What's Hot In Japan--May 20, 2001(Delayed)
May 20 '01
The Bottom Line Be back for my next arcticle, May 30th.
Sorry for the delay, I had been at E3 for the past 3 days, and that kinda took me out of the J-Pop zone, but now I'm back, and there's new music to report on.
So, I wandered of to the Oricon to look at the charts, and here's what they have up for the 17th. Looks like a bunch of drama theme songs:
1. Endless Sorrow, by Hamasaki Ayumi
Well, it's an appropriate title...this song's pretty sad. Decent if you're in a slow song kinda mood, but in general, it just kinda "eh". I've heard a lot of good stuff recently, so this doesn't particularly strike my fancy. It's the theme song for the new drama, "Mukashino Otoko".
2. Kiss of Life, by Hirai Ken
I don't know why, but my friends have recently started saying how I look this guy, I don't think I do, but whatever. This single is the theme song for the drama "Love Revolution", which surprisingly is being shown over in the US simultaneously as it's being shown in Japan! The drama's fairly good, so if you get Japanese cable channels, give this a look. The song is interesting, a litle peppier than Hirai Ken is normally. I dig it, pretty groovable, but the Hirai-ster's voice goes up a little too high for my liking.
3. Haruka, by Spitz
After 11 months without a single, Spitz is BACK! This is an awesome track. I had heard clips from this song earlier on Countdown TV, and I was worried this song was going to be like the Hamasaki Ayumi track, slow, and unispiring. But this is a really, really good track. I was instantly hooked on it from the first few notes, and it kept the quality up all the way! This single is the theme song from the Japanese TV show, "Love Story", meaning the top 3 is comprised on new drama singles. My favorite single on the charts this month, it's the single you have to buy.
Lower on the charts, but #1 in our hearts.
Well, actually, most of the stuff lower on the charts was there last time I wrote, "Zero Landmine", "Tentai Kansoku", "Stand Up". Quruli does have a new song out, entitled "River" that is a new addition to the charts.
Diamonds in the Rough
I've been on a tear recently, searching for stuff that got lost in the voids of time, and I've actually found a lot of really, really good J-Pop.
Anything by Yano Maki that I've found has been incredible. I've been most impressed with the tracks, "Ansu", "Hidamari", "Okina Tsubasa", and "Motto Damashete". (Stupid Epinions filter...bunch of idiots...) One of the best virtually unknown artists out there. Someone's gotta get this girl to do a theme song or a video game!
Shela's new song, which isn't on the charts called "Sepia" is pretty catchy. If you haven't gotten this one yet, pick it up.
Another independent band that has popped up out of nowhere and gained a pretty big following is Tomato Cube. Their newest single "Watashi ga Iruyo" is AWESOME! Peppy, really good music. Their name is supposed to imply that they want to produce "nourishing music".
If you can find some of their stuff, the Pool Bit Boys might be worth your looking into. They're a combination of 2 guys, one is the DJ, and raps in English (not Engrish), and the frontman, the Japanese lead vocalist. "Venus Accident", "Ao no Kiseki", "Earth Striker", and "Lunatic Treasure" are worthy additions to your collection.
Well hopefully next issue, there's a bit more new music to look into. See you in 10 days! Once again, this is your gaijin connection saying "Ja ne".
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Member: Clayton Chan
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