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So who is the best example of J-POP then?


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I LIKE Puffy! I bought one of their albums cheap the other day and it's goood. They have good tunes, they can sing, and they're actually two tasty looking girls to boot. If there was more Puffy on the slopes instead of that godawful whining shite, things would be much better.

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You have GOT to be kidding Ocean11??!!?! eek.gif ....just wanted to provoke a response, yeah.

 

Well, if that is not the case, please enlighten me to their finer points? (They can sing??! OMG!)

 

Don't want this thread to go downhill rapidly, lets keep it abouve board!

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Not kidding neither.

 

Sure they can sing. Compare them to any of those sappy Komuro klones and they have a full range - or at least they sing songs that fit their range which is half the battle. Plus they sing many songs written by great songwriters like Inoue Yousui. Also their backing bands are usually more than competent.

 

Go on dez, treat yourself to a couple of albums. They hold up well against a lot of American bands, and their early CDs can be had verrr cheap.

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Bz def seem to be the best of the bunch, seem to have a splattering of natural coolness to them.

 

Not too sure if Ocean11 is really taking the 8iss or not on the subject of Puffy. What you're saying is pretty diff to take in, man

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Love Phsycodelico (sp?) is not bad. The rest is best heard in stores while your MD player is between real tunes.

 

Anyone know Number Girl? I think they're from Osaka. Not Jpop though. They're quite grungy. I went to a show and they rocked. I had to leave though when the headliner (American) stunk up the joint.

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I don't see any substance to these claims concerning the awfulness of Puffy. OK so they're easy listening, but there's nothing wrong with that. I first realized how good they are when I was driving for two hours with a pop station on the radio, and at the end when they played a Puffy song, I thought, Jeez, this is the only memorable, foot-tapping song by people who can actually sing! Coolness and posing be damned, if a band's lead singers set the dog a'howling, f*ck 'em.

 

Does anybody like Izumiya Shigeru? Great Japanese rocker. Good follow up when you want something with a bit more grit than Puffy.

 

Now, have any of you pinheads realized yet that I'm not kidding? Have yourselves a great weekend. And be sure to listen to someone who can actually sing as you make your way to the slopes.

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What about utada hikaru? She at least has some talent and writes her own (decent) songs. The biggest qualm I have with JPOP is the fact that just Skunk or whatever his name is (Tsunku) and about 1 more bloke writes the whole lot!

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Best example meaning the best music ? My favourite Japanese pop tune is the epic "Linda Linda" by the Blue Hearts (the former incarnation of the High-Lows). It's like the Toy Dolls or the Ramones, but like, really really good. Wicked lyrics too. Play it to some young Japanese snowboarders and they'll probably go nutso on you. It's an absolute stormer !

 

On a totally different tip, some of UA and Chara's older stuff is definitely worth a listen. Of the tunes I've heard lately, "Drop" by Cornelius made the biggest impression. Dreamy bossa nova-tinged pop. Well groovy. If you like that French group Air and their ilk, check him out.

 

Club music doesn't count as JPop, I suppose, but there's loads of great Japanese club stuff. Acid Jazz, techno, d'n'b, you name it. Some Japanese hiphop even is better than you'd imagine.

 

In my experience, the training rooms at health clubs in Japan always seem to have on all those Eurobeat tunes that folk do para para to. You know, Venga Boys and Steps and that phreakin' speeded-up version of the Mickey Mouse theme. In other words, all that crap that gets in the UK charts. Compared to that, Sting and Phil Collins, JPop is a relief if you ask me.

 

I read somewhere that Captain Sensible is a big Puffy fan. The first "ikiru michi" one was pretty catchy at the time but none of the rest really registered. While prone to overexposure, some of Hikki's tunes are all right in my book. She's gone a bit Pizzacato Five on this last one.

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Utada-chan is well cute, but her voice grates after about the third listen. I remarked elsewhere that 'Can You Keep a Secret' drove me nuts on the slopes last year. People stared when I kept shouting 'No, I can't, now shut the f*ck up!'

 

Surprisingly, Japanese rap is OK - better than French rap anyway.

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Yo Ocean

 

Not into MC Solaar then... Tres sophistiqué though he is. I've heard some wicked African rap in French. Forgotten what it was though. A lot of seriously good club music is coming out of France (and Germany and Finland even), so time for a reappraisal methinks. It's not just "Je t'aime", Plastic Bertrand and Vanessa Paradis anymore.

 

The one in Puffy that was married to TM Revolution looks like she's left him, so you could be in with a chance there if you keep saying nice things about them. Invite her down the slopes and see if you can impress her with a rodeo flip. An intentional one, of course smile.gif

 

chikizukitai yooo

kimi no risoo ni ...

(running for cover)

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