Haruhi Aiso -- Kanashimi no Twilight Zone（哀しみのトワイライトゾーン）

 

In November 2018, I wrote "J-Canuck's Fashion Music"（ファッション・ミュージック）which gave examples on songs that rather fit the titular brand of melody: perhaps an early form of Japanese sophisticated pop from the late 1970s into the early 1980s with elements of jazz and classical pop. Perhaps there was some overlap with City Pop or New Music, mega-genres or umbrellas that covered a number of genres.

Recently though, I've been made aware of another genre: baroque pop which seems to be that sort of pleasant music with lots of strings and piano that bring up images of life in the European countryside, and perhaps with a castle thrown in. And yes, the singers that I mentioned in my previous article such as Mayumi Itsuwa（五輪真弓）and Chika Ueda（上田知華）can be said to have dabbled in baroque pop as well.

If I had known about her earlier, I probably would have included singer-songwriter Haruhi Aiso（相曾晴日）, too. I've already put in a few articles on her songs but listening to this particular track from her November 1982 debut album "Twilight no Kaze"（トワイライトの風...Twilight Winds）, "Kanashimi no Twilight Zone" (Melancholy Twilight Zone), my first impression was that, yep, this is pretty baroque. Written and composed by Aiso, it's got the (electric) piano and strings along with her tender and light vocals to create a very contemplative atmosphere.

The Shizuoka Prefecture-born Aiso does appreciate that word "twilight" as do a lot of other kayo singers through their titles and even through the Japanese translation of "tasogare"（黄昏）. For one thing, the singer won a prize for her performance of "Twilight" at the 1980 Yamaha Popular Song Contest, and of course, there is this song and the album.