3 Japanese artists you should listen to in 2020
Not all good music comes from the west
It’s almost 2020 and it’s time for a new year and new music. Let’s broaden our horizons a bit and check out a few bands from across the other pond.
1. Iri
It’s always a little intimidating seeing someone younger than you that’s so talented, but that’s exactly what this 25 year old hailing from Kanagawa prefecture is. Interestingly, Iri’s legal name was never made public and she chooses to go by the moniker “Iri” only.
Her music is a fresh take on R&B and hip hop that incorporates jazzy piano and clean guitar riffs and harkens back more so to 90’s R&B than modern EDM. Her latest album “Shade” shows her evolving style seamlessly switching between rapped and sung lines, while honing her talent for crafting catchy melodies.
Top tracks:
Wonderland
Come away
旅行
会いたいわ
2. Good Morning America
For anyone who grew up in the US it may seem strange to listen to a band that shares its name with a popular morning news show, but Good Morning America or “Goodmo /グドモ” for short is one of Japan’s hidden gem bands.
Many of their songs feature a prominent backbeat similar to electronic music, but they choose to do things completely analog with distorted electric guitars and drums. The singer and main songwriter claims never to write riffs on guitar, but instead prefers to sing them out. Compare this approach to many guitarists like myself who mostly shredded scales with a metronome all day. This unorthodox method leads to catchy and memorable melody lines.
Songs like “未来へのスパイラル” (Spiral heading towards the future) and “In Tokyo city” also have thought-provoking lyrics with a bit of existential introspection. Another popular track “コピペ”(Copy and paste) pokes fun at our addiction to social media.
“何のために生きてるんだっけ？冷めたコンビニの弁当”？(What am I living for again? This lukewarm convenience store bento box?)
I found myself thinking the same thing on some evenings while living in Tokyo.
Top Tracks
in トーキョーシティー
未来へのスパイラル
Stay with me
コピペ
3. österreich/The cabs
Imagine having the technical ability to write songs in bizarre time signatures that only a drum machine could play, then choosing to make completely accessible pop music.
The cabs and their side project österreich embody this approach in an elegant fashion. They seem to have an aversion to playing in 4/4 for more than a few bars, modulate up and down keys unexpectedly, and yet somehow do all this with catchy melodies and radio friendly aesthetic.
If you can correctly guess what time signature “無能” (Incapable) is in I owe you a Dr. Pepper. This signature song of theirs also features several lovely major pentatonic flourishes of piano while mixing in chromatics in a tasteful manner suited to indie pop. The tone of the drums is also to my taste on this track, the snare is nice and snappy while the kick is tight.
Top tracks
無能
楽園の君
僕たちに明日はない
すべて叫んだ
In conclusion
If you’re looking to get into Japanese music and don’t know where to start, these bands will be a good gateway. Watch out for these artists and more in the coming year.
