Friday, January 15th, 2010 by Victoria Goldenberg
Here’s the good news about Past < Future: It’s much better than Queen of Hip-Pop and Play.
While the former was mumbly and dull, and the latter tended toward loud and cluttered, Namie Amuro’s ninth album sounds refreshingly clean and energetic. “Love Game” delivers a hard urban groove without any distracting frills. The hamony in “The Meaning of Us” emphasizes the pretty tune subtly. Even the most layered track, “Copy That,” doesn’t sound overdone.
The bad news is that the album doesn’t live up to the promise of the single that preceded it. The shifting song structure and Bolero samples in “Dr.” push the boundaries of the brief pop song, while the succinct, irresistibly punchy rhythms of “Wild” embrace them. Both songs are among Amuro’s best.
But most of the album tracks on Past < Future are filler. Of the new songs, only “The Meaning of Us,” the aggressive “Defend Love” and the swing-inspired “Fast Car” seem like lasting additions to the Namie canon.
Now that Amuro’s helmed three albums (2003’s Style is debatable because she’s largely ignored it in concert), both the strengths of her ambition and the limitations of her tastes have become more apparent. Her reinvention and creative direction are precisely what make her a superior and durable pop star, and it’s admirable that she’s expanded her range to include the rock gestures of “Shut Up” and retro stylings of “Fast Car” alongside more familiar-sounding R&B songs like “My Love.” But she has an obvious preference for songs with high-speed chanting and repetitive choruses. Past < Future sometimes sounds monotonous despite the genre variety across its tracks.
“The Meaning of Us” is a highlight in part because it’s the only new song with a fully realized melody and actual singing. Namie sounds quite nice, so it’s puzzling why she avoids singing so much these days. A few more melodies would have made Past < Future a more interesting album. As is, it’s merely satisfactory. But its production and genre variety are steps in the right direction. At least it’s better than Queen of Hip-Pop.
Tags: amuro namie, bolero, copy that, defend love, dr., fast car, j-pop, love game, my love, namie amuro, past < future, play, queen of hip-pop, r&b, shut up, the meaning of us, victoria goldenberg, wild
Posted in pop, review | 2 Comments »
Monday, November 30th, 2009 by Victoria Goldenberg
New York Anime Festival was the Big Apple hub for thousands of anime, manga and J-music fans from Sept. 25 to 27. What musical act would have better fit the convention than one from Tokyo’s own pop culture district, Akihabara? AKB48 is a 65-member idol collective that takes the winning combination of cute girls in short skirts and gives it a modern, geek-friendly spin. These hardworking girls have become a hit among both idol fans and the Japanese public. Sixteen of the girls made their American debut at NYAF, performing a mini-live at the convention and a full concert at Webster Hall that won them American fans.
In the 1980’s, AKB48’s prolific producer Yasushi Akimoto helmed Onyanko Club, a legendary idol group whose sexualized innocence he recycled for AKB48. The 52-member act existed in a decade of shared popular culture, one in which Michael Jackson and Madonna became international superstars. Onyanko Club itself was famous throughout Japan and made household names of members such as Shizuka Kudo and a karaoke classic of the coy “Serafuku wo Nugasanaide.”
But modern technology has expanded our choices in entertainment, and audiences are more segmented than ever before. Stardom is obviously still common, but it’s not what it used to be. We may never see another performer with Jackson’s level of popularity again, but we do see many becoming cult stars through the Internet, cable TV and more.
So Akimoto went niche and 21st century for his new pop experiment. AKB48, which debuted in 2006, focuses on fostering ties with the otaku fandom in a concept called “Idols you can meet every day.” The group consists of three ‘teams’ of girls—A, K and B—who rotate performances in a theater in Akihabara, the inspiration for the letter portion of the group’s name. The teams release albums individually, but the lineups for singles draw from the entire pool of members. An AKB48 team show takes place nearly daily, so fans have frequent opportunities to see the girls live in a small venue and even meet them. (more…)
Tags: AKB48, Akihabara, amura, amuro namie, atsuko maeda, ayaka kikuchi, blue rose, daily sun new york, hibari misora, idol, idols you can meet every day, j-idol, j-pop, journalism, kawa no nagare no you ni, kouhaku, la lanterna, madonna, max, michael jackson, minami minegishi, namie amuro, new york, New York Anime Festival, NYAF, onyanko club, oricon, river, sae miyazawa, sanrio, sayaka akimoto, serafuku wo nugasanaide, shizuka kudo, team a, team b, team k, tomomi itano, victoria goldenberg, Webster Hall, yasushi akimoto
Posted in interview, pop | 18 Comments »
Friday, October 16th, 2009 by Victoria Goldenberg
Swinging Popsicle makes an unlikely link between indie music and anime/video game fandom. While its laid-back retro rock isn’t the typical soundtrack for animated entertainment, the unassuming trio has played at conventions in North America and composed the music for the well-regarded 2009 PC game Sumaga/Star Mine Girl, introducing their 12-year catalogue to a new audience. But singer Fujishima Mineko, bassist Hirata Hironobu and guitarist Shimada Osamu make indie pop with broad appeal: It’s cheerful, melodious and driven by soulful yet understated vocals. As Hirata puts it, “everyone from kids who like to watch anime to older generations can enjoy our music.” On Sept. 27, they performed their second New York City gig at The Studio at Webster Hall as part of the Far East to East Showcase, a concert connected to New York Anime Festival.
The cold weather caught Swinging Popsicle off guard this time. When they played a solo show at the Knitting Factory in 2007, it was on a balmy May night. Shimada soon regretted wearing short sleeves in an unusually biting September.
Sumaga’s manufacturer organized Swinging Popsicle’s appearance at NYAF. For Hirata, it was a chance to return to a city whose talented people inspire him. Or, as Fujishima describes New York: “It’s cool.” (more…)
Tags: 2ch, 2channel, 32º Convención de Juegos de Mesa y Comics, Add new tag, amuro namie, anime, B'z, beatles, beatles: rock band, CD, cosplay, devilman, digital download, english, Far East To East Showcase, flavour of sound, fujishima mineko, german, hamasaki ayumi, hirata hironobu, independent label, interview, japanfiles, knitting factory, korea, l.a.m.f., l.a.m.f. ii, like a mineko fujishima, loud cut, madonna, major label, matsui hideki, melt banana, mexico, new york, New York Anime Fest, New York Anime Festival, New York City, rolling stones, shimada osamu, Sony, star mine girl, sumaga, Swinging Popsicle, taru, the studio, utada hikaru, victoria goldenberg, video games, visual kei, Webster Hall, wham
Posted in Photo, interview, pop, rock | 1 Comment »
