Last post before I begin my summer vacation a.k.a. going to Summer Sonic so I can write about it here. And probably watch Eastbound And Down. I definitely don’t have a ruffff life! Dog joke so sorry.
Namie Amuro “Get Myself Back”
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l70V_4FjJFA&hl=en_US&fs=1]
And my last post for a couple weeks kicks off with a ballad, complete with Disney-surge opening. To give a little bit of credit to Namie Amuro, “Get Myself Back” at least avoids total sugary pomp and embraces a few R&B elements (the beat, a few squanky electronics lurking in the back). The best decision made for this track was to keep the pace a little brisker than most J-balladry, the overblown strings not slowing the song down but rather pushing it forward. Plus Amuro boasts a pretty good voice – not the most distinctive singing you’ll hear this year, but capable of working well among the music.
Still, “Get Myself Back” just another J-Ballad that happens to sounds suited for one of the non-Beyonce members of Destiny’s Child. If that’s your resume highlight, get a degree quickly.
ORANGE RANGE “楽曲未定”
I can’t find this song anywhere…does it actually exist? I did manage to find a relatively new song, featured below.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cU6Og8rvE6M&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xd0d0d0&hl=ja_JP&feature=player_embedded&fs=1]
It’s an upbeat, poppy number that’s also pretty slight. It’s also not the song featured on Music Station, so I’m not going to bother with it.
Moumoon “Sunshine Girl”
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NFLSN4QC7Ns&hl=en_US&fs=1]
Music critics…professional and amateur (ahem) alike…sometimes think too much about songs. I’ve already written at pretty decent length about “Sunshine Girl,” a summer pop song I’m 95 percent sure was written and performed straight. I imagine most people just hear a happy-go-lucky single that some folks probably designated as a ring tone. Some happy couple in Japan is probably holding hands and humming this right now.
Still…each time I listen to Moumoon run through such banal lyrics (“happy days/summer days/sunshine girl”) in a zombie tone, I can’t help but think of Sleater-Kinney’s excellent “Modern Girl.” The two tracks couldn’t sound more different, but they both follow very similar formulas: deceptively bright music meshes with vapid (definitely intentional in “Modern Girl”) lyrics resulting in a subversive little tune. With “Sunshine Girl,” it’s the little electronic ripples, the way the vocals sound and even the drum hits seem off. It’s like sticking you’re hand through a perfect-looking hologram and watching it scramble for a second. Call it farfetched, but something about “Sunshine Girl” really makes me scratch my head.
山下智久 “One In A Million”
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hhr5STXQoSc&hl=en_US&fs=1]
Part of me really wants to like this song…some of the electronic noises flaring up in the back don’t sound that far removed from a √thumm album. Problem is, those elements got mixed into a really generic electro-pop number best suited for a SoBe Lifewater commercial. The chorus, in particular, bores mightily, revealing the people behind “One In A Million” simply saw the relative popularity of “electronic pop” and decided to drop this dude into a poorly thought-out single. Plus, a lyric like “I’m going to hunt you down…” should get someone on a police list, not the pop charts.
遊助 “ミツバチ”
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JiRHPO4tN7U&hl=en_US&fs=1]
Pure goofball J-Pop. If you’d asked me five years ago what I thought J-Pop sounded like, my answer would sort of resemble this song…mindless, annoying, an excuse to do synchronized dances. Almost novelty.
RIP SLYME “SCAR”
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3pkoj1tgiM&hl=en_US&fs=1]
At one point in the video for “SCAR,” a member of hip-hop stooge-crew RIP SLYME hides beneath a bed while holding a banana. Above him, an attractive woman wriggles about.
This is the high point of both the video and song. Looks like Pitbull remains the king of hotel-themed, latin-tinged rap in 2010.
Winner Of The Week – Moumoon for being creepy, to me at least.