Quote:
Originally posted by Jack. Bauer
Oh let's make things interesting, while helping anyone wanting to get into J-pop (myself included properly, this year).
What are the absolute milestones we should check out first?
What albums defined your taste, or personally touched you and made you feel?
Y'all get 3 definitive J-pop/music album recommendations each from any artist, genre, or decade. Go! |
1. Ayumi Hamasaki - I am... It's an absolute fantastic record, with some regarding it as her best work. It was released was she still was on her peak, imo, and it features some of her most iconic and classic singles such as M, Dearest, and evolution.
2. Ayumi Hamasaki - LOVEppears. She totally nailed what made J-Pop so great in the 90's with this album. I mean everything from the ballads to the uptempos, she took what she did with her debut and made it even better
It took some time to for me to appreciate it, because I wasn't giving it as much attention as her newest work, but when I did I was just blown away.
I just wish this BITCH had put the original version of WHATEVER in it instead of that MESS that ended up on it.
3. Shiina Ringo - Shouso Strip. This album blew my unworthy wig away so hard last year. I was NOT ready. It has a much heavier Rock sound than her first one, but still kind of accessible, imo (*side-eyes some gurls in here*) and the singles are perfect, all 3 of them. Some might say her 3rd album is her best, but this one jsu thas an overall feel to it that I haven't noticed on any other record, ever. Only Shiina could have pull this one off, It's just completely unique.
Koda Kumi - grow into one. Her most criminally underrated album, people paying dust to the early part of her discog are the pits
It has that classic J-Pop sound, while still being v Kumi at it's core, and features some of her best singles too, without a single bad one among them. She really should have hit big with this one tbh.
Miliyah Kato - LOVELAND. This is a ballad-heavy album somewhat, so it takes a while to get into, but it is very rewarding. it features unusual songs for her like Reisei to Jounetsu no Aida and UNIQUE which are AMAZING, especially the production, and that goes for the rest of the album, too. I'm always opposite to open an album with ballad(s), but she managed to pull it off here, imo. It was my #2 fave album last year (behind SS).
