Reviews (page 5 of 8)
This is a pretty standard new wave album! Which means I like it but not sure why it's impressive.
британцы-японцы = полурак-полухуй
primordial 80s synth pop with some cool genre-bending timbers (Irish folk? classic rock?). really wish this weren't so long though...
This is front-to-back great. Feels like Depeche Mode's "Violator" played eleven years early, with a slight glam-pop edge--which actually works here. Loses some vitality after the first few songs.
All the Duran Duran without any of the nostalgia (for me). This album starts off strong with the first couple of tracks and then gets kinda boring honestly. Not knowing anything about this band, I was surprised this came out in 1979, so it predates DD and they were no doubt influenced by this, but they did the new wave thing better with catchier and hookier songs. Where is the Duran Duran on this list?
New wave mezclado con rock de sintetizadores y dark. Las guitarras, si bien están presentes, no tienen mucho énfasis en la mezcla. Las canciones son buenas, algunas tienes melodías interesantes y exploran con los ambientes de diferentes maneras.
79 you could hear the blueprint of new wave coming in
A new band to me. It’s cool hearing the influence of so many 80’d bands had. They were pioneers in a newly forming sound.
Pretty good.
Opens with the title track "Quiet Life" - a hit single and New Wave / Art Pop classic. The influence of Roxy Music producer John Punter is most obvious on "Despair". I wasn't a big fan of Japan at the time beacuse I thought that David Sylvian was a pretentious twat, (and he still is as far as I'm concerned), but the music grows on you.
Dark 80s pop that mixes a bunch of other bands into a pretty great album. 7/10
New Wave? I would call it Electronic Pop.
Proto synth pop... Huh.
Better than expected. Anyone who likes Durand Durand needs to be made aware of this. This kind of seems like a good chunk of this was stolen by DD. It's quite good, would listen to again and/or put into rotation.
First song was solid enough but the album just kind of petered out overall. It’s fine.
I don't think I've ever heard these guys. When I saw the spotify bio saying they "redefined art rock..." I was a bit leery but it also said "...and new wave" which I have a softer spot in my heart for. I thoroughly enjoyed it. It scratched that 80s new wave itch.
Easily forgettable but a good background listen. Nice drum fills but because it’s mostly all instrumental, it’s hard to truly get into. Well crafted music but as mentioned, easy to forget. 4.8/10.
I mean, a totally ok album. I will never think of it again but I appreciate its scope and timing of the record in the history of new wave and punk. But also, how many of these British new wavey gothy type albums are on here?
Good bass riffs, very dated but I am sure it was revolutionary at the time
A much better Duran Duran But I don’t really like Duran Duran
Tried this album twice, and could never get into it.
Never heard of him, but was pretty good
Never heard of this in my life. This list is so British leaning it’s comical. Anyway this is cool. Very curesque, particularly the bass. Some songs are up beat and danceable, others more ambient. Interesting throughout. Giving it three stars.
Welp, now we know where Duran Duran's inspo came from.
Stand outs: Life in Tokyo, Quiet Life.
Interesting album. Rock with elements of jazz. Makes sense why they call themselves Japan.
Life changing? Perhaps not. Enjoyable and influential? Perhaps yes.
His voice is annoying after a while
Fuck this album, bro. Everytime I thought it was over, it just kept going. Usually, I like new wave but this was just uninspired, boring and way too long. They butchered one of my favourite songs. This faux Asian inspired sound got old real fast. The lead singers hair pissed me the fuck off. I'm on my period so maybe that's why I'm being so harsh but I can't be bothered with this. I mean, I didn't hate it that much I suppose but I would never listen to it again. It gave me nothing. It wasn't even fun. It was just noise as I was doing my make up, I literally forgot the entire album after listening to it. I can't be bothered to remember anything about it tbh so I'm going to end this review here. Can't remember a favourite song. Not assed.
I really enjoyed this album. It's well produced, funky, and just very clean sounding synth pop without the ugly distortion and bloat that the next decade would push further. Despair, In Vogue, and All Tomorrow's Party are great vibes.
Japan is a British band that started with a sound that was close to Roxy Music. With Quiet Life, their third studio album, they moved into synth-pop. This is one of the first successful album in that genre. These are catchy, dramatic songs, that are clearly a precursor to much of 80s British pop. This is the album that inspired bands like Duran Duran.
Was curious about this band when I heard it was where Richard Barbieri from Porcupine Tree started from. This and Tin Drum are genius records. It's like discovering smart art pop all over again.
An album that reflects the general change of music towards synths. Some decent pop tunes and vocals are good. Not bad but also not really my bag
Like duran duran but more japan japan. Thought last song was cheesy
Aside from the big hits this is only really impressive for preempting Duran Duran, I do have a bit of a soft spot for.some of this synth-pop stuff though
Classic eighties pop. Not the worst of this genre, it was quite listenable, but I wouldn't listen to it on purpose again.
I wasn't aware of this band. Probably much loved by whatever the 70s equivalent of emos are. Tried to be dark and brooding, but I found it uninteresting.
great synth album loved the atmospheric soud
6/10
An album that spawned many bands like Duran Duran and Spandau Ballet and basically gave us 80s music in the late 70s... And for that it must be tried for its crimes against humanity.
If this wasn’t technically the 70s I’d not know if it was influential or not because it sounds so quintessentially 80s (But I still don’t like it)
Buen disco, todavía alguna canción es bailable. Luego serán mucho más oscuros.
Synth pop is 1979! Clearly influential just not great
Why does a British band name itself Japan, that’s my first issue with this album. It all sounds the same and I am sure there are better albums that should be on this list.
It felt too repetitive
Bleh boring late 70's synth pop. The synthy stuff was fine, kinda boring and repetitive (but that's how most synth pop goes), but not unpleasant on the ears. The dude's voice though, holy cow. That was unpleasant on the ears. That dude sucks at singing. Just straight up bad. Lyrics were totally whatever. Also, y'all are Brits, why is your band named Japan? There is nothing Japanese about what is going on here.
this is like a bad cover band of Duran Duran. with only their weakest tracks.
3/5
Meget bedre end jeg forventede. Lyder som Roxy Music
Fanger den der periode hvor post-punk og new wave begyndte at smelte sammen. Lækkert.
You could tell me this was Duran Duran and I’d believe you. This is really just a “meh” album. It’s like someone took all of Duran Duran’s non hits and put them on an album. It would probably hit the charts in its day and it may very well have but it has no rocket to the moon song. This is another “it just existed” album for me. They did not win me over.
I found it boring and I looked forward to it ending (both bad signs).
shouldve named themselves Israel for being so ass
High 4
Más new wave británica, otra vez. Mismas voces quejicas, mismos sintetizadores ochenteros, y lo mismo mil y una veces. Y encima dos veces seguidas, junto con el álbum anterior que me tocó escuchar. Pros: novedoso para su época, marcando una transición hacia los sonidos synth pop que se popularizarían en los 80 (Depeche Mode, Duran Duran). Variedad, mezcla de temas melancólicos y más experimentales con temas más comerciales, rápidos y alegres. El bajo tiene mucha personalidad, a veces suena un poco a jazz. Cons: todo lo demás. Precisamente, los temas supuestamente más interesantes ("Despair", "The Other Side of Life") son los que menos me han gustado. No soy más feliz habiendo escuchado este álbum antes de morirme. Creo que, simplemente, el synth pop clásico no es mi estilo.
2 can see how it was influential too the 80s synth pop new wave but it’s not the best
Starts off decent, but then falls off into boredom with Despair. Found most of the album to be dull considering this is supposed to be like glam pop. High 2.
Tears for Fears at home
3.5
This is another of those albums that's probably more important than it is incredible to listen to, sitting as a key album in the lineage of synthpop and new wave. Still, it's a good album.
Interesting. liked some of the songs.
I don’t care for new wave. 1
If it wasn't for all of the other Britpop from this era, this is easily mistakable for another DuranDuran album. 2/5
Pleasant, artsy synth pop, lingering between a 3/5 and 4/5 rating. Ultimately the best track is a cover of the excellent 'All Tomorrow's Parties'.
One of my favorite new wave goes synth-pop albums. The gloomy and almost gothic ambience makes it incredibly intriguing - especially due to Mike Kern’s layers of saxophone. It’s never busy and you feel that Japan take the time needed to let their arrangements breathe. It’s just as great listen!
If the first impression I get from this album art is 'Buckaroo Bonzai' is that considered racist? Can't be any more racist than the movie title itself or an English band calling themselves Japan for no reason. As for the music, I'm not overly impressed. None of the pieces really stand out, and when you combine the lyrics with the background instruments is just sounds...lame? The synthwave station (mostly instrumental) is my go-to work background noise and these tracks are a bit slow and drawn out. Too sad. "Queit life" started things off at the just OK bar and it seemed to go downhill from there. I've gotta listen to something else to get rid of this semi-bummer. Favorite track "Quiet life" 1.5/5
My wife, who is much more of a New Romantic fangirl than I'll ever get close to, says she never got into Japan back in the day because they were "too monotonous". After a strong start – the title track is more Duran Duran than Duran Duran ever were – I can see why she says this. It does get a bit, err, boring really. It's OK. I listened twice easily and would probably go back again if it came on at random. But it doesn't ever live up to the start.
Responsible for Duran Duran.
Helt stämningsfullt men har svårt att hitta någo highlights
I'm more into the synthwave elements than the glam rock. The quality kind of fizzles out for me as the album goes on
I couldn't finish this
Not bad.
1979, worth to listen to again.
Very surprised. Like it
So much new age on this list. I hear Duran Duran, Shuggie Otis, Talking Heads, the Cure, too many others to list. I've got no emotional connection to it but it's interesting.
Vocals in the style of one who has listened to too much Bryan Ferry, in fact the whole thing has a distinct Roxy Music sound. No surprise, then, to discover that this album shared a producer with RM. It's easy to be dismissive and call it a "Roxy Rip Off", but I like RM so there could be worse things for it to sound like. They get credibility bonus points for covering a Velvet Underground track ("All Tomorrow's Parties") and managing to put their own spin on it combined with hints of Nico's vocals and John Cale's viola. Perhaps it is telling that it's the best track on here. There is nothing offensive but nothing really caught my attention apart from the VU cover. That gets it a distinctly average 3/5 from me. It is the kind of album that might go up in my estimation after several listens.
sounded like a slowed down great value brand duran duran. not for me.
Listened less than 24 hours ago and I don’t remember a thing about it.
"Quiet" trifft es ganz gut ... Die Lieder bauen sich langsam auf, dauern lang, es passiert wenig.
Sounds very ahead of its time for 1979 - if I didn't already know the date when I started listening, I would've put it right in the 80s. Very Duran Duran esque. I didn't really enjoy it that much though, after a strong opening with the title track I found it drags as you get further in and there is a fair amount of filler
2.5 stars. Title track is cool but outside of that it's fairly drab and forgettable synth-pop.
surreal
Some of the songs were interesting and well crafted and others were uninspired generic things
and i'm asleep...
Goddamn this is so cool. Dark minor key synth-based post-punk with an edge in the vocals and the guitars touch of punk to the vocals. The somber and introspective mood constrats with the glossy artifice of the synths for a nightmarish party feel - this is a great document of the imaginary of what the inside of a computer, and so the impending computer-based future, must've sounded like in the late 70s. Kind of a Blade Runner of an album, but projecting that dystopian aesthetic onto an imagined alien other: 'Tokyo'. Favorites: Fall in Love with Me, Alien, All Tomorrow's Parties, Quiet Life
fine
New wave just doesn't do it for me, and this album didn’t change my mind. Most of the songs feel overly polished and kind of bland. I didn’t connect with much of it, and I doubt I’ll ever feel the need to give it another spin. That said, “All Tomorrow’s Parties” stood out. It leans more psychedelic rock than new wave, and it’s easily the best track here. If the whole album had followed that vibe, I might’ve felt differently. But as it stands, one good song isn’t enough to save it.
Not my cup of tea
This album is ahead of its time in the worst way possible. It came out in 1979, and yet it sounds like the most annoying and cheesy 80s album you've ever heard.
I would’ve never expected a cover of all tomorrow’s parties, and a pretty good one at that, it’s not one of my favourite velvet underground songs but it’s still really good Fall in love with me felt almost smithsy in its vocals. Alien was kinda cool in its chorus. The other side of life is basically a Roxy music song, I can imagine this on for your pleasure. The rest was pretty cool too tbh 4/5
I feel, again, like an archeologist discovering another only mildly interesting pile of bones from the same old dig site, but this was quite alright, mostly.
- Sick vibe
it was hard to feel anything from the music, though i appreciate what the band was doing
Basically an artsy version of Duran Duran. Imagine if the Duran Duran boys had just binged the David Bowie discography. It would sound something like this. There’s also more horns than I expected, which is a good thing. 3.7/5
Welp, 2024 is over. Aside from a few days I missed that I later made up, I listened to an album every day for the entire year. I have listened to over 366 albums this year, and now it's time for the last one. What is it? Some new wave thing I've never heard of before. Of course. Whatever, at least the album itself is good. It's certainly better than the album I got on December 31st last year! It was G. Love and Special Sauce in case you're wondering. This is just a solid album. It's nothing groundbreaking, but I like it for what it is. The sound is good, as are the vocals. I've seen comparisons to Bowie that aren't completely unjustified. There's a Velvet Underground cover in here. That's neat. The album definitely feels like it came from the 80s, which is interesting as the album was actually released in 1979. Cool! Quiet Life is a good album. Considerably High 3/5.
Pop uusiaaltl alkaa nii kivasti mutta kuulokkeet irtoaa ja puhelin täysillä ja soittaa JAHA JAHA
80s as all hell.
Just kind of boring.
Nice! Tämä on hyllyssä mutsinperintönä. Hyvä kasarilevy, joka kaipaisi nimikkoraidan lisäksi muutaman muun hieman nopeamman raidan. 4/5
Avausraita mainio, muuten vähän hidas levy. Kyllä tälle silti voi nelosen antaa.
Sigh…more 80s synth pop. Free me!!!! Some songs were fun, but mainly they were overly long and bland. 2.5 stars.
8/10 Another pleasant surprise. Arty poppy new wave. Extremely well produced, really nice moods. Drumming excellent. Some of it sounds like a film soundtrack with the strings. Duran Duran were clearly heavily inspired by this, it is basically their sound Best: The Other Side of Life
Alright, not terrific. Very synth heavy, good background music, would fit reasonably well into something like a street fighter movie. Sounds a bit like be more chill's music.
A bit too funky for me. Just didn't really catch me and wouldn't listen to the album again. And who makes most of their songs over 4min? 7:23 min? come on...
I did enjoy this album not sure if it would be in high rotation but I love one to return to once every second month. The lead singers voice is familiar too?
his voice is a little weirdo
You can hear how they acted as bridge and an inspiration for bands like Depeche Mode, The Cure, New Order, Duran Duran, and Gary Numan. Their track "Despair" has delicious undercurrents of David Bowie's Berlin Trilogy, particularly "Subterraneans". The rest of the album lays the ground work for the emerging 80s New Romantic, New Wave, and Goth Rock movements that will come. My favorites are "Despair", "Alien", "The Other Side of Life", and "A Foreign Place".
a decent glimpse into the 80s for being from 1979
The first New Romantic LP - even if the band denied the tag, this wrote the book for the sonic picture of New Romantics - drawn, of course, from Roxy Music. Melancholic, slightly detached vocals, bubbly synths, occasional shimmering guitars, drum machines sounding very mekanik
A mish mash of 80s sounding music somewhere between Duran Duran and ABC. Or maybe they inspired them all, I don't know it's just how I felt. Nasally drone vocals for the most part just didn't appeal at all.
A broody mix of early Duran Duran and Television. Fortunately, Japan takes the good from both and delivers a solid album of interesting music.
Eh, pretty decent but nothing really stands out.
Japan were the reason Duran Duran lamped me in 1988. I was giving Simon a bit of stick. Winding him up about the fact they are just a cheap imitation of Japan and stole all their ideas. Len didn’t know how close to Simon was to exploding, neither did I tbh. Len bundled over and shouted ‘Ken? What you doing talking to this New Wave Pop nancy boy? Shouldn’t you be doing your hair, Le Bon? That quiffs looking a bit saggy’…..well, that was that. Luckily he punches like a girl. It’s all good though, we chatted it out and he invited me round for Christmas dinner that year! 2.7
Big fan to be fair! Interesting music, nice and innovative electronica! Would defo listen to again it was great!
The soundtrack to the 1979 video game of the same name, this album has become the official national anthem of a nation.
A poor man's Roxy Music with a bass player who forgot to tune up? It would have been better if David Sylvian didn't just wake up before recording this. Can hear all the influences too much, and I can hear who they influenced, and that bored me. Flat dynamic range and the sleepy vocals made this into a chore for me. Seems like a lot of what might be categorized as Post-Punk from this era had a very droll style, too cool to really rock. No fun.
Quintessence of the 80´s so many sounds that are trademarked by that time
Meh at best with a lousy Velvet Underground cover.
sounds like white people making “japanese” sounding music? but there are some p good dance-y bops in this one
Sounds superb
Qualidade evidente do instrumental não conseguiu diminuir a chatura dos vocais arrastados e melodias entendiantes.
Off to a nice start with the title track. Has a Duran Duran-ish glammy vibe about it, but I really enjoy the synth elements and glittery guitar. Fall in Love With Me is another fun upbeat song. While it is full, it never feels cluttered or claustrophobic. Despair opens like a Beach House song (but less atmospheric) with the simple, regular downtempo electronic tambourine + drum. Really enjoy the atmosphere if this song. Not a very close listen by any means, but I really loved having this album in the background. I can get behind the burbly bass tone and synthy vibes. Will certainly have to go through another tour soon. High 4 / 5 for me.
I liked the start. Depeche Mode type singer which I don't like. Pretty ho hum album. High 2
I am a sucker for some synth-pop I have learned. This is another album that boarders very hard on being incredibly cheesy but it hits in all the good ways. All Tomorrow's Parties was a really cool song with some very interesting effects. This is a high 3.
This was like a mixture of Bowie and Depeche Mode. So naturally I'm into it. Just a fun ride through
Sounds similar to the cure or synth style 80's bands.
Wasn't terrible...it just sounds like everything else around that time. And most of those songs were way too long. 3/5
This album was not bad but one song was. All Tomorrow's Parties was fucking AIDS. All my homies hate All Tomorrow's Parties!
Some decent synth pop, a little slow for my liking.
If you put this on without telling me who it is, I'd say it's a Duran Duran album. Enjoyed this way more than I expected by the name and album cover.
A harbinger of the coming decade. Sleek, stylish and fun.
Con este disco Japan tendieron un puente entre Bowie y los New Romantics, que cruzaron infinidad de grupos durante los años 80. ¿Es este su mejor disco? Es el que mejor les representa y aunque Tin drum gozó de un merecido éxito, este sería el más recomendable por su equilibrio y canciones. Con la clara influencia de Roxy Music y de Mororoder (que no produjo el disco) por fin lograron un sonido e identidad que les llevó a la fama, aunque tuvieron que triunfar antes en media Europa (sobre todo en Alemania, aquel Berlín de los 70 les sentaba como un guante...) antes que en su casa. Solo por la línea de bajo de Quiet Life ya se justifica la escucha del álbum, obvia influencia para Duran Duran como para otros muchos (ABC, Spandau Ballet y tantos más...) La titular suena a lo que sonarán Simple Minds y demás. Fall in love with me y la lúgubre Despair a Depeche Mode, In Vogue a Spandau Ballet, Halloween y Alien a Duran Duran, All tomorrow´s parties es una estuepnda versión con esas guitarras distorsionadas, Japan supieron evolucionar desde postulados glam hacia una música más experimental pero siempre de calidad, sus carreras posteriores, tanto David Sylvian en solitario y colaboraciones como en Porcupine Tree o Rain Tree Crowm dan buena fe de ello. Otros discos del 79, el año del "Disco sucks" : Unknown Pleasures de Joy Division, The Police-Reggatta De Blanc, THE CLASH - London calling, VAN MORRISON - Into the music, NEIL YOUNG & CRAZY HORSE - Rust never sleeps y Live Rust, AC/DC - Highway to hell, PAUL COLLINS BEAT - The Beat, THE CURE - Three imaginary boys, The Undertones- The Undertones, THE B-52'S - The B-52's, GRAHAM PARKER - Squeezing out sparks, THE KNACK - Get the knack, The wall de Pink Floyd, Armed Forces de Elvis Costello & The Attractions, We Are Family de Sister Sledge, Look Sharp! de Joe Jackson, Spirits Having Flown de Bee Gees, Breakfast in America de Supertramp, Y de The Pop Group, Voulez-Vous de ABBA , Bad Girls de Donna Summer, Lodger de David Bowie, Discovery Electric Light Orchestra, Exposed y Platinum de Mike Oldfield, Fear of Music Talking Heads, Off the Wall de Michael Jackson, Quadrophenia deThe Who, Reggatta de Blanc de The Police, Prince de Prince, Damn the Torpedoes de Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers , One Step Beyond... de Madness, The Specials de The Specials, Journey Through "The Secret Life of Plants\" de Stevie Wonder, Metal Box de Public Image Ltd., Risque de Chic, Real to Real Cacophony y Life in a day de Simple Minds
6.5/10. Meh, it's alright. It's not anything very memorable. There is a plethora of better new wave out there. :)
I feel like I have a baseline knowledge of the popular 80's bands/albums so I was a bit suspicious about this one since I had never heard of the the band. The guy on the cover looks like David Bowie. The music itself was fine, kind of boring. Low 3/High 2.
Thought this was quite fun
7/10 - it felt like depeche mode the whole time. But I like depeche mode so it was a positive.
More mediocre new wave stuff
I dont love this. I am a big fan of new wave, but this isnt really anything special.
Had me. Lost me. But for what it's worth, kudos for the pre-80's eighties sound. 2
Not worth listening to the whole album
Liked a few songs a decent bit and didn't hate the others. Wasn't blown away but it is a cool link between Glam and New Wave Rating: 3.3
This is important because of when it was, rather than how well it has held up over the years. As such, it doesn't make a massive impact, but I can get its inclusion.
This was an unexpectedly good album. Engaging synth pop / new romantic from a band that learned its chops and earned its reputation for reinvigorating this genre with some much needed life. Harkening back to earlier pioneers I definitely here a lot of Ultravox in their sound, especially the pre Midge Ure Ultravox. And of course there's the usual Kraftwerk influence that underlines all the bands that aspire to this sound. However Japan adds their own take on the music making it well worth your attention. I did deduct a 1/2 star for an uninspired take on the VU classic All Tomorrow's Parties. 3.5 stars
Although sounding very Roxy Music, this holds its own in various ways. "Despair" interestingly makes me think of the them for the TV series, Westworld.
The album that revealed what David Sylvian, Mick Karn, Jansen and Barbieri were capable of. Solid guitar work by Dean as well, a fond farewell. This album has a huge warm spot in my heart - was introduced by way of the Velvets cover, and fell in love (awww myyy) immediately.
So fun and synthy! Very good to vibe with, feels alot like duran duran but more curated
Not liking this at all
A very 80s album for sure. I was excited to hear this album. I wasn't familiar with the band and it looked interesting. The 1001 generater finally challenged me. I was in with the first couple song but by the 3rd and fourth it all sounded the same. The Velvet Underground cover was interesting and would sound good on a mix tape but other than that nothing stood out to me. Hard pass.
Best Song: Quiet Life. Just enough energy and synth to be mildly interesting. Worst Song: Despair. Slower than hell, but not even melancholy enough to evoke an emotion. Overall: I've never heard this album before, and yet I feel like I've heard it 100 times over the course of this list. Another forgettable British band to throw onto the pile.
Influential maybe, but forgettable certainly.
A good album from an artist I always overlooked. Quiet Life and the cover of All Tomorrows Parties were my favourite tracks
Started out solid, but definitely felt repetitive by the end. Pretty much every song went one for twice as long as it should have - the songs were interesting to start but never really felt like they built anywhere. Inoffensive, but not something I'd come back to. Top tracks: Quiet Life, All Tomorrow's Parties
Liked it a lot more than most other new wave. Melodramatic, reminded me a bit of dogmanstar. Pleasant surprise. 3.7
There some really good tunes here! Other where just ok, but overall I enjoyed listening to it a lot.
3 - More super chill albums, I feel like I got very little out of this one though
The songs sound a lot alike to each other.
Credit to them for being an early influencer of punk music in 1979.
Can't go wrong with some solid new wave. It's interesting that they started out as a glam rock band. They sound very self-assured here even though they were trying out an entirely new genre.
Really not a style of music I like, apparently
Fav: Fall In Love With Me Least Fav: Alien Nice enough album that loses steam after a strong start. Very impressive for 1979, I see where 80s groups got inspiration from
This sounds like Duran Duran. I don't like Duran Duran.
Pretty good. Definitely has a late 70s/early 80s vibe to it. I can hear the influence it had on Duran Duran but I also think Tears For Fears were taking notes as well. Not perfect by any stretch but listenable.
A band and album completely new to me, and the sound is intriguing. Dare I say neoclassical? Some tracks really drew me in, and I enjoyed the sound overall, though I doubt it will be the most memorable listen of my albumfest. Biggest criticism from me is that Tomorrow's Parties had no need of being made even longer.
If you had told me this was a previously unreleased Duran Duran album, I would’ve believed it. That’s not a knock against Japan, as I’m sure Le Bon & Co borrowed heavily from them, but it does speak to the claustrophobic nature of early New Wave music.
I kind of forgot about these guys, Such a good listen. Totally in the rotation.
Love it.. Japan evolving from wannabe glam-rockers, to defining their own unique art-rock indie sound..
Sounds like a perfect cross between Roxy Music and Duran Duran, which are two bands I do enjoy. But this album isn't on the same level as the albums I've heard from those bands. I like the album's sound and would enjoy another listen. I'd say this is definitely a good album, but there's not much about it that would qualify as great.
Good new wave
Very very quiet life. But to be fair it was quite good. We enjoyed a decent amount.
Early hints of 80s New Wave in 1979. Will save 'Quiet Life', but I don't think I'll revisit this album.
Took me a while to get through this, not bad just a little slow and uninteresting. 5/10
I'm weirdly into this album?
This album isn't quite my speed but I'm enjoying "In Vogue". I like the saxophone in the background of the song. The song "Halloween" is pretty fun. We are listening to it on Halloween. Coincidence? The second half of "Alien" had me bumpin' a little. I don't love the vocal style much, and that takes away from the album for me. The music is fun in places, but doesn't keep me engaged. It's like a slightly jazzier and funkier version of The Cure? I lean slightly positive. I didn't have a bad time but wouldn't seek this out again. 6/10
Rating: 6/10 Pretty good but pretty forgettable.
son medios maracos, pero banco la musica!
It started out pretty decent but got worse as it went on. This album did not need to be this long, it just began to drag on. There were no songs that stood out in a good way
I quite liked this album. Reminded me at times of Duran Duran mixes with Joy Division and other times more of Roxy Music. The lead-off track, Quiet Life is the most memorable and poppiest song on here but all of them are pretty good. I now need to check out the rest of their catalog!
one of the coolest sounding albums but beyond that...so lush and full of life and bursting with love...beyond words...man...10/10
Stylish yet dated New Romantic band.
cool instrumentals, boring lyrics
Generic
2.5
This album was highly influential to the sound of the 80s, but apart from a few songs it did very little for me
Melancholic
This surprised me. I typically can't stand the new wave/heavy synth sound, but I don't mind this. It's not my taste exactly, but there's something about it that I respect. Maybe it's the guitar and bass that's still prevalent. Maybe it's that the dirt and grime of the 70s hadn't been washed away yet. Whatever it is, this is both more gritty than Spandau Ballet or Duran Duran, and less dirge-y than Joy Division (though there is some of that). Consider me impressed.
Inoffensive, but uninteresting
I listened to this a couple of weeks ago. Can’t say I remember much about it. Simpsons: No
Was glad when this one ended. Quiet Life was an alright song, the rest of the album very boring and not my kind of music at all.
This is quite mediocre. If I had to pick one track to listen to again, it would probably be Quiet Life.
New Wave is just one of those genres I’m indifferent to. Sometimes I’m enjoying it, other times I’m indifferent to it. I never hate it though. This is solid New Wave
Quite enjoyable
Zajímavé, unikátní kombinace žánrů, velmi špatně ohodnotitelné
Love new wave so was hoping to like this a lot more than I did. Will give it another listen but felt like a lot of the songs dragged on and on.
Awesome surprise
Ok, this shit slaps! Vooral de Life in Tokyo extended versie vind ik fucking vet! De muziek klinkt gewoon best wel funky, er zitten dikke synths in. Ik ken niet echt New Wave muziek, maar ben hier best wel enthousiast over geworden. Eerlijk, als band was dit gewoon een stuk leuker en ik denk dat dit weer een leuke ontdekking is. Ook het feit dat dit uit 1979 is, maar genoeg nummers nog fris klinken! Is het dan een perfect album? Nee zeker niet, het kakt heel hard in voor me van Despair tot en met Alien. Het is niet slecht, maar gewoon een beetje nietsig. Dan pakt het aan het einde weer echt op en eigenlijk, als ik heel eerlijk bent, haalt het de relatief hoge score door de fantastische opener en sluiter van deze plaat. Die vind ik beiden namelijk echt fantastisch en halen het album van een prima naar een echt goed album. FAVO: Quiet Life, Other Sife of Life, A Foreign Place, Life in Tokyo
Well, I’m scared by this album cover. But I’m on the first song and I kinda like it. Update: I didn’t hate it but I didn’t love it.
It was a pretty good album. Everyone is right on the money, very artsy Duran Duran. It honestly also reminded me a bit of Type O Negative
It was fine. 2/5
Ah, New Romantics, that was a short, but fun period. Some solid tracks on this album.
This is fine. It's not particularly good, though, and I'm not really sure its place on this list. The long instrumentals are not bad, but they don't do enough interesting things to justify taking up the majority of the songs. On the other hand, I don't think the singer is very good, and when the instrumental sections start, I'm a little relieved to not have to hear the creepy tones of his voice. Favorite Song(s): All Tomorrow's Parties
Ok 3/5
New Wave, Synthesizer Pop Ist ein wirklich gelungenes Album. Japan kannte ich vorher nicht. Werde ich mir mehr anhören
i actually liked this a lot! i got a little bored of it by the end of the second listen but the first half of the album is pretty fun, i was dancing a little bit. also between the cover of all tomorrow’s parties and a non-album track called european son…i know these guys were velvet underground heads…respect… fav tracks: quiet life; fall in love with me; in vogue; despair
I liked this! I think it started off really strong and then got a little stagnant throughout but I really enjoyed their sound and it ended on a high note with a really beautiful final track. fav tracks: Quiet Life, A Foreign Place
I was not previously familiar with the artist or album. This is new wave, but it is very atmospheric almost like dream pop. The music was fine, but nothing really stood out to me. The Velvet Underground cover was just ok. I would not seek this one out again.
Fine. Not for me. My favorite thing about this album is the opening statement in its Wikipedia entry: Quiet Life is the third studio album by English new wave band Japan, first released on 17 November 1979 in Canada.
Another perfectly fine album, some very very nice synth pop with very little to set it apart from other synth pop artists. Good but not great.
This was fine. I didn’t not like it, I guess.
Great album, trippy bass lines.
I can appreciate the music here, as it seems like this was an earlier synth album. But it was kind of boring and the singer sounded too close to Morrisey for my liking. Probably won't be coming back but I don't think it's bad music.
A lot of the reviews I read prior to listening noted the comparrisons to and likely influce this album had on Duran Duran. They are right! My golly, at times I thought I WAS listening to Duran Duran. Good album and a group I plan to explore more.
Not too bad but more forgettable English new Wave
Listened Before? N More really good 80s synth pop! I wasn't familiar with the group but now I am and I really enjoyed this one! Nothing jumped out at me as being over the top good or bad, but I could listen to music of the genre all day so it works for me! Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: Quiet Life
70’s/80’s new wave is weird. Cool Velvet Underground cover though.
I get it that this band have had influence on many later bands like Duran Duran, but for me the tracks just were too alike.
Stylish synth pop of '79. Pretty cool for the time
Very atmospheric with lots of cool riffs. Would make a great sound track for a game/series/movie. A bit too much repetition in places, there were quite a few tracks that in my opinion could be cut down slightly and still retain their overall feeling.
Ooh, so eighties! I enjoyed the first track in particular, after that it all kind of washed over me. It seemed nice enough and a bit nostalgic.
Liked the velvet cover and the rest was pleasant enough….
Better than I realised at the time
Not a bad listen
***An ok album
This album was a challenging listen tbh. The opening track, while it had drive, didn’t capture my attention and interest from the jump. I can appreciate the possible influence this album had on future synth-pop artists but I just wasn’t feeling it. Stand out track: In Vogue
I’m going to be spinning this one regularly. Sounds like if Duran Duran were more artsy and influenced by Berlin era Bowie
I took an early morning walk then drove to work in the fog while listening to this, which may have influenced my rating, but it fit the atmosphere just right and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
You give me a Velvet Underground cover and you win me over. Also, if you worked with Giorgio Moroder and shifted your style into a synth-pop style, you win me over too. And then if it's foggy and drizzly and you sing about Quiet Life and Despair, yeah, you did it.
So dramatic, and yet so bland.
Nothing special, but easy to listen to. Probably the least annoying synth-pop I've heard to date.
Not bad, but it sounds like many other new wave bands. Nothing different from others from that time.
Not catching my attention.
Surprisingly, I liked it. Something positively mystical and light, yet energetic and upbeat at the same time
The sound of 1983. In 1979. This is actually quite good. Atmospheric and easy to listen to. That’s a good thing. 3.5
I unexpectedly like this. It promises, and delivers, synthesisers fake drums and moody stylish avante-garde artists from 1979. And I read of glam to synth pop shifts. First track passes muster, unexpectedly. They have that stylish 80s feel. Then I find they develop and become even more interesting, with experimental things (and their later albums keep getting better) Conclusion: stylish and interesting and more accomplished than I expected. a taste fo some of the better 80s elements, at time have quite a grand sound. ( I like from other albums alkso the tracks Burning Bridges, On Gentlemen take Polaroids). They benefit from an extra point for surpising me. And experimentation with eastern /arabic instruments - so unexpectedly cool overall. I will be curious to find out if they are as completely unknown in Australia as I suspect
I first heard David Sylvian in a year 8 music class, when Mr Glassop played 'Red Guitar ' for us. I think he was a bit obsessed with the song, and I was heavily influenced by that and became similarly obsessed with the 'Brilliant Trees' album it came from, when I eventually tracked down a copy a few years later. It was so much harder to find things in the 80s, especially if you were a teenager without much money to spend. I also totally got into his 'The First Day ' album with Robert Fripp a few years later. But I never really got into Japan, but I can hear the foundations of those albums in 'Quiet Life '. This record really is a missing link between glam and New Romantics. Clearly heavily influenced by Lou Reed, VU, Roxy Music (using their producer) and Berlin-era Bowie, but leaning into a softer, more spacious sound that they became known for in the early 80s. Funny to hear how much Sylvian changed his vocal style from the first two albums - this softer baritone is what he settled into for his subsequent career. Love Mick Karn's bass playing; it is weird and distinctive and strangely funky, and always adds a fresh surprise. While there is a lot of Roxy Music and Bowie influences all over this record, you can also hear how much it influenced music that came (shortly) after. Songs like 'Quiet Life's or 'Halloween' could easily be Duran Duran songs (if you turned up the colour saturation a bit), and 'Vogue' could totally be a Cure track. A bit of a forgotten band, but this was clearly a bit ahead of its time.
This one was a lot of fun and I had no idea who this artist was
Not a name that I had heard of when it comes to big New Wave type bands, but I really enjoyed this record!
Well, what a lovely surprise. I started off thinking Quiet Life is a banger but the rest was kind of meh But something about it drew me in and I ended up listening multiple times and absolutely loving it. Isn’t it funny how that works with som albums? Maybe it’s something to do with being a huge Duran Duran fan back in the day as there is a clear link there. Who knows? Anyhow, thanks generator for another great discovery
3/5
Duran Duran beta version. Like most beta versions, this one also feels a bit undercooked. Ends up sounding like completely generic synthpop.
It was okay. Started out interesting, but faded fast.
Heard it back in the day but thought another listen couldn't hurt. Again, I was wrong. Hasn't caused an appreciation whatsoever.
Sure, this is pretty ahead of its time but I’m not super interested in the time it was ahead of.
Really cool energy right out of the gate. Love that new wave sound. I’m less sold on the 6-minute melancholy numbers but the bass on “In Vogue” is keeping me hooked. I wanted to like this more than I did but there were too many slowish, druggy numbers. I liked the first two tracks though. Overall this band has an opening act vibe but I can’t see myself wanting to buy a headlining ticket to one of their shows. 2.5
I liked the first track the most and then the rest kind of fell off. It's really a shame when an album starts with a banger and then doesn't follow it up with other tracks of equal quality. There's definitely some depth on this album but overall it didn't grab me enough. I think I'll have to give it another spin at some point though.
È stato come mangiare il bianco dell’uovo. Non sa di niente ma ogni tanto mordi un boccone con sopra il sale e allora provi qualcosa
I don't think I enjoyed a single song on this album.
Felt like an unrefined, crappy Duran Duran
Not bad, but didn’t knock my socks off.
New Wave is not for me. Couple tracks enjoyable.
dang. so calm and upbeat at the same time. want to listen to all their stuff now.
You can draw a line directly from Roxy Music to this then on to Duran Duran. The guitars in Alien reminded me of "Girls On Film". Overall I liked it, though I think Duran Duran were better with a melody. First track is standout with its Moroder style synth line.
The Moroder-sequencer-bolstered title track is a standout, as is Halloween, but I have never been quite convinced by the VU cover (or their covers in general). The rest of the album is still tied somewhat to their earlier glam output, certainly more so than Gentlemen or Tin Drum. In parts an amazing album for its time, and the start on the road to creating some extraordinary and unique work.
The sound of an album that was very much made in 1985. This is a tangled up mess. Maybe that was the idea? The mid-80's were a WEIRD time for alt music - trying to shake off post-punk, and wondering what might come next. E.V.O.L. lays the foundations for the noise assault that followed. But it still can't quite ditch the Oh Woe is Me obsession. Lighten up, dudes.
While I don’t love every song, I do think “All Tomorrow’s Parties” may be one of the single best “new to me” songs I’ve heard on this journey so far. So I’m going 3.5 for this.
This is a great album. The title track is even a bit misleading because the other tracks have more musical ideas and grandeur (for example "Other Side"). It showed that New Wave and Synth Pop could offer more than just a bit of funny dancing.
booooooooring also fire whoever did the mixing on this
It's pretty middling in terms of an album you have to hear before you die. Overall, I felt like the ideas here were explored in more interesting ways or pulled off better by other bands. Maybe Japan were early in the New Wave movement, but I can't really tell why this is considered essential listening.
Interesting.
ooh I quite dig this one. Certainly a nice discovery, some of the tracks remind me of INXS and some obviously feel like new wave. Faves: Alien, All Tomorrow's Parties or Quiet Life if we're not counting cover songs :)
This was decent enough on first listen, and then I spotted it came out in 1979 on my second listen! 😳 Sounds great for coming that early in the synth pop trend! Very polished. Fave tracks - "Fall In Love With Me" is a mood. Their cover of "All Tomorrow's Parties" didn't land for me on first listen, but really grew on me second time around!
It’s okay. I can hear where Duran Duran got their inspiration - but I think this album lacks an edge
Quiet Life ‘It’s certainly crowded, I’d love to go’ I was hoping Life in Tokyo would be on here, but alas it’s not. So we’ll just have to do with a very enjoyable collection of Bowie and Roxy Music influenced Synth Pop. This has that great late 70s early 80s atmosphere, a bit of Kraftwerk and Berlin style detached neon coolness with the above mentioned Bowie and Roxy Music stylings. Duran Duran must have heard Quiet Life. It’s a great track, a super bit of new wave early synth pop. Fall In Love with me is very good too, not quite as immediate as Quiet Life but still a great bit of new wave pop. Despair is fantastic, with its modernist gothic atmosphere, and portentous piano and choir. I can see how this might rub people up the wrong way but I loved it. In Vogue has a lovely string outro, sounds like one of the Bond orchestral motifs, although this and Halloween are slightly less strong than the others, but I admire the consistency of sound and style. All Tomorrow’s Parties is a great cover, I do love the VU original, but I like the moodiness of this a lot, it suits the slightly odd child-like melody of the chorus. Alien is good, it has a creepy vibe to it, with the upbeat and poppy horns and then I love the piano figure in The Other Side of Life, a suitably atmospheric and slightly overwrought finale. This is something I never thought I’d say, but there’s a lot of great fretless bass on here. Overall I thought this was great - I wasn’t sure what to expect but I like the synth, Bowie, Roxy, New Wave mash up, lots of ominous sounds and slightly strangled vocals, and seemingly very smartly constructed arrangements. Was actually tempted to go 5, but I don’t quite think it’s in the top bracket, so I’ll settle on a solid and very enjoyable 4. 🍣🍣🍣🍣🍣 Playlist submission: Quiet Life
Didn't I just hear this record? But it was called something else?
Pretty neat new wave record. It's nothing like super exceptional, outside of that opener which is just incredible. But nothing here is like actively bad at all. Just a good listen. Excited to hear more from Japan
Like it's nice, but also forgettable. It feels like someone opened and 80's time capsule and put this on. I'm not mad at it, but like.... I don't see the impact it had on my daily life
Uh this album was okay. Some real bangers in the middle, but the alnum started weak and the drawn out endings happen like every song so near the end of the album it just gets old. But I can totally see others loving this fully, just didn't quite land for me
So Duran Duran stole their sound, but made it better. Got it.
If you had played this for me with no knowledge of what I was hearing, I’d say it came out in 83 or 84 so I can see it’s ahead of its time and probably influenced others after it. That said, I still found it fairly boring. The only song that produced a strong reaction from me was Other Side of Life which I hated for the whiny tone to the vocals, although the lead singer sounded decidedly Duran Duranesque. Best I can do is a 2.
listening to the first two tracks of this album, i was actually pretty excited. a proto-new wave album? awesome! track three is where this thing kinda grinds to a halt. the fun new wave sounds end and are replaced by boring to middling songs that go on for too long. the production is nice and the rest of the album is fine, not awful, but i don't know if i've felt more teased by a beginning of an album before.
No thank you. I don't *think* this is actively bad so we'll leave it at a 2...but it might be. 1.6
I really enjoyed this album. I am unfamiliar with the band and it is always nice to be directed to new old stock new wave.
I really enjoyed this. The vocals were haunting and it’s very of it’s time. 3*
Meh.
I keep giving albums 3 stars but I want to give half stars dammit. I'd give this a 3.5 but not quite a 4 until I've had some more listens. This is a great album I've never heard before.
I'm not very familiar with Japan, but as a fan of a lot of New Wave and post-punk music, I quite like them. This may have been a pivotal album in their catalog, but I think the subsequent album, Gentlemen Take Polaroids (1980) is a measure better. What I like about this late 70s-early 80s era of Japan is that they are bringing the compositional experimentation of prog forward with the cutting edge of synths and electronic drums. As another review said, some of this is utterly forgettable, but the parts that really click /really/ click. This is an excellent example of the moment--synth pop before the cocaine frenzy that folded into the genre in just a few short years.
New wave. Decent and ahead of their time. Not my jam.
Ok New Wave album. I enjoyed the listen, but there was a lot of the same rhythm throughout the album to the point that I wasn't always sure when one song ended and another began. Might re-listen later, but 3/5 for now!
It’s good stuff but not that outstanding to me! Yukihiro Takahashi’s solo stuff does a super similar thing but is just consistently better
Liked it!
Good. Catchy and eerie
Fine
pleasantly surprised by this one actually
Japan is one of those bands I’ve always been aware of but never took the time to explore their music. While it features a few upbeat tracks, the overall vibe is more laid-back and atmospheric. The standout element for me was the bass guitar, particularly in the second track, “Fall In Love With Me.” The bass in this track had a playful and quirky feel, adding a unique texture to the music.
2.5
STANDOUTS: Quiet Life OVERALL: 2/5; there's no need for this album to be on the list.
Boring instrumentals, flaccid bass, out-of-tune vocals recorded on a pumpkin. NNN
Not list worthy, boring, and over all bad, like what kind of a name is Japan?
Pleasantly surprised by this one. Don't know much about them but I am guessing this was an early trendsetter for the new wave movement. This album has some really great instrumentation and production, especially the synths and bass. The singing could be a little better, but it is fine. This album isn't straight synth pop either, it has some really good dark moments, which are a great mood setter and adds a lot diversity
4.0
Really enjoying the spooky new wave vibe of this album. It's keeping my interested, and the lyrics are good and haunting. Some interesting instrumentation on Halloween. Really good album overall. I liked multiple songs. The final instrumental song with interesting, with some Asian influence possibly. And some queer coded songs like Quiet Life, and Alien. Liked it very much overall!
Interesting early new wave, not really any major standout songs but I can see it being influential
Sounds like it's from the 80s but it's from the late 70s. That's impressive but that's about it. The album is mostly forgettable.
Very late 70s techno-ish
This obviously had a huge impact on what would become new wave later, but honestly I found it rather dull.
Roxy Bowie Glam yeah
Can hear the influences this has had on other artists but none of the individual songs grab me and make we want to listen again.
I had never heard of them before, some good synth pop
This got boring quickly.
Sounds a lot like Duran Duran.
Sounds like generic 80s dance music, not sure why its included