Smooth J-Pop stylings
The arrival of Yun*chi has, in some respects, been decidedly low-key – although with fellow ASOBISYSTEM stablemate Kyary Pamyu Pamyu courting more column inches, this is to be expected.
As mentioned previously, Yun*chi’s approach to the world of J-Pop is a much more grounded and conservative approach which, in the hands of lesser talents, could make for a pleasant but generic style of J-Pop. After all, there are so many artists out there battling for attention, how do you carve out your own particular niche?
This is not a problem for Yun*chi as she’s in the capable hands of Vocaloid producers Kz (livetune) and U-Ske who alternate on writing and production for this release (via the NIPPON CROWN label). Both craft some simple, yet percussive pop tunes on this mini-album release that lean towards the dance end of the spectrum. This is particularly the case for Reverb (whose pv featured the Kyary-esque lip dancers) that has a very bright, very melodic, very pure build of J-Pop that nevertheless has enough of dance element in its production that it would be at home in the club, your home or whichever sound delivery system takes your fancy.
‘Guruguru’, the second track on the album, is cut from similar cloth, although this song also has an element of dubstep that’s subtly weaved into the track so that it works without dominating the effervescent melody of the song as a whole.
‘Believe’ is a slower, gentler approach which is also employed on ‘Mekurumekuru’ where there’s a hint of lounge, but still enough of a melodic edge and quirky chord changes to keep things interesting.
Most of the tracks featured benefit from a very bassy percussive structure which underpins each song. It’s more robust, muscular stuff than we’re used to from the world of J-Pop, but lends the material a lot more impact. This is a telling element in an industry where even songs with great tunes can be destroyed due to flat, uninspired production.
What Yun*chi’s debut release amounts to is a fine collection of serviceable J-Pop and suggests a solid foundation to build on.
