少女都市計画 (Girls City Project)

I finally bit down and bought both of Urbangarde's albums from CDJapan. Another step towards Urbangarde obsession...

So what do you do if you're in a band that's just released one of the most ingenious albums of the past 20 years, at least? Wait eight months and put out some more music.

Want to freshen things up a bit? Why not get a children's choir, sample a bit of jazz music, sing in self-ridiculing falsetto for a piece, or give a mention of "Krispy Kreme Donuts" just for the hell of it.

I don't want to give too much away, but this record conjures up musical styles at times reminiscent of The Cars, or Pink Floyd in a couple places, while other times it's like playing Dragon Warrior under the influence of LSD. The album features the most spastic (in my opinion) of their songs (the opening track "Love Trip")... and (again, in my opinion) their most danceable track (#6, "Revisionist").

On my first venture through the album, it was hard to distinguish one track from the rest, as it was when I listened to their first album; but on every subsequent listen, I hear something new and each track becomes more unique, not just amongst songs on the album, but in the whole Urbangarde catalog.

In two words, this album is FUCKING INCREDIBLE. The only downside I can find is that it's so short; at just under forty minutes, it's almost classifiable as an EP. But don't let that stop you from seeking it out -- nearly every one of the nine songs crosses the 4 (or 5) minute mark, and the composition/arrangement of vocalist Temma and keyboardist Yachi, respectively, is again beyond compare.

Curiously, the album is listed as having "Side A" (tracks 1-5) and "Side B" (tracks 6-9), and the insert is a 4-page foldout poster with each side's lyrics shown on a side of the poster. Side A's poster shows an army of Yokotan's standing over the defeated band, and Side B features the band standing triumphantly over a slain Yokotan.

Meanwhile, the first Urbangarde record (Girls Only Live Twice) actually has an additional two songs not offered at JapanFiles. Listed as "Bonus Tracks" on the cover, it's not as if these are just tacked-on at the the end. The first, called "I Did Not Intend to Go to the Moon" picks up where "April's War" left off, with swirling fuzz and intermittent silences, changing into an Electro-Samba track. The final track is "Robot and I," which was the first video of theirs I posted. It's a lovely piece of catchy chaos, and a good way to end the record - but - at the end of the song is a callback to the beginning of the album (typically termed a "bookend"), consisting of a drum sample from "Sailor Fuku" and a final, explosive power chord. On first listen I recognized the drum sample, and realizing that I had now heard the "real" ending to this album, I cried. I yelled "YEAAHHH!" and I fucking cried! One of the best records ever made just got ten times better. It's a more-understandable ending than the noise cutoff at the end of "April's War".

I'd like to hear a notable Western critic's opinion of either of these albums. Seems that Urbangarde might never get a fair shake from this side of the world. For one, anyone unfamiliar with Jpop wouldn't have anything to compare it to, and might chalk up the group's talents to "all Japanese music is crazy". No, *this* stuff is crazier than most of the crazy Jpop you might find, but without another point of reference, good luck trying to figure out where it fits in the greater world of music. I mean, even *I'm* still mystified by it...

I offered a listen of two new songs from the Girls City Project record to a coworker of mine, saying "if you want to hear seven of the craziest minutes of music you've ever heard in your life, let me know." She passed, but later I offered again, to which she replied, "is it some Japanese crap?" and she was half-joking about the "crap" part, but underlying her refusal was that in all reality, she probably thinks it's crazy *because* it's Japanese. Urbangarde will probably never get off the ground with people who've already decided that because they're foreign, it's somehow inferior. Her loss, I suppose, and anyone else who will never hear some of the greatest music in the world for that reason alone.

I try not to 'categorize' music when it isn't necessary, and I listen to a wide variety, no matter what its origins. I was the first person I knew who had an OutKast album, back in the day. Or, for that matter, a Suicidal Tendencies album. I bought my first Faith No More tape when I was 7 years old. So it's not like I don't know how awesome/groundbreaking music is supposed to sound. Someone had a similar post (I think it was Henkka) saying to his friends, don't think I've gone crazy just because I started listening to Jpop with a passion. Good music is good music.

And Urbangarde is making fantastic music which sounds like it was made ten years in the future. But there are plenty of homages, if you'd call them that, to many classic musical styles, along with some campy throwback sound effects and balls-out rock n' roll to boot.

I still stand by my statement that this is music made *by* crazy people *for* crazy people. So if you don't fit either of those categories, see you at the Miley Cyrus concert.

Both albums (with all tracks) are available from iTunes in the US, as well as a previous single "Ecriture Aventure Surre". I don't know what the situation is in the UK. As far as getting the best deal, iTunes will cost you the least, but why not get the full-quality audio that only the CD's can offer? Then you get the lyrics, too.

Jpop Meets Postwar Optimism

I know I've mentioned SPEED on this blog more than a couple of times, and if you're not familiar with them, well, that's your problem. A group that paved the way for young girl groups, a force to be reckoned with, and also, I've heard that they sold a few records. Well, they're back as adults after some years off, but what do ya think they did in the meantime? Sip lemonade and hang out at the old-folks'-home? Hardly...

After SPEED broke up in 1999, popular member Hiroko Shimabukuro said, "okay, let's just shorten my name to 'Hiro', and I'll take 'solo-careers' for $500, Alex." She did pretty well with that, showing a more mellow side, yet coming back with an ass-kicker or two just to show that she still had it in her.

*Then* someone came up with the bright idea that she should do an album of jazz standards, in English, no less. Called "Coco d'Or", the album was released in 2004. Rather than summarize the album I thought it'd be interesting to go track-by-track, because I don't think anyone else has done the world this favor.

First, though, to give you an idea of the sound of this record (very big band), do enjoy this video. Hiro looks damn good in this, so watch carefully:



The album starts with Route 66, made famous by Nat King Cole in 1946. The song did much to popularize the nearly-transcontinental road, which only exists in fragments today. SPEED did a couple of videos in the Southwest, so it's very possible that Hiro has seen a piece of the actual Route 66; but the execution of the lyrics makes it sound like she's learned the song phonetically, rather than knowing the song inside and out. Still, with an open mind and a love of Japanese girls in general, it's hard not to fall in love with her awkward pronunciations of American places, like Missouri (she says 'mih-ZAH-ree') and San Bernardino ('SAAN-baa-na-DEE-no'). Believe me when I say that this is a good record for travelling.

Next is Avalon, a standard since Al Jolson recorded it in 1920. This version takes a more modern swing feel, as most jazz combos have done in history, and it ends with Hiro holding the last note for over 10 seconds.

And the Melody Still Lingers On (Night in Tunisia) follows, a much more recent song by Chaka Khan (I can't seem to place the exact year). It takes the melody of a 1942 Dizzy Gillespie composition and adds nostalgic lyrics about how the song changed the face of popular music. It name-drops a number of jazz celebrities: "Dizzy [Gillespie] and Bird" [Charlie Parker], "Max [Roach] and Miles" [Davis], "The Duke [Ellington] and The Prez" [Lester Young], "from [John] Coltrane to Stevie" [Wonder, I assume], although I've heard a version that substitutes "Louis" [Armstrong] for "Stevie". So if you've ever wanted to hear a Jpop star talk about the jazz greats of old, this is your song. The middle of the song features a scat section where Hiro does both the melody and the harmony, and just one Hiro is quite powerful -- layer that voice, and it's divine.

Free is a cover of a 1977 DeNiece Williams song, originally a soulful R&B tune, arranged here as a peppy big band number. There's not much to dislike as Hiro switches between time signatures and styles effortlessly.

Fly Me to the Moon was written in 1954 and has been recorded by a number of vocalists since. Arguably the most well-known recording was of Frank Sinatra in 1964. Although the song has been ubiquitous, I'm slightly embarrassed to say that the only reason I now know the words is because of the Coco d'Or version. But the same holds true with a lot of the songs on this record. I might have known a chorus or two, but it took Hiro to get me to pay attention. Go figure.

Summertime, the infamous 1935 George Gershwin composition from "Porgy and Bess", covered by hundreds over time, if not more, still sounds fresh after all these years when Hiro sings along. The backbone of this version is a very "Dave Matthews"-sounding electric-acoustic riff, with lots of arpeggios and some string-slaps for percussive effect. Another scat section is included which ends in a crashing-down-the-stairs resolution. Hiro thinks your ma is "good lookin'," so that's a plus.

The Face I Love, sorry, can't hit you with a lot of history on this one, but appears to have been written by Marcos Valle, in this case an upbeat samba which invites you to "think of things like daffodils and peaceful sheep on blue-green hills" and if you do, "every lovely view introduces you to the face I love". Which is a sweet sentiment not unlike many Jpop songs.

Next, The Girl from Ipanema may be a bit grating to some but I actually love the original recording, probably more than this version. For good measure, this version brings the only other vocalist on the entire record, a soft-spoken gentleman who gets the honor of singing the Portuguese lyrics, as any respectable cover of this song would warrant. Oddly, Hiro repeats a mistake over and over, instead of the word 'she', it's phrased as "when SHE'S passes each one SHE'S passes goes 'Ahh'." Strange, but you get used to it.

It's Only A Paper Moon, written in 1933, covered by that many artists, a song that refuses to die. Hiro lends her talents to this song nicely. The text of this song refers to the world as a collection of fake reality and cheap thrills, but, of course, "it wouldn't be make-believe if you believe in me." Fall in love with Hiro and your life suddenly has meaning.

Orange Colored Sky, presented in video-form above, is one of my more favorite tunes from this album. Like "Paper Moon", the lyric refers to living in a fantasy world, where the sky is inexplicably orange (later it also features purple stripes and pretty green polka-dots), until "wonderful *you* came by". This song was another popularized by Nat King Cole in 1950, co-written by Milton DeLugg, who wrote "Hooray for Santa Claus," the theme from the classic kid's movie (and MST3K episode) "Santa Claus Conquers the Martians". I really like the fantastical lyrics, along with the invocation of such words as "Flash! Bam! Alakazam!"

The Very Thought of You can be quite a tearjerker if you're in the mood for it. Sultry, lingering, and featuring a soprano sax solo (thankfully *not* Kenny G), it's a mile away from the Bing Crosby original of 1934. Were it not for the prolific history of this song it might be easy to mistake this as a song written expressly for Hiro. She very much owns this version of the song.

Spain (I Can Recall) is a Chick Corea/Al Jarreau composition which begins a very gloomy sung intro, "Yesterday; just a photograph of yesterday..." about a love gone south, which then has the singer dreaming about being "lovers once again". This intro features Hiro singing in a very low register, probably the lowest she's been on record. But suddenly the song changes gears and over an upbeat Spanish-style rhythm, Hiro sings about those golden days in Spain where she "did love and adore" the subject of the song. Wow, too bad I was battling a vicodin addiction at the time, because that sounds like a wonderful affair, and I would have remembered it otherwise.

In 1943, Tin Pan Alley composer/lyricist Cole Porter wrote You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To, and as its title implies, it's a gushy song about a hopeful love affair. While this review is quickly becoming little more than a "same to you, Hiro", let me just say that the sentiment is returned. Hiro *would* be a welcome sight upon returning to the homestead, "under stars chilled by the winter" or "an August moon burning above".

I Can't Give You Anything But Love (...baby), was written in 1928 by a possible several people, and has been covered a great number of times. Nearly every line in the song ends with a tag of "...baby" and Hiro sings the song in a very carefree and coy fashion. Just think of a typical platinum blonde postwar big band singer winking into a crowd of overexcited and underappreciated men, and this is Hiro here. The way she sings it's almost implied that she's wearing a feather boa in the studio. Hilariously, Cary Grant and Katherine Hepburn sang an intentionally poor version of this song to a leopard on a rooftop (named "Baby") in the 1938 film Bringing Up Baby (which, if you're interested, the scene can be found here).

You're Everything is a song apparently originally recorded by the Chick Corea group Return to Forever. Like "Spain" it's an upbeat Latin feel that is easily accessible to the listener.

Calling You, a.k.a., theme from Bagdad Café, originally recorded for the 1987 film, has been covered by artists as varied as Barbara Streisand, Celine Dion, and Jeff Buckley. Hiro puts her own laid-back spin on the iconic song, where the chorus could be easily overdone (think of Whitney Houston's effective-fire-alarm "I Will Always Love You") but she sings the "I-I-I... am calling you" in a breathier tone than the original, and we all know that she *could* do it in a screamier tone.

Overall, this record delivers. Presenting a total of 16 "standards" and nailing damn-near *every* one of them -- especially for someone whose first language isn't the one being sung -- is an incredible accomplishment. I'm so, so impressed with Hiro's vocal talent after hearing this record and its follow up 'Coco d'Or 2' (which takes on more modern compositions) that SPEED recordings are, to me, bullet-proof at this point.

Hiro began singing publicly by *at least* the age of 9 (I tried to find the youTube video, with no result), and has been consistently praised as a competent vocalist ever since. This album is far from being an egotistical display, without the stuffiness that most jazz albums present, and it impresses me with how much it *grooves*. From pretty to powerful, and all-points-in-between, the only conclusion is that Hiro can perform, and she cares about little else. There's no need to reinvent herself or try to become an icon -- those weren't the goals of this record. Sometimes you have to remind yourself, "this is the girl that used to be in SPEED" and after that, you think, "damn! Good job outta you!"

What really rings true is that the "old-fashioned" things, like songs and films, on the surface, tend to be tamer than anything created recently. But from an adult perspective, many of those have deeper implications than anything hot-off-the-press. Some of the old black-and-white films are more offensive, show more drunken behavior, and have cigarette-smoking as a birthright, untamed beyond any single-etendre work being filmed today. Such is the case for these classic songs. When Hiro sings, "you'd be so nice by the fire" she sure ain't talkin' about eating cheese cubes. Nudge, nudge, know-wut-I-mean?

(Extra-special thanks to the editors of Wikipedia (yeah, yeah, it's all *lies*) for help in researching this broad tapestry of recordings, youTube for providing proof for some of these legendary previous recordings, and as a footnote... Coco d'Or recordings *can* be found on the internet, if you just know where to look. Eventually, you'll feel guilty and buy them outright.)

LA Story VII: AX and the Deathly Hallows

With little exception, I'm sure that nearly every Morning Musume fan at AX went there for the purpose of seeing Morning Musume; be it their performance, or the Q&A session, or to see them up close and get an autograph. Obviously, those were my reasons as well -- not to finally get a chance to eat at the acclaimed California Pizza Kitchen, or to ride the elevator used in the movie "Forget Paris", though I did both.

So to say the least, I was excited about nothing more than seeing Morning Musume in Los Angeles this summer. But as I boarded that first airplane I couldn't have felt farther away from idol culture. All the formalities of security checks, all the power of jet fuel and airline corporations, all the mayhem which goes on at airports like LAX and DFW... there just didn't seem to be any connection to 9 very pretty girls who I've watched grow up from my living room.

And yet, all the research and planning that I'd done before the trip, to make sure that I got where I needed to be to witness the Expo, paid off. As we drove into downtown L.A. I saw more than a handful of sites which were unmistakeably linked with my adoptive neighborhood, and I knew I was getting close, but just how close?


There are very, very few people in my hometown who are of Japanese descent -- a sizeable amount of Asians, but very few Japanese -- so if and when I see them, they stick out like a sore thumb. In turn, even though the first glimpse I got of Morning Musume was at the Opening Ceremonies in poor lighting, they were unmistakeable. To me, they appeared *unapologetically* Japanese (with, of course, the exception of JunJun and LinLin, the Chinese members, but they know how to play ball). There was something intangibly noble and elegant (and, to be honest, from my perspective, downright freaky) about their appearance, the way they carried themselves, and how they interacted with each other. They were clearly visitors from a strange land, and although their faces had been burned into my memory for years, by showing up in person they lost that normalness and became exotic to me, again.


I try not to play favorites with any idols because when I listen to an album like Platinum9, just surfing the aural waves from start to finish, there's little room to complain. If I've got the time, I'm spinning the whole disc, skipping nothing, and every performer has her place.

But when they showed up in front of me without introduction I recognized some more than others. Koha, I picked her out right away. Sayu, with noticeable white pom-poms on each pigtail, was easy to keep an eye on. Takahashi, I could just tell, because that body haunts my dreams. And Eri; back in the day, she was the last one whose name I could keep straight, but now I could spot her from a mile away. ("Hatachi," good God...)


For some reason, I just got confused at first when I saw JunJun, thinking, 'they've got *2* Reina's now?" "Is that Nacchi?" "I thought Kaori graduated..." But in my defense, your average American would have trouble distinguishing any 9 Asian girls, let alone the 25 infamous members throughout history, so I just kept staring until I figured out who she was. I ain't got nothing against her, she just got lost in a sea of pretty Asian girls within my memory bank.


I've never owned a photobook. I have a few Morning Musume singles but bought them all used. The *one* H!P concert DVD I own is "Matsuura Aya/W/Melon Kinenbi", and I've watched it maybe once, and even then watched only a few songs. Most of the Morning Musume songs I have on my iPod were bought from the Apple Store. These are all things I realized while I stared starstruck at the girls while they were a short distance from me and hundreds of other fans at AX.

I've written about them a number of times, starting with Koha oh-so-long-ago. And as I've said, it's hard to find anyone around here who might give damn-number-one about them or anything Japanese. So before I went to AX I rightly considered myself a pretty big fan. After all, I'd listened to practically every song they ever made (and it's a huge catalog, still growing), tried to take in as many Utaban apppearances as they'd ever done, and even watched Haromoni more than a couple of times. And, oh yeah, I've seen *every* Ayaka's "Totsugeki Eikaiwa!!!" segment, as well.


But without Kayo Aiko, I'd know nothing of Japan. For me, there'd be no Perfume, Capsule, SPEED, Pink Lady, The Peanuts, Yumin, Dream, Nanase Hoshii and Seventh Tarz Armstrong, Nagasawa Nao, Saito Michi, SMAP, W, Minimoni, Tanpopo, Biyuden, Berryz Kobo, C-ute, GAM, Matsuura Aya, Hangry & Angry, Kirarin, Buono!, Hiro, Coco d'Or, or Sharam Q... and without Ms. Kayo Aiko, I'd certainly know nothing of Morning Musume.

And if it was Ms. Kayo Aiko who drew me into the world of Jpop and taught me most of the Japanese words I know, it was those Morning Musume television appearances that really got me over the headache of listening to spoken Japanese, clueless, until I began to break it down into words and really understand what was being said.

Obviously, there's been no official tally, but around my hometown it seems that there is no bigger Morning Musume fan than me. But at AX it was all-too-obvious. At the Q&A, listening to all the on-mic fans gushing and asking for things like the 'Atto Pose' (still, no clue on that), it finally hit me... I really *am* more of a casual Morning Musume fan.


Still, seeing them in person was a whole different experience. My mind tried to form words to explain what was happening. "They are *right* there," I kept telling myself, "*Right* there." At the Opening Ceremonies, the Q&A, the concert, I stared in disbelief. And though they put in their time, and I had plenty of opportunities to relish their presence, I felt that even *if* the moment lasted another fifty years, it still wouldn't be enough. I would always want more.

In those moments my thoughts strayed to all facets of fandom, be it for Aiko or Mi-chan, Perfume, or Urbangarde.

What really struck me is that it's completely impossible to 'get inside' an idol. And I mean that in every sense of the word, not just the obvious (male) sense. There's just no getting inside there. As a 'normal' person, you'll never know the joy (or torture) that these idols face in their lives. You'll never be able to think like them, and in your lifetime you will never come close to knowing what being an idol truly means. You can try to stare a hole through Koha (and believe me, I fuckin' tried...) but in the end, it doesn't change her, it won't magically alter your lifestyle, and it doesn't bring you any closer to divinity. I mean, damn the fact that it doesn't, but it just doesn't. All you can hope to do is stare in admiration (as I and many others did) and hold on to that memory.


This is not to say that idols do not have a profound impact on our lives as fans. But after travelling 2,000-some miles just to see them, I was surprised to find out that the true soul-maintenance was not idol-spotting, but bonding with fellow fans. It seemed that no matter what side of the world we grew up on, how many years we've been alive, and despite the fact that we all had never spoken (at least not in real-life) prior to meeting up at AX, there were so many striking similarities between us all.

Until I saw the Momusu concert, it was only in legend that everyone got together, waved glowsticks, and screamed their heads off (to the beat) at a concert. Further on in the weekend, watching the "Miru, Aina Kase, and Yozuca*" mini-concert, it was the fan-bonding that really impressed me. And even at that small performance, it was touching how much everyone got into it. The idols -- all they do is dance around, look cute, and sing for a while, and yet our collective passion endures. We just can't wait for the next time we can all go nuts and jump around to a funky J-Beat.


The whole system parallels a Big Rock Concert where everyone hangs out in the parking lot until admission and cranks up the "rock-band-du-jour" on the the car stereo, getting pumped for the show. Sayu and Koha can hang out in Los Angeles for the rest of their lives and they'll never match the excitement that a group of fans (in Momusu's case, some 8,000 of them) can bring to a show.

What is also fantastic to know is that the girls probably had just as good of a time travelling to L.A. as we did. See this video, for example.


So after AX, we have all returned to our respective corners and have made our memories our own. But apparently it's become fashionable to bash fans who aren't in the same community, or on the same board as "the rest of us". This is an attitude we *do not need*, because it does not advance our cause. To simultaneously want to recruit other domestic fans, yet shun those who don't share our view exactly, is a contradiction.

Fans, there was never a better time to be inclusive.

Anyone who likes Morning Musume is a friend; even if my mortal enemy was in the crowd at the AX concert, it wouldn't have stopped me from enjoying the show. As an admitted casual fan, would you show me disrespect for enjoying the group in general?

I get the feeling from some facets that, yes, I neither know what I'm talking about, and that I should just shut up.

It almost makes me want to quit the blogging game altogether so that only "true fans" can evangelize H!P to the blind. Because clearly, I am not a "true fan" like they are.

But the idea that I'm less of a fan than someone who's known them for ten-years-plus, this is clearly a bigoted assumption. If you want Morning Musume to come back to the USA, frequently, you'll just have to admit that fans come in all shapes and sizes.

So, the last thing I may ever write about H!P (with the exception of the "Koha Kontest", stay tuned...) is that, no matter how the haters try and show off the ugly side of Risako, she still just looks like a normal (pretty) girl, no matter how ugly you'd like to think she might be.