Credits

I would like to give credit where credit is due. Videos are from YouTube and other sources such as NicoNico while Oricon rankings and other information are translated from the Japanese Wikipedia unless noted.

Friday, September 16, 2016

First Impression -- Brand New Day


Welcome to another start to the weekend...with this one being the final one before summer leaves us for another year.

Earlier today, I was returning a comment to a fellow about how there are still many, many great singers or bands in Japan that I have yet to know about. Perhaps they never got onto the media radar but sometimes I don't think those artists and bands really needed the extra coverage. They are that good.



Found one of those bands last night. Once again, it was another random traipse into the wilds of YouTube when I discovered gold in the form of the short-lived band First Impression which merely lasted two years. According to one page, it was 1995-1997 but then on the J-Wiki article for one of the members, it was 1994-1996. In any case, it was brief.

A few years back, I wrote my first article on the wonderful Original Love, headed and then later solely represented by Takao Tajima(田島貴男), in which I mentioned that a couple of the members left Tajima to his own devices. Well, those two were drummer Shigeo Miyata(宮田繁男)and guitarist Takashi Murayama(村山孝志), and it didn't take too long for them to create a new unit by the name of First Impression with Reiko Tanaka(田仲玲子)who had become the vocalist of the group via an audition.

First Impression released two albums, "What's New" in 1995 and then "Supernatural" in 1996. "Brand New Day" is one of the tracks on the latter album and it's a winner. Murayama came up with the words and music, and with all of the Shibuya-kei that was booming at the time, I would classify the band's variety of what sounds like 80s British soul, Harajuku-kei or Omotesando-kei (my own names). Well, for those who know Harajuku pretty well, maybe that might be a stretch so I'll just cross Meiji-dori and go with Omotesando since that is the smoother neighbourhood. Perhaps, I can put Original Love and another band, Orange Pekoe in there as well. I just feel like that I can hear this in a stylish cafe in Omotesando and it would feel all right.


In any case, that's a really pleasant song to end a week on although the lyrics tell of how much someone is regretting the end of a romance although he/she knew it was coming up fast. It might be a brand new day but the old one is still clinging on like a bad habit apparently.

That J-Wiki article for one of First Impression's members was for drummer Miyata. Sadly I found out that he had passed away a couple of years ago due to illness at the age of 55.

10 comments:

  1. Hello. I'm not sure if this site is active, but I gotta ask anyway in case you see it since you seem to know a lot about Japan and their music.
    Do you know any sites where it's possible to buy their 2nd album? I have listened to "WHAT'S NEW" so many times I really need some fresh material :D

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    1. Hello there. Oh, we're still very active here. As for your question, apparently a CD for "Supernatural" is up for sale at Amazon.jp for 677 yen (https://www.amazon.co.jp/supernatural-First-Impression/dp/B000064POP). And then there is a downloadable version at a site called Mora (https://mora.jp/package/43000030/EPCA-7008/) Best of luck on any purchase.

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    2. Good sir! I actually managed to snatch a used copy of "supernatural" by proxy buying. If it wasn't for this blog I probably wouldn't even know about their 2nd album since most music archive websites don't even list it. Thanks a bunch.

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    3. Glad that you got your copy of "supernatural". Hope you enjoy listening to it!

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  2. This japanese band,First Impression, really is out of this world ! . They are ssoooo talented , they're just fantastic !!! 👏👏👏👏

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    1. Glad that you've enjoyed it. First Impression is one of those hidden gems in the nine-tenths of the J-Pop iceberg that is underwater.

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  3. Thank you so much for your time and dedication writing this article! I was really curious about this band, too bad their time was brief. By the way, do you know any other singer/group that follows the same sound style? I know Ryusenkei and Original Love, very good bands too. Hugs from Chile.

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    1. Hello, Fabian, and it's all my pleasure. As for other artists with a similar style, I think the bands frasco and paris match might be pretty close.

      frasco: https://kayokyokuplus.blogspot.com/2017/05/frasco-kaze-ni-notte-breeze.html

      paris match: https://kayokyokuplus.blogspot.com/2015/04/paris-match-saturday.html

      Have fun exploring! All the best from Canada to Chile.

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