Rapper-ish electro-pop-kinda group Suiyoubi No Campanella seem like the sort of music group that should be poised for a big mainstream breakout (recently signing to a major label helping fuel that vision), as they take a growing music trend (silliness and a lack of interest in genre borders mixed with honest emotion…see Tofubeats and Kyary…
Assorted Thoughts 1. I ultimately think PC Music is pretty great — most of the music released under that banner has been fantastic pop, and in general I side with any artist/collective who appears to have a genuine interest in Japanese music and tries to push it into the West (A.G. Cook samples DJ Kaori…
There are very few J-pop albums that wouldn’t benefit from being sliced in half. The industry-standard dictating that every new release needs to be packed to the CD’s breaking point results in a finished product that’s bloated, and usually impossible to sit through without an itchy “skip” finger. This is, however, the model, and J-pop…
Kyary Pamyu Pamyu’s career is following a familiar (nay, predictable) arc, at least musically. She made a huge, viral splash with “PonPonPon,” achieved mainstream god-mode with “Fashion Monster” and went on a tear up until the release of Nanda Collection, and then sort of lost momentum a bit with subsequent singles and last year’s album…
Etsuko Yakushimaru kicked off the New Year the only way she really could – the Sotaisei Riron lead singer released a bleep-bloopy, melancholy number called “Lonely Planet (Post Office)” on December 31. It’s a brief song, one anchored by skittery beats and keyboard…and of course, her voice, which here deviates from her usual sing-speak delivery…