Nanba Shiho’s back in good form with her new single “Music.” It pretty much had nowhere to go but up following Shiho’s last single, a song about getting your hair cut set over some snore-inducing piano. “Music” returns to the more energetic pace of her earlier singles, this new number anchored by the forceful beat that switches up into different patters throughout the song but always remains attention grabbing. Unlike the still-excellent “Shoujo, Futatabi” from the start of 2012, the electronics aren’t as commanding, hanging out in the back of the mix to add a cushion to a song that is otherwise quite pounding. Shiho herself moves with the beat well, her chirpy voice adding a touch of sweetness to the whole number. Coupled with a good video…one not featuring Shiho at all…this is a nice return to form for a promising J-Pop personality.
Kyoto whizz-kid Madegg has a few new developments to talk about tonight. His SoundCloud page reveals his first proper album will be “coming this spring,” which is pretty exciting, especially because it will come out on Flau Records, home to Neon Cloud and Cokiyu. It also appears the young producer has developed a visual trend…
[youtube=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYyoaGzNxzU”] “Let’s Go” is one of those songs that’s just dumb to think about. I mean, you could try breaking this down (lord knows I spend enough time psychoanalyzing J-Pop that I’d try) and maybe come away with something. But the latest from The Mirraz is not intended to be a thinker – the girl-tastic…
[youtube=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEN6vsEzw5g”] This week has been all “Lana Del Rey this” and “Lana Del Rey that” and really great reviews about her new album that make you excited for the critics to write about albums they actually like. Frankly, I am sick of having to hear anything else about this album. Why don’t we turn our…
Before we get into the weekly music mayhem, one note. In the face of the catastrophes that hit Japan one week ago, a lot of J-Pop artists have stepped up and done all sorts of amazing stuff to help out the victims of these disasters. The likes of AKB48, GLAY and pretty much every Johnny’s…
[youtube=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YVuqLKvMAc”] China might have leap-frogged Japan economically this week, but the Land Of The Rising Sun remains number one when it comes to pumping out sickeningly cute videos. Move over AKB48, Tomato-Chan trumps you big time. Speaking of… AKB48 “Heavy Rotation” [youtube=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9znOcsdxUUo”] I’ve already explored the creepier aspects of “Heavy Rotation,” so how about we…
Don’t expect regular updates until I’m back in Japan this weekend…but before savoring the last few days of vacation, I did want to post the new Sakanaction song “Eureka.” Watch the video above. The Kohaku TV show (a yearly program where some of the most popular singers from Japan perform on New Year’s Eve) and,…