Happy first Monday in November 2026! We're kinda back into that post-Halloween/pre-Christmas (at least outside of the shopping malls) gray neutral zone for a few weeks so things might feel relaxing or a little out of sorts depending on attitudes towards the Holidays. I can easily imagine that parts of Roppongi are now covered in Yuletide-friendly LED lights already.
I recall that there was an 80s aidoru song titled "Taboo"（タブー） by Hiromi Koide（小出広美）that I first heard on an episode of "Sounds of Japan" on CHIN-FM decades ago. I would figure that a title like "Taboo" would be pretty popular within music since it deals with topics and situations that shouldn't be broached easily, and I think the arts anywhere have had a tendency to enjoy a bit of sin now and then.
Well, the pop band Ryokuoushoku Shakai（緑黄色社会）appeared on "Uta Con"（うたコン）not too long ago to perform their latest which is a track from their September 2026 6th album "Atamago"（あたまご）. Their "TABOO" is a fun and upbeat pop tune with a touch of funk which takes aim at so-called data-based ways to measure compatibility between potential mates in an AI-controlled world (personally speaking, there's still something to be said about having a meaningful conversation over good coffee in a stylish cafe). Created through contributions by the entire band, bassist Shingo Anami（穴見真吾）had initially gone for something more laidback and melancholy but in the end, it just became this knock-one's-socks-off number.
You may have noticed that I didn't automatically provide a translation for the album title "Atamago". Indeed, I was left scratching my head, too. However, when I read through the J-Wiki article on Ryokuoushoku Shakai's latest creation, I found out that vocalist Haruko Nagaya（長屋晴子）had opted for a Japanese portmanteau of "atama" (head) and "tamago" (egg) since she saw her songs in the same way as beloved children on the verge of coming out into the world. Still, I couldn't glean what the significance of "atama" was, but Nagaya also remarked that she had wanted a four-character title written in hiragana; noting that she hadn't desired to use an existing word, but rather to create an original name.
This lively songs seem to be a bit funk-influenced maybe? I guess there are also elements of acid jazz, Spanish-influenced music, and disco in the arrangement. Anyway, I think you made a particularly appealing observation: meaningful conversations over coffee might tell us considerably more about a potential romantic partner than data ever could.
ReplyDeleteHello, Brian. Of course, I said all that as someone who's never engaged in a meaningful conversation over coffee with a potential romantic partner.😊
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