Zadio #1 - Disputed Jpop Artists

Jadio's up and running and the 5th digest is exclusively dedicated to arbor. I lost count of previous radio contents and here I am humbly aligning myself along the starting line.

I guess it's better to have a common theme or topic, which isn't entirely absent in Zadio #1. I can talk my way around it. For an obvious fact, all the artists are at the top of alphabetical list and they're all Japanese. -.-|||

For a more obscure reason, they're all broadly labeled 'jpop' with much dispute.

1. Ayaka - Jewelery Days | Download (sendspace, 7.3mb)

Ayaka is by far one of the hottest selling artists. She has a sturdy vocal more in line with Western female singers than the high-pitched squeaky jpop stereotypes. ET-sama however condemned her for cliche singing style and exaggerated gestures on stage. You could probably pick a dozen Western artists as stand-ins but remember she's a cute-looking Japanese selling foreign gimmicks and that rare niche is her trump card. She's simply vigorous, and humble (not aggressive, not offensive) and her songs are mostly pop rock & R&B. Jewelery Days is her ?th single which tries to integrate some country & blues elements. Not a bad try. (Except 'Jewelery Days' sounds like 'Jerry', or is it 'Jelly' Days...)

2. Akeboshi - Hey There | Download (sendspace, 12.56mb)

Akeboshi is a Japanese singer-songwriter who studies music in UK. Irish flutes and fiddles are heavily used in the instrumentation and that gives him a narrative folk touch. I find his voice crisp but dense, cutting short on breath. He has a trademark rhythm which I fail to find technical terms for. 'Hey There' from the single 'Faerie Punks' is backed up with toned-down guitar and violin chords which become enriched for chorus. Overall the sound rings with an empty resonance and melancholy, like walking down a sunbaked lane in a quiet town.

3. Ayano Tsuji - Kimi ni ai ni ikimashou | Download (sendspace,2.12mb)

The one hit wonder Ayano has a boost in publicity for her theme song performance in 'the cat returns' , or else she's still anonymously playing in clubs with a small circle of musician friends (this much hasn't really changed I figure). She plays the ukulele because her hands are too small for guitars. In an old article she distinguished herself from mainstream jpop, pointing out her voice isn't pointy (sometimes I doubt) and she doesn't scream. Like Akeboshi, Ayano experiments with folk, but more of American country folk. Kimi ni ai ni ikimashou(from album 'Balanco') is typical. The duet is very heart warming.

Don't wanna type no more. STOP.