Great Japanese Pop

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I've got into the likes of shonen knife, cornelius and the fantastic plastic machine lately, anyone know some other great Japanese pop bands?

― naz, Thursday, 17 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

SMAP. (hah!)

― helenfordsdale, Thursday, 17 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Corniche Cammomile!

Pop-off Tuesday!

― jel, Thursday, 17 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I always liked Mr. Children for the name value. I mean, that's a *lovely* group name.

― Ned Raggett, Thursday, 17 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

So is Mr Mister, Ned. ;-)

― helenfordsdale, Thursday, 17 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Nah. Too adult. ;-)

― Ned Raggett, Thursday, 17 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Incomplete list: Citrus, Crazy Curl, Buffalo Daughter, Yximalloo, Yukari Fresh, Takako Minekawa, Kahimi Karie, Hirono Nishiyama, Nobukazu Takemura, Nobuyasu Sakonda, Aki Tsuyuko, Asao Kikuchi... and of course the Boredoms.

― Momus, Thursday, 17 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Pop Off Tuesday.

― Chris Lyons, Thursday, 17 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Oh shoot, someone already said them.

― Chris Lyons, Thursday, 17 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Esrevnoc.

― John Darnielle, Thursday, 17 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Chara, particularly the stuff she did on Junior Sweet and that duet she did with...umm...I forget her name. Yuki, perhaps?

― Michael Daddino, Thursday, 17 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

The Spiders, The Carnabeats, The Tigers, and The Jaguars are all good examples of 60's Japanese garage rock (called GS or Group Sounds in Japan). The "GS I love you" compilations are great, but a little pricey.

The last 10 years has seen some decent if a little uneven garage action from Teengenerate, The 5-6-7-8's, Texaco Leatherman, Gasoline, Guitar Wolf, The King Bros. and The Zoobombs.

A friend of mine once gave me a tape by a really good indie rock japanese band, mid-nineties. They had a song called "White Volkswagen". Female vocals, mostly in english. I can't remember what they were called, but I think it began with an S. Ring any bells with anyone?

― fritz, Thursday, 17 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Sugar Plant, esp. "Happy/Trance Mellow" (or is it "Happy Trance/Mellow"?)

― Curt, Thursday, 17 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

No one's mentioned Tomoe Shinohara?

― Brian MacDonald, Thursday, 17 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

can i say that Ms Kahimi rules my small universe , etc. that and you have to listen to momus when he says such things cause he knows her

― anthony, Thursday, 17 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Try Yukari Fresh as well

― Jez, Thursday, 17 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

er why has no one mentioned Pizzicato Five? much better than the ever so overrated cornelius.

― david, Thursday, 17 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Curt is spot-on about that Sugarplant record, one of my favorite things about the past several years. Although I can imagine it making more than a few ILMers want to puke.

If the first disc is "Happy" and the second disc is "Trance/Mellow," then the whole thing would be ... ummm ... curses, who knows.

― Nitsuh, Thursday, 17 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Color Filter = good. Sugar Plant = good. Kahimi Karie = good. She and Momus played a show together in LA a couple of years back, great fun. Etc., etc.

― Ned Raggett, Thursday, 17 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I'll second Takako Minekawa. And does Cibo Matto count? I never get tired of 'Sci-fi Wasabi'

― Dave225, Thursday, 17 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I heard something at a party once & can't find it now. It was something like "Shugkounikina" .. any ideas?

― Dave225, Thursday, 17 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

There is a song called "Panda Riot" by a group called Our Hour on an old Darla comp. It's good!!

― jel, Thursday, 17 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Shiina Ringo is sehr cute and plays guitar and has weird outfits and writes neato songs. And UA too--she is cool, gorgeously low voice. Avoid the mainstream Japanese stars, and avoid Puffy AmiYumi. They are cute but songs so bad!

― Mickey Black Eyes, Thursday, 17 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Yo Eugene, nice to see u here! What I've heard of Cornelius' new album "Point" is very good. Even better than "Fantasma". All I've heard of Takako Minekawa was "Fantastic cat" and it's rubbish.

― Michael Bourke, Thursday, 17 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

there's a couple of Sadistic Mika Band songs that are quite good, even if the covers of their records were the best thing about them.

― philT, Thursday, 17 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Takako Minekawa!!! Not rubbish at all. Though I believe she recently married Cornelius and had a baby, so may not release anything new for a while. The stuff Ned already mentioned. Also Chocolat, Hideki Kaji, Pizzicato 5 (obviously), 800 Cherries, other stuff on Trattoria like Bridge, and the magazine Beikoku Ongaku, which features more indiepop style stuff (Japanese and otherwise).

― g, Thursday, 17 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Shiina Ringo is my role model.

― Honda, Thursday, 17 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I must say, though, that while J-pop is great, Thai pop is better. A friend puts the difference between Japanese pop and most other Asian pop musics (save China, which is a whole different deal) thus: "Japanese pop songs are like dissertations about themselves." Which is true and is part of what makes them great, but the Thai stuff -- Zaza, Bubble Girls, Tata Young, Nicole Theriault, the almost unbelievable Triple Shake -- has a sort of unforced abandon to it. Or as unforced an abandon as can be simulated by ProTools.

― John Darnielle, Thursday, 17 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Morning Musume!

― A Nairn, Thursday, 17 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I just got Mr. Children's Deep Sea (i think), it's fukai ume. It has that extremely catchy hit "mashingan wo futsu hanase" (i think). I would compare them to the goo goo dolls, and they've got some cool Cornelius style TV channel switching on the album. Overall not bad, but it's what you would expect from japanese top forty.

― A Nairn, Thursday, 17 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

that's all nice, but WHERE can I find all that stuff... any www download options maby...?

― richelleux, Friday, 18 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Puffy are periodically capable of greatness. The first six or so singles (approximately from "Asia no Jun Shin" to "Ta Ra Ra Ran") have a unique blend of Japanese charm and trad western swirling pop structure. And Konishi's remix of "Kore Ga.." is genius.

Also Mansfield's mini-album - can't recall the name - the one with his astonishing version of "The New Pollution" with Yukari Fresh.

Don't know much current 2002 J-pop, but Morning Musume are amusingly inept and occasionally hit the POP! button, while Speed's "White Love" has to be my all-time favourite quasi-sophisticated teenage pop guff.

Any more advice would be cool as I'm going to be DJ at a "cool J-pop" night in London soon.

― Darren, Friday, 18 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Thx!

― naz, Friday, 18 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

most anything on trattoria records is quality. salon music, seagull screaming kiss her kiss her, dots + borders, yoshie, kahimi, hideki kaji, citrus, indian rope, takako minekawa...

escalator is also a great label for that type of stuff... yukari fresh, losfeld, neil + iraiza, american rock, cubismo grafico, miniflex (miniflex is GREAT)...

buffalo daughter is of cuorse great, they have a new one coming out in about 2 weeks called "i"... check that out most definately.

also investigate maher shalal hash baz and nagisa ni te, who have recently had retrospectives released on Stephen Pastel's Geographic Records in the UK. much different stuff, more of a belle and sebastian/syd barrett/neil young circa "on the beach" feel to it... good savant psych pop. they have become 2 of my favorite bands as of recent.

and, i back nick (momus) wholeheartedly when i say

BOREDOMSBOREDOMBOREDOBOREDBOREBORBOB

also check out OOIOO, yoshimi from boredoms' other semi-main band... feather float has been issued in the US on birdman and i pretty easy to get, and their last LP gold & green is also essential... and if you like that there's a remix LP of those 2 albums out on shock city/trattoria...

for some classic j-pop try the plastics, 80's new wave japanese devo shit... or pink lady, 70's japanese bizarro abba type shit...

i know i am missing stuff but there is a lot of great shit...

dig in and enjoy!!

― mike j, Saturday, 19 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

related to this, does anyone know where I can get a copy of the Lailove (Laila France) ep "L'Amour Sese Fomridable" (or something) that was released on L'appareil Photo?

thanks

― g, Monday, 21 January 2002 01:00 (twenty-three years ago)

two years pass...

ok I am certainly liking shiina ringo

a websearch turned up some joker hosting her new album online, I'd mention Shuukyo and Stem, who can tell me more?

― (Jon L), Friday, 4 June 2004 05:26 (twenty years ago)

Music in Japan costs too damn much!

― IAMNOTMOMUS, Friday, 4 June 2004 05:28 (twenty years ago)

good god, I just read the translation of the album title -- "Chlorine, Semen, Chestnut Flower"

― (Jon L), Friday, 4 June 2004 05:44 (twenty years ago)

Plus-Tech Squeeze Box, PATE (formed from the remnants of Bridge) and Fab Cushion to thread - actually, the whole of Vroom Records kick butt.

Trattoria has become 1ct Records if I remember correctly.

― Crickets Dance On Tequila Booty (Barima), Friday, 4 June 2004 11:12 (twenty years ago)

http://cif.rochester.edu/~xm/Buffalo%20Daughter%20featuring%20Cibo%20Matto%20-%20Stereotype%20C.mp3

― HAMBURGER NEURON GROUP (ex machina), Friday, 4 June 2004 11:23 (twenty years ago)

On a more guitar-glam tip, Plastic Tree.

Anybody remember when Pink Lady had a weekly variety show on U.S. teevee? I think it was a summer replacement thing, mid-70s. That shit was wierd.

― briania (briania), Friday, 4 June 2004 11:35 (twenty years ago)

yeah milton just get all her stuff. probably in this order: 2nd album, 3rd, 1st, cover song double album, and live triple mini-album.

and then... 2004 Pop albums from Japan I like to varying degrees:
Sweets - Sweets
Ex-Girl - Endangered Species
Tommy February6 - Tommy Airline
Olivia - Lost Lolli
W - Duo Uandu
Yukari Rotten - Not Dead

― scissors (Honda), Friday, 4 June 2004 12:11 (twenty years ago)

the cover song album seems scary. she sounds very different & constrained singing in english (I found samples here). it's certainly mainstream but I like some of the singles very much.

― (Jon L), Friday, 4 June 2004 18:32 (twenty years ago)

Anybody remember when Pink Lady had a weekly variety show on U.S. teevee? I think it was a summer replacement thing, mid-70s. That shit was
wierd.

Late seventies.

In celebration

It's on DVD

I saw the damn thing when it first aired!

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 4 June 2004 18:34 (twenty years ago)

i love japanese chixxx :(

― HAMBURGER NEURON GROUP (ex machina), Friday, 4 June 2004 18:37 (twenty years ago)

Oh, crap, how could I have forgotten Pink Lady's sidekick "Jeff"? In a just world, he should have been able to parlay this connection into huge stardom in Japan.

― briania (briania), Friday, 4 June 2004 18:39 (twenty years ago)

I was wondering if that would come out on DVD, and had assumed it never would!

― A Nairn (moretap), Friday, 4 June 2004 18:41 (twenty years ago)

that Shiina Ringo album (which I also just got and promptly ordered all of her other albums) is INCREDIBLE

― ryan (ryan), Friday, 4 June 2004 19:30 (twenty years ago)

which shiina ringo album?

Karuki Zamen Kuri no Hana?

― A Nairn (moretap), Friday, 4 June 2004 21:32 (twenty years ago)

yes!

― ryan (ryan), Friday, 4 June 2004 21:37 (twenty years ago)

Skipping 67 messages at this point... Click here if you want to load them all.

this city pop mix is p tight overall but mariya takeuchi "plastic love" at 31:20 is a monster:
https://soundcloud.com/bawxxx/melancholy-of-suburbia#t=31:20

― original bgm, Wednesday, 19 November 2014 03:33 (ten years ago)

eight months pass...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14RxICxtM5Q

So good. Been listening to Miharu Koshi all across youtube. Lots of cool stuff.

― AdamVania (Adam Bruneau), Tuesday, 28 July 2015 21:00 (nine years ago)

And yes it does have a Led Zeppelin reference in the lyrics.

― AdamVania (Adam Bruneau), Tuesday, 28 July 2015 21:01 (nine years ago)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LsPXl-OxW28

― AdamVania (Adam Bruneau), Tuesday, 28 July 2015 21:02 (nine years ago)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEZSpj5R5L4

― AdamVania (Adam Bruneau), Wednesday, 29 July 2015 03:10 (nine years ago)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XIVGQ-B9G38&list=PL36B51C25BBF3B00B

― AdamVania (Adam Bruneau), Wednesday, 29 July 2015 03:13 (nine years ago)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2wW--l1OHk

― AdamVania (Adam Bruneau), Wednesday, 29 July 2015 03:14 (nine years ago)

electro prom in the foggy forest

― AdamVania (Adam Bruneau), Wednesday, 29 July 2015 03:14 (nine years ago)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSYWR6jKjpA

The intro to this is straight out of a Final Fantasy boss.

― AdamVania (Adam Bruneau), Wednesday, 29 July 2015 04:58 (nine years ago)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u393a9VJo2Y

Mariah Carey cover

― AdamVania (Adam Bruneau), Wednesday, 29 July 2015 05:10 (nine years ago)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTOfH3Sjb9U

― AdamVania (Adam Bruneau), Wednesday, 29 July 2015 05:10 (nine years ago)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73e-gV50SKk

The piano necktie on a miniature red piano is amazing. So 80s.

― AdamVania (Adam Bruneau), Wednesday, 29 July 2015 05:18 (nine years ago)

eleven months pass...

RIP

Yumi Ito
1941 - 2016

Death of Yumi Ito of twin pop duo The Peanuts confirmed

― meisenfek, Monday, 11 July 2016 13:53 (eight years ago)

five months pass...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AX0rrArs46A

― AdamVania (Adam Bruneau), Wednesday, 28 December 2016 05:56 (eight years ago)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lR7GAvKBIO4

― AdamVania (Adam Bruneau), Wednesday, 28 December 2016 06:04 (eight years ago)

man I could tell in the first 5 seconds that was Hosono

― frogbs, Wednesday, 28 December 2016 13:19 (eight years ago)

three months pass...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Arg36CZvHA

― AdamVania (Adam Bruneau), Thursday, 20 April 2017 22:41 (eight years ago)

Not 80s but Nihonjin:
https://open.spotify.com/track/4mrih3yZgEBes83YSy3WXM

― calstars, Saturday, 22 April 2017 00:29 (eight years ago)

two weeks pass...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0KKCt_Ur2ik

i've been listening to Salon Music's "My Girl Friday" (1983). i absolutely love the opener song "Muscle Daughter". kind of reminds me of The Vaselines.

― AdamVania (Adam Bruneau), Friday, 12 May 2017 15:48 (eight years ago)

was surprised when they apparently got robert fripp in to do the guitar solo

― increasingly bonkers (rushomancy), Friday, 12 May 2017 15:53 (eight years ago)

yeah that solo rules

― AdamVania (Adam Bruneau), Friday, 12 May 2017 15:56 (eight years ago)

also that must be an early mix (i think for a vinyl release) on the album, she sings first. can't get enough of this song lol. every time i hear it sounds more and more like an alien version of Roxy Music.

― AdamVania (Adam Bruneau), Friday, 12 May 2017 18:36 (eight years ago)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzLi5M7iQhE

i downloaded this from youtube a few years ago, it's not online anymore so i re-uploaded it. wish i had the full thing but it's not easy to find this stuff.

― AdamVania (Adam Bruneau), Sunday, 14 May 2017 19:28 (eight years ago)

one month passes...

the video for "muscle daughter" by salon music has been taken down and i can't find much of their music available legally or illegally in the u.s. if anyone has any leads on how i can get that song specifically or their albums in general, i would appreciate the info. i asked my one friend who has lived in japan for years and is into indie/punk/shoegaze music and she had never even heard of them.

― na (NA), Saturday, 17 June 2017 21:33 (seven years ago)

i ended up buying two Salon Music LPs off ebay, "My Girl Friday" (which opens w "Muscle Daughter") and "La Paloma Show". both really cool records. "Muscle Daughter" feels like the intersection of Roxy Music and Beat Happening. they have a kind of amateur DIY sound at times but clearly have a lot of good influences (they cover "See Emily Play" and a lot of songs seem to ape Brian Eno's pop albums (Frippertronic guitars throughout)). "Din of Love" is cool, it has a Bollywood style to it. "Hunting on Paris" was a guitar-and-organ indie hit single and is a really cool New Wave pop song. they did a remake of it for a wonderful Trattoria compilation called "Bend It! Japan '98". the "La Paloma Show" album has a more synth pop feel to it, "Voyager of the Beagle" is a trippy early stab at exotica revival, "Paradise Lost" is pretty cool cold war synthpop ("Too much doubt/in America/Too little trust/in Russia"). overall i really love these two albums and recommend picking them up on vinyl. they can be had for under $25 w shipping.

― AdamVania (Adam Bruneau), Saturday, 17 June 2017 22:04 (seven years ago)

XP - sent you a mail NA

― MaresNest, Saturday, 17 June 2017 23:02 (seven years ago)

What? Give the drummer some

― calstars, Saturday, 17 June 2017 23:12 (seven years ago)

https://we.tl/IMAu8QFWSU

― MaresNest, Sunday, 18 June 2017 14:09 (seven years ago)

thanks dudes

― na (NA), Sunday, 18 June 2017 17:13 (seven years ago)

ty listening to "Chew It In A Bite" right now "Paper Doll" this is some solid 90s alternative rock right here w Japanese punk flavor. love it.

― AdamVania (Adam Bruneau), Monday, 19 June 2017 03:21 (seven years ago)

"Paper Dog" rather

― AdamVania (Adam Bruneau), Monday, 19 June 2017 03:21 (seven years ago)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLZ8ddRbQ5o

― AdamVania (Adam Bruneau), Monday, 19 June 2017 03:23 (seven years ago)

Salon Music good at shoegaze

― AdamVania (Adam Bruneau), Monday, 19 June 2017 03:24 (seven years ago)

Nice one

― calstars, Monday, 19 June 2017 16:19 (seven years ago)

two weeks pass...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhetXL7KmZA

this is some really sick 80s dance pop. that snare is pure cocaine.

― AdamVania (Adam Bruneau), Monday, 3 July 2017 17:22 (seven years ago)

yes! all late 80s toshiki is fucking awesome ("sea is a lady" is my favorite)

― clouds, Tuesday, 4 July 2017 00:32 (seven years ago)

oh this one, yeah, i have this comp called "made in the eighties" that has this and some other great stuff, dee-dee-phone by the ab's, dress down by kaoru akimoto, free way 5 to south by fujimal yoshino...

― The Saga of Rodney Stooksbury (rushomancy), Tuesday, 4 July 2017 01:22 (seven years ago)

three months pass...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVYqqrw6eQU

been listening to this cos of the amazing album cover. also the Hosono production!

― AdamVania (Adam Bruneau), Tuesday, 10 October 2017 21:40 (seven years ago)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOZac0bNJqw

― DPRK Nowitzki (lpz), Tuesday, 10 October 2017 21:58 (seven years ago)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brec06BA6JU

― Woon... Doopee Time (FlopsyDuck), Wednesday, 11 October 2017 21:53 (seven years ago)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FT5BlCZsiCQ
nonstop doopees for me the past 3 weeks. I've become a treble head for Caroline's vocals.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YlhukAkkSN8

― Woon... Doopee Time (FlopsyDuck), Wednesday, 11 October 2017 21:57 (seven years ago)

untootooku gets posted in these threads like once a year (not complaining, it's amazing)

― clouds, Thursday, 12 October 2017 15:58 (seven years ago)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUQjdwRno5g

― cheeseburger, Thursday, 12 October 2017 16:12 (seven years ago)

why is none of this music on spotify?

― niels, Sunday, 15 October 2017 08:12 (seven years ago)

spotify hasn't been in japan very long and is missing many label deals there. digital music also just never quite caught on in japan in the way it did elsewhere etc

― ufo, Sunday, 15 October 2017 08:26 (seven years ago)

ah yeah, I seem to recall Tower records thriving in Japan...

― niels, Sunday, 15 October 2017 08:30 (seven years ago)

one month passes...

This guy runs a little engine with 30 something hours of City Pop and leaves it streaming on Youtube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCOIZMzsiZw

― MaresNest, Sunday, 10 December 2017 16:18 (seven years ago)

five years pass...

Poison Girl Friend - Fact 2 (from Melting Moment)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQZ7O7GWuN0

― omar little, Wednesday, 18 January 2023 21:21 (two years ago)

oh word, i listened to that EP for the first time last week and have had the same track in heavy rotation since. love it.

― (⊙_⊙?) (original bgm), Thursday, 19 January 2023 03:34 (two years ago)

original love, tomoyo harada, olivia, clammbon

― CerebralCaustic, Friday, 20 January 2023 13:39 (two years ago)

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