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Last Active 01-01-70 12:00 am
Joined 01-01-70
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| SEPTEMBER of J a ρ a n (+++)
Somewhat different approach in this ([month] of [X]) instalment, but rest assured I as not slacking. Don't read the description! Read the first comment! | | 1 |  | Junko Yagami
Communication
BIG DIARY REFLECTION HOW-WE-GOT-HERE POST :: PLEASE SKIP THIS AND GO STRAIGHT AHEAD lol
So, uh, the premise for this list? I've enjoyed exploring new and/or familiar genres through your recs a ton and am (probably) going back to that format next month. However, I've generally been particularly conscious and perhaps a little dissatisfied by two things:
1) Shit damn I get too much of my music by keeping up with current shit or from trawling Rym charts and validating the occasionally-super-useful consensus of the many people who use that site. Nothing wrong with either of those things, but I've felt a little hemmed in lately -- and honestly, the community-driven exploration of this list series has been enough of a v welcome step away from that for to realise how little time I've been putting into independent off-piste off-[current year] scavenging for *far too long* now! Time to get them gloves on and um run a... gauntlet? With them? This is *almost* the last thing I'm writing for this 11k+ wordcount bender, and I cannot do words or figures of speech anymore.
2) Fucking Japan, man. Plunging into (and subsequently reviewing) Japanese music wholesale after a generic (but still v precious) I Went To Tokyo Once experience was what brought me back to Sputnik in 2018. The following couple of years in particular were heavily defined with that extended first foray, but the emphasis gradually shifted to catching up on the Western internet-canon I'd spend most of my time on sput ignoring.
A lot of huge discoveries came out of this, as did a neat convection driven by natural contrasts between underwhelming canon-names and unacknowledged Japanese-names (being a shoegaze fan is like Sisyphus on cocaine here) -- this kept my writing alive and feisty, even if some of it maybe had a little too much to prove.
Cut to the present, and hmmm. I dunno. I lived in Japan for two years, speak more Japanese than English most days despite having moved back (though need to study a lot more!), understand its culture and the shape of its music history a lot better (though still have a ton of gaps to cover), and generally approach the artists who first sparked off my interest in Japanese music with a markedly different perspective than in 2018/19 (the implications of which have hugely positive for the ones who stuck with me, though there are also cases where I was defs easily impressed lol).
I haven't grown out of Japanese music and certainly haven't mastered it, but I think I've been pretty lazy on that sput_front this year, treating it as box largely ticked while dutifully writing up the latest efforts from artists like Seiko Oomori, Macaroom, REOL, Hikaru Utada and Dai Dai Dai. The staff platform has been a blessing and a curse and one look at my rev history from this year is enough to show a little too many weigh-ins on discourse-album-of-the-week (dirty work, but someone's gotta do it) and not enough coverage of records that both need and deserve it, especially in an archival capacity. This is partially because J-pop has been a flop for the past couple of years and relatively few new Japanese bands excite me, but still, getting into BOaT and Zutomayo this year reminded me how important it is to get out there and keep digging... | | 2 |  | Shiina Ringo
Shouso Strip
...so, um, yeah, I came across this 3000-album list of curios, cult classics and occasional normcore gems on Discogs and thought what the fuck let's go.
The list is here: https://www.discogs.com/lists/Too-biased-Guide-of-Japanese-Music/413406
I (very obviously) did not listen to everything there -- this list is my thoughts on all the albums I picked out, and on those I'd already heard. I took few detours, added a few artists, and explored a few extra releases from others, so there's a lot of good appendix content to be had here. I dunno. Here it is. Some of it is mediocre, most of it is pretty good, some of it is bloody excellent. Do what you like with it xo
************************************************************** | | 3 |  | Nobue Kawana
のぶえの海 (Nobue no umi)
1975
Folk / folk pop
Going to kick off with this record because it was how I originally found the list and is still probably the best thing here (other than, maybe, ‘77 Live). This is collected-works affair from a prodigiously talented singer/songwriter who died of cancer on her twentieth birthday, compiled and released posthumously by two of her closest friends (one of whom provides expositional narrations over surprisingly tasteful interlude tracks).
This amounts to closest thing I’ve encountered to the full Crow Looked at Me effect since that record, but whereas Crow… is an exploitative death-caked slog, these songs are almost horrifyingly full of life and purity, their performances exuberant, their amateurish home-recording quality endearing and sometimes even a benefit, their inner peace and lyrical affinity with nature touching, the intuition and talent behind their vibrance and harmony choices both immensely palpable. Having researched it in advance, I was determined not to let it be ‘about’ its context as it played, but still found it almost distressingly moving. The potential this girl so clearly had amplifies the tragedy of her death by whatever stupid number you want to throw into that equation. Stunning record.
I have just two reservations, the first being the inclusion of a somewhat tedious instrumental jam with an amplified full-band arrangement that fits the tone of the other, acoustic tracks not one bit and serves little purpose other than to suggest that Kawana would have had a future as a studio performer, the other being the dissonant piano recording played under the narration that chronicles her death – other such narrations (of various aspects of her life and character) are dignified and touching, but this one is a heavy-handed misstep.
Those two minor but palpable flaws aside, this is a perfect and deeply moving album, far and away one of the best records I’ve heard this year. I do not see myself coming back to it often, but it’s left a far deeper impression on me than I was prepared for, and I can see meaningful returns to come. Everyone should listen to it and no-one should talk about it.
4.6 | | 4 |  | Hallelujahs
肉を喰らひて誓ひをたてよ
1986
Slowcore / noisy fuzzy psych
Um yeah, you read that date/genre combo right – this is a proper gem and way ahead of its time. Galaxie 500 can get tae fuck with their 1989 proto-slowcore status: this thing hits all the same songwriting beats as On Fire and - more importantly - also invokes a load of *good* music to come (Mercury Rev, earlyish Flaming Lips, peak-era Bloodthirsty Butchers). These songs are almost uniformly scuzzy, sluggish and soulful (the twee bent on “Green Lovers” being a slight departure) and pack *convenient highlights* (!!!) to boot – get on that wonderful, wonderful opener! Get on the whole lot! “Hallelujah”, “Christmas Out Of Season” and “Star” are particular winners also.
This thing is treacly and sentimental and lethargic and surprisingly replayable and, all things considered, an ESSENTIAL GEM for anyone who likes their psych pop full of feedback and mope-ready.
3.9 | | 5 |  | Ikko
Ikko
1994
J-pop / House
Who the hell is Ikko? Good luck finding info on this pretty much anywhere. Will you want to? Uh, the first half of this one says probably yes actually! These tracks are one house banger after another, and where Ikko’s vocals are somewhat indistinct, she makes up for it with a solid set of choruses and some *really* tight string integrations (best heard on album highlight “Heaven ~Friday's Classics”). Fun stuff. The (shorter) second half of the record trails off into a spree of glossy blue ballsing ballads that are still plenty nice on their own terms – there’s overall enough here to warrant a pass.
3.6 | | 6 |  | Ichiko Aoba
Mahoroboshiya
2016
Folk
Lol *this* being the Ichiko Aoba album featured is so on-brand for this list. It’s as cryptic and succinct as she gets, fragmenting the sprawling approach she took her masterpiece 0 while doubling down on its more reserved qualities. I’ve always found this one far more elusive than her most acclaimed works – it almost has the same chill factor as her early stuff, but it lacks the same unity of tone, while neither commanding nor aspiring for the same depth as on the releases either side of it. The little jig “太陽さん” and the piano rumination “コウノトリ” see her testing out a new instrumental vocabulary but finding a limited amount to say with it.
Don’t pay too much attention to my gripes, though: the title track is gorgeous meditation, the lullaby-esque “神様のたくらみ” is one of her most immediately engaging tracks to date, and “ゆさぎ” hits all her most familiar beats effortlessly. I dunno; I still dig this album quite a bit, but it’s a weird jumble of sleight and shapeless and I can’t quite love it as a whole. Still well worth a listen if you haven’t heard it yet.
3.6 | | 7 |  | Cos/Mes
Gozmez Land*Chaosexotica
2010
Techno
Zany, faintly new age-y techno?? On this list?! But of fucking course. This is, uh, a fun jumble and slightly higher on novelty than the techno I’m used to as of late: “Mescat” rolls from jazz to dub in delightfully fleet fashion, while that ratchet-y sample in “Gozmez Land” reminds me of a psybient goofball (in the worst way). “Chaosexotica” is a ton of fun and a major highlight, and the closing pair “I-Bizan (Build The Progressive Band)” and “Natural Lifespan (Acid Orchestra Mix)” are well worth holding onto too. No, this is not remotely consistent and it has absolutely no business clocking in at 69 infrequently-lubricated minutes, but we take those Ws where they come.
3.5 | | 8 |  | Kenichi Fumoto
Bika
2008
Indie folk / lo-fi
Ugh, I was so ready to be blown away by this one – 75 minutes of scuzzy meandering distantly artistic indie folk looked like a lost genre grail that I never knew I needed, but that dream turned out to be too good to be true. This guy often aims to do a lot with the bare minimum of songwriting flexes (and sometimes succeeds – “十字” is a mesmeric early highlight that takes his cyclical drawl and percussive scuzz heavily in its stride), while still taking the time to prove that he *can* write a people-pleaser when he puts his mind to it (get a load of “彼女は言う そう言う” in *your* favourite hipster cafe, yes please). He’s *good* at his craft and I love the ambition, but he gives himself far too much weight to carry here: what might have been a breezy zany expanse turns at some point into a heavy bloat, and ideas as distinct as “ダンスホールの雨”’s gain-heavy pizz arrangement, “コールドハート”’s piano clamour, or “西海岸”’s psych-folk wobble end up sticking together to an unfortunate degree. There’s a load of great songs to pull out of this record, but I’m not convinced they work best in each other’s company.
3.6 | | 9 |  | Keiji Haino
Watashi Dake?
1981
Noise ‘rock’ / free improv / death blues
Right, as a part-time Fushitsusha fan I’m a little embarrassed not to have gotten to this one earlier, but let’s get the elephant in the room out of the way before any of that: Keiji Haino is a visionary noise performer, one of the few guitarists I would utterly swear by (if chiefly for his irreverence to the poor instrument), and well as one of the most ruthless pleb filters in the game (and yep, some of that shit catches me too #Pathetique). I *kinda* get the last part for people who’ve encountered him through his work with relatively user-friendly metal bands (given that’s Sumac and early Boris, which should give you an idea of the listener-hostility we’re talking here) and have been put off by the sheer wasteland of his style, but if you count yourself as someone who fucks with noise and abrasion and can’t hack it with Haino, you owe yourself a stiff drink and a second round. The extremes he nails are desolate, visceral and attritional in a way that very little else approaches, and I’d say it justifies the considerable lengths of patience he demands.
The performance and physicality to his stuff is absolutely key in my experience: I find it’s a waste of time picturing his stuff as music coming out of your phones/speakers, as opposed to sounds-that-he-made being forced into a mic in real time. Conveniently enough, the opener reinforces this with an extremely haptically foregrounded set of whisperings and screechings interspersed with long moments of real life silence and delicately interspersed mic feedback: you practically feel the hiss of his breath escaping . Is it a good track? Not particularly (unless you have a thing for torture-adjacent noises played as jump scares), but it does set the stage perfectly for the ghoul-in-a-room atmosphere that permeates the rest of the record. This thing is as much, if not more, about presence than music.
The flipside here is that a lot of it feels unfocused to the point of dead air. I don’t mind Haino’s meandering stuff as long there’s some form of tension or bloodletting to hold things together (hence why the 30-minute noise bender slapped on in the form of bonus track “捧げる” makes for such a clear album highlight jfc that’s a lot of noise for 1981), but the likes of “よみがえる” sees Haino chipping at his guitar like it’s an old paintjob, and the appeal and inspiration alike are lost on me. “露わにさせろ” and “終わりにさせろ” also fritter away their runtimes somewhat, but these at least explore his notoriously violent deconstructions of blues guitar to somewhat aesthetically interesting ends, and their vague pacing and somewhat lethargic performance sets the stage for the album’s first proper ear assault six tracks in (“うまくできない”) – yet even this is too repetitive to land beyond its initial impact.
To me, this record sounds more like Haino testing out his toolkit than crafting the kind of authoritative statements that we’d later get on Fushitsusha’s Live 1 and Live 2, but it’s a cogent enough debut in a first-steps sense.
2.9 for the base album, 3.4 including the bonus track | | 10 |  | Keiji Haino
Koko
2003
Drone / ambient / post rock
This, on the other hand, is an insanely beautiful live performance that shows Haino at his most succinct (30 mins for one album, even if it is one piece) and welcoming. Some of the layering and counterpoint on here is (fucking kill me) genuinely not far off what you’d hear on an Explosions in the Sky record, but with a thousand times more personality and grit. Wonderful vocal-driven climax too. One-song ticket to changing your mind about Haino.
4.0 | | 11 |  | Sachiko Kanenobu
Misora
1972
Folk
Rather plain ‘70s folk album. There’s a nice spaciousness between her spring-breeze vocal stylings and approach to guitar, but this rarely translates to memorable melodies. Did not get much out of this.
2.8 | | 12 |  | Supersize me
Immanence
2014
Drone / shoegaze
Slow flood of mournful warm distance and fuzzy introspection. Could probably be billed as The Angelic Process for Stars of the Lid fans, for the greatest oversell of all time (though not entirely inaccurate). Did relatively little for me, but there are definitely gazers who would bask in this – I prefer my wall of noise as a full drench; this is more a clement trickle on a muggy day.
3.0 | | 13 |  | Meitei
Komachi
2019
Ambient
Man, in my rev for Haruka Nakamura’s Grace, I wrote at length about how much I rate ‘postcard-style’ ambient – ambient albums full of distinct, succinct compositions that play more like scrapbooks than continuous reveries – but this here Komachi record is a neat counterexample to show how elusive those kinds of records can be.
Meitei is pretty refined with his blend of folk arrangements, field recordings and subtle knack for off-kilter looping, but his pieces are often indistinct beyond their methodology. The best cuts here (“Nami”, “Chouchin”, “Kawanabe Kyosai I”) are mostly excellent melodic reveries similar to Sakura-era Susumu Yokota, well worth extracting for individual consumption even if you don’t bother with the whole thing (and throw in the delirious ooze of “Maboroshi” to boot), but too often the album backpedals into assorted timbre jank (“Sento II”) or diffuse vaporous meandering (“Kawanabe Kyosai II”). It has grown on me, but it’s not an even listen and I wish I got more out of it – that leaves Meitei as an artist to keep an eye out for, I guess. Nice to have someone fresh and active on this list of cult relics lol
3.3 | | 14 |  | Itsuroh Shimoda
Love Songs And Lamentations
1973
Folk
Shit damn it had been a hot minute since I last heard these elegant folk outpourings of everything morose and (mostly) tuneful. I know people (both online and irl) who venerate this record, and I can’t say I blame them. Never approached it in quite the right state to fall under its spell, but there’s downcast magic at play here. Has returning to it changed my mind? Not quite – still in solid-not-sensational territory for me, but Itsuroh Shimoda packs so much soul into these tracks that I want him to come back to me like an old friend some day. BIG props for the backing vox across this whole thing.
3.6 | | 15 |  | Konomi Sasaki
にんじん
1983
Folk pop
This one got under my skin from first listen and has been a real keeper since – really calming tracks across the board here, but with the faint hint of an edge shimmering in the distance. “21sai” (track 4) is the only song that fully embraces this spooky overtones suggested by the album art (and it makes great work of it), but the rest of this definitely has a mystique of sorts that ties in with Sasaki’s vocals, half-languorous half-lilting in a way that lends itself to carrying or coasting with songs, whichever is more appropriate at the time.
One of the most replayable finds of this trawl for sure.
3.9 | | 16 |  | Konomi Sasaki
暖暖
1985
Pop / sophistipop
I got enough mileage out of Ninjin to take another punt on Konomi Sasaki, and this was, uh, a mixed bag. Instrumentally, it largely jettisons the folk and doubles down on an extremely cosy ‘80s pop palette that I was more than happy to get behind, but vocally? Oh man. Her understated drawl, so charismatic on Ninjin, just sounds uninterested here, and is further let down by hands down the most underwhelming Japanese-language lyrics I’ve heard in my days (something I won’t imagine will be an issue for most of y’all, but to me it feels like hearing the dullest conversation on earth from the other side of a wall). She tanks this one from warm-bland to grating-bland :[
2.8 | | 17 |  | Yumi Matsutoya
Misslim
1974
Kayōkyoku / folk pop
My girlfriend’s reaction to Konomi Sasaki (the good stuff) was an immediate “this sounds like Yumi…”, which left me one “Yumi who?” away from a substantial homework detour.
Yumi Matsutoya (aka Yumi Arai aka Yuming) is an iconic singer/songwriter whose ‘70s/’80s output apparently defined both those eras for the Japanese mainstream, and who is still going strong. You’ll have heard her at the end of the Ghibli movies The Wind Rises (on “Hikōki-gumo”, coming up next entry) and Kiki’s Delivery Service (“やさしさに包まれたなら”, on this one), and um now we all now who she is great.
MISSLIM is a just stellar record end-to-end and I have very little to say on it compared to the other two, more conspicuously flawed Yumi records on this list. The opener is a perfect folk pop gem and “Watashi no Francoise” is a potential all-timer for exquisite pop piano balladry – I adore these tracks and like pretty much everything else. So should you! This one is timeless and wonderful, do *your* homework thank you very much.
BONUS: ended up rewatching Kiki for the first time in years – always thought of it as a charming slice-of-life dawdle (and little more), but the pacing is far less languid than I remembered and its coming of age arc hits all the right beats. Might have just leapfrogged Mononoke and Howl…
4.0 | | 18 |  | Yumi Matsutoya
Hikouki Gumo
1973
Kayōkyoku / folk pop
Yumi’s debut kicks off with one of the more perfect openers of anyone’s debut, courtesy of the stirring title-track (a perfect fit for The Wind Rises jfc what a morose watch), and by the sum of its highlights can go toe-to-toe with MISSLIM: “Kami Hikōki” and “Ame no Machi wo” make for a particularly strong combo. I didn’t find it nearly as consistent as a whole, but there’s a lot of the same goodness to be had here.
3.6 | | 19 |  | Yumi Matsutoya
Cobalt Hour
1975
Kayōkyoku
Yumi puts on her dancing shoes and flirts with rock n roll and boogie, but she loses her hitherto meticulous grip on balladry during to this record’s considerable downtime (midway highlight “Koukai Nisshi excepted). Proper Olivia Rodrigo -standard pacing and consistency all over this fucking kill me :] The lows are more unremarkable than ‘bad’, but I think I’ll remember this as The Record With “Rouge no Dengon” On It (and that right there is a stone-cold classic BOP that would make any given record and contributes enormously to Kiki’s Delivery Service in its airborne diagetic cameo what a great scene). Hm.
3.4 | | 20 |  | Kazuki Tomokawa
無残の美
1986
“Avant-”folk
Hmm, out comes the accordion and fierce acoustic strumming, in comes the theatrical vox and some delightfully impetuous, animate folksongs! There’s a lot in the execution here that reminds me of chanson - could see Mr. Tomogawa as a feral Japanese Jacques Brel for sure (“永遠-福島泰樹氏に捧ぐ” good lawd). He’s a real Presence and remains magnetic throughout this record’s quite wisely paced 39-minutes; could easily have burned out on this otherwise (though downtime as pretty as the faintly Dylan-esque “井戸の中で神様がないていた” certainly tides things over). Am on the fence so to whether or not I’m drawn to this enough to explore his fairly intriguing discog much further, but it’s got a real flair to it and I’d defs recommend it to anyone who like their troubadour shit with a generous measure of grit. Snarl at me harder, errant folk weirdo.
3.8 | | 21 |  | Inoyama Land
Danzindan-Pojidon
1983
New Age synth
Ooh baby, warm melodies, nice strong tones and shimmery sustained synths. If you like your New Age as a ticket to ~slightly kitsch mystical pastures, this should be right up your street. The reverie is lush, the pace is glacial, the ethereal and meditative capacities are there, the xylophone melody on “Pokala” is annoying as hell, and the 33-minute runtime certainly doesn’t hurt. “Glass Chaim” is a delightful echo of the champion motif Haruomi Hosono had used on “Sports Men” the previous year, and while this is by no means my favourite New Age record on the list, it’s a representative poster child of a sound we’ll be hearing a lot more of. Nice.
3.5 | | 22 |  | Joe Hisaishi
Kisshou Tennyo
1984
Progressive electronic
Um, in exactly the same way as *of course* Mahoroboshiya was the Ichiko Aoba album on this list, *of course* the Joe Hisaishi record here is a pre-Ghibli soundtrack for a manga I’ve never heard of. I did about 10 seconds of research into this and saw mention of secret divine power, incongruous girlcrushes and punk bozos getting their arses handed to them by female protagonists, almost none of which is apparent from these tracks: the main (and arguably only) deal here is that Hisaishi absolutely gets his freak on over as many funky synth motifs and counter-melodies as you can shake a NUT at. This thing is a retro tone party from start to finish, and anyone who enjoyed his work on the Nausicaa score is going to cream themselves to it. The composition is, shock horror, meticulously proficient, but it took me a few spins to warm up to many of the motifs. Now that I have, I still see this as more a curio than a firm keeper, but it’s well worth a check if you’ve ever been enamoured with this legend’s other stuff.
3.6 | | 23 |  | Sibitt
Zymolytic Human ~発酵人間~
2012
Experimental hip hop / dark ambient
Fwiw there was technically a different Sibitt album on the list, but I couldn’t find it in any of my usual watering holes so I defaulted to his most ‘famous’, but anyway - -
I’m not usually huge on Japanese hip-hop at all, but the prospect of a ghoulish rap odyssey to the soul(?) and the beyond(?) got me excited for a while! The branding (and, from my extremely cursive exploration, the be-your-own-very-powerful-self-in-this-inert-world scope of the lyrics) are a tad pretentious, but Sibitt’s delivery is earnest enough to wear both well… on the intrigue-heavy opener at least. The following two track just about sustain momentum before the album collapses into nebulous ambient fits and starts and never really regains its footing. Sibitt himself keeps a solid innings behind the mic, but I found the blend of styles here a little too self-sabotaging. The sixth track manages to find the murky, liminal balance that I was hoping to hear more of, otherwise this is all over the places.
3.3 | | 24 |  | Sora [JAP]
re.sort
2003
Ambient/glitch
Don’t think this was on the motherlist, but it’s been on my radar for a while now so I thought I’d check it off. On paper, this brand is wavy mid-afternoon translucent glitchy shimmer should be 100% my shit; in practice, it’s maybe a little too diffuse and innocuous: I usually like this sound better with more distortion/fragmentation and/or a vocalist to carry it. Probably more likely to compete with Four Tet for future listens than, say, Tujiko Noriko or Pola, and I don’t mean that as a compliment. Pleasant album regardless, production defs walks the walk.
3.5 | | 25 |  | Tsukino Mito
Moon Rabbits Dream About Virtual
2021
Art pop / electropop / assorted randomshit pop
For all its esoteric, vintage pretensions, the motherlist kicks off with a fucking V-tuber record boasting every melt-face combination of Maximalist Digital Pop shit imaginable. It ain’t bad, but this ultra kooky-kute approach to vocal ramble is better kept to anime (and still hit-or-miss there) and I quite frankly feel too old for this shit. It does not bang (aside from the UFO track, which very much kinda does). Almost fun.
2.9 | | 26 |  | Yoshio Ojima
Club
1983
Minimal wave / synthpop
Highly repetitive, tentatively danceable synth/percussion meander. Did not get much out of this at all. Tones on the second track are nice I guess.
2.8 | | 27 |  | Umeko Ando
Ihunke
2001
Folk
I’m not rating this because a) I got virtually nothing out of it, but also b) it’s apparently a reworking of Ainu folk music in collaboration with Tonkori kingpin Oki Kano, and I’m more interested in having been exposed to it than in evaluating it (I know fuckall about Ainu culture other than their word for *reindeer*, and am not about to armchair this). Its inclusion as such is somewhat token, but I guess I’m grateful for the listen? | | 28 |  | Naoki Asai
Aba - Heidi
1988
Jangle pop
Mmm comfortmusic? The guy’s voice is a bit reedy for my liking, but otherwise this is serviceable jangle I guess. The title is list incorrectly on our database, presumably because Cyclotron fucked it up when adding it in 2017 (shortly before affording it its sole, 1.0 rating). I do not care enough about it to edit this.
3.0 | | 29 |  | Daisuke Tobari
Guitar
1999
Lo-fi / avant-folk
Now *this* is the stuff this list was made for (and exactly what I was hoping for having come here from Nobue Kawana)! 22 succinct pieces in 50 minutes, where the the palette flips from unhinged lo-fi rave folk (track 2) to pastoral goodness (track 17) to vintage heartache (track 4) to rainyday introspection (track 21) and ALL OF IT IS GREAT?? Daisuke Tobari has big fuckin’ balls and you can tell that he’s having a whole load of fun here, that he’s putting a fair chunk of soul into it and that he’s immensely talented (the promised ““GUITAR”” does not disappoint). Throw this on whenever and see where it takes you: your stand-outs will change every time
4.2 | | 30 |  | Rei Harakami
Lust
2005
Downtempo / microhouse
I think I found this from an independent RYM trawl and can’t recall whether or not it appears on the list, but it gets included anyway because this is a damn fine record and I could see a lot of y’all getting mileage from it. Tasteful Gold Panda-adjacent bops all over the shop here, loving the bright tone and memorable chord progressions (especially on the early 10-minute centrepiece “Joy”, which is a wet dream for at least 3 different categories of playlist). Loses a little steam as it goes on, but starts so strong that I’ll forgive this. Kinda album that could make you dance, get your head bobbing at work, or just put a spring in your step.
3.9 | | 31 |  | Hiroshi Yoshimura
Music For Nine Post Cards
Minimal / New Age
1982
This is a rightly heralded cult classic, and I almost wish a different Yoshimura album had been here in its place because I need to explore his discog more. Spellbinding e-piano performances of wonderfully delicate motifs – the atmosphere here is as fragile as it comes, and the composition as structurally simplistic as it comes (though melodically formidable). This was an early stop on my whistlestop New Age orientation tour last year, would highly recommend it for a similar fix or otherwise.
4.0 | | 32 |  | Yoshiaki Ochi
Natural Sonic
1990
Tribal ambient
I’d heard of Ochi before this list thanks to a collaboration (that I have not heard!) he was involved in with Dream Dolphin, but this was my first experience with his music. I don’t know dick about analysing Tribal Ambient, but this didn’t stop me having a pretty good time: vibrant hammers in the foreground, occasional eerie voices and field recordings in the background. Each piece has a pretty clear identity, but the main highlight for me was the relatively forceful “Beatsonic” (which I would 100% be tempted to sample if I made proper dance music). For the most part, I don’t know what to *do* with these tracks – what situational experiences make this stuff sound best? Tune in, but only if you already have a good answer.
3.5 | | 33 |  | Takao
Stealth
2018
New Age
Largely forgettable new age ambience from 2018. Some compelling melodic moments (“Secret Town”), but otherwise strictly background material. Inoffensive listen.
3.0 | | 34 |  | Motohiko Hamase
Reminiscence (2018)
2018
Ambient / New Age / Jazz
So the listing of this album is apparently from 1986, but I accidentally downloaded a 2018 version that is apparently a full rerecording? Okay, huh. I enjoyed this version enough not to zip back in time for a compare/contrast: the opener in particular does great work in balancing the ambience and new age pentatonics I’ve heard *so much of* across this trawl with some ECM-style mystique. That arrangement just oozes vibrancy, definitely one to add if I ever make a playlist digest of this.
I’m unconvinced the rest of the record nails the same balance though – “Intermezzo” extends the jazzy end of things enough to verge on melodic frittery, while “Tree” scales the motifs back to tepid territory and relies a little too heavily on its clash of piano/woodwind/strings to see things through. From then on, it’s well-conceived, if a little vaporous (though “Water Meadow” is palpably tense in its struggle to decide whether to settle on an ambient reverie or a jazz jam). Definitely an interesting record: results may vary, but do dip into it for the genre cocktail.
3.5 | | 35 |  | Aragon
Aragon
1985
New age / ethereal wave
First and *least importantly*, this is one of those Beverly Glenn-Copeland -adjacent records (in many other respects too tbh!) that those dastardly RYM clowns have tried to retcon as ““art/ambient pop””. Do not believe this noise! This is synthy new age/ethereal wave with the occasional pop foray, but is otherwise more sinuous and oblique than either of those FAKE tags would suggest, and you should be grateful for it!
*Most importantly*, this is a really tight record with an economical runtime and a killer closing trio, and I’d rank it in the upper echelon of this trawl’s new age wing without a second thought. Real nice stylistic alteration (wispy ethereal magic of the opener into the slow percussive rally of the second track into the poppier third yes please), and there’s always tangible warmth/intrigue/mystical whatever at play in the melodies to hook a boi. Good record!
3.8 | | 36 |  | Radiosonde
Radiosonde
Ambient
2010
Lovely melodic ambient – little indistinct, but there are some gorgeous early highlights on this. Worked well as a palate cleanser.
3.5 | | 37 |  | Tomomi Sano
Silent Flight
2005
City pop
Now this was a real treat in the midst of so much sparseness and stuffiness: half an hour of luxuriant ‘00s city pop, with bright hooks, grooves galore and a winning vocal performance. Yes! There’s a sheen to the production that feels very much in-step with the arcade-ready sounds still coming out of Shibuya Kei around this time (I’m reminded occasionally of Serani Poji’s third record), but for the most time this saunters and schmoozes around the same chord progressions, juicy basslines and PACKED (though never *busy*!) arrangements. Minor drawbacks include the relative lack of distinction between individual tracks, and the Japanese pronunciation of “hug” in one unfortunate chorus (we don’t talk about this). Otherwise um yes stellar comfort record.
3.8 | | 38 |  | Salut
Aerial Tales
1986
New age / chamber folk
Shit damn my analysis fails me here – these are quaint rainyday pieces that will probably improve your reading room the moment you put them on, but I’ll be damned if I can tell any of them apart from a cursory listen or two? Situationally useful album, never outright dull.
3.5 | | 39 |  | Yas-Kaz
Jomon-Sho
1984
New age / ambient
Starts off as one of the most promising new age albums and then falls off a cliff into a slew of tribal dance tracks I do not have the background to appreciate and lead melodies that remind me exactly why the flute is a bottom 5 instrument. Unfortunate.
At this point, I decided I’d had enough of 3-3.5ing new age records and started to avoid that tag on the list. Given how damn many there are, this made progress considerably faster
3.1 | | 40 |  | Various Artists
沫 Foam
Post punk new wave noise rock industrial lofi what the fuck
1981
Hahahaha this is the bullshit you sign up for – this comp is one of not many releases from the underground ‘YLEM’ collective of scratchy underfunded post?punk? stragglers by the names of Noizunzuri, Salaried Men Club and The Dildos. Honestly, it’s beyond me how you can get this many artists on one release and have *all* of them play the same kind of distantly abrasive zany anti-songs that start and end nowhere but make you feel like an enlightened god of pieces of paper for following whatever dumb skronky noises or nonsensical voiceover gets thrown in the way
This record is supremely fucking cool and I will never listen to it again.
There’s a track called “Hadashi no Inu” which means barefoot dog and, uh, if that’s not an appropriate indicator of this thing’s level of entertainment, there’s also a Merzbow song. This thing is 86 minutes long and there is absolutely zero urgent reason to recover it from obscurity, but you just couldn’t help yourself, could you?
3.8 | | 41 |  | Haruomi Hosono, Takahiko Ishikawa, Masataka Matsutoya
The Aegean Sea (エーゲ海)
1979
Exotica / jazz fusion
There are a ton of Haruomi Hosono projects on this list, and Masataka Matsutoya is married to Yumi Matsutoya oh baby we love the incest (don’t get me started on how Hosono played all over Yumi’s early records, which were also apparently how Akiko Yano and Taeko Onuki caught their breaks as backing singers jfc either ‘70s Japanese pop or this list are small worlds) – but mainly, I’m starting to really respect what an insane track record Hosono has. Does the man ever miss? Don’t think I’ve ever heard anything below a 3.5 with his name on (which must be a good 10ish records at this point). This is a set of smooth jams themed around guess which sea: outside of the second track, it captures the Greek flavour not one bit, but the music is delicious enough that I won’t pick bones. Track 3 is a tight YMO-esque piece and the closing run has wings. Get this into your lounge.
3.7 | | 42 |  | Tin Pan Alley
Caramel Mama
1975
Erratic early city pop
Neat follow-up to The Aegean Sea for this list, in that this is a Happy End pop spin-off apparently masterminded by Hosono with Shigeru Suzuki on guitar, and Masataka Matsutoya is also heavily involved on keys/arrangement (and his younger brother takes a turn on violin!) Credits list is a bit of a full house here – Taeko Onuki takes a turn on chorus vocals! – and the music is an appropriately jovial caper through however many permutations of contemporary pop the players felt like juggling. Suzuki’s guitar is a real livewire stimulant in some places, whereas others play it straight and dapper to great effect (that fourth track mmm, seven ain’t shabby either). Part of this one’s charm is that it never fully knows whether it wants to be smooth or ragtag (though it’s never *that* chaotic), and while this makes for a fun listen, it’s a little shapeless as a whole.
3.5 | | 43 |  | Haruomi Hosono/Shigeru Suzuki/Tatsuro Yamashita
Pacific
1978
Exotica / surf / jazz fusion
The Aegean Sea’s more famous, more acclaimed big brother also features on the list (and would have been a mandatory detour anyway)! This one has an even more iconic line-up (once again, three faces you’d see side-by-side in the studio for whichever early Yumi megasmash record) and distinguishes itself with a more cohesive set of songs that actually suggest the body of water in question: love love love the surf rock influence all over this, very easy to imagine all three collaborators lethargically drafting it on holiday in Hawaii. This cohesion comes at the cost of any stray Hosono synth bops, but the chill factor makes up for it.
3.9 | | 44 |  | Yellow Magic Orchestra
Technodelic
1981
Synthpop artiste goof
Lol so for this one, YMO threw together a goofy set of blippy bloopy technofunk tongue-in-cheek nerdouts and I was sold on it from the moment Yukihiro Takahashi drawled the unforgettable lines THIS MUST BE THE UGLIEST PIECE OF BREAD I HAVE EVER EATEN [...] GOD ITS SO UGLY I WONDER WHY on the adorable goofball opener. Remainder of the album is mainly him and Hosono dicking about making magic, although Sakamoto brings a little cosmopolitan dignity to the standout “Seoul Music” (the use of early sampling tech - a staple of this album! - is a particular treat here).
“Key” is another stunner and probably the most likely to tide over anyone approaching this for straight synthpop; its guru-esque schtick comes off surprisingly earnestly and goes a long ol’ way shit damn. The personality is laid *thick* all over this thing, perhaps even more overtly than their first two, and I’m here for it. Fun album.
3.7 | | 45 |  | Happy End
Kazemachi Roman
1971
Folk rock
All this Hosono-and-friends posting reminded me that I never took my mandatory daytrip round Kazemachi Roman. There is a *lot* behind this record that I’m ill-equipped to unpack as a daytripper, but it occupies a weird space between absolute gamechanger in its influence and legacy and cult classic in how many people actually listened to it when it dropped (or, internationally, since). The tl;dr is that it combines a love of the excitement and power of American folk rock with disdain and suspicion for the Americanisation of Japan and the developmental upheaval that was dragging Tokyo into the modern era, better summarised in the Pitchfork piece on this record (one of their best reviews in general, thoroughly recommended).
This record’s magic is in how it bends ostensibly Western rock music to a comfortable Japanese fit (ft. ample levels of personality, whimsy and biting sarcasm), which as I understand it was unprecedented prior to this band’s first two records. I was *kinda* ready for this, but still surprised at how much of a country presence Shigeru Suzuki brings to his parts (and generally impressed by his performance across the board – kid was a bloody teenager when this dropped). Really cool range of ideas across the board, really, from the scathing rocker “はいからはくち” to the Meters-esque funk of “あしたてんきになあれ” to the countrified “花いちもんめ” to the folk-pop classic “風をあつめて”. Performances here are well above average too.
As a solid folk rock album with considerable charisma and depth behind its songwriting, this walks the walk – but I don’t think the cultural context that makes it such a supposedly huge artistic achievement is easy to grasp for a Western or even contemporary audience, which very much includes me. I don’t know shit about the ‘60s Japanese trends this was sticking it to/shrugging off, and my vision of how Japanese pop and rock emerged has been so coloured the presence these musicians had in the mainstream after Happy End broke up, that it’s hard to see this record as any particular revelation. Hmm. This is still a good album, maybe a great one on anyone’s terms, and I’m definitely glad to have dug a little further into it. Will likely return periodically.
3.8 | | 46 |  | Happy End
Happy End
1970
Folk rock
This, on the other hand, is a record I was originally pretty familiar with – jammed it a few times over several months ago, assuming it’d be a small roadbump on the way to Kazemachi Roman, but ultimately enjoying it enough that I never got there. It doesn’t have the range or the legacy of its famous predecessor (though it was an equally important step towards localising rock music within Japanese), but I never found that it *needs* those kinds of accolades or reaches for greatness in the same way: this is just an end-to-end solid rock jam, whole lot of vintage fun to be had here. Cool record, if a little starved of highlights.
3.6 | | 47 |  | Osamu Kitajima
Benzaiten
1976
Psychedelic folk
This is a badass as all fuck psych folk bender that I’ve heard once or twice before without really clicking with, but figured I’d revisit for this list since Hosono played bass on it and he’s already dominating this stretch of the list. Performances across the board are great here, but Osamu Kitajima himself is the it-factor: man leans into heavily Japanese scales, riffs (folkishly) harder than your favourite phrygian-noodling metal band, fleshes his sound out with absolutely killer biwa accompaniment (that fuckin TWANG). Title-track (the second, longer one) is a total monster in that regard. Dunno why I’d never vibed harder with this before, it’s an aggressively cool album that should rank far higher in the cult classic canon than its current, relatively modest station.
4.2 | | 48 |  | Miharu Koshi
Tutu
1983
Techno Kayō
Next up in our slew of Hosono-affiliated artists is Miharu Koshi ! Parallelisme is technically the record on the list, but I’m going to throw in Tutu first because 1) I was already familiar and 2) a decent proportion of this album fucks like nobody’s business.
Sex appeal is generally one of the last things I actively look for in J-pop (and pop in general - people who tune in for leery reasons are gross), but Miharu Koshi’s cabaret-ready prancing and purring transcends preferences and strikes every chord in the [censored]. With some of the most no-nonsense Hosono-produced bangers I’ve heard to date behind here, she’s almost too much: “Scandal Night” hits the way you *wish* your ex’s crop had, “Keep on Dancin'”’s will-we-won’t-we sway is deliciously magnetic, and fucking “Pussycat” is one of the filthiest pieces of music I’ve heard full stop: the bassline modulates so extensively that it might as well be composed of random notes (each of which lands with indecent impact), the synths border on keep-it-in-your-pants ferality, and Koshi’s coy bad girl act would be considered a war crime in certain prudish nations (name me another artist who could nail that chorus “warui ko nano?”, and I will have to censor my reaction).
I’m not so much of a fan of the way this record starts or ends (Koshi fares better when she makes French pop her bitch than when she panders to it), but there’s around 25 near-unbroken minutes of pure excellence to be had here. Essential smut.
3.9 | | 49 |  | Miharu Koshi
Parallelisme
1984
Techno Kayō / art pop
This one caught me off guard at first: it’s a few increments less saucy than Tutu, more melodic, and probably more sophisticated overall. We’re going to call this art pop because uh that’s the presence it exudes, but it’s still a far more sensual than cerebral record. It dips into a more colourful palette (immediately evident in the opener’s synth hook) and sees Koshi playing it a little less coy and a little more cutesy – maybe her charisma isn’t as much the driving force as on Tutu, but the likes of “Capricious Salad”, “メフィストフェレスを探せ！”, “Décadence 120” and the title-track, with its prismatic piano motif, are all insanely tight songwriting and make for a more consistent and balanced record. Where Tutu titillates with extremes, Parallelisme satiates with a steady stream of winners, and I’m heavily on board.
4.1 | | 50 |  | Swing Slow
Swing Slow
1996
Lounge
‘90s collab between Miharu Koshi and Haruomi Hosono that *had* to make both the original list and this one, given how much I’ve previously enjoyed it. I get the sense that the pair were all too happy to use an independent project as a chance to go full screwball on a genre as frequently and vulnerable to parody as lounge, while still paying tribute to its slinky, airless glory. Their irreverence goes a long way: some of the album is wilfully silly (Koshi’s delivery of the title lyric on “I'm Leaving It All Up To You” is a rare laugh out loud moment), some of it plays it straight for deadpan wink-wink (“Hôtel Etoiles”, some of it coasts off into space-lounge zaniness (“Disappeared - L'homme disparu”), and some is just infectious goodness all round (“Capybara” baby oh yeah). You can tell these two had a ton of fun making this, but they bring easily enough class to it that it rises above the memey side-project brief and hits many of the same beats as well as the earnest_executive_lounge. I want free biscuits.
3.9 | | 51 | | Love Peace & Trance
Love, Peace & Trance
1995
New age / ambient
A similar-ish Hosono genre foray to Swing Slow though this time minus Koshi and plus a good deal of ambient/new age inclinations that he explores a little more earnestly with a small crew of ethereal vocalists. Although I’d heard this before, it was still one of the relatively few new age records on this list that actively reminded reminded me while I *like* the genre (and not why it works as competent meditation backing). “Hasu Kriya” is lovely, really smooth vocal arrangements and lovely delicate backing instrumentals. Great prod across the whole thing, funny hearing Hosono go so lush after the relative starkness of his techno kayō stuff. The likes of “Dreamtime Lovers” lays the incense on t h i c k and I am very much here for it. Yes, some of it is a bit diffuse (“Solaris” ehhh), but this comes with the territory and the edgier swirl of tones on tracks like the highlight “Mammal Mama” makes up for it.
Revisiting the record now, I think it’s actually a tad more consistent than I originally gave it credit for. Maybe it could have done with less floaty new age and more downtempo and actual trance – Hosono would end up platforming a much stronger blend here after he signed Dream Dolphin to his ambient label FOA Records (iirc) later this year, but this isn’t one to write off.
3.8 | | 52 |  | Haruomi Hosono
Philharmony
1982
Art pop / synthpop
Heard this record two or three times already, and it gets better with repeats. This is generally seen as a highlight of Hosono’s solo career (which I haven’t explored enough to weigh in on, and will be holding off on for now before he dominates this list any further), but I can vouch for its playful hooks (get “Funiculi Funicula” out of your head), crunchy production (“Platonic” oomph), and vast reserves of whimsy and charm (“Sports Men” oh yes).
In hindsight, I find this a really helpful album for visualising Hosono’s shift from hippyish early ‘70s folkman/session bassist/prolific producer to the cutting edge synth pioneer who originally put YMO – this album takes a ton of potentially cerebral sound experiments and turns them into poppish *fun*. Hats off.
3.7 | | 53 |  | Mitsuaki Katayama
First Flight
1979
Jazz
Rather forgettable jazz trio record: would probably land in a mostly-full bar in a hotter climate, but can’t say I was feeling it.
3.0 | | 54 |  | Eiji Nakayama
Aya's Samba
1978
Jazz
Now *this* I really like! Never had as much joy getting into samba as I have bossa nova (sorry Chico Buarque, sorry Luis Bonfa), but this here jazzthing takes everything strident and sensual I like about samba rhythms and pares it back to a relatively sparse jazz quartet arrangement without any of the florid melodic trappings that have imposed a low ceiling for me in the past. There are some great hoarse sax moments (lovely gritty tenor sound across the album), but Nakayama’s double bass is the star of the show: love love love the way he carries these grooves but maintains such a vibrant melodic dialogue. Four tracks in 35-minutes also gives this tremendous binge value that I’ve exploited with relish – best jazz album I’ve heard in a while (not that it’s had much competition over the last couple of months).
4.1 | | 55 |  | Toshi Ichiyanagi
Opera Yokoo Tadanori wo utau
1969
Sound collage / psych rock
Yoko Ono’s ex-husband makes avant-garde sound collage mega album with traditional choral shit and uh, boundaries are strained and prolapsed alright. A generous amount of time is devoted to extended psych rock jams from Yuya Uchida and the Flowers (later known as Flower Travellin' Band), which are either the best part of the record or an incongruous midway haemorrhage or, mainly, both. This album is long: too long to get away with repeating such excuses as “wow this is so ahead of its time Revolution 9 has nothing on this!!” throughout its great length, which is long. The sound collage dominated backend is somewhat interesting on paper, but also I have fallen asleep to it *against my wishes* on multiple occasions and will elaborate no further.
I have no idea how to turn my opinion on this album into a number and, more importantly, I don’t think I care to. It currently has one Cyclotron 1, one 5 from an account that appears to be inverting Cyclotron’s entire rating history for chaos points, and no other ratings. I consider this an adequate reflection of its ‘legacy’. | | 56 |  | Yumi Murata
Krishna
1980
City Pop
Hmm, I knew Yumi Murata from her pretty-great record Desire (1985), which I’d always assumed was her most famous because it features the cult classic (and absolutely sublime) track “Face to Face” – an absolute must if you haven’t heard it. Turns out I was *wrong* and this apparently is the prestige pick! Easy enough to see why: this one is much more full-brass swaggering pop glory in a way that feels a little too revue for my tastes, but gets away with it for spotlighting her absolutely bloody formidable vocals across the board. Those who like their city pop with full-toned OOMPF, look no further. I personally gravitate more towards the demure vocal stylings on “Morning Telephone” than the ringmaster belting of the opening pair, but I guess that shows it caters to a fair range. Final three tracks are a rollicking treat, get on this if it’s your fix.
3.4 | | 57 |  | Yumi Murata
Desire
1985
City Pop
Gonna throw Desire on as a chaser – balance between maximalist cheese and ethereal ‘80s reverb is a little more to my liking here. Solid album.
3.7 | | 58 |  | Akina Nakamori
Fushigi
1986
Kayōkyoku / ethereal wave
Oh damn, I was glad to see this here! Had heard this record once before on Gmemberkills’ recommendation and it didn’t quite click, so I was glad to have a prompt to revisit it. The deal here is that Akina Nakamori, superidol of her time (and ours!), apparently forsook the mainstream pop trends of her day in favour of a spooky plunge into ethereal wave: hence *Fushigi* (weird-unusual-amazing-fascinating) and its choice of artwork. As someone whose experience with ‘80s kayō has been modest at best, a lot of this was lost on me. As someone who loves a killer eerie bassline and a bit of spook in pop, the likes of “幻惑されて” and “ガラスの心” absolutely go the distance – those two in conjunction with “Teen-Age Blue” make for a tremendous midway combo. My gripe is that Nakamori’s vocals are properly etherealed out at several points and as such the album falls a little short of its pop mission whenever the instrumentals aren’t very much On Point (though they largely are). Cool shit otherwise.
3.8 | | 59 |  | Akina Nakamori
Bitter and Sweet
1985
Kayōkyoku
To get a better read on what Fushigi had departed from, to avoid the classic Online Music Pitfall of mistaking cult classics for mainstream staples, and to explore Akina Nakamori a little more (she was one of the few artists here whose name got my girlfriend’s face to light up), we are going BACK IN TIME to, uh, this record. This *mighty fine* pop record! What a ridiculously great opener, what a great A-side, what a nice syrupy winddown. Akina Nakamori *can* carry a song without a zillion layers of reverb over her voice, good for her!
My hot take on kayo-era Japanese pop is that it’s a bit too high-carbs/low-sugar compared to the ‘00s/’10s J-pop I’ve already sacrificed multiple cavities to, and that a whole album of that stodge wears me down. My cold take is that this record has so many good tracks that I don’t care.
3.9 | | 60 |  | Akina Nakamori
Unbalance + Balance
1993
Kayōkyoku
One more for luck – this turned out to be half the answer to my mumbles from the end of the last blurb (“愛撫” is exactly the kind of over the top byebye kayo / hello early J-pop banger I didn’t know I needed) and half s t r a i n s me (7 minutes of sentimentalist fluff at the start of an idol pop record jfc no no no). This record *kinda* dabbles in downtempo, but keeps its footing too far in the ‘80s for this to carry it. I initially meant that as a criticism, but then again “NORMA JEAN” epitomises the ‘80s leftovers and is a huge track, while the downtempo “NOT CRAZY TO ME” is one of the less engaging numbers, so, uh, we’ll call it a transition-in-progress and leave things there. Just spare me that opener ever again.
3.5 | | 61 |  | Chiemi Manabe
Fushigi Shoujo
1982
Techno Kayō
Lmfao that artwork. All-star production team though: three tracks by Hosono, one by Taeko Onuki, one set of lyrics by Akiko Yano. Pity they didn’t have a better idol to carry it – Chiemi Manabe’s voice is flimsy even by my standards, and the music in general smacks of a plastic brand of cutesy that, however retro, does not pair well with her. Put Akina Nakamori behind the mic and this would have been a potential zinger (maybe I *am* a fan now?)
3.0 | | 62 |  | Yuki Nakayamate
Octopussy
1982
Faux-French Kayō
Shut up yes this was definitely necessary. Yuki Nakayamate has a decent voice no I do not share her French spy fetish.
3.3 | | 63 |  | Chikako Shiraki
あ・ん・た
1978
Folk pop
This perfectly enjoyable folk pop record with somewhat tepid songwriting and middle-of-the-road vocals (but vintage vibes aplenty) was a thorn in my side because it is literally impossible to download without song-by-song youtube to mp3 converting, which I *did* because folk pop is a priority for this list and the artwork is good.
Then I listened through once and realised it was just okay. Dammit. Next.
3.3 | | 64 |  | Takako Mamiya
Love Trip
1982
City pop
“The album lacked a true identity to set Mamiya apart from other well-known albums [...] Even the vague album cover, complete with random background cactus and racist memorabilia, is polarizing”
Well uh okay then? This is a retconned city pop classic that bombed/was poorly promoted around its initial release but now soaks up about as much hype as anyone has to spare on the genre. Does it deserve it? The first three songs in particular made me think so (instant crash course in everything immediately likeable about city po right there), but after that I found that the album started dishing out diminishing returns despite the *bounteous fucking instrumentals* not getting discernibly worse. Whodunnit? Well, uh, the more attention I started paying Mamiya herself (which is a definite choice given how busy these arrangements are), the less convinced I was of her deal. Does she coast or carry here? I think more the former – “ALL OR NOTHING” is particularly unremarkable turn at the mic, and she’s far from the most personable. This record is slick, safe and very very saturated from start to finish, but I think its reclamation for the canon protests a little too loudly. “たそがれは銀箔の⋯” is a great lategame earworm though, by all means stick it out for that one.
3.5 | | 65 |  | Tohoku Shinkansen
Thru Traffic
1982
City pop
These guys are a girl-guy duo and oh boi does their guy have breezy highs. I could see these being a turn-off; I think I’m maybe quite sold on them? The girl has a bit of huskiness going on and/or the perfect reverb settings, and I am sold here too! This record bounced off me at first (as does most city pop tbh, very much a go-hard-or-go-home fix for me), *but* I think going into it again off the back of Love Trip made me appreciate their double act a little more – they bring a fair bit of character and cover ground! “September Vallentine”’s after-dinner schmoozer is just about sustained by charming vocal interplay, whereas the wistful third track gives me welcome Lamp vibes and the upbeat stuff at the start of the album butters your city pop bread just fine. “月に寄りそって” blends everything I like about this act into one Great Highlight (with a very cute title) and we are happy. Maybe this album has a little too much downtime, but it makes pretty good use of it so it’s hard to complain. Nice gem for those unafraid of city pop that *mopes*.
3.6 | | 66 |  | Yurie Kokubu
Relief 72 Hours
1983
City pop
First of all, Koboku is not a family name I have ever encountered before and the kanji used to form it are fucked. Sort those readings out, Japan.
Secondly, I remembered at this point how easily I get tired of city pop’s megasaturation approach and felt like I was forcefeeding myself porridge for a few songs.
HOWEVER, Yurie Koboku is alright and I like the way she carries a cheesy ballad (“Love Song”, “Last Woman”). The judgement of porridge was unfair on her, even if this isn’t going to change anyone’s mind about anything on city pop. It’s exuberant and dense: dig it or don’t. What did get me thinking is that “Dancing Tonight” is a) a bop, b) almost uncomfortably close to “Dancing in the Moonlight” in its BIG fecking HOOKS and, c) has made me realise that “Dancing in the Moonlight” has enough of a choppy history that I’m unsure how I confident in putting ‘80s Japan within its orbit. Was it that big a hit pre-’00s? Did it fizzle out after its initial ‘70s versions or was it *around* in the meantime? Who has the answers? Decent record.
3.4 | | 67 |  | Yasuaki Shimizu
Kakashi
1982
Art cat
Was expecting this one to show up! Weird blend of is-it-jazz is-it-minimalism is-it-pop is-it-avant-sneeze that reminds me very distantly of After Dinner; it did the rounds of Youtube algorithms a couple of years ago and I think parks threw it at me in between his rants about kids these days getting everything from the RYM frontpage. Huh. I think I listened to it, or at least some of it! Easy enough to see why it didn’t stick – it keeps its quirk very much on the rails but out of the engine room and runs off pacing too mild to be qool qult qlassic algorithm fodder, but not quite expansive enough to be ambient algorithm fodder. Is the post-minimalist condition?
Shit/catchy/dissemination -posting aside, this is a smooth record with a whole lotta character. Melodies have got that deceptive straightforwardness that makes you glaze out at first, only to read into them more and more the longer they play, which is a lot (is *that* the post-minimalist condition?). My conclusion is that I really enjoy them and listening to them sometimes? First two tracks move in and out of none another seamlessly, and “Semi Tori no Hi” is a bounteous highlight later on. The end combo loses me somewhat, but this good stuff for warm enigmatic catfeels – however, Hallelujahs did the cat artwork slightly better on a better record so how much is anything worth really?
3.6 | | 68 |  | Yasuaki Shimizu
Dementos
1988
Art pop / synthy new wave
Well, uh, this one sounds like an actual pop album? And therefore nothing at all like the cat album? Opener’s perky brass, female backing vocals and wow actually let’s dance please grooves are far more outgoing than anything on that record, but Dementos stays cooly and uh groovily within its sphere of midtempo cool, and I could see the likes of “I'm Dying For Love” really doing it for the trip-hop or downtempo gang. Think I preferred this to the cat album tbh, feels a lot less artsy but a lot more enlivening. Let’s go!
3.7 | | 69 |  | Susumu Yokota
Sakura
2000
Ambient
This pick is a pretty obvious one that I would have kinda expected this list to skip on – this is a pretty well regarded record outside of J-music nerds and tends to hold its own on the ambient circuit. Susumu Yokota has a really cool (very extensive!) discog, and none of the 6-7 albums I’ve heard from him are remotely bad; honestly I’d probably have ranked this one in the bottom half of those. Get Grinning Cat for your ambient house, Will and Sound of Sky for your deep house, and Symbol for your eerie ambient classical go-tos… Sakura’s lush, new age-y Eno-isms never quite topped my list for that fix, nor really chimed with the downtempo-adjacent fix I generally turn to Yokota for (“Shinsen” being one major exception that I jam all the time for its mesmeric loop).
OR SO I THOUGHT
Coming back now, a lot of this record is stunning in a way I’d never properly clicked with before. That opening combo is just sublime, and I cannot get enough of those layerings on “Tobiume”. Work those tones all the way to my soul. Love the clicking and tapping that ekes that creeping suspense out of “Gekkoh” too Not so sure about “Uchu Tanjyo” or the flanged downtempo beat in the otherwise spotless “Hisen” though – I like this record beatless, weightless and abstract (“Genshi”’s techno shimmer gets a pass for pure treacly goodness). That flock of smoooooth((glitchy)) vocals in “Azukiiro No Kaori” fuck me.
Similar to what I outlined into the blurb for , this is a set of relatively bite-sized ambient pieces and I think the record’s success hinges more on how well it repeatedly sustains a slightly different kind of reverie within individual tracks rather than on its (still adequate) cohesion as a whole. It’s got a neater spread of ideas than i remembered – not every track is distinct, but it scores enough highlights in enough guises to hold up as a good ambient composite record. This is such a melodically - harmonically! - rich album and Yokota’s ear for subtle timbral contrasts goes way beyond what I once passed off as semi-bland muchness. Gonna give this a substantial bump up, think it definitely holds its own as top-drawer Yokota (but do give some of his other work a good spin or three!)
3.9 | | 70 |  | Mariya Takeuchi
Variety
1984
City pop
…speaking of obvious picks, the fucking Plastic Love SINGLE is on this list a few pages in smdh ffs.
5.0 banger on an otherwise mid album. If you’re daytripping city pop for playlist fodder, this is a hard early peak; if you’re looking for something more substantive, you can do far better… | | 71 |  | Taeko Onuki
Sunshower
1977
City pop
…which brings us to Sunshower. Similar to the two records above, I’d be surprised if anyone reading this list hasn’t either heard this or heard *of* it enough to feel awkward about not having heard it, but this is still the best end-to-end city pop album I’ve heard and a righteous classic. Ryuichi Sakamoto’s direction and arrangements are a treat from start to finish and m m m m m what a perfect voice Taeko Onuki has. Ton of iconic songs across the board here – “Tokai” and “Karappo no Isu” in particular is a two-song genre peak, but this record is full of gems. Mmm.
4.1 | | 72 |  | Ryuichi Sakamoto
Thousand Knives Of
1978
Progressive electronic
This iconic motherload of an album also appears on the list, and so it shall appear here! I wrote in more detail about this one following Sakamoto’s passing earlier this year (RIP), but basically it’s a more expansive showcase of similar synth ideas to those YMO were playing with at the time it dropped. It’s packed full of timeless motifs and stylish progressions, was absurdly far ahead of its time, and has aged extremely well. Obligatory listening.
4.3 | | 73 |  | Ryuichi Sakamoto
B-2 Unit
1980
Experimental electronic
This one, on the other hand, is a lot harder to pin down and perhaps best appreciated as a technical exercise in its use of sequencer programming: it’s famously cold and dark record that casts a long shadow over ‘90s IDM and techno (I’ve seen everyone from Basic Channel to Autechre cited within its field of influence). “Riot in Lagos” (apparently) draws on Fela Kuti and (inDUBitably) dub production, and lays a groovier foundation that *sort-of* echoes through what became of hip hop with its hi-hat patterns (to be chased through by YMO’s BGM the following year, one of the first major records to incorporate the Roland 808 wow today I learned…)
All of which is plenty fucking cool, but I’ll be the first to attest to this one’s credentials as a proven pleb filter. More curio than classic in my book.
3.5 | | 74 |  | Ichiko Hashimoto
Beauty
1985
Art pop
DISCLAIMER: I ran out of time for active exploration of the list at this point, so from hereon (well, technically from Sakura) we’re mainly going to be rattling through records I’ve already heard. I’ll likely be digging through it a little less thoroughly in future based on findings so far.
Ichiko Hashimoto is a classically trained pop artiste, and my main issue with her music is that don’t you just bloody know it. These songs are smart on paper but rarely stirring in practice; I find her approach to songwriting and arrangement thoroughly proficient, but the performances uninspiring. Upbeat opener “I Love Your Music” is an immediate case in point, and although this is a pretty eclectic highlight, it doesn’t vindicate its range with sufficient highlights. “Pachacamac” is a cool blend of tones and slinky chromatic fuckery and “Naja Naja” decently infectious, but neither is enough to do more than hold the fort here.
Beauty is Hashimoto’s most famous and acclaimed work, though I would personally give the edge to the follow-up Vivant purely for its inclusion of the sweeping highlight “Venus”, and um yeah as far as pop goes, this is a little flat. Her talents are there, but they don’t extend to the flair or zaniness that this record demands.
3.4 | | 75 |  | Ichiko Hashimoto
Ichiko
1984
New age / classical
Ichiko Hashimoto’s new age piano debut does not (I think?) appear on the motherlist, but it is the best thing I’ve heard from her by a fair distance. Gorgeous mystical atmosphere on many of these tracks, “Sunken Star” is just stunning. Prioritise this one.
3.8 | | 76 |  | Yoshiko Sai
Mikkou
1976
Psychedelic folk
Aww damn, this record takes me *way* back! Clocked up a load of time with it, love love love the theatrical swell and ocean-traversing depth of Yoshiko Sai’s voice, as well as the mystique of these arrangements. Another cult classic practically destined for this list, I think this one holds up particularly well.
4.0 | | 77 |  | Yoshiko Sai
Mangekyou
1975
Psychedelic folk
Never warmed up to this quite as much Mikkou, but it’s a perfectly solid (if straightforward) package of vintage psych goodness within the sturdy framework of folk songwriting. Great comfort jams for the autumn months for sure.
Daiji no Yume was also included on the motherlist, and I am long overdue a spin of that – will have to leave it for another day I guess.
3.5 | | 78 |  | Jun Togawa
Tamahime-sama
1984
Art pop
Arguably the most emblematic record of this entire venture – Jun Togawa kept one foot each firmly in and out of the mainstream, upending the image of everything that “idol” could stand for with her Kafkaesque grotesquerie and erratic performance style. This is an iconic and highly influential album, but it took me a long time to warm to Togawa’s brash vocals and the blend of contorted and playful songwriting. By and large, the edgy shit (“昆虫軍”, “隣りの印度人”) reigns supreme over the comparatively conventional attempts at idol sweetness (“森の人々”, “憂悶の戯画”), and the title-track in particular makes for a twisted art pop triumph that epitomises everything oppressive and appealing about this record at once.
Some of the key tracks are recycled from Halmens records (which doubtless show up further ahead on the list, but are beyond my patience for the time being, new wave goofiness be damned), and there’s a disarmingly elegant cover of Palchelbel’s Canon at the end to see things off. Good stuff, if not always great, and at just under 30 minutes, it’s about as schedulable as an appointment as classic records come. I’m more about this one’s legacy and image than most of the actual music, but for the most part it does walk the walk.
Lukewarm take, but the TV commercial in which she briskly outlines the benefits of the bum-showering Japanese toilet is better than anything song here, and one of the best things in general. Please spoil yourselves: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j73V4X1XPKs
3.8 | | 79 |  | Haniwa-Chan
Sleep Paralysis
1984
Art pop
A perfect foil to Jun Togawa’s e d g y performance art! This record is a ton of fun, eclectic for the hell of it yet personable enough to wear its stray mix of sounds like a charm. Instrumentals are all over the damn shop, but have *bounce* at every stage (and some of the writing, e.g. second track “終わんないの”, is disarmingly tight for how scattergun the pitch is). I can see the cutesy vocals as a potential filter here, but this thing is such an exuberant, creative amble that I’d be amazed if you didn’t find *something* to like here. I will concede that it overstays its welcome and that BaselineOOO is abusing her powers as sputnik saviour in drastically overrating it, but *we move* we move the closer slaps we are good.
3.7 | | 80 |  | Les Rallizes Denudes
'77 Live
1991
Psychedelic / noise rock
Okay lol, this is the final stop I’m making. This is a groundbreaking scuzzy fuck classic even if the ground in question wasn’t widely visible for however many years after its recording. Fuck the Velvet Underground forever. Music as a whole arguably peaks on “Enter the Mirror” and I’m not going to make any further efforts to prove otherwise. We are here. At last.
4.5
Could probably make a girthy part 2 following up on some of the names here alone (Haino, Yokota, Hosono and Sakamoto all have huge discogs, and Yumi Matsutoya, Yoshiko Sai, Akina Nakamori, Jun Togawa and Taeko Onuki could always use more coverage here), let alone going further down the rabbithole. I'm done for the time being, but watch this space and pick out some good'uns if you've made it this far through. | |
JohnnyoftheWell
09.27.23 | Brb time to copypaste a zillion different blurbs lfg | Mort.
09.27.23 | ikd-sj is the one japanes band i know that u might not know
worlds end fruit basket is a good lp | Mort.
09.27.23 | oh sorry i didnt read properly/cant be fucked | Ryus
09.27.23 | oh yeah i need to listen to 29 | JohnnyoftheWell
09.27.23 | Yes! And both of you should check 10 (and more to come - sputnik is slower than ever rn and I need to add a bunch of shit to the database before updating ugh)
Mort, will peep when I've recovered enough from this to want to hear any music ever again | CugnoBrasso
09.27.23 | JohnnyoftheWeeb | JohnnyoftheWell
09.27.23 | I think the only weeb album on this whole list somehow ended up being 25 (and arguably 22) but um update update | JohnnyoftheWell
09.27.23 | Alright final UPDATE, that's the month done | Mort.
09.27.23 | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34pXBofF1Qc
if you fuck with that track then bother with it, if not then dont! no harm done | someone
09.27.23 | "someone who fucks with noise and abrasion"
I'll have you know that I never perform copulation in silence or in gentle ways. | someone
09.27.23 | I see why you've been behind on reviews now.
Happy for the Itsuroh shoutout
Also, we doin a Yumi Matsutoya revival or what? | JohnnyoftheWell
09.27.23 | scream baby scream
as is probs painfully clear from the state of those blurbs, I have v little to say on Yumi other than that she's great and I like her. could probably stretch my Misslim blurb to review length with a bit of jolly cooperation? | AsleepInTheBack
09.27.23 | My god.
Pos. | SteakByrnes
09.27.23 | japan! | Uzumaki
09.27.23 | All you need now for this list is the approval of Discovolante | Ryus
09.27.23 | i went to japan once it was cool | AsleepInTheBack
09.27.23 | Did you listen to all of this in September BECAUSE if so then GOLF CLAP | Havey
09.27.23 | ^someone didn't read the intro! but 3 japanese albums per day wouldn't have been very impressive anyway compared to baseline in her prime (2010-11)
now put this random discogs scrub up on the LEADERBOARD how does he stack up against our website's finest reccers? | JohnnyoftheWell
09.27.23 | Nah, I rejammed about two thirds of the records I already knew in at least some capacity, and the vast majority of the new ones got multiple plays
This discogs kid is a tricky customer! Will count stuff on his list only brb | Pikazilla
09.27.23 | johnny have you gone to japan at all after your triumphant return to the motherland | DocSportello
09.27.23 | 29 is so good!! listened to it two times back-to-back which is p rare for me these days. Amazing list Johnny, you rule, I read some this morning and looking forward to finishing it later – and also checkin' some of these out! | AsleepInTheBack
09.27.23 | Ah cool
Johnny rec me one of these pls | JohnnyoftheWell
09.27.23 | 8 is v you, 10 and 29 probably too. or 54.
43 and 47 are solid recs for anyone // 71 and 72 are essentials if you ain't heard them | SlothcoreSam
09.27.23 | Needs more J-Punk.
Where can one find 40? I wanna check it | AsleepInTheBack
09.27.23 | Sweet 8 sounds eh but will browse 10 and 29 | AsleepInTheBack
09.27.23 | Ooh and maybe 54 | neekafat
09.27.23 | isn't every month for you japan month | JohnnyoftheWell
09.27.23 | """someone didn't read the intro!"""
8 is cute, peep the first song or two or then make a call - think you'd dig it more than me, just goes on a bit long (i trust your tolerance for lazy indie folkboi stodge, same with neek)
but yeah those other three are better lol
and um 40 is one easy slsk away, people are sharing it | Icebloom
09.28.23 | That's a l o t of words, cool list
Will peep some of these that seem interesting | AsleepInTheBack
09.28.23 | Nah I like my indie folk nonsense concise, the length is the thing that puts me off, will consider though | Deez
09.28.23 | Corrupted >>>>All | MiloRuggles
09.28.23 | i will never accuse you of neglecting your homework ever again. nice, i read a chunk but must subscribe for later perusal. shortboi Haino sounds nice, will check that and the first big rec soon (though i am consuming music like a thickshake through a straw atm) | Minortimbo12
09.28.23 | The sheer dissapointment I encountered whilst seeing that johnny has two featured lists at the same time is indescribable | granitenotebook
09.28.23 | good list | JohnnyoftheWell
09.28.23 | hope you FIX THAT STRAW milo, wanna hear m'boi slurping + cheers granite
+ cheers whoever featured this, timbo's hoggish disgruntlement is a top 5 sput currency this yr | Minortimbo12
09.28.23 | does that mean i can sell that comment for money | JohnnyoftheWell
09.28.23 | this site only endorses non-profit copes i am sorry | Minortimbo12
09.28.23 | damn
worthless site fr | GmemberKills
09.28.23 | this list is massive.. so much i love, lots of things i've dipped my toes in, and some stuff i really need to check out
i'll probably comeback and comment on other albums, but to talk about Akina I really enjoyed reading your thoughts on them. Fushigi is pretty divisive even among fans, but it's cool you dig it. If you really want more of that sound you can check her Wonder EP (which features some of the same tracks just with her vox higher in the mix) or Eurox - Megatrend which is the band that helped make the album.
Bitter & Sweet is classic though, and i'm not sorry for loving the opener to Unbalance + Balance. even if admittedly a lot of times the ballads are usually the weak point on these era j-pop albums.
If you ever get the urge to check out more Akina you should jam her debut (her voice sounds so young!), 87' CD (amazing single comp), Stock (she goes full rock) or Crimson (beautiful ballads and stuff written by Mariya Takeuchi. | DadKungFu
09.28.23 | Damn crazy good list bookmarked | loveisamixtape
09.28.23 | v nice | Trifolium
09.29.23 | Johnnnnyyyy this list is IMMENSE. What. Are any of these especially Trif-worthy or should I just randomly select one if my eye falls on it? | Demon of the Fall
09.29.23 | yeah, this is DENSE. I've only heard like 5 things here but all of them were at worst interesting and best magical, so erm maybe I should dig deeper
Some of the tags seem encouraging at first glance | JohnnyoftheWell
09.29.23 | Um Trif!!! 15/17/30/31/43/44/54/72 probs viable checks for u | Elynna
09.29.23 | I loved reading through these blurbs. As for Nobue Kawana, I cannot recommend her album enough to everyone. It is a very special record and (potentially) a folk pop classic in the making. Not only did she manage to create a feeling of melancholy and eeriness, for me her record is also heartwarming and characterized by a certain sense of lightheartedness. Only recently did I find out of her early passing and that her album was released posthumously by her friends. It added that much more emotional weight for me (much like Julee Cruise’s Floating Into the Night) that it didn’t take long to gain a 5 status after that. It’s just damn unfair that she never got to witness the enormous positive reception and popularity her recordings were to gain decades later. Rest in peace Nobue.
I’ll be checking out #29 for sure. Only heard ドラム (Drum) and was very impressed. | loveisamixtape
10.11.23 | 3 songs into 15 and it’s so good | JohnnyoftheWell
10.11.23 | aww yes, third track on 15 is my absolute fav I think - looooove how effortlessly her voice floats there
also @Elynna super cool to hear about your experience with 3 before knowing the story - obvs agree that it's an amazing record outside of the backstory, but really nice to have your insight into why. Also, still need to hear Drum, will peep more of his work soon | JohnnyoftheWell
01.22.24 | it is time to pick up the list. | AsleepInTheBack
01.23.24 | BUt ITs TOo HEAVy |
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