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Category Archives: J-Pop

Perfume Unveil JPN Art, Tracklist UPDATE Now With Full Video For “Glitter”

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Yep, that’s it, right up there. No Triangle I tell ya what.

More interesting, the tracklist for JPN has been revealed and based on the singles included…basically, all of them since 2010…this album looks like it will almost certainly be good. Could have done without the bad AKB stab though! For us around here, the inclusion of the banging “Natural Ni Koishite” and (especially) the minimalist purring of “575” makes this seem like a sure thing. Yet it will be the handful of new tracks that determine whether this release ends up being a “great singles collection with some padding” or “a great album period.”

1. The Opening
2. Laser Beam
3. Glitter
4. Natural Ni Koishite
5. MY COLOR
6. Toki No Hari
7. Nee
8. Kasuka Na Kaori
9. 575
10. VOICE
11. Koi No Sports
12. Have A Stroll
13. Fushizen Na Girl
14. Spice

“Spice”

[youtube=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1R-fu2jHvrw”]

“575”

[youtube=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AU7vRBy3EVM”]

The only track released in 2010 to not make it onto JPN is “Fake It,” a song I didn’t really like but lots of people really dug. Makes sense, as “Laser Beam” does the same things “Fake It” tried but a lot better.

UPDATE: Now you can see the music video for “Glitter” here.

Controlled Karaoke: AKB48 Starts ISP Provider, Launches A Bunch Of Creepy Stuff Including An “AKBaby” App Oh God Stop The World I Want To Get Off

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Before we proceed let’s make one point very clear…AKB48 and the management around them are geniuses. The entire hook of AKB48…”idols you can meet” with an underlying fantasy of creating a “personal” connection with whichever member you fancy… is brilliant from the perspective of bringing in customers willing to stick it out with the group. The group has emphasized this strange personal side excellently, what with the various handshake events and the creepy voyeuristic bend newer videos have taken (“Heavy Rotation’s” peeping through a keyhole bit jumps out). It’s creepy, it’s a little disturbing and it should go into some sort of marketing hall of fame…they’ve managed to feed a certain type of hardcore fan a total illusion just perfect that they will buy whatever they are commanded to. AKB48 are the Michael Vick of the J-Pop marketing world, making us rethink how to go about doing this.

So…I think they just went and pushed to the zaniest extreme yet. AKB48 are starting an Internet Service Provider business. No, really. Asiajin has a good summary of what the plan is. The stuff that follows is more disturbing, but honestly the ISP bit ends up being the most genuinely surprising thing about this.

So how they market this new service you, fair reader, are surely thinking. Well…with the above image, which features member Yuko Oshima holding a baby suckling away on her breast. The tagline – “will you make a baby with me?” My initial reaction:

[youtube=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDNmLPATW0s”]

Besides being able to become an official AKB48 fan club member and the opportunity to buy an e-mail address featuring your favorite member’s sub domain, getting on this deal also nets you the “AKBaby” application which isn’t anything groundbreaking…lord knows how many banner ads I’ve seen in the past month advertising a similar “service”…but pretty creepy! It allows you to choose an AKB48 member and see what your child would look by merging a photo of you with her. Just…amazing.

Naturally, I’m still convinced (convincing myself?) this is a joke. The strongest evidence I have for this is the photo they chose for the “you” section of the AKBaby explanation, a rather hefty-looking fellow which seemingly plays into every otaku stereotype conjured up by the Internet. I mean…AKB48 wouldn’t sorta laugh in the face of their fans would they? Or..maybe they are so convinced this will sell regardless of how they portray their fans they just ran with it? I don’t know what’s real anymore.

Bonus points to the first person to write a thinkpiece about this connecting to Japan’s birthrate problem!

This Week In K-Pop Being Japan-ified: 2NE1’s Video For “Go Away”

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Let’s go back in time and revisit something I wrote back in March when 2NE1 made a special stop in Japan to perform “Go Away:”

“It’s also clearly a female empowerment number, hinted at by the title but also driven home by the overall feel of this song and the video. Japan at least features a fair amount of these positive jams, but I’m intrigued to see how “GO AWAY” is marketed in this country because…it’s way more direct about its message. I’m especially curious about the Japanese music video, which almost certainly will have to be changed because I can’t imagine a clip featuring domestic violence would fly on these shores. Hell, any video with a socially conscious message above a fourth-grade level ‘the world should live in peace!’ poster board probably would rock the boat. That’s the best part about “GO AWAY” – it actually tries to tackle an issue, even while also being insanely good pop music.”

Well, 2NE1 have chosen to release “Go Away” as a Japanese single in the near future, and a video for it has appeared online. Let’s watch it.

[youtube=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHn20Vgfxic”]

First, the actual song remains basically unchanged from the original Korean version (save for the Japanese, obviously) and thank goodness for that because “Go Away” is a hell of a great pop song. Endearingly goofy electronics, that line about Beyonce and a really good chorus. I also love how “Go Away” embraces two things so many people dislike and makes them prominent pieces – the rapping bits and especially the Auto-tune. Great single!

Now…onto the new video. In all honesty, it isn’t bad. 2NE1 have certainly embraced “Japanese fashion” in order to appear more cute, which isn’t shocking considering a lot of people’s first exposure to them was through “I Am The Best” which features them wearing all sorts of weird-cute costumes. So this just continues that trend…especially the climatic “biker club” scene which is pretty similar to those shiny leather Misfits jackets they wore in “I Am The Best.” The whole clip is “cute,” but to the group’s credit (or whoever directed this) they at least go balls-out with it to the point this starts looking like kawaii Tim Burton. This isn’t the regressive cat-ears-tastic video for T-ara’s debut, but borderline ridiculous in the best way possible. Plus, that dog is wearing a hat!

Yet let’s watch the Korean version again, shall we?

[youtube=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3yW13T2sfKg”]

The Japanese video isn’t bad…it’s actually pretty OK!…but the original version is a billion times more interesting. At the center of both are a pretty common story…woman leaving an unfaithful man, moving on with friends, finding hope…but the Korean version pushes an otherwise classic trope towards something commenting on a societal problem. This “Go Away” clip makes domestic abuse…both physical AND mental…a central theme, and the fact it even addresses it at all is pretty damn brave. It’s a great video.

Ultimately, Japan and Korea are very different markets where certain things won’t make a great impression, so I’m not surprised the Japanese “Go Away” clip went in a very different direction. Yet why can’t a Japanese video actually highlight a societal problem (especially one that is disturbingly prevalent) instead of shower us with puppy dogs and glitter? Plenty of Japanese pop singles actually comment on societal woes – hell, even AKB48 had a song about paid dating back in the day – but images end up being more memorable than words, which is why seeing the lead singer of 2NE1 slapped in the face leaves a deep impression. On one level, this remains a case of music executives just pandering to what has sold units in the past. Seeing 2NE1 run around with big pieces of corn or T-ara pretending to be cats isn’t surprising from a sales perspective. But it raises a lot of questions about a country that would rather not think about unpleasant truths in favor of dogs wearing hats.

Watch The Video For Perfume’s “Spice”

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[youtube=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1R-fu2jHvrw”]

Showered the song with praise one post below, now watch the official video. Perfume exist in some bland room, take some candy drugs and suddenly find themselves wearing Fruit-Roll-Up-colored clothes. Warning – if you fancy women stepping on cakes, this video might getcha excited!

Station To Station: Music Station For October 27 Featuring AKB48, KinKi Kids And Perfume

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[youtube=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2x0mw9B8ig”]

The popularity of Ashida Mana works like a Chinese Finger Trap – at first, you have no idea how the dang thing works (“what’s the big deal, she’s just an adorable seven-year-old kid given a stupidly catchy albeit annoying song?”) then you realize the solution is way easier than you ever could have imagined (“oh I just reread that last sentence again”). Though I don’t think any child should be hoisted into a media-heavy position like her and “Maru Maru Mori Mori” will probably end up the year’s most acceptably annoying song of the year – a friend told me that he had to sit through a four-year-old kid sing that song THREE TIMES at karaoke – I’ll admit a bit of a soft spot for Mana. Mostly because she’s inspired the minor trend of J-Pop stars doing the “Maru Maru” dance and it is cute…you can see KARA in the red-velvet-cupcake-sweet clip above, and I’ve seen one with Perfume. Also, her reactions are stupid adorable.

A friendly reminder that being famous really does make life better. Onto the music!

AKB48 Special Medley

[youtube=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vEVq_Bx7_KY”]

I should really be burned out on AKB48 by now, right? First there was this, then I went onto the Canadian Broadcasting Company program Q to talk about the giant group (go here, click the October 26 episode and jump to the hour mark!). And to some degree I am…though I don’t think I’d ever subject myself to an AKB48 medley at any time in my life…but I have to admit they really are the most interesting musical act in Japan at the moment (emphasis on “interesting”). I can’t pull my eyes away. So, to meet our weekly quota of terror, let’s focus on one of AKB’s sister group’s songs that recently topped the Oricon charts…

NMB48 “Oh My God”

[youtube=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oai0hoZr9vk”]

Osaka represent. Unfortunately, not much to say about this song beyond what gets written about every single AKB track…this sounds like everything that came before it, the name of the group really not mattering because that Akihabara sound manifests itself in everything associated with this group. Even all the dumb guitar solos are starting to blend together.

They also shouldn’t be holding microphones so close to a pool.

KinKi Kids “願う以上のこと　祈る以上のこと”

[youtube=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96rv93wmz9w”]

KinKi Kids’ latest opens not as the “immediately terrible Johnny & Associates pop song” nor the “immediately terrible Johnny & Associates ballad” but rather the Articuno of the Johnny’s singles family…the “oh my, this actually sounds like it has potential for a Johnny & Associates song.” This opens with some surprising minimalism – throbbing beat, slightly chilled keyboards, nothing too sparkly to ruin everything. Then everything gets a little dicey – some horns kick in, which for a Johnny’s song usually signals the beginning of cheese galore. And here it sorta does, as the new KinKi Kids suddenly sounds like some long-lost Olympics anthem. Yet they manage to pilot the pop ship away from smashing into the ground, and the following verses retain some traces of restraint that sounds kinda nice. The chorus chokes that goodwill away a bit, but overall the brief clip here seems…kinda OK. Since it is only a sample it is probably smarter to not make any big statements, but take what you can get with this company.

JAY’ED×JUJU “永遠はただの一秒から”

[youtube=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xC1G8NFTEIw”]

Uggggggggggggggggggggghhhhhhhh, this song/video combo makes me want to give up on love completely. The song ends up being the less offensive of the two…typical goopy balladry, here courtesy of a duo so uninteresting that I’m completely stunned to learn that the only other time they teamed up ended up being a huge hit. Which partially explains the existence of this track, though nobody should be granted forgiveness.

Still, the song pails in comparison to the accompanying clip. OK, real talk…have you ever sat through Love Actually for a girl (insert the equivalent for a woman here, The Expendables?)? Well, I have and let me tell you watching this video comes close to matching the sugary-gross treat of sitting through that film. Except I brought this on myself. Just a stupidly “cute” idea full of disturbing questions…chief among them, how did the guy get in her apartment to do all that stuff…that exists in some Hallmark Card of a parallel universe. To the monastery!

Sonar Pocket “365日のラブストーリー。”

[youtube=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EtKOaFkvr90&ob=av2e”]

Everything I know about Sonar Pocket I just learned from Wikimon, the Internet’s go-to Wiki for all Digimon-related info. Just going to end this there.

Perfume “Spice”

LISTEN HERE

Initially, I wasn’t sure what to make of Perfume’s forthcoming single “Spice” – when the thing leaked online in the form of a radio rip, I compared the slowed-down pace to Washed Out. Which I stand by a bit…though now with more time I admit that isn’t quite as strong as I first thought. At first I thought “where is Perfume, the ones zipping through Lifesaver-clored synths and pulling awesome choruses out of mid-air?” “Spice’s” change in speed caught me off guard.

Now? I think “Spice” is pretty damn good. Perfume appeared a bit vulnerable when they released that terrible AKB-aping ballad, but “Spice” proves they can do solid work at a moderate walking pace. Yasutaka Nakata’s production comes off like a giant Katamari slowly rolling over the countryside, each new roll revealing a fresh addition as Perfume make the giant ball move. I think the jubilant “Laser Beam” remains the trio’s best single of the year…and we haven’t even heard a full version of “Glitter”…but “Spice” is the first song of Perfume’s in 2011 that sees them inching into something different for them (in a good way). A song that surrounds you in the best way.

Winner Of The Week – “Spice”