Kosmik Musik EX#10/ Selected by Tetsuya Nagato- by Jun Takahashi

For this week's Japanese Listening/Viewing, I listened to a Spotify playlist curated by Jun Takahashi- a Japanese Fashion designer. The playlist itself served as a unique look into some genres of Japanese music that I was unfamiliar with- including ラップ、 クラシック、 and ロック. I particularly enjoyed Kawamatastee (Lo) by HIBAHIHI + Silent Poets as well as Barbee Boys  なんだったんだ? 7Days.

 

 I was able to understand a surprisingly large amount of the HIBAHIHI- in there reference to the influence of Western culture on Japan- ranging from the TNT network to heavy metal and the continued interaction with God in society. It also plays on the Are- Kore relationship to discuss the presence of true beings compared to those simply there for the fame and fortune.

 なんだったんだ? 7Days by contrast is much more uplifting thematically, with the pursuit of becoming a hero and the refusal to waste a week due to the presence of a singular bad day. I will be quick to note, that much of my understanding stems from the Katakana cognates used throughout the song.

 If anyone is interested in giving the playlist a listen, I've attached it here:

 https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2nkHO8APEiVJTScNd2IFKb?si=9c14723163264dfd