Boy Soprano, Miharu Koshi (1985)
I’ve never heard anyone in pop music sing quite like Miharu Koshi. So operatic, not just in talent but in the way she actually sings, Koshi seems to transcend novelty in her quest for classical crossover pop. When Boy Soprano wasn’t covering classical standards, it still felt choral merely through the unerring, unwavering pitch of her vocal delivery: combine that voice with a penchant for orchestral covers and clear post-modern intent for pop and you get something both brilliant and really rather odd.
Most tracks here take a few listens if only to believe they actually exist - her synth pop version of ‘Ave Maria’ almost rivals Jun Togawa’s J-pop rendition of ‘Pachelbel’s Canon’ for sheer oddity in a pop song. That oddness is more than a gimmick but the reason Koshi is so rightfully revered as a pop musician, ensuring that each of her tracks contains a certain, consistent draw. Nothing on Boy Soprano is as outlandishly propulsive as the titular track of Koshi’s 1984 record Parallelisme (then again, little is), but this mostly-Haruomi-Hosono-produced effort is one of her best.
Pick: ‘マリアンジュ’