But beneath the surface, plingmin is much more than a pop group. In fact, it would be a mistake to even consider calling them that, even casually. Their self-titled full-length album is almost shockingly good, and unexpectedly diverse in ways that may not even be appropriate for a band this young. Color me surprised.

“This world is yours,” the aforementioned anime theme, is by no means the standard for the rest of the material on plingmin; along with “Go ahead!”, it stands as one of the only tracks that sounds “mainstream” enough to be used as an anime theme. Rather than “This world” defining the sound of the rest of the album (read: sellout), it does its thing and then moves on to nearly completely different kinds of music. Like I said already… on the surface, it might fine to assess plingmin as a pop act, but this is merely one of the types of music they’ve tackled.

“This world” included–since you can hear fragments of it even there–it would be more fair to compare plingmin to groups like toddle, or even pre-Cue uinona. The mid-album “Thank you for the sadness” is almost a dead ringer for the material on uinona’s 1 release, to tell the truth. Then there are even bits of what could almost pass as detroit7 (in “Car#27″) or a post-rock act like miaou… believe it or not. It’s a feast of musical experimentation and differing styles, but there’s still common threads tying all the music together, making it hard to listen to this release and consciously say “this is way different.” But this widely differing music can leave you with the feeling that the group isn’t well-defined–that they haven’t completely figured out what they want to do just yet.

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Listening to the album opener “Ima, Kimi e” is definitely the fastest way to get clued in on what this band is really about. It’s a mellow blend of shoegaze and pleasant indie rock; vocalist Mayumi has a voice that is neither grating nor sweet (although she’s capable of taking on a more cutesy singing style at times, as evident in the appropriately Engrish-y “Thank you for the sadness”). There’s also something to be said about the simplicity of the music–less is more, in this case, and the songs are pleasant in their lacking of electronic additions or editing.

plingmin is a band that you should most definitely look into. Their music is solid, and there’s more to them beneath the surface than you might think. They’re good for post-rock fans, shoegaze fans, indie rock fans… and music fans in general. Frankly, they’re just plain good, and as long as they can better define themselves, I think they have a bright future ahead of them.

tell me what the rain knows is my new short-form blog, using the Tumblr platform, where I’m posting pictures, audio clips, videos, and the occasional link or two. Most of this content isn’t accompanied by text, and I make several posts per day (at least, I have been so far). So if you visit once daily, it’s likely that you’ll see new images, audio, and other interesting tidbits. They all come without much of my opinion, but that’s what this blog is for. When I come across something that needs talked about in length, it’ll go here. When I come across something that needs no opinion at all, it’ll go to the Tumblr.

I’ll be back to posting actual content here soon, but in the meantime… please don’t hesitate to add my second blog to your feeds and bookmarks! I’m sure you’ll find it interesting.

This news wasn’t entirely unexpected, since the members have been posting in-studio photos on their personal blogs for a few weeks now, but even so… it’s hard for me to not feel complete and utter delight over this announcement. After spending months worrying about whether or not the group would be able to go on after losing their original bassist and drummer last year, to see the members taking music seriously again is very, very good.

One important note needs to be made, here: the band is officially writing their name as START OF THE DAY (all caps, separate words) for this release. For prior CDs, the band’s name is written as StartOfTheDay. Interestingly enough, if you look at CDJapan’s list of releases, you’ll see that the name is all over the place–Start of the day being the most common way to write it–but my physical copies of the albums (and the official website!) don’t lie. I had previously released abnormal amounts of rage on Last.fm users who voted Start of the day the “official” spelling, but now it looks like that was silly… hehe. For now, I think I’ll be leaving the prior releases tagged as StartOfTheDay, and switch to the all-caps version for this new release. (Yes, I think about this shit. Sorry.)

Semitics aside, I can hardly wait to hear the new album. This band has been through a lot, and I’m pleased to see that they’re coming out of it fighting.

Note to self: I am an idiot.

From start to finish, Niche Syndrome is a well-rounded collection of rock music. It’s also easily the best album I’ve heard this year, and maybe even last year. 2010 needed this release, and with apologies to many of the other bands I follow, I have been needing an album this good for a long, long time. Niche is one of the best releases to come out of Japan and make its way into my collection. That may not mean a lot for the rest of you, but for me, that’s pretty damn monumental.

One of the first things I noticed about Niche was its heavy reliance on English lyrics. Thinking back to Kanjou, lead singer Taka certainly does use English quite a bit… but songs like “Kanzen Kankaku Dreamer” (above) or the album opener, “Never Let This Go,” sport English lyrics that are both clear and (mostly) sensible. Secondly, Taka totally lets loose on these tracks, and his vocals actually shift into full-out screaming at times. Both of these changes are clear signs of influence from current English-language emo-rock bands. While this shift in sound may not seem all that unique to American listeners, Japanese fans could find it refreshing, maybe even completely new. For me, it’s a general improvement in sound that makes ONE OK ROCK even more appealing to my bilingual ears.

This isn’t to say that the band has lost their trademark sound and style, though. Niche is a vast improvement on Kanjou and the previous releases, but it is still just that: an improvement. Songs like “Liar” combine the hard rock sensibilities fans were used to with the new focus on English lyrics and harsher vocals. So it’s ONE OK ROCK, but better. Isn’t this how all albums are supposed to be?

There are still slow(er) songs, like “Yes I am” and “Wherever you are,” but even they seem like vast improvements over “My sweet baby,” the beloved ballad of Kanjou. Taka may not genuinely be more motivated or loving, here, but he sure as hell sounds like it. “Yes I am” in particular is almost compelling in the way Taka continuously shouts out the “yes I am” line, and the song is still heavy enough on the guitars and drums to be compelling instead of boring. There’s a full feeling in these two songs that somehow overpowers “My sweet baby” or even “Dolls” (which actually begin to sound the same after a while–that doesn’t happen this time!).

And that’s another thing to consider: replay value. After one run-through of the band’s previous albums, I typically feel the urge to switch to something else. Niche Syndrome has serious repeatability; the songs aren’t similar enough to keep them from sounding boring after listening to the full album (on shuffle or otherwise), and each track is, on its own, a treat to listen to. There’s really not one song on this album that I would want to skip if it came up on my iPod, and as good as Kanjou Effect was, I couldn’t really say the same for that release.

2010 needed this album. If you haven’t tried it yet, and you can tolerate a little screaming, I highly encourage you to pick up a copy of Niche Syndrome. Existing ONE OK ROCK fans will certainly find it monumental, but if you haven’t tried the band yet, I think you’ll be delighted by the quality of rock that’s coming out of Japan these days. Who knew ONE OK ROCK was really this good?

Err, no, not really.

I don’t want to be the one to break it to anyone, here–I’m a blogger, I’m not exactly a marketing genius–but I’ve sat here over the last few years and watched Tofu Records eat dust, along with some other attempts to market physical releases of Japanese music in the United States, and I just have to be honest. This isn’t going to work. Any attempt to market AKB48 to the United States is just going to fall flat on its face.

I’m not saying the CD won’t sell–the CD is going to sell. It will sell to the existing fans, and to the people who come to Anime Expo and think wow, hey, that song was catchy, well I guess I have fifteen bucks to spare. (Assuming Maru doesn’t price it any higher than that…) It probably won’t sell well, even to the fans, but again–I’m not a marketing genius, I don’t know that. And you know what, I really don’t know what the “big plans” are, here. I don’t know if AKB48 wants to be some sort of globally recognized and adored supergroup, whose music ~*knows no boundaries*~ or if it’s just “eh, hey, let’s sell some stuff to those gaijin fans.” But if it goes beyond merch, it isn’t going to happen.

AKB48 isn’t going to take the United States by storm now, or really ever. That’s because they are Japanese, and because they don’t speak English.

Oh yeah, they’re cute. I get that. Their music is catchy. They can dance. But seriously, the reality of this whole situation is that only a very small portion of the US is going to want what they are offering. Give your average Joe a pick between music in his language and music he can’t understand, and he’s probably going to call you crazy for even asking him about foreign music. Sure, he probably wouldn’t hesitate to ogle the girls, and might even admit that what they do is catchy, but not a lot of people want to listen to something they can’t sing along to, much less comprehend.

And the Japanese thing? Yeah–it’s a stigma. It’s even racism in some cases. There’s no changing that, right now, because it’s in part due to the generations that still exist with the United States. You could bring over a singer that speaks perfect English and produces catchy music, and she still won’t make it big. Sound familiar? Oh, right–Utada Hikaru did just that. Was it because her US releases were subpar? Well, yeah, in part, but you have to admit that stupider shit has made it to the radio recently. (Cough Ke$ha cough.) Was it because she had poor promotion? Well, that too. But look–she’s Japanese. She comes from Japan. That is going to follow her around. If Utada ever does anything else in the US, radio DJs are going to have the goddamned blurbs ready to fire: “Utada hails from Japan,” or “Hikaru Utada originally comes from the land of the rising sun.” Even if the music is good, people are going to hear that and react as they see fit–which usually means not listening. I know I’m different, and if you’re reading this, you’re probably also different, but most people don’t have open minds. Most people don’t want a Japanese artist on their radio. Yes, even if they speak perfect English.

This statement–that AKB48 won’t dominate the US–really applies to everyone. Record labels and marketing companies can push as hard as they want to sell Japanese bands and singers, whether it be to existing fans or new ones, and it just isn’t going to go much of anywhere. Sure, it’s convenient for fans to buy Japanese CDs in the US, at a lower price, and there are the added perks of merch and concerts, but as dedicated as we may be, as fans… Seriously, we aren’t going to make these companies or bands billions of dollars. Japanese music fans outside of Japan are not numerous, nor are they rich. This is what happened to Tofu Records: they did some great stuff, and helped out the US fans, but they couldn’t turn a profit. Record labels need to go way, way beyond niche fans of niche groups to make money.

“Oh no, but it’s not about the money!” … yeah, let’s not even pretend that it’s not. It is. It always is. You can definitely get some labels and marketing agencies run by awesome people who are genuine fans, but there’s always an investment with the expectation of profit. What I do for work involves me a very social person, and offering some kickass customer service. I do a lot of this because I’m nice, and because I truly love and adore the people I interact with. But it’s also an investment, on my part, that results in me eventually getting a paycheck. I wouldn’t do what I do for free. And a record label wouldn’t bring a band to the US for free.

Let’s get back to the issue at hand, here. AKB48 is not going to be on your local radio station anytime soon, or ever, even if they master English and dance around in panties. Japan would eat that up. The US? Not so much. I realize that isn’t necessarily anybody’s goal, in this whole situation, but to call them a “global supergroup” or imply that they’re about to dominate the US is just ridiculous. AKB48 isn’t going to do it, Morning Musume isn’t going to do it, Wonder Girls isn’t going to do it, and SNSD isn’t going to do it. They’re foreign, and as open as our minds are, the rest of the country isn’t going to accept them right now.

If I turn out to be wrong, I am more than willing to eat my words. I don’t want to be wrong. But sitting here and watching this happen, I can’t help but feel like I’m watching history repeat itself…

What I realized, a few days back, that I wanted SCANDAL to be something that they were not. I still believe they’re better than the coordinated dancing, upskirt-flashing crap, but “Taiyou” did, evidently, do something right. It isn’t what I wanted, but it’s what I got, and I have to admit to enjoying it.

Late last week, I worked late to finish a project for my boss. I didn’t have to do it, but I wanted to get it finished, so I did. By the time I left my desk and walked out into the street to retrieve my car and head home, rush hour traffic was all but gone. Early summer in Pennsylvania has been very warm so far–high 80s, low 90s–but this particular afternoon was surprisingly comfortable. The sky was a perfect shade of robin’s egg blue, dotted with puffy clouds, and I thought it would be the perfect afternoon for some noanowa. (Although… every afternoon is the perfect afternoon for noanowa…)

Then I checked my iPod and remembered that I’d loaded it with new music–no noanowa–and the only album left to listen to was Stereopony’s OVER THE BORDER. Groan. (I actually groaned.) Like SCANDAL, Stereopony started out strong, as an all-girl rock band, and quickly moved to an unfavorable pop sound. I wasn’t expecting to like this album, but it was virtually all I had left to listen to without falling back on ONE OK ROCK for the twentieth time. So Stereopony was switched on and I headed for the highway.

I was in a pleasant mood that afternoon. It was from a combination of things–my job, my recent marriage, plans for that evening and the weekend, and the comfortable weather. Even though the Stereopony album wasn’t what I was hoping it would be–rock–the easygoing pop songs still went over well with me. As I drove, I forgot what I was listening to, and just enjoyed the calming sounds of music in my car. By the time I was halfway home, I was humming along to one song in particular, “100 Pararhythm,” leaving any negative thoughts or ideas in my dust.

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Listening to this song and looking up at the blue sky, I thought to myself that my mood and the music seemed to match perfectly. And then I thought, rather suddenly, that I probably wouldn’t have appreciated this music if I had been in a sour mood. If I’d been listening to Stereopony tonight, for example, after working late because a company unexpectedly scheduled a conference call at 5:00, and annoyed because of other drivers doing various idiotic things… well, “100 Pararhythm” probably would have gone over as well as another driver swerving around between lanes without signaling. But on that day last week, because I was in a comfortable mood, I just shrugged the thoughts of “this isn’t as good as their first three singles” off my shoulders. I just drove, and listened, and sang “pa-pa-pa” along with Aimi.

And I enjoyed it. And I’m still enjoying it.

I think the problem I’m having is that I’ve been expecting certain things from these girls. I wanted SCANDAL to rock out, and I wanted Stereopony to kick ass. That isn’t what either of the groups have ended up doing, despite initial offerings that may have hinted otherwise. But what can I do about it? Not much. And I still enjoy pop music, obviously. Perhaps all I need to do, when something like this happens, is take a step or two back, swallow back my expectations and bitter feelings, and then enjoy the music I’m offered for what it is–and nothing more.

Perhaps my expectations have been too high, and too demanding. And it isn’t right for me to criticize a perfectly good band just because they’re not what I wanted them to be. Sure–if the music’s awful, that’s one thing. But looking at OVER THE BORDER in light of what I’ve just typed, and even back to Stereopony’s first album, they’re solid pieces of music. Standard pop fare, yes, but I can’t deny that much of my disgust was based entirely on their changes in sound.

And when I stop making every musical experience into a critical one, I start enjoying things a hell of a lot more.

The first time I listened to “Hanbunko,” I hated it. Now that I’ve stopped expecting it to be the next “Namida no Mukou,” I’m loving it. It’s funny how easily these changes can be made, isn’t it?