I took a month to finish my C-ute tribute post but I’m back working on my TIF profiles again!

Icle Girls

Icle Girls is a local group based in Iwaki in Fukushima that has been active since 2013. While they initially started with more members they currently have six, and their theme is that they’ll carry their smiles and energy to the rest of the country, so even though they are a local group they have nationwide aim. In 2016 they actually won the U.M.U Award, a major award for local idols, which is a huge get for them. That said, they seem to be fairly active in the Iwaki/Fukushima area, appearing on local television and having their own radio program, so they’re definitely a group that’s easier to follow there.

They’ve released six singles so far, including their most recent one “Tokusanka ~welcome to Iwaki~ / JyakkanΣ” (a double A-Side), and one album so far.  Their most recent singles don’t seem to have any MVs or any specific videos, unfortunately, but their YouTube channel has several full-length concerts or nearly full-length, so it’s very easy to watch their live performances. Musically their music seems to be pretty standard cutesy idol pop music – nothing really stood out to me but it’s catchy enough. The members seem pretty fun, so if you are located near Iwaki OR want to watch some full length idol concerts I definitely suggest checking out Icle Girls. If not, while I personally prefer other local/ indie groups, if you’re looking for a cute group with some pretty standard idol pop music then maybe check out Icle Girls!

i☆Ris

I*Ris has consistently been a group I’ve thought should be a bigger deal with foreign idol fans than they are. This group is a joint voice acting unit and idol group, with all the members doing various voice acting activities while being an idol unit (they voice act and do songs for PriPara, to give you an idea). The group is produced by Avex, so they have a generally high quality of their music and production – I’d consider i*Ris to be one of the better produced idol groups vocally, so if that’s something you’re interesting then I*Ris is definitely for you. Last year they had their big 4th anniversary concert at the Nippon Budokan and, if the video posted on the Avex YouTube is any indication, it looks like it was well attended.

i*Ris is well produced, the members all seem great, so why don’t I follow them more? Honestly, their music doesn’t do that much for me. I mention it every year, but their song Gensoukyoku Wonderland is one of my favorite idol tracks, but a lot of their singles are fairly generic anime songs. Which is fine, I like upbeat generic anime songs just fine, but none of them are particularly catchy or interesting in a way that grabs me. Their music is all pleasant but for the most part kind of same-y, which is kind of a shame. This is very subjective so I think most people should check out i*Ris, but I just wish I liked their music more – they deserve great music. I recommend Gensoukyoku Wonderland and their single Ready Smile is my favorite recent i*Ris track.

@17

@17 is the idol group of @Home Cafe, a popular Akihabara Maid Cafe. Last year  @17 made their TIF debut – however, this year they reformed in May with 20 new members, so it’s mostly a new group at this point. Their website is totally barebones, no pictures, just reference to the one single they put out last year, so this is really not a group you can check out before going to TIF.

Looking at some old performances, it looks like in the past @17 focused on maid outfits and cutesy songs. So if that’s something that interests you then @17 might interest you, or it might interest you if you like maid cafes. Otherwise, there’s pretty much nothing from this group to check out yet.

Up Up Girls (2) 

As I mentioned in my Up Up Girls (Kakko Kari) write up, these are the five members added as Up Up Girls (2) (Also known as Up Up Girls Second or Up Up Girls (Kakko Nikki). It was initially announced that Up Up Girls (2) would be the second generation of Up Up Girls but they’re really more like their own thing, albeit also providing back up for Up Up Girls. For example they are back dancers in Up Up Girls’ latest single and appear at Up Up Girls shows in that capacity, but they also perform on their own as their own group. So while they have a closer tie to Up Up Girls than, say, Angerme has to Morning Musume, they’re also somewhat their own thiing.

I feel like if you’re an Up Up Girls fan you should like Up Up Girls (2) and if you’re not I’m not sure why you’d bother. The members seem really great, from what I’ve seen – I watched the first appearance of the members and their introductions and they seem like a fun bunch of oddballs. They also have a nice, energetic appeal to them in the way that newbie idols do – they seem genuinely very excited to be singing Up Up Girls standards like Up Up Typhoon. But at this point it doesn’t seem like they have any original songs of their own, so if you disliked Up Up Girls’ music you’re not going to care for Up Up Girls (2). That said, if you like Up Up Girls but have been putting off checking out Up Up Girls (2) for whatever reason, these new members seem like good eggs, and after watching some of their videos I want to follow them more.

ANNA☆S

I’ve been aware of ANNA☆S for years but this is their first TIF, so first profile. ANNA☆S  is a group formed of Anna, Yuna and Suzuka, two sisters (Anna and Yuna) and one childhood friend (Suzuka). They’ve been performing together since 2010 and, as far as I can tell, haven’t had any lineup changes which is pretty impressive. When they perform with Wakita Yoshino, a support member, they perform idol rap songs as the unit Udon Kyoudai. Recently they’ve released some best off albums and started putting out solo music in addition to their music as a group.

I really like that the group has been around for so long without any change in lineup – I think this is leads to a great rapport between members, especially considering the members have known each other for years before forming the group. Anna’s voice in particular is very solid, too. Ultimately, for me, there isn’t quite enough there after them being around for 7 years. They have released music, sure, but the music is all just OK – the best song I’ve found is Set Me Free but for the most part their music isn’t great, just pretty straightforward idol pop. I think if anything I’ve mentioned appeals to you you should take a look at ANNA*S, but, while I like the personal ties of the group, they don’t seem to appeal to me.

The other day I was looking around for a video to watch on YouTube when I saw that one of my favorite channels, This Exists, made a video about idol culture, specifically the anti-idol / underground idol scene. As a long time viewer of that channel, which explores strange and interesting subcultures, this felt like a great mix – the channel has covered music genres before (the video about vaporwave helped me become a fan of the late great Especia) but the one thing I’ve always loved about This Exists is that it tends to keep an open mind. As someone who follows a lot of the foreign press about idol culture, you tend to see it all devolve into some of the same arguments and just fundamentally miss the point about a lot of things (The recent BBC-aired documentary, “Tokyo Girls,” about idol fans calling handshakes an inherently sexual act will go down in infamy among other idol fans).

Since I was so excited to see this pop up on my YouTube feed, I thought I would write a response here rather than in the YouTube comments, in case any of my blog readers are interested as well!

First off, I have to say I’m actually quite impressed with the research that Sam did in this video by citing Yamaguchi Momoe and Onyanko Club as progenitors – while there were other groups I’d consider to be idol groups (Pink Lady, Candies) they’re not really the same thing. Onyanko Club was really the originator of the “more is more” philosophy that so many idol groups have today. So many journalists tend to see idols as a new phenomenon or a new trend (we saw that even in “Tokyo Girls,” which showed idols as something new rather than a continuing trend). It’s clear that actual research and deep dives were done, which is a refreshing change from some of the journalism I’ve seen surrounding idol culture. Seeing an actual look at the more underground idol culture and flat out looking at more than the first hit for AKB48 on YouTube (which for years was either Baby Baby Baby or Heavy Rotation, before the YouTube Red thing).

All that being said, while his analysis is really great and explores idol culture in a way I’m surprised to see, I’m not sure things line up quite as neatly as they do in this video. Throughout the video he points to Momoiro Clover Z paving the way for anti-idol groups, and while I do think that Momoiro Clover Z’s influence has been a big one I’m not sure I’d agree it was as big as it was. Babymetal had its origins in 2010 as a subgroup of Sakura Gakuin, and BiS was formed in 2010 as well. This all coincides with the start of the idol boom, which I would argue started at the end of 2009 with AKB48’s River hitting #1 on the Oricon charts (but I feel like most people would agree was in full force by the end of 2010 after AKB48’s Heavy Rotation was released). So considering Momoiro Clover Z didn’t add the Z until the middle of 2011 and it took a while for their simultaneous rise in popularity and strangeness, I’d suggest that while they definitely influenced later groups and the popularity of later groups, that the influence is more on the end of the idol culture existing as more of a subculture and also the content creators themselves.

While pop music in American culture and a lot of cultures tends to be mostly popular culture, idol music has for quite some time existed with nerd culture – fans of idols are ‘otaku’ in the same way that anime/manga fans are ‘otaku’ (though most Western idol fans tend to prefer to refer to themselves as wota). While I’m not sure where this shift happened (it may very well have been with Onyanko Club), idol fans are often nerds – these are the people that have carried idol groups throughout the years when popularity wanes, and also the people that are fans of the smaller groups. Being able to aim music at a smaller demographic allows for more demographics to pop up within idol groups, and also offers idols the opportunity to exist on an underground music level. Idol music is in many ways subculture more than it is mainstream, though it certainly is mainstream. This also allows for collaborations between other more underground groups – Babymetal’s collaboration with Kiba of Akiba works because of their connection to Akihabara, nerd culture. It also allows for Miri of hip hop idol group Rhymeberry to go freestyle at hip hop events and gain some experience that way.

The other thing that I think is so weird and interesting about idol culture and frankly has kept my interest in this for so many years at this point is just how the dedicated fanbases can prop up some of the weirder stuff. Music does matter, but there are so many other reasons to buy a single. Physical sales still matter a lot in Japan, and to bolster these singles often include other items, often a ticket to an event of some kind or a photo. Fans are highly incentivized to buy a copy (or multiple copies) of every single, which allows groups to get a bit more creative. Morning Musume, for example, put out Mr. Moonlight ~ Ai no Big Band~, a big band-inspired track inspired by the all-female Takarazuka theater troupe, and they could do that because they knew the hardcore fans would buy their single. While this has allowed for some laziness in some groups, it also allows for inventiveness in others. At the height of its popularity Morning Musume changed musical styles almost single by single, and they knew they’d keep their fans.

I’d also emphasize the songwriters as being a big part of how idol music has hit creative gold, musically. My favorite idol songwriter, Maeyamada Kenichi, got his start remixing video game and anime songs online but then was recruited to write music for groups like AKB48 until he wrote Momoiro Clover Z’s most popular song and became a well known name. Narasaki, another songwriter for Momoiro Clover Z and Babymetal, started out with a band Coaltar of the Deepers. The people writing music for idol groups today got their start writing music for other subcultures and moved over to idol things. And these names are well known among the hardcore idol fans – I’ve seen groups like LinQ advertise when they have Maeyamada write them a song, because he’s well-known among idol fans. Morning Musume’s longterm music producer, Tsunku (who recently has taken on a much smaller role due to cancer) is also well known, though a big part of that was that he has been a public figure (and Morning Musume was formed out of the runners up to an audition to find a vocalist for his band, Sharan Q). Someone I frequently see pop up is former Megadeth guitarist Marty Friedman, who provides guitar riffs for idol songs and has had decent popularity in Japan. There’s a lot of people with varying experience writing all these songs.

I’d also say that like with everything else the ease of production of music allows for more opportunity for creators to make their mark. While they’ve moved to another agency, the group Osaka Shunkashuto originally had one person who was their manager, the staff, the songwriter, doing literally everything for the group, and they found an audience. Magical Ban Bang is another group that manages and formed themselves – they all met doing dance covers online and decided to form a group together. This also happened with Ayumikurikamaki, and there are several other groups that formed because of one producer or the group themselves deciding to do it. Due to the increased ease of production and the ease of marketing using YouTube, Twitter and other platforms like Showroom, groups no longer need to appear on TV to promote themselves. Culture in general is becoming a lot more niche and idol msuic is no exception.

Another thing is that while the idol world in general has strict rules, they’ve been eroding on heir own for quite some time – it’s all a public front that most people would acknowledge as a front. For example, one of the most popular and well known members of Morning Musume, Abe Natsumi, was caught spending the night at an actor’s home at the group’s peak in 2000, but she played it off as being there “playing Playstation” and nothing came of it. The most popular member of any of the AKB48 groups (currently in HKT48) Sashihara Rino was potentially helped in her rise to popularity by a dating scandal, where an ex-boyfriend sent pictures of her to a tabloid. While her move to HKT48 could possibly be considered a demotion, it allowed her to gain a lot more popularity and get a lot more attention than she would have in AKB48. Other members of AKB48 and other idol groups have been “caught” doing something that would previously gotten them kicked out, and most of the time they get a slap on the wrist, if even – it’s often ignored. Some idols have even laughed it off. It’s still a public rule but more than anything it’s become “don’t get caught.” This is just a long tangent to say that while the whole idol aesthetic is a squeaky-clean one, it’s very clearly a facade that most people can see through.

Popular groups are also starting to become more ambitious, musically. While AKB48’s music has gotten stagnant, one of their “official rivals,” produced by AKB’s producer Akimoto Yasushi, has reached mainstream success with singles like Silent Majority and Fukyouwaon being essentially protest songs. Momoiro Clover Z’s sister group, Shiritsu Ebisu Chuugaku, released an album called “Anarchy.” Granted, all of this is under the same model of idol-ness and is still highly controlled by their various agencies and publishers, so it’s incredibly manufactured, but what sells is shifting in an interesting way. Momoiro Clover Z sells out the biggest arenas and just last year released two concept albums essentially about life and death with Amaranthus and Hakkin no Yoake. While Momoiro Clover Z has done a whole lot, popular tastes are shifting. While Nogizaka46, another official rival, initially started out having more traditionally cutesy idol songs, they’ve shifted their style to be more contemporary.

Idol culture is endlessly fascinating, and while I do have my quibbles with the This Exists video they’re small ones at best, and not the giant ones I usually have when someone covers idol culture elsewhere. It leads me to wonder if there’s any easier way for those of us who have experience with idol music and culture to get our thoughts ought there or at least collectively make a primer to share with the next Babymetal or with the next Ladybaby, whenever that may be. I try to do that with Happy Disco but I know I don’t have a very wide reach. This Exists does a lot of great deep dives into things with research, but the next time the Wall Street Journal decides to do an article or a video on this I’d prefer it to not just end up with “it’s Japan and it’s weird!” Food for thought, I suppose!

And, to end this, I find it kind of hilarious that one of the first examples Sam gives in this video about more gimmicky groups is a Baseball-themed group, because of course Japan has a baseball-themed girl group and their song Diving Catch is one of the catchiest songs I’ve ever heard.

There are now 211 groups confirmed for this year’s Tokyo Idol Festival, which means I have my work cut out for me! Also when I started this post it was 181. God help me.

Idol Choho Kikan Level 7 

Their name means Idol Intelligence Agency Level 7, and their concept/gimmick is that they are idol spies, which I think is just about the best gimmick I’ve seen from an idol group in a while. The fans are the “boss” and the members go on “missions” to infiltrate idol activities (variety, gravure photos). Right away I absolutely love this gimmick, and I think it’s super clever.

Level 7 (which is their much more commonly used name) was formed in 2014, but they haven’t done all that much yet – while they perform around the Tokyo area, their only website is an Ameba blog, and they’ve so far released two singles officially and one venue-only single. So while this gimmick is great, they don’t have all that much stuff out there. Their YouTube has quite a few long (over 30 minutes) digests of their concerts, so if you’re interested in them that can help. That said, this seems like a tough group to follow for foreign fans. Taking a look at their live videos, though, their music is a lot better than it has a right to be. Their music all has a “cool” feeling to it, not always rock but not being the typical cute idol pop. Strawberry Trap in particular is very catchy, but I also like Taboo and Bravery. So I’d definitely check them out. They’re a small group without much out there but their music is better than it has a right to be and the group has a great energy while performing.

atME

atME is a four member unit that formed in May of 2016 so just about a year ago. They want to promote having strong visual appeal but also strong performances as well. The thing I find interesting, though is the fact that while this is what they say on their TIF profile, on their (not linked) website they specifically point out that they’re a “next generation” idol group aimed at the yutori generation (basically a younger generation seen as getting lenient education), emphasizing them as rebellious and passionate in a way that makes me wonder if I’m missing something from my limited Japanese translation.

They don’t have a ton of music or live stuff out, but they seem like a fairly standard idol group with a more hard rock sound than most. Still, their debut song Paralyzer is solid and they seem like the members are pretty talented. I’m not sure how much their next generation theme really does anything, except for influencing some lyrics, so it’s hard to say if this will actually result in much. Their most recent video on their YouTube channel is from August 2016 so they aren’t terribly active, but if you like a rock sound with your idols and have explored more conventional options atME could be something you check out.

Iginari Tohoku San

The first Stardust unit I’ve covered this TIF! Iginari Tohoku San is a unit based in Tohoku and is considered a “Lesson unit” so they’re more of trainees than anything. Formed in 2015, Iginari Tohoku San is very much just getting started. Because of this, there isn’t much – they’ve released one single (another coming in a few weeks) but it’s only for sale at events and at HMV Japan. They’ve also released a single with Sakura Ebi’~~s, the Shiritsu Ebisu Chuugaku trainee unit, who they did a concert with as well. That said, since they’re produced by Stardust it’s easy to anticipate that they will grow with time and that their standard of production will be high, so while there isn’t much yet it’s easy to expect they won’t just fizzle out – all of their singles have been released within the last few months. If you’ve been wanting to follow Stardust idols from the start of their career, this is your chance. Like other Stardust groups they’re a ton of fun and energetic, so I am excited to see where Iginari Tohoku San goes!

Iketeru Hearts

Iketeru Hearts is a sister group to Afilia Saga. Formed in 2014 they were originally trainees with some members being promoted to Afilia Saga before they were all promoted to being full idols in 2015. In 2016 they made their major debut with “Let’s Stand Up,” which was written by Tsunku – so far they’ve put out four singles in total. Their goal is that through their singing, dancing and smiles they’ll make negative people positive.

Unfortunately a lot of their videos are region locked, which is a shame for foreign fans. Curiously, the leader of the group, Arata Yuyu, has a YouTube channel that’s pretty active and possibly your best window into Iketeru Hearts if you’re not willing to use something to get around the region lock. Since the group has performed in France and Singapore it does seem like they want to expand internationally, so hopefully their label will work to get their videos out of the region lock.

They seem like a pretty fun group – if you like Afilia Saga then you’ll probably like Iketeru Hearts who have a similar vibe, considering they’re sister groups. They’re upbeat and fun, and if you’re interested in a group like this then Arata Yuyu’s YouTube might be a fun look at the group. They’re a little tricky to follow as a foreign fan, so they will probably appeal mostly to foreign Afilia Saga fans, but if you like upbeat energetic groups they are definitely ones to check out.

Ichigo Milk iro ni Somaritai

I did a serious mental debate as to whether I should post this post or not. I almost had a “well, I’m done with this TIF coverage” moment when I saw this group pop up because I did not want to talk about them at all, but I feel like it would do a disservice to not present the idol industry as it is, warts and all, so here’s the wart – a group I’ll just call Ichigo Milk.

To be absolutely fair, this group has a decent amount going for it. It’s produced by former Otome Shinto leader Takahashi Yurika who created the group and their aim is the Budokan, in part because Otome Shinto never made it there. So in many ways it’s her passion project, which I really enjoy. The group is specifically very girly and pink.

Honestly my biggest issue right now are those pacifiers. They show up in the group’s promo images and it’s infantilizing and uncomfortable more than most other idol stuff I’ve covered for this blog. Lots of idol groups appear, act or are young, that’s no secret. And while I’m not a huge fan of a lot of this (I wish more groups would take a mature approach), it’s OK to have idol groups to be cutesy and I like stuff like this. This is blatantly taking an idol group and presenting them as infants. And I really don’t like that. It’s not fun or silly, it’s kind of gross in a way. A lot of you may feel like I’m overblowing this, but this is sincerely very offputting to me in a major way, to the point where it made me feel like I didn’t know how much more I wanted to follow TIF or indie idols. Or idols for that matter. And while I’m sure I’ll forget about this group for the most part and go back to liking my other idol groups, right now this is not a great look.

For what its worth their first song and video, Lollipop, is solid for the most part. Not great but a catchy enough song and a pretty fun PV until the end. But until they drop this part I can’t in good faith recommend them at all.

Uijin

Uijin is a four member unit that was formed in December of 2016, so still very new. The group’s concept is centered around a fictitious city of neo tokyo, which is a pretty common name for a futuristic Tokyo in anime and games. They recently released their first full album which includes lyrics written by the members of the group. Their style musically is idol pop with healthy helpings of electro and rock sound.

For being such a new group and for not having ties to other groups (as far as I can tell) Uijin seems remarkably good so far – their music is simultaneously interesting,  underground idol music but it’s well written and accessible. The members seem like solid performers and their live videos look super fun. If you’re looking to explore more of the underground idol scene, Uijin could be an accessible in. If you’re looking for electronic, futuristic rock with an idol bent, you have some specific tastes but Uijin might be your jam. Their song Meltdown I particularly like (and parts of it remind me a bit of Hangry & Angry’s Reconquista), but their other songs on their channel are good. Since they are so new they don’t have a ton out yet, but you should definitely keep Uijin on your radar.

AOP

AOP (written as A応P but I’m simplifying it here for my sake) stands for Anime Ouen Project, or Anime Cheer Project, basically a group built around cheering on anime. AOP  doesn’t only cheer on anime, with members that like it, though – they’ve been doing theme songs for anime. AOP hit it big in 2016 with doing the opening theme songs for the popular anime Osomatsu-san, which made Zenrokyu Batankyu do very well. Unfortunately their other singles or albums haven’t done quite so well, but they are a fairly prolific group – they’ve put out two singles, a mini album and an album this year and last year they put out an album, a mini album and four singles. So if you like anime music and want a group that’s constantly churning out new stuff, AOP could be up your alley.

While last year’s Cotona Mode is an ultimate guilty pleasure of mine (it is pure idol fluff), I haven’t been able to get into AOP much myself. More than anything they come across to me as a less polished i*Ris. Which isn’t a bad thing – most groups don’t achieve the polish of i*Ris and the anime theme is pretty fun. The members seem like fun and some of their music is great  – their latest single, Jitensha ni Hana wa Mau is pretty solid and last year’s “Ano ne, Kimi dake ni” is great. But if this group sounds like they’d appeal to you I’d check out both i*Ris and them. AOP is a bit less polished so if that appeals to you more than the highly polished i*Ris I’d check them out.

AKB48 16th Generation Kenkyuusei

I feel like this needs no explanation, but I’ll give one in case you’re unffamiliar with the AKB48 system. This is the 16th generation of AKB48 members, who passed the audition and debuted as research students late last year at the end of 2016 and will be in training until they debut in a proper AKB team. That said, this generation has been doing a lot of performances on their own – they had a big concert on their own at Tokyo Dome City Hall in January and have since performed in the AKB theater on their own as well.

I mean, if you’re into AKB you should probably follow them, if you’re not into AKB you won’t. This group isn’t likely to change any minds, but if you’re an existing 48 fan you can follow the future of AKB48 if you check them out.

AKB48 Team 8 

AKB48’s Team 8 is kind of an oddity that I’ve never been quite sure what to make of. Formed in 2014 by an audition for all the members, the concept is that they are comprised of a member from each of Japan’s 47 prefectures (though they currently have 44 members), who aim to travel to each prefecture, where they are idols who will go to meet you. They’re also sponsored by Toyota. So while they’re a part of AKB48 and some of the members of Team 8 are also cocurrently members of other AKB teams, Team 8 is kind of its own thing – a team but not a team in the sense of A, K, B and 4. They’ve so far visited 38 prefectures which is a pretty solid number.

Again, if you’re not into AKB48 I doubt Team 8 is going to change your mind, unless their theme or their Toyota sponsorship is somehow really interesting to you. They kind of do their own thing, and I think their theme is clever, but they’re AKB48 at their core. Either you’re interested in that or you’re not.

HR

HR is a unit from Fukuoka with their name standing for Hakata Reboot. HR is a bit of an odd duck in that they seemed like they were on the rise but have gone in odd directions – this group has had a LOT of members shuffle in and out over the past years since they’ve debuted in 2010, and while they’ve done some things I don’t think they’ve hit the heights I thought they were. The group made their major debut in 2015 and have since put out four singles, but in many ways I’d say their peak was in their indies days in 2014, with the release of their single “Evolution da,” album release and their subgroup Splash Revolution. That said, their single sales have been solid, so that might be my personal perception. I am interested to see how many members they end up with – they’ve always had a fairly large lineup, so seeing three members be HR is a little weird.

Since HR has very recently lost almost all its members, it’s hard to recommend going back to older videos because I don’t know how relevant they will be to future idol fandom. They have some fun, solid idol music – Kimi ni Spark, their first indie single is a favorite of mine and I actually own a physical copy of Evolution Da I like that single so much. Their style is pretty standard idol, so I’d say they’re mainly of interest if you are located in Fukuoka and want to support a really solid local idol in the local scene. I really liked them in years past until my oshimen, Kobayashi Mayu, graduated. They’re a bit hard to follow as a foreign fan, especially as they are victim to region locking, but there’s quite a few fan recordings of their concerts around Fukuoka. I’m a bit conflicted on HR, honestly – there’s a lot to like in their history but it remains to be seen where they go from here.

= LOVE

Pronounced “Equals Love,” =LOVE is a group produced by HKT48’s Sashihara Rino.that is aiming to be a group of both seiyuu and idols, working with Yoyogi Animation school. = LOVE is brand new – the member profiles on the = LOVE website were posted in June and the photos were posted just days before this Happy Disco blog post. So if you’re looking for a group at the start, = LOVE could be an option, especially if you’re a fan of Sasshi.

Since = LOVE is so new there isn’t much about them out there – the members have done some streams on Showroom but that’s about it for now. So it’s hard to say what sort of music they will do or what kind of an idol group = LOVE will become. But if you want to follow a group from its inception this could be for you.

SKE48

I feel like every time a 48 group pops up I just have to say you either like them or you don’t, and you probably know that by now if you’re reading this blog. SKE48 is the first sister group of AKB48 and is based in Nagoya, Japan. Since SKE’s been kicking around for nearly ten years at this point, they are releasing their 21st single soon and have almost as storied a history as AKB48. There was a while where in my opinion SKE had the best music of all the 48 groups (their singles from 2010 through 2013 are almost all fantastic songs I still listen to regularly), so if you’re looking for a 48 group to follow musically SKE might be a good option. I haven’t been terribly fond of the songs I hear from them recently, though, so I can’t quite tell if they’re still at that level. Their single from 2016, Chicken Line, seems to be fairly popular and a lot more interesting than a lot of AKB’s recent singles.

Again, if you like SKE you probably know already – I doubt any of the 48 groups will convince you to like them if you dislike the rest. SKE has a big history, though, so if you’re looking for a 48 group that’s not AKB then SKE isn’t a bad option.

S★Spicy

S★Spicy is a unit that most people aren’t terribly aware of but do have a history. Formed in 2009, it’s a two member unit that’s actually a big sister unit to the other Stardust Promotion groups, so Momoiro Clover Z, Shiritsu Ebisu Chuugaku, etc. The group has had various name changes over the years, starting with S★Spicy, then S★Spicy-1 when they had one member, S★Spicy-2 when a new member was added, and then going back to S★Spicy.

That being said, it’s kind of funny because they’ve had just about as many name changes as they have singles. Despite being around since 2009, S★Spicy isn’t prolific, with only five singles and the most recent one being from 2015. That said, they really just keep on kicking year after year, so if you want to follow a Stardust group with some staying power but also is very much and indie group (and seems to be staying that way), S★Spicy could be for you. I also like that both members are older than your average idol.

Since they are still relatively indie there’s unfortunately not a lot for  S★Spicy out there. That said they are a really fun group and so if you’ve been thinking about getting more into Stardust’s indie idol scene I recommend checking out  S★Spicy!

STU48

Another 48 group! Again, I feel like you probably know if you like 48 groups or not, but STU is a pretty interesting case. For one, they are super brand new – the first generation members were announced in March and they have one original song, so if you’re looking to get into a group from the ground up STU48 might be for you. They also have an interesting idea in that while most 48 groups have a home theater in the city they’re based in, STU48’s theater will be on a cruise ship instead and travel between six different prefectures. Their theater has yet to open, but this will be interesting to see in the future.
Ultimately there’s not much to see from STU yet – they have their original song, Setouchi no Koe, and the members tend to frequently do streams on Showroom. Their first single is set for November. Again, if you like the other 48 groups you probably already know if you want to follow STU, but it is always interesting to follow a group from their absolute start, and that’s where they are with STU48 now.

NGT48

OK, more 48 groups, here we go. NGT48 is a newer 48 group based in Niigata. They debuted in 2016 and in 2017 got their first single with Seishun Dokei. Of the three 48 groups in this single post, NGT48 is the middle group – they have nowhere near the experience of SKE48 but have been around for longer than STU48. So they might be a fun place to join in, especially since they already have a single and some songs.

Again, you know if you’ll like NGT48. Personally they’re the 48 group I’m most excited about, but that’s mainly because, due to all the graduations from the 48 groups, front girl Kato Minami is possibly my favorite 48 group member. But considering you probably know your feelings about NGT48 already I won’t spend more time on them.

elfloat

elfloat is a 3 member unit formed in 2014 by Blue Forest, a music video company. Their theme is fairies and they generally have that sort of elfin, fairy theme to their look and their presentation. Their first single “Tokioki Mermaid” was released this year and sold over 20,000 copies, but they’ve had some original songs for years as well as music videos, so they have other stuff to check out. They also recently did a solo show at Zepp Tokyo so elfloat is a group on the rise.

That said, even after watching several videos I don’t know if I really get it. They seem like a decent group, but I think the biggest disconnect is their stated theme and their actual impact. Musically they seem like they should be doing Armor Girls music – Irish inspired pop, while they have some decent rock music in their repertoire. Their videos are fun (Like a Tinker Bell is kind of goofy and pleasant) but don’t really fit either. Musically I like some songs but after listening to several none really stick with me. The group seems fun but not one that’s particularly memorable.

Elfoat is definitely a group to check out if you like rock-inspired idol pop but they don’t do much for me.

Electric Ribbon

Electric Ribbon was formed in 2007 though they’ve had several member changes since then, so this year marks Electric Ribbon’s 10th anniversary. They recently added several new members so that this group now has six members, and they recently released their first single with this lineup, “Twinkle in you,” though since this group has such a history they’ve put out several singles before that. Their goal is to have a girly, electric sound, so both electronic and cute/idol.

Personally, Electric Ribbon doesn’t particularly excite me all that much, but they do have some solid music – Twinkle in You is good, Eyeline is good. They have some solid upbeat pop music with an electronic flair, to the point where I don’t know why I don’t listen to Electric Ribbon more. They’re a very indie group but since they’ve been around for 10 years at this point I’m not seeing anything to indicate that they’ll be stopping anytime soon.

Okai Chisato

After doing my C-ute review post this is a familiar face! Okai Chisato was one of the members of the Hello!Project group C-ute which just disbanded earlier this year. Chisato over the years got more and more vocal parts and focus to the point where she was a main vocalist in many C-ute songs. While I’m not a huge fan of Chisato’s voice, she gained a big reputation for her vocals.

Chisato also has a flair for variety appearances which seemed to be where she was headed post C-ute. That said, appearing at TIF might mean more of a vocal career in her future? Time will tell. But if you were a fan of C-ute, you know who Chisato is.

Otome Brave

Otome Brave has perhaps my favorite idol group concept / gimmick ever – they’re RPG idols, where each concert they gain experience and level up. I wish that whole concept would shine more in their music and performances (at least the ones that I’m watching on YouTube), but it’s a really cool idea that feels pretty true to form in that performing more does mean they’d gain more experience.

Otome Brave has so far released one mini album back in April 2016 so they aren’t a terribly active group in terms of putting out new music. However, what music they do have is pretty solid – nothing extraordinary but Mikansei Braver is very fun and Yakusoudokukekishou, their main track of the mini album, is very catchy. There’s not a huge amount about Otome Brave out there, so it’s hard to follow them internationally, but they seem like a really fun group with a fantastic concept I’d love to see more from.

On and Go!

Formed in 2016, On and Go is a group based in Osaka formed of four members who went to the same high school. On and Go is one of the biggest groups I’ve wanted to follow more after last year’s TIF because the clips I saw of them were really fun, however there’s not a whole lot about On and Go online.

Earlier this year they released a self titled mini album as their first music release, with two different versions (with all different songs) so they have put out music. Unfortunately, even though the group is a lot of fun they just don’t have much out there for foreign fans or fans not based in Osaka – they currently have two concert videos on the YouTube channel of their agency so you can see why I like them a lot and like their music a lot, but that’s about it. Which is unfortunate because On and Go seems like a lot of fun.

If you are OK with investigating a group and not finding a lot I recommend on and Go, but be prepared to be annoyed with how little you find for them.

Shoujo Koukyoukyoku – Girls Symphony

Girls’ Symphony (as I am going to call them because the Japanese part of their name literally means Girls’ Symphony) is a unit that was formed in 2015 but debuted in early 2016. Their aim is to have seven members who are all active doing their own thing (gravure, modelling, etc) but then come together to be in Girls Symphony. They put out their first and only single last year, Mahou wo Kakeru yo. Please note: There is a pretty popular Wake Up! Girls song that has the same name as this group, so if you search for this group make sure you aren’t actually checking out Wake Up! Girls.

Girls’ Symphony doesn’t have a ton of stuff out yet, besides some concert videos, so they’re very new. However, Mahou wo Kakeru yo is a good song and they cover some decent idol songs when they perform, such as NMB48’s Hoshizora no Caravan (one of my favorites). They have a really great classic idol appeal that might be a big appeal to some. If you’re looking for an idol group with a classic appeal / aesthetic I’d go with Idol Renaissance, but if you would prefer a group that does more idol songs then you might want to check out Girls Symphony.

KATA☆CHU

KATA☆CHU is a unit that was formed in 2016 with the theme of unrequited love, since the Kata in their name is kataomoi. So this unit’s goal is to support people who long for something or who have unrequited love. Since a lot of people go to idol music for comfort this is a very cute idea. KATA CHU also prides itself on having unique music that would be interesting to fans.

That said, they don’t have very unique music, at least not from the songs I’ve listened to on YouTube. They have some decent songs but they’re pretty standard idol pop in construction and performance. If you like standard idol pop KATA CHU is a fun group still firmly in the indie idol phase, but that’s where they are – pretty normal.

Kapushikigaisha Hyper Motivation

This is an office / company themed group formed in 2016 where the members aim to be cheerful, energetic and have high motivation. Each member has a “title” like if they were in a company, such as being the public relations department, human resources department, etc. and in general aims at office workers. This is a really cute gimmick,and I do wish that more idol groups would have themes like this, mostly as an office worker myself. Unfortunately, Hyper Motivation hasn’t put out any singles yet, but do have some videos on YouTube.

While I like the concept I’m not just seeing it from Hyper Motivation – their energy level doesn’t seem to be that high in performances and while some of their music is solid it doesn’t seem to fit this theme. With more time and effort I could see Hyper Motivation become the group they say they are, and I do think there’s some potential here – none of the members are bad at what they’re doing. But for a group that prizes energy and motivation I’m not getting it from Hyper Motivation.

Kamiyado

This is a five member unit based in Harajuku – their name has a few different meanings but KMYD, part of Kamiyado also stands for Kawaii Max Yell Dream, which is super generic idol phrasing but I kind of love it. They were formed in 2014 and have released 10 singles and one album since then, so they are a pretty active. That said, their first 8 singles all were limited to 500 copies so they’ve been very indie, though their most recent two singles are available for purchase online and are on a different label.

I like Kamiyado – they are still very indies but they seem to be aiming to be an indie group in the vein of MomoClo or Dempagumi.inc. Their music isn’t at all polished but it’s fun and has promise. Despite the lack of polish the music and performances are really fun and I can see big things for Kamiyado if they keep this up. I’m going to try and follow them more in the future and you should check them out.

Kamen Rider Girls

Kamen Rider Girls is the official girl group for the Kamen Rider tokusatsu series. Formed for Kamen Rider’s 40th anniversary in 2011, they perform theme songs for Kamen Rider series and things. Each member used to represent a protagonist from a Kamen Rider series, though for the past couple of years they’ve no longer done that. They’ve released several singles and are putting out a new album in August.

I feel like this group really most likely depends on if you are a fan of tokusatsu / a fan of Kamen Rider. As someone who hasn’t watched that series I’m not sure if Kamen Rider Girls are for me, really, especially since so much of their activity centers around Kamen Rider. Their production is solid and professional – since they’re partially produced by Avex that is to be expected. They do have some songs that aren’t used for Kamen Rider, so there is a possibility you might like them if you aren’t an existing Kamen Rider fan. but I’d mainly recommend them to people who like Kamen Rider already.

KAMO ga Negi wo Shotte kuru!!

KAMO ga Negi wo Shotte kuru is a five member unit based in Harajuku. Their aim is to be both cute and energetic, and just by looking at this image I say they’re on the right track.Formed in 2016, KAMO ga Negi wo Shotte Kuru has several original songs but no singles as of yet, so hopefully they’ll put something out soon. Their songs have some notable songwriters, the most exciting to me being KOJI oba who cowrote Momoiro Clover’s Hashire and has written or arranged for Hangry & Angry, Hello!Project, Band Ja Naimon! and others. So while they’re very indies they have some good songwriters working with them.

KAMO ga Negi wo Shotte Kuru seems just really fun. They have the Dempagumi.inc / The World Standard style of being just completely off the wall in terms of style and energy. Their music is fun and their performances are really exciting. I really hope that KAMO ga Negi goes places because I’d love to see what they could do. They are a really fun group with a surprisingly high level of music and performance, given how new and how indie they are. I definitely recommend checking them out if you like Dempagumi.inc, The World Standard, Band Ja Naimon or any other groups in that vein.

Kikkawa You

Kikkawa Yuu (often styled as Kikkawa You) is a former Hello!Project trainee for several years after being a Morning Musume audition finalist. She performed as a part of Milky Way, the group for the Kirarin Revolution anime and was generally a fan favorite as a trainee. In 2010 she left Hello!Project and became a solo artist in 2011. Since then she’s been relatively active, putting out 3 studio albums, one cover album, one best of album and 11 singles over the years.

While Kikka started off doing pretty standard idol fare (the excellent Konna Watashi de Yokattara being one of my favorite idol songs), she’s since moved on to doing more indie, experimental music. Hana, her single from 2015, is a whopping 17 minutes and 25 seconds, aiming to be the longest idol song ever written. Her two singles released since then, Ha wo Kuishibare and Sayonara Standard, were both written by singer songwriter Oomori Seiko, who has a definite style to her music. While her sales haven’t been astronomical (which is a shame), Kikka has a style all her own and it’s been really fun to see – I hope she continues the path she’s on because Kikkawa You is doing some really great stuff you should be paying attention to.

Kimi iro Project

Kimiiro Project is brand new – they made their debut on March 25 of 2017 so they’ve been around for just about four months. They’re so new they were just added to the TIF site and don’t have any real info about them. They’re doing their first solo live in August so things are moving pretty fast for Kimiiro Project- they’re also doing the idol festival circuit and won a space to perform at TIF.

They have a YouTube page but there’s mostly only videos of introductions / solo videos of all the members. So if you like Kimiiro Project you should be able to learn about the individual members. Watching some of their live videos, they still feel really green and inexperienced. Which, to be fair, is expected after a group’s been around for only four months. All the members seem eager and energetic, which is fun to watch, but the vocals are pretty poor and the music is generic. It would be interesting to see a group like this after some training and some higher production values because I do like just how energetic they all seem – they’re just not there yet as performers.

GANG PARADE

Gang Parade is a part of the big surge of anti-idol / alt-idol groups that have popped up in the wake of groups like BIS and BISH. Co-founded by one of the former BiS members Kamiya Saki (who’s interestingly enough temporarily back with BiS until September), Gang Parade is a group with many names – first they were Pla2me then PoP and now Gang Parade. It’s interesting to see them back at TIF – back in 2015 when they were still PoP they got kicked out of TIF for their lives getting too rowdy.

I feel like at this point you know if you’re into the whole anti-idol / alternative idol scene or if you’re not – either it does something for you or it doesn’t. I kind of lie in the middle – I admire a lot of these groups for breaking the idol mold and want more groups to try this but the sound and the aesthetic of these groups is so far from what interests me. That said, Gang Parade might be the group that breaks through if you’re interested in this scene but are like me and don’t really gel with groups like BiS or BISH – a lot of their music seems straight up accessible. FOUL, a recent single, is very listenable, but Beyond the Mountain, their latest single, is genuinely fantastic and could very well end up one of my favorites of the year. If you’ve been thinking of getting into one of these groups but can’t get into something like BiS maybe give Gang Parade a shot.

Candy Zoo

Boy oh boy I feel like it’d be hard to find a group that contrasted with Gang Parade more than Candy Zoo. Candy Zoo made their debut in 2013 and their name is to represent that they want their personality to be like candy but also want to be watched like a zoo – while i don’t know if a zoo is what I want to compare idols to, it’s a cute name. They also used to wear animal prints but I’m not sure if that’s obsolete now.

I honestly  wasn’t expecting much from a group like Candy Zoo based off of their name and image but I was pleasantly surprised – the song and video for their song Kesshou is surprisingly great. While the other songs I have heard from them aren’t quite as good as this latest single their other songs are solid and seem well-produced. The group overall seems fun and while I don’t think they’ll wow everyone I think if you like cute groups you might be pleasantly surprised by Candy Zoo.

The time is nearly here! Frankly, I initially thought Tokyo Idol Festival was the first weekend of September so I thought I’d have a bit more time to work on TIF posts. But, while I still have a ton of groups I’d love to profile and cover, here are some recommendations for the lucky people who are planning on going to TIF. Please note – I haven’t seen most of these groups perform live so I can’t really speak to the live experience, and the TIF experience may vary even further (as a festival). That said, these are some of my favorites that are going to Tokyo Idol Festival!

Idol Renaissance

I feel like Idol Renaissance goes under the radar for a lot of foreign fans but they are absolutely a group I need to follow more and you should too. While the vast majority of their music is covers (their first original song is coming out this year) they choose great songs and their performances are solid. Their album is now on American Spotify and I’ve been listening to it a lot lately – both YOU and Funny Bunny are two favorites of mine. They’re a remarkably solid group and one that deserves more attention.

Up Up Girls (Kakko Kari)

This is almost 100% a recommended group because their latest single, Upper Disco, is easily one of my favorite songs of 2017 and they are almost certainly going to perform it at TIF. But Up Up Girls is a solid group with members who have been at it for years and years and some really solid music in their discography. While they aren’t a group I follow all that much they are a group that reliably puts out some new great music every year and has solid performances. Up Up Girls (2) is also an option if you want newer members performing Up Up Girls songs (and probably smaller crowds).

AmiinA

This group is such an unexpected surprise of my TIF posts – their music is uniformly interesting, dreamy and unlike most other idol groups. I have been listening to their music since discovering them and have been really enjoying amiinA as an unusual group. I’d definitely check out their music before seeing amiinA because I feel like if you’re not into the music you may not be into them, but I think they have some really solid stuff.

S*Spicy

While S*Spicy doesn’t put out that much music and isn’t too active, they are a really fun group with a great vibe. The older sister unit with members in their mid-late 20s, S*Spicy is goofy and entertaining. I wish they were active and promoted more, but if the idea of an older group with a very Stardust sensibility then I’d recommend S*Spicy.

Osaka Shunkashuto

While some people would argue that Osaka Shunkashuto went downhill after they got bigger, I respectfully disagree. While songs like C’Mon and Chameleon Shoujo are the best the group has been, this year’s New Me is just fantastic and shows how great they’ve gotten. The main vocalist Maina is a powerhouse and the other members are great dancers/performers. If Osaka Shunkashuto isn’t on your radar it very much should be.

KAMO ga Negi wo Shotte kuru!!

This is another surprise. They have some excellent music they perform and are completely energetic. If you’re looking for an energetic fun group that might have a smlaler crowd then I’d give KAMO ga Negi wo Shotte kuru!! a shot.

Kikkawa You

Kikka’s always had a solid solo career with some great music and great performances, but her latest work,specifically her music written by Oomori Seiko, has been fantastic. Yuu seems to be going more towards an indie sound and presentation, and if you know any of Oomori Seiko’s music you’ll know if you should be interested in Kikka. But I think she’s doing some great stuff and would love to see more from Kikka.

Keyakizaka46

Yeah this is going to be a tough act to actually go see if you’re at TIF. But Keyakizaka46 is easily my favorite 46/48 group right now and they’re backing it up with some great music – Silent Majority took the idol world by storm last year and their singles have all been great, with this year’s Fukyouwaon being pretty phenomenal. With their popularity actually getting to see Keyakizaka46 might be a tough ask, but if you’re thinking of seeing one of the 46/48 groups I’d go with Keyakizaka46.

Sasaki Ayaka

Yeah OK, this recommendation is painfully obvious. But Aarin is genuinely a wonderful person and performer AND is starting off her solo career this year with her first solo single. The entirety of her solo concert from last year is really great performances and I would expect nothing less from her TIF performance. Aarin has great stage presence and performing skills and should be really fun to see at TIF.

GEM

GEM is one of my favorite of the Avex idol groups – while opinions might vary on which Avex Idol Street group you like best, it’s pretty undeniable that they have strong performances and production value. GEM has a lot of personality and some great music – their single from 2017 “Sugar Baby,” which is almost certainly guaranteed to be performed at this year’s TIF, is addictive and wonderful.

Shiritsu Ebisu Chuugaku

While following Ebichu has been difficult for me in the wake of Matsuno Rina’s passing, they are undeniably a great group – they have some great performances and phenomenal music – their music is often not necessarily traditional idol music but well written and well produced. Ebichu should definitely be a group you follow at TIF and beyond.

Zettaichokkyuu Joshi Playballs

Yeah I had no idea I’d be interested in a baseball themed group but here we are. Playballs is a new interest of mine but they are incredibly fun, have some great music and seem like a fun group to see live. Their 2016 song Diving Catch has been one of my most listened to songs of this year, so I wouldn’t miss the chance to see them live at TIF.

Sora tob Sakana

Sora tob Sakana is one of the groups I’d like to follow most in the future – they have some really interesting music I’d compare to amiinA’s on this list, in a way – it’s very unusual music for idols and tends to have more of an indie rock / post-rock feel to it. The group often performs with a live band, which is something I love, so if you’re looking for a group with interesting music that doesn’t have an idolly feel I’d check out Sora tob Sakana.

Takoyaki Rainbow

Yes, another Stardust recommendation. Takoyaki Rainbow is one of the many Stardust promotion groups, but this time they’ve made their major debut with Avex which gives them some great production value. Quite a few of their songs have been written by Maeyamada Kenichi, my favorite songwriter, and they have a ton of energy in their live performances. Takoniji is a group that combines fun and great music so they are definitely a group that deserves attention.

Team Syachihoko

Another Stardust group, but of course I’m going to recommend Team Syachihoko. They have excellent music, members, and are incredibly fun to watch. They are an energetic group that puts on a really great show and my favorite idol group.

Chubbiness

Yes, Chubbiness is Avex’s chubby group. While I wish that more idol groups would have some body diversity, I know that’s not necessarily something that’s going to happen. That said, Chubbiness is a whole lot of fun. Their debut song Manmadeiya is really addicting and they have a lot of fun idol songs. I wish Avex would promote Chubbiness more because they’ve assembled a fun group of girls who are fun to follow.

Tsubaki Factory

If you told me this was the year I was going to become a Tsubaki Factory fan I would have probably laughed at you. However, after two stellar singles and a major debut I am hooked. Their singles this year have been really great, the members are all really fun, and this seems like a great group to follow. They’re still a relatively new group but that’s also fun too – it’s exciting to see where Tsubaki Factory goes. They are on a great path, though, and are making immense progress over a very short amount of time.

Tsuyogari Sensation

This group is almost 100% on this list because their 4th single, UG Stepper feat. MIZ, is one of my most listened songs of the year. But Tsuyogari Sensation seems like a great group with some great rock idol songs and some powerful vocals. UG Stepper is my favorite of their songs, but with a little publicity and some more polish Tsuyogari Sensation could go places.

Niji no Conquistador

Niji no Conquistador has become one of my favorite idol groups over the past couple of years. I think they hit a really great sweet spot where they have interesting songs, are a bit weird, have energetic performances and also do fun idol songs. Nijicon is a pretty indispensable group for me and one you should be following if you aren’t already – they are such a fun group that I know they’ll have a great showing at TIF.

Batten Showjotai

OK, yes, I am recommending yet another Stardust group, but Batten Showjo Tai fits in a niche I had no idea I was interested in – ska idol pop. Quite a bit of their music, including the wonderful Osshoi, is ska-inspired and it is just delightful. Aside from that they have the energetic performances and quality music Stardust has come to stand for. Batten Showjo Tai is still fairly new but have made a splash with their major debut singles and are very much worthwhile.

Band Ja Naimon!

In many ways Band Ja naimon is essentially another Dempagumi.inc but really more Dempagumi.inc isn’t a bad thing. Band Ja Naimon has some great music and great, energetic performers. I definitely prefer Dempagumi.inc but Band Ja Naimon has become a solid group in their own right, worthy of attention on their own. They’re a  group I want to follow more and one I’d recommend checking out.

Philosophy no Dance

I discovered Philosophy no Dance because someone sent me links on twitter saying they thought I’d like it. I don’t know if I just have super obvious taste but Philosophy no Dance is super fun – they have some great, funky retro music that is just a lot of fun to listen to – I’m After Time is really fantastic and definitely one of my favorite songs of 2016. They’re a group I pay more attention to the music to than anything else, but if you’re into music like Especia or any other group with retro sound I’d check out Philosophy no Dance.

RYUTist

RYUTist is a local Niigata based group which has some great music and even better performances. They’re really a music-focused group more than anything else. I was lucky enough to see them when they came to the US in 2014 and their performances blew me away. They are an incredibly sweet group and one I feel very lucky to have met and seen in person – I definitely recommend RYUTist.

Lyrical School

‘While I’ve always been more of a Rhymeberry fan when it comes to idol rap, Lyrical School is a great group (featuring a former member of Rhymeberry!) that’s more active and tends to be a bit more polished. They did a single with Idol Renaissance (a cover of Base Ball Bear’s The Cut) that is one of my favorite things from this year so far. Run and Run is also one of my favorite recent idol songs. Lyrical School is really good at what they do, which is idol rap, so if that’s something you’re interested in then you should follow Lyrical School.

Wa-suta

The World Standard is the platonic ideal of cutesy idol pop. Their music is upbeat, cheerful, but also often strange and bizarre. They really lean into the cutesy side of being idols. If you’re into that sort of thing, you will like Wasuta. Part of Avex’s Idol Street, they have well produced music and videos, and specialize in cute but strange things. They are a bit off the wall at times which is why they are a great group.

While this is a bit of an abridged list, these are the groups I would definitely try to make time to see if I was lucky enough to be going to TIF. Apologies if your favorite group isn’t on this list – there are plenty of groups I thought about putting on (LinQ, HR, i*Ris, etc) that I chose not to. There are a lot of other groups that I just don’t know about, so if you’re at TIF I urge you to explore the indie idols and groups that are present. If you’re into alt/anti-idols, I’d recommend checking out Gang Parade and BiSH, though Gang Parade and BiS have gotten kicked out of TIF before so these audiences can get a bit rowdy. There are a ton of great groups that I didn’t mention, so let me know if there’s a group I have to know about that’s going to TIF (or one I should cover on my blog sometime).

2017 marks an important anniversary – it is the 20th anniversary of the formation of Morning Musume. While the group has had many iterations, 13 generations of members, name changes and both waxing and waning popularity over the years, 20 years is a major achievement for a group. This is especially notable given Morning Musume’s recent resurgence in popularity – while Morning Musume has been around for almost 20 years, I can’t see it going away any time soon.

To commemorate this I’ve decided to review all of the main Morning Musume albums through 2017, First Time through 14 Shou ~The Message~ or any Morning Musume album that comes out this year. I won’t be covering the two best of albums nor the updated album. The main goal will be to see just how Morning Musume has evolved over these 20 years.

While 4th Ikimasshoi was historically my favorite Morning Musume album, I don’t really listen to No.5 all that much. I love the single songs on it a lot; Do It! Now and Koko ni Iruzee are both great. That said, the rest of the album songs aren’t anywhere near as well received as the ones on 4th Ikimasshoi nor are they performed all that much.The majority of these songs have been performed once or twice and have since fallen off the face of the earth. This doesn’t mean that much – there are plenty of early Hello!Project songs that haven’t been performed all that much that are fantastic. But of the post-Golden Era albums it feels like No.5 has had the least impact of any album. So is that deserved? I have to admit that I haven’t listened to most of these songs in a long while, so we’ll find out.

1. Intro

This is odd. This is a 9 second intro that’s basically a slightly different section from the chorus of Do It! Now. That’s it. I’m not sure why they didn’t just do an extended version of Do It! Now and start with that (though IMO another song on this album should be the first song). This doesn’t work at all, much less than the intro on 3rd Love Paradise, for example. The only thing I can think of with this is that they wanted to pad out the tracklist, because while there are new songs on this album it’s got a lot of existing stuff on it.

I just don’t think this should have been on this album at all. It serves no purpose.

2. Do It! Now

Do It! Now is great classic H!P song – it’s the type of song that just feels like the early 2000s era of Hello!Project in a way that’s hard to describe. It’s a mix of r&b and pop that has held up incredibly well. Do It! Now is notable in being Goto Maki’s last single, so she gets a fair amount of focus, but Do It! Now does well by all of the members – Goto Maki and Abe Natsumi get a lot of focus but so does then newbie Takahashi Ai, Konno Asami gets a suprising amount to do, and every member has a lot to do in the pseudo-rap break (I say pseudo in that most of the lines are actually sung, but it’s clearly supposed to be a rap break). It’s a song that works just as well for older members like Iida Kaori and Abe Natsumi as well as it works for the younger members like Konno Asami and Niigaki Risa, which is kind of incredible.

Do It! Now should be totally dated, in that it feels like it’s very much of its time, but it’s still a classic jam. Some things do feel dated, especially the Tsunku mandated sound effects (at least, I assume those are Tsunku-mandated). A couple of bits of this sound a little goofy. But at its core Do It! Now is a really solid classic pop song with R&B stylings, with a great melody. The chorus is the standout, but the verses work really well. The pacing of this song is great too.

Do It! Now isn’t a song I go back to as much as something like Souda! We’re Alive or Renai Revolution 21, but it’s still a very solid, very good offering from Morning Musume and a great song. 9/10

3. TOP!

TOP! should have been the first song of the album and it’s almost baffling it isn’t. It feels like they made the intro for Do It! Now, realized it would be weird if the next song wasn’t Do It! Now, but already had TOP! done so they just put it afterwards. The intro of this song, with the voice going through the names of all the members is a really great place to open an album, and I still think it should have opened it, followed up with Do It! Now, and scrap the intro.

TOP! has a lot of fun energy, and I like how much the members put into it. I love the feel of the song, and the lyrics focusing on aiming to be number one are a really good part. However, while I think the energy, members and lyrics work, the arrangement at points is a bit bland. It works about half of the time (the opening, some of the verses), but the chorus is kind of flat. Which is really bizarre, as the person who arranged this also arranged Say Yeah! Motto Miracle Night off of Morning Musume’s first best-of album as well as Country Musume’s Uwaki na Honey Pie and non-Hello!Project songs like Charisma.com’s Hate (which he fully wrote/arranged). He’s a quality arranger. So why does this feel a bit slapdash?

TOP is a fun song, don’t get me wrong, and I love a lot about it. The back and forth where each member sings “waratte” works so well, and the opening is fantastic. It’s a good song for the most part. It just could be so much better than it is, sadly. 7/10

4. Tomodachi ga Ki ni Itteru Otoko Kara no Dengon

This reminds me a bit of Ii Koto Aru Kinen no Shunkan, from 4th Ikimasshoi – at least it has the same, cute feeling and tone at a similar point in the album. Like Ii Koto this song has a really cute feel, but this time with an emphasis on electric guitar. The arrangement in general is pretty great for a song they could easily have played off as being the cute song, and I like the guitar solo.

While this isn’t quite on the level of Ii Koto Aru Kinen no Shunkan this is still a very fun, cute song. The chorus is particularly good but this has a pleasant melody, a good arrangement, and is a nice song. It’s not one I particularly need to listen to more than I do and it’s not one I feel the need to write a lot about but it’s solid, classic Morning Musume. 7/10

5. Koko ni Iruzee!

Koko ni Iruzee is a total gem and one of MM’s underrated tracks – I think people like it but it’s not quite as well liked as it should be. It’s a fun ska-inspired track with a great melody and some great performances. Each member has their own solo line or two and most of them tend to ham up their performances in a really fun way. The instrumentation is really great too, with some great horns and a solid bass line throughout. This song came at peak “Tsunku’s voice as part of the background and some of his vocalizations are extraneous, but that’s kind of a love it or hate it part of Hello!Project.

Above all Koko ni Iruzee is just fun – it’s a song that always energizes me and the “minna lonely boys and girls” section near the end, which comes out of nowhere, works so well and often gives me chills. I think the fact this isn’t a classic H!P song in the same way that Renai Revolution or Souda We’re Alive are is a testament to just how great Hello!Project was at this time – Koko ni Iruzee doesn’t quite live up to those heights but it’s a great pop song. 9/10

6. Suggoi Nakama

The fact that Suggoi Nakama isn’t performed more by Morning Musume or other Hello!Project groups is a total shame – it’s a very fun, almost goofy song about friendship that I feel like could be done well with the current group of H!P members. It’s even more peak “Tsunku has a separate rap section for each song and adds his own vocals” which I can’t quite decide if I like here. The rest of the song is fun enough, though, that if that’s not something you’re interested in the weird fun parts work. The arrangement was done by Dance Man, which makes the song work even more.

The biggest issue I have with Suggoi Nakama is just how repetitive it can be – the chorus is a single line that gets repeated several times. It’s not a particularly bad line nor does it get painfully repetitive, but there isn’t a lot there beyond it being fun and cheerful. That’s not a bad thing, necessarily – the line is super catchy. But it’s not particularly interesting, especially with multiple listens. That said, Suggoi Nakama is a lot of fun fluff that makes for a fun listen. 7/10

7. Tsuyoki de Yukouze!

Tsuyoki de Yukouze has gotten a lot of play and has been brought back for recent concerts in 2010 and 2016, which makes a lot of sense – Tsuyoki de Yukouze is a fun, short song with a fast, aggressive sound. It’s the type of song that seems like it would be a lot of fun at concerts – it’s fast and has a great energy to it. It’s a short song (it’s about 3 minutes long but has several seconds of lead up at the start) so it feels a bit ephemeral at times, but it’s a fun ride while it lasts. The arrangement is a great rock sound, but the real star of the song is the energy and the melody. More than anything else this feels like a song that would be great at a concert – it’s not a song I listen to much on my own but I can imagine this being a great song to jump around to. Tsuyoki de Yukouze is a ton of fun and I’d love to see it at more concerts. 8/10

8. Megami ~Mousse na Yasashisa~

Here we go, the first of the pocky tie-in songs. This was a song used in commercials for mousse pocky and I feel like that makes sense from first listen. Shorter versions were already put on the Petit Best end of year compilation so I’m not 100% why they needed to put this on No.5 and to be honest I don’t think it adds much of anything.

Megami ~Mousse na Yasashisa~ is a pretty dated ballad that sounds like it could have been dated back when this came out in 2002. It’s not a bad song, but it’s not holding up to me. The melody is solid and the performances (by mostly older members) and while the instrumental is cheesy as hell it’s not terrible. I’m not sure this really needed a longer version, above all – this is repetitive and not interesting enough to justify the full 4:00 minute song.

This song isn’t all that bad. It’s a pretty pleasant listen, especially if you’re nostalgic for this style of late 90s ballad. It’s just more than anything unnecessary – it’s a tie-in song that feels like it was added to pad out the runtime for this album. 6/10

9. Yes! Pocky Girls

Here’s the other pocky tie-in song, with all the members who weren’t present for Megami ~Mousse na Yasashisa. It also had a shorter version on the Petit Best album, and also doesn’t really justify its extended runtime. Yes! Pocky Girls is fun and definitely less dated of a song, but it’s mostly unremarkable. It’s cute and pleasant but outstays its welcome, and at some points the melody feels like it drags in a way it shouldn’t for a song like this. It doesn’t have the energy, drive or life to it to make this tie-in song work. It’s cute and not unpleasant but doesn’t justify its presence on this album at all. It’s a song that would work for a commercial but not for a song on an album. 5/10

10. HEY! Mirai

This is the first of two songs for the movie Koinu Dan no Monogatari which starred Morning Musume and the H!P Kids.Which also makes sense, because HEY! Mirai is a pretty standard, cute song but sounds like something that would make sense as a movie tie-in.

There’s not much to say about Hey Mirai, to be honest. It’s cute, it’s pleasant to listen to, and not poorly done at all, but it’s not particularly interesting. It’s a pleasant song for a kids’ movie, but it’s not fun enough to be a regular listen for when I want to listen to classic Hello!Project, nor is it interesting to merit any serious listens. It’s pretty paint by numbers classic H!P pop. I’m not going to skip this song if it pops up when I’m listening to Morning Musume music, but I’m also not going to seek Hey Mirai out. 6/10

11. Ganbacchae!

Ganbacchae is the other song from Koinu Dan no Monogatari, this time also featuring Goto Maki and the Hello!Project Kids. This is a lot more straight up cute but an also fairly straghtforward song about doing your best. That said, I like this a lot more than Hey Mirai, mostly because it has a great energy and a much more solid melody, which feels youthful and nostalgic in equal measure. It works well as a song that features both the older members of Morning Musume and the children in Hello!Project Kids.

The biggest issue in Ganbacchae is that the use of the kids can get a bit grating, especially when they are shouting seemingly random lines in the verses. It would have worked better if they’d done a few shouts throughout the song, sang the “ganbacchae” line with everyone and then sang near the end, if they’re not going to have them sing throughout the entire song.

Otherwise, Ganbacchae is a solid song and a fun one to listen to. 8/10

12.  Sugoku Suki na no ni …. ne”

Tsuyoki de Yukouze was a song sung by the younger half of Morning Musume, whereas this is a song sung by the older half. At the start of the song I always think this is going to be more of an 80s/90s callback than it is – it starts out with some synth sounds and heavy drums, but it ends up more of a standard H!P song. It’s not a bad one – i like that the older members are featured in this way. It’s just not one that stands out for me. Even though I have my problems with them, Tsuyoki de Yukouze, TOP, and the single songs are very memorable. Sugoku Suki na no ni … ne is just not memorable.

There are some interesting ideas – I like some of the background vocals and at one point the arrangement sounds like it’s supposed to be like a harpsichord. The members perform it well and I’m intrigued by the synth sound and the idea of a classic Hello!Project 80s throwback song. It’s just not at all memorable of a melody and a song in general. It’s a pretty solid song but just doesn’t stick with you. 7/10

13. Sotsugyou Ryokou ~Morning Musume Tabidatsu Hito ni Okuru Uta~

I find it interesting that they have a song that is explicitly for graduations in Sotsugyou Ryokou and they’ve only performed it once – this just hasn’t stuck like Never Forget or I Wish. The person this song refers to is Yasuda Kei, who graduated soon after this album came out. While I do love Kei I also find it interesting that she had two graduation songs (this and the Never Forget rock version), which is why I think this was intended to be used more but wasn’t.

I actually really like this as a graduation song – it starts off slow as ballad but then the tempo kicks up and is a remarkably positive song. I like how the song feels – it feels like the members will miss Kei but it’s also congratulatory, happy for the person making the choice to graduate. It has a pretty killer arrangement (strings, horns, some acoustic guitar at the start) and it works really well as a graduation song. It’s not quite as iconic as I Wish or Never Forget, but I kind of wish Hello!Project would bring this back for more graduations. I also like the song ending the album – it’s a good send off to Kei and to the album.

This song should be more highly regarded than it is – it’s a pretty great graduation jam. 8/10

Overall: There are plenty of great songs on No.5 – Do It! Now and Koko ni Iruzee are two of Morning Musume’s all time great singles, and I’m partial to quite a few of the other tracks. That said, this feels completely aimless as an album, with an intro added to pad out the tracklist, a song that should be the first song on the album (TOP!), and stuffed with tie-in songs for pocky and for a movie. It feels like they thought Morning Musume should have an album so filled it with these songs. There are no really classic songs beyond the two singles (and possibly Ganbacchae!) and for good reason – this album is fairly weak. Which is a shame, considering it came out while Morning Musume was doing really well and should have had an amazing album. I don’t actually dislike any of the songs here, but this doesn’t work as an album as a whole.

2017 marks an important anniversary – it is the 20th anniversary of the formation of Morning Musume. While the group has had many iterations, 13 generations of members, name changes and both waxing and waning popularity over the years, 20 years is a major achievement for a group. This is especially notable given Morning Musume’s recent resurgence in popularity – while Morning Musume has been around for almost 20 years, I can’t see it going away any time soon.

To commemorate this I’ve decided to review all of the main Morning Musume albums through 2017, First Time through 14 Shou ~The Message~ or any Morning Musume album that comes out this year. I won’t be covering the two best of albums nor the updated album. The main goal will be to see just how Morning Musume has evolved over these 20 years.

Ai no Dai 6kan feels to me like the start of a transition to me – it’s the last credited album of Iida Kaori, Yaguchi Mari, Ishikawa Rika and the last appearances by Kago Ai and Tsuji Nozomi. While Yoshizawa Hitomi is on Rainbow 7, the next album, this feels like the last hurrah of what could be considered Golden Era Morning Musume. While Morning Musume was still doing relatively well when Ai no Dai 6kan released, they were definitely not anywhere near the popularity level of the golden era, especially with the two centers of Abe Natsumi and Goto Maki long gone.

1. Namida ga Tomaranai Houkago

Let me just preface this by saying I like Konno Asami and Michishige Sayumi just fine – they’re fine members. However, I’m not sure I quite get the decision to have a ballad focused on these two, and to have it start off the album. Because yeah, Konno Asami and Michishige Sayumi are weak singers. Morning Musume eventually figured out how to best use Sayumi as a member years later, but having two of the weakest vocalists headline a ballad is a baffling decision. I’m not particularly fond of ballads but when I like a ballad it needs to have vocals that can back it up. I think the choice to have a song focus on two members who were often in the back is really smart, but the choice to have it be THIS song is strange.

The song itself is fine. It’s not a particularly great single, but it’s a pretty pleasant melody. The lyrics and arrangement are a bit too saccharine, and coming from me that’s saying something. This song has some decent ideas – I like some of the arrangement (the strings, particularly when pizzicato, are nice), but for the most part it’s treacly, saccharine and not very interesting. It’s cheesy as hell.

Namida ga Tomaranai Houkago isn’t the worst song ever and has a few decent ideas, but it’s too saccharine and helmed by two of the group’s worst singers which makes it just not work. 5/10

2. Sukiyaki

Sukiyaki is a fun, kind of goofy song that reminds me a bit like a laidback Piriri to Yukou. It has a slow feel but it still has that traditional Japanese feel. In fact, considering Ai no Dai 6kan and Piriri to Yukou came out in the same year, Sukiyaki may have very well been repurposed from Piriri to Yukou – some of the background vocals sound very similar.

Sukiyaki is a fun song, and I always like hearing a Japanese festival sound mixed with idol pop – both of those sounds work really well together and can be a lot of fun. That said, for being a 3 minute song, Sukiyaki drags in places. It feels like it’s five minutes long when it’s only three. I think a bit of a faster tempo might have helped, but the melody doesn’t really do the pacing much favors. I like the feel of this song and the instrumentation works really well, but this is a lot slower than I remember and it doesn’t work as well as I’d like. 6/10

3. Haru no Uta

This is the song sung by the four highest seniority members in Morning Musume at the time and someone needs to tell Tsunku that mature doesn’t mean boring. This is a cheesy R&B track that sounds like it should have come out in the late 90s – it sounds dated now and I bet it was dated in 2004 when this came out.

This is performed well – Yaguchi Mari, Iida Kaori, Yoshizawa Hitomi and Ishikawa Rika do a commendable job of doing this song justice. That said it’s mostly a boring song. There have been great songs written for mature groups before (Taiyou to Ciscomoon’s discography) and after (v-u-den’s discography) this song, so I’m not sure why this doesn’t work for me. I think the biggest culprit is that this (and No.5) were the start of Morning Musume shoving filler songs onto its albums

Haru no Uta is a pleasant enough song to listen to – the effort the four members put on it works well and there are some solid moments, mostly relating to the performance. It’s a fairly solid, if dated song. It’s just not particularly good and I’m not sure why it would be put here on an album, especially after two songs that tend to drag as well. 6/10

4. Joshi Kashimashi Monogatari

Joshi Kashimashi Monogatari is a fun song that has understandably become a Morning Musume classic, since it’s a great way to introduce members. The lyrics focus on each member of the group’s personality, and while some of the verses in this original version seem like they aren’t specifically about each member it’s a way to focus on each member. While I think it’s kind of interesting that this became a single rather than just an album song, it works well as a song to introduce all the members of Morning Musume. While future versions have the members sing their introductions themselves, I kind of like this original version where other members sing about the member being introduced.

As a song, Joshi Kashimashi is pretty basic – it’s the same verse repeated for every member and occasionally a chorus. Sometimes one of the verses is hammed up a little differently or made more dramatic by the arrangement, but for the most part it’s a basic song. That said, it works here where the focus is more on the lyrics than anything else. The arrangement/instrumental is very fun, with a great sax solo throughout. While Joshi Kashimashi Monogatari is a very basic song, structure wise, it’s a fun intro song that’s catchy enough to sustain itself for several years. 9/10

5. Chokkan ~Toki to Shite Koi wa~

Most people are more familiar with the second Chokkan song, Chokkan 2 ~Nogashita Sakana wa Ookiizo~, which ended up as a single. The story goes that the single was originally Koi wa Hassou Do the Hustle, but because that didn’t have a great reception they made Chokkan 2 the single and made Koi wa Hassou the B-Side. Chokkan 2 is very similar to this original album Chokkan except there’s an updated arrangement and some of the lyrics are slightly different.

Chokkan ~Toki to Shite Koi wa~ feels a bit like a prototype Chokkan 2, even if that wasn’t initially the plan. The energy is pretty much the same and it has a similar level of excitement between the two songs, and the melody works for both. However, Chokkan 2’s arrangement gives it a bit more bite, and some of the lyrics sound awkward in the first Chokkan – the phrasing is a bit strange and doesn’t work quite as well.

It’s not hard to compare both Chokkan’s and the single one is a bit more polished. That said, the melody is fun and I love just how strong the energy is for both. Chokkan is a fun song, no matter what version. It’s fun to hear all the members who weren’t there in Chokkan 2 perform this, which is why I put Chokkan 1 on from time to time, but for the most part Chokkan 2 is the superior version. 7/10

6. Dokusenyoku

Dokusenyoku is a really cool sounding song – it has a much darker tone to it than most Hello!Project songs at the time (or even on this album – compare this to Namida ga Tomaranai Houkago). While Hello!Project had already had some rap verses and the occasional rap-heavy song (a few T&C Bomber songs are more hip hop focused), this is one of the earlier Morning Musume songs to have two fairly long rap verses throughout. The other cool part of the song is the section at the start and repeated at the end where seven members sing a single word. It’s not quite as trippy as WHY off 3rd Love Paradise where members alternated syllables but it still works well.

The biggest issue I personally have with Dokusenyoku is the over-reliance on Tsunku. Fans have mixed opinions on the presence of Tsunku as a background vocalist in Morning Musume songs, but I don’t mind it if it’s used well. Here, he just makes the song busier and doesn’t really add much with his shouting. And honestly, there are other members that could have done it just as well – Ogawa Makoto only gets a single word sung twice in this entire song, and she has enough attitude to be able to do these background vocals. It takes me out of the song, and it feels totally unnecessary. That all said, Dokusenyoku is a lot of fun and not like many other Morning Musume songs. 8/10

7. Lemon Iro to Milk Tea

I will never not love this song. This song was one that I really loved when I first got into Morning Musume about 9 or so years ago, and it’s nostalgic. It’s not the most sophisticated song – it’s pure fluff, almost overwhelmingly cute after Dokusenyoku. In many ways it’s a fairly typical idol song. The construction of it doesn’t do much interesting, the arrangement is cute, and while the performances are all good there’s not much to even make a performance extraordinary – Fujimoto Miki’s solo near the end is quite good but it’s not particularly demanding. But while it’s in many ways not special, it’s the platonic ideal of a cute, fun idol song that doesn’t put too many demands on the listener. If you like idol music and like the typical idol song, you’ll most likely like Lemon Iro to Milk Tea. It’s delightful from start to finish. 8/10

8. Roman ~My Dear Boy~

On a personal note, I’ve always been fond of Roman ~My Dear Boy~ for a totally biased reason – it’s one of the Morning Musume singles to best utilize Ishikawa Rika, my favorite member of Morning Musume. But beyond my own personal bias, Roman is just quite good. It has a great pace, and a solid melody, though if you strip it down Roman’s melody isn’t that unusual or interesting. What makes Roman ~ My Dear Boy~ really stand out more than anything is the fantastic arrangement. The individual instruments are all great – the electric guitar and sax solos put the song over the top. At its core, Roman ~My Dear Boy~ is a great pop song, but layer on the perfect arrangement/instrumentation and some excellent vocals from Morning Musume and Roman ~My Dear Boy~ is a standout track of Morning Musume’s discography. It’s definitely one of my favorite single songs and has been a favorite for several years. 10/10

9. Koe

I feel like whenever I listen to Koe I do a complete 180 on the song midway through. The start of the song is so cheesy, sounding like a cheesy late-90s r&b ballad that was out of date when Koe came out. That said, once the song kicks into gear midway through it’s a pretty, pleasant song. It’s not particularly interesting, but it has a solid melody. It also features some decent harmonies that I just wish were more prominent – when the harmonizing is put to the forefront Koe shines. I think that’s the biggest issue with Koe, really – if they had used it as an opportunity for Morning Musume to work at harmonies and let itself channel early Morning Musume, Koe could have been a highlight of this album. Instead, while some of these sections stand out and for the most part Koe is perfectly pleasant, it’s not as good as it could have been. It’s not the worst ballad I’ve listened to from Hello!Project but it’s not as standout of a song as I think it could be. 6/10

10. HELP!!

Relased around the same time as the Ecomoni song Acchi Chikyuu wo Samasunda, which is another version of this song from Morning Musume’s musical HELP!! this is Morning Musume’s environmental song. While Ecomoni’s version is slower and most of the lyrics are spoken (I wouldn’t consider it rap at all), HELP!! is a faster, poppier version, which works a lot better. Acchi Chikyuu wo Samasunda is cheesy, and I’d say purposefully so, but it’s a bit of a slog. HELP!! is a lot of fun, and I can see it actually succeeding where Acchi Chikyuu wo Samasunda doesn’t, which is making caring about the environment actually cool. HELP!! is a very short, brisk song, coming in at just about two minutes and thirty seconds, essentially repeating the same verse and chorus a few times. It’s not very interesting and doesn’t go any interesting places, which is a bit of a shame. That said, it’s still a fun listen and a good version of an OK song. 7/10

11.  SHIP! To the Future

Another song from the Morning Musume musical that HELP!! came from, SHIP! to the Future is a solid place to end the album – looking to the future. The arrangement and performances are solid, if not particularly interesting. That said, the melody drags, especially in the chorus. It’s not a particularly bad melody, and when the pace gets quicker it’s enjoyable. But this song drags and drags in the chorus, especially when the chorus repeats itself. There’s just not a lot here and so it gets stretched out to fit a three minute thirty second that should really be the two minute thirty second song HELP!! was.

I really like the intent of SHIP! to the Future but I shouldn’t get bored in a song that’s under four minutes. The core of the song isn’t bad, if they added an interesting bridge and sped it up it could be pretty great. It just drags and overstays its welcome, which is unfortunate for such a short song. 5/10

12. Joshi Kashimashi Monogatari 2

I mentioned that SHIP! to the Future isn’t the worst idea for a song to end an album. Unfortunately, Hello!Project didn’t do that and added a second version of Joshi Kashimashi Monogatari. I get why they did this, in theory – the intent clearly was that each album would have its version of Joshi Kashimashi about the current lineup of members, since Joshi Kashimashi Monogatari 3 is on Rainbow 7. I also get that they wanted a version with just the current lineup and that they wanted the single version on here. But putting two versions of the same song on the same album is the worst kind of padding, and it just seems bizarre. If they wanted the single, they should have picked that. If they wanted the version with the current lineup, they should have picked that. Putting both on the same album just looks lazy.

The reasons I like Joshi Kashimashi Monogatari still apply, though there’s some bizarre Tsunku vocalizations that add absolutely nothing to this song and are just annoying. I do like that this version and future versions have the member sing their own introduction, which is a lot of fun. It feels more like the member is introducing themselves. But the weird vocalizations and this being on the album a second time makes it extraneous and lazy. 4/10

Overall: While there are fewer songs included just to pad the tracklist, Ai no Dai 6kan feels incidental, more than anything. There are some good singles (Roman ~My Dear Boy~ and Joshi Kashimashi Monogatari) and some decent songs (my favorite album track being Lemon Iro to Milk Tea with Dokusenyoku at a close second), but there aren’t many songs that are particularly great. Most aren’t bad, but Ai no Dai 6kan is just incidental, with some decent, but not great, songs to pad out the singles on the album. The most egregious addition is Joshi Kashimashi Monogatari 2, but there’s multiple songs that just got boring. The songwriting was uninteresting for most of the album songs, even the good ones. I don’t want to sound like i’m bashing Ai no Dai 6kan – the songs that are good are good, and most are pleasant to listen to. But it’s not the best entry in Morning Musume’s discography.

2017 marks an important anniversary – it is the 20th anniversary of the formation of Morning Musume. While the group has had many iterations, 13 generations of members, name changes and both waxing and waning popularity over the years, 20 years is a major achievement for a group. This is especially notable given Morning Musume’s recent resurgence in popularity – while Morning Musume has been around for almost 20 years, I can’t see it going away any time soon.

To commemorate this I’ve decided to review all of the main Morning Musume albums through 2017, First Time through 14 Shou ~The Message~ or any Morning Musume album that comes out this year. I won’t be covering the two best of albums nor the updated album. The main goal will be to see just how Morning Musume has evolved over these 20 years.

Rainbow 7 is a weird album for me, personally. It’s after the peak of my Morning Musume interest, as an Ishikawa Rika fan, has passed, but before the first album I was aware of coming out, Platinum 9 Disc. It’s in a weird transitional period that honestly lasted quite a few years – the only member left who has any real ties to the golden era is Yoshizawa Hitomi, and while Kusumi Koharu has joined the group as the ‘miracle’ the group just didn’t have an identity at this time, really until the Platinum era with stuff like Resonant Blue. Maybe if you’re a particular fan of the intact 5th and 6th generations of the group this time is special, but for a long while Morning Musume feels particularly aimless. While this has happened again (I’d argue that after the end of the Platinum Era Morning Musume spent a good couple of years trying to figure out their identity as a group), it’s really the first time as a group, though it’d been a long time coming.

I do like the basic concept of the album, which is colors – quite a few of the songs have a color theme to them, which is a nice touch. Most Hello!Project albums are little more than a collection of songs with some added album songs, so giving a loose connection tying this together is a good touch. This is also one of my favorite album covers, so good job Morning Musume for having interesting album art (which can sometimes be rare, to put it lightly).

1. How Do You Like  Japan? Nihon wa Donna Kanji Dekka?

This song was made for live performances. It’s the perfect song to pump up an audience and to let the members of Morning Musume go a little wild while performing. There’s a reason How Do You Like Japan? has been performed more than any other non-single song on Rainbow 7 – it’s a great live song, and one that’s been performed (for good reason) outside of Japan for international concerts. It’s also a really great place to start an album, with so much energy.

How Do You Like Japan’s fatal flaw, though, is that it’s so geared towards live performances that it’s not really the most fun song to listen to when you’re sitting at home. It’s not a bad song, and if you’re looking for something to pump you up it’s a good one. But the instrumental can be a bit empty at points and the pacing is a little bit slow for solo listening without any cheering in the background. I don’t know if this is a bad thing – having a song aimed at live shows is fine. But it means that How Do You Like Japan is a song I’d be really excited for at a show but that I don’t listen to at home much. 7/10

2. The Man Power!!!

The Manpower is a fun song – it’s never been one of my all time favorites but it’s likewise never been a song I’ve disliked. I think the thing I like about it so much is that the song has a great energy to it. I like the repetitive nature of the song contrasted with Takahashi Ai and Yoshizawa Hitomi alternating vocals. It works really well and the entire song feels like it has power and energy in a way idol songs often don’t. I also particularly like the instrumental, though I think a lot of songs from this era just sound a little empty to me. There is a good contrast between some electronic sound and some horns that works well for me.

The Manpower isn’t extraordinary – it’s never blown me away as a single but it’s a nice, little song that has some power. It’s a little goofy, fun, and while it’s not quite on the level of something from Golden Era Morning Musume it doesn’t have to be. 7/10

3. Aozora ga Itsumademo Tsuzuku You na Mirai de Are!

I mostly know this song from the Dream Morning Musume cover, which I do prefer to this song. But I think it says a lot that one of the songs chosen for the Dream Morning Musume album, which mostly covered relatively well known tracks, to do this song from Rainbow 7. While How Do You Like Japan has had more concert performances, Aozora ga Itsumademo Tsuzuku You na Mirai de Are has had a huge impact, and for good reason – it’s a pretty great song. It’s the type of song that I’d expect from something like 4th Ikimasshoi, honestly – it’s endlessly positive and happy, with a great brass arrangement that makes the song work. I’ve complained a lot in the recent reviews about the arrangements sounding empty, but that’s not a problem here – the sound is lush, but it never overdoes it. It’s a happy, fun positive song that is pretty refreshing. It’s one of the highlights of this era of Morning Musume for sure. 9/10′

4. Osaka Koi no Uta 

While Osaka Koi no Uta has always been a personally important song (the last song of my favorite member of Morning Musume), it’s not one I particularly return to. While the gimmick of the song (that the entire song is sung in the Osaka dialect) works for me, and it’s a solid song, it’s not one of Morning Musume’s best. I do like the cool feel to the song, and the arrangement is mostly solid. The biggest individual issue I have with Osaka Koi no Uta is that Tsunku’s background vocals completely over Morning Musume’s vocals throughout a large portion of the song. While I don’t mind some of Tsunku’s vocals adding some depth to the vocals, here it’s sometimes difficult to hear Morning Musume over it. All the Morning Musume members who have solo lines sound excellent, so having to strain to hear them is pretty unpleasant.

All told Osaka Koi no Uta is fun. Its melody works and the members are at the top of their game. I just wish I could hear them more. 7/10

5. Indigo Blue Love

I’ve mentioned songs sounding dated several times over the past couple of reviews, which comes with the territory of reviewing music from the late 90s and early 2000s. But Indigo Blue Love seems like it would be dated even in 2006, far enough away from the late 90s R&B that inspired it. It’s not a terrible song, so if you’re feeling nostalgic for this sort of song it might be an option. The members (Niigaki Risa, Kamei Eri, Tanaka Reina) do a solid job with it and it’s a pleasant enough listen. However, it’s not at all memorable, and there are so many better songs in this kind of vein in Hello!Project’s discography. Aa, the subgroup featuring Tanaka Reina, put out First Kiss which is a better song, and I’d point to old school Hello!Project for better songs like this. The arrangement is OK but kind of mediocre (It’s pretty easy to tell there’s no actual real instruments) and it’s a bit grating at times. It’s not offensively bad nor is it a bad listen, its biggest crime is being just bland. 5/10

6. Rainbow Pink

Rainbow Pink is the textbook definition of love it or hate it. You either love this song or can’t stand it – I imagine it is purely polarizing. Personally, I can’t help but love it. They took the two worst singers of the group at the time, put them in a unit, and made a goofy, overly-saccharine idol parody. Rainbow Pink is the type of song where, if it was a serious attempt at a good song, it wouldn’t be very good, but since it’s pretty clearly a joke it’s a lot more palatable. All that being said, while Rainbow Pink is pretty clearly a joke, a parody, it’s a lot catchier than it has any right to be. Of all the songs on this album Rainbow Pink is the one I gravitate towards most.

Your tolerance towards goofy, overly cutesy idol pop is going to determine how you feel about Rainbow Pink, but, god help me, I love this song. 9/10

7. Iroppoi Jirettai

The first single to feature Kusumi Koharu, Iroppoi Jirettai feels a bit like the start of a new era and it’s a good start. The entire song has a Latin feel to it which work swell with Morning Musume continually shifting sound. Iroppoi Jirettai has a great melody, too, and it’s a super catchy song. The lyrics are a bit awkward, the repeated “sexy island” line being the most, but at the very least they are memorable. The whispered intro is also not my favorite thing, but at least it’s not a continued motif throughout. The arrangement and instrumentation featuring real brass instruments is my personal highlight, as it works a lot better than other Morning Musume songs of the time.

While Iroppoi Jirettai isn’t a song I come back to all that much, it’s well put together, catchy and definitely memorable. It’s a solid song for this era of Morning Musume. 8/10

8. Mushoku Toumei na Mama de 

The last small group song on this album and man this is even more forgettable than Indigo Blue Love. It’s not a terrible song, and in many ways it’s superior to Indigo Blue Love – the arrangement in particular stands out as being interesting, full of lush strings and a traditional Japanese sound. It reminds me a bit of Morning Musume Sakuragumi’s Sakura Mankai, which isn’t a bad thing. I actually really like the arrangement here, and the more I listen I like this song – it’s a solid ballad with some beautiful vocals and a  good arrangement. The biggest sin of Mushoku Toumei na Mama de is that it’s just not memorable. The melody is slow and kind of boring, and no matter how long I listen I just can’t remember it. I think the arrangement is so good that having it with this melody is a bit of a waste. While the chorus is decent, I don’t remember how the verses go while even listening to the song. 7/10

9. Purple Wind

Purple Wind is a lot more memorable than some of the other tracks on this album – unfortunately, while it’s in many ways a fun, funky song with an upbeat melody that is very welcome at this point in Rainbow 7, it’s also flawed too. The arrangement leaves something to be desired, with the background instrumentation empty and uninteresting during sung sections (though the opening of the song works very well), and the melody during the verses is very repetitive. Purple Wind has a fun feel to it, and I love the funk sound to it, but its arrangement and the songwriting are fairly mediocre. Purple Wind is the type of song this album needed, but I just wish it was better. Given what is there, it could have been an excellent song. 6/10.

10. Sayonara See You Again Adios Bye Bye Chacha!

Can someone give me a reason this isn’t the last song on the album? I feel like they had no idea what to do with the actual last two tracks of the album so they just stuck them on the end, when there was already a perfect ending song to the album. Sayonara See You Again Adios Bye Bye Chacha is a fairly nontraditional song on this album – while there’s sung sections that are slightly repetitive, a big bulk of the song is spent on all ten members doing a short spoken monologue over the others quietly singing in the background. While this makes the song slightly less re-listenable it seems like something that would work well in a concert setting more than anything else – you could fit in specific messages to the concert or with new members, and end out your concert on this. And in that way it works. Listening to an album, it works slightly less well, but at the same time the melody is catchy enough and the arrangement is solid enough that it works just fine. It’s a bit long, especially when you get to the last spoken sections, but it’s listenable. 7/10

11. Chokkan 2 ~Nogashita Sakana wa Ookiizo!~ (Mattaku Sono Toori Remix)

So another version of Chokkan on this album, after it was on the last one. Only, instead of putting the version released as a single, they put out a remix. While the remix has some interesting ideas, emphasizing more of a chant and some more drumming, it feels wholely superfluous and some of the other choices they made (shifting the pitch of the melody) just don’t work. The single version of Chokkan 2 is by far the best version of Chokkan, so the fact that neither album has it is a bit disheartening. This remix isn’t bad, but Chokkan 2 changes enough from the original Chokkan that I’m not sure why they thought this was necessary. This remix is fine to listen to, but I’m not sure why you’d choose to listen to this. 6/10

12. Joshi Kashimashi Monogatari 3

This is the third time I’ve reviewed this, so I’ll keep it brief. But it’s Joshi Kashimashi Monogatari again, and not very different from the other two. There are fewer Tsunku vocalizations than Joshi Kashimashi Monogatari 2, which is appreciated, and I do like that they kept up that the members sing their own introduction, but it’s the exact same song. If you like Joshi Kashimashi Monogatari and this is your preferred lineup this may be the version you want, but otherwise it’s pretty extraneous. 7/10

Overall: Surprisingly this is the most solid album since 4th Ikimassshoi. While there are individual songs I prefer off No. 5 and Ai no Dai 6kan, for the most part Rainbow 7 has a lot less filler and is paced well as an album. While some of the songs aren’t the best of Morning Musume, all are fairly listenable, and while the last two songs are mostly extraneous the first ten are a solid, neat package. I also really like the color theme to the album, which works well and I wish would be something that Morning Musume revisited for later albums. Rainbow 7 isn’t the album I’ll revisit very soon but it’s a solid addition to Morning Musume’s discography.

Halloween is nearly here, and if you’re like me you’ll want to listen to some Halloween-themed music while you get ready to go to a Halloween party or get ready to welcome some trick-or-treaters. Because of this I’ve created a YouTube playlist with some of my favorite Halloween or otherwise spooky themed Jpop songs to listen to.

1. Philosophy no Dance – Like a Zombie

Philosophy no Dance has quickly become one of my favorite currently active idol groups out there, mostly because of their well-written 80s-inspired pop music. Like a Zombie is their funky take on Thriller, and one that works remarkably well due to a high-quality arrangement and some powerful vocals from vocalist Hinata Haru. Like a Zombie is easily one of the top two idol funk songs about zombies this year.

2. Niji no Conquistador – No Life Baby of the End

No Life Baby of the End is the other funky idol song about zombies this year, and while it ups the pace from Like a Zombie it’s still a great song, if perhaps more of an idol song than Like a Zombie. No Life Baby of the End is a bit all over the place, but it manages to be a great, upbeat funky song.

3. Shiritsu Ebisu Chuugaku – Oh My Ghost? ~Watashi ga Akuryou ni Natte mo~

This has been requisite Halloween listening for me for years, mostly because it was written by the great Maeyamada Kenichi. It’s upbeat, cute, but also delivers on some of its horror imagery, in part because of Maeyamada’s ghost noises in the background. It’s one of the most fun Halloween songs you’ll listen to.

4. AKB48- Halloween Night

Perhaps one of the most directly Halloween-based songs on this list, it’s a disco track about going to a Halloween dance party and it is easily one of AKB48’s most catchy songs in years. It’s one of the most danceable songs on this list, and with a fairly easy dance accompanying it it’s one of the most fun songs on this list.

5. Angerme – Mahoutsukai Sally

Perhaps an unconventional choice, Angerme’s cover of the Mahoutsukai Sally theme song has a definite Halloween-tinge. The song is an upbeat, fun song about a witch that has been modernized somewhat, but still has a classic idol feel and manages to maintain the witchy feel of the original.

6. P.IDL – Hello! Halloween!

While most of the songs on this list so far have been fun, upbeat tracks, Hello! Halloween! has a slightly darker feel. It’s still a great upbeat track with a great dance beat but the electronic music makes the entire sound darker. Still, there are some great vocals (the harmonies sound great) and this is ridiculously catchy, which makes it worthy of this list.

7. Rev. from DVL – Vampire

Rev’s last digital single before they released their best of album and disbanded, I don’t think I really appreciated Vampire when it came out due to the overwhelming feeling of Rev’s inevitable ending. That said, while it’s darker than the majority of Rev’s oeuvre, Vampire is a great dance track with a great beat and instrumentation. It’s only a shame that this had to come out just before Rev broke up, because dance pop Rev would have been pretty great. Vampire is a solid dance track fronted by Hashimoto Kanna that is well worthy of your Halloween playlist.

8. Tokyo Girls Style – Jūjika: Eiga Gakkō no Kaidan Noroi no Kotodama Ver.

Choosing a theme song for a horror movie feels like it’s a bit too obvious,  but this is a really solid song. Like always Tokyo Girls’ Style’s vocals are top notch, and the production is great, as expected from a Avex production. The entire song has a great beat but also a creepy feel to it.

9. Momoiro Clover Z – Saraba, Itoshiki Kanashimitachi yo

Another theme song (this time for a TV series), Saraba is one of Momoiro Clover Z’s most popular songs and for good reason – it has a great creepy feel, combining a rock feel with the occasional harpsichord song. It’s not Halloween but this combination always makes me feel like Halloween.

10. Youvex Rengogun – Hallo Christmas

Ending off with a joint Halloween / Christmas song (and a Yokai Watch ending theme), this joint Avex venture (with members from Super Girls, GEM and LinQ) is a solid place to end this Halloween playlist and get ready for the holiday season.

Happy Halloween!

As the end of the year approaches I start to think about the best songs of the year for my year-end rankings. While I stand by most of my rankings and think I made good calls, inevitably I discover some song that I love from the previous year that really should have made the list but didn’t. So this list is me righting the wrongs of my past five years of lists. This isn’t exhaustive – there’s a lot of great idol music out there that does deserve recognition and that I’ve come to later. These are just particular songs that have come out within the past five years that I’ve regretted not putting on a best of list, and in no particular order.

RYUTist – Nichiyoubi no Summer Train

RYUTist has been a favorite of mine for some time and are generally more of a music-minded idol group than most. However, the past two or so years have been very good for RYUTist musically and I’m disappointed I didn’t pay enough attention to their full albums before this year. Nichiyoubi no Summer Train is a great retro song with a funky vibe. The vocals sound perfect and this is easily one of the best arranged idol songs I’ve heard in a while – the background instrumental is just perfect. KOJI Oba, a favorite songwriter of mine, does a masterful job here with layers of horns, strings and RYUTist’s vocals. While I’m partial to the sax solo during the bridge, there is no part of Nichiyoubi no Summer Train that doesn’t sound great. It’s simultaneously high energy and relaxed in a lovely way. This is idol music at its best and I’m mad that I didn’t listen to it much before this year.

Wakita Monari – In The City

While I was a fan of Monari’s former group Especia, it took me until early 2017 to fully become a fan of Wakita Monari. Now, her album I am Only is easily my favorite album of 2017. Monari’s debut single In the City is a retro citypop joy for everyone who misses Especia’s music. Monari’s voice is gorgeous and haunting over this funky track that just works and is easily one of my favorite songs of 2016.

Philosophy no Dance – I’m After Time

Philosophy no Dance was recommended to me by someone I follow Twitter and it’s almost scary how accurate the statement “I think you would like this group” is for me. Philosophy no Dance is easily one of my favorite new groups I started listening to this year, and their mix of retro funk and idol pop works so well together. With some fantastic music and vocals, last year’s album ‘Funky but Chic” has become one of my most listened albums of the year. While this year’s “Like a Zombie” and “Dance Founder’ are two songs that will most certainly rank in my top 25 songs of the year, I’m After Time is my favorite Philosophy no Dance song. It’s just perfection, and I wish I’d found it sooner.

i☆Ris – Gensoukyoku Wonderland

This is the one that I’ve regretted for a few years. While i*Ris hasn’t wowed me much in the past few years, I found this song in early 2014 and was absolutely hooked. While the song itself (melody and arrangement) is great, this is easily one of the best produced idol songs I’ve ever heard. The vocal mix is perfect. Avex has a reputation for putting out well-produced, polished tracks and this is Avex at its best. While nothing i*Ris has released has come close to Gensoukyoku Wonderland, I’m glad this song exists and it deserves recognition.

Especia – Danger

While I know that a lot of Especia fans missed the group’s early, intentionally cheesy vaporwave aesthetic by the time Danger came out (and to an extent I did too), Danger is still easily one of the best idol tracks of 2016 and it’s a shame I didn’t give it much thought until earlier this year. While Danger is not the type of song that only Especia could pull off (i.e. No1 Sweeper, Kuru ka na, Midnight Confusion), it’s a great idol funk song that has an amazing bass line, great horns / strings, and wonderfully sung melody line all sung in English. Danger proves that Especia still had a place in idol music, and it’s a shame they disbanded earlier this year.

Band Ja Naimon! – Kimi no Egao de Sekai ga Yabai

For the past few years I’ve shamefully been discounting Band Ja Naimon as being the knockoff Dempagumi.inc. And while that’s not wholely inaccurate, that was unfair of me, and since Dempagumi.inc has been mostly focusing on solo / side projects for this year I’ve begun to explore Band Ja Naimon and found that they have some pretty excellent music. While this year’s Yakimochi is most likely my favorite song of theirs, Kimi no Egao de Sekai ga Yabai is a ton of high-energy fun that reminds me that I should have been paying attention sooner. While I don’t want to compare them too much to Dempagumi.inc, it’s the type of song that might be welcome if you’re missing Dempagumi.inc this year.

Tsubaki Factory – Seishun Manmannaka!

While 2017 was a fantastic year for Tsubaki Factory, bringing them more into relevance, I think their debut song is actually very underrated. While the original music video didn’t receive much positive feedback (understandably so – it’s not good!) Seishun Manmannaka is a really solid electronic dance number with some vocoder vocals that give me such strong Electronic Light Orchestra vibes. Seishun Manmannaka is a quality dance track with a great beat that, while not being the stellar debut some may have been hoping for, is a really great start for Tsubaki Factory (who, like I said, have been killing it in 2017).

amiinA – Canvas

amiinA is one of those groups that I wish I’d discovered earlier but I’m so glad I found them while doing my TIF posts of the year. amiinA is a group that does a lot more conceptual, indie music all with interesting instrumentations. It’s really hard to describe, but amiinA does music that’s halfway laidback and then halfway a wall of sound, all in an interesting way. While there are other songs I’d put on this list (Drop and Atlas are both strong contenders, as is everything on their fantastic album “Avalon”), Canvas is the epitome of what I like so much about amiinA. They’re doing something really musically unique, especially for the idol scene, and they’re a group I’m excited to hear more from (this year’s mini-album, “Valkyrie,” is just great)!

Sora tob Sakana – Natsu no Tobira

Sora Tob Sakana is another group I became aware of in 2017 – while I’d heard of them before, 2017 was the first time I really listened to their music, and am I glad I did. Their indie rock sound is really great and so unusual for idol groups. While their EP from 2017, Cocoon, is a great listen, I wish I could have included Natsu no Tobira from their self-titled album from 2016. It’s a great song that mixes an indie rock sensibility with idol vocals. Much like how Canvas feels like the epitome of an amiinA song, Natsu no Tobira feels like the epitome of Sora tob Sakana, in a way. While I’ll be happy to praise songs like “Ribbon” this year (easily one of my favorite PVs of 2017!) Natsu no Tobira holds a special place in my heart.

Rhymeberry – Inhateroku

As a relatively long-time fan of Rhymberry, this group has gone through its ups and downs. That being said, I know a lot of people fell away from the group when Hime and Hikaru left and it seemed like Rhymeberry was in crisis. While there were a couple of years where Rhymeberry has been performing more under the radar, the group seems to be hitting a new peak with the release of their album “Series 1” which includes great songs like Tokyo Chewing Gum and Chotto Yatte Mita Dake. However, despite Rhymberry killing it in 2017, the real return is with Inhateroku, which I didn’t give the attention it deserves. Miri, like always, is the glue that holds Rhymberry together and makes it work, and she does some of her best work in Inhateroku – her flow has only improved over the years. Misaki was always an odd fit for Rhymberry (unfortunately – I met her while she was in the idol unit Aither and she is the sweetest person) but she sounds great here. Inhateroku is showing what Rhymeberry can be and it’s a great song.

Keyakizaka46 – Futari Saison

While I included Keyakizaka46’s debut, Silent Majority, in my top 5 list of last year it took me a while to really get into their other music. Keyakizaka46 came on to the scene last year and has taken the idol world by storm, quickly becoming a popular, chart-topping act, and while all of their singles are excellent, Futari Saison is my favorite one. It’s just a beautiful song, with some of the best arrangement I’ve ever heard from an idol track. It’s just gorgeously put together, with the strings sounding lovely and earnest – this track feels genuine and sweet. While songs like Silent Majority and Fukyouwaon are in your face and powerful, Futari Saison is delicate and well-crafted, and I appreciate that.

GEM – Star Shine Story

While Baby Love Me was also a contender for this list, Star Shine Story is such a frequent listen for me. While it took me a while to listen to more idol street music, GEM is, well, a gem. Star Shine Story isn’t technically Christmas themed but it’s a song I like to listen to during the winter, and while it’s a tad over-dramatic (the cymbal rolls!) it’s a really nice, sweet song that I wish I’d ranked on my top songs of the year list.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year, time for my top 25 songs of the year. The rules for this list are pretty similar to past years – to be eligible the song must have been released in 2017 (though this year I’m counting digital-only releases as well as), the song must be an original (no covers) and the song must be released by a Japanese act. This year I’m changing it up a bit and including some non-idol acts, but for the most part this is a list of the best idol songs of the year. That said, honorable mentions I fudge this a little.

This year was one of the hardest years for me making this list, mostly because there has been so much great music out this year. More than any other year I can think of this top 25 songs are all ones I genuinely love and I’m leaving off a lot of songs that would be in previous years worthy of a top 25 mention but this year had too much great music. So now, on to some honorable mentions!

Lyricalnaissance – The Cut

This is easily one of my favorite songs of 2017 and it pains me to put it on the honorable mentions, but it is a cover of the Base Ball Bear feat. Rhymester song. Performed by a super group of Idol Renaissance and Lyrical School, The Cut is something that just works, with Idol Renaissance’s vocals working perfectly with Lyrical School’s rap. What’s interesting to me with The Cut is just how much darker sounding it is to the original, which is downright upbeat and happy compared to Lyricalnaissance’s version. While the original is great, Lyricalnaissance’s spin works a lot better for me. Lyrical School also more than holds their own with Rhymester’s original rap verses. The Cut is a cover I didn’t know I needed, but it’s a fantastic one and one of the best songs of the year by far.

Nerfy Guiner Bieber – Ohana

This is such a goofy song, but I guess that is the point of Nerfy Guiner Bieber. As someone that doesn’t follow Avex’s Idol Street groups very much, I first saw this in a playlist of idol music and had absolutely no idea that this was a Cheeky Parade subgroup. Nerfy Guiner Bieber is member Nagai Hina (as Guiner)’s project, where they basically perform to overexaggerated parodies of Western pop music sung entirely in English. Ohana is probably their most normal song, but it’s still odd. And yet, after a few listens, Ohana became one of my favorite songs of 2017, mostly because it’s almost absurdly catchy. The lyrics might be silly (and almost incomprehensible) but there’s something really appealing and sweet about the line “It’s OK, let it go if you had a bad day” which is certainly part of why I listen to Ohana so regularly. Mostly Ohana is just ridiculously catchy, and if it had actually been released for purchase I would have probably put this on my Top 25 list.

Kamo ga Negi wo Shotte Kuru! – Guzo Reality

Kamo ga Negi wo Shotte kuru is one of the groups I discovered through my annual Tokyo Idol Festival posts, and they’re definitely a group that I feel has potential. This song was written by one of my favorite Japanese music composers, Koji Oba, and it shares a lot with other songs I love by him including Hangry & Angry’s Reconquista. Guzo Reality is a really fun, upbeat song that has a melody that has something indescribable to it, at least for me. It’s a really great song that unfortunately didn’t get any sort of release this year, but is really great all the same.

GEM – Sugar Baby

Sugar Baby is just pure, well, sugar. It’s bubblegum pop at its most bubblegum. It’s catchy, upbeat and a ton of fun. Is it doing anything new or original? No. Is it the best GEM song ever? No. But I listened to Sugar Baby a LOT this year, especially near the start of the year, and its cheerful melody and high quality production make it one of the most delightful songs of the year.

Rhymeberry – Chotto Yatte Mita Dake

Rhymeberry showed in 2017 that, despite member changes and label changes, that they are more than vital for the current batch of idol music. While Chotto Yatte Mita Dake isn’t a perfect song (it kind of fizzles out near the end) it’s kind of extraordinary just how minimalist it is, for the most part a drum line and the rap on top of it. Which is pretty extraordinary rapping, with the members showing off just how great their flow is. This is an exercise in skill, more than anything, and it’s a joy to listen to because of how skilled Miri, Yuika and Omochi are on this track. It’s not the perfect idol rap track (that comes later) but it’s a really fun listen.

Pristin – Wee Woo

Some of you may be surprised to see KPop on this list, and frankly I’m surprised too! I’ve had a casual interest in KPop for some time but it’s more of a once in a while type of thing. That said, I was surprised this year when Wee Woo was my most listened song on Spotify, so I thought I had to list it here. Wee Woo is pretty much my platonic ideal KPop track – it’s catchy and fun with a lot of polish, with a hard emphasis on the catchy. Wee Woo is the type of earworm that will be stuck in your head for weeks and it’s one of the most fun songs of the year.

Here we go, time for my second batch of honorable mentions! This is a bit of a bigger group of songs than I normally put as honorable mentions, but this year had a lot of amazing music. The last four songs in particular are ones I really wish had a place on my top 25 list, but unfortunately didn’t make the cut.

LoVendoЯ – Buppanase! Baby, I Love Ya!

This song proves that Maeyamada Kenichi can make me love any group. LoVendoЯ isn’t a group I paid much attention to – Tanaka Reina was never my favorite Morning Musume member and their brand of rock music didn’t do much for me. And yet, Maeyamada wrote them one of the catchiest songs of the year, a song that I replayed over and over and over. It’s biggest flaw is that it isn’t exactly a rock song in the typical sense, and stands out from LoVendoЯ’s other discography – though a guitar solo manages to make Marin shine. But Buppanase is catchy and fun, and one of LoVendoЯ’s highlights for me.

Country Girls – Konamaiki Girl 

2017 was a weird year for Country Girls. After Tsugunaga Momoko’s triumphant graduation from the group (her graduation concert felt like a giant victory lap), Country Girls had one of the biggest shake ups of the year with the group being reduced to being a part time thing and Funaki Musubu, Yanagawa Nanami and Morito Chisaki being shuffled to other groups within Hello!Project. That being said, despite Country Girls’ lowered status within Hello!Project, Konamaiki Girl shows just how much of a shame this is, in producing one of CG’s best songs to date. Continuing Country Girls’ steady stream of retro, 50s-inspired pop, Konamaiki Girl reminds me more of Hello!Project’s Tanpopo more than anything – it’s a lot sweeter and gentler than Boogie Woogie Love or Dou datte Ii no. The performances are all great, too, more than proving that five member Country Girls could have continued on. While Chisaki, Nanami and Musubu are all doing really well in Morning Musume, Juice=Juice and Angerme respectively, it’s a real shame that Country Girls wasn’t given more of a chance – I feel like this proves they could be extraordinary.

Magical Ban☆Bang – Moshi, Watashi ga Maou ni Nattara

2017 was the year I found out about Magical Ban Bang (now rebranded as Majibanch) and they immediately spoke to me. A group formed by the members themselves (all Niconico performers), they have a very DIY mentality and aesthetic. Their album this year, Magical Pandemic, is all really solid indie idol pop, but Moshi, Watashi ga Maou ni Nattara is absolutely my favorite. It’s catchy, a bit weird, and a really solid song for such a relatively small group. Majibanch’s music is all remarkably good, so I recommend you check it out!

AKB48 – Darashinai Itoshikata

This song by AKB48’s Undergirls is basically Gesu no Kiwami Otome’s Killer Ball but done by idols. It has a very similar vibe and sound. And yet, this is easily the AKB48 song I’ve liked best. #Sukinanda is just fine but Darashinai Itoshikata is a legitimately interesting, well-written, well-performed song. This reminds me of AKB at its peak, when they had more interesting music, and I wish that AKB would do more songs like this!

Inkey Oops – Take Me Shopping Yeah!!!!

Inkey Oops made their debut this year with their 80s-inspired jam Take Me Shopping Yeah. This is ridiculously catchy and fun, and has a feel that reminds me more of American/ Western pop to Japanese pop music. If you’re looking for some catchy 80s pop, Inkey Oops is a fun place to start. This is a very solid debut track, and I’m interested to see what Inkey Oops puts out next.

BiSH – Promise the Star

Man, BiSH has taken a long time to click for me. And while I think they still have yet to fully click, and I’m not quite there to be a BiSH fan, Promise the Star is a remarkably good track that I wish I could have put on my top 25 list. I love just how dramatic the whole thing feels, with emotional and raw vocals performed well by the members of BiSH. While the group being on Avex means that there’s a level of polish, this still feels emotional – at points this song gives me chills. While BiSH’s song Orchestra made waves in 2016, Promise the Star feels like I understand what everyone saw in Orchestra – Promise the Star is big, brash, emotional. It’s a great idol rock track and one of my highlights of 2017.

Takoyaki Rainbow – RAINBOW～Watashi wa Watashi Yanen Kara～

Takoyaki Rainbow had a really solid, with their pinnacle being Rainbow. The fact that they’re only an honorable mention shows just how strong 2017 was for me. This song has some really great lyrics, focusing mostly on the value of differences and diversity, and while the song isn’t my favorite Hyadain written song of the year it’s still really solid. It doesn’t hit the highs of Takoyaki Rainbow’s past music but Rainbow is a really solid song with an even better PV.

25.C-ute – Final Squall

2017 was the year that C-ute disbanded after what felt like an extended victory lap. Most of the last two singles of C-ute’s felt geared towards their eventual disbandment, and even then that’s after songs like Gamusha Life that directly focused on their lives as idols and performers. Of these final songs, Final Squall is by far my favorite. It has a great, dramatic feel and is the one song that feels like an ending, saying goodbye to fans. The strings sound fantastic and I love the emotional, but upbeat rock feel to it. Final Squall is the type of song that reminds you how great a group can be, and it certainly reminds me how great C-ute was for being a group for so long. It’s one of C-ute’s finest songs, and they left on a high note.

24. Osaka Shunkashuto – New Me

Osaka Shunkashuto had a big year, with their major debut single with Avex coming out later. And while their first single with Avex, “Travelin’ Travelin'” is fine, their first single of 2017, “New Me,” made a much bigger impact. It’s a departure for Osaka Shunkashuto for sure – it has a jazzy, upbeat feel that feels totally different to their other rock-inspired songs. That said, New Me is a lot of fun and has a catchy melody, great instrumentation and, most of all, Maina’s vocals continue to be the powerhouse that carry Osaka Shunkashuto.

23. amiinA – Callin’

Separating an amiinA song to single out as being the best is a difficult one – their albums and mini albums feel like unified wholes more than any other idol group I can think of. I think that’s why Callin’ is so low – it’s a great song on its own, a sweet country-inspired song that continues amiinA’s gentle, laidback music. But Callin’, as good as it is, works best in the context of the rest of “Valkyrie” as a mini-album. The intro song (also called “Valkyrie” ) works as a perfect intro to Callin’. Still, Callin’ is a very catchy well-written song with some beautiful vocals. I don’t like it quite as much as some of their other songs from years past (“Drop” and “Atlas” both being highlights) but it’s a reminder of just how great amiinA is.

22. Sora tob Sakana – Ribbon

It took me a while to fully warm up to Ribbon. I always liked the song, but it wasn’t top 25 worthy until I had several listens, mostly due to Ribbon’s beautiful animated music video. That being said, once I got used to Ribbon it became one of my favorites of the year. It has a dreamy, laidback feel to it and its instrumental is so unusual. It’s almost indescribable, it just feels like such a departure from most idol music. It’s a sweet, lovely song that worked its way into my heart.

21. Gang Parade – Beyond the Mountain

Alt-idol / anti-idol music isn’t typically my thing, with a few songs that are an exception. Beyond the Mountain is one such exception. It’s a big, powerful rock song that has a great sound and hits the sweet spot for alt-idol sound – it’s very listenable but isn’t just a thinly veiled idol song with rock trappings. This has a unique sound with a lot of power. Power is the thing that hits me about Beyond the Mountain more than anything – the initial wall of sound at about 20 seconds into the song consistently gets me pumped up. Beyond the Mountain is a really great outing for Gang Parade and I hope that they keep this up.

20. Keyakizaka46 – Fukyouwaon

2017 was the year of Keyakizaka46, which is impressive after their strong debut in 2016 with Silent Majority. But 2017 saw three of their songs (Futari Saison, Fukyouwaon and Silent Majority) make the Billboard Japan top 10 songs of the year. Which is kind of amazing and shows what kind of a reach Keyakizaka46. And honestly, as someone that has outgrown most of the 48 idols, I get it. Keyakizaka46 combines incredible polish and some fantastic songs, often with a feel and tone unusual to idol groups.

Fukyouwaon is the spiritual successor to Silent Majority, continuing the lyrical theme of individuality and standing up for what you believe in, which it does in a way that I don’t think any other idol group really does – it’s one thing to have a song about being yourself, but it’s another to have a song with lyrics like “With the power of discord
Let’s destroy the established order.” The song itself is also intense and complements this nicely, with an intense dance track as the sound. It’s catchy and reinforces the fantastic lyrics.

19. Momoiro Clover Z- BLAST!

Momoiro Clover Z had a quiet year in 2017, which is just as well considering 2016 brought two Momoiro Clover Z albums and a single. That said, Blast was worth the wait. The song and the PV reinforce that MomoClo REALLY want to perform or appear at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, with the PV being set at a sporting event that just happens to be set in 2020. While I’m going to talk more about this during my PV of the year list, Blast works pretty perfectly in conjunction with the video. But beyond that, it’s a really fun song and one that does a lot to pump me up. It’s fast paced, has a great bass sound to the background instrumental, and is performed with a real intensity. It’s catchy and it’s become a song I listen to when I need to psych myself up for something. I don’t think it’s as good as MomoClo’s other tracks from 2016 (The Golden History was my #1 song of 2016 and other tracks from Amaranthus and Hakkin no Yoake made my list that year) but it’s still a great song to listen to.

18. Philosophy no Dance- Like a Zombie

Philosophy no Dance had a pretty good year, at least for me – they released a new album, The Founder, and released some excellent singles. This was the first year I really paid them attention and I’m glad I did because musically Philosophy no Dance is completely up my alley. Like a Zombie isn’t my only song on this list and thus not my favorite of the year but it’s a really fun track that feels like a modernized Jpop Thriller. It has a great funk sound to it and is bolstered by some really strong vocals and a great, catchy melody. There’s some great guitar playing on this track too. Like a Zombie is one of the most fun songs of 2017 and shows off just how great Philosophy no Dance can be.

17. Team Syachihoko – Road Movie

To be perfectly honest, it took me a while to really get Owari to Hajimari. I feel like Team Syachihoko are in a transitional place similar to where Momoiro Clover Z were about 4-5 years ago where they’re all getting older and moving past some of their older stuff and it’s taking me a while to get through it. To be fair, Owari to Hajimari has a lot of great stuff on it and it’s a great album, but it’s different to Himatsubushi. That’s not a bad thing, it just means they’re growing as a group.

Road Movie is a song that’s not quite as dramatic as Professional Shishunki or as weird as Kissy-Men but it’s my favorite off the album. It’s sweet, has a nostalgic feel, and is more than anything just a great, classic idol song with a great melody and a sweet, string-heavy instrumental. It’s the type of song that feels absolutely timeless – a group could cover this in 10 years and it could still feel relevant. It’s a beautiful song that has, true story, made me cry more than once and makes me look forward to hearing more from Syachi.

16. Band Ja Naimon! – Yakimochi

Maybe it’s because I was Dempagumi.inc deprived this year, but Band Ja Naimon made an impact in a big way with me this year, and while I liked some of their other tracks (and their cover of Yatta! is too good) nothing stood out like Yakimochi which is such a weird, unusual track that I can’t imagine it not standing out for most people, even if you don’t like it. It’s a jazzy track that’s almost indescribable in how unconventional it is. The arrangement with the horns and prominent bass sound works so well for me, as does the jazz sound. There’s no idol song quite like Yakimochi. It also helps that it’s ridiculously catchy – I think I’ve had this song stuck in my head more than any other idol song while composing this list. If Band Ja Naimon! does more stuff like this I might have to become a bigger fan of the group!

15. Charisma.com – Hashdark

#Hashdark is one of the three songs that made me change this list from being exclusively the domain of idols but instead moving into JPop as a whole. I’ve casually liked Charisma.com for a while, but 2017 was the year I got into them in a big way. And then they announced they’re going on hiatus, which just figures!

While something like Hate is much more of a classic, #Hashdark is a great example of what makes Charisma.com work. The dark beat with Itsuka’s great flow on top sounds fantastic, with some great vocals from Gonchi as well. It’s just in general a great, polished example of Charisma.com’s dark, catchy sound. While I’m sad to see Charisma.com go on hiatus, I hope Itsuka at least stays with the music industry, if #Hashdark is an example of what they can do.

14. Niji no Conquistador – No Life Baby of the End

Yes, this is the second idol-funk song about zombies on this list. While Like a Zombie is great, No Life Baby of the End is just a bit more fun, which is why it ranks higher. It’s a fast paced, funky idol pop song that has a ton of energy, which is mostly due to Niji no Conquistador’s energetic performance. Niji no Conquistador has really carved a niche for themselves in the idol world with their energetic performances, and it really suits No Life Baby of the End. The melody is fantastic, and the instrumental does a great job of ramping up the  energy with heavy drums and horns. This is perhaps more of an idol-y song than something like Like a Zombie, but that’s not a bad thing. No Life Baby of the End sounds like a song that would be really fun to see live, and is one of the most fun idol funk songs of the year.

13. Sasaki Ayaka – My Cherry Pie

I joked earlier this year on Twitter that, no matter how crummy a year 2017 was, at least we got My Cherry Pie. And while that’s a joke, what isn’t a joke is how much I loved My Cherry Pie. Sasaki Ayaka has gotten multiple solo songs over the years, but nothing quite like the 50s-inspired My Cherry Pie. And it totally fits her – Aarin clearly has a great song performing this song and does so with relish.

Written by my favorite songwriter Maeyamada Kenichi, My Cherry Pie is a mostly fast paced fun romp with a great melody and instrumental. It’s an addicting, goofy song that fits Aarin perfectly. It’s a song I’ve listened to over and over, but not one I’ve managed to get sick of yet.

12. Charan-po-rantan – Otakebi
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My second non-idol on this list, Charan-po-rantan was one of my biggest discoveries of the year. The group of two sisters, one a vocalist and one an accordion player, has been around for years but I only just listened this year, and I glad I did. Their two albums that came out in 2017, Toritomenashi and Mirage Collage are both superlative albums and all the songs could easily be considered a favorite of mine. That said, I decided to go with Otakebi as my favorite of the year.

Charan-po-rantan tries on different genres easily, using pop, French chanson, ska and polka in their music, but Otakebi is a great jazzy collaboration with Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra. One of the most notable things about Charan-po-rantan is that Momo’s vocals are uniformly fantastic – her voice here is at its best, performing with a lot of energy and feeling. This song doesn’t focus on the accordion as much as others but where it comes in it works well. The song also has some great horn and piano sound throughout. Every instrument feels like it works perfectly through the song. It’s a great jazzy track that utilizes both Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra and Charan-po-rantan perfectly, which makes it my favorite track out of a year of incredible Charan-po-rantan tracks.

11. RYUTist – Namida no Yesterday

I’ve been a fan of RYUTist since discovering them in my Tokyo Idol Festival posts, and then I became a bigger fan when I saw them in 2014 at Idol Matsuri, but RYUTist has never clicked for me more than they have this year. I went from being a relatively casual RYUTist fan to a more serious RYUTist an, and that is all because of one album, Ryuto Geigi. Each song builds off the last perfectly and each song is just fantastic. It’s just about tied for being my favorite Japanese album of the year, and the fact it’s tied shows just how strong this other album was.

Namida no Yesterday is a beautiful retro song that manages to channel 70s pop while also being a lovely song in its own right. Everything about Namida no Yesterday just works. Not quite disco, it has a soft, almost wistful feel to it, bolstered by some of RYUTist’s best vocals. The arrangement is gorgeous as well, simultaneously feeling old-fashioned but like its been taken seriously. I think that’s what I love most about Ryuto Geigi as an album. It has a lot of retro, old-fashioned ideas but it uses those to write fantastic songs. They use the best of the old-school feel to make something new, and I think that’s exemplified in a song like Namida no Yesterday.

Now we’re in the top 10! All of the songs in the top 15 or so are all fantastic so it was hard to rank these, but rank I shall.

10. Wakita Monari – EST! EST!! EST!!!

This isn’t the last Monari song on this list. Deciding which songs by Wakita Monari got on this list was incredibly difficult because, frankly, I could be happy putting her three singles from 2017 and her album all on this list and be satisfied. Wakita Monari, formerly of the group Especia, has been putting out the consistently best music since her debut single in 2016.

EST EST EST is a song that feels like it should be an oldie standard – the lyrics are superb (the “est” in the title is the emphasis of how strongly the feelings are – bluest, loneliest, etc.) in a way that makes me surprised that this hasn’t been done before. The entire thing is a laidback, jazzy track that’s not quite as strongly city pop as Monari’s other tracks. The arrangement is strong, with a lot of horns, keyboard and some prominent background vocals, but they all serve the jazzy feel. Est Est Est is the type of song that feels like an immediate classic, which is one thing that feels true with most of Monari’s music.

9. Philosophy no Dance – Dance Founder

I didn’t think a Philosophy no Dance song could live up to last year’s I’m After Time, and while I don’t know if Dance Founder does it comes close. It’s a fun, funky track from their newest album, The Founder, and it has a great funk flavor to it while also being a fun dance track. More than anything Dance Founder feels like a great song to see live. It’s upbeat and positive, which also features a pretty killer arrangement and some great vocals from the group. Dance Founder is an absurd amount of fun and is very catchy. While Philosophy no Dance had a pretty stellar 2017, it’s Dance Founder that feels like their best work from the year.

8. Oomori Seiko –  Ryuusei Heaven

I’ve been pulling for Oomori Seiko for a while, so seeing her do well has been a joy. Picking a song from Seiko’s year is tough, mostly because her album kitixxxgaia is excellent – Dogma Magma is pretty brilliant. However, Ryuusei Heaven takes the cake for being the most emotional Jpop song of the year for me. A big pat of that is Seiko’s performance – she always performs her music with such raw emotion and pathos that it puts other vocalists to shame. This song also works just so well for me – it builds perfectly from a quiet, almost ethereal feel to the louder, rawer ending. This build is one of the best parts of the song for me, and one of those things that has made me push this song higher and higher on my list. I haven’t been able to get this song out of my head all year, it’s just so brilliant.

7. Wakita Monari – I’m With You

While I’m With You is a lighter song than Ryuusei Heaven, it’s no less well executed. I’m With You is pretty much my definition of a summer song – it’s breezy, well execute pop with a catchy melody and a beautiful instrumental. I’m With You has become the song I send people to introduce them to JPop and Monari because it’s one of those songs that I feel like most people will at least like, if not love like me. This song should be big, or at least bigger, because of how simultaneously fun and great her music is. Monari’s performance is fantastic in here as well. It’s not quite as directly 80s/90s inspired as some of her other music but it has a similar spirit – it’s fun, well crafted pop that I had on repeat this past summer. And this winter. And probably next summer.

6. Keyakizaka46 – Kaze ni Fukarete mo

The fact that Kaze ni Fukarete mo isn’t Keyakizaka46’s most notable track by a long shot says just how solid Keyakizaka46 has been musically for the past two years. They have amassed a repertoire of songs that would be any other group’s biggest hit, but for Keyakizaka it’s just another single. Kaze ni Fukarete Mo is a great stylized song with a big funk influence that is just consistently fun to listen to. I’ve listened to this song countless times and it still pumps me up to hear the vocalizations at the start. The chorus is killer, the instrumentation is big and brassy, and it’s easily one of the most fun pop songs of the year, from a group; with no shortage of quality pop music.