As the title says, what are your favorites?
Off the top of my head, here are 3 of my favorites:
"Television City"
Originally by LOSTAGE (2006)
- This was the first song that got me into LOSTAGE, and to a larger extent, one of the first songs to get me into the Japanese indie scene as a whole. It was songs like this that began to change my perspective of "indie-rock", which at the time I assumed was full of dull "salaryman-core" . The guitar riffs, the bassline, and the overall energy have kept this a favorite of mine to this day.
covered by 8otto (2009)
-as a band, I enjoy LOSTAGE wayyyyy more, but when it comes to this particular song, I can't decide who played it better. 8otto absolutely killed this. They replaced the original, high-energy of the song with a thick, funky groove, and Masaki's deadpan vocals almost gives the song a kind of sinister overtone. I fuckin' love it.
"delayed brain"
Originally by NUMBER GIRL (2002)
-Despite NUMBER GIRL being J-indie pioneers (and legends), I only got around to properly listening to them a few years ago. This one was an instant favorite for me tho. The slow-burning funk, Mukai's trademark delivery that's more spoken-word than it is singing, that looping guitar riff, and the hazy tones in the background definitely set this one apart.
covered by Natsuko Miyamoto (of MASS OF THE FERMENTING DREGS) (2017)
-Doing basic acoustic covers is pretty typical, but Natsukon did a pretty wonderful job here. It's a simple, folksy rendition, but her emotive vocals do a great job of fleshing out the areas where Mukai couldn't go in the original.
"5716"
Originally by Clammbon (2003)
-I actually heard downy's cover of this first, so admittedly, I don't have much of a history with this song, but it's pretty great nonetheless. It's a somber piano-pop song, with some cool, IDM-like electronics going on. Definitely one of the more emotional songs I've heard from Clammbon in general.
covered by downy (2014)
-I think it's safe to say that downy took this song and completely made it their own, as it barely resembles the original at all. It maintains a little bit of the melancholy of the original, but even that shifts to a lighter, more hopeful feeling during the chorus. So yeah, it may not sound anything like the original, but it's still a brilliant track on its own, and a testament to downy's enduring creativity.
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What are some of your favorite Japanese covers of other Japanese bands?