Togawa Jun was a mock-idol pop musician from the 1980s. her music was avant-garde pop, with a strong post-punk influence (in fact, her first band, Yapoos, could most certainly be called post-punk). her lyrics focused on surreal,
ero guro nansensu ideals. unfortunately this blogger does not speak japanese, and can't find any of her lyrics translated into english, but a self-analysis from Jun herself describes lyrics about a woman who transforms into a bug, and a woman who grows a weed out of her back. the self-analysis in question can be found
here (it's depressing to read, and it reminds me of Dazai Osamu's
No Longer Human. her sister [the actress Togawa Kyoko] committed suicide in the summer of 2002, so perhaps depression runs in the family. regardless, the self-analysis is particularly strange because the music that she makes is, for the most part, delightfully upbeat).
ANYWAYS, onto the album that i am about to present to you.
this is togawa jun's most recent album. it doesn't have much in common with her early 1980s pop albums (either as a solo artist, or with Yapoos or Guernica). so you must be wondering, "why did you just describe her pop music and then give me something that isn't pop?" the answer to that is simply that this album cannot easily be found on the internet. her other two solo albums (besides Suki Suki Daisuki, which i shall upload in due time) can be found fairly easily.
Togawa Fiction is a psychedelic rock album. the opening track is nearly ten minutes long, and is a wondrous example of good, modern jazz/psychedelia. those who have already heard her early sound will be treated to a more mature sounding woman who is still just as insane. her voice switches from crooning songstress, to nervous little girl, to manic wailing all within the same song. a modern comparison would be Midori's Mariko Goto or Ringo Shiina.
enjoy.
