Likes or Dislikes regarding Japanese Music

[Astb]

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.

 

[indreamsiwalk]

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. :evillaugh:

 

[gaijindavid]

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.

 

[Astb]

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.

 

[indreamsiwalk]

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. :dunno:

Here are three songs by Cocco. (Direct downloads from Megaupload) I'll try to post some more tunes later.

The Strong and Fragile (強く儚い者たち Tsuyoku hakanai monotachi, 1997)

The Way of the Beast (けもの道 Kemono michi, 2000)

Speed-of-Sound Punch (音速パンチ Onsoku panchi, 2006)

And just to give you a taste of what her lyrics are like, here's my translation of the first song, along with the original Japanese:

強く儚い者たち The Strong and Fragile

愛する人を守るため
大切なもの築くため
海へ出たのね
嵐の中で戦って
突風の中生きのびて
ここへ来たのね

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?

人は弱いものよ
とても弱いものよ

People are weak
So very weak

愛する人の未来など
遠い目のまま言わないで
声が聞こえる？
私の部屋へいらっしゃい
甘いお菓子をあげましょう
抱いてあげましょう

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"

固い誓い交わしたのね
そんなの知ってるわ
“あんなに愛し合った”と
何度も確かめ合い
信じて島を出たのね

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

 

[Banjuu]

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.

 

[desioner]

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

 

[guy]

My playlist as of late has consisted of mostly jrock and shibuya-kei, with some other random genres. Highlights:

capsule (sample)
chatmonchy (sample)
coltemonikha (sample)
copter4016882 (sample)
danceman (sample)
jazztronik (sample)
jill-decoy association (sample)
makai (sample)
m-flo (sample)
perfume (sample)
school food punishment (sample)
soulhead (sample)
中島美嘉/NAKAJIMA Mika (sample)
東京ブラススタイル/Tokyo Brass Style (sample)
東京事変/Tokyo Jihen (sample)
椎名林檎/SHIINA Ringo (sample)

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.
:goodmood:

 

[handyman]

I really like Eriko Hashimoto's voice from chatmonchy!

Never heard of them before. Thanks for the heads up guy!

You guys should come and join the Music Appreciation Club!!! (nudge, nudge, wink, wink)

 

[indreamsiwalk]

SHIINA Ringo (Tokyo Jihen) is one of my all-time favorites, Japanese or otherwise. And, she's a babe. :evillaugh:

歌舞伎町の女王 (The Queen of Kabuki District)
丸の内サディスティック (Marunouchi Sadistic)
本能 (Instinct)
茎 (Stem)
罪と罰 (Crime and Punishment)
闇に降る雨 (Rain That Falls in the Dark)
ここでキスして。 (Kiss Me Right Here.) One of my favorites! :moe: 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 Soft Cell's version of "Tainted Love". Gives me goosebumps. Here's a live version that's even more intense. :dies:

Ringo writes all her own songs and music. :bingo: And did I mention she's a babe? erfectplan:

 

[Sakunyuusha]

You guys sound like you would know, so I'll ask here (sorry if this is slightly off-topic, but) ... is it typical for Japanese CDs to cost more than $20? I was recently interested in purchasing some of Otsuka Ai's / 大塚愛's work and was shocked to find that her cheapest CD sold for like $25 and much of her stuff sells in excess of $40. I mean, call me crazy, but it's tough to break from piracy and support the industry when they're asking you to give 'em as much as four CDs in America would cost. And that's before you tack on S&H!

I'm not well-versed enough in non-anime non-J-drama non-video game Japanese music to contribute much to this thread, other than to say that some of my favorite songs include:

• SMAP - Sekai ni Hitotsu dake no Hana
• Do As Infinity - Fukai Mori (never seen InuYasha )
• Otsuka Ai's well-known Sakuranbo and Amaenbo

And a teacher of mine introduced me to The Boom via their hit Shima Uta, which I enjoy to this day although I've never sampled any of the band's other works. ^^;

 

[nosihc]

i liked fastbeat japanese music
mainwhile,anime theme song do add lot of bouns

 

[joesushi]

I am also a Spitz fan. One of the first Japanese bands I heard about. A few of my favorite artists include:

Beat Crusaders
Asian Kung-Fu Generation
Lunkhead
Base Ball Bear
Acidman
Special Others
Chatmonchy
The Back Horn
Quruli
Cornelius
Halfby
DJ Baku
Shing02
Rumi

 

[indreamsiwalk]

You guys sound like you would know, so I'll ask here (sorry if this is slightly off-topic, but) ... is it typical for Japanese CDs to cost more than $20? I was recently interested in purchasing some of Otsuka Ai's / 大塚愛's work and was shocked to find that her cheapest CD sold for like $25 and much of her stuff sells in excess of $40. I mean, call me crazy, but it's tough to break from piracy and support the industry when they're asking you to give 'em as much as four CDs in America would cost. And that's before you tack on S&H!

I'm not well-versed enough in non-anime non-J-drama non-video game Japanese music to contribute much to this thread, other than to say that some of my favorite songs include:

• SMAP - Sekai ni Hitotsu dake no Hana
• Do As Infinity - Fukai Mori (never seen InuYasha )
• Otsuka Ai's well-known Sakuranbo and Amaenbo

And a teacher of mine introduced me to The Boom via their hit Shima Uta, which I enjoy to this day although I've never sampled any of the band's other works. ^^;

Yeah, Japanese CDs are expensive, and always have been. For example, the price of the much-anticipated debut album by Superfly is 3,150 yen new from Amazon.co.jp, and the lowest priced used copy is 2,800 yen. The album costs 2,200 yen from iTunes Japan. That's typical. Any CD that costs less than 2,000 yen is probably a single or "EP" with less than four songs. DVDs are generally expensive, too. :dunno: You used to need a credit card issued from a Japanese bank to get an account on iTunes Japan, but they may have dropped that requirement. I have accounts on both the U.S. and Japanese iTunes. I don't know how common music piracy is in Japan, but I think it's less common than in the U.S..

The Boom is (was) fantastic. They were one of the first Japanese bands that made me feel that Japan had finally moved beyond simply imitating American/British rock/pop and become something that non-Japanese should pay attention to. Their's is truly "world music," combining influences from Okinawa, Ainu (Hokkaido), reggae, ska, salsa, calypso, country-western, and anything else that suits their needs. MIYAZAWA Kazufumi is a brilliant songwriter and singer and a fantastic entertainer.

Here are some good The Boom songs I tracked down on YouTube. Be warned: the video quality on some is horrible.

Island Song (Shima uta 島唄)
I Want to Become the Wind (Kaze ni naritai 風になりたい)
Love Letter from the Stars (Hoshi no rabu retaa 星のラブレター)
Maybe I'll Go Home (Kaerou ka na 帰ろうかな)
Riding a Hot-Air Balloon (Kikyuu ni notte 気球に乗って)
Letter (Tegami 手紙)
Ii an bee (いいあんべえ, written almost entirely in the indigenous language of Okinawa; performed with the Kick The Can Crew, one of the earliest popular rap groups in Japan)
berangkat (ブランカ)

God, some of these songs still give me goosebumps 15 years later. :moe:

Here's a sweet chanson duet of Miyazawa and YANO Akiko (whose voice I love):

Harmony of Two (Futari no haamonii 二人のハーモニー)

And here's another heartrending collaboration between The Boom and Yano. I can't listen to this without getting misty. :cry::

Let's Go Fishing (Tsuri ni ikou 釣りに行こう--Sorry, no video included in this one.)

For some reason I was possessed (once again) with an urge to translate, so here's my translation of the last song, "Let's Go Fishing." The words themselves seem simple enough, but in their voices there is melancholy, as if childhood sweethearts who have grown apart are looking back on something precious and lost.

LET'S GO FISHING
The Boom & YANO Akiko

SHE:

Umpteen years ago, I was still smaller than you.
I was always looking up at the mole on your chin.
As for you, you were always covered with mud.
A bat's lullaby, napping both morning and afternoon.
When I opened my eyes, you told nothing but lies.
And every time I pretended to be fooled.

TOGETHER:

Let's go fishing.
Let's go fishing.
I'll go pick you when the rain stops.
Let's go fishing.
Let's go fishing.
I'll pick you up at the usual spot.

HE:

You've dozed off again with the fishing pole in your hands.
The fish are biting, but you're ignoring them again today.
I tried to imitate you and closed my eyes,
But for some reason I can't sleep.
The willow branches tickle me.
Now I'm grown up, but I bet if went back to that river again
You'd be there again, fast asleep

TOGETHER:

Let's go fishing.
Let's go fishing.
I'll go pick you when the rainy season's over.
Let's go fishing.
Let's go fishing.
I'll pick you up at the usual spot.

Let's go fishing.
Let's go fishing.
I'll go pick you when the rainy season's over.
Let's go fishing.
Let's go fishing.
I'll pick you up at the usual spot.

釣りに行こう
The Boom & 矢野顕子

彼女：

十何年前はまだ君より小さくて
君のあごのホクロをいつも見上げてたんです
君はと言えばどろんこになって
コウモリの子守唄
朝も夜も昼寝
目が覚めたら君は
嘘ばっかりついた
そのたび騙されたふりをしてた

二人：

釣りに行こう
釣りに行こう
雨がやんだら迎えに行くね
釣りに行こう
釣りに行こう
いつもの場所へ迎えに行くね

彼：

釣り竿を握ったまま
君はまた昼寝
さかなが引いているのに
今日も知らん顔
僕も君のまねして
目を閉じてみたけど
なぜか眠れないんです
柳がくすぐるんです
大人になってもう一度
あの川へ戻れば
またたぶん君は眠りの途中

二人：

釣りに行こう
釣りに行こう
梅雨が明けたら迎えに行くね
釣りに行こう
釣りに行こう
いつもの場所へ迎えに行くよ

釣りに行こう
釣りに行こう
雨がやんだら迎えに行くね
釣りに行こう
釣りに行こう
いつもの場所へ迎えに行くよ

 

[Banjuu]

You guys sound like you would know, so I'll ask here (sorry if this is slightly off-topic, but) ... is it typical for Japanese CDs to cost more than $20? I was recently interested in purchasing some of Otsuka Ai's / 大塚愛's work and was shocked to find that her cheapest CD sold for like $25 and much of her stuff sells in excess of $40. I mean, call me crazy, but it's tough to break from piracy and support the industry when they're asking you to give 'em as much as four CDs in America would cost. And that's before you tack on S&H!

I'm not well-versed enough in non-anime non-J-drama non-video game Japanese music to contribute much to this thread, other than to say that some of my favorite songs include:

• SMAP - Sekai ni Hitotsu dake no Hana
• Do As Infinity - Fukai Mori (never seen InuYasha )
• Otsuka Ai's well-known Sakuranbo and Amaenbo

And a teacher of mine introduced me to The Boom via their hit Shima Uta, which I enjoy to this day although I've never sampled any of the band's other works. ^^;

Most of the time they're just about that much or a little more, depending on if you have any coupons, the shipping method you use or if you have been shopping at a particular online store for a while. I know you already probably know those things, though.

I mostly get mine at yesasia or sometimes cdjapan. Every once in a while you can find some on ebay for pretty cheap as well, but it seems rare to get any cheaper than yesasia.

Oh, and there's jpophelp too.

 

[indreamsiwalk]

Ooo, I left out a great one, "A Night When Even the Moon Sleeps" (Tsuki sae mo nemuru yoru 月さえも眠る夜):

[YOUTUBE]<object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/SNKiFFjkJhw&hl=ja"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/SNKiFFjkJhw&hl=ja" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object>[/YOUTUBE]

 

[Astb]

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.

Morning Musume is all chipper and fun. Utada Hikaru is good. BoA is good. M-Flo is good. Maaya Sakamoto and Yoko Kanno = amazing.

My friend just sent me two Eiko Shimamiya songs: Higurashi no Naku Koro ni and Kyuudou no Hito. I like them. I was also sent some Mitani Tomoyo and a song by MOSAIC.WAV.

SHIINA Ringo (Tokyo Jihen) is one of my all-time favorites, Japanese or otherwise. And, she's a babe. :evillaugh:

歌舞伎町の女王 (The Queen of Kabuki District)
丸の内サディスティック (Marunouchi Sadistic)
本能 (Instinct)
茎 (Stem)
罪と罰 (Crime and Punishment)
闇に降る雨 (Rain That Falls in the Dark)
ここでキスして。 (Kiss Me Right Here.) One of my favorites! :moe: 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 Soft Cell's version of "Tainted Love". Gives me goosebumps. Here's a live version that's even more intense. :dies:

Ringo writes all her own songs and music. :bingo: And did I mention she's a babe? erfectplan:

I love Shiina Ringo. I have all of those songs except Kiss Me Right Here. (ここでキスして。) I like Souretsu, Yokushitsu and Onaji Yoru too.
Aside from listening to her and Tokyo Jihen all the time, I'm back into a Gackt phase. His song 'Fragrance' is incredible. I squirm every time I hear it. :inlove:

Someone was suggesting Ali Project and Tomoe Shinohara to me recently. Anyone know anything about them?

 

[seiya1]

visual kei and most of its sub-genres. megamasso is my favorite of these bands

a small list of what i currently listen to(while it is in style to make lists):
versailles
hizaki grace project
aicle
Poitrine
megamasso (mention again)
Juka
SuG
Psycho le cemu

anyways mostly like these because they are good with the instruments they use, unlike the current trend in american rock music, which is to sound like metal, scream and make the least complex(original) of riffs, chords, etc. that anybody with the insentive and ability to pick up these instruments could outdo if missing their arms, and with severe brain damage.

Tool is a great band though

 

[stubstub]

ever since i first heard Utada's Song- first love.. i've been in love.. haha... so i went on a hunt to find all of her music..and i think i have most of them..

recently i found some music of Ayaka her music is nice too.. if u guys find the time. give it a shot.
i recommend ayaka - mikazuki and believe

 

[Rhinosaur]

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.

My wife put me on to Spitz. チェリー was the first Japanese song I learnt to play when I was in Japan.

"Aishiteru" no hibiki dake de tsuyoku nareru kigashita yo
Sasayakana yorokobi wo tsubureru hodo dakishimete