Since the K-pop has been pretty successful, I thought it would be good to start one for Japanese music.
For those unfamiliar, popular music in Japan spans just about every genre we think of as contemporary in the US. Although there was initially some doubt about performing Western-style music in Japanese, J-pop and J-rock have existed in a commercial capacity for decades, with roots going back to the 60s.
Now for some videos.
Utada Hikaru - Utada is the quintessential J-pop star, and probably the most well-known worldwide. She wrote and recorded her debut album (under the name Cubic U) in 1998 at the age of 15, but first saw success the following year with her commercial debut First Love... which went on to become the bestselling album in Japanese history. In contrast with a lot of J-pop singers (who focus on looking and sounding cute), her music is more serious, and she is a skilled songwriter. She was born and grew up in New York, and has released 2 major label albums in the US.
Shiina Ringo - This is my favorite artist, period. She is a singer/songwriter with a unique voice and eclectic style, covering a wide range of genres including jazz, rock, and classical. Until recently, she was also the frontwoman for the amazing rock band Tokyo Jihen.
Dir en Grey - Diru (as they're called) is a heavy band with a lot of success in the US, especially considering that their songs are all either in Japanese or indecipherable Engrish. Throughout the years, their style has covered a lot of ground. They started out as a visual kei band (kind of like a gothic glam rock) but are now more of an artistic metalcore band.
BoA - Boa Kwon, the "queen of K-pop", is also a very successful pop artist in Japan. Her music veers pretty consistently toward either dance pop or ballads, and she has until recently not had much to do with the writing process. She has also released an English-language dance album in 2009, but it unfortunately failed to receive much promotion in the US.
I'll be back later with a few more artists.... Domo!
Fuck yes, we up in this! I keep trying to find that new Namie Amuro album, to no avail. Checked out one of the AKB48 singles from this year, but didn't think too much of it, as well as Mami Kawada's album, which I thought was boring as hell.
Boa & SNSD, this J-Music thread is off to a great start...smh
BoA has always been much more popular in Japan than she has been in Korea. She has a large number of records that are in Japanese and released exclusively in Japan. Same goes for SNSD. They may be from Korea, but a lot of their records are essentially Jpop records.
School Food Punishment will always be my favorite japanese band... RIP
I miss them so much, in one year two of my favorite Japanese bands broke up. Although I will say their full-lengths were a bit lacking compared to their EPs.
Damn I remember FACT. They were signed to Vagrant, not sure if they still are. They also toured with Senses Fail and A Skylit Drive. I don't think much came from their American promotions. Never heard any of their full albums, but the few songs I heard were somewhat intriguing.
BoA has always been much more popular in Japan than she has been in Korea. She has a large number of records that are in Japanese and released exclusively in Japan. Same goes for SNSD. They may be from Korea, but a lot of their records are essentially Jpop records.
Yeah you've got to be kidding if you don't think BoA is one of the most influential artists in Japanese music. Anyway, for the sake of the thread, all that really matters is that the music's based in the Japanese market and/or lyrics are in Japanese.
Damn I remember FACT. They were signed to Vagrant, not sure if they still are. They also toured with Senses Fail and A Skylit Drive. I don't think much came from their American promotions. Never heard any of their full albums, but the few songs I heard were somewhat intriguing.
This friend of mine had their record In The Blink Of An Eye (which is the album that contains Slip Of The Lip) on his computer, I listened to it and I found it fresh and catchy, I highly recommend it to you, dude. Right now, they're no longer on Vagrant, they've signed to japanese label maximum10.
Damn I remember FACT. They were signed to Vagrant, not sure if they still are. They also toured with Senses Fail and A Skylit Drive. I don't think much came from their American promotions. Never heard any of their full albums, but the few songs I heard were somewhat intriguing.
This friend of mine had their record In The Blink Of An Eye (which is the album that contains Slip Of The Lip) on his computer, I listened to it and I found it fresh and catchy, I highly recommend it to you, dude. Right now, they're no longer on Vagrant, they've signed to japanese label maximum10.
yeah Vagrant wasn't too keen on the (lack of) success of the self-titled record. I remember Alt Press writing them a negative (and poorly written) review on the record. it also sucked for them that their first tour here they got into a van accident and had to go back home. they're coming around to some of the US again soon though, but I was bummed since no dates were anywhere near me. but yeah, they've done 2 full lengths and an EP since doing that self-titled record. serious shame that they aren't big here. It seemed as though they were really hoping for success over here specifically, working with American producers and such, but hey, its gotten them wayyy bigger in Japan.
favorite japanese band for sure. have gotten to see them live once (on a floor too!) and it was incredible. their mid-career stuff is definitely my favorite, a good balance with the screamo and post-rock sound.
I only have their latest full-length SENSE and I enjoyed it quite a bit, what else should I check out by them, they have such a large discography.
Also thanks again for the Perfume stuff, Spending All My Time is top notch stuff.
favorite japanese band for sure. have gotten to see them live once (on a floor too!) and it was incredible. their mid-career stuff is definitely my favorite, a good balance with the screamo and post-rock sound.
Yeah their mid-career records are defintely their best, they blend the whole screamo and post-rock thing quite well. I do enjoy all their stuff. Hoping for a new album soon, although they took a long time to follow-up Insomniac Dace.
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