Opinion: Some of the Most Unique Modern Idol Songs

3/29/2016

Idols are usually a pretty simple concept; a bunch of girls (or boys sometimes) together in a group to sing really simple and catchy pop music aimed at a very targeted demographic. Once in a while though we get some idols and idol groups who break the mold. Groups like BiS, Babymetal, and PassCode. But even LESS frequently, we get a song or two that absolutely SMASHES the mold into something totally unrecognizable. I'd like to talk about some of the latter category. Songs presented in no particular order.

Disclaimer: I won't be talking about any Jun Togawa songs in this article. As one of the most unique pop singers of all time, her entire discography would fit right in here. I don't have time to casually write a novel, so just know that Jun Togawa is the reason any of these groups exist.

BiS Kaidan - Suki Suki Daisuki

(I might have lied about Jun Togawa)

BiS (or Brand-new idol Society) is a group which will probably find a lot of coverage in this article. In this particular instance, they teamed up with the infamous harsh noise troupe Hijokaidan to make something so horrifyingly anti-idol that the group actually got banned from Budokan. Across the two "BiS Kaidan" albums, BiS mostly released remixed versions of their own songs, blended with some fresh feedback-ridden violent noise from their friends in Hijokaidan. It's the opening song on their debut collaboration album I'm interested in, though.

"Suki Suki Daisuki" is a song by the legendary anti-idol singer Jun Togawa (there she is). It is, in my opinion, one of the best pop songs ever written. BiS took this classic and beloved song threw it on the ground and smashed it to bits with a cinderblock. From the shots of sharp feedback to the screams of pain and terror from the BiS girls, this song is an experience from start to finish. The vocals are adorably sweet, but they're buried so deeply that there's no chance they could escape the hellish landscape of this song. The repetition of "suki suki daisuki" during the chorus is the perfect contrast to the unimaginably loud slaughter that is this song. There is simply no way to explain the anti-idol powerhouse BiS without this song. It's a perfect work of ear-shattering art.

The video for the song features the girls in blood-stained schoolgirl uniforms, biting and kicking and smashing various objects around the studio space. Hijokaidan are in the background, smashing their guitars and throwing around a bloody pig's head. This might just be the most fun you can ever have watching an idol music video. It's pure insanity.

Each BiS Kaidan album had a closing track which was even noisier and more abstract than this, but Suki Suki Daisuki is the perfect way to introduce anybody. After all, it was MY first BiS song.

BiS - Our Song

It's BiS again! This is another cover, featured on their 2012 album "IDOL is DEAD". The BiS take on Shinichi Osawa's "Our Song" is pure and simple shoegaze at its finest. Shoegaze is a common enough genre, being both revived and mutilated by some of the best and worst alternative rock bands of the 2010s. BiS took that formula and made something amazing. Shoegaze may have been invented in Europe, but I've never heard of a shoegaze group out of Japan who wasn't incredible. BiS takes a sugary sweet pop song and sings it over a wall of swirling guitar chords. The bends and twists of the music go perfectly with the dreamy group vocals. In contrast to "Suki Suki Daisuki", this song is beautiful. It maintains the catchy pop "requirements" of idol music, but shoegaze is a genre which has never been (and maybe never will be) fully explored in pop music.

Yukueshirezutsurezure - Kyousoukaichinari

Yukueshirezutsurezure is an enigma in the relatively new field of Yami-Kawaii idols. They could probably be seen as one of the founders of the subgenre, along with their sister group Zenbu Kimi no Sei Da (who are featured on this song). Yukueshirezutsurezure take the style of sickness vs cuteness and brings it to full blast, making some of the most unique pop music I've heard in years. They have a relatively straightforward structure, at first, but then the screams come in.

Screaming in idol music has been popular lately; BiS dared to try it, and Babymetal popularized the concept of metal and hard rock idols. What I'm saying is that screaming has been around in idol music for a good handful of years. I say this because Yukueshirezutsurezure brings something terrifyingly new to the table. This song is straight out of your worst nightmares, being catchy and horrific at the same time. The group's screams are some of the most intense sounds I've heard in the entire genre of idol pop, and definitely deserve recognition for that. The music takes such a sharp turn, it's pretty jarring. The image of these girls dancing in the forest might look almost innocent, but I'm convinced that they're demonic creatures lurking in the shadows waiting to tear your soul apart. This song is cute, but maybe too cute for comfort. If the first verse makes you feel like they're hiding something just wait for the chorus. You might never turn the lights off again.

BILLIE IDLE - moments

This song is incredibly hard to find, and doesn't exist on YouTube. Sorry about that!

As far as the groups formed by BiS alumni go, BILLIE IDLE is one of the most interesting. Still, a lot of their music doesn't really go as far as to be something I could include on this list. There's a lot of pop structure and cute melodies in their short discography; why are they here?

It's "moments". "moments" is why they're here. "moments", the fifth song on BILLIE IDLE's debut album "IDLE GOSSIP", is... something. The first verse is a rap followed by a loose and unstructured mix of screaming and groaning. Then it's suddenly a rock song, and a catchy one at that. The chorus slows down to become a ballad, and we're thrown right back into a rap verse after that. This song is ALL OVER THE PLACE, and I LOVE it. There's also a guitar and synthesizer solo at one point. In the middle of the song, though, not where the bridge is normally meant to go. BILLIE IDLE threw all semblance of structure out the window for this song, and I'll always respect them for taking that risk.

Tentenko - Good bye, good girl

Tentenko is another ex-BiS member, who started her career as a DJ shortly after BiS disbanded. Musically, this song isn't actually that unique; it's an extremely 80s-style throwback vintage however many other words I can say that all mean "it sounds old". This is less of a "wow listen to how crazy and different this is" and more of a "really cool that somebody so modern and influential is making music that hearkens to one of the best eras in J-pop". The song pretty much speaks for itself. Tentenko is a super talented musician who broke free from the idol life to self-produce music and release it on her own label.

Togawa Kaidan - Suki Suki Daisuki

(I definitely lied about Jun Togawa)

Remember way up at the top, when I talked about the BiS cover of "Suki Suki Daisuki"? Well Jun Togawa herself covered it (self-covered, is that a thing?) with Hijokaidan. How many times is Hijokaidan gonna be a part of a version of "Suki Suki Daisuki"? Not enough, it seems. Jun Togawa's noise version of her own song doesn't feature any of the screams experienced on the BiS version, but instead we're treated to Jun Togawa's unparalleled talent. On this song, her voice is cracking, harsh, and husky. You know she would never have it any other way. Through her moans and grunts, it's clear this song is no longer meant to be the pop masterpiece it once was. Instead, we're treated to Jun Togawa's take on murdering a classic in the best possible way. This song isn't better or worse than the BiS version, or even the original; they all occupy some plane where every song is "Suki Suki Daisuki", and every song is perfect.

-Justin

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