The year in music so far has been filled with comeback albums that "hype" their way to the top. After the Twitter hashtags subside, though, such artists also seem to leave the minds of the public. (Is anyone still talking about David Bowie? Justin Timberlake? ... Daft Punk?) The fast-paced industry of buzz can overwhelm a music fan if he or she isn't constantly glued to a laptop, but come on — you gotta leave the house sometime!
In Japan it has been a year of Momoiro Clover Z on the charts, Kyary Pamyu Pamyu in the ads and Hatsune Miku at the opera. However, The Japan Times' music writers have sifted through the bulk of a mountain of hype from the first half of this year and tell us about the releases they won't soon forget.
Pop: Dempagumi.inc
Momoiro Clover Z got ambitious on "5th Dimension," while Morning Musume and Berryz Koubou embraced modern electronic touches to make great singles ("Brainstorming" and "Want!" respectively).
Yet if the problem with contemporary J-pop is a wariness to move forward, I'd say the most exciting group of the year so far would be Dempagumi.inc. The six-piece recorded two of the year's most madcap tracks, which pack more sonic daring into five minutes than some J-pop albums did in more than 70. First comes "W.W.D.," a mini-drama of sorts featuring segments in different languages and spoken-word interludes. At its core, though, is an aggressively catchy pop song.
Even better is "Denden Passion," a whirlwind mix of synth squelches, guitar solos and hot-potato vocals. It's like the music producers got together and decided the song would only work if they included ... everything. Overall, few groups have been as unpredictable as Dempagumi.inc. Which is what J-pop sorely needs. (Patrick St.Michel)
Rock/Indie: Extruders
It combines affecting but understated melodies, half-whispered by vocalist and bass player Yohei Toriyama, with bursts of discord and feedback delivered with laser-guided precision by guitarist Ryo Okada.
There's a tension between design and chaos that runs through their music, with songs such as "Luna" constantly threatening to tilt over the edge into madness, but always drawing back from the brink.
Extruders are also very aware of the value of silence, and the listener can get the sense that they consider the spaces between sounds just as important as the sounds themselves (which causes all manner of confusion at gigs, where the band seem to take perverse delight in the audience's uncertainty over when to applaud). In a music world characterized by frantic attention-grabbing gimmicks and the short attention span of blogs, a band comfortable and confident enough with their own sense of pace and space is a rare and precious thing. (Ian Martin)
Hip-Hop: The Otogibanashi's
The subjects of their rhymes oscillate between universal themes of suburban ennui and fantastical whimsy, reflected in the ultra lo-fi music videos for tracks such as "Pool" and "Fountain Mountain," which see them donning masks and running amok in a number of nondescript locales.
The do-it-yourself attitude that encompasses everything from the production values to the group's visual aesthetic recalls American hip-hop collective Odd Future, albeit minus the misogyny and wanton vulgarity. Instead, this brand of hip-hop can be better described as J. Dilla meets W. Disney — clips from the cartoons frequently feature in their videos, while the beat behind track "Humlet" sounds like it could have been lifted straight from "Fantasia." If "Toy Box" is anything to go by, The Otogibanashi's' story is only beginning. (Mike Sunda)
Electronic: Madegg
While that album was clearly indebted to the work of Los Angeles beatmaker Flying Lotus, here Komatsu hews closer to another of his idols, English electronica artist Four Tet. Though he can't resist the odd chunky bassline from time to time, for the most part he sticks to a palette of evanescent tinkles, xylophones and music-box chimes. Refreshingly, there's none of the fussed-over prettiness that characterizes so many of Madegg's local contemporaries: he never adds any more than necessary to a track, letting each one sparkle brightly and then fade away. (James Hadfield)
Jazz: Ai Kuwabara Trio Project
Still only 21, Kuwabara is both a talented performer and composer with her own musical voice and she clearly has plenty of ideas.
A concept album based on the theme of intuition, "The Sixth Sense" is full of variety, blending contemporary jazz with elements of rock and fusion over its nine tracks.
The tune that immediately grabbed my attention was "Intuition ~your sixth sense~" with its insanely catchy refrain and "laaaa-laaaa-la-la-la-la-la" vocals.
Other notable tunes include "Lost 'Ability,' " "Augury, Waves, Dive!," and the aptly named "Laboratory," which sees the various different ingredients that inspired the whole album come together in some kind of alchemist's experiment.
The trio also puts on an impressive and energetic live show and is set to perform at Tokyo Jazz Festival in September.
Ai Kuwabara is one of the bright new rising stars in Japanese jazz and "The Sixth Sense" is without a doubt one of the albums of the year. (Sean Smith)
Alisa Yamasaki contributed to this article.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.