The top of the J-Pop world remains cemented in place so far in 2012 – the best selling albums and singles have been from all the usual suspects of the Japanese music landscape. AKB48, Ikimono-gakari, EXILE, everything Johnny’s…with a few exceptions, the dominant music of 2012 has been pretty much the same as the last…
Biggest musical surprise of the year so far? MiChi’s Therapy, which I reviewed in The Japan Times today. This is a great album, packed with energetic post-Perfume singles that conceals a forward-thinking edge most J-Pop…and, to be honest, a lot of the indier stuff in this country…lacks. I didn’t expect a fully formed album when…
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wh-OomjdUR8&hl=en_US&fs=1&] In which one of the better rock bands in Japan get transformed into the house band for a party desperate to be raunchier than it actually is. Clearly the idea of the record label higher-up thinking “if we combine Artist A with Artist B, we’ll grab both their markets! Double money!”, “Wonder Woman” (take…