2006, Part Nine

Tokyo Jihen - Adult (2006)

J-Pop. Jesus, what bad connotations - let's see: anime, anime robots, people who dress like anime robots at comic conventions, people who prefer cartoon breasts over real ones, etc. It is, however, a genre which music enthusiasts must admit is largely unexploited. And here come Tokyo Jihen, who have produced, possibly, the first really valuable piece of music from the genre, transcending the narrow attentions of people who watch too much Japanese Animation on [adult swim], and breaking out into a larger audience. The normal qualities of the style are here: Japanese fascination with jazzy keyboards, cliche American drum soloing, sweet female vocals with rising choruses, incorrect English usage, etc. However, it is put together with such direct precision, so sleek and streamlined and deliberate, that it's almost impossible to not sway your head to. It's the most realized statement from J-Pop possibly ever, allowing it to progress from a weird cauldron of American infleunces to finally sounding distinct. Even regardless of its tyings to J-Pop, the musicians play so intensely and deliberately that it sounds anything but limp, which, arguably, is usually the genre's downfall. Definitely worth a spin, even if you decide it's not your thing.

Download "Shuraba (Adult Version)"