J-Rock, ugggggggggh. Save for the brain-and-feet-pleasing Sakanaction…miles ahead of everyone else in Japan tagged “rock” it’s almost ridiculous…rock music in Japan seems to be trending towards some pretty shit places. One OK Rock’s boneheaded menace has proven to be a chart-topper, so brace for them to be a permanent fixture. Sekai No Owari have a…
Let’s hope this trend continues – J-Rock bands backed by relatively well-known labels creating music that also takes plenty of inspiration from the world of dance music. Last year, Sakanaction released what has thus far been the definitive album of this electro-rock wave…and, while we are tossing around hyperbole, the best J-Rock album of the…
40. Nanba Shiho’s “Kodona No Kaidan” Because Sakanaction needed even more praise this year – that group’s lead singer Ichiro Yamaguchi helped produce this single, which explains why this sounds so exciting and different from most whizzing-and-whirring idol pap in 2011. The opening synths icicles bring to mind “Rookie,” and the dance-centric beat was all…
For a brief, brief second I let cynicism win out and I was convinced The Flickers would be the Japanese equivalent of Foster The People. I’m not exactly sure why this stupid though crept into my mind, but for some reason the Postal Service-ish blips and the muted singing voice…not to mention the dudes in…