東京のデュオ、LLLLの新しいビデオ”Because Of My Eyes”は、まるで週末に夜遊びしているかのような光景。眩しいライトやビデオエフェクトは酔っぱらっているような気持ちにさせてくれます。全て白黒で撮影されていているこの作品では、街を散歩したりクラブで踊ったり、気づけば女性がこちらを眺めていたり。J-Popからの影響が強いものの、LLLLらしい少しダークな雰囲気で日本のパーティーライフを体験できます。ビデオは上から。
東京のTeen Runningsが去年発表されたLet’s Get Together Again.を発売します。 去年彼らがLPを発表した時は彼らはFriendsと名乗っておりTeen Runningsと改名してからの新たな発売となります。彼らの昨今の海外ブログでの人気を受けブルックリンのFriendsとの混同を避ける為の変名に至ったという経緯もある様です。新作には新曲もいくつか収録される様です。 そのリリースにあたりTeen Runningsは8月8日にMake It Better.のビデオをリリースしました。このビデオはVideoTapeMusicによって制作されており80年代の映像のマッシュアップのミュージックビデオになっています。 80年代の映像を再構築してのミュージックビデオは決して見新しい物ではありませんが、VideoTapeMusicはこの古い手法で作られたビデオを新鮮に見せる事に成功しています。このビデオのリンクは以下から。
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.
Ahh, the lights are up, the trees are out and rapid material consumption is in the air. You know what that means…time for big celebrity-group songs. A group apparently dubbed the “anime all-star singers” have released a cover of John Lennon’s “Imagine.” It’s for a good cause (though I don’t know what said cause is)…
[youtube=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8Wie3GKjy0″] In which I finally get a big platform to share my love of Girls’ Generation…sorta. I wrote an article for The Atlantic online about K-Pop’s growth in Japan over the past year, which you can read here. It features a bunch of videos which you’ve probably seen around these parts since last August…though the…
[youtube=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iv4gUdn6Lcc”] The fact this didn’t go even more viral is a sign society needs to be reset and we should all start over. Amazing on at least four levels.
Music Station is one of the longest running music TV shows in Japan. Every week, the show counts down the top selling singles and albums of the week, while also inviting several artists on to perform their respective hits. Many American artists even pencil in appearances on this show to promote their music. In an…
[youtube=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Db7Kqew-pVI”] So in Japan there is a children’s TV show on NHK about chairs who talk and do people stuff. It’s cute, pretty fun and also a surprisingly solid way of learning enough Japanese to talk to a toddler. It’s great, and they recently did a Perfume homage so they gained even more points in…
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVtrnaYS3z8&hl=en_US&fs=1&] Despite being a total jabroni when it comes to the language, I still purchase Japanese music magazine Snoozer whenever I can. In this month’s issue…featuring MGMT on the cover in case you are curious…the folks behind the mag interview dance music producer Halfby. Though I have no idea what Mr. Halfby says, I’m positive…