All things considered, 2016 was a turbulent and uncertain year for many all over the world, especially those in my home country of America, where I spent the year’s entirety. Seemingly mirroring this global turmoil is the music that was released this year, which ranged from expectedly fantastic new albums from long-time greats, to the rise of new powerhouses, to the unfortunate shortcomings of artists who either missed something along the way and came up short of expectations. Despite the uncertainty to be found abundantly in all aspects of this past year, We still managed to get another fascinating slew of releases. Perhaps emblematic of this year itself, various reasons, both out of and in my control, kept even this list from being posted until now. Without any further delay, here are Goodbye Subculture’s top 10 Japanese albums of 2016.
10. Togawa Jun with Vampillia - Watashi ga Nakou Hototogisu
Togawa Jun is undoubtedly a monumental figure in Japanese alternative music and subculture. You’d be hard-pressed to find a fan of the Japanese underground who didn’t at least know the song “Suki Suki Daisuki". To celebrate 35 years of her illustrious music career, this collaboration with contemporary cult favorite Vamipillia to release new renditions of some of her classics is a recipe for a mind-blowing album. While this excitement is fulfilled in many songs on this release, especially ones like “Barbara Sexaroid" and “Like a Butcher”, which are more compatible with Vampillia’s own unique and heavy style, the re-dos of more pop-leaning favorites like the aforementioned “Suki Suki Daisuki" fall short from a combination of sound incompatibility and bad mixing. For a 35th anniversary album, Togawa Jun herself is fairly good form, but this compounded with everything else is enough to keep this great album from being something truly special. In the end, it is more of a reminder and motivation to revere Togawa’s classic repertoire from the prime of her career than it is a good release in it’s own right.
full review: https://tmblr.co/ZR5pgj2G7dqUE
9. Tricot - Kabuku EP
After achieving widespread acclaim as indie darlings both in Japan and abroad, ceaselessly energetic tricot’s first release since their most recent and best album, AND, is what you would expect from them. Bringing the intensity, flavor, and trademarked math-rock-pop we’ve come to associate with the band, the only thing missing on the Kabuku EP is something new and exciting. While energy and enthusiasm are part and parcel with tricot, the aforementioned AND was above and beyond anything that first album, THE, could have predicted. In contrast, Kabuku EP gives us mostly more of the, brilliant, fun, yet very similar feelings that AND provided, which is by no means a bad thing.
8. Oomori Seiko - TOKYO BLACK HOLE
TOKYO BLACK HOLE may be Oomori Seiko’s darkest work to date from a conceptual standpoint, but what is actually put forth on this album is probably the cult favorite musician’s most hopeful and accessible work. While undeniably an Oomori album, much of the intensity that fans have come to expect from her is in short supply here. That does not mean that the artists is completely stripped of her power, only that she is proceeding in the logical direction that her fame and musical progression have taken her. Both songs from the single released late last year, “Magic Mirror” and “Sacchan’s Sexy Curry”, are full of the bitingly honest and cant expression that have put Oomori on the map, while songs like “SHINPIN", co-produced with Sakurai Kenta of Maison Book Girl fame, show a rather newfound talent of Oomori’s to utilize the most interesting artists in Japanese music today. As a combination of everything in Oomori Seiko’s career so far, TOKYO BLACK HOLE is a logical next step, but not one that inspires excitement in those who prefer her more spastic and honest modus operandi.
full review: https://tmblr.co/ZR5pgj24Bc8zv
7. Utada Hikaru - Fantôme
One of the very rare cases where pretty much everyone who pays any amount of attention to contemporary Japanese music at least knew about this album’s release, and for good reason. Not only is it the first album in 7 years from one of the biggest names in j-pop, it's also one of the most substantial releases of 2016. It goes without saying that Utada's voice is powerful, but it shows no sign of atrophy from the hiatus, resulting in probably the best vocal performance and delivery this year. The fantastic and finely tuned production belies surprisingly introspective subject matter about life and love in the modern day. Not to mention there's a song, “Tomodachi”, apparently about the complications of a gay crush, the allegations of which, whether true or not, is a subject that simply does not get discussed in Japanese music in general, let alone on one of the most talked about releases of the year.
6. BiSH - KiLLER BiSH
Thus far into their short career, self-proclaimed punk rock idol group BiSH has proven not only to be one of the best and most consistent idol groups around, they’ve accomplished the monumental task of stepping out of the shadow of their immensely popular predecessor, BiS. However, By joining major record label Avex Trax, BiSH not only set up expectations of continuing in their predecessor’s footsteps, but actually attempt to do so on a few slipshod homage songs. Despite this being their most recent album which features some of their most powerful and emotionally charged songs like “Hontou Honki” and “Orchestra”, there’s a reason why it is the lower ranking of the two BiSH albums from 2016, both of which absolutely deserve to be counted among the best of the year’s offerings. For an album as catchy, powerful, and enjoyable as KiLLER BiSH, a drop in consistency from their previous release and a bit of pandering lands it a lower spot on this list than the group as a whole deserves.
full review: https://tmblr.co/ZR5pgj2DYgZv1
5. siraph - siraph
A truly impressive debut album from a group consisting of former School Food Punishment and Haisuinonasa members that combines energetically sporadic and smooth jazz with alt-rock and just ever-so-slightly glitchy, yet evocative keyboard. The true strength of this group lies in the fantastic balance between moments of aggression and tenderness, both amplified by vocalist Annabel’s dulcet tones. Perhaps the only significant criticism that can be said of this eponymous release is that it’s just too short. A recently released single, quiet squall, proves that this first album was no fluke and that siraph is definitely a band to pay attention to.
4. Soko ni Naru - YAMINABE
Taking a few pages out of Ling Toshite Sigure’s book, but putting their own youthful spin on it, Soko ni Naru stand out by showcasing intensity and heart in equal measures. Starting from the aptly subtitled “Roku Gatsu no Sensou ~extreme explosion ver.~”, Soko ni Naru puts their energy and skill out in full force on this album. While previous EP, i’m not a pirolian, introduced us to Soko ni Naru’s unique sound, YAMINABE ups the anti by showing more of each members individual skills. This is especially true in the case of bassist Fujiawara Misaki, who, in addition to dealing out blistering bass lines throughout the album, has a rare lead vocal performance on “Mou Nido to Modorenai ano Koro ni”, which is the melancholic highlight of the EP. With emotional depth to match the their ceaseless youthful energy, Soko ni Naru continues to prove themselves as the most powerful and earnest post-hardcore band in Japan today.
full review: https://tmblr.co/ZR5pgj24pNP_Q
3. Higuchi Ai - Hyakku Roku-Jūdo
Coming from the artist whose previous album was titled Zenin Yūshou, meaning Everyone Wins, this major debut album from Tokyo based singer-songwriter Higuchi Ai is decidedly more somber and lonely than anything seen from from the artist so far. This is evident right from the first track, the title of which translates roughly to “Someone Else’s Happiness is my Unhappiness”. Even not knowing the details of the singer’s personal life, one would be remiss to read this as a breakup album. Despite its overall depressing and brutal tone, Hyakku Roku-Jūdo also contains some of the artist’s warmest and most human moments. Featuring perhaps the widest range of songs from the already eclectic musician and composer, this is a brilliant introduction of the artist into the major label scene. Even when sharp and distressing, Higuchi Ai’s raw emotion and talent shine through, as she expands both the scale of her sound and the depth of her honesty.
full review: https://tmblr.co/ZR5pgj2FPPITE
2. BiSH - Fake Metal Jacket
Despite starting off with new renditions of three previously released songs, usually a huge nail in the coffin of sophomore albums, BiSH’s first release this year, Full Metal Jacket, is also it’s strongest and most memorable, landing it a spot on this list way above its successor. More than simply an album, this is the point at which BiSH really stepped out of the shadow of their extremely influential predecessor and became their own, and even more powerful, entity. They accomplished this by taking the sounds that worked best on their debut, namely punk and emo, and putting their own honest and open idol twist on them. “beautiful Sa” and “Departures”, as well as almost every other song, are full of the unbridled emotion and energy that can only be found in this kind of incredibly simple, yet forceful punk music, while “Primitive” and “BUDOKAN Kamoshikuwa TAMANEGI” take what worked best for BiS and improves on it to an impressive degree. Add to this the realization and first true harnessing of the group’s secret weapon and greatest strength: member Aina the End with her endless enthusiasm and inimitably powerful voice, and you’ve got an emotional force to be reckoned with that not even the album succeeding it in the same year with more budget could best.
full review: https://tmblr.co/ZR5pgj20y295B
1. Soutaisei Riron - Tensei Jingle
Given the pedigree of this band, and perhaps even more so in the case of their vocalist Yakushimaru Etsuko, it's absolutely no surprise that this most recent offering was one of the year’s best, despite how early in 2016 it was released. While not accomplishing anything groundbreaking, at this point, Soutaisei Riron have such a genius formula that even minor tweaks and small new ideas make their songs feel fresh. this album in particular has quite a bit more energy than 2013’s Town Age, exemplified on “Berlin Tenshi”. This general energy is owed mostly to the more intense, yet just as technically impressive guitar work, which is most readily observable on “Oyasumi Chikkyu”, as well as personal favorite “Cerebrus". Tensei Jingle has a little more of a dark streak running through it, which can be seen in no better place than out-of-left-field stormy almost-edm album closer “Flashback”, which simply begs to be expanded upon on a future album. Every Soutaisei Riron release is an exciting prospect, combining energy, skill and individuality, and Tensei Jingle is just more proof that this band can simply do no wrong.
🆕🎶 「 前世界 」 new single by siraph is now available worldwide! 🌐
Listen now on our weekly updated playlist and discover new sounds from Japan 🎧 https://spoti.fi/42HdAgd
