Reviews (page 7 of 8)
An interesting album. I have never heard of the group or any of their songs. I can hear the beginning of that's sound. I doubt I would listen to this album again but I didn't skip any songs. I will round up.
Good listen, no banger
Not too exciting
Just okay
Guess this is where Duran Duran got its inspiration from. Sadly, aside from the title song, none of the songs really stood out to me. Nice history lesson, though.
See the previous entry - this was very good on a hangover. I found it a really interesting listen, from a band I had no knowledge of. It sounded very much like the start of the 80s, rather than the end of the 70s.
I’m a fan of 80s new wave but I didn’t really dig this one. Some of the darker tracks are cool. I can appreciate the influence of this album on said 80s new wave bands though
I find the sound underwhelming, the voice whiney. There were some aspects of the title track that I found appealing, but the charm wore off quickly in subsequent tracks. And seriously, who just names their band after another country?
This is quite an accomplishment for 1979. Leading the way towards a transition to the electronic sound that would come to dominate pop music in the 80s. I'm sure the Velvet Underground cover is done with reverence, but I think it takes the album down a notch.
Probably have heard songs by this group but never knew it. Very 80s new-wave. Some neat parts but overall it does not interest me. Life in Tokyo and Quiet Life are the better tracks. You can definitely hear the Giorgio Moroder influence on the bass in Life in Tokyo.
Very progressive and ahead of its time for 1979. That still wasn't enough to keep me interested. I kept wanting it to be more than talented guys just going through the motions. Come on, guys, put some passion into it. These guys must have felt really screwed when Duran Duran completely copied them and then went on to be massive superstars. But this is a case of "if the songwriting were a little better and the sound a little bigger". Should of, would of, could of....
Solid synth-pop/new wave album. Easy listening and over all a fun album. 4/5
I first brushed this off as sounding like a bit of a Duran Duran clone. But then I listened to this again, and I got more into it. Sylvain's voice is a lot different than in his solo stuff. It's a lot deeper there. The instrumentation with Barbieri was really good. "Despair," however, is one of the most morose songs I have heard. I got into in more and more, and my initial thoughts changed a bit. There was so much more here. It reminded me more of Missing Persons than anything else. I enjoyed it quite a bit.
Meh. Seems like another album that is hear a lot more for context than sound. And I don't really know that context, aside from what I read. I guess it ushered in a new era of synth pop & fashion (New Romantic) that was about androgenous looks and something softer than punk or glam rock. If they hadn't been one of the first to move this direction, would this album be on this list? I doubt it. I didn't hate it but I'm not looking for more of it. Next.
I am a HUGE David Sylvian fan...I've seen him live twice (he rarely tours): 1st with Robert Fripp touring for their album "The First Day" and then 2nd on his Everything and Nothing tour (which to this day I still consider the best vibe I've ever felt at a concert, both the performers and the audience). His solo work is much more atmospheric and mature compared to his work with Japan, but there's a lot of good stuff with Japan. The knock against them on this album is there's still a lot of similarity to some other acts like Roxy Music and Bowie. Plus, Sylvian still had shades of the more "punky/glam" singing style he used on their two earlier albums before embracing his deeper voice. But there's lots to like here - Mick Karn's amazing fretless bass (particularly on In Vogue), Richard Barbieri's atmospheric keys (it's easy to recognize his sound if you're a fan of Porcupine Tree, a band that should be so much better known), Steve Jansen's subtle drumming, and of course Sylvian's voice. The band just gets better and better from here and then David Sylvian went off on his own and created some amazing, varied music. If you want to hear the best of David Sylvian, listen to songs like "Wave", "Orpheus", "God's Monkey" (with Fripp), and "Forbidden Colours" (w/ Ryuichi Sakamoto).
Not very impressed by this. I like the synths that are on some of the songs, but not much else. It's about average I'd say, though. Certainly not the worst music I've heard.
Cool, kinda nondescript
Спокойный, очень слушабельный とても凄い
This is a very 80's sounding album for a 70's album. It's aight I guess. The instrumentation and use of synths and electronic music are neat; especially for the time. Nothing really jumps out at me though. This is a solid 3/5
I think this album is respectfully a 3, I think a lot of my past 4s could've been 3s, 3s 2s, & 2s 1s. I liked the synthpop, but it didn't knock me away. Maybe it'll grow on me? I'd listen to this over a lot of other stuff though. BT - Despair - In Vogue - Halloween - Alien - The Other Side of Life
Despair sounds like something from Twin Peaks, I feel that I need to be in a certain mood and time to listen to this probably. Quiet Life is definitely the best song.
Good
Eighties new wave in the late 1970s. Yep, I can see how this was influential.
Album 135 of 1001 Japan - Quiet Life Rating : 2/ 5 Nothing here that caught my interest. I'm assuming the band was an influence on Duran Duran. Quiet similar. If I have to choose, I'll take the latter.
I liked this more than I thought I would.
Really enjoyed ‘Quiet Life’ and that might have set my expectations a little bit high for the rest of the album but the rest was really just quite forgettable.
Not entirely unpleasant
As moody as the cover suggests
1/8, 13%
Title track raised hopes - really interesting forerunner of Duran Duran & the others. But the rest of the album was painful, especially the shockingly bad cover of ATP.
I'm sure that this is someone's favorite album. I am not that person. The only saving grace is a decent velvet underground cover. 2/5
This is one of the most intensely 80s albums ever
Meh
Need to give this a better listen later - liked it tho
No prior exposure, but there may have been a good reason for that. Overall nothing special. 2/5
Only 1 good song I enjoyed on here, the rest was very meh
This album sounds 5 years ahead of its time. Totally the foundation for acts like O.M.D. and even Culture Club. Good set of songs and I actually love the Velvet Underground cover.
Duran Duran with bad vocals. This must have been unique in 1979 - before the whole New Romantic thing went mainstream. And maybe it's just because of the band name, I can't help but draw a dotted line between this record and Japanese visual kei.
Ok
OK album.
Fine. Very forgettable though.
More delicate than I had expceted.
Brooding early goth edm?
1001 hardly
Listen to the songs Rio and Quiet Life back to back. The copying is insane.
Mehhh I see the appeal, but it is not me
A synthy new wave jaunt, a good example and a fun one as well.
Man, what is it with these wave bands? New wave, darkwave, synthwave... they all sound exactly the same. Sine/saw synth over cheap-sounding drums, overly-dramatic lyrics that are also somehow super shallow, and that vocal style... whatever that is. You know what I'm talking about. Every wave band vocalist sounds exactly the same. There are SO MANY albums that sound exactly like this on the list. We don't need so damn many. I'm super over it. Mandatory 1-star deduction for unnecessary saxophones.
Glorious start of 1980s in music. “In vogue” is a pure brilliant. Do they know this music is in vogue again?
day 37. At first I thought this was pretty generic 80’s new wave, but I appreciated it more as the album went on and the dark, foreboding, spooky vibes came out more. I probably still wouldn’t think to come back to this, but there was some good stuff here. also, having not listened to Velvet Underground before, All Tomorrow’s Parties was new for me … I listened to both and liked Japan’s version better, but found it to be a boring song overall. faves - Halloween, Alien, Despair 3/5 overall it was fine
With the exception of the Velvet Underground cover, which sucked, this was an awesome surprise. I was expecting some Talking Heads bullshit, Blondie bullshit, but this was spooky evil and great.
first listen so boring
Duran Duran BEFORE there was a Duran Duran. Wild. This is not what I was expecting. What a good album! It starts with Quiet Again (the single from the album). It is probably the least interesting song on the album. The album gets better from there. Fall in love with Me is pretty good. It has that Duran Duran sound but also some other 80s bands. The song Despair. Is slow and unbelievably amazing. The first think I thought of was how it sounded like Linkin Park (or how Linkin Park sounds like this). It is my absolute favorite song on the album. The haunting melody sucks me right in. It's nearly six minutes long and I didn't want it to end.... In Vogue isn't nearly as exciting or haunting, but it is a solid song. Halloween starts the second side. More Duran Duran sound. Of course, Japan was several years ahead of Duran Duran - so don't get me wrong... I'm not saying THEY sound like Duran Duran....vice versa... All Tomorrow's Parties was the second single from the album. It is a song originally done by the Velvet Underground and Nico. So, it may be familiar to some. Next is Alien and concludes with The Other Side of Life. Alien is kind of forgettable, but the Other Side of Life has a soft and melancholy melody. I am a sucker for the slow stuff and this one just captured me. Will I listen to this again and again? Yes. Did it belong on this list. Yes, I am so glad it was. 4/5
Soft, mélodieux, style particulier un peu pop. Me donne des vibes Killers/30 Seconds to Mars. New wave romantique. Moins de tounes accrocheuses que je l'aurais pensé. S'écoute bien, mais pas mémorable.
This album came out over years before Duran Duran hit the music scene. When I first heard the album, I thought they were just a Duran Duran copycat.... uh, maybe it is the other way around. This album is quiet excellent! Standouts: Rating: 3.5
it drags a bit but it creates its own world convincingly and bridges the gap between roxy & bauhaus
What starts as generic wavy synthpop develops an interesting minimalist use of sounds to create a mysterious aura. The songs themselves do not strike you to be outstanding und songwriting but the stripped-down-to-essence approach is certainly appealing 3.4
2.5
When I listened to the first track, my first thought was "not another funky/new wavy stuff" as this usually is not my thing. But I later on I noticed that the funkiness actually makes the songs pretty good. 3/5
i love synth.
Very good. Very 80s
I really enjoyed this! I'd never heard of Japan before and now I'm glad to have. I found the vocals a little samey, and quite stiff in that deep new wave way, but otherwise the instrumentation was really great. Stand out tracks: All Tomorrow's Parties, The Other Side of Life
Wikipediugreinin talar um að þetta sé allt saman mjög Low-era Bowie inspírerað. Ég heyri ekkert nema Roxy Music sem inspó. Quiet Life er Both ends burning vol. 2, með smá Manifesto soundi í leiðinni. Ekki leiðinlegt en ekki mjög eftirminnilegt.
Rating: 6/10 Best songs: Quiet life, Fall in love with me
Eh, ok background music. 7/10
som nask, meio sombriozao rico em sonoridade, alguns sopros e coisarada (diz q é new wave)
I used to love Japan back in the day. David Sylvian was very pretty to look at and the songs seemed so different. Listening now is a different experience. That cover of All Tomorrow’s Parties is an absolute travesty and should not exist. A Quiet Life is still a good song and the album is decent. What seemed so different and exciting then has slightly lost its lustre though.
I hear the same influences in this music as I do in Duran Duran’s. Definitely Bowie. And The Velvet Underground…as evidenced in the cover ‘All Tomorrow’s Parties’. I love it.
As a big fan of early Duran Duran, this sounded like a playbook for the start of that band. Both get compared to Roxy Music, but I hear a much more direct line from Japan to DD. The vocalist, in particular, and the sequenced synths, were reminiscent. The sax hearkened to Bowie — but this band seems lodged right in the midst of these glamorous pop stalwarts of the '70s–'80s. For that reason, this was an understandable inclusion. But I found the songwriting a bit lackluster and the musicianship also subdued — hard to tell if that was a product of choice or limitation. So I enjoyed this well enough but wasn't exactly wowed by it.
Very cool. Never heard this before. It's like the missing link between Roxy Music and Duran Duran that I never knew I wanted in my life. And although David Sylvian doesn't have the melodic chops of either band, I dug the sounds, atmosphere, and bass playing. I liked it enough that I listened to a few other tracks from other albums. I did like Quiet Life the best of the few other tracks that I heard, but I'll keep digging. Anyway, glad this showed up.
Another unknown-to-me band that I really dug. More than a 3 not quite a 4.
Did not like
I've always thought Japan an underrated band and although this album isn't even my favourite of theirs (Tin Drum is) it has All Tomorrow's Parties and Quiet Life (plus a real slow burner 'Despair') so it hits the spot with me. It has real Roxy Music and Bowie vibes which is a positive and of course David Sylvian's voice is like silk. It's soooo smooth. Love it.
It's pretty good synth-pop. I enjoyed it, but nothing special.
it's pre-Duran-Duran Duran Duran (edit: 3 of the 5 top reviews make this same comparison) More notable for the atmosphere than the individual songs liked the beep-boop synth (as enlightened musical academics call it) throughout \"All Tomorrow's Parties\". Didn't strike me as a Velvet Underground song but I don't know much about that band to begin with HL: title track, \"Despair\", \"All Tomorrow's Parties\", \"Alien\" May 15, 2023
Boppy but again kind of eh, I can understand others liking this but to be it's very much take it or leave it
70s synth pop 2.5/5
Totally Duran Duran vibes here. This band sounds a little ahead of their time. Not bad all together.
It's an okay album, nothing too standout. 3/5.
Interesting album. This band developed a fascinating formula for their third record based on new wavy songs with complex bass lines, edgy synth patterns, and peculiar voice mannerisms that, conveniently enough, sounds like Japanese singers singing in English (I.e. L’arc en ciel, X Japan, etc.) Quiet Life, Depair, and Alien are memorable tracks in the album. My only opinion is that shorter songs would’ve worked best.
A bunch of pretty cool post-punk-esque vibes. But also a bunch of atmospheric/orchestral vibes that I wasn't so into. I think they deserve a further listen.
Thought it might be interesting. I was wrong.
A big surprise, loved it a lot.
Rollazo.
Very interesting album and one actually enjoyed a good amount of, and am going to get more than one or two songs. For an album that came out in the late 70's, this felt fairly ahead of it's time, especially since similar style groups like Depeche Mode and Soft Cell haven't gained their notoriety yet
this just felt like 80s noise like I was in a grocery store, to be fair I didn't listen very close but I didn't really feel a desire to
Een beetje zeurderige 13 in een dozijn New Wave. Geen fan van de blazers die her en der tevoorschijn komen. Lelijke albumhoes. Een beetje meh allemaal. 2,5 afgerond naar 2.
Japan is an exemplary representation of the New Romantic movement in England, before the movement took off. They never intended to be associated with the movement, and argued to have different ideals, but their glam fashion sense and artsy synth-pop style is exactly what New Romanticism tends to be characterized. The vocals and atmospheric synths surely served as a major influence to other New Romantic bands such as Duran Duran, ABC, and Flock of Eagles. You can really hear the fusion of electronic and glam rock that Bowie and Eno expanded upon in their Berlin trilogy with the contemporary New Wave movement, but I can also hear a lot of Roxy Music too in the vocals and horror-esque mood. It's danceable with many great pop tunes, but has a foreboding presence over many tracks, with the eery lyrics and busy atmospheric synths full of strange sound effects and a sax that take you places while still maintaining the same themes. It's weird to describe, but you never leave the "world" these songs create. These long instrumentals keep my attention and certainly justify how long each track is. I never felt bored by any of them. It only has 8 tracks, so each one stood out to me. It's actually really to pick a favorite cause I loved them all for different reasons.
I don't expect to convince people that Japan are one of the greatest bands to emerge from the new wave/post glam scene of the 70s but to my ears they were. This album, their musical breakthrough where they worked out their sound, is the bridge between that scene and the New Romantics. Duran Duran came from the image and the crossover disco/new wave sound of Japan. I mean look at them. Japan would make better albums, and they would break up too soon, but from every waaaa of the fretless bass to Sylvian's new found baritone this is a superb example of a band actually doing things to move music on and looking good and sounding good whilst they did it. I think after listening to over 200 albums in this project, I'm more sure of their greatness. But that's to my ears, maybe not yours.
Not 4 me..
Very Duran Duran like. Pretty good
It's like Duran Duran, but worse!
Surprisingly good, although the opener was a little Rocky. Probably a little too long on each track to be a strong 4, but it still makes the cut.
Lovely sound! I hate the repeated tracks though, this isn't a deluxe edition or anything! No thank you.
Didn’t know of Japan before this listen. Nothing really grabbed me.
For 1979, sounded like a 1986 Duran Duran. Interesting album with some sharp mood swings (Despair). Didn’t have real staying power with me.
Not good. No need to revisit.
Good, would've been better with more material, felt like a weak finish.
There are a couple very strong songs on this, but I feel like the pacing lets it down as an album.
boffff
the 80s bits were good. real trinational time.
Early 80s synthpop record
Are we sure this isn't Duran Duran? Meh, didn't do anything for me.
Meh...
This band is an early member - or even precursor - of the New Romatic Movement from the early 80s (think the likes of early Duran Duran and Spandau Ballet). The sound is all there, but the songs are not - at least not entirely. It's OK, but nothing more. 3/5
Wasn't digging it after listening to it on a small but quality Bluetooth speaker. Threw on some headphones and the first track is slapping. That synth bouncing from left to right in the cans. Definitely appreciating the first 3 tracks more than I did the first time. Got the headphones and the post work vibes going for the second listen.
Pretty relaxing. Good but not really my type of music
I did not enjoy the singing on most of the album
Wow this surprised me
Me gustó mucho mas que nada en lo instrumental, las canciones se me volvieron medias aburridas, y no soy fanático de como canta el chabon tampoco.
es entretenidisimo y me hace pensar en aspen
2.75
Japan's "Quiet Life" album is about as exciting as watching paint dry. I mean, seriously, if you want to cure your insomnia, just put this album on and you'll be snoring in no time. It's like if elevator music decided to grow a pair and tried to be a real band. Sure, "All Tomorrow's Parties" is alright, but it's basically the only track that manages to stand out from the sea of boredom that is this album. The rest of the songs just kind of blend together into a forgettable mush. Maybe it's just not my thing. Or maybe it's just a product of its time, like parachute pants or Alf. Either way, I'm not exactly chomping at the bit to listen to it again. If you're a die-hard Japan fan, then sure, give it a spin I guess? But if you're looking for something that will knock your socks off, you might want to look elsewhere.
Just terrible
Did I just listen to Duran Duran? A more gothic, dark Duran Duran? I was surprised to see these guys came before Duran so now I know where Duran stole their sound. Speaking of stealing, tell me you didn't hear the sounds of Policy of Truth, by Depeche Mode in song #2? I really thought it was going to be a cover of that song when I first heard. I can say this isn't for me, but holy shit, when you cover Velvet Underground's All Tomorrow's Parties 3 times, I'm not going to rip them too bad. By the time you get to quiet life, you do realize Duran Duran ripped these guys off. Don't know too much about Duran, but the riffs in Quiet Life are exactly like some Duran song.... Anyway, not for me except for the Velvet cover. BTW, that song off the Banana album. And now I own a concert shirt form that very same album. I'm going to score a 2.5 for the Velvet song. Otherwise probably much lower for me. 2.5 Will score as 2
Pretty standard 70's New Wave album. Well executed and didn't actively piss me off which is nice. Outside of that not much to say. Totally unmemorable. 2
2 I didn’t realize the entire nation put out an album, but good on them. The 1979 release date surprised me, as it sounds like something that would have come out within the new wave scene in the mid 1980s. Considering the nation is responsible for things like the Walkman and Super Nintendo, I guess it makes sense Japan was ahead of their time here as well. Anyway, while it seems they were pioneers for a sound that would define the decade ahead, they’re a lot less remarkable than any of the groups that would follow. The title track was decent enough, but I really couldn’t find anything to note beyond that. No real versatility across the board in any area, with most songs blending in with the next. When it was finished, I didn’t even realize I had listened to a deluxe version of the album and had heard some form of the song All Tomorrow’s Parties three times (which I guess is a Velvet Underground cover… oops, sorry Dad). While there’s not a bad sound anywhere to be found, I can see why Japan isn’t talked about more within the context of new wave… or even really music as a whole. Definitely one of those groups where it seems their influence was much more impactful than their output.
Pop con sintetizadores. Ni fu ni fa.
Rollazo
This album is fine, but I am just getting really tired of British bands from the 80s. This is not for me.
not my kind of music. too soft rock for me
6/10
Something went very wrong with the concept of singing in the 70s. I did actually quite like some of the first few tracks.
Meh. Felt like it just kept going and going.
The first song isn’t bad but it’s also not good enough for me to listen to the whole thing
Never heard of this band before. Cool 80's sound but nothing that big of a deal?
Prima alternatieve rock, maar beetje traag. Maar goed, is al wat ouder ook. 3*
I was pleasantly surprised!
Not quite talking to me is this. All tomorrow's party's is still great though.
It was cool early new wave but no big hook
Late 70s synth-pop… yes. Sonically I really liked it. Quiet Life especially was a great vibe.
Uit de tijd dat bands zich ineens gingen vernoemen naar steden en landen. Aardige jaren tachtig-muziek, best aan te horen, en daarna ben je het meteen weer vergeten. Het heeft allemaal te weinig attentiewaarde, dus geen drie sterren.
Direct na 'Frankie Goes To Hollywood' is dit ineens wel heel lege muziek. Heb halverwege twee uur pauze genomen voordat ik doorluisterde. Ik nam de muziek niet meer in mij op...
Ik luister deze direct na Frankie Goes To Hollywood, maar dan is het toch wel wat veel van het goede met al dat wazige 80s new wave gedoe. Wat ik wel een mooie docu vond over de tijd van de New Romantics (dit soort muziek rond 1980) was Blitzed! Muziekdocus, fan van! Deze muziek, wat minder.
A less catchy Duran Duran (looking forward) or (looking backward) Roxy Music or David Bowie. Except Despair, which sounds like the soundtrack to an even darker Westworld spinoff. Quiet Life is good, it's my kind of music, I enjoyed the album and am happy to have had it brought to my attention. But ... does it belong on this list? Maaaybe.
Never heard of them before. Seems kinda synth electro rock dancy and very 80s. I guess this is new wave music? Despair was very mopey and in French but felt like a noir movie song. Album got a bit slow and emo ish at despair and continued that trend with in vogue. Halloween picked it up a bit and improved things. Little to slow but very atmospheric. Not really my favorite but well done. Wouldn't listen to the album again, but maybe a few songs. 2 stars?
Quiet Life- groovy quite laidback track. Wish the vocals were a little more prominent 👍 Fall in love with me- lyrics a lot of nothing, but sufficiently atmospheric👍 Despair- boring piano track In vogue- this wasnt a standout at all Halloween- Bit more bombastic👍 All tomorrows parties- Feel there is a bit too much going on in the instrumental for what is essentially a folk track Alien- standard synthpop track The other side of life- bit of a dirge This was a mediocre new wave album 2/5
Not a bad album.
Not my vibe
Things would get even more interesting (and completely out there in Sylvia's solo career) but this is a landmark of New Romantic / Synth. Captivating, dark yet lush and hyper-stylised music.
Kinda cool dream-like trance album. Gives me some David Bowie vibes.
Pretty bad
Geht.
This album was pretty good. I'm glad it's on here, because I've wanted to listen to it. I wish some of the songs were a bit shorter or that they'd change up a little more, but it was still nice. I'm surprised this album has such a low rating. My favourite songs were Quiet Life, Halloween, and A Foreign Place.
Exactly what I expected.
I had never heard about "Japan" (the band, not the country, of course, 🤣 (I'm so funny)), and when it started, I thought it was some 70/80's standard pop easy to listen to and forgettable. However, from song to song, I noted some lovely rock influences and even some very interesting jazzy mixed with the pop style. It's not perfect and deserves three stars, but I'll rate it with four just because of the surprise.
This wasn’t for me.
Lotsa bops, album is disorganized on Spotify. Oh well.
Meh
Meh
Never heard of the band Japan before today, and for good reason. Just some typical run of the mill synthpop. Sure it may have been ahead of its time, having been released in the late 70s, and sounding like music from the 80s, but David Sylvian's voice is terrible. He moans most of the time. By times, you can hear a lot of Duran Duran in their sound, and Mick Karn's bass playing is great, especially on the songs Alien, Other Side of Life, and Life in Tokyo! All in all, I could have gone without listening to this album. I am realizing through this exercise that I hate synthpop new wave music. Favourite songs : Alien, Halloween, Life in Tokyo Least favourite songs : Despair, Other Side of Life, All Tomorrow's Parties, In Vogue, Fall in Love With Me 2/5 (a point added just because of Mick's phenomenal bass playing)
Quiet Life, Gentlemen Take Polaroids, Tin Drum definitely belong to the list of best pop albums ever made. Sure, Roxy Music is everywhere, especially on Quiet Life, but they are much more than a slowed-down RM synth-pop clone - the songs and production are incredibly strong, and the whole concept is just perfectly executed.
Pretty good album, though not all songs work for me. The opening title track is great, but I do not like the Velvet Underground cover, for example. As far as I remember, I found Gentlemen Take Polaroids much more impressive.
Niemendalletje
Loved it, would listen again
I made it through about 45 seconds before turning this tripe off.
Highlights: A Foreign Place, Alien
I thought this was a very good showing within its genre and era. Reading old reviews it seems like it got slagged a bit for being derivative of more recognized new wave heroes, but I feel like it innovates beyond its influences. It lags in places and the vocals have that 80s synth-guy affect that isn’t my favorite thing, but overall I liked it a lot.
Kicking myself for not giving this album a chance sooner, because it was fantastic. With strong roots in Bowie and especially Roxy Music, Japan is part of that first wave of New Romantic and synth pop that would be everywhere within 3 or 4 years of when it came out in 1979. The sound is slick and stylish, but also subtly soulful and musically without any real flaws. In fact, as much as it's influenced by Roxy Music, in some ways Quiet Life is a tighter, better-executed album than a lot of Roxy's later stuff. I also feel like this is the album Duran Duran probably wish they made. The whole band is a tight machine here, but Mick Karn deserves extra props for some splendid work on bass and sax. If I have a critique, it's that the album loses a little steam on the back half. But I had a lot of fun with this one and will definitely come back to it. Fave Songs: Quiet Life, Despair, Fall in Love with Me, Alien, The Other Side of Life
Bem new wave, gostei. Melhor música: Despair
Rating: 6.6 Best Track: Despair
Super duper meh. Kinda forgot it was on.
Not much to say here, the album felt bland. Although there were some groovy moments, the mixing and vocals make it sound like a karaoke track - weirdly amateurish.
Never heard of this band before and certainly never heard any of the songs. I love the song, Despair. So haunting. At times during the album I almost thought I was listening to a early Duran Duran album. I think the album would have been better to get to know back in 1979, but listening to it now for the first time I can only appreciate how it might have been a new and different sound for its time. I think if I hear it more it is something I would definitely like. I would definitely like to keep this one around and listen to it again and again. 2.5/5
Sleek, sexy synthetic sounds
Gave it two solid attempts. Not bad but also nothing grabbed me too hard. Middle of the pack.
I bought this when it was first released and it has more than stood the test of time.
I used to love music like this, but better, like Duran Duran.
Weird spooky complex British music. Great bassist, interesting chord progression, just not that aesthetically pleasing to listen to. Easy to appreciate, hard to enjoy
love the vibe.
it’s naht good
Pop con sintetizadores. Ni fu ni fa.
Syntpoppens vagga. Stundtals bra.
excellent, la voix la compo, c'est expérimental et dingue je kiffe bcp
This was a very interesting album. Reminded me a bit of the Talking Heads.. if they were worst. I'd definitely like to revisit this in the future.
Pretty good British art pop / synth pop.
It was good.
Left remarkably little impression.
Only listened to a couple of tracks.
Alright. Different,
Great synth pop / new wave sound. Amazing album, will check out more by this group.
It was okayyy. There are a lot of new wave albums on this list that are better
Des pièces vraiment très bonnes et des pièces vraiment pas terrible. Pas un album désagréable overall, mais je me demande pourquoi mention dans un tel palmares.
I would give this 3 stars (good), but I'm giving it an extra star because I have such deep respect for the musicians involved. David Sylvian would go on to make some of the most transcendent music as a solo artist. Richard Barbieri will later be a part of Porcupine Tree.
Like Roxy Music but without the hits or the talent (bit harsh). Very 80s Brit sound even though it came out at the end of the 70s. It's fine but nothing jumps up and bites you.
Starts strongly but becomes somewhat anonymous
David Sylvian's hair.
big in japan, recursively enough
If you want to witness one of the biggest disparities between a band's earlier image and a later one, why not try contrasting Japan's early single Adolescent Sex, a late, disco-tinted and quite derivative glam stomper with a bit of a dodgy title and a video which has the band done up like a big bunch of jessies, and their later single Ghosts, a sombre, bleak and minimalist cut of New Romantic synthpop which still has them done up like a big bunch of jessies, but a markedly different breed of jessie? So yes, Japan were quite the bandwagon-jumpers, but ones which curiously missed the biggest bandwagon of their experience: punk. Instead, they were still pushing glam in 1978, and their tracks from this period didn't manage much success in Britain, so they decided to hear what Bowie had been doing in Berlin, and thus we have the Japan we all know and, er, actually, let's just stick with "know". Japan fulfilled the standard qualifier of New Romanticism: along with Adam Ant and Soft Cell, they denied being New Romantics. Was New Romanticism any good? Despite all its preeminence in documentaries about Thatcher's Britain, I don't see that much acclaim gathering around the New Romantic bands. This is due in part to the short shelf-life of outré fashions: wearing a grunge-era lumberjack shirt won't invite any comment, but styling yourself as a constructivist pierrot will have meant you have received continual howitser-blasts of "WANKER!" from schoolkids and builders since 1982. Also, robot mime accompanying New Romantic music is the most terrifying spectacle conceivable: falling off a skyscraper whilst on fire and having dozens of spiders crawl into every orifice is nowhere near as scream-inducing or bowel-emptying as two actors behind on the mortgage in white masks raising their forearms 45 degrees to the tune of Fade to Grey. The album is acceptable for what it is. It feels rather generic for the time, heavy bass and synth leads, with lyrics of alienation and glamour. Other bands made worse with the same ingredients, but other bands made better. David Sylvian, the central figure to Japan, has a very particular phrasing, which may irritate as much as beguile, but on their best songs I get what he's doing. The best songs, by the by, tend to be the slower, colder numbers (Despair, The Other Side of Life). But to explain when it doesn't gel properly, I ask the reader to consider their cover of the Velvet Underground's All Tomorrow's Parties. The original version has never enticed me, purely because of Nico's godawful voice. She sounds like a lorry reversing. David Sylvian, by default, has a much better voice. But he ridiculously tries a suave delivery which doesn't fit the song at all. When I listen to Japan, I want effeminate, dispossessed futurism, not David Sylvian acting like a cybernetic Bryan Ferry (who himself has tried and failed to perform a louche, seductive All Tomorrow's Parties). I think it's the consensus that Quiet Life isn't Japan's most feted album. Their fifth, 1981's Tin Drum, had David Sylvian include more elements of East Asian music, and this experimentalism has led some critics to vaunt Tin Drum as a standout of post-punk, synthpop and new wave. I don't really agree. Tin Drum is more interesting than Quiet Life, but Japan never rose above being a mildly interesting diversion. And with a name like Japan, you'd expect then to be a bit more seismic.
Oh, the power of retrospection and perspective. Had I been introduced to this album a long time ago, I would've quickly dismissed it as "electronic music" like the closed-minded fool I was. Now, I hear so much more in it than I would've found back then. This is a very talented band in so many ways, and this is a good album with some solid tracks on it. If I heard this music randomly somewhere with no information about it, I would not have guessed this is a 70s band. After several of the songs in a row, I definitely got a little tired of the same New Wave/electronic/synth-pop sound to the music, but a lot of albums in any genre tend to feel that way because these days I almost always listen to streaming services on random or shuffle, so other than this project, I don't typically listen to albums or a single artist.
Ok sound - ominous mellow 60s rock vibes - cool vibe but wasn’t in the right mood for parts of the album
hm
Duran Duran, Pet shop Boys and many other early electronic acts all have influence here. Some strong tracks but nothing standing out too much
It's the most relaxed of new romantic. Honestly it's very nice and cool.
Despair je banger
Some interesting pop but it bored me tbh
Generous 4. Moody music which I wasn't expecting with the synth style but could see myself listening to this a few times.
7/10 F.t.: In Vogue
It was pretty good but nothing stood out too much.
no!
I was expecting more of a spectacle with this album given the names and high reviews. It's possible the gentle and slow grooves on these tracks weren't syncing with me, and may just click with me better on future listens.
This must be my 1979 week. "Quiet Life" is the 3rd album from the English band Japan and marked their transition from glam rock to more synth-pop. The band collaborated heavily with Giorgio Moroder and the album was produced by John Punter who produced Roxy Music. Both of those influences are heard pretty heavily throughout. Another heavy influence is David Bowie and his Low album. Speaking of influences, if you wouldn't had told me whom I listening to, I would have said early Duran Duran. Their lead singer David Sylvian is a dead-ringer for Simon Le Bon. Or maybe visa versa. The bass and drumming are also very similar. Who knew there was musical line from Roxy Music to Duran Duran with Japan being the connector. Well, maybe just to me. Which is good, since I do like Roxy Music and Duran Duran; one would conclude that I would like this album and I do for the most part. I do believe there is some filler here and I do think their Velvet Underground cover of "All Tomorrow's Parties" is just OK. Original though. There are some some really songs. The album starts with title track which has a dance beat and kind of dreamy-sounding keyboards. The influence of Giorgio Moroder and on Duran Duran are both heard, which is a song about them struggling for success as well as noticing all the scenery as they tour. "In Vogue" is mostly instrumental with only three verses, sung in French, for a 6:29 minute-long song. It has an interesting bass intro, a dance beat and a haunting keyboard melody. The influence of Roxy Music is prominent. "Halloween" starts the second side with a saxophone and has a eerie keyboard sound in the background. I don't think the song has anything to do with the holiday. Overall, a good listen. This band was much bigger in the UK than in the States. I really only listened to them within the last ten years. A band definitely worth checking out if you're a fan of the early to mid-1980's synth-pop scene.
If Japan stole some from Roxy Music, then Duran Duran stole most [maybe all] from Japan. I don’t know whether this is more New Wave or New Romantic, but it feels ahead of its time for ‘79 and a big advance from glam which had got awfully tired. Certainly, this sounds like the '80s looked. Way underrated.
Synth pop lluny de la comercialitat. A l'igual que The The, van ser rara avis en el génere. No ho van ser però a la década dels '80, a la que van ajudar a posar imatge i so ja des d'aquest disc del '79, plenament identificat amb el moviment dels new romantics. No hi ha hits, i el so lisérgic, que barreja les sonoritat dels anys berlinesos de Bowie amb les aventures musicals de Roxy Music, és més d'escoltar de forma pausada i reflexiva que com a banda sonora per anar a la platja
it is indeed “quiet”. i was not at all inclined to listen to the album and it started over and i did not realize until fourth song and i was like heyyyy. so it wasn’t memorable. it wasn’t awful, it was just boring.
I'd never heard (of) this before but holy hell - i literally would have put a dollar on this being an early Duran Duran album (listen to "Halloween" especially). It's actually a pretty cool album, although I'm a little puzzled as to it being on this list. Maybe/probably because it was one of the first to adopt this sound - I suppose I just admitted as much calling them early Duran Duran. Strong 3 from/for me - I wonder if I'd have ranked this higher if I'd known it beforehand (i.e. nostalgia) and I'll probably listen again. 6/10 3 stars.
3.7 - A cool record that evokes a dark, futuristic atmosphere, like driving through a sleeping metropolis in the middle of night. Standouts: “The Other Side of Life”, “All Tomorrow’s Parties.”
Some great tracks on here. Ahead of their time and way better than their rock beginnings.
I liked this album. Very Duran Duran but mellower. Nothing that hits hard enough to put on a playlist. Made me want to listen to Oingo Boingo and wonder why these are on the list and not Oingo
3/5 interesting but not enough
Good
Really enjoyed this! Very groovy, very 80s.
Fog rolls into a wasteland with an arcade ruled by a B-level Tina Turner. Spandex and vibrantly colored leather is all the locals have to wear. Suddenly, an average suburban white boy is ripped through a portal by an obnoxious sidekick puppet character. He’s on a mission to set the people free with his Walkman only he doesn’t know it yet. To slow him down, the witch-like Fake Turner replaces his hair-band rock tape with this album by manipulating the puppet. In a moment of desperation, a young punk scrambles out of the underground sewer world, crashes into him, destroying the tape. The under-dweller takes off their helmet with a hair sweep to reveal an Elizabeth Shue knock-off. The quest for the ultimate powered mixed tape begins.
Really good and unexpectedly substantive . The sax steals the show on several cuts and this one’s easily my fave version of “All Tomorrow’s Parties.”
No thank you. Drums were all right.
4/28/2022 - ALBUM #92 https://open.spotify.com/album/0QOBJYviordwqHAgv5g9m3?si=8DymYbWOSainkUeMB8nYyA Today's Album: "Quiet Life" by Japan - This album just kind of sucks in all honesty. Now, I usually don't just write off a record like that, but this really just feels like a record that does not need to exist. The sound this band is attempting was done better by it's contemporaries like Duran Duran for instance. The title track and opener Quiet Life honestly isn't a terrible song and as far as I can tell, it's really the hit that makes this band even qualify as a one-hit-wonder. Any of the songs that are somewhat likeable on this record are typically just shy of hitting the highlights threshold of 7.5 and that usually just spells doom for a record. Tracks like Dispair, In Vogue, and Halloween have some good instrumentals backing the track, but the vocals just really are not very good. There is a definite line in this kind of music where if someone goes too overboard with singing off key, it just sounds bad. It is an art that few punk acts and even fewer other acts can get right and this album just doesn't. The track All Tomorrow's Parties is a cover of a Velvet Underground track from more than 10 years earlier and comparing them back to back just shows the lack of talent in the vocalist and even in the band to an extent. I may be biased by my current dislike of 80's style vocals, but this really is just so unbearable. The only highlight to me on this track list is the closer and to me, it's really just carried by a pretty great jam session from the band. The vocalist is barely scraping by good enough of a performance and there's enough of an intriguing vibe to warrant a listen, but that really is the extent of how good I think this group can get at it's peak. Overall, this is an act that I can only see significance in if it is the first to do it's style (which is might be) because it has just been done so much better and in such a more listenable manor than this. Maybe it isn't my thing, maybe it actually is bad. Either way, give this one a listen if and only if you are a die hard for 80s music and can tune out some honestly unlistenable vocals. Highlights: The Other Side of Life Score: 5.5/10 Inoffensive instrumentals but a damn terrible vocalist
This is not great music to listen to while fighting the fire giant in elden ring but honestly it didn’t even sound that great in general
I didn’t really like it. The songs felt kinda similar and didn’t really move me
ehh. not particularly impressed.
So 80’s I almost died.
Not much interesting about this one. Kinda glam pop synth pop feel from the 80s. Very subtle lyrically and the album feels like it drifts along. Pretty mediocre. 3.7/10
I was expecting worse, but at its best Japan deliver synthish sounds with an unconventional palette. Fall In Love With Me was the peak of said sound, but things dropped off pretty hard after that: Some experiments with form at the end weren't enough to justify the song lengths.
Bog standard new wave/new romantic gumpf. Someone had been listening to Roxy Music but the tunes juts aren't as good. Best Tracks: Quiet Life; Fall In Love With Me; In Vogue
Nice instrumental
This was... pretty decent for 80s synth pop that i'd never heard of.
Terrible version of All Tomorrow's parties. Never have liked Kahn's fretless bass playing. Sylvian's voice is very wearing over the course of a whole album. Not really stood the test of time
Didn't like...in my opinion the worst part of 80s music
Didn't know this album. Some decent synth pop tunes, some of the slow tunes were a bit brutal. It's decent probably a 2.5 for me, I'll round up to 3 since this was 1979.
Did Japan ever send a Cease & Desist letter to Duran Duran? Also, I’m not a fan of either, but I get why this was an influential (read: directly copied) record.
Interesting. Not my preferred flavor of 80s synth music.
80s synth. Not great, not terrible. For some reason the entire time listening to this one the lead singer kept reminding me of the Prom singer in the movie American Pie. No idea why that thought kept coming in my head, but it did. I went back and watched the prom in that movie and they're not even that similar, but my brain just can't shake the comparison.
I'm going to go out on a limb and say that the member of Duran Duran listened to this a lot before recording their first album. In fact, a few of the songs I would have sworn were Duran Duran had I not known. I liked this album much more than Duran Duran though, but that could be because these songs are fresh to my ears. Can definitely hear some Roxy Music influence on a few songs. I guess Japan is the missing link between Roxy Music and Duran Duran. 3.5 stars, rounding up to 4.
Very good, very different from the other Japan stuff I’ve heard. A lot of influence/ sound connections between 80s pop rock like Duran Duran- but darker. Really cool listen, will look out for more Japan!
2.5
Ever notice how generally bands named after places and locations suck? Think about it: Europe? Sucks. Chicago? Sucks. Japan? Sucks. The theory is sound. Too bad this band isn't.
op een of andere manier heb ik dit album 2x geluisterd. Het was erg lekker, relaxed en toch ook intrigerend. Japan was wel echt een band waar een vriend (John) van mij fan van was, wellicht telde dat wel mee.
Dit zijn de te-saai-bevonden b-kantjes van Duran Duran toch?
Mwah, dit ging aan mij voorbij. Stem deed me in de verte wel denken aan de zanger van Tool.
Dit had wat Duran Duran achtige elementen, wat natuurlijk altijd goed is. Mooie stem, maar over het geheel iets te traag om echt indruk te maken.
Niet heel spannend, maar prima voor tijdens een autoritje.
Really good, loved the spooky vibes.
Eh, this just sounds like a mediocre imitation of David Bowie
Didn’t listen that carefully but I actually kinda dug the mood
Nice album. It is straight 80's goodness.
This really had moments where it felt like a synth forward Talking Heads band. I liked it more and more as the album progressed.
Неожиданный альбом на 4- (7 по 10-ти балльной шкале). Не знал ничего о группе, не слышал их песен, поэтому получился вполне приятный сюрприз
p436. 1979. 3 stars Thin White Duke impersonator and Brian Ferry sound-alike steals the best bits from Roxy Music's "Stranded" and "Manifesto" and creates the template for Duran Duran, Midge Ure-led Ultravox and the entire New Romantic movement. If you like synths and moodiness then you can appreciate how influential this was. If not, then you'll get bored with this VERY quickly.
What a great discovery. This is just a superb album that I kept listening to on repeat. The fretless bass makes this album even one step better than the songwriting already does. I hear influences of Roxy Music and Bowie, and you'll definitely hear where 80's bands like Duran Duran got their inspiration. Absolutely great album from start to end with no bad songs in between. Even as a big VU & Lou Reed fan, I really could appreciate the cover of All Tomorrow's Parties. Fall In Love With Me & In Vogue are my two favourite tracks 4,5*.
03/16/22
Though I'm a fan of some New Wave, this veers more towards Techno-pop and feels a bit too pretentious to me. There are some good songs that have a bit of a Roxy Music/Bowie and maybe even Duran Duran vibe to it, so it did grow on me. The cover photo would probably stop me from listening, but I'm glad I took a listen.
This is quite bad. Unimaginative lyrics and singing, nothing really special about it really. 4/10.
Japan had an interesting following in the Eighties, but it has not aged well.
pretty good i think maybe
Pretty decent. Title track and the Velvet Underground cover are the standouts. Nothing too crazy, but a pleasant listen.
Despair Welcome to Japan, a place where the things are not as such as they said it, but it’s louder than it looks. Keep calm and listen to the new wave, this band provides such as elements as in the whole 80s sold a bunch of records and different tunes from a lot of bands, names as a-ha, Duran Duran, Eurythmics, you name it. Jealously of them to create a modern sound when their genre was quite unknowable at its time, the music industry was another, well, there were no limits of creativity and no edges neither frontiers. Across the Pacific and surfing in Indian tides, they’re on the shore with a humble group of people playing their songs, people just don’t remember them as they deserve it. B
Mostly forgettable but plenty to like. Their influences are pretty obvious but this album was also pretty influential. the syth pop/new romantic style definetly took shape in the next couple years after this record.
The missing link between glam and New Romantics. Clearly heavily influenced by Lou Red, VU, New York Dolls, 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. Love Mick Karn's bass playing; it is weird and distinctive and strangely funky, and always adds a fresh surprise.
pretty tuneless synth pop
Atmospheric synthwave from 1979. A good mix of poppy and more experimental elements. I liked it. 3.5/5.
more background fare. Quite liked Despair. Generally, not my thing. Doesn't annoy me, and not rushing to switch it off. Not a huge fan of the vocalist though.
Pretty average new wave.
Insipid. Dynamically flat, everything sounds so lifeless. Sylvian's voice rubs me the wrong way. The songwriting has no charm. The beginning of Despair and the end of The Other Side Of Life could have had a bit of widescreen, big vista, movie soundtrack cool, if the production wasn't flickery black-and-white TV quality. Piss-weak album.
Crap
No.
Not my favourite this. Think it makes the list by virtue of being seminal in doing something first (or almost first) in 1979, but a lot of people did similar stuff better. A couple of decent tracks (the opener grew on me after the first listen and Fall In Love With Me is good, very Duran Duran-y), but nothing else grabbed me.
I don't think I'd even heard of Japan let alone heard any of their stuff. The first two tracks were decent enough, the second probably better than the first. The third track changed the mood a lot. It was kind of jarring. Not that it's a bad song, it was just a big change from the first two. Very atmospheric. And then track four puts us back to where we were. The rest of the album isn't great. Track six is probably the worst. I wouldn't have guessed this was released in 1979. I would have gone much more recent than that, I think. Another 2/5 for me, and another album I'll probably never listen to again.
What a beautiful album
album is a nice synth pop album a bit on the more slow and darker side of things
Pop music that simply brings one to a dead end.
80s af, and that's not a good thing.
Decent stuff. Not extravagant, but easy enough to have on in the background. Favorite song: Alien
Terrible.
very of the times, still nice
4/5. The 80s are back baby 😎
I'm really enjoying early synthpop as I learn more about it. This album seems really really well formed for the time it was made. The production of the album is excellent. Giorgio Moroder's influence on the album seems like it adds a lot, though I haven't heard the bands earlier works to compare it to. Super fun pop album that has a lot of elements of synth music that will come to prominence in the decades to follow. This album also features what might be my favorite Velvet Underground cover in All Tomorrow's Parties 4/5
Never had heard of this group but I really enjoyed the music.
Not bad, solid New Wave.
6/10 the most outstanding thing about this album is how much the guy sounds like morrisey
6/10. Bit better than I expected.
I don’t care for the vocals and it was generally slow paced for me. I enjoyed most of the vibes of the songs though and it’s maybe worth a revisit in a different setting. 6/10
80s oversincere
This album was FINE, and by that I mean "adequate." It just sounded like the back end of a second tier Duran Duran album. When do we get to see Duran Duran on this list? "All Tomorrow's Parties" just made me wonder when we're going to get to get to see the Velvet Underground on this list. I needed to know why this album is on the list, because I couldn't hear it. It was completely listenable, mind you, just not very memorable or distinctive to me.
I don’t know if I have heard of Japan before or not…maybe…but I have definitely never listened to an album. Not likely to dig this one out to listen again. I was confused at what band I was listening to. Wait, is this Duran Duran on a couple of tracks…maybe Depeche Mode on another. The album did not capture my attention, in any case. I was often bored. I guess that none of the tracks made much of an impression on me…forgetting the tune just after it ended. In fact, I was listening to a version of the album with some bonus single-versions of one of the tracks and when I got to them I paused and thought, “This song is familiar. Where have I heard it before?” Turns out that I had heard it just a couple of track earlier on the album… Thankfully I wasn’t being quizzed on what I had been listening to.
Fun, synth-y, sax-y late 70s/early 80s pop. A clear influence on Duran Duran. Not my favorite but good enough and the right beats per minute for an afternoon walk in the sunshine. Love the cover of All Tomorrow's Parties.
Japan instantly brought to my mind Duran Duran to me as their sound seemed very similar. But I see that this was released several years before Duran Duran, so I can assume Japan were one of the early creators of this 80s sound. I started out a little ambivalent about this album. It was hard not to compare the infectious hooks present in the best songs from Duran Duran, The Human League, A Flock Of Seagulls, Spandau Ballet, ABC and the like. On my first listen of this nothing stood out like the best of those bands... But every time I listen to this I discover new great moments. It seems I had to listen a little harder to discover these moments, but they are emerging. Maybe it is just a matter of time until Japan becomes one of my staples of the synth-pop sound. I keep adding to the list of favorite songs at the bottom of these notes and it has become nearly a list of all of the tracks… My favorite songs: Quiet Life, Fall In Love With Me, Despair, In Vogue, Halloween, All Tomorrow's Parties
I dunno, I have enjoyed some of the eletropoppy stuff on the list, but this is a bit boring. Maybe I just wasn't in the right mood
Pretty good! I was surprised! Remember these from being a kid but never really knew much of the their music but I enjoyed it. Like a cross between Duran Duran, Depeche Mode and the Cure
recht fad, hab mir nix gemerkt
Den Gesang halt ich kaum aus...ansonsten so gar nichts Besonderes. Aber für nebenbei ok
I was mostly astounded to learn about this band and hear how similar they are to Duran Duran (they came out around the same time in the same country). Kind of interesting that they fell apart right as Duran Duran were on the road to super-stardom. A solid album with some strong early-80s cuts.
A band I know very little about. The opening song 'Quiet Life' is giving me Duran Duran vibes - upon reading the wiki on this album, the band dismiss being of the genre New Romantic. Crazy to learn that this band was once a Glam Rock band, moving onto being synth pop with a one-off single made with Giorgio Moroder. It's a shame they didn't continue working with Giorgio on this album. The star rating is absent for me on this album, ✰✰ from me. Not an album I need to listen to again. I would rather listen to Duran Duran (or Sparks or INXS) - this album predates Duran Duran's debut album, maybe they heard this album by Japan and bettered it.
Not good, sounds like the same song over and over
Not really my thing
Enjoyed it. Very 80's
Super enjoyed this proto new wave album
Late 70s but sounds 80s. Hated this. The Velvet Underground cover was excruciating
Meh Some vague Duran Duran vibes in the middle...
This seems like a hipster wanker's choice. Plenty of 80s pop out there that's way more interesting than this. Points for production values but that's about it.
This was interesting but not great. 3
Cover Impressions: More 80s New-Wave, fantastic. Do you like Glam and Synthesizers? If you answered yes then this should be right up your alley. On listen: Overall it's not bad, doesn't lean too heavily into the 80s weirdness but it is still there, there are some good hooks in this. I like the melody in "Fall in love with me". Giving me Depeche Mode or Duran Duran vibes, vocals are very familiar sounding but they are the weakest part of this. The more I'm listening the more forgiving I'm feeling of this after my initial distaste for what I was about to be getting into, it's not cringey and there's some pretty solid arrangements. I'm usually not one for the moody depressing stuff but Despair, and In Vogue both had lengthy brooding instrumental sections that I was just vibing with. Probably wouldn't go out of my way to revisit but I appreciated this one.