Maybe the only way to write a song that’s upbeat about the future in 2018 is to approach it from a place of nostalgia. Tatsuro Yamashita might be one of the only artists today who could pull it off, partially because he’s not someone anyone expect to grapple with the present exhaustion of 2018 (nor…
Partially, the charm of “Reborn” comes from how it bucks current movie trailer trends in Japan. Following Radwimps massive success with the Your Name. soundtrack, a slew of similar songs have shown up alongside coming attractions, ranging from Bump Of Chicken, Sekai No Owari (who, let it be noted, totally had their lunch eaten when…
Another year draws to a close, and that means its time for the annual rush of year-end blog posts looking back on the year that was. And, again, I try to write an intro to this collection trying to say something original, about putting together lists and what it all means. But at this point,…
For the purpose of space, I’ll spare you my thousand-upon-thousand word essay about celebrated Japanese artist Tatsuro Yamashita for the moment and just say that few singer / songwriters anywhere are as skilled craftsman like Yamashita, whose legacy still looms large over the Japanese music scene. His best songs revolve around longing and hoping, and…