Japanese Music

[Saint Michael]

I pose this question to people who have taste (thus not to a certain forum member who's name need not be mentioned). What is some good contemporary Japanese music? I don't want to hear J-Pop or lame American Alternarock/EMO copycat stuff (in other words I don't want to hear flavor-of-the-month bullshit). I want some good music that has a staying power beyond the current hits season.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Anything by Mozart.

 

[Crono]

I like Ayumi Hamasaki, but I guess she's considered J-Pop.

 

[cdmccool]

Something like the Yoshida Brothers maybe?

 

[Saint Michael]

Originally posted by: Crono
I like Ayumi Hamasaki, but I guess she's considered J-Pop.

Rule: If the lead singer is female, they aren't what I'm looking for. Or at least the odds are much, much lower.

 

[Saint Michael]

Originally posted by: cdmccool
Something like the Yoshida Brothers maybe?

Hmm, that's pretty interesting, but actually I'm looking for some music that has singing as well. I'm specifically interested in hearing the Japanese language sung. Thanks for the tip though, these guys sound decent.

 

[Crono]

Originally posted by: Saint Michael

Originally posted by: Crono
I like Ayumi Hamasaki, but I guess she's considered J-Pop.

Rule: If the lead singer is female, they aren't what I'm looking for. Or at least the odds are much, much lower.

Ok. But you're still asking a very tough question considering you are looking for "contemporary" non-J-Pop with "staying power". You're essentially asking to predict what music that: a) You like and b) will be respected a few years from now. I think the only way you can find what you are looking for is listening to a Japanese music station online and see what you like.

 

[UncleWai]

????? Maika Shiratori
She does her own song with a guitar, great relaxing songs.
It will be hard to find her songs online though.

 

[Saint Michael]

Originally posted by: Crono

Originally posted by: Saint Michael

Originally posted by: Crono
I like Ayumi Hamasaki, but I guess she's considered J-Pop.

Rule: If the lead singer is female, they aren't what I'm looking for. Or at least the odds are much, much lower.

Ok. But you're still asking a very tough question considering you are looking for "contemporary" non-J-Pop with "staying power". I think the only way you can find what you are looking for is listening to a Japanese music station online and see what you like.

Having female singers reduces the possibility a lot because basically all J-Pop acts are basically female singers singing songs they didn't write. In other words pop commodities. I don't want to listen to the equivalent of Britney Spears in Japanese, is what I'm saying.

 

[Taejin]

The Indigo is my favorite band. I don't think they're j-pop.. they play a lot of laid back music. The music they put out is a mixture of pop rock and slow ballads. Comprised of a female singer and a male composer.

 

[KeithTalent]

Not sure about your criteria but for hip-hop type stuff I have been a massive fan of DJ Krush for years. One of my favourite tracks: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVjgRlto8PI

If you get anything after MiLight, you will find some great Japanese hip-hop.

KT

 

[Nitemare]

Could name you some Korean ones, but will have to dig for Japanese ones

 

[Saint Michael]

Originally posted by: Taejin
The Indigo is my favorite band. I don't think they're j-pop.. they play a lot of laid back music. The music they put out is a mixture of pop rock and slow ballads. Comprised of a female singer and a male composer.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=gy6IGX6bZyM

Them? This sounds good, it reminds me of the soundtrack to Ghost in the Shell. Sort of with traditional Japanese chanting thrown in.

 

[touchmyichi]

There's a lot of great noise rock coming out of there. I'm a DJ at a college station, if that gives me any credibility at all. Try these out-

Boris
Melt-Banana
OOIOO

There's also a lot of great American bands with Japanese leads, such as Deerhoof.

 

[Saint Michael]

Originally posted by: KeithTalent
Not sure about your criteria but for hip-hop type stuff I have been a massive fan of DJ Krush for years. One of my favourite tracks: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVjgRlto8PI

If you get anything after MiLight, you will find some great Japanese hip-hop.

KT

Yeah, I've listened to a lot of DJ Krush, but he often has crappy American rappers on his tracks from what I've heard. It sort of sours the experience. Actually, having any rappers seems unnecessary when he has all the talent he needs to make music by himself.

 

[KeithTalent]

Originally posted by: Saint Michael

Originally posted by: KeithTalent
Not sure about your criteria but for hip-hop type stuff I have been a massive fan of DJ Krush for years. One of my favourite tracks: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVjgRlto8PI

If you get anything after MiLight, you will find some great Japanese hip-hop.

KT

Yeah, I've listened to a lot of DJ Krush, but he often has crappy American rappers on his tracks from what I've heard. It sort of sours the experience. Actually, having any rappers seems unnecessary when he has all the talent he needs to make music by himself.

I've found a lot of his later stuff to have less American guys on it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwgbe9gK6Zk&NR=1

One of the best DJs I've ever seen live, probably second only to Kid Koala.

KT

 

[Saint Michael]

Here's a question also for any native speakers, and it's part of the reason I'm looking for Japanese music: why does so little Japanese music seem to rhyme consistently? Is it because rhyming is not traditionally important to the Japanese ear? Or because Japanese is a difficult language to rhyme?

 

[Howard]

X Japan

 

[Tiamat]

AFAIK, Ayumi Hamasaki and Utada Hikaru write their own stuff, but they are JPOP so not in your interest.

I like Asian Kung Fu Generation, mFLO, The Pilllows, X-japan if you want some rock,

Edit: didn't see howard's post lol

X Japan - Kurenai is one of my favs from that band.

 

[Journer]

Originally posted by: Saint Michael
Here's a question also for any native speakers, and it's part of the reason I'm looking for Japanese music: why does so little Japanese music seem to rhyme consistently? Is it because rhyming is not traditionally important to the Japanese ear? Or because Japanese is a difficult language to rhyme?

i'm no native speaker, but sometimes it can be hard to rhyme, if you do, it might mean using some archaic words that no one knows. i think it might have a bit to do with the way the language is interpreted. for example, in japanese, yes means no and no means yes. Why? because they answer the actual sentence, not what i means.

anywho, my favorite artist is YUI. she doesn't meet your criteria, but i don't really consider all her songs j-pop. she has an amazing voice and a lot of her songs are very very chill. she writes all her lyrics and everything...

YUI:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=-5lEVGkPnco
http://youtube.com/watch?v=9BRnJENUurc&feature=related
http://youtube.com/watch?v=kNwgiTyK9TM
she has 2 albums...so check them out

 

[Nitemare]

X Japan
RAIN
Loudness

are about the only ones that come to mind.

Eliminating jpop and female artists, cuts it by like 98%

 

[sobriquet]

Originally posted by: touchmyichi
There's a lot of great noise rock coming out of there. I'm a DJ at a college station, if that gives me any credibility at all. Try these out-

Boris
Melt-Banana
OOIOO

There's also a lot of great American bands with Japanese leads, such as Deerhoof.

How about some Merzbow?

 

[soccerballtux]

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus
Anything by Mozart.

I would agree with this.

The JPop I've heard is meh.

Plus my time would be better invested in learning chinese; they are the future once we are weakened; Japan's market is dead.

 

[fire400]

Ayumi Hamasaki is number one in Japan, hands down. To say she is the same as all other JPN female singers and that she never has written her own songs... you show a sign of great weakness, stereotypical behavior that makes people hate you.

Double hate on you because you are hatin' on Ayumi Hamasaki.

Thread sucks already, buddy. Get a life or join Anime Club at your high school or college or community. And that last part was no joke.

 

[Nitemare]

Originally posted by: fire400
Ayumi Hamasaki is number one in Japan, hands down. To say she is the same as all other JPN female singers and that she never has written her own songs... you show a sign of great weakness, stereotypical behavior that makes people hate you.

Double hate on you because you are hatin' on Ayumi Hamasaki.

Thread sucks already, buddy. Get a life or join Anime Club at your high school or college or community. And that last part was no joke.

uhohs