something you should know

Togawa Jun is apparently back in business, or at least was in the studio recently; she is responsible for a "cover" of カノン (or 蛹化の女) by Michiro Endo from the recent (it came out eleven days ago, i think) tribute album to The Stalin and Michiro Endo, titled ROMANTIST. i use quotation marks around the word cover, because this is actually a cover of a cover. the song that Endo was covering was originally from Togawa's 1984 album 玉姫様. so, in essence, Togawa is simply redoing one of her older songs.

i was almost completely turned off this album after hearing DIR EN GREY's god awful cover of ワルシャワの幻想. i don't hate DIR EN GREY. i do hate this cover. so, i guess what i'm saying is that it's a miracle that i heard this breathtaking cover that Togawa Jun so masterfully performs.

more important than this single song, though, is the possible promise of a new album from the queen of avant-garde pop herself. it's been a good six years since Togawa Legend came out. i think we're all about ready for a new album by now. let's cross our fingers and hope this is a sign of things to come.

戸川純 - 20th JUN TOGAWA

20th Jun Togawa is another more modern piece by the legendary 戸川純. a cover album where she pays tribute to Brigitte Fontaine, Vanessa Paradis, Patti Smith, and other western classics. her versions of the songs covered here are (except for "Comme A la Radio") have very little in common with the originals. Togawa's voice sounds as childlike as ever, particularly on the delightful cover of "Joe le Taxi".

one or two of the songs on this album (for example, the tired "All Tomorrow's Parties") are worthless in their original form, but somehow togawa manages to fill them with the spark of life.

edit: hahaha, some dumb cunt over at Stylus Magazine apparently gave this album an "F". i can't stop laughing, oh my god my stomach hurts ahahahaha repulsive fucking hipster cunts oh man, somebody put me out of my misery ahahahaha.
on the other hand, the producer Jim O'Rourke (who has worked with the likes of KK Null, Merzbow, Nurse With Wound, and has produced albums for Sonic Youth and Faust) said it was one of the best albums of the year that it came out.

ENJOY

戸川純 - 好き好き大好き

好き好き大好き is another album by Togawa Jun. this is one of her earliest works, and is much more adorable and childlike than the previous album i posted. this one is by far my favorite. the title track is perhaps the most obvious choice for "best song", however the one that always delights me is the breathtaking finale.

this album is clearly inspired by the other idols of the 1970s/80s, and it is (as previously mentioned) slightly mocking them. however, it isn't parody, it is simply a image of the pop idol through the eyes of Togawa Jun; crazed, sugary sweet, and absolutely sincere in its loveliness.

1. ヘリクツBoy
2. 好き好き大好き
3. エンジェル ベイビー
4. さよならをおしえて
5. 図形の恋
6. オーロラB
7. 恋のコリーダ
8. 遅咲きガール


ENJOY

戸川純 - TOGAWA FICTION

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.