September 2022 – J-Indie Rising

Bokura by MEMEMION

Released: 22.08.17 / Label: Self-released

This track took me completely by surprise with its strange mix of straight-ahead pop and almost classical tonal complexity. MEMEMION is a five-piece band that formed last year, 2021, in the midst of corona shut-downs. While it’s clear this group of extremely talented musicians all come from different backgrounds, it’s impressive that they’ve found a way for it all to (mostly) fit together in such a short time. The vocals take the lead in Bokura, center stage in every section aside from the guitar solo, and boy are they all over the place. Strange harmonic leaps across a massive range are the norm here, giving the melody a Visual-K or classic prog rock sound. Meanwhile, the rhythm section is busy hopping back and forth between rock, funk, and straight J-pop. The guitars feel like the glue in the mix, playing the mediary between genres. While the song definitely kept my analytic brain super interested for the first few listens, I can’t say I ever really felt the groove. Eventually the leaps in the vocals started to wear on my ears, and the lack of of a strong tonic base in the chorus left things feeling floaty and inconclusive. So while repeated listening is not recommended it’s a great ‘outside’ track for playlists. Especially recommended for those more familiar with music theory, or fans of complex harmony.

Verdict: Recommended with caution (2.9/5)

★★★★★

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Escort by BananaLemon

Single Review / Pop

Released: 22.08.24 / Label: Self-released

While I’m not as into J-Pop as I used to be, I occasionally see a group name that just calls to me. That’s exactly what happened with BananaLemon. And we’re in luck as the group just parted with their label and has released this newest single independently! The track-making certainly hasn’t suffered from the split, though. This is very well produced, and the number of sections they’ve fit into the sub-3-minute track is impressive. Escort starts off hard and quickly moves into rock/rap territory for the first verse. It sounds like we hear from two of the three members here before the obligatory clap-based pre-chorus. The chorus anti-drops with some really smooth vocals over a more relaxed guitar riff. I like how they’ve made the chorus pop by actually making it more subdued than the preceding build sections. It’s a great use of contrast. The second verse is a bit of unique songwriting: the music drops almost completely out and there’s just a short whispered vocal section before heading right back into the pre-chorus. It’s a smart choice that keeps things active and the song moving. Then the chorus again, followed by an R&B breakdown where they get in some diva singing. Then the last chorus does a great job of combining these different styles of singing, but for me it seemed to end a bit prematurely. I think an extra ad-lib section would have felt completely natural to end on, but I respect the ability to not needlessly prolong a track. The modern K-Pop influence is very apparent throughout the track, and while they’ve add a few new ideas here it’s definitely from the same mold. But sometimes just releasing a banger is enough.

Verdict: Worth your time. (3.1/5)

★★★★★

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