Coming to you on the 29th of February, which means it’s a *leap* year 😉

I always say I’ll do something special whenever the leap year comes around but I never get around to actually plan something once the time comes. Maybe next leap year I’ll think of something. We’ll see. Anyway (XD), welcome back once again to the Monthly Recommendation Roundup! Lots of Japanese music to love this month of February as you might already know, but before we get to ’em, a quick word to those who are new to the blog and are not sure what they just walked into.

Basically I put together a post featuring Japanese music that I’ve listened to and subsequently recommend to you guys at the end of every month. Keep in mind that these songs don’t all have to have been released within that time frame, as they might also be just songs that I only just discovered myself, or songs that I just want to feature and recommend on a whim (XD)

The songs that I’ll end up featuring will all come from YouTube links of their respective PVs so there is a fair bit of restriction on what I’ll be able to put on here, but I find that keeping it all to one platform ensures the most universality (with remedies easily available in the case of region restrictions). This also allows me to put together a playlist for every song that gets put on the Roundup that I’ll update and share at the end of each post.

I mean, even with the extra day, February always ends up being a crunch for me for some reason. Probably doesn’t help that this is another Roundup that ends up being smack dab in the middle of the week 😅. We got it done though so it’s all good.

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惑星/wakusei
by a子 (ako)
Never change

Starting things off for us this month is the much awaited media debut of one of last year’s breakout stars: A-ko, with the release of her new single Wakusei now under the PONY CANYON subsidiary IRORI RECORDS. The worry always when it comes to artists with a distinct style when they get signed by a major record label is the tendency for them to change their approach (whether willingly or otherwise) to something more Pop-adjacent and “radio friendly”. So far that doesn’t seem to be too much of the case with A-ko’s foray into mainstream music. Granted, Wakusei *is* definitely one of the more Pop-ier songs she has released, especially when compared to her earlier work (generally slower and Jazz-ier), but it at least still keeps her airy singing style at its core. Her overall aesthetic is also kept intact and, as a fan of this Goth Punk sort of image she has going on I do appreciate her getting to lean more into it. I predicted she’ll make waves this year with an anison debut in last year’s Roundup Awards so here’s hoping.

somnia
by arne
They are SO back

If you were able to attend last month’s J-Music Advance Party (catch it here if you haven’t yet, and sign up for the next one too!), I talked about arne coming out with their first ever EP this month, in a release that’s well over a year since their last single. I mused also that there was a chance that the EP would mostly consist of songs that have already been out for them, and while that proved to be true for the most part, we do get a decent number of new songs from it as well; one of which being somnia here, to go along with the title of the EP In your somnia. I said this about arne multiple times already in the past but they do just keep getting better every time we see them, especially now more than ever as their Math Rock here is quite honestly the best it has ever sounded. It almost feels like the time they spent away had been devoted entirely to working on their music where the results now speak for themselves. I would want nothing else than for arne to start to build off some momentum here. Happy to see them back.

bugs
にしな (nishina)
This has to be one of the most subtly unhinged PVs I’ve seen in a while

The persistent and random watermarks, the off-kilter camera angles, nishina running amok in an empty office space with a meta bat; it’s awesome (XD) It was also nice hearing nishina sing on an Electro/Dance Pop track in bugs here, which isn’t really the kind of music we primarily (or at least I myself) know her for. I mean, of course, with the kind of unique timbre in her voice that she has, I imagine you’d be hard-pressed to find something that *wouldn’t* be a good fit for her. Rather, we’ve already seen her versatility in practice during her time as part of PLUSONICA (and yes, that’s her, casually singing alongside Foi and Ikuta Lilas), but for what its worth I do genuinely think that faster songs like this one right here actually suit her incredibly well. Credit, in that regard, goes to ESME MORI for producing the track. On the subject of returns, this is also a new song of nishina’s following a year of no new releases so it’s good to see her back also.

Value
by Ado
Has the potential to be my most listened to Ado song yet

For me at least, it means Value might beat out Shinjidai which I did play a whole lot of when it first came out, and also again when the album for all the ONE PIECE tie up songs was released. Might seem like an uphill climb from that perspective, but I’ve also just been jamming this song pretty much every day since it premiered so I’d say it has a more than decent shot. If I had to say what it is about this song that I find so appealing, I think, more than anything, is the way it builds up. Of course, a lot of that is definitely Ado being able to kick up the intensity if her singing on a dime. but I would also like to give praise to the arrangement of the track itself which just has this nice movement to it; starting out with a calm and bare loop, with the drums and the guitars slowly picking up as the song progresses, but just as it reaches its maximum height it stalls in a freefall before it then comes crashing down hard and fast, and as it hits the ground it scatters, only to start building back up again. Something to note is that the song is produced by Police Piccadilly who was also responsible for my favorite single of 2023 in ASU’s Light Years. Let’s see if they pull it off again this year with this one.

beg
by BURNABLE/UNBURNABLE
“Let’s start from here.”

Also featured in February’s Advance Party was BURNABLE/UNBURNABLE, who have since dropped their first full album Sora Osoroshii this month, with a whopping total of sixteen tracks, though most of which being nearly every single vocalist re:caco and her crew have put out following the release of their first mini album. We do at least get two album original tracks from it, with one being beg here in what almost feels like a call back to the kind of sound that they started out with. Which, I do find a bit weird to be saying considering how B/U hasn’t really been around for that long, but based off of their most recent singles leading up to their album release I think it’s fair to say that they kinda went away from gritty and dark Trap beats in favor of more atmospheric tracks. I for one still think they do their best work with the former so it was nice seeing them go back to the well for this one. Contrary to how the PV looks (lol), beg is actually more on the optimistic side of things with its lyricism. If that’s in any way indicative of the B/U crew’s outlook towards their trajectory moving forward (which I would like to think that it is) then it looks like they’re in a good place.

メーデン/maiden
by 十明 (toaka)
… What’s with all these creepy PVs in February of all months (LOL)

Toaka is a name that I believe we will all be much more familiar with by the end of the year. At the very least that’s what my gut is telling me after having listened to her debut EP Boku Dake no Ai, which I highly recommend you guys go and check out. Should you choose to do so, you might notice a familiar name acting as the main producer in Noda Yojiro; better known as the lead vocalist for the critically-acclaimed Radwimps. Noda had previously worked with Toaka on the song Suzume, used as one of the theme songs for the award-winning animated film Suzume no Tojimari. It would appear that after the two crossed paths, Noda had officially taken Toaka under his wing, and if tracks like Maiden here is any indication, I think we’re in for a ride here with these two. We’ve seen this formula work to tremendous effect once before with ONE OK ROCK’s Toru and milet so who knows, we might end up with something similar here.

君の胸に、Gunshot/kimi no mune ni, gunsho
by RYUTist
That song title (and really just the song itself) goes HARD

On the subject of working with a producer, idol group RYUTist is certainly no stranger, having worked with not just one, but a multitude of producers ranging from Shibata Satoko to Kan Sano; all of whom (as you might already imagine) offering different sounds and music styles to the Niigata natives who have proven to be quite the capable canvass themselves. Having begun activities as early as 2011, the once six-member unit has since been whittled down by time to half their original numbers. Despite that, the spirit of the ones remaining (namely MUU, TOMOE, and MIKU) are undeterred as they still drop absolute bangers like Kimi no Mune ni, Gunshot here, courtesy of D.A.N.’s Daigo Sakuragi. There must be a level of confidence that comes with just having worked with so many people over the years, and I would like to think that RYUTist carries that with them each and every time they come out with a new song. That confidence, I believe also instills a sense of assurance for the producers in turn that the group can deliver with whatever gets thrown at them, and man do they deliver here.

ソリロキー/soliloquy
by Midnight Grand Orchestra
So. VTubers.

Back in 2020, I mused the possibility of “Virtual YouTubers” (lol ok boome-) becoming artists in their own right should they start to come out with their own original songs. Now that we’ve had Hidefumi Kenmochi produce a track for Mori Calliope which was then used as a promotional theme for One Piece, I think we’re well past that point. While there’s an argument to be made about how a VTuber’s built-in audience could be playing a factor into the realized success of their pursued music career, you can’t deny that for the vast majority of them they’re also really just that talented. At the very least, such is the case for Japanese VTuber Hoshimachi Suisei. “Midnight Grand Orchestra” is the name given to her collaboration with producer Inoue Taku of idolm@ster fame, in what is (in my opinion) undoubtedly one of the best sounding VTuber-related music projects out right now. Inoue does an excellent job composing around Hoshimachi as you’ll hear in Soliloquy here, with the decision of using more orchestral-themed instrumentation specifically bringing out the full breadth and depth of her voice.

Sigh Sigh
by Kitri
This has to be, like, one of the best months we’ve had for compositions

When I was first picking out songs to potentially talk about for this month’s Roundup, I was gearing up to write about how RYUTist’s Kimi no Mune ni, Gunshot might just be the song of the year already, if not having presented itself as a more than decent candidate for it. While I do still think the latter portion of that statement to be true, everything changed when Kitri’s new single Sigh Sigh entered my queue. The first time I listened to I was actually caught off guard by how long it was, as I didn’t see track length for it when it started playing and I only thought to look when I realized that the song had felt like it had been going on for quite a bit. But, rather than having a sense of “when is this gonna end”, I instead found myself drawn into the auditory narrative as it went on, where after a certain point I started wondering “what’s gonna happen next?” wherein listening to Sigh Sigh felt like a theatrical play complete with exposition, rising action, climax and denouement. It honestly feels like I just got done watching a movie whenever I play this. It might seem a bit ambitious, putting out a twelve and a half minute song like this, but Kitri have outdone themselves here, and I urge everyone to give it a listen. You will not be disappointed. .

ラスト・フライト/last flight
by 破壊的価値創造 (hakai-teki kachi souzou)
That’s a name

If, however, the phrase Hakai-teki Kachi Souzou rings a bell for you and you’re wondering why that is, you might remember it as being the title to not only a song but for Bungei Tengoku’s most recent EP. That’s all because this “unit” as he describes it, is in fact one of his new projects. Back in April of last year, we saw ko shinonome dabble in works outside of Bungei Tengoku and, perhaps as a direct consequence he and “colorist” sumi aika felt inspired to branch out from Bungei Tengoku into another creative venture. While the core of ko shinonome’s musicality is still very much there, Hakai-teki’s sounds, at least from what we can gether here in Last Flight does feel a bit livelier and more energetic compared to Bungei Tengoku’s usual sound. I surmise a lot of that has to do with how it seems that one of the main drives of this project is for it to have a performer on stage as the face of it in the form of soan. I’m interested to see what they have in store for us here as it’s still a bit unclear what their plans are regarding Hakai-teki (tempted to think it might be an Alt Idol venture), but hey, whatever it is, if it just translates to more music from this team then I’m obviously all for it.

MUST LISTEN:
Value by Ado and Sigh Sigh by Kitri
I mean, I don’t think you can really go wrong listening to an Ado track at least once, even just to see how she’s gonna approach the song in question. While her talent as a singer is undeniable at this point with what she has been able to do, I do genuinely think that Value serves as one of the more recent reminders of just how good she is, specifically because of what it allows her to showcase here. At the very least, rather than the big moments we know her for, what I appreciate the most in this song was… about as complete of vocal display as I’ve heard from her, which makes for quite the listening experience. Speaking of experiences, Sigh Sigh might just be one of the most satisfying ones that I’ve had so far this year, just based on I feel after I listen to it. As I mentioned, it feels like I’m exiting a theater every time the song ends, and I’m hard-pressed to name another song that has me feeling this way in recent memory.

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The YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Music playlists for this year’s Roundups have now been updated with this month’s featured tracks. Make sure to save it on your preferred streaming service if you haven’t yet already 😉

How’s you guys feel about this month’s Roundup features? Yay? Nay? Lemme know in the comments! Likewise, if you have any recommendations of your own; drop me a link down below as well and I’ll be sure to check them out 😀

If you weren’t able to attend, by all means feel free to revisit this month’s J-Music Advance Party over on my Substack. I actually went and featured two songs from the albums I talked about on there too so in it ended up being somewhat of a Roundup sneak peek funnily enough 😛 Be sure to RSVP for the next one by subscribing to the newsletter. The next Advance Party is set for March 3, 2024. Followers will autometically be sent a notification once doors open so sign up now to secure your invite (it’s free!)

We had Week 3 and Week 4 of this Season 2 of the Spotify J-Music Playlist Draft this month as well. If you haven’t been tuning in, we’re still early into this season of Drafts so there’s plenty of time to catch up 🙂

This month’s J-Music Exchange/Rate hit a bit of a delay this month, but don’t worry, Al and I we’ll be back again in short order sooner rather than later for your monthly fix of Japanese music album reviews, so hang tight In the meantime, check out some of our older reviews if you haven’t yet had the chance to do so!

That’s gonna do it for me. Thank you guys so much for tuning in to the Roundup whenever you do. I really appreciate it and I look forward to seeing you guys in the next one as well. Until then ー

Happy Listening!