News - Four Musketeers (Yonjuushi)

Well, this has got to be one of the strangest major pop releases of the year. It's not often you hear a pop track based entirely on a classical symphony piece, but Four Musketeers uses Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini by Rachmaninoff as its backbone, complete with copious breaks for a string section and orchestral flourishes. This sounds right up my alley, but the first time I heard the track I was very let down. I've loved almost all of News' past releases, but the underwhelming, almost droning chorus in this song was not what I expected. That said, the second time I listened to this was a bit of a revelation. I'm not sure I've ever made such a drastic turn with a song before. Suddenly, it all made sense. Better than that, I greatly admire the fact that this is a very non-traditional single release while still remaining incredibly hooky, albeit with some strangely mellow and almost anti-pop hooks. That crescendo that rounds out each chorus certainly helps, along with the general cheesiness of the song and video. All together, it's yet another reason why it's hard for me to go back to western music.


N - Y by Aysohmay

B1A4 - Happy Days

One nice thing about Japanese releases (particularly those by Korean artists) is that, even though they're announced way too early, sometimes we get a nice surprise and the music video for the single is put out weeks in advance. This happened last week with B1A4, who just happen to be one of my most favorite K-Pop groups. Better yet, unlike many Japanese releases, Happy Days is a strong return to the group's more fun, poppy side. It's like What's Happening part two (except not as perfect). I haven't been able to confirm, but I'm assuming this was written by leader Jinyoung, just like most of the group's singles. The video is cheesy as hell, but the song itself is super catchy, super upbeat and represents the sound I hope they go for when it comes to their next Korean comeback.



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Arashi - Kokoro no Sora (Heart of the Sky)

Japan's biggest boy band (man band?) Arashi is back with a new album, Japonism. At twenty-one tracks, it's a bit of a behemoth. I gave it a listen last night and, other than the singles, I can't say much stood out to me. Based on the title, I was hoping that more songs would sound like this one, using traditional instrumentation and melodies and fusing it with something new. I did hear a bit of that in some tracks, but overall it kind of blended together into one boring slog. I think I need to explore some more, particularly since I loved their last album. This new single, however, is fantastic. Yes, it's pretty cheesy and gimmicky, but what a fun gimmick it is. The first time through, I thought the hook was a bit much, but I loved the drums and guitars. Now that I understand what the song's meant to be, I absolutely love every bit of it. Fun fact: the prominent guitar is played by Hotei Tomoyasu, the same legend who collaborated with Infinite for their excellent Dilemma at the end of the last year!

Kat-Tun - Dead Or Alive

I already wrote about Japanese group Kat-Tun back in July, but I wanted to make sure I touched on this track, which was released at the start of 2015, because it'll undoubtedly appear on my end-of-year countdown. The fact is, my last few weeks have been consumed with J-Pop by Kat-Tun, News, and to a lesser extent, Arashi. It feels like stumbling upon a holy grail that I didn't even know had existed. Dead Or Alive is a magnificent, symphonic pop track. In fact, it was the first Kat-Tun song I had ever listened to, around the time it was originally released. I'm not sure why I didn't investigate further back then, but I'm so glad that I've become devoted now. This is one hell of grand, theatrical pop song. That skeletal dance beat keeps it from going full-on Phantom of the Opera, while the instrumental build before the last chorus tips it into total nirvana. Songs like this are rare (and almost nonexistent in Western music), which just makes it all the more special. Luckily, even though the accompanying EP doesn't really keep the sound of Dead Or Alive, it's quite strong as well.

[PV] KAT-TUN - Dead or Alive
Posted by Sunrise Nippon ♥ on Saturday, January 24, 2015

Arashi - Under the Blue Sky, Next to You

I think I've hit a wall in my new J-Pop obsession, but on my side of the wall is a trio of amazing groups all under leading music agency Johnny's Entertainment. I've already written about Kat-Tun and News, my two favorites, and now it's time for the country's biggest boyband, Arashi. Arashi have been around a little longer and, as such, are a little older. I don't think I'll be a fan of all of their material, but they have a handful of tracks that have this big, almost orchestral sound to them (make sure to check out Sakura, Nobody Knows and Breathless as well) that I'm absolutely obsessed with. Their newest single, which translates to Under the Blue Sky, Next to You, has a monster of a chorus. It reminds me of something my beloved Infinite would have knocked out a couple of years ago when they were still working exclusively with Sweetune. Those layered vocals... that abundant sound... it's the kind of thing I just live for. Unfortunately, it's ridiculously hard to find links to Johnny's Entertainment groups, so I'm embedding a low quality video below.

【PV】 Aozora no Shita, Kimi no Tonari
【PV】 Aozora no Shita, Kimi no Tonari Credit: Kiss Spirit ★Reiko★
Posted by Arashi Way on Saturday, May 9, 2015

w-inds. - In Love With The Music

Earlier this month, K-Pop group Shinee got "Married to the Music." Even before that, though, J-Pop group w-inds. was "In Love with the Music." I like to think that these two songs are related, and it's not just because of the titles. Both groups are mining a very discofied, MJ-before-he-was-MJ style of 70's dance pop for their latest releases. It's actually a trend I've been noticing in Asian music for the past few months, and while I can't say it's my absolute favorite decade to throw back to, the trend has resulted in some pretty awesome songs. Now about w-inds... I've been exploring the vast world of J-Pop for the past month or so. It's super exciting, but pretty difficult due to the fact that Japan doesn't make it as easy as Korea for foreigners to discover new music. Recommendations are always helpful, but sometimes the itunes store is also my friend. Much of the poppier side of J-Pop doesn't seem to be available there, but I discovered w-inds. through the store. I don't think they'll be the type of band where I end up loving every single thing they release, but this most recent single is pretty undeniable. It's so catchy and summery, and I love the big drums in the breakdown.

News - Kaguya

When I start investigating something, I get borderline obsessive. It's my favorite time as a music fan. It's like unlocking a new level in a game. It was like that when I first started delving into the world of K-Pop (a world I am extremely confident in navigating nowadays). Over the past week or so, I finally made the leap to J-Pop. I already posted a track by Kat-Tun last week, which is one of two groups that I've been fawning over. Now I feel compelled to post this one from News, which is a senior group on the same label as Kat-Tun. Now, the music video is quite something. I don't *think* it's meant to be funny, but I find it fascinating that the director (or the artists?) determined that this kind of posing and wardrobe would be "sexy." It's incredibly effeminate for sure, which is actually totally awesome but a bit jarring to the Western eye. I know that the song is based on a Japanese folktale about a princess, so maybe that has something to do with it. The track itself is epic, though. The jackhammer chorus, coupled with the incredibly bombastic production, has been lodged in my head for days now. It could easily become the first true J-Pop song to find its way onto my end-of-year countdown come December. (And let's be honest, as awkward as it is, the music video is kind of addictively strange).

**No posts for the next week because, speaking of K-Pop, I'll be enjoying two nights of concerts in L.A. at KCON! (I'll make sure to report back)

KAT-TUN - Come Here

I'm kind of on a mission. Not that there isn't enough awesome K-Pop to keep me going forever, but I'm also trying to dip a toe into the gigantic and sometimes very weird pool that is J-Pop. I don't think I'll ever be a massive fan for a number of reasons, including aural aesthetics that just don't completely align with my personal taste, but I want to get familiar. In my brief studies, I ran into a group called KAT-TUN that sounds a bit more on the K-Pop side. In particular, I've been giving a lot of love to their most recent full-length album. The title track reminded me of a Shinee single the first time I heard it. Then I went on wikipedia and, lo and behold, it's because it shares some writers that have worked on Shinee material in the past. Even so, Come Here is a dynamite slice of hyper active power pop. More than anything, it's a great bridge that will hopefully give me some confidence to continue exploring. I'm wondering, are any of my readers J-Pop fans? If so, what would you recommend? I'm dreaming of finding something that sounds like Infinite, but I'm doubtful that it exists.

Romeo - Give Me Your Heart

We're going to travel back in time a couple of years today. Over the weekend, I started familiarizing with one of Korea's most popular second generation idol groups, SS501. They were active as a group until 2010, at which point the members started embarking on solo careers. I was already familiar with member Heo Young-saeng, because he did some awesome work with my favorite production team, Sweetune. But on Saturday, I started to get obsessed with the more theatrical work of Park Jung-min, who released his best recordings in Japan under the moniker Romeo. His album Midnight Theatre, in particular, is filled with extremely propulsive, well-produced dramatic pop/dance music. The soaring chorus of Give Me Your Heart is undeniable. The melody is gargantuan in scope, sung with a palpable sense of urgency and desperation. It's the kind of track I fell in love with based only on a 30-second clip. But lucky you! Because you've got the whole thing to enjoy below. I'd especially urge my fellow Melodifestivalen/Eurovision fans to give this a lesson, because it would fit right in on either of those programs.

Namie Amuro - Fashionista

The name Namie Amuro has been on my radar for well over a decade, and for good reason because she has been one of the biggest Japanese pop stars since the mid-nineties. For some reason I was under the impression that she performed mainly ballads, but then I listened to the previews of her new album and was floored by how awesome (and uptempo!) it is. Better than that, Amuro has released a piece of work that sounds like the perfect updated version of a classic Madonna-mixed-with-Kylie 90's dance album. It really does sound of an era, and it just happens to be my era. It's an incredibly refreshing, strong collection of songs. I could pick almost any of them to feature today, but I think I want to share Fashionista, which was a single a few months ago. It's catchy from the get-go... a real club track with an ever changing, dramatic melody and production. Sometimes it sounds kind of like something Shinee would have released in 2012-2013. But the real musical touchstones are still Madonna and Kylie. If you like this song, you'll love the album!



(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. Buy the album here. Follow me on twitter and facebook.

B1A4 - White Miracle

This is for all those in the Northeast that are getting hammered with snow. I figured it might be nice to watch a music video where the snowscapes are gorgeous rather than apocalyptic. Plus, it seems like we're not getting any snow (again) in the Northwest, so I admit I'm a little jealous. Taking weather out of the picture, I was going to post this track anyway because B1A4 are one of my absolute favorite bands these days. I am obsessed with leader Jinyoung's unique vocal tone, and the fact that he composes most of the group's music is incredibly admirable. White Miracle is a Japanese single. More often than not, these feel more uneventful and unexciting than their Korean counterparts. That's true here as well. The song is more "pleasant" and "pretty" than "impactful" or "essential," but sometimes that's okay. The melody is beautiful and builds fantastically. Very soothing, for these short winter days.



(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. Buy the single here. Follow me on twitter and facebook.

Shinee - Password

I know a lot of you are probably wondering why this mostly-Euro-centric blog has been upping the K-Pop content over the past year. You may think it's just a phase. I thought it would be too, but I am fully invested in Asian music, now. Obviously, I've still got way more English-language stuff on tap, but I can't ignore some of the awesomeness coming from the east. And for this year, top of the list in Awesomeness goes to Shinee. They've done something remarkable in releasing three (!) albums of stellar quality over the past six months. First there were their double Korean releases, Dream Girl and Why So Serious, and now they've put out their second full-length Japanese album. So, technically, this is J-Pop. While being a bit ballad heavy, Boys Meet U is an excellent collection of songs -- better than Why So Serious, in my mind, but not quite as amazing as Dream Girl. The guys (or rather, the production team behind them) are really experimenting with their sound. I love the ferocious dubstep-meets-punk Kiss Yo. But Password, which opens the album, is even more impressive. It's full-on electric psychedelia. The spacey instrumental in the hook reminds me of the 70's (particularly ELO and Elton John's stellar Funeral For A Friend). The melody is equally grandiose. Even if you've been unimpressed with the Asian music I've been posting the last few months, check this out because it's different and very, very cool.



(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists. Buy the album here. Follow me on twitter and facebook.