Genre: pop-rock Song style: 100% 80's female electro-pop
So this music isn't exactly "rock", "indies", or exactly my style but these girls are so cute!! There's something I just admire about them - a bunch of girls in the 80s in Japan standing up to stereotypes of what a band should be and going on to make tons of number one hits. They've inspired many of the female artists of today. I just saw a movie now where their popular song Diamonds appears in karaoke and I couldn't ignore it. These girls were active from 1983 - 1996. Cheers to days where we can just enjoy being silly princesses haha. Speaking of which, I'm starting cake decoration classes next week!
Genre: visual kei, metal elements Song style: really "goth" - heavy guitars + harpsichord + hissing and singing vocals
I have to say this was one of my first conscious exposures to Japanese rock music (and possibly a stereotypical one). In 2001 for my first time in Japan (I was like 14 years old!) I ran across a magazine ad with these guys and I thought they looked pretty awesome... so I looked into their music and liked what I heard! Combinations of heavy discordant guitars and melodic singing really draws me in. This group is now defunct (sadly happened the same year I discovered them), but it used to have the now-uber-famous Gackt as its lead vocalist. Here, the band is headed by their last singer, Klaha (I wonder what happened to him?) It also has the famous crossdresser Mana pretending to play the violin, who frequently models for goth fashion magazines. I was never really a goth person but can understand why people might like the effect or the music. But don't be fooled into thinking this is all Japanese rock has to offer! It's just an interesting extra facet that we don't too frequently see in America these days (though even saying that, these guys are pretty old news now).
Genre: punk Song style: sloppy but energetic hard 80s punk
This is one of those classic Japanese rock songs (and bands!) that everyone should know. I would call them the Japanese "The Ramones". This guy has such passion and energy when he rocks out to this song - I love it. Though the band is defunct now, you'll hear these songs everywhere - the first time I heard it was playing a taiko drumming game at an arcade center (I'm not a geek okay!!) This song was released almost exactly 23 years ago (imagine, just barely older than me haha). Where will we all be in 23 years? I'm feeling so sentimental as my final days as a student here draw to a close. But at the same time I am stressed about getting everything done in time and in a satisfying way.
Genre: indie, alternative Song style: vocal-based, low instrumentals, Radiohead-like
This song perfectly fits my mood, I love the guitars here and how they build up. I don't know the band well but they have been suggested to me based on my other favorites. Too bad they split up in 2008. This music video is cute too. But I'm feeling the mood for the song, after a rather bizarre and incomprehensible weekend.
In a couple of hours, I'm gonna go see an American show - The Fall of Troy (their last tour) and Envy on the Coast. I used to like Fall of Troy's old stuff but the new stuff is gross. But luckily, upon hearing the new Envy on the Coast album, I've fallen in love and it's been hard to concentrate on Japanese music: my favorite song of the moment (skip the movie dialogue).
Genre: garage rock, punk rock Song style: intense, nostalgic, sophisticated garage rock
I had trouble with deciding whether to call these guys oldies since most of their activity was in the 90s, but this song came out 2001 so I guess they're safe. I'm a huge fan of this song, has just such a cool vibe to it. The rest of TMGE's music is a little too thrash/guitary for me (constant shouting) but these guys are considered one of Japan's big punk rock gods. Too bad they broke up in 2003. It's nearing the end of spring break, but sounds like it'll go out with a splash. This red-haired Wilma is going off to have coffee with someone who suddenly wants to meet, it may be the last time. Then going to a man-filled party of people I don't know hehe~.
Genre: hard rock Song style: a pretty depressing heavy song, lots of raw emotion, female vocals
This song was one of my first exposures to Japanese music - I heard it on a random internet radio station back in the early 2000s and I thought it was amazing. In the following ten years, I never listened to any of their other songs or researched anything about the band but I still love the song. Today's an easy, lazy day but I thought I would mix up the flow of the blog with this track. Unfortunately, the band broke up in 2005 with the lead singer (Chisako Mikami) getting married and having a child. This song is about her younger brother who drowned to death... so sad! I hope your families all stay safe and sound during this spring break.
Genre: hard rock Song style: pretty depressing, builds up to a strong and heavy climax
Okay, so I know the video is really 90s and has iguanas for no reason, but please listen through the whole song. This band really lasts through the ages - even though it was the mainstay for highschoolers about two decades ago (the band operated from 1989 - 2001), the songs are still catchy and relevant to listeners today. This band has had an incredible impact on the Japanese music industry and is in some ways reminiscent of America's Nirvana (both in sound and impact). This would have to be one of my favorite Japanese bands. My sister discovered them first, randomly buying a discounted CD in a Book-Off in Tokyo. Many years later, I was wandering through a Kyoto thrift shop and heard a song that I liked so much that I jotted down the lyrics on my cellphone to look up later. It turned out to be The Yellow Monkey's old single "Morality Slave", a slight twist off the Phantom of the Opera theme. My sister and I compared notes, and realized we had this random band overlapping on our playlists. Ever since, The Yellow Monkey has become a mainstay in our karaoke repertoire (hehe).
They recently had a tribute album released on December 8 2009, with covers from amazing bands including many covered here so far (9mm Parabellum Bullet, The Back Horn, Fujifabric, 椿屋四重奏) so if you get a chance please check it out. It's called "This is For You".
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