Just a few minutes ago, I finished up writing the article on Superfly's "Beautiful" since the performance of that song on last year's Kohaku Utagassen was one of the high points for the broadcast for me.
I could say the same thing for a band that also made its first presence on the show. However, as soon as I saw the original kanji for this group from Western Japan and the Kanto, I just thought, "Yep, that's eclectic...that's properly eclectic." To be honest, I didn't even know to how say it until I looked it up on Wiki. But it was a string of kanji that I had seen a few times before but never got to hear until Kohaku time.
It doesn't happen all the time but sometimes I feel that a Kohaku performance by a singer or a group is fine but not the best. I got that impression from Gesu no Kiwami Otome（ゲスの極み乙女。）when they did "Watashi Igai Watashi ja nai no" (Not A Me Other Than Me). Basically as the song title implies, I discovered a tune that wasn't quite that tune when I first heard it on the Shibuya stage on December 31st. However, I could feel that this was a good tune.
Thankfully, I was able to find the original music video for "Watashi Igai Watashi ja nai no" which was released in April 2015 as Gesu no Kiwami Otome's 2nd single. For the band's J-Wiki entry, I read a whole shopping list of musical genres that they include: rock, jazz-rock, progressive rock, post-rock, math rock, indie rock, experimental rock. More rock in there than in a small hunk of granite but I think "Watashi Igai Watashi ja nai no" isn't so much rock but some nice and healthy eclectic pop. I like the rolling piano along with the indie-ish of it all with spurts of fusion and some pure jazz. There's nothing I appreciate more than a tune that masterfully blends disparate genres into a wonderful whole.
"Watashi Igai Watashi ja nai no" hit No. 11 on Oricon and earned a prize for either Best Song or Best Composition at the Japan Music Awards last year. The song, by the way, was written and composed by Gesu no Kiwami Otome's main songwriter and vocalist Enon Kawatani（川谷絵音）. The other band members are Kyujitsu Kacho（休日課長）on bass, Chan Mari （ちゃんMARI）on keyboards and Hona Ikoka（ほな・いこか）on drums. From what I've read on their Wikipedia page, most of them have positions in other bands as well.
(Sorry but the video has been taken down.)
Ah, before I forget, the song was also used in a Coca-Cola campaign.
Hello! What's written on this article? I tried with Google translate but it wasn't helpful...
ReplyDeletehttp://www.oricon.co.jp/news/2079390/full/
Hello there.
DeleteI took a look at the article and apparently it was found out that last year on December 3rd, vocalist Kawatani had been drinking with a 19-year-old TV personality (tarento) by the name of Rin Honoka after a concert at the live house Zepp Tokyo in Shibuya.
The problem is that people under 20 years of age in Japan, even if they are famous, are considered minors so drinking together with Honoka was an infraction, morally speaking, although the article didn't say whether Kawatani was brought in for questioning by police (most likely not). However, the infraction was serious enough that the band's management company and Kawatani have confessed to the incident just today with Kawatani deeply apologizing for the lack in judgement.
Personally speaking, I've got a feeling that an entertainment reporter found out about the drinking incident in the last few days which prompted the company to jump ahead and put it out in the open. Otherwise, it would have stayed quiet.
They deleted Gesu's new album planned in november. Honestly I really can't stand this obsessive side of Japanese society.
ReplyDeleteI hear you on that. And I'm not surprised that the studio deleted the album (was it cancelled outright or merely delayed?).
DeleteThere was also the incident last year involving Kawatani having the affair with tarento Becky, who had until that time was seen as someone akin to Japan's sweetheart. I think most of the fault lay with Kawatani but Becky was absolutely excoriated by the media for "behaviour unbecoming" (although I don't know how the public at large felt). Although I'm not a fan of hers and it may take two to tango, I just thought she was unfairly burned at the stake.