Great Japanese Pop

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Takako Minekawa!!! Not rubbish at all. Though I believe she recently married Cornelius and had a baby, so may not release anything new for a while. The stuff Ned already mentioned. Also Chocolat, Hideki Kaji, Pizzicato 5 (obviously), 800 Cherries, other stuff on Trattoria like Bridge, and the magazine Beikoku Ongaku, which features more indiepop style stuff (Japanese and otherwise).

― g, Thursday, 17 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Shiina Ringo is my role model.

― Honda, Thursday, 17 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I must say, though, that while J-pop is great, Thai pop is better. A friend puts the difference between Japanese pop and most other Asian pop musics (save China, which is a whole different deal) thus: "Japanese pop songs are like dissertations about themselves." Which is true and is part of what makes them great, but the Thai stuff -- Zaza, Bubble Girls, Tata Young, Nicole Theriault, the almost unbelievable Triple Shake -- has a sort of unforced abandon to it. Or as unforced an abandon as can be simulated by ProTools.

― John Darnielle, Thursday, 17 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Morning Musume!

― A Nairn, Thursday, 17 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

I just got Mr. Children's Deep Sea (i think), it's fukai ume. It has that extremely catchy hit "mashingan wo futsu hanase" (i think). I would compare them to the goo goo dolls, and they've got some cool Cornelius style TV channel switching on the album. Overall not bad, but it's what you would expect from japanese top forty.

― A Nairn, Thursday, 17 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

that's all nice, but WHERE can I find all that stuff... any www download options maby...?

― richelleux, Friday, 18 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Puffy are periodically capable of greatness. The first six or so singles (approximately from "Asia no Jun Shin" to "Ta Ra Ra Ran") have a unique blend of Japanese charm and trad western swirling pop structure. And Konishi's remix of "Kore Ga.." is genius.

Also Mansfield's mini-album - can't recall the name - the one with his astonishing version of "The New Pollution" with Yukari Fresh.

Don't know much current 2002 J-pop, but Morning Musume are amusingly inept and occasionally hit the POP! button, while Speed's "White Love" has to be my all-time favourite quasi-sophisticated teenage pop guff.

Any more advice would be cool as I'm going to be DJ at a "cool J-pop" night in London soon.

― Darren, Friday, 18 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

Thx!

― naz, Friday, 18 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

most anything on trattoria records is quality. salon music, seagull screaming kiss her kiss her, dots + borders, yoshie, kahimi, hideki kaji, citrus, indian rope, takako minekawa...

escalator is also a great label for that type of stuff... yukari fresh, losfeld, neil + iraiza, american rock, cubismo grafico, miniflex (miniflex is GREAT)...

buffalo daughter is of cuorse great, they have a new one coming out in about 2 weeks called "i"... check that out most definately.

also investigate maher shalal hash baz and nagisa ni te, who have recently had retrospectives released on Stephen Pastel's Geographic Records in the UK. much different stuff, more of a belle and sebastian/syd barrett/neil young circa "on the beach" feel to it... good savant psych pop. they have become 2 of my favorite bands as of recent.

and, i back nick (momus) wholeheartedly when i say

BOREDOMSBOREDOMBOREDOBOREDBOREBORBOB

also check out OOIOO, yoshimi from boredoms' other semi-main band... feather float has been issued in the US on birdman and i pretty easy to get, and their last LP gold & green is also essential... and if you like that there's a remix LP of those 2 albums out on shock city/trattoria...

for some classic j-pop try the plastics, 80's new wave japanese devo shit... or pink lady, 70's japanese bizarro abba type shit...

i know i am missing stuff but there is a lot of great shit...

dig in and enjoy!!

― mike j, Saturday, 19 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

related to this, does anyone know where I can get a copy of the Lailove (Laila France) ep "L'Amour Sese Fomridable" (or something) that was released on L'appareil Photo?

thanks

― g, Monday, 21 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-four years ago)

two years pass...

ok I am certainly liking shiina ringo

a websearch turned up some joker hosting her new album online, I'd mention Shuukyo and Stem, who can tell me more?

― (Jon L), Friday, 4 June 2004 05:26 (twenty-two years ago)

Music in Japan costs too damn much!

― IAMNOTMOMUS, Friday, 4 June 2004 05:28 (twenty-two years ago)

good god, I just read the translation of the album title -- "Chlorine, Semen, Chestnut Flower"

― (Jon L), Friday, 4 June 2004 05:44 (twenty-two years ago)

Plus-Tech Squeeze Box, PATE (formed from the remnants of Bridge) and Fab Cushion to thread - actually, the whole of Vroom Records kick butt.

Trattoria has become 1ct Records if I remember correctly.

― Crickets Dance On Tequila Booty (Barima), Friday, 4 June 2004 11:12 (twenty-two years ago)

http://cif.rochester.edu/~xm/Buffalo%20Daughter%20featuring%20Cibo%20Matto%20-%20Stereotype%20C.mp3

― HAMBURGER NEURON GROUP (ex machina), Friday, 4 June 2004 11:23 (twenty-two years ago)

On a more guitar-glam tip, Plastic Tree.

Anybody remember when Pink Lady had a weekly variety show on U.S. teevee? I think it was a summer replacement thing, mid-70s. That shit was wierd.

― briania (briania), Friday, 4 June 2004 11:35 (twenty-two years ago)

yeah milton just get all her stuff. probably in this order: 2nd album, 3rd, 1st, cover song double album, and live triple mini-album.

and then... 2004 Pop albums from Japan I like to varying degrees:
Sweets - Sweets
Ex-Girl - Endangered Species
Tommy February6 - Tommy Airline
Olivia - Lost Lolli
W - Duo Uandu
Yukari Rotten - Not Dead

― scissors (Honda), Friday, 4 June 2004 12:11 (twenty-two years ago)

the cover song album seems scary. she sounds very different & constrained singing in english (I found samples here). it's certainly mainstream but I like some of the singles very much.

― (Jon L), Friday, 4 June 2004 18:32 (twenty-two years ago)

Anybody remember when Pink Lady had a weekly variety show on U.S. teevee? I think it was a summer replacement thing, mid-70s. That shit was
wierd.

Late seventies.

In celebration

It's on DVD

I saw the damn thing when it first aired!

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 4 June 2004 18:34 (twenty-two years ago)

i love japanese chixxx :(

― HAMBURGER NEURON GROUP (ex machina), Friday, 4 June 2004 18:37 (twenty-two years ago)

Oh, crap, how could I have forgotten Pink Lady's sidekick "Jeff"? In a just world, he should have been able to parlay this connection into huge stardom in Japan.

― briania (briania), Friday, 4 June 2004 18:39 (twenty-two years ago)

I was wondering if that would come out on DVD, and had assumed it never would!

― A Nairn (moretap), Friday, 4 June 2004 18:41 (twenty-two years ago)

that Shiina Ringo album (which I also just got and promptly ordered all of her other albums) is INCREDIBLE

― ryan (ryan), Friday, 4 June 2004 19:30 (twenty-two years ago)

which shiina ringo album?

Karuki Zamen Kuri no Hana?

― A Nairn (moretap), Friday, 4 June 2004 21:32 (twenty-two years ago)

yes!

― ryan (ryan), Friday, 4 June 2004 21:37 (twenty-two years ago)

most of the lyrics are pop beyond shame but I like shuukyo.

― (Jon L), Friday, 4 June 2004 23:11 (twenty-two years ago)

and morphine.

― (Jon L), Friday, 4 June 2004 23:26 (twenty-two years ago)

Cibo Matto and Butter 08. Also, Deerhoof's vocalist is a Japanese female.

― Adrienne Nero, Saturday, 5 June 2004 17:30 (twenty-two years ago)

i love japanese chixxx

Yeah... but who doesn't?

Ever try staying a week in Tokyo or Yokohama without having your head explode from all the hot chicks walking around like the end of the world is not near? Damn near impossible!

― lucas (lucas), Sunday, 6 June 2004 19:37 (twenty-two years ago)

Ever try staying a week in Tokyo or Yokohama without having your head explode from all the hot chicks walking around like the end of the world is not near? Damn near impossible!

The same's true for Nagoya, Osaka, Kyoto, Hiroshima, Fukuoka - the whole place is ridiculous.

Also

SUPERCAR

are the best band in Japan.

― J-rock (Julien Sandiford), Monday, 7 June 2004 03:00 (twenty-two years ago)

Also, Deerhoof's vocalist is a Japanese female.

uh... japanese-american. they're from san francisco, california, usa.

not really "pop" either...

― gygax! (gygax!), Monday, 7 June 2004 05:59 (twenty-two years ago)

eight months pass...

Came across a new J-pop site in English. It's got some pretty good information about bands that maybe a lot of people haven't heard of yet.

nippop

― J-rock (Julien Sandiford), Monday, 21 February 2005 04:54 (twenty-one years ago)

http://nippop.com/

― J-rock (Julien Sandiford), Monday, 21 February 2005 04:55 (twenty-one years ago)

one year passes...

What's up in 2006 pleaszze.

― Jeff. (Jeff), Saturday, 1 April 2006 21:51 (twenty years ago)

http://images-jp.amazon.com/images/P/B000BVXFQ4.09.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

http://www.keikaku.net/reviews/102

it should be noted that I really don't like about 99% of j-pop though, it gives me the rabies. but I've been listening to Adult 2-5 times a week since it came out in January.

― milton parker (Jon L), Sunday, 2 April 2006 00:51 (twenty years ago)

I got a really good album by Maaya Sakamoto in the mail the other day; it's on Geneon (which mostly releases anime soundtracks) in the U.S. All the music is composed and produced by Yoko Kanno, who composed the music for Cowboy Bebop, Macross Plus and my personal favorite, Ghost In The Shell: Stand Alone Complex.

― pdf (Phil Freeman), Sunday, 2 April 2006 01:04 (twenty years ago)

I recently heard a song by Yuki for the first time, "I U Mee Him" I think it's called, and thought it was bee-u-teefull. Anybody know more about her music and what to seek out?

― xgurggleglgllg (xgurggleglgllg), Sunday, 2 April 2006 01:48 (twenty years ago)

As usual, I agree with Milton.

And thanks for the link to that site! I hadn't seen it before...not bad.

― Patrick South (Patrick South), Sunday, 2 April 2006 03:17 (twenty years ago)

I'm liking Adult.

I'm looking for something that's really poppy and dancey though. I want like a japanese girls aloud.

― Jeff. (Jeff), Sunday, 2 April 2006 05:02 (twenty years ago)

Don't we all! I know next to nothing about japanese girl groups, though, there seems to be this really strong gender divide, all the english-language j-pop blogs seem to be guys going on about hello!project/morning musume/girl idols and the j-pop livejournals are girls chatting Johnny's Entertainment/wFl/general boybandism. Which as far as I can tell is surprisingly enough a reflection of how it is in japan, boybands for teenage girls as standard but girl-groups not, aimed instead at yer sliiiightly older males. But then female solo artists of the singer-songwriter type and female-fronted guitar/etc type groups are often for the girls as well, in Japan even if not in western j-pop fandom (stuff like AI, Every Little Thing, Mika Nakashima, all that).

I'm not really feeling j-pop 2006 yet, it doesn't feel like anything very exciting has happened, musically at least (the current number one selling like 750,000 copies in its first week is more uhm culturally interesting?). Otsuka Ai has a new single out, which is supercute (music video on youtube here), but LOVE COOK was a bit of a disappointment, so I'm not expecting too much. Morning Musume's last single was good, if a bit typical.

The j-pop i'm listening to most at the moment is straightforward pop-rock and eighties chartpop, though, not post-shibuyakei stuff. Also m-flo, who are a.ma.zing, but more r'n'b/hiphop than j-pop. 2004's 'astromantic' is the album to go for with them.

― permanent revolution (cis), Sunday, 2 April 2006 16:39 (twenty years ago)

Here are some new Japanese pop albums that I expect to be pretty great, based on the song samples.

Yukihiro Takahashi - Blue Moon Blue

http://www.neowing.co.jp/detailview.html?KEY=TOCT-25939

If you listen to the samples, you'll see it's in a similar vein as the Takahashi/Hosono Sketch Show collaborations, though bordering slightly more on the pop than electronic side.

Tomita Lab - Shiplaunching

http://www.neowing.co.jp/detailview.html?KEY=AICL-1731

Jazzy pop with lots of guest vocalists (including Takahashi on one track).

Buffalo Daughter - Euphorica

Can't find samples for this...but they're one of the more well-known j-pop bands I suppose.

― Patrick South (Patrick South), Sunday, 2 April 2006 17:19 (twenty years ago)

I really like the Yo Hitoto song "Hito-Shian", but I've never been able to find it outside my rip from the ending of a movie.

― jackl (jackl), Sunday, 2 April 2006 23:00 (twenty years ago)

Fancy Dick

― Baba Yaga, The Iron Hag (blastocyst), Sunday, 2 April 2006 23:03 (twenty years ago)

Domofuki Murata

― Baba Yaga, The Iron Hag (blastocyst), Sunday, 2 April 2006 23:03 (twenty years ago)

Massage Emancipator

― Baba Yaga, The Iron Hag (blastocyst), Sunday, 2 April 2006 23:04 (twenty years ago)

Crispity Nuggets

― Baba Yaga, The Iron Hag (blastocyst), Sunday, 2 April 2006 23:05 (twenty years ago)

Been listening excessively to a rather sweet post-Shibuya-kei record from last year: Refely's 9-Cliches. It's like a three way between Cornelius/Flipper's Guitar, Max Tundra and Shiina Ringo.

― BARMS, Monday, 3 April 2006 10:38 (twenty years ago)

Also, the elepop band The Aprils have three fantastic crossbreed indie-electroclash-Game Boy-good time pop albums, all released over the past 3 years.

― BARMS, Monday, 3 April 2006 10:40 (twenty years ago)

oh, and on a Yuki tip, her 2005 album "Joy" is v v good.

― permanent revolution (cis), Monday, 3 April 2006 21:40 (twenty years ago)

The Happy End from the seventies and Flipper's Guitar. Venus Peter. Are Jumprope an originally japanese band? Japancakes.

― antonio, Monday, 3 April 2006 22:27 (twenty years ago)

Skipping 67 messages at this point... Click here if you want to load them all.

XP - sent you a mail NA

― MaresNest, Saturday, 17 June 2017 23:02 (eight years ago)

What? Give the drummer some

― calstars, Saturday, 17 June 2017 23:12 (eight years ago)

https://we.tl/IMAu8QFWSU

― MaresNest, Sunday, 18 June 2017 14:09 (eight years ago)

thanks dudes

― na (NA), Sunday, 18 June 2017 17:13 (eight years ago)

ty listening to "Chew It In A Bite" right now "Paper Doll" this is some solid 90s alternative rock right here w Japanese punk flavor. love it.

― AdamVania (Adam Bruneau), Monday, 19 June 2017 03:21 (eight years ago)

"Paper Dog" rather

― AdamVania (Adam Bruneau), Monday, 19 June 2017 03:21 (eight years ago)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLZ8ddRbQ5o

― AdamVania (Adam Bruneau), Monday, 19 June 2017 03:23 (eight years ago)

Salon Music good at shoegaze

― AdamVania (Adam Bruneau), Monday, 19 June 2017 03:24 (eight years ago)

Nice one

― calstars, Monday, 19 June 2017 16:19 (eight years ago)

two weeks pass...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhetXL7KmZA

this is some really sick 80s dance pop. that snare is pure cocaine.

― AdamVania (Adam Bruneau), Monday, 3 July 2017 17:22 (eight years ago)

yes! all late 80s toshiki is fucking awesome ("sea is a lady" is my favorite)

― clouds, Tuesday, 4 July 2017 00:32 (eight years ago)

oh this one, yeah, i have this comp called "made in the eighties" that has this and some other great stuff, dee-dee-phone by the ab's, dress down by kaoru akimoto, free way 5 to south by fujimal yoshino...

― The Saga of Rodney Stooksbury (rushomancy), Tuesday, 4 July 2017 01:22 (eight years ago)

three months pass...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVYqqrw6eQU

been listening to this cos of the amazing album cover. also the Hosono production!

― AdamVania (Adam Bruneau), Tuesday, 10 October 2017 21:40 (eight years ago)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOZac0bNJqw

― DPRK Nowitzki (lpz), Tuesday, 10 October 2017 21:58 (eight years ago)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brec06BA6JU

― Woon... Doopee Time (FlopsyDuck), Wednesday, 11 October 2017 21:53 (eight years ago)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FT5BlCZsiCQ
nonstop doopees for me the past 3 weeks. I've become a treble head for Caroline's vocals.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YlhukAkkSN8

― Woon... Doopee Time (FlopsyDuck), Wednesday, 11 October 2017 21:57 (eight years ago)

untootooku gets posted in these threads like once a year (not complaining, it's amazing)

― clouds, Thursday, 12 October 2017 15:58 (eight years ago)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUQjdwRno5g

― cheeseburger, Thursday, 12 October 2017 16:12 (eight years ago)

why is none of this music on spotify?

― niels, Sunday, 15 October 2017 08:12 (eight years ago)

spotify hasn't been in japan very long and is missing many label deals there. digital music also just never quite caught on in japan in the way it did elsewhere etc

― ufo, Sunday, 15 October 2017 08:26 (eight years ago)

ah yeah, I seem to recall Tower records thriving in Japan...

― niels, Sunday, 15 October 2017 08:30 (eight years ago)

one month passes...

This guy runs a little engine with 30 something hours of City Pop and leaves it streaming on Youtube.

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

― MaresNest, Sunday, 10 December 2017 16:18 (eight years ago)

five years pass...

Poison Girl Friend - Fact 2 (from Melting Moment)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQZ7O7GWuN0

― omar little, Wednesday, 18 January 2023 21:21 (three years ago)

oh word, i listened to that EP for the first time last week and have had the same track in heavy rotation since. love it.

― (⊙_⊙?) (original bgm), Thursday, 19 January 2023 03:34 (three years ago)

original love, tomoyo harada, olivia, clammbon

― CerebralCaustic, Friday, 20 January 2023 13:39 (three years ago)

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