Ego-Wrappin' -- Cassavetes （カサヴェテス）

Ego-Wrappin's "Cassavetes" is definitely one unique bird just for the title alone. I don't know whether Yoshie Nakano and Masaki Mori（中納良恵・森雅樹） were fans of one of the pioneers of American indie films, the late John Cassavetes, but I think the song has a style all its own perhaps in the way that the film maker followed his own path.

I remember "Cassavetes" getting all of the hoopla on the music stations with its avant-gardish video starring lyricist and composer Nakano (Mori also worked on the melody) as a Japanese actress who just seemed to end up in some 60s European film. The song launches with a dramatic thump-thump and some urgent mysterious jazz as if it were part of a score for some film noir before Nakano starts singing these rather beatnik words with a delivery as jumpy as the flight of the Millennium Falcon through the asteroid field in "The Empire Strikes Back". Then, somewhere in the middle, there is a brief musical interlude for a bit of café and a waltz in some countryside coffeehouse. As I said, it is one unique bird. I think the one thing missing in "Cassavetes" is the finger-snapping, but I believe the bongo drums are in there. It fits the Ego-Wrappin' bohemian style to a proverbial 'T'.

And strangely enough, it wasn't released as an official single. In fact, there would be a gap of 6 years (2002-2008) between their 2nd and 3rd singles. "Cassavetes" was kept on as a track on Ego-Wrappin's 4th album, "merry merry" which came out in September 2004. It peaked at No. 4 on the Oricon album charts.

Ego-Wrappin' -- merry merry

Yellow Magic Orchestra -- Castalia

Still digesting that rich mess of turkey, stuffing and mashed potatoes, are you? Going into an especially heavy post-dinner zoning out? Allow the Yellow Magic Orchestra to ease you into blissful catatonia with "Castalia", one of the tracks from their legendary 2nd album, "Solid State Survivor" from 1979.

With tracks like the joyous "Rydeen", the cool "Behind The Mask" and the insanely contagious "Absolute Ego Dance" also on the album, "Castalia" comes across as the cool-down respite of the album. The Professor, Ryuichi Sakamoto（坂本龍一）, came up with the track that had been supposedly inspired by the 1972 sci-fi film, "Solaris" adapted from the original Stanislaw Lem novel about a sentient planet. However, the direct influence was from the music of late composer Toru Takemitsu（武満徹）, known for his innovative fusion of Oriental and Western elements.

"Castalia" struck me as this eerie but beautiful soundscape when I first heard it as a teen, and made as deep an impression on me as "Rydeen" did. It felt like lying down on top of a flat roof of a building in the middle of nowhere at midnight and watching the stars whizz by. It did and still does make for some universe-contemplating thoughts during its 3 minutes and 30 seconds.

Perhaps "Castalia" might make for an aural palate cleanser before that slice of apple pie for dessert?

SPEED -- White Love

I hope all of you are having or have had a wonderful Xmas 2013. Missed disaster by the skin of my nose but it looks like the electricity at my place is back up and running permanently again after that ice storm on Saturday. And I now have my first turkey roasting away in the oven for later devouring with my family.

My final J-Xmas song for this year is SPEED's "White Love". This is the girl group's most successful entry from their discography, and certainly remembering how often I saw the music video on the various music shows for the next several months after release, I'm not at all surprised. Released in October 1997, "White Love" roared up the charts white hot to quickly become the 10th-ranked song of the year, so hitting the weeklies at No. 1 was a no-brainer. It also kept good standing in 1998's yearly rankings by sticking around at No. 34. And the group's 5th single broke the two million barrier in sales.

Written and composed by Hiromasa Ijichi（伊秩弘将）, "White Love" was used as a campaign song for a Shiseido product, but it seems as if it has become a nicely accepted part of the annual J-Xmas song list over the years. And it was quite the karaoke favourite among my old students at least. I think the coolness factor with the girls' dark suits and the choreography helped out on that level. The popularity of the tune also got SPEED their first of three consecutive appearances on the Kohaku Utagassen before they did the initial breakup. But as all of the fans will know, the group came back and appeared in the 2008 edition doing a new version of their greatest song. "White Love" is also a track on SPEED's 2nd album, "Rise".

PSY-S -- Kisses

"Kisses" by PSY-S was not the first song by the dynamic duo that I'd heard and seen. I think that honour went to "Asobi ni Kite ne"（遊びにきてね） on Japan's MTV a few months previously, but "Kisses" was the one that really got my attention. I saw CHAKA and Masaya Matsuura（松浦雅也） perform it on an NHK Xmas special back in late 1990 when the duo's 14th single was released back in September of that year.

Now, judging by the cover of the CD single above, I gather that it wasn't really meant as an Xmas tune per se. However, by just seeing PSY-S perform it on a Xmas-ish set on a Xmas special with Matsuura's magically jaunty and first-snow fresh melody pulsing along, "Kisses" just ended up imprinting itself in my brain as a Xmas tune, although I would later find out that the duo already had their official Xmas contribution in the can some years back.

Strangely enough, I did find that NHK performance right above (sorry but that video has been taken down). PSY-S did have that unique fashion sense, and I gotta say Matsuura's zoot suit brought back a lot of memories of what was indeed fashionable during that turn of the decade. As for "Kisses", it is included in the duo's 6th album, "Signal".

And on that note, I wish you all the best for a Merry Christmas 2013. May you get plenty of your own kisses under the mistletoe.

Eiko Matsumoto/Noriyuki Makihara -- Kotoshi no Fuyu （今年の冬）

"Kotoshi no Fuyu" (This Winter) is another one of those tracks I found on one of my J-Xmas compilation discs. It is a heartwarming if somewhat sad song written and composed by Noriyuki Makihara（槇原敏之） about a couple having to be apart for some period of time. The song was actually released in early January 2003 as Akita-born singer Eiko Matsumoto's（松本英子） 7th single, but I guess with the theme of loneliness at an important time being a popular one where J-Xmas tunes are concerned, "Kotoshi no Fuyu" must have made an ideal tune for Tokyo.

The version I have on the CD has Matsumoto featuring Makihara, but the video above just has the former. I've only actually heard Matsumoto for this song, so if anyone can recommend any other songs by her, I'm all ears. As it is, though, she has a lovely voice reflecting that melancholy. The song went as high as No. 48 on Oricon.

Makihara also did his own cover of the song.

B'z -- Love Me, I Love You

According to the J-Wiki article on "Love Me, I Love You", the 17th single by B'z released in July 1995, Inaba and Matsumoto had wanted to put out a pure pop song after a series of rather serious singles, and this is the result. And when I saw the initial campaign commercial for the song on TV back then, I did think that the duo was going happy-go-lightly with this one. It was just the pair going on a fun night on the town.

Certainly, the original music video for "Love Me, I Love You" showed that aspect with cool-as-can-be Inaba-as-salaryman racing around Sapporo and the Susukino entertainment district in a tongue-in-cheeky way. Plus, things can't all be that serious when Matsumoto is ripping away at an old-style cabaret. And when that scene pops in the video, the music seems to do a playful tribute to old show tunes.

The sudden shift in style didn't hurt the success of B'z whatsoever. In fact, the boys scored their 10th consecutive million-seller with this one, the very first among Japanese artists to do so. It naturally hit No. 1 on the Oricon weeklies and it became the 14th-ranked single of the year.

The song was also made the theme tune for a TV Asahi drama titled "Gekai Hiiragi Matasaburo"（外科医柊又三郎....Surgeon Matasaburo Hiiragi）. I'm sure the producers were more than happy to have a B'z song adorning their efforts.

B'z -- Love Me, I Love You

Takako Okamura -- Christmas no Yoru （クリスマスの夜）

Came across Takako Okamura's（岡村孝子） 10th single via a compilation J-Xmas CD several years ago. "Christmas no Yoru" (Christmas Night) came out in December 1988 as her 10th single, and has that rather light ethereal feeling that I've often associated with an Okamura tune. To her half-joking lament, she commented that although she had written the song with the intent of it being a happy little tune with the effect of a toy box falling open with the goodies, it kinda ended up as a broken-heart song. I'd probably say she needn't feel alone in that respect. There's plenty of sad J-Xmas songs out there.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEkMqHr-p-I

"Christmas no Yoru" peaked at No. 17 on Oricon.

a lovely chandelier
(the above written by my wonderful niece Emma)