[Album] J-Pop: An Introduction (and discussion)

What, Sweetbox did a version of Bold and Delicious? There's no way it'll compare. I'm not even that much of an Ayumi fan, but when the single came out, I couldn't help but listen over and over ^^;

Recently, I've been doing some backtracking into some lesser known/older J-pop, so I haven't been keeping up with newer stuff. I've been listening to a lot of Sukima Switch and Monkey Majik (the latter singer the theme song to the drama "Saiyuuki"). Although, I must say, the new Morning Musume album "Rainbow 7" is bordering on too much. I swear, "Rainbow Pink" is so sugary sweet I have diabetes now.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Ah really? Looks like I need to learn more about Sweetbox. Thanks for the info.

Bah, just throws more fire into my opinion that Ayu needs to go >_> Bad enough that she's been throwing tons of remixes of her own songs out there for years but now she's doing it with other people's ;_;

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Haha, I managed to spend quite a deal of money on J-pop while I was studying there. Actually, probably more than I should have >_> But part of the fun of buying music there is looking for those used CD shops. I remember some of the best times I had in Shibuya and Sapporo were trying these dirt cheap CD stores (which, luckily, I did find eventually).

You'll definitely have to let us know how it goes while you're there. You'll also have to let me know if a H!P concert is 99% guys like the DVDs have been showing me.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Well, Shiina Ringo PVs have never been about "dancing" but rather being creative and artsy. She has had some of the most striking and interesting videos out there. The PV for "Shuraba" was a little disturbing but definitely unforgetable.

She's definitely tops for me in the world of J-pop. Aside from her awesome original work, try and see if you can get her album of covers "Utaite Myori" which has her singing in a variety of languages and a couple of duets (including her amazing one with Hikaru Utada).

And yes, get Adult. Don't wait for the DVD. Just get it now, haha. It's worth it.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Insanity!

Ayumi has officially become Japan's most successful female pop artist with her new single "Startin'/Born to Be" reaching the top spot on Oricon. It's her 26th to reach the top spot, which puts her past Matsuda Seiko.

Whether you love her or hate her, she's definitely been an institution in the J-pop world.

I was speaking idiomatically.

I haven't heard of anything released from them since their concert DVD at Budokan, which was released in February. However, I figure they'll get back to the studio soon enough for some singles, they end up releasing an album about once a year.

Additionally, you can hear Verbal backing up Ryohei Yamamoto on "One Love", the theme to the drama "Kami wa Saikoro wo Furanai".

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Chill the fuck out.

First off, we're all aware that your not a newbie to forum posting. Congrats for your high postcount. But as you said yourself, you're a newbie to J-pop. Welcome, you just made your first mistake by almost alienating the whole crowd here. Even if you were the shit in some other forum, if you move here and act like an ass for your first couple posts, you're going to get ignored, no matter how much power or respect you held over there. GFF is its own little world from other forums, just like the J-pop thread is its own little thread from all the others. Whatever goes on in other subforums doesn't really matter here. So just like when you started off in GFF having to build credibility, you're starting off here in the J-pop thread. You're a newbie here, whether you like it or not.

I'm also sorry for ignoring your initial post, but your second post didn't need take the somewhat aggressive tone. First off, you only gave us about 17 hours to reply before you replied again. Patience is key. There are definitely much better ways to ask for help, even if its the second time. This isn't a 24/7 J-pop help line.

Anyway....
If you're looking for some more J-techno stuff, I'd suggest either Supercar or Boom Boom Satellites. In regards to the more jazzy stuff, (such as "A Crimson Rose and Gin Tonic"), I think you'd like some of the jazzy stuff that Shiina Ringo does, which sounds similar (although in much different voice). Also from "Cherry Blossom Color Season", it looks like you'd like some just natural sounding folksy music, in which case I'd recommend Yuzu. It might not be schoolchildren, but it's got the same kind of feel I think.

Btw, it's all about "Lonely Rolling Star".

FELIPE NO

Originally Posted by Dhsu

Found a good download forum:

Finally, some stuff from ADULT VIDEO!

Koi wa Maboroshi FOR MUSICIAN

A nice sequel to the Tsumiki Asobi dance. And hey, "it's that guy from Densha Otoko!"

Haha, just got my copy of Adult Video and decided to watch it because of your comment. What's up with that video? He went quite insane. At first I thought you were referring to the actual Densha guy (Itoh Atsushi).

Getting it was a no-brainer after falling in love with Adult (which still gets massive plays every now and then).

I've actually fallen a little bit of out of the music scene due to lack of fundage/time, but I hope to get back into it soon. I remember hearing a bunch of love for YUI, who I don't know at all, but I apparently should. I'll try and check it out soon.

How ya doing, buddy?

Just got a copy of YUI's album and while I think it's good music, for me, it's nothing to write home about. The talent is definitely there I think maybe I just need to give the album a couple more listens before I can make a concrete opinion. Usually though, once I give an album a full listen, I fall in love with it ^^;

I guess I've been in too much of a Hip-Hop mode right now to get into another style of music right now. I'll have to ease back into things.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Something that might interest of people into H!P and Japanese TV.

Yaguchi Mari will be in a new drama series "Glasar" starting this Saturday on NTV in Japan. Apparently the story of the series (as DramaWiki describes it) is a cowboy from the US goes to Shibuya to find a group of girls to dance para-para. (Darn that Hinoi Team, bringing back para-para dancing to the forefront.)

Probably not many of us can watch it in Japan, but I'm sure it'll pop up on D-Addicts for download. I might download the first ep just to see how it goes, but not too sure if I'll make a habit of it from the story description, haha.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Originally Posted by Ultima

Wait what? Does that even count as a story? What would a cowboy want to do with para-para girls?

The U.S. still has cowboys?

Haha, that's what I want to know. DramaWiki is pretty notorious for being vague with descriptions, but this is for a drama that hasn't even aired.

I guess if I cared a little more, I could go to the actual site and translate the story section, which I lack time to do right now.

Hey, chalk up the cowboy thing to Japanese conception of America. A lot of people do the same thing to Japan (everyone wears a kimono for example).

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Weeklan, you'll want to avoid those sweeping generalizations. Even though you didn't say "all" J-pop, you pretty much called out all popular music in any case. Music that most of us are fans of.

Music that is popular is so because most people like it. Sure, there's definitely music out there that sells well and is of questionable value, but that's everyone subjective opinion which would no doubt cause pointless debates about who is better. Please listen to more music besides anime themes and a couple albums here and there. Japanese music is more diverse than it seems.

In any case, I'd like to throw some recommendations your way, although unforunately most of them would probably be considered "mainstream".

I'm a big fan of m-flo and I think within their recent "m-flo loves" albums, where they work with so many different artists (which means many types of songs) most people find at least a couple songs that they're fans of.

If you're looking more in terms of R&B, I like both Chemistry and EXILE. They've got the singing duo thing down pat. Emi Hinouchi is a singer that I wish more people had a chance to listen to because I think she's fantastic, but she only has one album out which was released in 2004. Yoshika isn't that bad either, but my exposure to her is limited (only through the m-flo loves songs). What I've heard though, I like.

Another recommendation that I'd throw out there is Rip Slyme. I'm a sucker for the "bunch of MCs and a DJ" groupings that have been popping up recently, but Rip Slyme has been doing it for awhile and quite well.

Technophile, I believe your gripes should lie with the Japanese educational system on how they teach English. There have been plenty of songs with titles that "don't work" that were excellent. But yeah, as you said, you're not disliking them prematurely, just noting the questionable English (which, IMO, isn't as bad as some others).

I would love to listen to a song called Bukkakke Diarrhea Froth. It already sounds awesome.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Originally Posted by Technophile

I've been really hooked on Otsuka Ai lately. Any word on the follow up album to LOVE COOK yet?

In any case, you have plenty of time to get tired of the new single "Frienger". It's too addictive o_O The latest Oricon has it charting at #2 on the singles list.

I was speaking idiomatically.

Cry amongst yourselves, Konno Asami and Ogawa Makoto to graduate in the summer (July and August respectively). Oddly enough, it seems that they're both doing so for academic reasons (Asami to try and get into university, Makoto to study abroad, but then again, Asami has been pegged as the smartest member in MM anyway). So no solo careers in the mix?

Music-wise, I've been playing the new Namie Amuro single ("Can't Sleep, Can't Eat, I'm Sick") far too much (to the point I'm almost wearing it out) but luckily I just got my hands on the new Ketsumeishi ("Tabibito") so I've been able to balance it out.

Also, I can't believe I missed out on getting Kaela's new(er) album "Circle" until just recently. Just more great stuff from her.

How ya doing, buddy?

Just a little bit of H!P news that some might find interesting. Mari Yaguchi apparently broke up with Oguri Shun, who some people would know as the cause of Mari's premature graduation from MM.

And interestingly, "Daite Senorita" by Tomohisa Yamashita (one half of the pair that did "Seishun Amigo") is the first #1 single by a solo male artist since 2001. Nonetheless, I will probably not be investing my time in listening to it ^^;

In fact, I haven't had much time to discover new music. I have been playing the new Gospellers single "Hitotsuji no Kiseki" heavily though, but mainly for the other songs on the single CD. The only new single I've listened to recently is "Glass no Pumps" from Maki Goto, which was pretty disappointing to me =/

I grabbed a copy of the Attention Please! OST, mainly just to get Kaela Kimura's cover of "Pretty Woman". I'm a sucker for English songs covered by Japanese artists, haha.

I'm also planning to return to Japan myself, although much later than OP apparently, not hitting the shores until August 12. My goal this time is to find the used CD shops though, can't beat a perfectly good music CD for $4 o_o

FELIPE NO

The PV for the new m-flo single "Summer Time Love" is making its rounds around the usual sources. This time it's a m-flo loves Emi Hinouchi and Ryohei. Both of them have worked frequently with m-flo in the past so their sounds shouldn't be anything new (although this pairing is new for all I know).

I'm a little disappointed by the single, good song, but not great. Maybe because I felt that Emi Hinouchi and Ryohei could do a little more (maybe similar to "miss you" with Melody. and Ryohei). However, I'm just happy to see Emi Hinouchi get some more video exposure. I think she's one of the best "unknown" singers out there, her album "Dramatiques" is quite the treat.

I'll probably add that album and perhaps the video to the FTP over the weekend. No promises though.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

I'm not gonna lie, it has definitely grown on me a bit more. Just gotta give it time like you say.

By the way, Emi in this video. Insanity. She's too much.

http://www.rolandcarlos.net/vlcsnap-10768763.jpg

If they a couple better views of her in the video, she would give my Otsuka Ai avatar/sig a run for its money.

I wish they had in more shots in that kimono and that *hairstyle* (tooooo much). Just get rid of that creepy white guy o_o

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Originally Posted by Flara

but I have to say that Emi sings pretty well, although I never heard of any of her songs before... I might look into her music....... later.

I've gone ahead and uploaded Dramatiques (her first album) to my ftp.

http://www.gamingforce.com/forums/my...-test-ftp.html

Despite furthering the crunch on that drive (too many dramas that I don't want to delete =/ ) go ahead and download it if you wish.

---

The songs from the Kururi and Rip Slyme collaboration ("Juice" and "Lovi") have been getting a lot of play (although admittedly, it's sharing time with "Summer Time Love"). Since I had never heard of Kururi before, I feel like I'm listening more to a Rip Slyme song than anything (and I love my Rip Slyme). Nonetheless, my interest in Kururi has been piqued, I'll be looking at them in a bit more in the future.

Most amazing jew boots

The new m-flo album "m-flo inside -Works Best II-" came out on the 26th and its quite a treat. Of course, being a die-hard fan, I might be a little biased, haha.

Unfortunately, it's not too heavy on new music (other than "Lotta Love" which has m-flo loves MINMI), but it does act as a handy central location for a lot of music that might have been released in single form, or from other people's albums. Even I can't admit to having heard all the songs on the first disc, since the headliners for some of them wasn't m-flo (or VERBAL). But, every song on the first disc has m-flo involvement in some way, be it a direct "loves" connection, VERBAL doing his trademark rapping, or something even looser, like a production credit (which is how Halcali's "Baby Blue" ended up on the disc, despite no audible m-flo involvement). In the end, the first disc comes off just like their other albums, great and diverse music.

I wholly recommend "Can't stop lovin' you" from Black Bottom Brass Band with VERBAL and Emi Hinouchi (although Emi's involvement is limited in this song). Most people probably missed the initial release (late 2005 I believe) but thankfully it's included here.

The second disc is a non-stop mix of a bunch of m-flo songs, a lot of them coming from before the "loves" phase. This means you'll hear a lot of LISA. If you're a relatively new fan to m-flo, I suggest giving the mix a listen, you'll hear a lot of good stuff. However, if you've heard it before, there's not that much of a difference from the old songs that you're used to, but some of the bridges between tracks are interesting. It's a well done non-stop mix, it just don't really including anything new.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Not sure how much people here know about the following topic, but I figure I should give it a shot.

Does anyone here know how to look information on upcoming Japanese concerts (I mean, beside looking through the various websites of ticket places)? And maybe more importantly, how to procure tickets? Yeah, you can probably do so through some of those websites, but I'm not up for an adventure in Japanese just yet sadly. (Although I guess I could engage some friends while I'm in Japan)

Also, does anyone know anything about places that actually sell tickets for a variety of shows? (Kind of like a Japanese ticketmaster) I know I've seen a couple places like that in Tokyo (Shibuya, I think) but I'm wondering how the prices are for those kind of places (if they're scalped or something).

Hoping someone can lend some insight. I'm heading out to Japan in about 2 weeks and I'd like to see a concert while I'm there. I asked a friend about Namie Amuro's tour, but apparently they're sold out. Still holding out hope for a ticket though (through those aforementioned ticket shops).

Thanks!

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Haha, sounds like you had quite a trip in Japan OP. Good times, you came back with quite a haul and a few stories too as well. Where are the pictures? Haha.

I'll be going to a concert tomorrow myself as well, but unfortunately I don't think I'll be having the same chance to meet people as you did. Nonetheless, it'll be good music, Chemistry, Puffy, and Koda Kumi will be there (it's a festival sort of thing).

I'm also going to be stopping by used CD shops in Tokyo and probably go on my own shopping spree as well. Anyone have suggestions for what I should try and get? I'm looking to get old albums from people I just discovered recently, like Ketsumeishi, Dreams Come True, Yuzu, etc.

I already did a fair amount of shopping...I laid down about a hundred at Fuji TV and got a couple DVDs at Tower Records. I did manage to get the new Bonnie Pink "Best of" album, which saves me the trouble of hunting for all her CDs.

Anyway, looking forward to the concert tomorrow, I'll everyone know how it goes.

I was speaking idiomatically.

Originally Posted by Soprano1

Maybe i'm off topic, but can anyone tell me some good B'z songs? I just heard SPLASH!, and it's pretty good. Thank you.

Well, you're not the first to hear B'z for the first time and want to find out more. They've been going at it for awhile now and SPLASH! is their 38th consecutive #1 single.

This basically means that any song that they've ever made will probably be to your liking. To add even more to this, they've both done solo projects as well, which have produced great music as well.

Some of my favorites include:
Ai no Bakudan
OCEAN
Girigiri Chop
Negai
Shoudou
Ai no Mama ni Wagamama ni, Boku wa Kimi dake wo Kizutsukenai

Since they have such a massive library, if you're planning on giving them a lot of attention, it may be in your best interest to go after their "Best of" albums. It'll save you a lot of legwork.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

If the torrents aren't working fast enough, I have the 5 eps of Tokyo Friends up for download through my FTP...although I can't ensure that my FTP would be faster, haha ^^;

I had a chance to see the Tokyo Friends movie while I was in Japan...but I decided against it. Wasn't cost-effective, I figure I would wait until DVDs started popping up. While I was there, it was pretty successful in the charts, but they were really aggressively marketing it (I believe the ads mentioned couples get into the movie for cheaper).

FELIPE NO

If you're looking to just play DVDs on your computer, go and visit http://www.dvdidle.com and think about buying the DVD Region Free + CSS Free Lite package, which is only about $25. I've been using the program for three years now and I have had no issues at it with all. It's definitely worth the investment, considering it is a painless install, it's cheaper than buying a multi-region player (although the gap is probably closing), and saves you the hassle/danger of having to manually change region on your PC (which you can only do so many times).

Yes, I did try a cracked version of it first as well >_> It did not work, which led me to actually buy the program, haha.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Originally Posted by Dojomaster

There's another Utada release that I'm looking at. Is this a legit release? I know it hasn't been released in Japan (it's a Chinese release), and I'd really like to see the MTV Unplugged performances...

I can't say with 100% certainty, but I don't like the looks of this, legality wise. I've been burned too many times before with buying CDs off ebay and getting bootlegs almost every time. A quick look-through of yesasia didn't come up with anything looking like this release and they're usually pretty good on listing all the possible releases for something both in and out of Japan.

I'm sure you'll get what you expect (you'll get the videos they promise), but from my perspective it doesn't look 100% authentic.

Then again, if someone has anything else to say, I could be wrong =/

How ya doing, buddy?