#teamteamtalks

I know I have yet to slaughter Edu and Patty’s January picks but I couldn’t resist reviewing Tommy’s new mini album on February 6! While it is more of a glorified dual single release between Tomoko Kawase’s alter ego’s Tommy february6 and Tommy heavenly 6, the tracks are stitched together with story telling narration and instrumentals giving the album a “fairytale” feel. Personally I prefer this approach when compared to the integration of all of the above into a single track like heavenly’s previous “Lollipop Candy BAD girl” and ”I’M YOUR DEVIL”. The result is one of either persona’s best release in some time. 

With Patty and I having just attended “Tommy Dark Christmas Deadly Night” where Tommy performed songs from both personas as well as fan favorites from her brilliant green days, my fangirldom is in full force.

“Tommy's Halloween Fairy tale” -  An expectedly creepy yet somber opening complete with rain, glockenspiel and crows before some bombastic cymbal and horns leading into...

“LIVING DEAD DINER GIRLS” - I’m not lying when I tell you this is the best heavenly track in a looong time. After her initial two albums, heavenly’s output became more heavy and 90s sounding as her brilliant green output became more high energy rock as if the two had switched sounds. Not to mention that her heavenly stuff became increasingly samey over the years which was surprising considering how varied her debut under that moniker was. This track is a return to form not only stylistically but quality wise as well. I’d rank it among her her best and she killed it live as well.

“The Sparkling Candy Man” - The track open’s with the pedo-like narrator welcoming you to Tommy’s heavenly chocolate tea party but warning about not eating the sparkling candy man’s treats. The creepy carnival vibe is something you’d think you’d heard from heavenly before but actually haven’t. Though this isn’t a track I’d hit repeat on it is the type of wonderfully unique pastiche that draws such compulsion to the Tommys and their preset personas.

“Follow the White Rabbit!” - Having fallen victim to the sparkling candy man we are now left delirious and falling down the rabbit hole. Japanese culture in general is obsessed with the tale of Alice as it is oft referenced in pop songs. Having this on something as kawaii as a Tommy release is nothing but appropriate however.

“LITTLE RED FOREST” - We are now wandering through the forest like little red riding hood having lost our way. Though I wasn’t initially a huge fan of february’s melancholic 80s pop tributes, I eventually grew to love them. Again, this one is among her best of that particular sound. If we’re to be lost it’s best in a forest of moody synths and drum machines.

“Frozen Raspberry Snow” - And now somehow it has began to snow in the enchanted forest. But in true Tommy fashion it’s not any ordinary snow but of the most kawaii variety, frozen raspberry snow. february’s ballads are usually of the 80s full force type but this sweet 6/8 Christmas number tells of Santa Claus coming to town soon. Because you know in Japan the day after Halloween is the Christmas season! And given Jpop’s obsession with seasons and winter and Christmas in general (ask Patty about Frozen from last year!) this ending track is nothing but appropriate for this release. Though she didn’t actually perform this at her Christmas show to my chagrin, I did enjoy hearing it as the opening and ending of the show so it still ended up being definitive of the show in general for me.

As Patty pointed out to me, basically no one who is a Tommy fan is a non-obsessive. So we all know her love of holidays and this release hit the nail on the head for Halloween heading into Christmas both of which are more of an increasing spectacle each year in Japan. But more importantly it was a breath of fresh air for both personas. When your image and fanbase are both quite niche it’s important to know when to reinvent your sound and when to return to form, With two tracks presented each for heavenly and february I feel we get a track each of that type from both.

As the show we attended was simply Tomoko Kawase performing music from all her personas in a single event it has become clear that her career is being streamlined. I believe this kind of release is best in continuing the life of the Tommy whether it be in the form a single themed mini with both Tommy’s participating or dual mini’s like FEBRUARY&HEAVENLY. Though I found her dual full albums TOMMY CANDY SHOP SUGAR♥ME and TOMMY ICE CREAM HEAVEN♥FOREVER incredibly enjoyable, I do find the mini’s more digestible. And if they came more often that would be great too! As she just wrapped up her first full on Tommy february6 concert in ages just hours ago we can only hope that a surprise Valentine’s Day themed mini is on the way. Or if that’s just wishful thinking on my end “Be My Valentine” will more than suffice.

Having discovered globe through their huge hit “genesis of next” from the Cyborg 009 2000s anime I was initially quite keen on their electronica stuff from their outernet, Lights and Lights 2 album. After all, I wasn’t all that familiar with standard Jpop faire quite yet and futuristic early 00s stuff was really what got me drawn into the J scene. However that was not the reception of their main fanbase who had come to love them throughout their big pop hit filled 90s career. 

If there is one album that finally severed the tie between old and new globe fans it was definitely Lights 2. Of all their post 2000 albums it’s definitely the least pop friendly and trance heavy. Now trance was a big deal at the time in Japan, or at least peaking in its success, but this was generally due to trance remixes of radio friendly pop tracks. globe however had reinvented themselves as a more serious group with trance and odd, experimental pop at the forefront. While I didn’t truly enjoy Lights 2 as much as it’s predecessor and twin album, Lights, at the time, I did grow to love it over time. Especially considering how globe as a group would basically be defunct in a few years time. :’(

The good - I always loved how “fade in2 (part2)” picks up right where Lights leaves off. Like seriously, listen to “fade in2″ and part 2 back to back and it’s awesome. It shows how both albums are two halves of one project. That of course gives way to the epic trance opener “TRANSCONTINENTAL WAY”. It’s among my very favorite globe trance album tracks, second only to perhaps LEVEL 4′s “out of © control”. It’s so ethereal yet heavy and of course KEIKO’s vocals are nothing short of angelic.

The album’s only singles,the double A-sides of “OVER THE RAINBOW” and “INSPIRED FROM RED & BLUE” try to capture the pop sensibility of globe’s past singles and marry them with the trance of the other tracks but they aren’t quite as successful as say “Many Classic Moments”. They did chart much higher but that had more to do with MCM being screwed by being released on the same day as Lights. However that’s not to say they don’t work well as album tracks. Particularly I love the minute plus addendum to “OVER THE RAINBOW” as it adds more of a sense of completeness than the single version. 

In fact many of the album’s tracks do actually compliment globes traditional sounds well. “Knockin'on the door of my heart” “STARTING FROM HERE” and  “ひとりごと” all sound like they could be lifted from Relation or Cruise Record with their cool yet subtly creepy vibes.

The bad - All globe fans know that there are times when Marc is great and other times when he’s... not so great.  Despite being a cool track “edge of darkness” seems a little too drawn out and a little too Marc-heavy. Other than that I don’t feel there’s much wrong with this album unless you’re looking for catchier hooks or more aggressive beats but as stated before those can be found on other globe releases,

The tragic - As much as I worship me some KEIKO, “US” is not her shining moment. It just sounds like some shit her an TK threw together in the studio one day and would have been better suited to tack onto a single or ballad compilation. In fact the epilogue of Many Classic Moments kind of puts the album’s one proper ballad to shame. At least when KEIKO’s actual vocals come in. TK has always been pretty great at instrumental interludes of songs and this final track really pulls both albums together since it’s also the opener of Lights. We once again come full circle.

Whenever one if this album’s tracks came up on shuffle I admit I had no idea what it was or why it was in my collection. Upon realizing it was from anison queen LiSA’s sophomore album I couldn’t even chalk it up to being some crap Patty sent me from who knows when. No I actually downloaded this of my own accord after hearing LiSA’s stellar work in the opening and ending of basically every major anime from around 2012 and 2013.

Now admittedly after the first few initial spins I left this in my endless pile of Jpop albums to return to someday but alas that was not to be until this month some few years later. Normally this is not something I would nominate but the shuffle gods allowed me to be graced with LiSA’s presence once more.

The good  - Despite Patty’s enamored review of LANDSPACE he did at least say he quite liked “crossing field” when I showed him the PV a couple of years back. Or perhaps he was just taken with the fabulously dressed idol in the PV? Did he forget about this song during the maybe two times he listened to this album for his review? Only further evidence Patty will like or dislike anything based on the diva associated regardless of what it sounds like. *sips tea*

Library session aside, “crossing field” is the track that garnered interest for myself and most fans to LiSA’s music and for good reason, it’s awesome. Serving as the first opening for Sword Art Online, which itself was the most hotly anticipated anime of the year, this song goes off. The lyrics and 4/4 bass get you pumped but the chorus really shows how well LiSA can kill it vocally.

Case in point, even the midtempo “僕の言葉で” is blessed with LiSA’s ability to make otherwise generic vocals arrangements shine. I think this is a testament to her years of experience before blowing up on the anison scene in her mid 20s.

The bad - While there isn’t a particular song I’d say is worth reading as much as I did Patty above, I will say all in all this is a pretty generic set. I mean, I get it, this is meant to appeal to a certain crowd. While I consider myself an otaku I’m not going to say I love something just because it’s popular and Japanese.

I’ll also add that the additional singles here “best day, best way” and “Traumerei” are pretty disappointing but I realize they were meant for mass appeal. And anime characters to run along to. Japanese artists tend to fall back on these types of songs when commercial failure is not an option. (See Ayu 2005 - 2015)

The tragic - I love how “コズミックジェットコースター” really sets the theme of the album and personally I felt it should have been the opener rather than the pos that was. To be honest it’s not strikingly different than a lot of the quirky pop rock tracks that have been praised in TTT reviews but again it’s all context. It depends on who is singing the song, not what it actually sounds like. ;) The singalong chorus is really what gets this song trag status. 

Again “DOCTOR” is another fun pop rock number. It actually reminds me of a decent Hatsune Miku track which is good since most of the rest of the album reminds me of Vocaloid rejects. Another thing I appreciate is that along with most of the songs here it’s relatively short for Jpop material. 

Having grown up on the 90s and early 00s J scene, I always knew JUDY AND MARY were one of those groups who divided the overseas fandom between who really listens to Jpop and who just listens to localized versions of Western artists with a sense of superiority because the lyrics are in Japanese. Listening to MIRACLE DIVING you can tell JAM are a legit 90s Jrock group. for better or worse, The album is filled with sounds reminiscent of the era. Though not particularly groundbreaking, it does show when the group really started to cut their teeth.

The good - It’s obvious why “Over Drive” would be plugged as a single. It’s not particularly great but it has a lot of good albeit at times generic elements from the guitar and bass riffs to the incredibly predictable drum patterns. YUKI particularly is really on point nailing her vocals. She always manages to stay just on the right side of annoying and this track is a perfect example of just that.

However I was instantly hooked on the near surfer vibes of “あなたは生きている” which was a great relief to the already sameiness of the few tracks that preceded it. It’s also lovely not to hear YUKI at her signature full voice. It gives the track more of a dreamy, charming vibe.

The bad - With a name like “ドキドキ” I was bound to love this track, right? RIGHT?! Despite being a single this track was actually a total stinker for me. It sounds like a forgotten theme for Crayon Shin-chan. Totally skippable, nothing redeeming for this song.

The tragic - “アネモネの恋” somehow instantly livened up this now expectedly lively set. By the midway point it’s almost unbearably bubblegum but the guitar solo in the middle really ties it all together. It’s a nice near album closer.

There is about as much to say about the vast number of hitmakers Tetsuya Komuro launched in the 80s and 90s as there is about the fact that they basically all abandoned him eventually. However incredibly very few would go on to achieve greater or long term success without his tutelage or song production. Perhaps the only artist to have the opposite effect was none other than Goddess hitomi.

Having basically been a background member of the “TK stable” in the mid 90s, hitomi would go on to be a much bigger mainstream star without the Komuro association. In fact, her brand of pop rock would help her rival the popularity of more cutesy pop teen idols in the late 90s and early 00s. Seeming to come out of nowhere was her first non-TK produced album thermo plastic, the beginning of her well known trilogy of albums. Not only did it let her evolve from her trash pop efforts but it would establish the signature sound that would win her the fandom and acclaim that had previously eluded her.

In step with Patty I decided to give thermo plastic the highlight treatment rather than the usual formula:

“Ĺutero”

Having been my very first hitomi album experience, I was immediately bewildered, entranced and enamored by this eclectic opening track. It delivers everything you’d expect from a TK album opener except with actual greatness to follow.

“Gamble”

This track is what really gets things moving with its heavy bass and snare beats and rocking guitars. While her vocals are still sing songy and not yet huma-rhythm worthy they still accompany the track perfectly.

“君のとなり”

While this track is almost stereotypically 90s acoustic pop (it never fails to remind me of Jennifer Love-Hewitt’s “Bare Naked” hah!) it actually epitomizes the sound. It’s just a perfect track from the instrumentation to the verses, chorus and breakdown leading to a *gasp* melodramatic key change. 

“WISH”

From the very first time I heard it until this very day, this song has remained my all time fav hitomi track. My favorite from the TK era being “BUSY NOW”, this captures all the emotion but in a more melancholic, adult manner. Another perfect track, I could listen to it on repeat for hours.

“MADE TO BE IN LOVE”

There are a few among the Goddess’s fandom who have never cared for this track but personally I feel it does a great job of opening the second half of the album as well as breaking up the otherwise monotony of the album. This funky dance pop number has a killer, jam worthy chorus that helped make it a live staple.

“there is...”

Though it is not very dissimilar to the singles that came just before its release, I initially thought that this song was an odd choice of lead singles particularly as it was well publicized that this would be hitomi’s first single without TK. The opening is very somber and lyrics poignant but it does represent well the singer songwriter vibe of the album as a whole. It does share a lot of similarities to “ 君のとなり” which leads me to believe the version of that song used as a first press bonus track was indeed the original and it was later reworked.

“体温”

While still befitting of thermo plastic, the dreamy aloofness of this track foreshadows some of the songs on hitomi’s future releases. It serves perfectly as an album closer and leaves you wanting more.

I don’t think I really got into Miliyah until about Ring or HEAVEN, but I can’t remember anymore. One thing I do remember though is the awful CD+DVD cover to BEST DESTINY! Great segway, right? Why do people think wet hair is sexy? It’s not.

 After being scared for a few good years, I finally learned that the fabulous CD only cover existed and could muster the nerve to give Miliyah’s older work a spin.

 Technically a sample-best, BEST DESTINY is a great collection and gives a good feel for her pre-sellout days, which thankfully gave her enough fame to morph into the hipster icon she is today.

 She’s a surprisingly easy artist to get into, especially if you like more of an R&B sound. That’s what BEST DESTINY is going to give you. These days she experiments more, but she’s earned the right to.

 The Good

 Dear god it was hard to narrow down the good, but my absolute favorite on BEST DESTINY has always been “ミシェル ～愛のテーマ Remix～” because... have you listened to it?! The power and seductive nature of Miliyah’s vocals with that amazing track is just too much. I even karaoked this once, prancing around my tiny box where I could let my sexual inhibitions free. I wonder if there are cameras in those things…

 Interestingly enough, I use to loathe “19 Memories”, but over time it’s become one of my favorites. I think after watching the PV and understanding the emotion behind the song, something Namie couldn’t ever do, you begin to understand the pain of being a 19 year old Tokyo-based gyaru in an era where your taste in fashion is becoming passé and you just woke up from a drunken threesome with your somewhat attractive male friends. Just imagine the horror of buying a new wardrobe and makeup pallet!

 “ONE DAY ～夜空 Remix～” is a clever mix of one of Miliyah’s early singles and an m-flo collaboration. The result, a show stopping R&B track that mellows you out instantly.

 The Bad

 “So goood” is as annoying as those extra “o”s in the title. There’s some weird vocal sample or ad lib by some guy throughout it that makes me cringe every time. He’s saying “forever” or something. I don’t know.

 The Tragic

 Wait, should I have put “19 Memories” here? Well, too late!

 I’m going to nominate “恋シテル” as the tragic pick for BEST DESTINY. My reasoning might be a bit strange though. At this point in her career, Miliyah was beginning to change her sound, leaving R&B and the fake tan behind, adopting a porcelain teenage girl friendly look that suited the times. If I was a fan from the get go, I think I would have been a bit saddened by her plunge into the mainstream.

 That being said, I like the song, but it was Miliyah’s work around that time that got me into her and I wasn’t aware of her since her debut. Therefore, I’ll always be biased.

 ×××

 Anyone well versed in the world of J-pop will find samples and covers they’re heard somewhere before, but Miliyah never just imitates. She makes everything her own. Even on the heavily featured track, “FUTURECHECKA”, she shines and commands your attention.

Most people who were introduced to Jpop in the late 90s or early 00s undoubtedly have some story to tell about their first exposure to Kahimi Karie. She was the poster girl for post-Shibuya-kei. Or for the genre itself for those like myself who were just being introduced to it. Though I had heard her name in passing a few times it wasn’t until I met a fellow weaboo online that was absolutely obsessed with her that I actually had a listen to her.

It would be suffice to say that I didn’t know what to think of her at first. She didn’t really sing and her songs weren’t exactly pop though she was attempted to be marketed as a “Japanese pop star” in the U.S. She was nothing like the Jpop stars I had begun to know and love. While I may have not appreciated her as a teen I did begin to enjoy her more as an adult. And that is thanks in no small part to my Team Tragic cohorts. This however will be my first time giving a spin to her debut album.

The good - Normally whenever Shibuya-kei references 60s dance music for the umpteenth time it expectedly comes off kitschy. However “alcohol” is absolutely flawless from beginning to end. Despite being a bit repetitive there’s is enough instrumental ad-libbing to keep it interesting throughout. In fact by the time things start really getting jam session at the end I pine for the song to go on for at least another two minutes. This is also a perfect instance where Kahimi’s whisper vocals do wonders. However I do see them as a mere accessory among many here and would have loved this song just as much as an instrumental. 

As soon as “tiny king kong” starts off with deep trip hop bass I’m already infatuated. Again I feel the vocals work sublimely with the music here only enhancing the musical soundscape. The narrative of a tiny monkey does nothing but add to the trip factor. Multiple unexpected musical elements weave in and out of the track yet they all seem to somehow belong.

The bad - I can’t help but feel “cat from the future” was a reject from a Doraemon anisong collection. It was, wasn’t it? The chorus and really the song itself meander to nowhere. I find it a bit too ridiculous to even attain ironic hipster status. I feel this song was better left as b-side material. And at about half the length.

Le tragique - We can all safely assume that with a title like “lolitapop dollhouse” I instantly skipped to that track upon first inspection. Not surprisingly I found this track to be a total mess. This is the kind of tragic disaster that leaves me drawn to Kahimi Karie even when I don’t necessarily even think the songs are good. This 60s rock number however makes me think of some hidden Beatles reject that Ringo and Yoko wrote together.

The first thing that went through my mind when Edu said his shuffle pick for the month was Bonnie Pink’s PRESENT was that it was actually my introduction to her years ago. Remember the friend I mentioned in my Cardcaptor Sakura review, the Maaya Sakamoto stan? Yeah neither does anyone else... He sent PRESENT to me when it was released. Though I certainly wasn’t blown away by it at the time I did take a liking to her first best album. Unfortunately nothing past PRESENT really matched the pop/rock energy of her early work for me. However I still found interest in reviewing this album for nostalgia’s sake and to see how my opinion might have changed a decade later.

The good - “Tonight, the Night” opens the set with instant pop/rock jam status. While nothing about this track is particularly groundbreaking every element from the vocals to the keyboards to the guitars to even the background conga synths are on point. This is a perfect radio/live number and it’s unfortunate not more of the album follows this lead. 

Initially I was annoyed by 00s hip pop beat of “Present” as it’s very expected to make a guitar driven song interesting. However it quickly fades into the background as many different elements take the forefront. My favorite would be the psuedo key change in the last third of the song. 

Though this album borders on boring at times I very much enjoyed “Rope Dancer”. I can just imagine this being played live with a limited band while some performance art piece unfolds in the foreground. Perhaps that’s what inspired the title? But really it showcases Bonnie’s polished vocals without the attention grabbing squeals heard all too often in modern pop.

Both “Can’t Get Enough” and “Wildflower” inject some much needed midtempo pop rock into the mix. They’re like the type of songs that took Michelle Branch from standard basic to famous before she went on her obligatory “I’m an artist” (no longer famous) trip.

The bad - While most songs on the album start on standard singer songwriter fair only to build into more interesting creations by the second half, “Passive-Progressivism” starts in the middle of nowhere and leaves you in the same spot nearly 5 minutes later. And that title? Overall it seems like the type of pretentia a lesser artist (*cough* Lana Del Rey!) would insist you merely don’t get.

The tragic - Following up the snoozefest, almost as if it were planned, is the chill disco loungeness of“Chronic Vertigo”. It’s like yeah, that last track was crap so here’s some trash to liven things up! But even the expected dance track thrown in for variation isn’t enough to wake you up from this mellow set.