From Ningin: Do you like music and also happen to have a very unhealthy Hello Kitty fetish? If so, then you may want to drop $90 on this worthless piece of Hello Kitty gadget crap. Oh yes, I did go there. More »

To many people, Morning Musume is a group of girls with questionable singing talent and a love for strutting around in bizarre costumes for the cameras. Oh, and loved by creepy 40-year-old businessmen who destroy pictures of their favorite members if they’re, heaven forbid, spotted talking to a boy. More »

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From Ningin: Dir En Grey is like a snowball–not because they’re nice and fluffy and are followed by the laughter of children, but because once they get rolling, they just seem to get bigger and bigger. After 12 years of existence, they’re now a snowball about the size of Montana, barreling down the street right towards you and your feeble little computer screen. More »

From Ningin: To prevent me from getting too jealous of Hoc getting to interview and see Boom Boom Satellites (BBS) live, kind reader May Young, has submitted live BBS performance videos from last week’s show at the Santos Party House. The quality of the videos is great, perfect for an instant rock party in your room. More »

From Ningin: It’s kinda crazy but I knew nothing about Boom Boom Satellites (BBS) before last night. The experience of hearing them play live was similar to having chocolate or Breyers Vanilla ice cream for the first time. In other words, it was a “where have you been all my life” kind of experience. It was that good! More »

From Ningin: Rie Fu is a bilingual Japanese pop artist who experienced an increase in popularity after her song, Life is Like A Boat, was featured as an ending theme to the anime Bleach. More »

Kasuga Hachirou, one of the first Enka stars

The process of cultural influence that led to the flowering of J-Pop produced numerous offshoots. Some of the earliest Japanese pop, which has a distinctly 1950’s vibe, is preserved admirably in the radio broadcasts of Robert Altman’s M*A*S*H; but while the British Invasion swept Japan as well, a certain genre has remained stuck in the 50’s: Enka. More »

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Now I will write about music. Well, in a manner of speaking. It’s a transitional thing. In the anime Lucky Star, the otaku heroine Konata taxes the American exchange student, Patti–who claims to “love Japanese music”–with only liking artists who have done anime work. “And what’s more,” she adds, to Patti’s tearful acknowledgment, “you only listen to their anime songs!”

In such a spirit, I’d like to direct the spotlight to a truly remarkable female on the Japanese music scene: Aki Hata. More »

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