美輪明宏 - 全曲集

美輪明宏 is an enka and cabaret singer of the highest order. she is everything a drag queen enka/cabaret (they went hand-in-hand in the 1960s) singer should be; luxurious, dramatic, fabulous, and most importantly: long suffering. she was even romantically involved with the late, great 三島由紀夫 (Mishima Yukio) at one point. Mishima was very proud of his lady-boyfriend (lol wordplay), too, to the point that he insisted that she was a must for the titular role of the film adaptation of his play Black Lizard (which is a great movie, by the way. if you haven't seen it then you should really make a point to do so at once). they were apparently involved for quite some time, too (although, of course, Mishima's family denies any and all allegations about his homosexuality)(also, i've always found it odd that they were so involved, considering Mishima always emphasized the beauty of masculinity in his writings).

ANYWAYS, concerning the music here, it is very sensuous and incredibly ridiculous. at some points she will trail off from singing and go into long, dramatic, pained spoken-word rants. they are very intense monologues, and very convincing, too (which i guess is why Miyazaki Hayao has cast her in at least two of his films). the mood of the music can fluctuate very quickly, too. it's really thrilling.

i think my favorite track presented in this collection would have to be the final track. she really displays just how powerful her voice (and acting) is here. my favorite part, actually, is the monologue. she whispers and and grumbles at first, but then her voice rises to a scream of anguish and frustration near the end of the monologue.


1. 愛の讃歌
2. メケ・メケ
3. 人の気も知らないで
4. 水に流して
5. 毛皮のマリー
6. ヨイトマケの唄
7. ボン・ボヤージュ
8. 人生は過ぎ行く
9. ふるさとの空の下で
10. 黒蜥蜴の唄
11. ラストダンスは私と
12. ラ・ボエーム
13. 愛のボレロ
14. 喫茶店の片隅で
15. 花(すべての人の心に花を)
16. 老女優は去りゆく


ENJOY

ｇａｉａ - genesis as ideal area

ｇａｉａ was an incredibly short lived visual kei group. they put out only two EPs during their short existence (this one, and 新未来抄). which is a shame, of course, considering this is one of my favorite visual kei records from the twilight of the scene (while "visual kei" was most certainly not a genre, it is debatable that a genre did arise from the scene. many bands played, including this one, played a combination of speed/trash metal, hardcore punk, and, in the beginning, post-punk and goth. later on they would elements of pop-rock, as well. so, there is most certainly a sound that can be associated with the scene). this EP is really splendid. i guess it sounds rather similar to the sort of music that more popular bands like La'mule or Madeth gray'll were making, but ｇａｉａ's music had very low-fi production, and that makes them all the more interesting. there is something very strange and minimal about this release. throughout the entire EP there are very shrill sounding synth notes that echo off and on here and there. they give the EP a ghostly sound.

the outro (i got the track order mixed up in the upload, but the track listening i've supplied below is accurate) is very strange. it was not uncommon for many visual kei acts to include a piano piece as an outro or intro, but often they feel . . . beside the point, i guess. this is an exception. it's incredibly haunting, and it's actually my favorite track on the entire EP. i only wish there had been more like this.

anyways, check this out ASAP.


1. forever～忘却の彼方へ～　
2. Revolver～理想への旋回～
3. 憂鬱-D-Piano Ver.1.0-


ENJOY

小沢なつき - ＮＡＴＳＵＫＩ ＤＲＥＡＭＩＮＧ

小沢なつき is a somewhat unappreciated idol pop singer. as far as i'm concerned, this is simply her best album. it's a perfect example of what a good idol pop album should sound like, and i have recently started suggesting it as a good starting point. it's that good. sure, there's not much experimentation or doom and gloom here, but it's just really, really, really consistently good. also, her voice has plenty of range (she can do an alto and a mezzo-saprano, but i guess my only complaint is that she didn't do more alto vocals).

anyways, there are some songs here that stand out here as some of the best idol pop songs (like "Herself", "風のデッサン" or "Blessing rain").


1.不思議Liberty
2.そ.の時、彼は・・・
3.きれい？
4.Herself
5.猫の休日
6.彼女になるまで
7.卒業
8.裸の天使
9.風のデッサン
10.Blessing rain


ENJOY

原みゆき - 凛

more introspective idol-pop! really, it's like this pseudo-genre was made for me. anyways, here's an album by the lovely 原みゆき. this album has a very delicate, relaxed feel to it. unlike previous "introspective idol-pop" that i've posted, there's no deep misery here; just serene, calm, meditative swaying in a gentle breeze. the percussion and singing here is what really gets to me, but the gently echoing guitars are also very lovely. track 5 (ゆらり ゆらり) is probably the only one that seems more melancholic, but that might be because she sings in an almost enka-like manor.

really, just overall, this is one of my favorite pop albums from the 80s. it's flawless from start to finish. completely hypnotizing, completely absorbing in its beauty.

anyways, this is just a criminally under appreciated album that you really need to go download right now.


1. 愛にゆきたい
2. 太郎と呼ぶ
3. 日曜日のテーブル
4. 凛
5. ゆらりゆらり
6. ゆでたまごと僕
7. 恋人未満デ
8. サイはフラなきゃ!?
9. 五月日和
10. もう夏が来るなんて


ENJOY

ＲＥＢＥＣＣＡ - WILD&HONEY

WILD&HONEY is one of the best albums that the legendary pop group ＲＥＢＥＣＣＡ ever put out. there's so much fucking energy on this album, so much aggressive passion. this has to be my favorite album by ＲＥＢＥＣＣＡ, because every track is solid. it's really a masterpiece, and i can't put into words how much i love this album. this video should sum up it's greatness:



1. WILD EYES
2. LOVE PASSION
3. FREEWAY SYMPHONY
4. LOVE IS CASH
5. 蜃気楼
6. NEVER TOO LATE


ENJOY

ORDINARY VENUS - ORDINARY VENUS

ORDINARY VENUS was a pop duo, fronted by 西脇彩華 (who previously sang with the idol group 9nine). the other member of the band was the brilliant 石井秀仁. so, while this is clearly a pop album of the highest order, it still has new wave and post-disco influences, courtesy of the cali≠gari vocalist. the songs here are very kawaii, and very genki. it almost feels like an idol denpa record.

i think the highlight for me on this album would have to be the opening track "I Don't Know !" or the epic ninth track, "Dream Rush". they're both so perfectly crafted, i feel like i could listen to them a million times without getting bored.


1. I Don't Know!
2. 赤道小町ドキッ
3. 白いパラソル
4. 慟哭
5. 愛が止まらない
6. はいからさんが通る
7. CHA-CHA-CHA
8. スローモーション
9. DREAM RUSH
10. 夏色のナンシー


ENJOY