Robyn Writes

J-Pop Sunday – BABYMETAL

A few weeks back we took a look at our first “Idol Group” act Morning Musume. Now, let’s face it; idol groups like Morning Musume are not everyone’s cup of tea. For example, you may have been reading through the Morning Musume piece thinking “Well…Their stuff is all right, but what it’s really missing is some SPEED METAL, YEAAAAAAAHHHH!!!!!” and then you might have done that rock and roll hand salute thing followed by a wave of your tongue in a vain attempt to channel the spirit of Gene Simmons. If that was an accurate description of yourself then I’m about to make you a very happy bunny. Meet BABYMETAL: An idol group off shoot, with a twist!

Rock on, lil’ Japanese girls!

Quick Guide
Act Name: BABYMETAL
Line-up:
Suzuka Nakamoto (中元すず香) A.K.A “SU-METAL” – Lead vocals
Moa Kikuchi (菊地最愛) A.K.A “MOAMETAL” – Additional vocals
Yui Mizuno (水野由結) A.K.A “YUIMETAL” – Additional vocals
Years Active: 2010 – Present
Genre: A strange mix of Idol Pop and Metal. I call it “Kawaii Metal”.
Notable Tracks: “Doki Doki* Morning” (ウ・キ・ウ・キ★ミッドナイト) (2010), “Headbanger!!” (ヘドバンギャー！！) (2012), “Ijime, Dame, Zettai” (イジメ、ダメ、ゼッタイ/”No More Bullying”) (2013)
*Doki doki is the Japanese onomatopoeia for the sound of a heartbeat.

BABYMETAL is a spin off from Sakura Gakuin (さくら学院/Cheery Blossom Academy), a by the numbers idol pop act featuring a gaggle of sickly sweet, all-singing, all-dancing Japanese teenage girls. All three members of BABYMETAL are current or former members of Sakura Gakuin; One day in 2010 someone at the group’s record label “Toy’s Factory” saw a gap in the market for an idol group that was a little bit different. As such, Suzuka, Moa and Yui were plucked from the main group, given a makeover and rebranded as SU-METAL, MOAMETAL and YUMETAL of BABYMETAL.

Before BABYMETAL: Suzuka (top left), Yui (Bottom row, second from right) and Moa (Bottom right) along with other members of the group “Sakura Gakuin”

As you can probably tell, I’m a little cynical of the way record companies work and it’s all too easy to spout off remarks such as “Bah! They’re not a real band! They’re just a bunch of pretty faces scouted by a talent agency!” However, as true as they might be, the proof of the pudding is in the eating and this bizarre fusion of music styles might make a delectable dish. With that in mind, let’s have a taste of their first single; 2010’s “Doki Doki Morning”.


With its cheerful dance routines, the video for “Doki Doki Morning” doesn’t stray far from the group’s Idol roots.

Well, it’s a song that will stick in your head, that’s for sure. Let’s move on. “Headbanger!!” from 2012 has a noticeable change in tone, less cheery idol shenanigans, more…Well, head banging! A good move in my opinion: Distancing themselves from the traditional idol routine helps them stand out from the currently crowded idol market.


There’s probably some subtext in the video for “Headbanger!!” that’s gone right over my head.

The latest release from BABYMETAL, “Ijime, Dame, Zettai” continues the march away from Idol-hood and towards the realm of heavy metal tropes. I mean, look at the video: Flaming guitar tombstones, a dude in a leather jacket who looks like Rubeus Hagrid and Dave Grohl’s secret love child, hooded robes, a forbidding landscape and even folks running around with flags! It’s got everything! The girls even pretend to play the guitar at one point!

It’s so metal it hurts! Naysayers can get lost! They might not be a “Real” band. They might not be “True” metal, but they’re a damn fine substitution and ideal for a bit of silliness!

J-Pop Sunday – GO!GO!7188

Ah, nostalgia! This week’s J-Pop Sunday takes me back a few years: Back to a time long ago when I was but a curious teenager, first discovering the world of Japanese music. A time when the idea of J-Pop being readily available in the UK – via legitimate means – was but a madman’s dream and import CD costs were far too much for the wallet of a poor secondary school student. However, back in such an archaic time a little video site called “Youtube” was rising in popularity, bringing with it access to a seemingly infinite fount of weird and wonderful Japanese music. It was there that I stumbled across a Japanese band with a silly name and guitar riffs that will have you subconsciously bobbing you head along to the music. And this happened to be the week I remember that they exist. So without much further ado, here’s “GO!GO!7188”!

GO!GO!7188 consists of Turkey (Drums), Yuu (Vocals/Guitar) & Akko (Bass/Vocals)

Quick Guide:
Act Name: GO!GO!7188 (“Go! Go! Nana-ichi-hatchi-hatchi”)
Line-up: Akko (Bass/Vocals)
Yuu (Guitar/Vocals)
Turkey (Drums)
Years Active: 1998 – 2012
Genre: Rock, Surf-Rock, Light Punk (Is that last one even a genre…?)
Notable Tracks: Taiyo (太陽/Sun) (2000), Jet Ninjin (ジェットにんぢん/Jet Carrot) (2000), Ukifune (浮舟/Floating Boat) (2002), Kinyori Ren’ai (近距離恋愛/Short-Distance Love) (2006), Mayakashi no Sekai (まやかしの世界/Phony World) (2010)

Like all great rock bands GO!GO!7188 started life as a few high school girls mucking about. The younger versions of guitarist Yumi Nakashima (Yuu) and bassist Akiko Noma (née Hamada) (Akko), along with three other girls from their school in Kyushu (whose names have seemingly been lost to the annals of time) started a band called “Jellyfish”. Jellyfish primarily focused on covers of songs by a 90’s rock group called “JUDY AND MARY.” Sadly, Jellyfish never made it off the ground and the three nameless girls left the group but Yuu and Akko stuck together and in 1998 started calling themselves “GO!GO!7188”. In 1999 the pair performed at a local music festival/talent show, sponsored by Yamaha. Although the pair didn’t win the competition agents from Yamaha saw promise in the girls. Yamaha recruited the pair to their talent agency and paired them up with Takayuki Hosokawa; a drummer from Shikoku who also went by the name of “Turkey”. The line-up for GO!GO!7188 was complete. It was time to head on over to the big city.


A campy Yakuza/Detective romp (with carrots) is the bizarre theme for the video of Gogo’s second single “Jet Ninjin”.

The band moved to Tokyo in 2000 and released 4 singles and an album before the year was over, including their debut single “Taiyo” (太陽/Sun) and the oddly titled “Jet Ninjin” (ジェットにんぢん/Jet Carrot). 2001 saw 3 more singles, their second album and a nationwide tour. However, after 2001 the band’s output began to slow down: 2002 only saw one new release from the band: A traditional style ballad called “Ukifune” (浮舟/Floating Boat). Ukifune made several references to one of the later chapters of the 11th century literacy work “The Tale of Genji” which shared the same name.


GO!GO!7188 performing “Ukifune” live.

Albums and singles slowly trickled out from the band while the group toured and worked on side projects. In 2003 Akko released a solo album and in 2006 she got married. Yuu meanwhile released a solo album in 2004, she followed that in 2005 with a formation of a new band called “Chirinuruwowaka” (チリヌルヲワカ) which went on to release two albums; one in in 2005 and one in 2006. As for Turkey? He was happy enough hitting things with sticks for GO!GO!7188. Regardless of side projects, GO!GO!7188 was still an entity. In 2004 they performed at the legendary Nippon Budokan arena and in 2006 they released a new album and their first single in two years: “Kinyori Ren’ai” (近距離恋愛/Short-Distance Love)


The video for “Kinyori Ren’ai” makes me think of Tic Tacs for some reason…

In 2007 GO!GO!7188 embarked on their first international tour which included visiting the USA. However, rather than spur them on, the band’s trip to America seemed only to slow things down even more and for the rest of their years the band rarely managed more than one release per year. Of course, that’s not to say that the band’s quality diminished as they slowed down. The song Mayakashi no Sekai (まやかしの世界/Phony World) from the band’s final album “Go!!GO!GO!Go!!” in 2010 is proof of this.


Sadly, I don’t have a witty comment for “Mayakashi no Sekai”

2012 saw the end of GO!GO!7188 with Yuu withdrawing from the band. Yuu felt that she had reached her limit of what she could do for the band that she believed still had more potential to grow without her. Evidentially, that wasn’t the case as Akko and Turkey are no longer performing together as GO!GO!7188.

Of course, there is one question that remains. What’s with the crazy name? When asked about it the members have repeatedly stated that there is a reason behind it, however, it’s a secret known only to the group’s members. A secret that, sadly, we now may never learn the truth about…

J-Pop Sunday – capsule

Hello! Kaito here! So, regular readers of this column – if there are any of you – will know that I recently went on a little holiday research trip to Tokyo. I didn’t come back empty handed. As well as the charming Rei Ayanami coffee mug currently sat to my left I also brought home with me a number of J-Pop CDs, including the latest release from the subject of this week’s entry: capsule.

Yasutaka Nakata & Toshiko Koshijima: The duo behind capsule

Quick Guide
Act Name: capsule
Years Active: 1997 – Present
Genre: Shibuya-kei/Electronica/House.
Notable Tracks: Sakura (2001), jelly (2006), Jumper (2008), World of Fantasy (2011), Step on the Floor (2012)
Not to be confused with: Capsule, a screamo band from Miami, Florida.

A quick side note before we start, you probably noticed the term “Shibuya-kei” in the genre list. Originating from the Shibuya district of Tokyo in the early 90’s, it’s best described as a mix between Jazz, Pop and synthpop. capsule’s 2007 track Sugarless GiRL is a nice example of the genre:

So, onto the duo themselves. Yasutaka Nakata and Toshiko Koshijima met and formed capsule in 1997 after meeting a music festival in Kanazawa. Capsule operates with Nakata acting as composer and co-producer while Koshijima provides the vocals. Although their pair formed capsule in 1997 it wasn’t until 2001 when the pair were signed by Yamaha Music Communications that they released their first single, “Sakura” (さくら/Cherry Blossom). capsule’s first album “High Collar Girl” – also released in 2001 – featured a sound almost unrecognisable in comparison with their later, more successful works. “High Collar Girl” had much less of a focus on the electronic sounds or synthesizers that the duo would later become known for. “High Collar Girl” failed to chart.


“Sakura” features a vastly different sound compared to the duo’s later work.

n 2003 the pair followed “High Collar Girl” with their next album “Cutie Cinema Replay”. Another odd release, “Cutie Cinema Replay” featured guest vocalists and an odd French theme prevalent throughout the album – complete with the use of accordions on several tracks. However, for all it’s strangeness “Cutie Cinema Replay” did manage to chart! At rank 232…

Undeterred at the lack of success so far, Nakata set up his own record label under Yamaha, “Contemode”. From there capsule began to grow from strength to strength, eventually finding their current sound – found in tracks such as 2006’s “jelly”, 2008’s “Jumper” and 2012’s “Step on the Floor” – and became a success.

Aside from his work with capsule, Nakata has managed to find the time to work with and produce the albums of a number of other big name Japanese artists. These artists include Perfume, MEG and Kyary Pamyu Pamyu. (Yes, Nakata is the man that inflicted KPP onto the world…) Meanwhile Koshijima has focused her efforts solely on capsule.


The video for Jumper, from the album “More! More! More!”

To date, the duo has released 17 albums – including a self-remix album and three compilation albums. 2008’s “More! More! More!” was their biggest seller, managing to shift over 60,000 copies; a number that could be considered staggering when compared to “Cutie Cinema Replay” which struggled to make it past sales of 2,000. Their 2011 album had originally been scheduled to drop at the end of March that year under the working title of “Killer Wave”. Unfortunately, the 2011 Tōhoku Earthquake and Tsunami caused the pair to album to delay and re-edit the album until a later May release under a new name and with a replacement title track “World of Fantasy”.


Neon road trip! (The video for “World of Fantasy”)

“World of Fantasy” became capsule’s highest charting album, reaching #3 in the Oricon Weekly Charts. Since then the pair have continued working together and show no signs of slowing down any time soon. Which is a good thing. Because they’re totally rad. And because Miss Koshijima has nice legs…

Anyway! Until next time!

J-Pop Sunday – Morning Musume

Following on from our last instalment of J-Pop Sunday we’re sticking with the cute and catchy theme with one of the biggest acts in Japanese pop history: Morning Musume.

The current Morning Musume line up.

Quick Guide:
Act Name: Morning Musume (モーニング娘)
Years Active: 1997 – Present
Genre: Pop
Notable Singles: “Morning Coffee” (1998), “ Daite Hold on me!” (抱いてHOLD ON ME!)(1998), “Love Machine” (1999) “I Wish” (2000), “Ren’ai Revolution 21” (恋愛レボリューション21) (2000), “Sexy Boy (Soyokaze ni Yorisotte)” (SEXY BOY 〜そよ風に寄り添って〜)(2006), “Aruiteru” (歩いてる)(2006), “Help me!!” (2013)
Current Number of Group Members: 11
Total Number of Group Members: 39

Morning Musume is pretty much the epitome of manufactured idol groups so before we get into Morning Musume itself we’re going to have to quickly explain how pop idol groups in Japan typically work. The system is simple: Young girls audition to join a group; if successful they’ll perform with the group for a few years until they’re a little bit older when they will typically “Graduate” onto other projects – such as a solo career, a related sub-group, an acting career or even modelling. Using this system Morning Musume has been able to constantly keep itself fresh. Of course it’s not just Morning Musume that uses this system, groups associated with Morning Musume in famed producer Tsunku’s “Hello! Project” – such as Berryz Kobu (Berryz工房) or ° C-ute – also use this system as well as rival idol groups AKB48, Momoiro Clover Z and 9nine.

Now, onto Morning Musume themselves: The original five members started as individual runners up on a TV talent contest back in 1997. Although the girls failed to win the competition they caught the attention of record producer and songwriter Tsunku who set the girls a challenge: With his help the girls were tasked to make a demo single and sell 50,000 copies of it within five days’ worth of promotional events. If they were successful then Tsunku would offer them a contract. The girls accepted Tsunku’s challenge and hit the road to promote their single that November. You can probably figure out what happened next: The girls hit their target of 50,000 sales and managed to do so within only four of the five days. Morning Musume was born and the following January the girls released their first official single: Morning Coffee. (モーニングコーヒー)


“Morning Coffee”: Morning Musume’s first single.

Now, normally at this point in a J-Pop Sunday column I would do a brief run through of the act’s activities in chronological order, however, in the case of Morning Musume it’s pretty unremarkable: New members join and other members leave every year or so all the while a steady string of singles and albums flow out. Instead, I’d like you to take a look at a promotional video for Morning Musume’s next single “Brainstorming” and take a note of how different things feel compared to “Morning Coffee”:


“Brainstorming” will be Morning Musume’s 53th single. It’s released next month.

Hard to believe it’s the same group. Well, technically, it’s not. The last of the original Morning Musume members left in 2005. However the stark contrast between the two songs highlights the gradual change in sound and presentation Morning Musume has undergone over its’ 15 year history, moving away from a somewhat mature look and sound of early releases such as “Morning Coffee” and their first #1 single “Daite Hold on me!” (抱いてHOLD ON ME!) towards a more youthful and energetic style coupled with an increase in synthesisers in newer singles such as “Brainstorming” and “Help me!!”. Of course, it’s natural for change to occur; it’s not the 90’s anymore – kids these days don’t know what Pogs are – the market has evolved and Morning Musume, still under the care of Tsunku’s, has adapted in order to survive.

I’ll leave you with one last song of theirs from 2006: “SEXY BOY (Soyokaze ni yorisotte)” (SEXY BOY 〜そよ風に寄り添って〜) is one of my favourite Morning Musume singles and I feel it’s a interesting example to demonstrate the mid-point in the evolution of Morning: The look of the group is closer to that of early Morning Musume, however, the music and dance routine is closer to that or the Morning Musume we see today.


“SEXY BOY” will have the lyrics “Sekushii! Ue! Ue!” stuck in your head for the rest of the day.

J-Pop Sunday – Kyary Pamyu Pamyu

It’s J-Pop Sunday once again! This week, things get silly and colourful as it’s the turn of first lady of Harajuku herself, Kyary Pamyu Pamyu! (きゃりーぱみゅぱみゅ)

I told you it would be colourful.

Quick guide:
Act Name: Caroline Charonplop Kyary Pamyu Pamyu (きゃろらいんちゃろんぷろっぷきゃりーぱみゅぱみゅ)
Real Name: Kiriko Takemura (竹村 桐子)
Years Active: 2011 – Present
Genre: Pop/Electronic Pop
Notable Singles: “PONPONPON” (2011)
Official Title: “Kawaii Harajuku Ambassador” (Bestowed upon by the Mayor of Shibuya himself)

Right, where do we start with Miss Pamyu Pamyu? The beginning I suppose: She started life as an amateur fashion blogger while in high school. Her blogging focused mainly on the trends of the Harajuku district in Shibuya, Tokyo; an area famous for “Gothic Lolita” and “Kawaii” (cute) fashion styles. Her blog gained a large following which eventually lead to business and marketing opportunities with the fashion industry, which in turn spread her name to the point where the opportunity for a pop career was presented to her by renowned producer/composer Yasutaka Nakata (中田 ヤスタカ).

Now, the thing about Kyary is – that even by Japanese and fashionista standards – she’s a bit…off. As evidence to support my accusation take a look at the video for her breakout single from July 2011, “PONPONPON”:

Still with me? Told you she was weird. She also likes making weird faces, but more on that later. PONPONPON’s combination of a catchy tune and bizarre video meant that the song managed to reach #9 in the Japan Hot 100 chart and also top the iTunes Electronic Songs Chart in Belgium and Finland. PONPONPON was included in Kyary’s debut mini album “Moshi-Moshi Harajuku” (もしもし原宿 Or “Hello Harajuku” in English). Moshi-Moshi Harajuku also included Kyary’s second single “Jelly” along with 4 other tracks that are equally as catchy as PONPONPON.

“Moshi-Moshi Harajuku” managed to reach #18 in Japan’s Oricon Chart

The tail end of 2011 saw Kyary get her sights on the world at large: Performing at a fashion show in California, followed in 2012 by one-off performances in Shanghai and Hong Kong, followed by a nationwide Japanese tour. Also in 2012 she released three more singles: “Tsukematsukeru” (つけまつける which translates literally to “Putting On My False Eyelashes”), “Candy Candy” and “Fashion Monster”.


Things get spooky in the video for Fashion Monster.

We’re only two months into 2013 yet Kyary has been a busy girl. A double A-side single was released this January – and her first official world tour kicked off in Europe this month. Having already visited Belgium, France and the UK Kyary’s “100%KPP WORLD TOUR 2013” also has dates planned in Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and the US between now and mid-April.

So what’ve he accomplished here today? Well to summarise we’ve met Kyary Pamyu Pamyu; a slightly oddball Japanese girl who loves fashion and makes weird pop videos. Now here are a couple more of her songs and after that, as promised, there are some pictures of her making silly faces. They’ll brighten your day.



“Furisodeshon” (ふりそでーしょん) – from the recent double A-Side – is an odd parody/celebration of Kyrary turning 20 and therefore “Coming of Age” in Japan.


I’ve no idea what “Candy Candy” is about, but it’s silly and that onion amuses me.