This is an archive from Klassic Note Web Reports
Wednesday, 03 May 2023There's This Artist, And There's Everyone Else (#KN15YEARS)
Welcome back to the series of posts where I will focus on the 15th year (#KN15YEARS) in Klassic Note theme: Talk about the artists themselves. The backbone of the song library I have. How they made me know I am not alone. But truly, there are ones that stand out and I swear that applies for every listener out there, so in the myriad of songs I've listened to, I would just like to point out on who they are, because subsequent ones will never be as good as what they have done.
HOW SOME OF THEM HAVE COME TO BE
The segregation of such artists exists for all of us for good reasons. They can be the first you have heard of they truly got you. They may have been a great memory in your life, say, when you watched that credited drama or Anime that came with it. For me though, I think it's mostly the same as the norm, just that because I take melody so much more seriously, whether a song is good or not truly depends who ends up having the good songs. And we know these cannot be controlled: Mainstream artists typically write their own songs and that defined their image, solo artists have songs written for them so it depends on whether the producers can understand their vocal range and/or style.
The metrics below is just a summary of what the artist has contributed to Klassic Note: Releases reviewed or listened to, production-wise distributions ie. who did the songs themselves, singing voice preference, etc. I will base them on two main criteria - ability and quality - to show you the differences between mainstream and otherwise, on the objective and subjective opinions I have of them. So if quality goes over ability means my bias is heavy.
But yeah, overall this is still based on my personal bias, so if you hate what you see after the next paragraph you are free to come back next time where we talk about more of stuff I like. *giggles*
So! Let me take you on a journey... (which is basically just a summary of first 5 years again up till 2012 so don't mind me haha)
OUTSTANDING ARTISTS BY ARTIST TYPE
(*Up till 2022)
Singer-Songwriters
"There's YUI, And There's Everyone Else"
But me, this woman has already moved on since 2012 so her band and that wasn't doing too well, so why still her name in place? Well, because precisely that her name has been set in stone in Klassic Note, that it's still worth mentioning. I cleared the majority of her singles, quite a lot of albums including the best albums with my high minimum clearance of at least 85% songs in my library... what else is there to say? miwa may have already passed her in song count at this point in 2023, but that is not the point: She started my motivation to listen to more Japanese music, and I cannot thank her enough in this regard. She also taught me of listening to songs with just a guitar. Probably also what spawned me to take up guitar in high school (junior college) even if I didn't go as far as she did.
Independent Bands
"There's Aqua Timez, And There's Everyone Else"They are not going to be relevant by the time we move on from here, but allow me to do this once more so I can actually be happy with this. So sorry to all the bands out there, yes even Chatmonchy and ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION, because no one makes songs like these guys do. The fast-paced singing, the beats that will never die, the emotional feels of ballad songs but done their way... there are just too many classics to talk about even without comparing to anyone else. This is no longer about song count; This is just a matter of preference. I don't know if I can find an adequate replacement for these guys, and I don't even know if they will ever be replaced, but they hold a special place in my heart.
Anime Artists
"There's HOKAGO TEA TIME, And There's Everyone Else"
Yes, screw you "Bocchi The Rock!" you are just a carbon copy in my ears, because damn did this Anime series set an unprecedented power on the industry just them alone. Ask around and see if anyone will tell you this is their childhood; Chances are they had a great childhood. *giggles* Of course we should not forget other Anime characters who sang plenty of songs to remember and I think the record holder is still Kousaka Kirino in the crazy attempt to create outsource the laundry list of ending theme songs for Anime series "OreImo" (two seasons worth of it), not all of them are masterpieces, and not all are as well done as what PONY CANYON has set out to do with "K-ON!" from the start. That and how it changed the Anime music industry, is probably what made it stand out in Klassic Note. Every time I listen to one of their songs it just takes me back, for better or for worse.
Idol Groups
"There's sphere, And There's Everyone Else"
You know there are idol groups in K-Pop? Yeah, this is pretty much the same, more honestly, my journey into them is more tame than I would have expected, and that is a good thing. I used to think these must set some heavy ground for example back then when SCANDAL was technically also just idolism and I disgust on that *pukes* but nowadays I can see the pureness on these unison of voices, and I must say that MusicRay'n has managed to do so in their first attempt to make this happen. It's not perfect, I did not like Takagaki Ayahi and her singing voice for years until I listened to her solo artist songs, but them together is what makes them different. With also an easy influence at the end of the 2000s when the industry in Japan isn't overwhelmed with such content, they excel and shine with every Anime credit they were in, it's hard to forget about them. They may not be what they are back then, but it's hard to talk about ClariS, TrySail or even Earphones without remembering who started this trend in the first place, in my little world of music.
Solo Artists
"There's Toyosaki Aki, And There's Everyone Else"
There's something unique about her singing voice that is as healing as it's soothing to my ears, or maybe it's because of her role in "K-ON!", and many who have heard of her might agree. She is also the highest in song count with respect to her overall song count which, of course with respect to her 2021 album has changed drastically since that album wasn't on my shelf, but regardless! *giggles* She still did a number on me, that when I went back to her 2021 album a couple of years ago, the urge to give her any number of songs is as great as it has been so many years ago despite the huge change in melodies and music style I forgave most of them. Many other voice actresses have done so too to me, but this might be the only one who has made me give up on Klassic Note's original motto and truly follow an artist like there's no tomorrow. To this, Aki-chan, I don't know what else can ever be better than you, in my opinion. (Hoshimachi Suisei get out of here lol)
Yeah, I feel like seniority plays a big part of the mentions above, but I gotta say that it's also because it has been this long, that I've not forgotten about my roots, even though I have already moved on from then. This is probably my final tribute to them all since many of them are pretty much done especially Anime and idol groups, can't expect them to be dancing forever. *laughs* We will proceed from here, and onwards we shall discuss about the only thing I did not care about after all these years: music genre. Yes, the only genres I have in my song library is just Pop and Rock, by the way. Okay maybe Jazz but still. *laughs* We will talk about proper genres in the Japanese music I listen to at length, next time!
TL:DR; Come on, many of these charts for most listeners out there is just one song and I love this artist until the day I die. Pft, please. I beg to agree, not without listening to more of them, and more that are like them.