What are your Top 5 Japanese Albums & Songs thus far in 2018?

[Ryusenkai]

I did one of these posts last year at the 3-month mark, but decided to wait until we were midway through 2018 before attempting it this year.  Figured it would give everyone a bit more to talk about - it certainly has in my case.  As with last time, the goal of this post is to share just a little bit of what I've been enjoying musically with the other members of this section, and to try and see what everyone else has been enjoying in turn.  To make it explicitly clear, this thread is to be focused on Japanese releases by Japanese acts.  You can feel free to make another thread if you would like to discuss something else.

 

So, all of that said, let's get started.  My Top 5 Albums (in chronological order) will follow below, with my Top 5 Songs to be posted after that.  As always, my opinions are my own, and are to be taken with as healthy a grain of salt as you would anyone else's.

 

Albums:

• Nothing's Carved In Stone - Mirror Ocean
• FLOWER FLOWER - Spotlight
• Mitsunaga Taichiro - Geometric
• cero - POLY LIFE MULTI SOUL
• Toki Asako - SAFARI

To be entirely honest, all of the albums on the above list have been a surprise in one form or another.  Going into them, I genuinely wasn't expecting to hear one of my favorite releases of 2018 - particularly since I've had misgivings with four out of the five (Mitsunaga Taichiro, who I'd never heard of before this record, excluded) in the past.  Nothing's Carved In Stone tend to produce good, but not great rock albums, relying a little too much on familiar sounds; I liked FLOWER FLOWER's debut album, "Mi", well enough, but always felt it wasn't quite as cohesive as it could have been; I was nowhere near as enamored by cero's "Obscure Ride" as were some of my friends, who raved about it back in 2015; and Toki Asako, while up my sonic alley, trended just a little too close to more traditional city pop and jazz to distinguish herself.

 

Each of these four acts have, in my eyes, improved on their previous releases with their efforts this year.  "Mirror Ocean" showcases a much more forward-looking embrace of pop elements within Nothing's Carved In Stone's more traditional alt. rock sound, and really shows off their singer's vocal range.  "Spotlight" is an incredibly tightly tracked record where each song flows smoothly into the next, without sacrificing variety - this might even be my favorite album that YUI's produced so far.  cero have expanded and progressed their sound into a new space, and make what I view as an excellent use of their backing band, incorporating their individual strengths into every song on "POLY LIFE MULTI SOUL" (which is likewise impeccably tracked).  "SAFARI" is still clearly influenced by city pop, but it doesn't allow that influence to define what it is, combining that familiar atmosphere with more modern production stylings.  Mitsunaga Taichiro's "Geometric" is impressive in its own right, a smooth jazz-pop album that incorporates a liberal (and easily understandable) amount of English.  Mitsunaga's soulful vocals likewise provide an excellent complement to the music, meshing with it without getting lost amidst it.

 

Honorable Mentions for me this year are androp's "cocoon", Sukima Switch's "Shinkuukan Algorithm", and Elephant Kashimashi's "Wake Up".

 

Songs:

• Mr.Children - here comes my love
• Suchmos - 808
• Yamamori Daisuke - Full Moon no Kanojo
• Bird Bear Hare and Fish - Tsugi no Hi
• Southern All Stars - Tatakau Monotachi e Ai wo Komete

This list was far more difficult to put together than the previous, as I've spent a great deal more time focused on albums this year.  Still, the five songs above are likely the tracks I've both listened to most, and have most enjoyed my time listening to.  It's here that my general preference for male vocalists is more likely to rear its head, since there are fewer additional factors to consider than with longer records.  There's also definitely more of a lean towards rock, though less than in some years past, I feel.

 

Honorable mentions here are PAELLAS' "Echo", Quruli's "Sono Sen wa Suiheisen", [Alexandros]'s "Hana Uta", Oda Kazumasa's "Sakamichi wo Nobotte", and SUPER BEAVER's "Love Song".

 

Final Thoughts:

 

On the whole, I'm feeling pretty positive looking back over the last 6 months musically, and am excited to see what the rest of the year has to offer.  Do you all agree?  If so, what are your favorites from 2018 (so far)?  If not, why?

[GodYezi]

1. Kana-Boon - Aster

2. Kana-Boon - Aster

3. Kana-Boon - Aster

4. Kana-Boon - Aster

5. Kana-Boon - Aster

[Sasori]

Only one so far, but I don't have the chance to listen to that many Japanese albums:

 

EMPiRE - THE EMPiRE STRiKES START!!

[Freakonomics]

Haven't listened to many releases this year. Most of my attention this year has been with past releases so I haven't listened as much material for 2018. But my favourite releases so far in no particular order:

 

1. Teokure caution by =LOVE

2. Mizaru Kikozaru Iwazaru by Suiyoubi no Campenella

3. Sakamichi wo Nobotte by Oda Kazumasa

4. Jabaja by AKB48

5. 808 by Suchmos

 

Special mentions for Kageroh by Sakanaction, Synchronicity by Nogizaka46, Youkuboumono by NMB48.

 

If anyone's interested, my commentary on the stuff I've been listening to lately outside of 2018 (mostly late 90s early 00s stuff)

 

Incidentally, the past few weeks I've been looking at the music released at the so called peak of J-Pop in the late 1990s - early 2000s.

Broadly speaking I'm surprised at how much I liked the music released around that era since I'm more predisposed to the music of the 80s.

 

I don't normally listen to J-Urban but my god there's a lot of good music out there: DOUBLE, Misia, Hirai Ken, CHEMISTRY, The Gospellers, Tina, Koyanagi Yuki, RIP SLYME, Dragon Ash and even EXILE (especially style) are some of the acts that caught my attention so far.

 

On the J-Rock front, I think that's when J-Rock was at its zenith in terms of diversity. You have pop rock (Every Little Thing, Hitomi, Yaida Hitomi, Shiina Ringo, Do As Infinity, Garnet Crow, LOVE PSYCHEDELICO and Mr.Children), Industrial rock (hide, JANNE DA ARC, SUGIZO), Alternative Rock (The Yellow Monkey, Cocco, Luna Sea), Punk Rock (SADS, Kuroyume),  neofolk (Kobukuro, 19, Yuzu), and if you really want a niche: Neoclassical darkwave (MALICE MIZER comes to mind). All great sub-genres in their on right.

 

J-Pop is as good as ever particularly stuff from BoA, Shimatani Hitomi, Dream, globe, shela, hiro, Kuraki Mai etc

I guess my opinion of J-Pop was ruined by the onslaught of Hello Project acts, a lot of it are quite crap especially around the 2002-2004 era. Their 90s stuff is a lot better, I'll never understand how Tsunku managed to ruin Tanpopo. The downgrade from Last Kiss to their subsequent release after they blew up is unspeakable.