Akadot - Review: Japan for Sale Volume 2

Released by Sony Music Japan International, comes the Japan for Sale CD series, which features an array of music from some of the hottest artists in Japan. The newest volume of the Japan for Sale CD series is already available in the domestic market.

Nakanaide is a cheerful song that opens the album, more of an example of what is normally thought of as J-pop. However, it has its own take, being a little slower and not quite so hyper or filled with too many sounds. The repeating title in the song starts the top of this winding tune, going up and down like gently sloping hills on a summer's day.

Iceblink is a fast change from the previous track, being more in the example of techno. The notes and synthetic sounds are harsh and sharp, wistful sounding; the title reflect the song very well. Although not in a negative manner, this track also sounds like a theme that might be found in a high quality videogame.

Much of J-pop stitches together sound styles from around the world. DT in this track has found a way to mix the floating offerings of New Age with a lightly imposed beat. Very similar to some Deep Forest tracks mixed with Enigma.

This track, made up a quiet beat and spoken vocals, is similar to Wyclef Jean of the now defunct Fugees. Not straight rap, but more of a lyrical spoken flow, stopping when thought appropriate. The beat behind seems to stand out on its own, twisting with the lyrics as if two different strains of taffy.

This Electronica piece, using synthesized voices spoken in English and pre-recorded samples punctuate an easy rhythm brought out by a synthesizer. The piece is an offering of simplicity and coherency.

This takes a few steps backwards to pull from 90's grunge roots with heavy garage band sound. At first it seems to be a slow song, which suddenly changes to garage grunge, which then goes to electronica at the very end, morphing into each sound effortlessly as if three different artists combined to create one song.

This very famous band has shed some of its Visual Kei image to go mainstream, noted by their toned down look and their offering of the ending track for "Final Fantasy: Spirits Within". A river of guitar is parted by the lead singer's vocals, accented at points with a ancient sounding electronic sound.

Chara's main singer has the light, childlike voice found in J-pop. When combined with a deep bass guitar and background beat pull from the music scene when Garbage and No Doubt first became popular.

This is another track that only can be described as nothing but J-pop. Whereas with the other songs on this album that still show where they pull their inspiration from, Supercar has that indefinable sound in J-pop that seems to take the best of every era from anywhere and blend it altogether. Supercar chooses to go for the multi-layer effect found in J-pop but does not crank the speed so high that the song becomes a thrashing wall of sound.

Reminiscent of some "Daft Punk" tunes with its repetition of some key phrases and style of beat, this track is relaxing but not sleep inducing. This is another song that mixes electronic voices and a very clean layer of sound but does not go completely overboard; the simplicity is thought of and planned.

This contribution is from yet another very famous band in Japan. Made up of two singers, they combine to give a hideously funny twist to the Go Go tunes of the 60's done with modern sound equipment. At any moment, you could expect them to jump out in plaid dresses with huge beehives and matching white calf-high boots.

This hearkens to the New Wave music of the 80's, which is no surprise since on of their musical heroes is the band that brought you "Whip It", DEVO. Polysics mix of computer sounds and guitar with short bursts of singing almost seem to parody old J-pop by copying a particular music style and remixing it. However, this is no empty mimicry, each move seems to be calculated for effect and comes out totally different from anything ever played.

The final offering on this CD is one of the best, coming full circle to commonly found strains in recognizably J-pop. Aco's breathy singing and gentle touch make this track sound like something to be found in an anime accompanying scenes of a darkened street with a forlorn lamplight shining down on the street.

The second volume of the "Japan For Sale" series again gives a wonderful sample of the styles of music found in the pop scene in Japan today. You won't find any track on here that sound like the levels on "Dance Dance Revolution" or from video games (though Iceblink comes close). Instead, this album shows what Japan has been listening to, and in all forms of creativity reflecting back what it has absorbed. The wonderful thing about J-pop is that what we take for granted such as styles of music and eras of songs are broken apart and re-combined in astounding ways. From the three genre spanning Boom Boom Sattellites SOLLIOQUY to the modern homage to the 60's Puffy AmiYumi's Atarashii Hibi , J-pop removes all barriers to create a sound that is all it's own. When the mix becomes so blended that one style does not speak up over another, you get what is mostly thought of as modern J-Pop. The heavy uses of synthesized sounds are the only element that spans throughout all the songs, giving a homogenous feel to the album. However, each song isn't just repeating the last; each song speaks to a different part of the musical spectrum. There is at least one song on this album for each person if they already have a liking of J-pop.

The album case comes with a track listing and a short article that touches on each of the artists in the album. The CD cover has art that is much like 60's stylized album covers with its cut out figures and bright colors (although the man on the cover seems to look more like Hugo Weaving's Agent Smith than a samurai; it just may be the art). The only drawback save for two names on the album, Puffy Ami Yumi and L'arc En Ciel, is that is made up of unknown artists to the US shores or to the J-pop listening spectrum. However, if this can be worked past and given a fair shot, there may be a new favorite found in this album not experienced before.

For more information regarding Japan for Sale CD series, visit the official Japan for Sale website.