My Top 10 Japanese Songs of 2016

It’s that time again: time for my top 10 Japanese songs of the year! 2016 was a sluggish year for JPOP, with multiple stretches of thin releases. For awhile, I was worried I wouldn’t even be able to put together 10 songs worth talking about at the end of the year. The new releases did pick up, thankfully, and some of my favorite artists also put out some great new material this year. I think this is a pretty solid list overall, looking back at it now. If you enjoy it, maybe try checking out my JPOP thread here on Giant Bomb (sorry for the shameless plug). Also, please comment if you agree/disagree with my choices. Or, if you have some favorites from 2016 I didn’t mention, feel free to post them--I’d love to hear them!

10. Party People Alien - Up Up Girls

Party People Alien is stupid fun. The production, while simple, is remarkably efficient at what it sets out to do: hook me from beginning to end. This is most evident in the relentless “chorus”: its repetitive vocals, tight party beat, and ethereal synth line has been stuck in my head all year long. The verses are hypnotizing for some reason, with a cadence that fits neatly in sync with the beat. I love the video too: the bizarre lyrics and dance choreography is so painfully Japanese that it almost feels like parody instead of the real thing. This song is just an enjoyable time, which is why I can’t get enough of it.

Also from Up Up Girls: Tears of Youth

9. Karate - Babymetal

I like Karate because I feel that it best realizes the metal and JPOP pairing of Babymetal. The instrumentation is more subdued while still being appropriately rocking, and the vocals pull back on the cute factor by using less of the high-pitched background vocals. The result is a more restrained song that feels like each of these elements at its best, instead of at their most cliched. My favorite part of this song is the chorus, a punchy chant that sounds fun and intense without the need to overwhelm. The karate choreography, while predictable, is actually executed quite well, fitting the instrumentation intelligently. While I enjoyed the crazy intensity of Babymetal’s first album, this track represents my ideal direction for this group: a more natural melding of metal and JPOP.

Also from Babymetal: From Dusk Till Dawn

8. Neon Twilight - FEMM

I’m still in love with FEMM’s odd vocal style, a mashup of rap, pop, and electronic singing. It’s unlike anything else in the genre, especially since it’s always entirely in English. The chorus here is maybe the tightest yet for the duo, a unyielding mix of catchy lyrics and impeccably matching beats. Speaking of beats, the trotting beat this track uses gives it this fabulous momentum. The rest of the production, particularly the plopping synth, adds a playful feel that I really like. The only real problem is the video, a plain showing from a group that’s done extraordinary video work in the past. While I wouldn’t call this my favorite FEMM song, there’s a solid core here that keeps me coming back.

Also from FEMM: PoW!, L.C.S., Countdown

7. Give Me A Break Stop Now - Reol

Reol has been releasing her own music for years, but 2016 marks her debut under a major record label. Her whole album, Sigma, is fantastically intense, but Give Me a Break Stop Now shows a unique and powerful new style for the former utaite. Reol’s voice is as sharp as ever here, demonstrating her superb flow and impressive vocal range. She delivers some biting vocals that drip with attitude in a wonderfully vitriolic way. The production (done by longtime Reol partner, Giga) is smartly tuned as well, using this droning synth that easily matches the annoyance found in the vocals. I was a bit turned off by this song at first, actually, because of how atonal it sounds. It’s one that grew on me, though, and I eventually came to appreciate its harsh tone. I can’t say enough good things about the video too: it oozes flair in every shot and makes smart use of distortion effects. This song hints at an interesting new potential direction for future Reol releases.

Also from Reol: ChiruChiru, RE:

6. Flash - Perfume

Perfume remains my favorite JPOP group thanks to their immense catalog of hits and a reliably great electronic sound that is entirely their own. Flash stands out among the other songs released this year simply because of that consistent refinement that is typical of nearly every Perfume track. They have a level of craft and polish that few songs manage to match, and I can even appreciate the songs I don’t like from them for this reason. This track, however, features a driving electropop production that I enjoy hearing pound in my ears relentlessly. The vocal work is as top-notch as ever from the trio, strong and beautiful. The video is stylish and filled with graceful choreography and stellar use of lighting, especially the final minute of the song. Nothing about this track is new or surprising, but it doesn’t really have to be; it's yet another great Perfume song, which instantly elevates it among most other entries in the genre.

Also from Perfume: Miracle Worker

5. This Is How We Riot - The Winking Owl

This Is How We Riot is a supremely satisfying song for me. I adore the singer’s voice--warm, deep and undeniably pleasant. She puts a tremendous amount of feeling into her performance, both vocally and in the video, that I can’t help but admire. The instrumentation is pure pop-punk, with a style that reminds me fondly of Western groups like Paramore. The drummer kills it with his elation, his pounding drum fills propelling the intensity to another level. There’s also a guitar solo that feels so perfectly pop-punk that it hurts--I love it to death. The video clearly reflects the enthusiasm of the track, particularly during the chorus where everyone fully gives themselves over to the uplifting excitement of the music they are creating. This is a song that I find to be emphatically charming, always able to bring me out of a bad mood and brighten up my day.

Also from The Winking Owl: Bloom

4. I Don’t Really Care - Country Girls

I Don’t Really Care is an incredible homage to rockabilly music; in particular, it sounds like a modernized cover of Jailhouse Rock. Instead of being a simple copy of that song, however, it amps up the earnestness in the way only Japanese pop can. There’s a delightful energy to everything that tickles me every time I hear it. The absurdly resonant vocals are the catchiest of the year, especially the forceful yell of the chorus. The thrum of the bass and pounding beat never let up. The girls put on a heartfelt performance while dressed in adorable pastel-colored retro polka-dot dresses. It’s an entirely overwhelming song and video, an experience that I enjoy losing myself in time and time again.

Also from Country Girls: Request of Tears

3. She Lived, Didn’t She? - Aimyon

I find She Lived, Didn’t She? completely mesmerizing. The vocals resonate powerfully with me in a way that left me speechless the first time I heard them. In the verses, she flips between a free-verse style and typical singing, stylishly repeating the same line twice to transition from one to the other. It always manages to make me smile. The chorus is pure and forceful with an earworm-y refrain that I can’t get out of my head for days after hearing it. This is a remarkable ballad track, filled with emotion and delivered with a fierce strength. It slowly climbed its way into my top 3 from the bottom of the list, getting more and more under my skin as I kept returning to it. I can’t really nail how this song makes me feel in words, but I know I find it to be incredibly affecting and personal in a way that makes it one of my favorite songs of the year.

Also from Aimyon - She Lived, Didn’t She? (acoustic version)

2. The Non-Fiction Days - Band-Maid

The Non-Fiction Days opens with a resounding instrumental section that immediately demonstrates why I love this track so damn much. The ripping guitar riff, delightfully thrumming bass, and energetically thumping drums come together in a way that I find astounding. It repeats throughout the song multiple times before capping the track at the end with even more intensity and flair. I really don’t need to say anything else about this song. Despite having solid vocals and a fun guitar solo, it is solely this instrumental section that ranks this song so highly on my list. I simply cannot put into words just how fantastic it makes me feel when I hear it: it’s an utterly perfect piece of rock music.

Also from Band-Maid: Alone, YOLO

1. Suiyoubi no Campanella

For my #1 pick of 2016, I knew it would be one of Suiyoubi no Campanella’s songs. This group released SEVERAL amazing tracks throughout the year, with each just as good if not better than the last. When it came time to actually pick one, however, I couldn’t do it. Each song from this year is incredible in its own way, from the the future house breakdowns in Chupacabra to the exceptional flow from KOM_I in Colorholic. No matter what I picked, I would feel like I made a mistake; depending on the day, I’d want a different song. So I didn’t bother: Suiyoubi no Campanella itself takes the top spot. I chose to use the video for Aladdin here simply because I feel it perfectly shows KOM_I doing what she does best: performing in her charming, carefree way that no else can emulate. She shakes and slides her way through this video with an aloof confidence that I wholly adore. Suiyoubi no Campanella continues to grow and evolve, somehow becoming better each year. Knowing this, and with a year as solid as 2016 from them, I can’t even imagine what they do next year--but I know I can’t wait to hear it.

Also from Suiyoubi no Campanella: Chupacabra, Colorholic, Tsuchinoko, Kamehameha the Great