All three acts – Hatsune Miku, Babymetal, and Perfume – present fresh approaches to mostly familiar musical forms. You see Perfume, it’s not like anything else you would find in America.

Over-produced, saccharine & samey? It's exactly what the pop world needs!

Putting these acts & "musical forms" in the same sentence is an offense to music. Do Babymetal write their own songs? Play any musical instruments? No. A bunch of salarymen in an office write their songs. Like every other act in J pop. Perfume being unique? Give me a break.

I'd love to see Perfume perform 'live'.

Even I could put on a skirt, shuffle my feet, nod, and lipsync. Jesus, I'd be embarrassed if this is all my country can offer.

Over-produced, saccharine & samey? It's exactly what the pop world needs!

Yep, precisely what's wrong with pop music. Jpop is everything that's awful about pop music dialed up to 10.

Jesus, I'd be embarrassed if this is all my country can offer.

And this is the problem I've complained about elsewhere when people tell me to lighten up about baby"metal" and other garbage. Japan has a great alt music scene but there's never any hint of that in the media. So every time I go overseas I get told what a joke my country is musically because this pop idol nonsense is all anyone knows about. Great.

It is called capitalism folks. There is always the option of going to North Korea to live.

They're popular with their target audience... that's all that matters in the long run.

Perhaps it WOULD be hard to drain meaning in such a significant way from "musical forms" in some other place and time. Japanese management/producers are vampires of meaning. That's the key to their "fresh approaches." That in itself is interesting (for two to three minutes). What the "music" doesn't do is say anything. It makes money though. It market-s...I suppose its inauthenticity is also something novel that this cohort offers. If the possibility for counterculture, rebellion, and authenticity are removed, then it becomes a question of technical genius, colors and lights, CG, etc. As long as you have a "team" that's trained well enough, and an audience that is primed to get lost in the lights and bells, the sky's the limit. You can begin to tear down the grand old concert halls and sell off the organs for parts.

BABYMETAL is awesome!

@shallots Well said! That's a great description of the Jpop industry. I always enjoy your comments on music topics; you clearly know what you're talking about!

Jpoop..... No thank you. Makes me embarrassed to be Japanese.

I really hope Wagakki Band turns out to be the next one. The biggest difference is that they are indeed talented.

MsDelicious:

It is called capitalism folks. There is always the option of going to North Korea to live.

Jeez, so the only choices are to listen to Perfume or live in North Korea? You really do need to read a bit more and see the outside world a bit more. Here's your chance to earn another 5 yen.

@ChaosWyvern That's very very kind. I'm too negative though! I should come on here to say more nice things!