Tagged: jpop
Song Of The Week March 1 2024
Pa-Pa – Liminal Pop Up Shop
Ticking all my boxes of Jpop, Synthwave, Vapourwave, Raregroove; Liminal Pop Up Shop is just a joy to listen to. There are nods to early 80’s City Pop like Sadao Watanabe and The ABs or even modern acts like FM84 or The Midnight, with with it’s infectious synth lines and that oh-so-Japanese chordal arrangement. I’m also reminded strongly of the work Vaughn Oliver of Oliver fame is up to from time to time.
A really strong track this one and I hope to hear more from Pa-Pa very soon with their album due March 2024.
Songs I Found Recently And Liked
I’m back from a most excellent trip to Taiwan so have had not too much time to blog. But! I did find some pretty cool music on my travels which I shall regale you with now…
PARIS x Keepa – Only You
A class production here and as a struggling electronic producer myself I greatly appreciate the talent. This is progressive house with a twist of the deep house. It’s the chordal modulations around the 2:50 mark that raise this track to a darned high level.
湯ノ山かがり – 自意識過剰撤廃委員会のテーマ
Theme of the Committee to Eliminate Excessive Self-Consciousness is what the Google translate tells me the song means; a maxim for us all! This is pure Jrock silliness but still catchy nonetheless.
Tuudi – Just Like Before
I’m not a big fan of the song per se but the reason I’m including it is for Tuudi’s voice which is magnificent – think a slightly innocent Lana Del Rey. I have my eye on Tuudi for some good things in the future.
Subway Rat – Corner Cafe
This is a very acquired taste this one but I do write a food blog where I ate cat food so there is that. David Polanco AKA Subway Rat is an autistic rocker from Queens, New York City and judging by the 11 submissions they sent, quite prolific!
Furami – Villian
To round off our list it’s Furami who says on Submithub “Hi, it’s FURAMI here! I make J-Core music!”. You go girl! This song makes the list not least because of solid production but a neat key change in the chorus which keeps things ticking along nicely.
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If you have any music you’d like me to hear send your tracks here.
Songs I Heard This Week And Liked
ウィアグリーバー – Singer
It’s nice to get some more Jrock through to the blog as a lot of folks seem to think I like listening to RnB and hip hop, which is fine n all, but that kind of music isn’t why I started Najinsan.
ウィアグリーバーcomments “how luxurious is the freedom we have taken for granted? I wrote this song while thinking about that.” It’s a fairly predictable pop song but a really nice listen, nonetheless.
Turbo Knight x Sonic Shades Of Blue x Castles Made Of Sky x Waves_On_Waves – Healing Hands
Wave on Wave are collaborators from Finland, Sweden, and the US and this is a track from their up-and-coming album Miami Arcade Vice Parade. This is a great slice of Synthwave with rolling basslines and big drums but the excellent vocals are what really stood out for me.
Salad – Too Good To Be True
I like a good salad, given my other blog is a food one. What’s your favourite salad? This song could be a salad with leaves by Neil Young, Dressing by Miranda Lee Richards, sprouts and beans by Joanna Newsome (did you see what I did there?). The last time I’ll use salad references to review tracks. Maybe.
Femke – Love Somebody Else
This reminds me a lot of Shawn Colvin and has it’s roots firmly in late 1990s Americana. Femke has a lovely voice and has used her musical talents to win a Latin Grammy with her contribution on the Transformacion album of Beto Cuevas. I expect to hear more from her in the coming months on the back of her new EP.
Louie Rubio – Find Your Light
Louie is a multi instrumentalist and when I asked him what the song was about he told me “Thematically the song follows a disenchanted protagonist escaping the Escher-like labyrinth of workaholic careerism and the status quo” then he went to great pains to lovingly describe the various instruments and musical themes running through the track, which I won’t go into here, but which tell me he’s really passionate about what he does. Great song.
5 Songs I Heard This Week and Liked
Seeing as I’m now a curator on Submithub I get sent loads of cool things. This week I’m distilling down five of the best. Enjoy!
NAMESAKE – In Different Cities ft Jewel Owusu
A fairly harmless slice of feel good bubblegum pop to play as you drive down to your local cinema to watch Barbie, which like the film, “explore[s] the delicate balance of seizing opportunities and embracing the transient nature of relationships”. I’ve not seen Barbie yet but I’m 100% sure this is what it’s about.
Sumer Nights – John Fox
When John sent this over I was probably going to pass because of the somewhat abrasive rhythm guitar during the introduction, but the more I listened the more I began to like it. John’s voice seems to have been transported – hot tub style – from 1986. Loads of Journey, Boston, Rainbow in this one folks (yes, I know they’re from the late 70s but I don’t really care).
Autodidactic Studios x pftq x Waterflame x Diana Garnet – Genshindou
Always great to get some Jrock submissions through to the blog and this features some very solid vocals from Diana Garnet. It kinda reminds me of a darker version of Doll$box although Tom over at JPU Records may have better comparisons.
Hoax – Into The Blackhole
ZUSO – Aurora
I’m not sure what the story behind this is; I did reach out to the singer, but like the Aurora Borealis, they were somewhat elusive. It reminds me of something you may hear on the Sunshine soundtrack by Underworld: transient, ephemeral, atmospheric, yet more uptempo. A nice deep house song for cocktails under the, er, sunshine.
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So there we are folks, a diverse selection of songs for you to enjoy. And if you have a song, why not send it over and I’ll have a listen? Pro tip: if you do, include a short bio about the track so I have some background; you wouldn’t believe how many folks just don’t bother.
BiSH Have A New Song Out
It’s called Deadman and it’s punk, basically.
BiSH still aint a patch on BiS but I kinda like this track because it sticks to the anti-idol narrative that marks them out as not just another silly pop group.
But what do you think? Comments or Twitter plz.
Babymetal: New Album Is Rather Brilliant
BABYMETAL’s second album follows in the torrid wake of a debut so deliciously bonkers many were left wondering what on Earth the group would come up with next. Honestly? Something rather brilliant.
BABYMETAL Have A New Music Video
Well about time. Hasn’t it been like two years since they’ve made something? I’m not counting Road Of Resistance. Just cos.
Anyway here it is. My very brief thoughts after the vid.
It starts off promisingly enough with the three girls facing off against 3 ghosts or something. And then it goes very badly tits up: the choreography lacks fluidity and stutters and it’s all very serious. Videos like Megitsune and Gimme Choco were great fun and showcased the daftness of the band, but this all feels very dry and soulless and … forced.
On the plus side Karate is a killer metal song; and it is a metal song through and through. BABYMETAL seem to be transitioning towards something quite formidable and it will be interesting to see what the new album brings to the table. Will it be ‘the best album ever made’ as some hyperbolic reviewers claim? Time will tell.
EDIT:
Actually, I’ve watched it again and it, erm, kinda gets much better from the point I clicked off. Still not sure about the dancing though 😉
But what do YOU think? You think I’m a bitter and twisted knob jockey? Yes, probs, but I’m also honest. Comments wait below.
So Uhhhh There’s a New Album By A Certain Band Coming Out
There are loads of really cool albums due for release shortly; one for a certain Japanese band I’ve followed for a while. All I will say is that if you’re a fan of this group, you’re in for a treat. That’s all I’m saying. And this is my blog so I can say what the fuck I like.
Is it better than the first? No. It’s just very very different.
Swinging Popsicle To Release New Album ‘Flow’ in December
J-Pop band’s USA appearances include: Fanime (San Jose, CA), Anime Mid-Atlantic (Richmond, VA), New York Anime Festival (New York City).November 19, 2015 – J-Pop band Swinging Popsicle has announced the release of their new album flow at the end of this year as part of the band’s 20th Anniversary . The 6-track album will feature 3 new songs, 2 previously-released digital-only singles, “at Christmastime” and “mobile phone”, and a cover of The Jackson 5′s “I’ll Be There” with guest musicians from Japanese indie mainstays VASALLO CRAB 75 and GOMES THE HITMAN.
flow will also contain a DVD of music videos (including “I Just Wanna Kiss You”) and international touring/performance footage from the band’s long career which began with Sony Records in 1995. The band has gone on to find international success with numerous overseas performances in the United States, Mexico, and Korea, as well as contributions to various soundtracks for Japanese video game company Nitroplus.
Fans can learn more about the new album and preview the song “Small Blue Sailboat” at the special album release website here .
Brand New Idol Society to Reform?
My contact touring Tokyo sent me a message saying word on the underground idol scene is that Brand New idol Society are reforming!
For those unfamiliar with them, BiS managed to tread a fine line between idol pop/rock and alt.rock really well. Basically, BiS just didn’t give a flying fuck what anyone thought about them and from watching a few shows on the interwebs I realise how nuts they were as a live act too:
But this needs verified. Does anyone have any further news on this? Get commenting or hook me up on Twitter.
Najinsan!!!!!!!!! 