I've been a fan of Japanese popular music for 40 years, and have managed to collect a lot of material during that time. So I decided I wanted to talk about Showa Era music with like-minded fans. My particular era is the 70s and 80s (thus the "kayo kyoku"). The plus part includes a number of songs and artists from the last 30 years and also the early kayo. So, let's talk about New Music, aidoru, City Pop and enka.
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.
Once 2010s aidoru group Especia decided to call it a day and disbanded in 2017, a few of the members went into their own projects including Monari Wakita（脇田もなり）who seems to have become the most active of the graduates.
I realize through past postings of her solo work that Wakita has managed to keep up the Neo-City Pop but within her first solo album "I am Only" from July 2017, I have come across the track "Akai Skirt"(Red Skirt) which brings together some jazz and synthpop into a pleasant and catchy mix about going one's way (especially with that percussion). And it was a delight to discover that words and music were provided by Yuko Iizumi（飯泉裕子）and Seiki Sato（佐藤清喜）respectively. Those two just happen to be the duo microstar and they've made their own beautiful music.
Yup, I've been missing the distinct aidoru group Especia with their brand of 80s and City Pop since they broke up in 2017 with member Monari Wakita（脇田もなり）leaving the group the previous year.
Still, Wakita has done pretty well for herself in a solo career, and since the last article I did of her was back in late 2021 for her 2018 "Gozigen Lover-Joi", I'm going to bring in another one of her 2018 songs, "Take It Lucky!!!!", her 5th single from April of that year. I've usually put in the label of (Neo) City Pop even for her solo material, but I think "Take It Lucky!!!!" is fairly firm in its pop song status.
Written by UKO and composed by Toshiya Arai（新井俊也）, Wakita sings about now approaching life with the philosophy of "Don't think...feel!". In other words, she's gonna take things easy, smell the flowers and nonchalantly see how far luck takes her. I just hope that she doesn't go too lightly and opt to cross streets whether or not the "Don't walk" sign is lit. All joking aside though, the video reflects the new approach with Wakita simply wallowing in a relaxing morning with no need to put on the makeup or the fashionable togs. If life were always that laidback...😀
I have to say that one of the places in Japan that I've never dared to enter is the love hotel. Television has been helpful in showing what they look inside but...uh, well, I never had the reason to check into one for a "rest" or a "stay". All I can remark is that the structures must be something that architects like to come up with on a lark. If I'm not mistaken, I've seen one that looks like a castle out of a Walt Disney fantasy and another hotel that resembles a UFO. But the largest conglomeration of love hotels seems to be in Shibuya if we're talking about just Tokyo.
And that seems to be the setting for Monari Wakita's（脇田もなり）"Gozigen Lover-Joi", a track from her 2nd album"Ahead!" released in July 2018. Quite fitting, may I add, since the melody by Jun Sasaki（佐々木潤）is all kinds of slinky and funky while Wakita is slightly writhing on that round bed (I guess they really do come in all shapes in love hotels). Not sure what the title is up to, but the lyrics by Momoko Suzuki（鈴木桃子）is about a couple getting all invitingly lovey-dovey whether it be a "rest" or a "stay".
Of course, Wakita, being a graduate from the urban contemporaryaidoru group Especia, is all about the newer form of City Pop and the downtown beats.
Espadrilles...I've heard the term but wasn't 100% sure on what those were but thanks to Jisho.org and Wikipedia, I realized that they were a form of casual shoe. Perhaps they are trendy now but I wouldn't know about anything about that.
The reason that I have begun this article with a shoe is that I found out about this song by former Especia member Monari Wakita（脇田もなり）titled "Espadrilles de Tsukamaete" (Grab Him With the Espadrilles). This is Wakita's most recent single that came out over a year ago in July 2019. Earlier today, I had completed an article on a Satellite Young song and compared it to some of the stuff that Especia was doing, and I then wondered what other delights I could find of the now-disbanded group and then I stumbled onto Wakita's solo material.
I'll tell you...as soon as I heard those lovely synths in the opening of "Espadrilles de Tsukamaete", I knew that I was in for something good. Marcos V. introduced her solo stuff through a couple of Author's Pick compilation articles but I'm also happy to add an article in the Wakita file with her name in the actual byline above, especially for something this catchy. The synths are just the beginning here; the overall rhythm and chords involved are very appealing to me as I get hints of Neo-City Pop, soul and some of that synthpop. I think the arrangement is such that I can probably drop the aidoru tag for her here.
Moreover, "Espadrilles de Tsukamaete" and its urban contemporary goodness got the naruhodo remark from me when I read that it was genre mainstays Hitomitoi（一十三十一）behind the lyrics and dorian who took care of the cool blippity-bloppity beats. The two of them had also worked together almost a decade previously on the song "summer rich".
Finally, I have to also thank the video for pointing out what those espadrilles were all about. It was made pretty plain to me.
Hello,
folks. Out of nowhere, I decided to write about some of the songs I discovered
recently. There’s no particular theme or order in this list, so it’s nothing
more than a collection of random J-Pop songs, old or new, that I’ve been
listening to in the past couple of months.
CHAGE and ASKA -- Boku wa Kono Me de Uso wo Tsuku (僕はこの瞳で嘘をつく)
First,
a hit from famous duo CHAGE and ASKA: “Boku wa Kono Me de Uso wo Tsuku”, which
was released back in November 1991. Even though I’m not a fan of the duo
(sorry, Noelle), I couldn’t resist ASKA’s powerful vocals coupled with this
funky rock arrangement. Also, I can see how the duo became a hit in the
Japanese early 90s landscape, when artistry was becoming more valued rather
than all the overproduced aidoru of the 80s. I still prefer the glossy 80s, but
this particular song by CHAGE and ASKA caught me off guard. It’s really good!
Fairies
-- BLING BLING MY LOVE
Generally
speaking, I don’t really care for Avex’s groups, with the exception of TOKYO
GIRLS’ STYLE (東京女子流), but Fairies’ (フェアリーズ)
“BLING BLING MY LOVE”, from September 2014, is a super catchy and modern dance
tune that makes me want to sing and dance (THAT CHORUS IS AMAZING!!!). Other
than that, I’m aware it shares some similarities with Ke$ha’s hit “Tik Tok”,
but both songs are fine… and I’d rather listen to Fairies than Ke$ha because
I’m a J-Pop supporter (funny thing is that I saw Ke$ha live at Rock in Rio
2011, because Jamiroquai was going to enter the stage right after her show. I
remember how my friends were not very receptive towards her songs, so I ended
up dancing and jumping with some 13, 14 years old girls who were next to me. I
was 21 years old back then, by the way).
Seiko
Matsuda -- Seychelles no Yuuhi (セイシェルの夕陽)
Seiko
Matsuda’s (松田聖子) 80s singles are hyper famous aidoru-popclassics, but some of
her album cuts are great as well. That’s basically why I decided to dive
through her enormous discography a little bit to discover some gems… and “Utopia’s”
(ユートピア)
“Seychelles no Yuuhi” is one song that could have been a single alongside
“Komugi Iro no Mermaid” (小麦色のマーメイド), for example. In an interesting
side note, Seiko-chan stated “Seychelles no Yuuhi” is a song she truly loves
from the “Utopia” album (which, by the way, was released in June 1983), and
that’s why she includes it in several concerts. As for the song itself, I could
listen to it in a relaxed beach coast (I can even imagine some water sounds
mixed in the arrangement). It’s that sort of Japanese 80s song that makes the
listener feel this way.
Fuyumi
Sakamoto -- Asia no Kaizoku (アジアの海賊)
Released
in January 2009, this song is truly at home in Fuyumi Sakamoto’s (坂本冬美)
discography. It reminds me of the risks she took trying to mix enka with other
music genres when her “magnum opus” hit “Yozakura Oshichi” (夜桜お七) was
released back in 1994. In fact, even though nothing could come out as
epic-sounding as the aforementioned hit, I think “Asia no Kaizoku” is strong
enough to cause a good impression. The hook is simple and very straightforward,
but the gorgeous Japanese-styled arrangement and Sakamoto’s vocal delivery are
enough to make me pay attention.
Monari
Wakita -- Boy Friend
From
enka straight to cheesy synthpop that could have come out of PWL in the late
80s: that’s the essence of this list. Ex-Especia member Monari Wakita (脇田もなり)
debuted with a safe City Pop song last year, but now it’s time for some sugary
pop with “Boy Friend”, which was aptly released back in February 2017. In the
end, aside from the over-the-top 80s synths and simple structure, there’s a
very bright chorus and an even brighter Monari Wakita acting extremely cute and
adorable while trying to make every life form on Earth forget that the video is
as cheap as possible. It works for me, so it's fine!
PASSPO
-- PlayGround
PASSPO☆ is an aidoru
group focused in recording pop-rock songs while maintaining a strange flight
attendant gimmick. I’m not a fan of their music, aside from a couple of singles
released back in 2012, but new promotional song “PlayGround”, which was
released in February 2017, is a very good piece of funk-rock that doesn’t make
me ashamed of headbanging a little bit while on the bus. As for the video, the
zombie theme is warned out these days, so I don’t know why they’ve chosen to do
it, but the music makes up for all the crappy acting.
Yumeko Kitaoka -- Mou Ichido Aetara (もういちど逢えたら)
And
here we are with “Mou Ichido Aetara”, a very tender song from the late 80s in
the voice of Yumeko Kitaoka (北岡夢子). That’s another song that makes me feel nostalgic…
probably because it sounds a little bit sad, especially in the chorus. Released
in June 1989, it also represents a period when aidoru music’s popularity was
decling. So, at the time, mostly strong names were able to sell, and new aidoru
had a hard time maintaining a career. It’s a pity, since “Mou ichido Aetara” is
a pretty solid forgotten gem.
Yuki Maeda -- Tokyo Kirigirisu (東京きりぎりす)
Just like Sanae Jonouchi (城之内早苗) back in the Onyanko Club (おニャン子クラブ) days, and even Misaki Iwasa (岩佐美咲) in AKB48’s recent boom, Yuki Maeda (前田有紀) was one of Hello! Project’s
solo enka singers during the agency’s heydays (First Generation member Yuko
Nakazawa [中澤裕子] was
H!P’s prime enka singer, but I like Yuki Maeda more). A talented and beautiful young
woman in the early 00s, she initially recorded light enka songs, which I
appreciate a lot since I’m not the biggest fan of the more over the top vocals
in enka. Released in July 2003, the catchy “Tokyo Kirigirisu”, for example,
just shows how restrained her music was back then, even if the melody and arrangement
are evocative of Showa Era pop music. Instead of going deep in the enka style
after some years in the industry, maybe she could have established herself as a
mature ballad singer. Unfortunately, she probably decided to stick with her initial
plans and success never arrived.
Golbies (from TPD) -- JUST LIKE MAGIC (ジャスト・ライク・マジック)
Ok,
“JUST LIKE MAGIC” is that type of straightforward, repetitive and mechanic
Eurobeat song that was being mass-produced during the late 80s/early 90s in
Japan, but I like the epic main synth hook, the raw aidoru vocals, and also the
catchy chorus (which is a must in Eurobeat songs, since they don’t have much to
offer anyway). It was released in May 1990 by Golbies (ゴルビーズ), a
subunit from the aidoru group Tokyo Performance Doll (東京パフォーマンスドール).
Apparently, Ryoko Shinohara (篠原涼子) was a member of this subunit during her stay in TPD.
Arisa Mizuki -- Kimi ga Suki Dakara (君が好きだから)
To finish, we have “Kimi ga Suki Dakara”, a song composed by songstress
Yumi Matsutoya (松任谷由実) for
early 90s aidoru Arisa Mizuki (観月ありさ),
which was released as a single back in August 1993. Even though it wasn’t a big
hit like “Densetsu no Shoujo” (伝説の少女),
“TOO SHY SHY BOY” or “Happy wake up!”, and is often overshadowed by them, this
song offers some simple yet beautiful piano hook right from the beginning. Other
than that, I agree it’s a grower, and maybe not an instant favorite, but
there’s a melancholy in the song that makes me want to listen to it several
times.
The picture has nothing to do with the post itself, being just one of the random photos I took while walking around in Rio de Janeiro at night (I'm not a good photographer, though).
This year, my Author’s Pick list is comprised solely by songs released
in the past 12 months. They’re all new entries, so I’m not repeating songs I
covered through the year. Also, most of them were a big part of my year, just
to make obvious how personal this list is in the first place. I can only hope
you guys like some of the songs I’ve chosen.
10)
AKB48 -- High Tension (ハイテンション)
This one was a last-second addition – by the way, dethroning a
Dempagumi.inc (でんぱ組.inc) single –, and I
feel somewhat guilty for liking it so much right now... but AKB48’s“High
Tension” conquered its spot in this list fair and square. Probably due to the
fact I started watching the drama it’s related to with my best friend very
recently (it’s the theme song for AKB48’s drama “Cabasuka Gakuen” [キャバすか学園]), the song’s catchy factor just impregnated in
my mind – the chorus, albeit full of silly repetition, is engaging, and the
brass section in the background just helps it standout. In the end, even though
it’s AKB48 in safe mode – they recorded similar disco songs in the form of “Koi
Suru Fortune Cookie” (恋するフォーチュンクッキー) in 2013 and
“Halloween Night” (ハロウィン・ナイト) in 2015 –, I liked
its straightforward approach very much. Easily the funniest AKB48 single this
year, hands down!
NAOMiRUSTY’s “La Niña Night” (released in January) is that type of exciting
hyper processed Hi-NRG song that was so common in mainstream pop music during
the late 80s. I don’t know why she chose to record this straightorward
80s-sounding thing – with all the "cheese factor" involved – in 2016, but it
easily works for me. Also, kudos to the amazing instrumental breakdown with the
screeching synth playing alongside the relentless bass line right before the
final chorus. In some way, it reminded me of Tommy February6’s songs, and
that’s not a bad thing at all.
Okay! By now, after almost 25 years of watching Namie Amuro’s (安室奈美恵) evolution in the J-Pop landscape, it’s obvious
that she’s only worried about following Western trends and recording unashamedly
in-your-face pop hits. Is there a problem with it? No, not at all. Especially
when Amuro really commits to it, and this catchy dance number called “Fighter”
(released in October), while far from being something revolutionary – and that
was never her proposal, after all –, showcases very well how she can still
mantain her relevance in the industry after so many years.
Released in November, “In The City” is Monari Wakita’s (脇田もなり) solo debut after parting ways with aidoru
group Especia earlier this year. The song, while a little bit more mature and
far from the quirky sounds charmingly explored by Especia during their prime
days, is still close to the overall 80s-inspired City Pop sound from the group.
In the end, even though I was sad when I read the news about her departure from
the group, it’s great to follow both the renewed group’s trajectory and Monari Wakita's solo efforts as well. After all, it’s more modern City Pop and 80s fun to us.
This year, Especia lost some members and changed their sound a little
bit, trying to be more mature and laidback. With this in mind, I must say that “Danger”
(released in December) and its great combination of groovy bass line with
Philly strings is Especia’s best song in a while (last year’s “Aviator” turned
out to be my favorite Especia song), even if the choice to sing in English may
sound a little bit odd at first.
When I received my copy of Perfume’s latest album “COSMIC EXPLORER” from
the post office and put in the stereo, my father quickly asked if the Perfume
girls’ were now recording Progressive Rock-inspired songs... and I couldn’t answer
him properly at the time. However, Yasutaka Nakata (中田ヤスタカ)
undeniably embraced past sounds while creating “COSMIC EXPLORER”, and even a
whole mentality of retrofuturism that was so alive around the 70s and 80s. In
the end, even though the album itself was below the expectations (it’s nice and
fun, but not as good as past works), the title track alone – with its
futuristic arrangement coupled by Perfume’s airy yet sad vocals, or even the
mishmash of influences that ranges from Italo Disco to the aforementioned
Progressive Rock – stands out as a very strong song that showcases a more
mature group still capable of interesting things in the Technopop soundscape.
It’s a pity Nakata didn’t stick with this sound for the whole album, but I
understand he had some commercial obligations to fulfil...
Few things are more escapist than dreaming about Tokyo in the 80s/90s.
Based on that, indie producer Boogie Idol’s aptly named “Kinmyaku Rettou” is a
true ode to that space and time – with a video full of footages of urban life
in one of the world’s biggest metropolis. However, if the video wasn’t enough,
there’s also the exciting Eurobeat-esque piece of retro electronic music, which
makes for a full futuristic yet nostalgic trip.
Veteran anison singer Minami Kuribayashi (栗林みな実)
returned to the spotlight last August after two years of absence (she put the
career on hold for a little bit because of her pregnancy) with a strong number
called “Patria”. The song is not that different from what she’s been doing for
some years now – a mishmash of hyper-speed rock and electronic music with classical touches –, but the celtic (I think it can be called that way)
flourishes were very nice additions. Also, the vocals are strong as ever, even
if her pitch is still a little bit high (it’s an old characterist of her,
though). The only difference is that, right now, she’s just called Minami, as,
somehow, the Kuribayashi “surname” got lost in the way (I think it has
something to do with record labels, but I’m not sure). Anyway, it's good to see her back.
02)
Rena Matsui with SHARAN-PO-RANTAN – Shabon (シャボン)
Ex-SKE48 Rena Matsui (松井玲奈) teamed up with
cabaret-styled duo CHARAN-PO-RANTAN (チャラン・ポ・ランタン) for this little
number called “Shabon”, which was released in March. Even though I find it hard
to classify, I assume it brought some inspiration from Showa Era Kayo Kyoku –
but with some quirky twists here and there. The arrangement is quite rich with
all the accordion – courtesy from Koharu, one of the CHARAN-PO-RANTAN sisters
–, but Rena Matsui was able to shine on her own as well. It was nice to see the
famous aidoru out of her confort zone for a bit – releasing music with one of
the wackiest acts of nowadays –, and I hope she continue to do so in the near
future.
My number one position goes to a collaboration between AKB48 and
Nogizaka46 (乃木坂46), called Nogizaka
AKB (乃木坂AKB). A very unusual
song for AKB, but maybe not so much for Nogizaka, “Mazariau Mono’s” power
relies in how beautiful the melody in the chorus is. Also, it’s not a hot dance
number, not a proper ballad, but I like how classy it sounds – even if the
video seems a little odd. For me, it’s one of the rare moments when one – or
two, in this case – of the infamous “48 family” groups truly shines.
