When I wrote about Mami Kikuchi's（菊池真美）"Shimauma ni Notta Secretary"（縞馬に乗ったセクレタリー ...The Secretary who Rode a Zebra）, the title track from the singer-songwriter's 1982 album, on Boxing Day last year, I noted that just from that song alone, the album garnered my attention for a future purchase. Alas, I still haven't gotten it and it doesn't look like I'm going to get it anytime soon.
That's certainly a pity since I not only mentioned that Track 2 from the album, "Walkman Baby", also came across as interesting, but the first track on Side B of the original LP, "Watashi wa Festival" (I am The Festival) is also a quirky treat. Being weaned on the works of Taeko Ohnuki（大貫妙子）in the 1970s and early 1980s, and recently being rather entranced by Ritsuko Kazami's（風見律子）"Aventurier", Kikuchi's title track and "Watashi wa Festival" now have me really wondering about whether I can get "Shimauma ni Notta Secretary".
Not sure if "Watashi wa Festival" would be considered a bona fide City Pop song or a general pop song with an attitude, but the underlying rhythm sure has that feeling of the former. Additionally, it feels like a festival thanks to all of the melodic dressing over that rhythm including a technopop-friendly synthesizer dropping by now and then and Kikuchi's high-toned vocals which has made me wonder whether she was aiming for Kate Bush or Nina Hagen. The singer was also the lyricist while Masamichi Amano（天野正道）took care of the music. Incidentally, Amano has been involved in providing music for a number of movies, anime and video games including the anime adaptation of the manga "Miyuki"（みゆき）in 1983.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Feel free to provide any comments (pro or con). Just be civil about it.