Haruka to Miyuki – LOVELESS/ARTLESS (album review)

Sorry for that hiatus. Just realized my last post was a year ago ^^;; For that, I apologize. I was really busy with thesis writing, submission, correction, the whole process was tedious and long I’m really glad that’s all over now. I was also involved in some jdrama subbing so even though I continued listening to jpop, I couldn’t find the time to blog here.

This new album by Japanese female rock-folk duo, Haruka to Miyuki prompted me to write something. I became a fan after being impressed by their debut album in late 2013, Cyanotype, which I reviewed here. I really dig their style, there’s something soulful in their mix of folk-rock indie sound and so I have been following them. After releasing a few mini albums and songs (released digitally) the last 3 years, they’re now back with their 2^nd album.

I feel every artist evolves some way or another as they discover new genres over the course of their career. Haruka to Miyuki is no different. They’ve been experimenting with electro-pop too, which I don’t see coming but it’s not bad. But overall, their past releases have been quite underwhelming with only a few highlights. So after going through 2 years of countless live performances, writing and evolving, how does the 2^nd major follow-up fare?

Hopes and Fears of Jpop 2015

Since the year’s ending, I thought of writing something like this. Feel free to comment below and give your thoughts too.

What are your hopes and fears for Jpop in 2015?

HOPES

– indie bands get more exposure and continue to expand. We’ve seen a surge this year and that’s good.
– Japanese music industry to reduce blockage towards international fans, instead promote them further
– Solo artists like Namie Amuro to continue making great music
– Ayumi Hamasaki to take a much needed hiatus and reconsider her direction, then makes a comeback with a hit song, a legitimate one and not her Utada Hikaru cover.
– One or two male and female solo artist to make it big. As of now, we only have Namie Amuro making a name for herself. There are abundant of groups already so now I’m just craving for a solid solo artist who can compete with the idol groups.
– Speaking of idol groups, as much as I like them, I wish there aren’t so many of them that dominates the charts (yes, Oricon, looking at you). This gives a somewhat unbalanced view or perception to international listeners thinking that that’s all Japan has to offer. I’m not talking about the veteran Jpop fans, they know where to find their favorite genre already and seasoned enough to know there’s a huge variety in Jpop if you look deeper. But for a casual listener or someone who’s new to the scene, may have a look at the charts just to see who to listen to and all they get are the male and female idol groups dominating half of the chart, leaving the rest obscured. Seriously, there are gems if you do a bit of research. But how much time do you think these newbies would spend. This turns off most of them, in my opinion. There are quality idol songs out there, but let’s be honest, most of them are too generic and doesn’t quite measure to those underrated real artists. I’m not bashing on idol groups, I love Momusu (a huge fan indeed and do follow quite a few others as well, including AKB). As someone who views Jpop as a whole, I’m just worried about how the charts would give wrong signals globally. Then again, Japan can still survive without international support lol
– Appeal to more international fans as a whole, yes, I wish more people can actually appreciate the diversity Jpop can offer us

 FEARS
– Idol boom will continue, maybe even bigger, dominating Oricon
-My favorite artists stay stagnant and release mediocre singles/albums or none at all
– Japanese music company continue to block us international fans (Sony especially) and give us those short version PVs, and overall this again, turns off any hope for gaining new Jpop fans.
– Hearing any of the artists I’m following going into hiatus
– Hearing any artists who succumbed to any form of sickness/disease
– 48G expand again to other countries, I heard rumors of them planning to go Phillipines and Okinawa a while ago. Just no more, Aki-P. I don’t see the purpose of creating new groups in other countries when all they do is sing the exact same song (even if sung in their own language) and not getting as much attention as the flagship group itself. I mean, do the Japanese fans even care about those sister groups abroad? I don’t think so.