New Fuji Chao: “Bedtown No Uta”
Bedtowns — the places existing just outside of major cities, places that exist for workers to return to after a long day at the office, what you might call the suburbs — have been a point of fascination for musicians in Japan. Probably because so many of them grew up in said places, and they offer a drastically different image of life in Japan than the shiny, shiny buzz of a place like Tokyo. Fuji Chao’s latest is a list of what life in a bedtown consists of, including references to the soft serve they sell at McDonald’s and details of banks. It’s all set over a simple, bouncy beat interrupted by aching violin swells and delivered in a sing-speak monotone apt for a description of what hum-drum life in a bedtown is. A simple and direct expression of common life. Listen above.