Japanese Rock n Pop

[bitflipper]

I've long enjoyed the Japanese take on jazz,  classical, prog and metal music, and wondered why it wasn't more widely appreciated outside of Japan. Here's some quality commercial pop rock from that country. This band's been around for awhile and has made a bunch of records, but I only discovered them thanks to YouTube's mysterious suggestion algorithm .

 

[Grem]

I enjoyed that. 

 

30 minutes ago, bitflipper said:

YouTube's mysterious suggestion algorithm .

Ya gotta wonder sometimes!

 

[Quick Math]

I am from Japan and have a lot of weeb friends and One Ok Rock is quite well known amongst them I thought.  

I am not a fan of ONE OK ROCK nor like their songs but they resurrected my favorite Japanese band which had been on long haiatus. Also their favorite bands are my favorite bands too (mostly American bands though) 

If I remember correctly, one of their albums was mixed by a very famous American (I think) mixing engineer who usually mix ITB and had mixed for top artists, such as Katy Perry. They must have had the greatest production imaginable. No wonder the sound quality was quite good and modern unlike other Japanese bands back then.

My favorite Japanese punk band which they made reunited, had their latest album recorded at Sunset Sound in California. I am just sharing this because I am their fan...

 

 

[bitflipper]

That's good stuff, QM. Reminiscent of Green Day. Got any more like that?

[Grem]

4 hours ago, bitflipper said:

That's good stuff, QM. Reminiscent of Green Day. Got any more like that?

Actually I like it better than Green Day.

[Rain]

I've been immersing myself in Japaneses culture and history these last few years - I've even started learning the language. Musically, there is so much going on over there... My favorite metal album (actually an EP) of the last decade is by a band known abroad as Unlucky Morpheus. Fantastic musicianship and terrific (not to mention drop dead gorgeous) singer. 

[craigb]

I definitely agree that there's a lot that's under-appreciated!  That Jazz from Japan (the girls) that was posted here a while back was awesome!

(That said, of all the types of ladies out there, I definitely have a sweet spot for Japanese/Americans!  *Sigh...* ? )

[Grem]

4 hours ago, craigb said:

all the types of ladies out there, I definitely have a sweet spot for Japanese/Americans!  *Sigh...* ? 

My sweet spot is for French girls like the one in Pulp Fiction.

Or the AT&T girl!!

Or Elaine from Seinfeld 

Or 7of9 from STV

Or Dr Crusher from STTNG

Or Deanna Troy from STTNG

Or......

 

[Edit] Or Malcom in the Middle's mom!!

I'm not really picky!!

Edited December 29, 2022 by Grem

[craigb]

LOL!  As a friend of mine once said, "I like brunettes!  I like blondes!  I like red-heads!  Heck, I like girls with hair!" ? 

[Rain]

4 hours ago, craigb said:

I definitely agree that there's a lot that's under-appreciated!  That Jazz from Japan (the girls) that was posted here a while back was awesome!

(That said, of all the types of ladies out there, I definitely have a sweet spot for Japanese/Americans!  *Sigh...* ? )

My girl is American Japanese with some Chinese on her mother side. And THAT is my type.

I've always had a thing for Asian girls, though. But Japan was my first love.

 

[Quick Math]

On 12/29/2022 at 1:23 AM, bitflipper said:

That's good stuff, QM. Reminiscent of Green Day. Got any more like that?

The bands I'm gonna talk about are not Pop Rock and relatively minor bands in Japan but 

amongst relatively new bands, Coldrain, Survive Said the Prophet, and SiM are somewhat recognized outside of Japan maybe? I think these bands are somewhat similar to ONE OK ROCK. I actually don't listen to them but Coldrain would be my pick if I needed to pick one from those. I liked Pay Money To My Pain, which isn't active anymore but they had heavy sound. The vocalist of OOR joined their album after the demise of the original vocalist of the band...

You know on Spotify they show you similar bands, and those bands often show up together.

One of my favorite songs by Pay Money To My Pain.

For the last few years, I did't really listen to any newly released songs by Japanese bands until that pop punk band released new songs. This year I listened to a band called 175R this year, which no body really talks about apparently. when I was a teenager I had a lot of favorites Japanese bands, 175R was also on my play list back then, but they have a best album with newly recorded their old song and quality was just satisfactory. So, I do not know much about trendy bands and stuff, but I loved early 2000s bands.

Have you guys heard of The Mad Capsule Markets? They were recognized outside of Japan due to their unique musical style, I think. The band also is no longer active. But they deserve to be shared, I believe.

 

Ugh, I could talk endlessly... ?

 

 

[Quick Math]

Let me add one more band here. Again it's not a new nor pop rock and it's a punk rock from 90s but this band had been so influencial that every high school band was playing their songs. Maybe that was a bit of exaggeration, but without a doubt, they are one of the most recognized indie bands by Japanese music fans in my generation and older. (I don't know about younger people)

The band is called Hi-Standard.

Their music styles are quite similar to NOFX, MxPx, and other punk bands. So some of you guys could recognize it. Hi-Standard was active under their own label called Pizza of Death Records, which apparently was a record label inside  Fat Wreck Chords, which was started by the singer of NOFX, which I didn't know until now.

Enough talk, here is their song.

 

Hope you guys enjoy these.

[bitflipper]

If you didn't see the band and know they were Japanese, you could easily be convinced that Stay Gold was a Green Day track that didn't make it onto American Idiot. That's meant as a compliment, since imo American Idiot is one of the finest pop rock albums ever made.

I think it was in Ikutaro Kakehashi's autobiography where I read an observation that the Japanese have always been particularly adept at absorbing foreign art and music and making it their own. Much like the British consumed American blues in the 60's and then sent it back to the US as something simultaneously new and familiar.

I am reminded of a song that was released in the US as "Sukiyaki" in the early 60's. An idiotic title that had been chosen because it was one of the few Japanese words Americans would recognize. It was very much in an American style, although it was a style that had already become unfashionable in America by that time. It was a HUGE hit around the world, even though few outside Japan had the slightest idea what the words meant. (My understanding is that most Japanese didn't, either; it was actually political, according to WIkipedia.)

Enjoy this bit of musical history:

 

[Eusebio Rufian-Zilbermann]

Not a minor band but "very Japanese"

 

[bitflipper]

My problem with Baby Metal is it's so...corporate. Which, in fact, it literally is. A business formed by a management company, it is about as organic as Circe du Soleil.

But damn, the band is tight! And you can't hate on those girls, who exude a cuteness factor on the level of a box of puppies. 

Here's their big hit. You can find a video of them performing it at Glastonbury, sans lasers and fog, but the spectacle is an essential part of the show. 

 

 

 

[bitflipper]

And now for something different. Japanese Funk.

Although I'm not convinced the bass player is Japanese. Looks Filipino to me, but that may just be my love of all things Filipino talking.

 

[craigb]

1 hour ago, bitflipper said:

And now for something different. Japanese Funk.

Although I'm not convinced the bass player is Japanese. Looks Filipino to me, but that may just be my love of all things Filipino talking.

 

Listened to this group a lot after it was posted last time!  ??