1970s
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Yumi Matsutoya – “流線形 ’80” review
Final verdict: 8/10 ★★★★☆ Trust me when I tell you that I really wanted to kick this review off by cracking a joke about how this album is just outtakes from “紅雀” that failed to make the cut due to being too interesting for that project – but man, this is just not that. What this is,… Read more
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Yumi Matsutoya – “紅雀” review
Final verdict: 7/10 ★★★⋆˙⟡☆ You know, the pessimist in me craves something to complain about. And initially, this album would have been it – oh no, would you look at that, Yuming, THE Yuming, fell off! This album is BOOOO-RING! The demise of who was arguably the greatest figure in the 1970s Japanese music scene is upon us!… Read more
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Yumi Arai – “The 14th Moon” review
Final verdict: 8/10 ★★★★☆ Yes, I have decided that I’m going to be reviewing all the Yuming in existence. Cry about it. Or actually, please don’t – I’d hate to see pretty little you cry. Cheer up, beautiful! Because what we got here, is another Yuming album to live, love, and laugh to (but not… Read more
1970s, 70s music, album review, blog, hell yeah, indie, japan, japanese music, jpop, music, Music review, review, reviews, rock, rock music, writing -
Yumi Arai – “Cobalt Hour” review
Final verdict: 8/10 ★★★★☆ The stars have aligned once again; I am feeling capricious, hence I skipped my prose class today (being an English major is not for the weak), and what better way to spend my self-declared day off than to listen to Yuming, my most beloved of all? No, seriously. As time goes… Read more
1970s, 70s music, album review, blog, city pop, hell yeah, indie, japan, japanese music, jpop, music, Music review, pop, pop music, review, reviews, rock, rock music, writing -
Yumi Arai – “Misslim” review
Final verdict: 9/10 ★★★★⋆˙⟡ The sentiments expressed on my review of Yumi Arai’s (or Matsutoya’s, or, as I will again refer to her, Yuming’s) debut LP “ひこうき雲” ring true with her follow-up record, too. And the record in question is none other than 1974’s “Misslim” – an album that has rightfully acquired its place in… Read more
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Yumi Arai – “ひこうき雲” review
Final verdict: 10/10 ★★★★★ Over the last couple of months, I’ve been in the process of going through Yumi Matsutoya’s (or Yumi Arai’s, or Yuming’s, as I’m going to call her from this point forward) admittedly intimidating discography. In the last month, I’ve also been slowly but determinedly getting through Taylor Swift’s catalogue. And I… Read more
1970s, 70s music, album review, blog, hell yeah, indie, japan, japanese music, jpop, music, Music review, review, reviews, rock, rock music, writing -
Hisami Sakurai – “万華鏡” review
Final verdict: 7/10 ★★★⋆˙⟡☆ Singer-songwriter Hisami Sakurai seemingly vanished from the music scene shortly after the release of her debut record, entitled “万華鏡” (or “Mangekyō”, for English speaking folk), in October 1973. She released one final standalone single the following year and then dipped, to take up a different gig as, as indicated by the… Read more
1970s, 70s music, album review, blog, indie, japan, japanese music, jpop, music, Music review, pop, pop music, review, reviews, rock, rock music, writing -
Yellow Magic Orchestra – “Solid State Survivor” review
Final verdict: 9/10 ★★★★⋆˙⟡ I fear it’s time to answer the question that has tormented humanity for ages – what does it mean to be a Solid State Survivor? From a clearly semantic point of view, this album’s title makes zero sense. So let’s try to make sense of it from another perspective. For there to be… Read more
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Yukihiro Takahashi – “Saravah!” review
Final verdict: 9/10 ★★★★⋆˙⟡ “Saravah!” is just quintessential city pop. It does everything is sets out to do perfectly and it’s overall very difficult to point out any major flaws regarding it… or is it? I first checked this album out sometime last year, I reckon – can’t remember when exactly. But in any case,… Read more
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Ryuichi Sakamoto – “Thousand Knives” review
Final verdict: 9/10 ★★★★⋆˙⟡ First thing’s first, this album cover is amazing. I wish I looked that cool, and I wish my outfits went as hard as Sakamoto’s. But man, he really shouldn’t be bringing electrical appliances into the bathtub. That’s an electrocution hazard, for sure. Additionally, no one man should have as many knives… Read more
