jpop
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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 -
Namie Amuro – “Sweet 19 Blues” review
Final verdict: 2/10 ★☆☆☆☆ Backed by a series of infectious singles (such as “Body Feels Exit” and “Chase the Chance”, though the rest are pretty good too), you’d assume this album would be amazing, life-changing even. Except it’s not. In fact, it’s not even mediocre – this is downright terrible. “Sweet 19 Blues” is 19… Read more
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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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Yellow Magic Orchestra – “Naughty Boys” review
Final verdict: 3/10 ★⋆˙⟡☆☆☆ I reckon “Naughty Boys” has achieved cult classic status, but this kind of sucks ass, I’m sorry. I’ve given it so many tries, yet I cannot get into it at all. First time I listened to this tears formed in my eyes actually, and not for good reason. I was so… Read more
1980s, 80s music, album review, blog, indie, japan, japanese music, jpop, music, Music review, pop, pop music, review, reviews, writing -
Haruomi Hosono – “Philharmony” review
Final verdict: 6/10 ★★★☆☆ “Philharmony” is just a weird ass sampling experiment, with a couple of poppier songs thrown in there for good measure. To those who regarded Ryuichi Sakamoto’s “B-2 Unit” as pretentious… behold “Philharmony”. Because it’s nothing but 37 minutes of Hosono noodling around on synthesizers and samplers, an over-the-top display of his… Read more
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Akiko Yano – “ただいま.” review
Final verdict: 9/10 ★★★★⋆˙⟡ Sometime last year, I figured I’d give Akiko Yano a try, and this album specifically was recommended to me – it was touted her “weirdest” work, and I enjoy fucky music, and so you see, it was meant to be. And with my beloved YMO tackling the production, was there any… Read more
1980s, 80s music, album review, blog, hell yeah, indie, japan, japanese music, jpop, music, Music review, pop, pop music, review, reviews, rock, rock music, writing -
Yellow Magic Orchestra – “Service” review
Final verdict: 6/10 ★★★☆☆ This is basically what YMO attempted to do with “Naughty Boys”, just a lot better than its unfortunate predecessor. The songs are probably far from the greatest in YMO’s discography, however you have complete bangers like “Limbo”, “Chinese Whispers”, and “See-Through”, so it’s hard to dislike. Not much against the rest… Read more
1980s, 80s music, album review, blog, indie, japan, japanese music, jpop, music, Music review, pop, pop music, review, reviews, writing -
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
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Akiko Yano – “ごはんができたよ” review
Final verdict: 10/10 ★★★★★ Could it be, we finally found a double album that’s so great, it actually justifies every single minute of its runtime? Akiko Yano’s 1980 release “ごはんができたよ” is one beefy album, clocking in at 74 minutes. Yes, that’s long, admittedly far longer than what I’d usually go for. However, every song contributes something to… Read more
1980s, 80s music, album review, blog, hell yeah, indie, japan, japanese music, jpop, music, Music review, pop, pop music, review, reviews, rock, rock music, writing
