We update with 10 new J-Pop songs once each month, on the day first day of each month.
毎月1日に、新たに10曲紹介します。
RSS feed for our song reviews can be found at: https://jtop10.mymti.org/category/j-pop-song-reviews/feed
1. Mr. Children- Here Comes My Love
DC’s thoughts: ‘Here Comes My Love’ is the latest addition to the legendary Mr Children’s back catalogue, and it’s a typically soaring rock ballad aiming directly for the feels, especially with it’s accompanying short film in tow. Even without the bittersweet images of a man’s love across the decades, it still packs a fairly hefty emotional punch, and if that punch is delivered 5 drinks deep at karaoke, I’d say that’s even better. 8/10
DC’s thoughts: Soaring ballad #2 this month comes form SEKAI NO OWARI, but it veers towards the pop spectrum and is a lot sweeter, both in melody and arrangement. It’s still sopping with emotion, though and like the Mr Children track also has an emotional accompanying video which is worth watching for the food alone. 8/10 Sazanka [Limited Release] SEKAI NO OWARI
3. 安室奈美恵- Hope
DC’s thoughts: The coming together of two Japanese cultural titans is always a cause for celebration, and in this case it’s stratospherically talented Namie Amuro doing her victory lap as she gears up for retirement (although we’re still hoping for ‘hiatus’), performing the latest opening theme to One Piece. ‘Hope’ is high energy and structurally quite an intense listen, and though we wouldn’t recommend it for a sleepy Sunday morning playlist, as a part of Amuro’s career’s closing ceremonies, it’s a pretty great way to bow out. 9/10 Finally [3CD+Blu-ray] Namie Amuro
https://youtu.be/ADrnNtmrTAw
4. GReeeeN- ハロー カゲロウ
DC’s thoughts: The latest offering from GReeeeN is brimming with energy, so if you’ve been feeling a bit sluggish of late then this bouncy number might be just the tonic you need. 7/10 Hello Kagero [Regular Edition] GReeeeN
5. RADWIMPS- Mountain Top
DC’s thoughts: No strangers to either a soaring ballad (#3, this month, if you’re keeping a tally) or to a movie tie-in, RADWIMPS return with a track from the new lavish historical fantasy film ‘Legend Of The Demon Cat’. It’s a song in English for a film which is a Japanese & Chinese co-production, but somehow that makes it an even better fit, and if we’re being honest most films would be improved with a little RADWIMPS in there – the band are on typically fine form, with the dynamic shifts coming and going at exactly the right moments, and the prominence of the piano is extra nice. 8/10 Mountain Top / Shape Of Miracle RADWIMPS
6. 藤原さくら- The Moon
DC’s thoughts: Sakura Fujiwara has one of the most recognisable voices in J-pop at the moment, and she uses it to great effect in this thankfully more down-to-earth ballad. The arrangement is more stripped back in terms of density of sound, but the synthesized sounds never stray into anything too clinical, and the song retains the warmth from Fujiwara’s tender delivery in the song’s verses. 8.5/10 Play [w/ DVD, Limited Edition] Sakura Fujiwara
7. 八王子P feat. Hatsune Miku – Bitter Majesty
DC’s thoughts: The ear melting sensation which comes with Vocaloid queen Hatsune Miku isn’t going to be everyone’s cup of tea, especially when it’s paired with some fairly brutal synths and unrelenting beats. ‘Bitter Majesty’ is a song of two halves – when the chorus hits the song comes together and it’s great, but the difference between the vocal melody and the arrangement in the verses is so vast it’s like there’s two different songs playing concurrently, so the overall effect is quite jumbled. Unfortunately the moments of excellence can’t quite carry it as a whole track, but it is a great chorus. 4/10 Last Dance Refrain [w/ DVD, Limited Edition] Hachioji P
8. PUSHIM x 韻シスト - TO THE NEXT
DC’s thoughts: Some would argue that funk-tinged pop doesn’t work in this, the 21st Century, but we’re sure that as Daft Punk count their Euros in their robo-mansion with their buddy Pharell, we can all give those people a stern look and send them on their way. Certainly the spirit of ‘Get Lucky’ is alive and well in ‘To The Next’, it’s so silky smooth that it’s currently in negotiations for a Pantene commercial. The rap segments keep the energy high and the overall feeling of the track fresh. 7/10 To The Next PUSHIM x INSIST
9. Predia – Hotel Sunset
DC’s thoughts: Fact: there is something deeply unglamorous about almost all hotel hallways, and despite their best efforts, the very glamorous indeed girls of Predia do not succeed in getting that particular location of their video for new track ‘Hotel Sunset’ to match them. The song itself is colourful, latin-inspired idol pop – cute, catchy and fun. 7.5/10 Fabulous [Type A] predia
10. KINKI KIDS – Topaz Love
DC’s thoughts: Veteran boyband KinKi Kids have been harmonising in earnest since 1992 – with more than 25 years of experience on the pop circuit, they’ve got a good grasp of their sound by this point, and as the saying goes, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. This is classic KinKi Kids, a super sweet and swoony pop record all about love, of course. 7/10 Topaz Love / DESTINY [Regular Edition] KinKi Kids
