Customer Reviews

Japan For Sale Vol. 2

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is one of the best cd purchases I've made in years. While my familiarity with "J-Pop" (or Japanese Pop Music)is based mostly on theme songs I've heard in anime and a couple of cd's by bands like Cibo Matto and Shonen Knife who received support on alternative radio stations in the 90's, I wasn't prepared for the fantastic and eclectic mix of music on JAPAN FOR SALE, VOL. 2. The music samples provided by Amazon were enough to hook me into getting this, but they're only a tease of what you'll get if you pick this up. For someone who is both jaded by and frustrated with US "top 40" radio, this cd is a tasty fresh treat! You won't find any Britneys or Christinas in this mix, nor will you find any Creeds or Matchbox 20s. Instead, you're getting music that is completely original, gorgeous, and at times totally mystifying! While a few Western influences have possibly found their way into the songs on this cd, I hesitate to even compare any of these tracks to anything a mainstream American radio fan might be familiar with, as these comparisons would be superficial, unfair, and take away from the uniqueness on JAPAN FOR SALE, VOL. 2.

My favorite track on this cd by far is DT's "Yume No Nakae (Malted Milk Mix)" - prepare yourself to visit a completely new world when you hear this! A fusion of emotional electronica and a gripping vocal track, this song took my breath away the first time I played it and I've been listening to it relentlessly ever since. Truly special music indeed! "Skirt" by CHARA is also a radical and exciting take on what a rock song can be, and I'm surprised each time I hear it at the confidence conveyed by such a soft, almost childish voice. It's brazen and sweet at the same time. These songs leave you wanting to hear more by the artists who created them!

"Balance" by YOSHINORI SUNAHARA might be what another reviewer referred to as "background music," as this is a very synthesized song with limited, seemingly computerized "vocals." But this is actually an intelligently assembled "chillout" tune that benefits from its sparse and sometimes repetetive beats. MAYU KITAKI, SUPERCAR, and TAKKYU ISHINO contribute wonderful dance tunes, each one unique, that will have you wanting to move your feet and leave you just feeling good all over. Or you can get rockheavy with L'ARC-EN-CIEL, BOOM BOOM SATELLITES, and PUFFY. Even the songs I found less thrilling - specifically AYO's "Shinsei Romanticist" and DJ KRUSH's "Candle Chant" - found ways of tricking me into liking them. Not knowing Japanese or much of what the artists are singing doesn't really affect the enjoyment of the music - in fact, it really lets you feel like you're in a brand new space of your own, discovering something no one even knows about. This cd has has me excited about finding other "J-Pop" music. Definitely a worthwhile purchase!

pop in America has recently gone down to the level of pig-fodder, taking talentless females vocals over other people's one-dimensional music. there's no variety. however, overseas in Friendly Japan, the pop scene (refered to as J-Pop) is much different. pop is such a broad term in Japan, much broader than that of the US, it could mean any number of stylings. rock, synth-pop, rap, techno, and downbeat elements are found in the fusion-stylings of J-Pop. This CD is a good view at the currnet J-Pop scene. There's synth-pop sensibilities on "Nakanaide"; electronica on "Iceblink", "Yume No Nakae", and "Yumegiwa Last Boy"; chillout rhythms on "Balance"; fresh rock on "Skirt" and "Atarashii Hibi"; and tracks that fuse multiple genres on "Soliloquy", "New Wave Jacket", and "Shinsei Romanticist". So, in short, there's lots of stuff on thia album. Almost every track has an electronic element to it and may reflect the technology-pervaded Japan. a nice cd, the only really bad track was "Spirit Dreams Inside". check it out if you're looking for new music you've never heard from artists you've never heard of.

A few years ago I listened to this CD in the music section at my local Borders store. I thought some of the songs were great, but did not buy it until recently.

My favorite tracks are 2, 3, 9, 11 and 13. There are four I really dislike, or else I would have given this CD a full five stars. The songs that I love, especially Ken Ishii's contribution, are truly remarkable, but "the four" are strident and discordant compared to the groovy ambient tones this CD provides on many tracks and take away from the flow of the finished product...but out of 14+ songs, it isn't too painful to skip over 4.

It is a well-composed and thoughtful CD, and I would recommend it to those who like international/world music and/or Japanese tunes in particular.

I was suprised considering I went out on a limb to pick this up. It seemed risky as all sophomore albums are, even as compilaions go. Though the tracks may not seem to blend well at first on the first listen through the tracks that bring back interest hold their ground well. It does have some very "eruo-influenced" sound in it but you'll get over it. If your into j-pop you'll probably recognize the track "skirt" it's definetely got something to it very much a mix of a lot of different things but all good I assure you.

...but still pretty fun all the way through. What has been replaced does hurt the album's full score in the end, though. Unlike the volume 1's opening, which packed the eerie punch of the Boom Boom satellites' "Fogbound", this one starts with a much lighter, much happier "Nakanaide" by Mayu Kitaki, which is still charming and nice in it's own right. The next couple of songs are more like moving techno and DJ pieces, which are done well don't get me wrong, but they don't quite appeal to the nature of J-pop that I was expecting from this album. Then comes DJ Krush, doing "Candle Chant: A Tribue", which is a very boring, uninspired piece of work that has a nice backtrack but could have been so much more, instead of a rather simple, unchanging rap song. His work on Volume 1 is much better. Almost the same for "Balance", by Yoshinori Sunahara, which is another quite slow but moving techno song with some very interesting vocals and with everything together, the song has almost a meditative quality that the vocals suggest. Boom Boom Satellite's "SOLILOQUY" reminds me a lot of Fogbound from volume 1, except that it is much more rock oriented (but it still keeps that creepy feeling of the fist song). The second half of the cd adds more rock to the mix, with L'Arc-en-ciel's pure pop/rock that brings back memories of the first volume, Puffy Amiyumi's piece of work is another pop piece that sounds almost like the Beach Boys and is capable of cheering anyone up, and finally Chara's brilliant song "Skirt" that is almost a different kind of rock itself, very fun stuff indeed. Other noteworthy songs include the songs by Supercar and Polysics (who are pure genious, with catchy hummable lyrics and an insane, almost cartoon quality machine like sound effects, each time I hear them they get better). The album ends on quite a bad note with Aco, with annoying, whiney vocals. Overrall, the album isn't quite as good as the first one (which was mixed to begin with), but it is still fun while it lasts. Give it a try.

If you ask any of my friends, I am a complete J-pop fan. So, because of this I bought JAPAN FOR SALE. It was a complete disappointment. Some of the songs are just background music and a lot of the ones in Japanese just repeat a few words. For example, Yunegiwa Last Boy by Supercar. If you are really interested in J-pop try listening to V6 or if you are into J-Rock try Gackt, you won't be disappointed!!!