Wemibelle

Time for the first post of 2021! As is typically the case, it will probably be a few posts before I can regularly include all 2021 songs, but there’s still plenty of great tracks from last year I can share in the meantime.

Goodbounce - Ebimayo (2016)

Goodbounce was my first exposure to Ebimayo, and it makes me want to explore more of the artist’s work. This song, like many of Ebimayo’s tracks, is full of frenetic energy and pounding beats. Goodbounce in particular is impossible for me not to bounce along to, especially when it hits its peak at around a minute in.

Koitsura aiteru - Nigami17 (2020)

I almost shared Koitsura aiteru a few months ago when it first released, but I passed it over for a few other songs and forgot about it. Now seems like the perfect time to get back to it! This is a track with atypical structure, oddly all-over-the-place production, and fantastic alternating verses from the two vocalists. It’s a bizarre song but still catchy nonetheless.

Jibungoto - Team Shachi (2020)

I was hooked on Jibungoto from its first few seconds. The slick synth beat and use of horns was immediately ear-catching and made me want to hear more. I equally love the verses, with a somewhat hypnotic rhythm synced to the beat and odd cadence. Sadly, the “chorus” is a bit much for me, bombastic and loud in a way that goes against the otherwise calm parts of the song.

I downloaded it and started it, but the way the main character just exposition dumps everything so plainly in the first room put me off so hard that I just uninstalled it. Maybe the writing gets better after that but BOY was it one of the worst offenders of "show, don't tell" I've seen in awhile.

Gonna do a bit of a quick one this week, since I put up my Top 10 for 2020 last week (which you can find HERE). Next post will be in 2021--let’s hope it’s a better year for everyone!

Ultra Power - Sarukani (2020)

This is a neat hip-hop track with some fast beatboxing sprinkled over the top to give it a very unique sound. Some really cool production here too.

666 - kakeru (2020)

I just found this electronic track a few days ago and it’s amazingly weird and fresh and exciting. Definitely check out kakeru’s 2020 album my first album on Spotify too for more.

Survive - Wagamamarakia (2020)

What a bizarre mishmash of sounds this one is. Elements of punk rock, metal, JPOP, and hip-hop collide into something entirely compelling.

@clagnaught: Glad someone likes them! I feel like the Korean lists usually get a bit less attention, for whatever reason, so it's nice to see them acknowledged. Thanks!

@invadernick: That's a great piece you wrote! IU was definitely one of my earliest "holy shit, KPOP has some amazing talent" artists I found, and I've loved her music for years. You've probably already seen it, but she did a live version of Good Day this year on Sketchbook and totally nails it--even the high notes! It's definitely worth checking out.

I knew there had to be one! I'm glad you enjoyed it!

@chaser324: Thanks for checking it out!

That Chelmico single is pretty good, but I'm partial to the m-flo collab they did, Run Aways. Some really great verses in that one.

Got another three songs for everyone. Almost at the end of the year and hard at work on my Top 10s for 2020!

Dear My Friend feat. Pentatonix - Little Glee Monster (2020)

As a longtime Pentatonix fan, Little Glee Monster’s recent collab with them for Dear My Friend made me very happy. This is an incredibly chill song that makes me feel warm and fuzzy. The acapella singing is beautiful and the vocals, from both Little Glee Monster and Pentatonix, are beautiful. Kirstin from Pentatonix even displays some impressive Japanese pronunciation.

Ashita wa nai - Shishamo (2020)

Shishamo is one of the more consistent Japanese bands out there, in my opinion, releasing a solid album nearly every year since they started. Ashita wa nai is one of their newest songs, and I really like it. It has this middle-level energy--not too overwhelming and not too downbeat--that works for me. The distinctive style of Asako Miyazaki’s vocals fit this track perfectly too.

Different - Band-Maid (2020)

New Band-Maid! Different is a very different sounding track than most Band-Maid songs, almost immediately getting up in your face with a pounding beat and violent array of instrumentation. For me personally, this sound doesn’t really work. It all sounds too busy, drowning out the individual instruments instead of making each of them sound distinctive and important, which I normally find to be one of the band’s main strengths. I actually enjoy the B-side off this single, Don’t Be Long, a bit more--a fully instrumental track that lets each instrument breathe and be heard.

Got a new batch of songs with a bonus extra!

Better - Twice (2020)

Twice may have lost its crown as the most popular KPOP group, but they’re still putting out quality songs on the regular, both in Korean and Japanese. Better is their latest Japanese release, and it’s pretty good! It has the punchier production that usually accompanies Japanese songs from Korean groups, and the vocals flow together nicely with it, especially the verses.

DeLorean - Toconoma (2020)

Toconoma is a long-running instrumental band with a typically jazzy, funky sound to their music. DeLorean is a track off their newest album and it’s definitely funky. There’s an excellent bass line and solid drum work throughout the song that drives it forward, punctuated by the tight guitar riffs and synth lines. It’s one of those songs that I have a hard time not tapping my foot or nodding my head along to.

Happy Blue Monday - Helsinki Lambda Club (2020)

Helsinki Lambda Club is a self-described “Japanese alternative rock band” whose music “...encompasses the attitude of garage punk, as well as the spirit of new wave and psychedelic.” Happy Blue Monday is one of their newest songs. While the vocals are pretty average and don’t do much for me, I absolutely love the instrumentation, particularly that fun little combination of riffs that repeats throughout the song.

BONUS: Yasashii Akuma - Orange Caramel (2012)

Orange Caramel is one of my absolute favorite KPOP groups (which sadly is on permanent hiatus right now), and Yasashii Akuma is one of their few Japanese releases. This video has been up and down on Youtube for YEARS as people uploaded it and got it taken down by the label before FINALLY getting an official posting last year (which I just discovered). It’s a pretty nostalgic song for me, as I first heard it around the time I started getting into both KPOP and JPOP and I’m so happy it’s finally up somewhere I can always hear it.

Here’s another three songs!

Haru wo tsugeru - Yama (2020)

Haru wo tsugeru is a song that’s been hovering around the bottom of my Top 10 list for a few months now. It doesn’t have quite the punch that some of my other favorites from 2020 have, but it’s a compelling song that I find myself coming back to again and again nonetheless due to its powerful vocals and fantastically upbeat production.

Peter Pan - Yuuri (2020)

Yuuri’s vocals on Peter Pan are incredibly fun. There’s this whimsical air to them despite being delivered with a powerful and almost raw voice. I think the video also does a great job of matching this feeling, as he dances about crazily but still manages to exude a lot of emotion and strength at the same time. This isn’t necessarily a catchy song, but it’s still remarkably entertaining.

Getting Into A Pose - Toreina (2020)

Toreina started out with a style much more inspired by chiptune music, but, over the last few years, her sound has gotten a bit more experimental, utilizing hip-hop sounds and a dirtier overall aesthetic to create something very striking. Getting Into A Pose is one of my favorites off her new album, a filthily distorted banger that I love to vibe to.

For this week, I’ve got three great new songs from artists I’ve featured before.

Shiawase no shanana - Bradio (2020)

Bradio tracks always manage to make me smile. The goofy lead singer with his over-the-top afro and hilarious facial expressions paired with the funky instrumentation and vocals is always a balm for my bad mood. Shiawase no shanana isn’t my favorite song of theirs, but it’s still a hell of a lot of fun.

Time Warp - Perfume (2020)

Time Warp was another one of those Perfume tracks I wasn’t too into when I first heard it but quickly became more and more to my liking as I kept listening to it. The deliberate verses are my favorite part, paced nicely with the production on the track. As always, the video is absolutely fantastic, featuring a time theme as the choreography goes back and forth throughout the song.

What Do You Want? - Rei (2020)

I absolutely love Rei’s style. She has this easy confidence to her songs that pairs perfectly with the smooth, retro sound of her guitar playing. What Do You Want? is another amazing display of her blues-esque guitar prowess, as she makes her instrument sing with this twangy sound that is entirely her own.