I, personally, am a fan of various kinds of music, but in particular, I have a large collection of J-pop, mixed with a little J-rock and the occasional more traditional Japanese piece. I try to listen and decipher words here and there while I'm learning the lyrics. I guess part of my affinity for foreign music would be my love of languages, but that's another topic altogether.
I have a few favorite artists, but I wanted to know what others thought about Japanese music.
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I used to have some favorite Japanese bands/performers, but I haven't heard much lately that flips my skirt. Older bands/performers I have seriously liked include:
Cocco--Depressing, but brilliant. Recently made an impressive comeback.
UA--Not so depressing, and in many ways more brilliant.
The Boom--Great band that incorporated a huge variety of influences. What ever became of them?
I suppose my overall favorite these days is UTADA Hikaru, who I think once made it into the top 40 in the U.S., though I may be wrong. She has an amazing voice/range, and is also quite diverse. Some of her songs are duds, but most are great. I often play my whole Utada collection on repeat mode in iTunes. (BTW, most of Utada's stuff can be purchased through the Apple Music Store, U.S.A. I also searched for UA there, but for some reason, though her name came up under the genre "J-Pop," none of her material was actually listed. Too bad. She's awesome. Neither Cocco nor the Boom are listed there.)
Except for The Boom, these are all female singers. I told you I like girls.
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I think Spitz is the best Japanese band out there: they actually write their songs and play instruments, their songs are easy to learn for karaoke, and they don't throw ridiculous English words/phrases into every song for no good reason.
Yes, I like Utada Hikaru too. As far as female singers go, I like Ringo Shiina for her nasal kind of quirky sound. She's unique in my book. I don't necessarily have a favorite, but I have a few. Among many others, I like Buck-Tick and Dir en Grey.
I don't know UA, Cocco, The Boom or Spitz, I'll have to check them out.
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How could I have forgotten Shiina Ringo? At one point she was all I was listening to. As for Spitz, I think of them as very competent and reliable pop band, but not very inspiring. But that's just my tastes. Like I wrote elsewhere, I'm an aging punk/new-waver.
Here are three songs by Cocco. (Direct downloads from Megaupload) I'll try to post some more tunes later.
You set out on the sea
To protect the one you love
To build something of value
You came all this way
Fighting through the storm
Surviving the high winds
この港はいい所よ
朝陽がきれいなの
住みつく人もいるのよ
ゆっくり休みなさい
疲れた羽根を癒すの
This port is a good place
The morning sun is lovely
Some people settle down here for good
Rest as long as you like
Heal your tired wings
だけど飛魚のアーチをくぐって
宝島が見えるころ
何も失わずに
同じでいられると思う？
But by the time you've passed under the arch of flying fish
And Treasure Island is in sight
Do you believe you can remain the same
Having lost nothing at all?
Don't look off in the distance
Talking about the future of your beloved
Can you hear the voice?
"Come to my room
"I'll give you something sweet
"I'll hold you in my arms"
You made a solemn vow, didn't you?
I know all about that.
"We loved each other so much."
You reassured each other again and again
And you left the island, believing
だけど飛魚のアーチをくぐって
宝島に着いた頃
あなたのお姫様は
誰かと腰を振ってるわ
But by the time you've passed under the arch of flying fish
And Treasure Island is in sight
Your princess will be grinding her hips
With someone else
人は強いものよ
とても強いものよ
People are strong
So very strong
そうよ飛魚のアーチをくぐって
宝島がみえるころ
何も失わずに
同じでいられると思う？
That's right; by the time you've passed under the arch of flying fish
And Treasure Island is in sight
Do you believe you can remain the same
Having lost nothing at all?
きっと飛魚のアーチをくぐって
宝島に着いた頃
あなたのお姫様は
誰かと腰を振ってるわ
I'm sure that by the time you've passed under the arch of flying fish
And Treasure Island is in sight
Your princess will be grinding her hips
With someone else
人は強いものよ
そして儚いもの
People are so strong
And so very fragile
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There are just so many that could be named. It seems like the industry is overflowing with new talent despite the sales not being as well as in the past.
Well, it's on the top of the list for me and is all that I listen to; from Berryz Kobo, *Snow, Morning Musume, °C-ute, Asami Yamamoto (she's missing in action though for about two years now), Utada Hiakru, Sowelu, BoA, Maaya Sakamoto, KOTOKO, Eiko Shimamiya, Shota Shimizu..... I could go on, and on, there are just too many great artists; awesome music.
Agreed Banjuu. There are a lot more than I can list that are good. Many I actually haven't heard. The 3 that I enjoy the most are kinda clubby & happy. Capsule Perfume Ram Rider
Perhaps I'll up some samples.
desioner
If you don't want to check out all the samples, at least try Tokyo Brass Style, Jazztronik, Capsule/Perfume (same producer), and Tokyo Jihen/Shiina Ringo (related groups). I've got full albums for all and many more, so if anyone wants recommendations let me know.
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If you just read the lyrics, it sounds like a standard love song, but she sings it with just a touch of scary psychosis, kind of like 
And did I mention she's a babe? 
