I’m not Japanese and I can’t understand it but there are some tunes that I definitely enjoy listening to regardless if I know what they’re saying or not. There’s something magical that makes the language sound differently musically than the English language. If you’re relatively new to J-pop, the songs may seem strange to you because you haven’t heard the majority of J-pop (and neither have I, but I’ve listened to a few hundred). These are some songs that I’ve found are different and a nice change of pace.
So, without further ado, here’s some unique catchy J-pop tunes, all different in their own way:
Lovely Icecream Princess Sweetie – EGOIST
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0MgXudV6t8
I KNOW WHAT YOU’RE THINKING. “OH GOD, THIS IS GOING TO BE THE WORST SONG IN THE WORLD. YOU HAVE TERRIBLE TASTE TREVIN. WHAT IS WRONG WITH THIS SONG’S NAME.”
Yes, I probably do have bad taste. But aside from that, the song’s title is pretty much completely unrelated to the song. It’s not the extremely cute girly song that you were expecting – it’s somewhat of a more modern, stylish, smooth song. I’m not really sure how to put it – it’s almost a glidy, cloudy song. You just sail along on the lyrics. Her pitch remains pretty constant throughout the song, reaching a state of monotone at times. It’s very poppy and yet very clean at the same time.
Yellow Moon – Akeboshi
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yv0ixjeowwY
A very smooth, thoughtful song. It’s catchy but remains an air of elegance that seems to naturally wind you down. Perfect choice for an ending. There is use of English in this song mixed with Japanese, which makes this song more unique than most J-pop tunes. I enjoy that it’s head bobbingly catching without being annoyingly all up in your face. The singers voice is somewhat low and has a dreamy quality, which is relaxing.
Kesenai Tsumi – Nana Kitade
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWyHZjBj2v4
Very interesting opening with the sirens and another instrument which I cannot name. It’s somewhat low maintenance, remaining catchy without being too screamy or annoyingly cute, which is why it was probably chosen for an ending. The singer’s voice is very unique in the chorus. It’s normally somewhat high but she adds some kind of yodle or inflection onto her voice when it reaches the chorus, which makes it weirdly even catchier. Or maybe just annoying to some people.
Need Your Love – Do As Infinity
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRLZ370orVE
Extremely weird song… It’s depressing in a way. The song makes you feel like you’re floating in the middle of nowhere. The instruments make it very full and allows the song to have a lot of depth. It’s deep, calming and yet piercing in a way. It’s just so weird because it’s so.. brain dead and yet so energetic. Plus the TV static is pretty creepy. It’s a song that you can vegetate to all day because it makes you feel so weirdly apathetic and insignificant. It’s hopeful yet sad. Once you read the lyrics, you’ll understand what I mean.
Happy Material – Original to Negima
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCCOEOihmt0
“BUT TREVIN, THIS MOUTH IS SO SICKINGLY CUTE AND YOU HATE CUTENESS!” Yes, I do. The first time I heard this I was like “oh god” but moving on past the cheesiness and the kawaiiness, it just seems to be an extremely upbeat, cheerful song. It’s catchy, simple, and mind-numbingly happy. Plus, the multitude of different voices makes it extremely unique, as you literally have six different voice actors splitting each and every verse in the song. Not to mention that there are six different versions all with their own theme and instruments.
I hope you enjoyed some of these unique J-pop tunes. If you wanna listen to some more J-pop, I recommend you head over to Armitage’s Dimension (they have good taste), an anime radio. For mp3 downloads, Gendou’s Anime Music is a good choice. I’d also recommend the albums of supercell (also known as EGOIST I believe.) If you’re relatively new to J-pop, check out the more mainstream music which tends to be catchier and appeals to a wider audience, which means famous openings from big name anime like One Piece.