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.
Cooler temperatures out there but at least the sun is also out so no complaints from me. Welcome to another Friday Urban Contemporary session on KKP.
The last time I wrote about the cool-as-heck band Suchmos, it was for their comeback single "Eye to Eye" from July 2025, and it did attract a lot of attention from appreciative fans.
Well, I've decided to look back at their career and arrived at their debut single from June 2015, "Miree/Pacific". That first song "Miree" had also been included in Suchmos' 1st EP,"Essence" which had been released in April that year. Written and composed by the band's late bassist Hayata "HSU" Kosugi（小杉隼太）, according to this Musixmatch page, the song goes into how love is the reassuring constant navigating throughout the vagaries and superficialities of life; sounds like a more hopeful version of a certain City Pop song I and millions of other people know.
HSU's melody is a pleasant smooth drive with the top down on the Shuto Expressway. A differently arranged version of "Miree" (below) was provided on the band's first full album"The Bay" which came out in July 2015. This one has more of a beefier bass and seems a bit more measured in overall delivery, and I think I prefer the single.
Suchmos'"In The Zoo" wasn't the last article of theirs that I had posted. There were a couple of other articles that I also put up later about some of their earlier material, but "In The Zoo" was a track from what had been their most recent album "The Anymal" (2019) which was notable for a rather large shift in their tone of music. I noted that it was downbeat and had an avant-rockabilly sense which were adjectives that I had thought that I would never use with these guys. A couple of years later, vocalist Yonce and company decided to part ways indefinitely and later on in 2021, bassist Hsu passed away. It just seemed to be a very sad way for a cool band to break apart.
Well, almost a year ago in October 2024, Suchmos hinted that the comeback was on, and sure enough, they held their first show in Yokohama a few months ago. Then last month, the band released their first round of music in several years in the form of the EP "Sunburst" with the lead track being "Eye to Eye". And it's been getting quite a number of approving comments along with other YouTube videos associated with it including reactors' takes.
With "Eye to Eye", it's a return to their groove-filled form and the feeling is that the party is back on so grab your dancing shoes and jackets. One reactor referenced Fujii Kaze and Jamiroquai. I see those two and raise him two more: Kirinji and Sing Like Talking. Plus, thanks to the creamy keyboards, I also feel some Bill Withers in the 1970s. As for "Sunburst", it hit No. 5 on the Oricon digital albums list and No. 8 on the overall rankings list. Good to see them back in the saddle again.
Jeans are probably one of the toughest articles of clothing known to Man. They would have to be, considering they have to miraculously hold in my girth and they do...remarkably so. 😹 Arguably the most famous denim makers out there, Levi's, collaborated with the currently on-hiatus (?) band Suchmos back in 2016 through a music video.
From their 3rd EP released in July 2016, "Mint Condition", I show you "MINT", a groovy tune that escapes easy categorization which is never a bad thing in my books. There is the rock guitar, some Neo-City Pop and some mellow hip-hop. Vocalist YONCE and the gang do love their walks through the city, but I think that "MINT" can also make for some fine accompaniment while driving on the roads of the city at night.
YONCE and DJ KCEE came up with the lyrics while the entire band worked on the music for "MINT" and the rest of the tracks on "Mint Condition". The EP managed to hit No. 14 on the charts. I wonder how everyone is doing now.
In the past several months, the subject of AI has truly revved up with ChatGPT and Midjourney. I was curious enough that I tried to see if I could test out the latter software but alas when I tried to access a Beta version of it, I was told through Discord that there were probably millions of other curious entities that I'd have to apply for a paid subscription. Well, sorry but no.
As of this writing, it's July 2023. Therefore, it's with some surprise that I found out about that Japanese television broadcasting had perhaps played around with AI as early as late 2017. Apparently, there was a Fuji-TV late-night program that debuted around Halloween that year in what was a push for innovative programming titled "AI-TV". It was really another one of those zany comedy team-led shows but the planning for skits and other segments was at least partially done by artificial intelligence, and there was even a robot host by the name of Pepper.
The usual custom when it came to trying out new variety shows in Japan was that they would be given a test run during the late night hours, and then if successful, they would get their big premiere during prime time hours. Alas, "AI-TV" didn't make the grade and it finished its time in mid-March 2018 still stuck in the wee hours.
Judging from what I've read of the premise of "AI-TV", it was about the cool and innovative quality of combining comedy-variety and technology. Well, as for the coolness factor, I guess that's why the producers opted to use Suchmos'"GAGA" as the ending theme. Actually, the song was a track from the band's "The Bay" album from July 2015. Filled with the sense of hitting the big city on a full tank of gas to paint the town red, I'm not sure why it's called "GAGA" but hey, it's still fun to listen to. Another Suchmos song from "The Bay" that I covered a few years ago, "YMM", is plenty fun, too.
Still, sorry to hear that Suchmos decided to call it a day in 2021.
A few years ago, I came across the band Suchmos, a group that was delving into some groovy R&B along with rock and jazz. It was the soul, though, which I was attracted by, and I was able to cover a few of their songs including "STAY TUNE" from January 2016. Therefore, it was a pity to hear that Suchmos decided to take an indefinite hiatus early in 2021 and then came the news last October that bassist HSU had passed away at the age of 32.
In March 2019, Suchmos released their 12-inch single "In The Zoo / Pacific Blues" and I want to focus on that first song "In The Zoo". Written by vocalist YONCE and composed by the band, the song is very different from what I've heard of the band thus far which was more in that groovy soul vein. But this time, though, "In The Zoo", is a haunting rock ballad about humanity's existential crisis with the hint that people are no more than animals with a credit card and a mortgage. We're all just rustling around in this huge globular zoo going through the motions.
The melody is a downbeat and slowly marching one as if to describe the average person plodding mindlessly away. It almost has an avant-rockabilly feeling that another band, Ego-Wrappin', has also tackled aside from its jazz. And YONCE sings those lyrics mournfully away like the seen-it-all, felt-it-all balladeer watching society becoming increasingly grayer over time. "In The Zoo" is also a track on Suchmos' 3rd and final album to date, "The Anymal" which was released about a week after the single.
Depending on where you are, Happy New Year! It's been a nice and quiet New Year's Eve so far here in Toronto and would like it to stay that way.
Woke up at 8 am to see the last number of minutes of this year's Kohaku Utagassen live on NHK via TV Japan, and no worries on that, since there will be a re-broadcast of the show later on tonight. Looks like there may have been more highlight-worthy scenes than usual this time around for what has been billed the final Heisei Era Kohaku. For me, so far, Kenshi Yonezu（米津玄師）and Misia were great, Ringo Shiina（椎名林檎）is never boring, and then there was the pretty exciting finale with Southern All Stars (サザン・オール・スターズ） seeming to celebrate not only their return to the actual Shibuya stage but also their 40th anniversary in show business. I don't think that there has ever been a situation in which Keisuke Kuwata（桑田佳祐）, Yumi Matsutoya（松任谷由実）and Saburo Kitajima（北島三郎）have ever shared the stage while "Katte ni Sinbad"（勝手にシンドバッド）was playing.
Anyways, one act that I am looking forward to seeing is Suchmos although I'm not crazy about their choice of "VOLT-AGE" as their contribution to the Kohaku. I tried listening to it again last night on YouTube, and I realize that the song was used as the theme song for NHK's coverage of soccer games, but it still really didn't grab me.
So last night, I was looking around to see if there was another Suchmos song that I would like as much as I have "Stay Tune" from January 2016. And in fact, I did find one in the form of Suchmos' first track, "YMM" from their debut album"The Bay" (nothing to do with our national department store but most likely Yokohama Bay) from July 2015.
"YMM" is the abbreviation for "Yokohama Minato Mirai", the modern urban development right by Yokohama Bay and an area that I used to visit from time to time over my years in Japan. For me, it was a nice area to dine and walk around (the Cup O' Noodle Museum is right there), but I guess for vocalist and lyricist YONCE, it's the happening place to be...perhaps preferably under some pharmacological assistance at night according to what I've read in the lyrics and seen in the video. To be honest, powdered hot chocolate and boiling water will be as close as I will ever get to that state.
Anyways the tune created by Suchmos is an enjoyable funky strut with some of that bass reminding me of Tatsuro Yamashita's（山下達郎）City Pop days, and the entire song getting me all reminiscent of Jamiroquai. I think that line in the refrain "I'm so cool, he's so cool, she's so cool, we cool. And you?" just says it all about painting the town red as a group of buddies in their 20s (and probably many other colours) on a Saturday night.
"The Bay" made it up to No. 26 on Oricon. I was reading one Japanese commenter's remarks on YouTube where he/she indicated whether Suchmos may just end up as a one-hit wonder. I really hope not since I think they've got some things to say in the music department.
I was talking with one of the commenters for Suchmos' "STAY TUNE" article and I was recommended to try out their first download single back in February 2018,"808". I liked "STAY TUNE" but listening to the band's contribution to this year's World Cup coverage on NHK, "VOLT-AGE", I kinda had a Meh reaction to that one.
However with "808", it was back to the Like column. It's a nice number for groovy funk although the lyrics seem to be about the alienation of life in the city. Well, as I've said in some of the other articles, I've always been more for the melody than for the lyrics so I'm liking "808" just fine. I also mentioned in "STAY TUNE" that there was a good hint of Jamiroquai in Suchmos' work, and that's definitely the case here. Suchmos took care of the groove while band drummer OK handled the lyrics.
"808" was also used as the campaign song for the Honda Vezel, and apparently some of those Hondas even made their appearance in the music video. The song reached No. 8 on Billboard Japan's Top Download Songs. It is also a track on Suchmos' first mini-album"The Ashtray" which came out in June. So far, it has gotten as high as No. 2 on Oricon.
Here I was lamenting about how current J-Pop didn't have the old soulful groove tunes of the late 1990s and early 2000s when I encountered this band called Suchmos through a browsing of YouTube last night.
I decided to try out this one song of theirs which had come out in January 2016, "STAY TUNE", and suddenly the good vibes came back. Memories of Misia, bird, Sing Like Talking and Jamiroquai came flooding back into my head and Suchmos provided me with a goodly dose of endorphins. This is some fine groovin' for a Friday night!
According to the Wikipedia bio of Suchmos, the group started up officially in 2013 and consists of six fellows who have known each other since grade school. And in the J-Wiki article on Suchmos, vocalist YONCE followed in his older sister's footsteps by taking up ballet at the tender age of 3 and listening/dancing to her favourite singers who were the aforementioned Misia, TLC and other R&B acts.
Suchmos covers a number of genres: rock, hip-hop, soul and jazz according to Wiki and J-Wiki but after giving a few more of their songs a shot, I think they are quite comfy in that third genre. Certainly I hope they stay comfy there, too. Apparently, the origin of the name Suchmos was derived from jazz legend's Louis Armstrong's nickname Satchmo.
YONCE, bassist HSU and the rest of the band took care of words and music for "STAY TUNE" which got as high as No. 10 on the Billboard Hot Japan 100. It also went Gold as the song was also included on Suchmos' 2nd EP, "LOVE&VICE" which peaked at No. 15 on Oricon after its release in January 2016. The song was also on the band's 2nd album"THE KIDS" which was released a day earlier.
Gonna have to keep my eye on these guys!
The music video was partially filmed on the 33rd floor of this
building in Roppongi Hills, the Mori Tower.
