Rie Aono -- Endroll（エンドロール）

 

During the blossoming Japanese City Pop boom a few years ago, folks were swooning over driving on those highways and byways within and outside of Tokyo back in those 1980s. However, I think taking a drive over those expressways even now while listening to City Pop is also a wonderful idea, especially with the Tokyo Bay Aqua-Line joining Kawasaki in Kanagawa Prefecture and Kisarazu in Chiba Prefecture. Of course, we've had those YouTube videos where viewers can vicariously get that thrill with a passenger's-eye view of a drive on routes such as the Bayside Highway.

With some of that modern audio technological touchup and some of the old City Pop feelings, we have another driving song befitting a good voyage on the Kan-Etsu and the like (provided that you don't come across any major traffic jams or accidents). This would be "Endroll" by singer-songwriter Rie Aono（青野りえ）from her 2022 album "Rain or Shine". The silken-voiced Aono took care of the lyrics while Yoshihiko Seki（関美彦）composed the melody of groovy keyboards and punchy rhythms. I think midnight would be just the time for this one.

One small aside. I wouldn't mind knowing where Aono had filmed the music video for "Endroll". It might look like the interior of one of Tokyo's major hotels.

Rie Aono -- Never Can Say Goodbye

 

I don't quite remember the circumstances when I got the above image from an earlier AI art generator (not Bing), but I think I just threw in the phrase "City Pop Tokyo". It's unique, I'll give you that. And I don't think there is a pagoda anywhere on Earth that has that many floors.

Anyways, let's begin Urban Contemporary Fridays on KKP with another tune from Neo-City Pop singer-songwriter Rie Aono（青野りえ）. Back in October 2021, she released the digital single "Never Can Say Goodbye", a peppy yet simultaneously relaxing tune that was written by her and composed by Tohru Horasawa（洞澤徹）of the bands mana mana and The Bookmarcs. As Aono herself shows you, the song is an ideal one for spending a lazy afternoon either on the seashore or in a stylish café. "Never Can Say Goodbye" can also be found on her November 2023 3rd album "Tokyo Magic".

Rie Aono -- Waiting for you

 

Well, it's about this time of year that folks in Toronto will be heading out on Fridays for some food, beer and good company on the patios of restaurants. Luckily, with a transit strike averted, many people will be even more energized to do so now. It's possible that I may be doing this as well in the next several days if our plans pan out; it will involve many skewers of yakitori.🐔

Anyways, I found out this song by singer-songwriter Rie Aono（青野りえ）who's been keeping the Neo-City Pop sounds nice and healthy. It was a few years ago that I first discovered her brand of music which had me posting her "Rain Rain" from her 2022 album "Rain or Shine". I've got another track that I actually first heard on a compilation somewhere else on YouTube but happily, it has its own video. With lyrics by Aono and music by Yoshihiko Seki（関美彦）, "Waiting for you" is a groovy and dreamy tune that mixes in a bit of jazz and rock with the City Pop as opposed to "Rain Rain" which adds Latin and R&B along with some jazz there. It's all pretty listening on a Friday night.

aoyama -- High Heel Douri（ハイヒール通り）

 

Whether you believe that City Pop music should simply be restricted to the 1970s and 1980s or it can be expanded for any urban contemporary tune in Japan into the 21st century, it's still wonderful to know that the groove is still happening among certain bands and singers, no matter the name of the genre or the period of time.

Last September, I wrote up an article about singer-songwriter Rie Aono（青野りえ）who has been in action since the mid-1990s and was still singing as of 2022. However, back in 2007, she and four others started up a Neo-City Pop unit by the name of aoyama, and they managed to produce a mini-album titled "Tsuki wo Yomu"（月を読む...Read the Moon）. From the album comes "High Heel Douri" (High Heel Avenue).

Written by Aono and composed by Hideaki Ishikawa（石川秀明）, "High Heel Douri" is a lively, funky and bright number, although unfortunately the above is truncated by a minute or so (Spotify has the album for members). The song seems to bring together the funk, some gnarly psychedelic electric guitar from the late 60s or 70s, and some of that Neo-City Pop sound. Incidentally, the photos above and below are of the actual Aoyama (and Omotesando) in Tokyo.

Rie Aono -- Rain Rain

 

Another singer that I discovered through kinuzure's "Tamaranaku, AOR Kayo"（たまらなく、AOR歌謡...Irresistably, AOR Kayo） blog which I had mentioned earlier today on Kroi's "Atami"（熱海）was singer-songwriter Rie Aono（青野りえ）.

Hailing from Toyama Prefecture, Aono first entered The Voices of Japan gospel group in 1996 being involved in a couple of their albums. Afterwards, she worked with other singers such as Ken Hirai（平井堅）and Akiko Wada（和田アキ子）which led to numerous stints at concerts, television shows and commercials. She then pursued a solo career after her time with The Voices of Japan. She also joined a City Pop unit by the name of aoyama in 2007 along with her participation in other projects.

So far with her solo career, a couple of albums have come out: "Pastoral" in 2017 and then "Rain or Shine" in March 2022. One of the tracks on the latter album is "Rain Rain", a groovy and funky piece which has some different influences in play here. For some odd reason, there is a "cameo" of what sounds like a YMO synthesizer buzzing about like a fly, but throughout "Rain Rain", there's a feeling of 1970s City Pop that the chorus work really enhances. Then in the last minute or so, the song is joined by samba percussion and perhaps some actual rain before some jazzy piano takes us all home. Basically, there's a lot to keep our ears busy.

Yoshihiko Seki（関美彦）composed "Rain Rain" while Aono took care of the lyrics. I'm not 100% sure but the cover of the album might have the singer contemplating life right by Tennozu Isle, a community on the Sumida River in Tokyo. I have an old friend living in one of the condos there.