SCANDAL! the most powerful Japanese Girl Band...

That's what their website says. Well, I don't know if they are the most powerful Japanese girl band, but I do know that they are a lot of fun to listen to.

If you went to SAKURA.CON in the US, you might have heard them before. They toured here recently. This group out of Osaka, Japan is hot and rising fast!

I admit it. I like Japanese J-POP. And I am always amused by the personas that J-POP bands will take on. SCANDAL is a girl rock/pop band. The four of them appear complete in Japanese school girl outfits -- the kind in male fantasies, rather than the reality. They all do their makeup so that they tend to look like clones of each other too! The male fantasy continues!

But beyond the hype, the music is fun and bouncy and the vocals are good.

Even beyond that, they really are part ROCK! You can definitely hear rock vibes and strong guitar musings threaded among the bouncy, girlish J-POP tunes.

That might actually qualify them for the most 'powerful Japanese girl band'...these J-POP fantasy dolls really can hit a rock beat and make it stick.

So give them a look and a listen...you might find yourself getting addicted to J-POP.

Their Myspace music site is at:
www.myspace.com/scandal4

Have fun!
CG Anderson

Flumpool: J-POP foursome out of Osaka, Japan -- Flumpool: 大阪からの４人のＪＰＯＰ男

Flumpool

My romance with J-POP music groups continues. Four cute guys that can sing. They aren't the kind of J-POP musicians that run around wearing bunny suits in order to get attention. Nor do they need to.

These guys are great. Well-paced music. Emotional. Fun. The music had a slight 'tinny' sound reminding me of the 1960s music scene. To set the scene, think of a small club in Liverpool. The sound quality isn't that good. Yet the foursome on stage definitely have a special quality. So instead of leaving, you stay and listen to the band.

Fast, driving beats. Great musicality. Great vocals. Great tunes. That keeps you in your seat -- wanting more!

Find their MySpace site here:

www.myspace.com/flumpool

Have some fun -- check out these four musicians from Osaka.

C.G. Anderson

Machine Translation (with some human intervention to clean up the translation a bit):

機械翻訳（その翻訳をきれいにするためのいずれかの人間の仲裁で):

Flumpool

Ｊポップ・ミュージックグループと一緒の私のロマンスは継続します。 歌うことができる４人のキュートな男。 彼らは注意を得るためにうさぎスーツを着る走り回る種類のＪＰＯＰミュージシャンではありません。 同様に彼らはそうする必要がありません。

これらの男は素晴らしいです。 うまくペース配分された音楽。 情緒です。 楽しみ。 その音楽は私にその１９６０年代の音楽のシーンを思い出させているわずかな「ブリキかんを叩くような」音を持っていました。 その現場を設定するために、リバプールで小さいクラブについて考えてください。 その音品質はそれほど良くありません。 それでもステージ上のその４人グループは確かに特別な特質を持っています。 それで、去る代わりに、あなたは滞在して、そしてそのバンドに耳をかたむけます。

速い、運転の打つこと。 素晴らしい音楽。 素晴らしいボーカル。 素晴らしい曲。 それはあなたをあなたの席に置いておきます － さらに多くを欲して！

ここで彼らの MySpace 場所を見いだしてください:

www.myspace.com/flumpool

若干の楽しみを持ってください － 大阪からこれらの４人のミュージシャンをチェックしてください。

シン・アンダーソン

MUSIC REVIEW: Japan's JPOP girl - Ranka

Ranka

OK, today we slow down a bit from yesterday's rock fest.

Easy on the ears and easy on the heart; that is the voice and music of Ranka, another JPOP gem out of Japan.

Less the usual, more expected frenetic sound of JPOP and more the easy ballads of which American audiences are typically more fond. Her voice has a lovely quality and clear tones. Her musicians are quality as well, with the overall production sounding very relaxed but well-paced.

This is very quiet relaxing music, that you might find in a dark lounge or a moonlight night. The type of music to enjoy with a glass of wine when you get home from work and want to unwind.

...or you want mood music for a hot date.

My only complaint would be that all her music is of a type. There is nothing to show any faster, more dynamic tempos--nothing to stretch her abilities or generate higher energy.

Still, a glass of wine and a moonlit night is still nothing to sneeze at.

You can enjoy her sweet and soothing tones at http://www.myspace.com/rankaranka

Cheers!

CG Anderson

It's a J-POP kind of day: Buono Fan Club and Kat McDowell

Two posts in two days? I know, strange for me, eh? Well, it was just a J-POP kind of day and I happened to find some gems I wanted to share with you (...before I forgot.)

First up, Kat McDowell, out of Tokyo, Japan. Yes, you heard me right, she's in Japan. How this songbird ended up in Japan, I do not know, but it's Japan's gain and now it's ours as well.

Kat McDowell

Lovely voice and good delivery of lyrics (in both English and Japanese.) Her musicians are first rate professionals, as is the overall production. Whether she's doing J-POP, acoustical or even soft rock with a bit of rap thrown in, Kat is a pleasure to listen to.

My only complaint was that her sample selection was too short -- as regular readers know, I really hate getting just 'snippets' of songs to listen to, I want full songs people!

Still, check her out for yourself...I think you'll like her.

Her site is located at

http://www.myspace.com/katmcdowell

Buono Fan Club

Second but only in order, some "brand new to MySpace" cuties out of Japan as well.

If you love the J-POP look and sound, complete with Japanese school girl outfits, rocking beats and bouncy melodies that just ricochet around the room, then check out Buono Fan Club. These three cuties have got the J-POP thing down pat. They are fun and lively and definitely lifted my day, especially when my energy began to wane. I loved 'em. I've got a personal bookmark on their page for whenever I need extra bounce in my step or a good cheering up.

Have some fun and give them a listen.

Their site is at

http://www.myspace.com/buonobuono

Enjoy!

CG "Shin" Anderson

Japan's GLAY (東京都), Japan and France's KOKIA and Beijing, China's TOOKOO!

OK, I wandered back to Japan, a bit off course of my world tour, but I'm glad I did. I happened to find a group that is a bit rock and a bit roll (ok and bit J-POP too!)

GLAY (東京都)
Aside from the messed up MySpace layout which covered up the audio player (at least on my machine, using Firefox, it was covered up) and aside from the little snippets of songs rather than full songs, I really liked this band.

I hate it when they don't put up at least one or two full length songs but instead only put up soundbites. It's like watching a movie preview when you were expecting a movie. You can tell they are signed; I expect some marketing bigwig thinks that he or she knows best and doesn't want the public to have anything for free...sad. Personally, if I like what I hear online, I go out and buy a CD...I'd much rather have a professionally made and guaranteed CD over a wonky download everyday. Can you tell I don't use iTunes??? :)

Anyway, GLAY (東京都) is robust and energetic with driving beats, great musicality and impassioned vocals. Here's another band whose music you might expect to find on anime shows like the fun but edgy Bleach, Ghost in the Shell, DeathNote and so forth. Except this isn't a grunge, goth or metal band, it is a rock J-POP blend, but in a great way. Think rock band with hits that span into and appeal to pop fans as well.

I just wish they'd put up some full samples on their MySpace page and do something about the wonky layout...but listen to them anyway, I think you'll like them.

You can find their MySpace page here (and other links I didn't visit) at
http://www.myspace.com/glayofficial

KOKIA
And if a Tokyo, Japan group is actually based in France, does that count as part of my world tour? The MySpace page is generated and written in French, the band is Japanese J-POP/Pop and a bit of Opera in style.

KOKIA, when I first started to listen didn't impress me. As I listened to the echoing overlayed soprano-like vocals, I thought I was going to listen to yet another singer and group that spent too much time showing off their vocal range and other tricks and not enough time showing that they could execute a song with passion and timing.

I was wrong.

Those fragile, self-indulgent vocals suddenly transformed into a grandiose theme with reach and power. The song, Follow the Nightingale, was mesmorizing, building in drama and intensity until it crescendoed and exploded.

Frankly, it reminded me of Alanis Morisette's song 'One', the complexity, the sense of a lone singer that is suddenly surrounded yet not overwhelmed by a powerful symphony of musicians and intricate music--it was there in this song.

So I listened to the other songs. I liked them as well. Some were playful and simplistic, like the songs children sing in complete innocence, some were complex but with rather annoying voice-over bits that I could do without, but happily others were deeper and complex.

Great vocals, intensely impressive instrumentals and composition and best of all, entertaining and powerful--enough to sweep you away to distant worlds only available in movies or your own imagination. Grand, sweeping, overwhelming -- give them a listen and see what you think.

And I'm counting France as part of my world tour with this group--regardless of it being a Japanese group. :)

Find KOKIA at
http://www.myspace.com/kokiavoice

TOOKOO
Finally, I stopped off in China and after wading through some popular bands (according to their stats) that didn't sound so special to me, I did happen upon a very Rock band called TOOKOO. They say they are a blend of Emo, Indie and Rock. I would place them more firmly on the Rock side with a bit 70's psychedelic and right on the edge of being Metal, but not quite.

Wild, fun and off the wall -- what more can you say except listen to those driving beats and irrepressible energies yourself.

Really, they were a blast to listen to -- just plain fun!

They are at
http://www.myspace.com/tookoo

Enjoy, gotta go!
CG Anderson

くるり / Quruli (Kururi) serves up some easy listening with a bit of kick

Travelling a bit to the east today (from China) we are back in Japan. I'm in an easy, slow mood today since the sun is shining and it is actually warm here in the Northwest (Seattle, WA, USA.)

So perusing through Japan MySpace music sites I find くるり or Quruli by their spelling (Kururi by other Romanji spellings of Japanese Hiragana characters.)

This duo is an easy-listening group, and yes, it's pop music but again not necessarily the outrageous J-POP that most think of when thinking of the pop music scene of Japan. This duo is simply easy to listen to, with a focus on ballads. The musical orchestrations also tend to the ballad-like side, but with complexity and emotive overtones that I also hear with ballad-pop songs of Alanis Morissette.

I like pop tunes that have musical complexity and intricacy. It's one reason I love the work of Alanis. And these guys definitely have some of that same spark.

Vocally, they seem to stay in a safe range and their music tends to be a bit more controlled than American counterparts, but it could just be the selection of tunes that I heard.

Why not see for yourself. Kick back and listen to some Japanese pop for awhile (especially if you aren't into Japanese Metal. Though the two metal bands I found, see previous reviews, are really superb.)

Their MySpace music page is at http://www.myspace.com/quruliofficial

Have an easy, "slow riding in the sun" day!

Where shall I go next on this pre-Olympics musical tour? Continue WEST to Korea, perhaps? or EASTward toward Canada and the West Coast of the US?
Hmmm...

Cheers!
CG Anderson

MUSIC REVIEW: 宝美 The Treasure Beauty--Japan's own Celine, Mariah or Sade?

宝美

To listen to her music, here are the links (both the ugly version and the nice version but both to the same MySpace page.)

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=1000799482
or try
www.myspace.com/keyweb

Whether 宝美 is her name or a name being used for her site, I don't know. As I said, I would be looking more into Japanese singers, bands and other artists. Well, I decided to start with MySpace, since I know that well known, as well as unknown, singers will post their music there.

A bit of searching and I found 宝美 site. I don't understand a single word, but I know talent when I hear it. This young lady's voice is spectacular. It is clear and sparkling with life. It is full of emotion--so full that you don't need to understand the lyrics to understand the meaning. Her vocal range is wonderful. Amazing, in fact.

The songs are laid back and romantic in nature. The genre is pop/j-pop/acoustic, but I would say her stuff tends more toward acoustic ballads ala early Mariah, as well as Sade and Celine. The music is superbly done as well, the musicians should be congratulated and the producer given a big, gold star for the overall production.

Her MySpace site says she is unsigned. I have to wonder if that is true or not. I wonder because the sound is so professional and her voice is so amazing that I find it hard to believe that such a talent is left to fend for herself.

If this girl had popped up in Europe, Canada or America, as an English speaking equivalent, with that voice of hers (and her natural beauty), then she would be the heir apparent to Celine or Sade or Mariah.

I hope you all give her a listen, whether you speak Japanese or not. And I hope Japan knows what a treasure they have in this girl, not just a beauty.

The translation of 宝美 that I got was "The Treasure Beauty".
She certainly is!

More to come.
CG Anderson

By the way, I don't have a MySpace page anymore, so I can't comment sites or send them email. If someone reads this and goes to her site, leave a message to her that I think her stuff is wonderful. Thanks!