Yukadan (1981)
Enticing me into thinking it should be some kind of sailor-era Modest Mouse album, the only thing nautical about this is the somewhat beachy feel to some of the tracks and there are few aggressive or yelpy vocals to speak of. Jazz and blues blended with a Hawaiian element and rounded out with some 50s rock stylings, you get an inoffensive album that’s catchy and easy to listen to, but one that I also think requires me to be middle-aged to truly get behind. There are some nice instrumental tracks on here and pretty guitar work, but if you’re like me, this might only get you as far as being an easy summery album to do housework to when the Back to the Future and Top Gun soundtracks run out.
The Street Sliders (1983)
It’s been a long, rainy Monday. What better to end the day than a nice relaxing evening with a cup of tea and popping on a new record. Even if that record turns out to be mildly abrasive punk rock. One part Rolling Stones, one part a tightened up Sex Pistols, this is catchy punk rock for a bigger audience. That said, there’s still enough genuine swagger and roughness that you can rest assured that your dad won’t like it. A solid drinking album.
UA (1998)
There’s something about this album that is very 1998. I was in early university then and I can clearly imagine listening to and loving this then. It conjures up vivid memories of open mike nights at my local dirty English pub, warm nights sitting by the beach, and discovering Morcheeba and vegan food. This EP showcases two tracks, each one followed immediately by an instrumental version of itself. UA actually turns out to be woman named Kaori Hasegawa, her stage name a Swahili word meaning both flower and kill. I can get behind this. While pretty chill folky tunes overall, and a hard call to make after only two songs, I suspect she’s got a bit of sass under there that wouldn’t be out of place alongside any outspoken folk fest regulars. Solid summer tunes.
Itsuro Shimoda (1973)
One look at this and I was smitten. Hoping for something along the lines of Leonard Cohen, I instead got a great classic folk rock album that would fit right in with any of the popular American counterparts we know and love. An album of simple songs of mostly acoustic guitar and drums, it’s a bit more upbeat than I was expecting, but still sets my hippie tendencies aflutter. With guest vocals from future disco queen Vicki Sue Robinson, there’s a lot of pretty vocal harmonies going on. Side A is in Japanese and focuses on Itsuro mostly, while Side B is primarily English tracks and occasionally lets her take lead. A great listen for a sunny Sunday afternoon. I’d let this guy love and lament over me anytime.
Cornelius (1996)
I almost left this album in the shop. I don’t know what I was thinking. I’d heard a couple Cornelius tracks before and liked them but wasn’t sure if a whole album was worth investing in. That would’ve been the wrong decision. Everyone compares Cornelius to Beck, and fair enough, there are definitely some elements on here that could easily fit on a Beck record: strange clips from commercials, funky beats, harmonicas, distorted vocals. It’s great stuff. But while Beck is a master constructionist, I think Cornelius has more pop sensibility. Immediately after a strange mashup of sounds and instruments you can get something like 69/96 Girl Meets Cassette, possibly one of the most perfect little pop songs I’ve heard in a long time. And I think that’s what allows weird music like this to still be popular in Japan over someone like Beck, who might find a smaller audience. He pushes your comfort zone, but still gives people a bit of what they want to hear, and does it really well and in a way that doesn’t sound like anyone else. A must own for anyone interested in contemporary Japanese pop.
