapoos track. looking at the tracklisting there's only one new song at the end http://natalie.mu/music/news/205511

Yeah, the way I read their announcement was it was an anniversary thing? But it's all rerecordings of her old songs, not a comp of them, right?

when was the last time she recorded any legitimately new songs? the last Yapoos album was in 1995 I believe, doesn't seem like she's done a lot since then. seems a bit odd to come back just to re-record old tunes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jWLioW7Zx0

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

the last few Wednesday Campanella singles have been excellent

Yep, very cool

the new BOMI is very Campanella, produced by Tokyo Recordings who worked on Campanella's Napoleon
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhUHE61xetM

Tentenko produced by Eye of Boredoms

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLL91md6Y_o

really like that tentenko album. anyone familiar w/her ~900 or so other records?

checked out a later yukako hayase album from 2001 - love your life. it rules. here's the only track on YT but the whole thing is solid:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkRba0s6NkA

So this Wednesday Campanella album is pretty much all I've listened to for the past month

they are super likable for sure. PVs have an odd personality to them.

yeah i love it, it's maybe their most consistent so far. certainly a lot better than UMA last year

apart from Aladdin i think my favourites are Sakamoto Ryoma (i love the percussive lead synth) and Zeami (the difference between the first and second verse is so dynamic)

New YMM -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ed-LsUht8iE

what a mess lol. It's interesting how popular Ano has become in Korea recently, mainly due to comps of her TV appearances on YouTube - a lot of comments on YMM videos are now in Hangul.

I really like this track by ex Koutei Camera Girl member Molmo under the name Ame To Kanmuri
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsMhk56zLE0

hahaha I kept pausing that YMM single bc surely a totally different track must be playing in some other tab, right? lol, awesome.

new campanella is def v nice & 世阿弥 is amazing but I think I still prefer the earlier records. the simpler melodic idm sound is just more up my alley & I like their consistency even if they are a little less ambitious.

anyone ever hear this early demo? (w/a 2nd singer!):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VeOkQvyh0Jc

here's a collab I never expected, Ano of YMM guesting on a Towa Tei track

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-tXl0gajdc&

strange but I dig it

Towa's albums always seem like a who's who of J-pop, lately

wooow that YMM track

More Idol fuckery

http://aramajapan.com/news/music/·········is-an-enigmatic-project-that-may-hide-a-deep-meaning/74429/

Whoops, trying again - http://aramajapan.com/news/music/%C2%B7%C2%B7%C2%B7%C2%B7%C2%B7%C2%B7%C2%B7%C2%B7%C2%B7-is-an-enigmatic-project-that-may-hide-a-deep-meaning/74429/

This is so sad - http://www.straitstimes.com/lifestyle/entertainment/j-pop-star-ayumi-hamasaki-is-going-completely-deaf

goddamn, that's awful D:

new campanella single sounds a little like a coldcut remix of a tortoise song or something to me and I mean that in the best possible way:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qPSHOTzidw

You'll Melt More continue their habit of parodying western record covers (previously including Neu!, ESG, B&S, Suicide etc)
http://i.imgur.com/ELZYbze.jpg

hmmm what's that one?

Screamadelica (the EP seems to be called Discopsychedelica)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQd-Nj4eH48

What a crowd pleaser of a song!

Digging CRCK/LCKS

Neat mix of Ringo, Clammbon, a few others and a little bit of mathyness.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHdgffU5mbU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJF7_d1yhjI

I quite like both of those. btw what's a good resource for finding out about these sorts of things, and/or maybe more alternative/underground Japanese music?