Katsumi Horii Project -- Non-Stop Paradise

By Silver Dovelet from Wikimedia Commons

Earlier today, we went over to the local Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre to meet up with a family friend and exchange some foodstuffs. I don't go there regularly but it's nice that any time I've been there it's been fully active. Apparently, today was the Issei-kai.

Today has been a fine fall day so heading over to the JCCC and back wasn't a bad commute at all. Of course with the song that I'm about to introduce, the mood might be more for a visit down to the lakeside bar for a drink.

"Non=Stop Paradise" by the Katsumi Horii Project（堀井勝美PROJECT）is the first track on the band's debut album "Hot Is Cool" from March 1987. Some years ago, I covered the second and title track which was a bit more down-to-town Dazz Band funk and stuff. "Non Stop Paradise" is a soaring hang glider of a piece led by what I assume is the late Hidefumi Toki's（土岐英史）soprano saxophone. Meanwhile, folks can just enjoy that sail on the yacht with their martinis. Not to be outdone by the sax though, that bass that seemingly sounds like the one from "Law & Order" is just plowing the road with aplomb. Even instruments from cop-and-robbers shows need vacations, too. And when we come to the end of the nearly four-and-a-half minutes, it really does feel like a non-stop paradise.

Kawai Fujii -- Omotai Ai de Gomen（重たい愛でごめん）

 

The above photo is there courtesy of Rob Sinclair via Wikimedia Commons. It's a shot of Akasaka, Tokyo after midnight. I have to say that I've never been in the neighbourhood past the witching hour although I've spent a few evenings in some of the restaurants and bars in the ritzy area.

There won't be any "Shin BS Nihon no Uta"（新BS日本の歌）this week but I did hear of this one when singer Kawai Fujii（藤井香愛）showed up on a recent episode of the program. "Omotai Ai de Gomen" (Sorry for My Overwhelming Love) is her 7th and latest single from May of this year, and I get those Akasaka vibes when I listen to this one. In the past, I've regarded her music as being Mood Kayo but for "Omotai Ai de Gomen", there is plenty of groove to spread around so that I would place it in the hybrid genre of New Adult Music. This is some nice Japanese sophisticated pop for a Friday night in the megalopolis, delivered in a very silky way by Fujii.

Fujii's single ranked No. 19 on Oricon. Lyrics were provided by Neko Oikawa（及川眠子）while the music and arrangement were handled by Kohei Miyuki（幸耕平）and Masayuki Sakamoto（坂本昌之）respectively.

POLYSICS -- XCT

Just a few days ago, I was talking about the TV version of "Logan's Run" which had its short run in the 1970s. Well, one of the pop icons of the 1980s was Max Headroom who was everywhere in the visual zeitgeist and his "night" in the sun was his own sci-fi/thriller TV show which lasted about as long as "Logan's Run". Unlike the former show, though, "Max Headroom" didn't bother to hide its dystopian videoscape.

I got similar "Max Headroom" vibes on seeing the music video for POLYSIC's first single as a major act (they signed with Ki/oon Music), "XCT". Released in April 2000, Hiroyuki Hayashi（ハヤシヒロユキ）and the band blasted off the launch pad sounding like as they always have: chaotic techno rock. No early installment weirdness here. The MV was filmed in Los Angeles and seeing that evil general in the beginning reminded me of some of those early DEVO videos.

Koichi Miura -- Ochiba Shigure（落葉しぐれ）

Wikimedia Commons

I may have mentioned this before, but autumn is my favourite season. The summer heat and humidity have given way to a refreshing coolness while retaining the mostly sunny days. Of course, in both Canada and Japan, it's also a fine time for good food and drink, although I'm not quite sold on pumpkin spice latte.

And so in keeping with that fall theme as we enter October, I bring you Koichi Miura's（三浦洸一）"Ochiba Shigure" (Fallen Leaves in the Autumn Rain). The fact that fellow contributor Noelle Tham has not only talked about this 1953 hit once but twice talks to its popularity and amity. My association with the song comes from a recent episode of "Shin BS Nihon no Uta"（新BS日本の歌）where I saw it performed.

Written by Shizuo Yoshikawa（吉川静夫）and composed by Tadashi Yoshida（吉田正）, it's a grand yet comforting enka (although it wasn't called an enka back then) in melody although Yoshikawa's lyrics talk about a roaming vagabond guitarist sporting little aside from the great weight of regrets in his life as he goes from place to place even in the midst of cold precipitation. Well, at least I can enjoy it from the confines of a warm cafe or bar, although I'd be willing to call in the poor lad to sit down and share a cup.

Miura appeared on NHK's Kohaku Utagassen a total of eight times between 1955 and 1963 during which he sang "Ochiba Shigure" in his first appearance on the New Year's Eve special. The singer was actually born Toshiyasu Kuwata（桑田利康）and he took his stage name from his hometown of Miura City, Kanagawa Prefecture. He left this mortal coil on January 11th 2025 at the age of 97.

Saori Minami -- Ku-gatsu no Episode（九月のエピソード）

 

Well, yeah, I missed out on putting this one up in the proper month by a few days. But we can't win them all here.

"Ku-gatsu no Episode" (September Episode) is the B-side to 1970s aidoru Saori Minami's（南沙織）May 1978 26th single "Ai Naki Sedai"（愛なき世代）. Compared to the breezy kayo of the A-side, "Ku-gatsu no Episode" takes things into the exotic kayo realm via Brazil and perhaps a European nation or two considering the bossa nova and one particular instrument that I cannot quite identify. It does sound classy and Mancini-esque (the strings are shimmering) which is why I've selected this one to finish off Urban Contemporary Friday. And hey, there is the Fender Rhodes which starts things off. Machiko Ryu（竜真知子）and Koji Makaino（馬飼野康二）provided words and music/arrangement respectively.

Tokimeki Records feat. Mai Zaitsu -- Namida no Carat: Rumor Girl（涙のカラット）

 

Earlier in the summer, I posted an article regarding the latest in Tokimeki Records' brand of Neo-City Pop featuring Mai Zaitsu（財津マイ）titled "Tsuki wa Mirror Ball"（月はミラーボール）. Since then, I've received information from an anonymous commenter that Zaitsu is actually the music video-animated persona of KiBi, a vocalist and songwriter for the pop duo sucola, so I'll have to take a look at that group sometime, too. Obviously, she isn't a relative of Kazuo Zaitsu（財津和夫）of Tulip as I'd wondered aloud in the article.

In any case, tonight I'm covering the latest collaboration between Tokimeki and Zaitsu from about a month ago, "Namida no Carat: Rumor Girl" (A Carat of Tears) which starts off with some toe-dancing piano and then some fast-paced brassy soul and Latin jazz go for a dance as Zaitsu sings about the hollowness of a certain love affair. The pair also worked on the songwriting here as well. Too bad about the lass' situation but it's a fun song to listen to.

Sara Hamamoto -- Futari（ふたり）

 

I've seen the veteran Kansai comedic duo Downtown（ダウンタウン）for years and years as they hosted a lot of variety shows including "HEY!HEY!HEY! Music Champ". However, I never heard of this one called "Hatsumei Shogun Downtown"（発明将軍ダウンタウン...Invention Shogun Downtown） which was on NTV between 1993 and 1996 (the show lasted one more year without Downtown with different hosts). Apparently, Downtown invited a lot of amateur inventors to the studio to show off their wares and see if they could get some prize money. Of course, Hamada and Matsumoto were there to snark off as usual. I could see that this was a show from over thirty years ago since Hitoshi Matsumoto (on the left side in the above video) still had a full head of hair and no bristly moustache and beard.

Knowing Downtown and their brand of chaotic energy, I had assumed that the ending theme for "Hatsumei Shogun Downtown" would be a rockin' number. Instead though, it's a cuddly mid-tempo pop song by Sara Hamamoto（浜本沙良）titled "Futari" (Two People). Usually I've covered her material as City Pop tunes of the 1990s but I think "Futari" is fine as a pop tune although it's urbane enough that I could include it here on Friday. Released as her 4th single in November 1995, it managed to reach No. 48 on Oricon which was Hamamoto's first recorded rank-in there. Keiko Moon（けいこmoon）was the lyricist while Masaki Iwamoto（岩本正樹） took care of the melody and arrangement.