Fujimal Yoshino -- August

'Tis November 2018 now. One would expect that with the Halloween hijinks all done, the Christmas decorations would already be up in shopping malls. Not quite yet at my local mall; the Halloween stuff is still up there. However, much to my chagrin, Frank Sinatra singing Yuletide tunes has already filtered through the mall speakers. I suddenly felt very exhausted.

Well, it's three months past due, but it's nice to hear "August", a track from Fujimal Yoshino's（芳野藤丸） 2nd album "Romantic Guys" from 1983. It's got all of the City Pop tropes in there: nice plump bass, mellow guitar solo and good noodling on the Fender Rhodes accompanying Yoshino's bluesy vocals (fine harmonies, by the way). I would say that the song doesn't just belong to any August sunset but to even a November sunset. The important thing is that the sun can be slowing sinking below the horizon as one is talking a walk outside while this is playing.

I have to check whether "Romantic Guys" is available at places like Tower Records, but Amazon Japan is selling one copy at a nosebleed price. As I've mentioned, Xmas is just around the corner although I would be thoroughly shocked and delighted if "August" were to play on my mall speakers.