No Japanese music group has been more interesting these past two years than AKB48, but "interesting" doesn't always mean "good." Several of the 89-members-and-growing outfit's most notable moments have been ugly (the Minami Minegishi head-shaving scandal tops that list), but the idol group has also made some strides pop-wise — the occasional great hook and a handful of creative music videos that have demonstrated some self-awareness. The already-a-million-plus-sold new album "Tsugi no Ashiato" ("The Next Footsteps") encapsulates the hits and misses of AKB48 — and modern J-pop — perfectly.

In the spring of 2012, then-most-popular AKB48 member Atsuko Maeda announced her impending graduation from the idol institution. Her departure sparked a stretch of strong releases, starting with the last single Maeda featured on, "Manatsu no Sounds Good!" The track solves the group's biggest musical problem — having to accommodate the vocals of 26 women at once — by giving them a singalong-worthy chorus and cushioning it with horns that sound like they were jacked from the "Neon Genesis Evangelion" soundtrack.

From there, the group fine-tuned its default pep on "Gingham Check" and even got a little thunderous on the George A. Romero-gone-J-pop track "Uza." Not all the Oricon-topping releases were good — "So Long" says it all in the title — yet it was AKB48's richest period to date.