While some may be quick to dismiss Japan’s bubblegum pop as a string of passing fads the idol industry has found an unlikely ally in the form of heavy metal legend Marty Friedman.

Martin Adam Friedman, born December 8, 1962, best known for his tenure as the lead guitarist for heavy metal band Megadeth is rapidly becoming Japan’s premier pop idol advocate. In his newest piece, Friedman shares his thoughts on one of his guilty pleasures AKB48’s Labrador Retriever. Below you will find a transcript of his Japanese language post.

The other day I was approached to do a series on idol vocals backed by professional music, the technique that was really becoming popular in 1960’s America, and it immediately made me think of AKB48. When you listen to Labrador Retriever, if you’re at all familiar with melodies and musical arrangements, there is a very distinct American Idol / 1960’s Bubblegum Pop sound eminating from it. It was a time of happy tunes from the United States including the likes of Bob Dylan and The Beatles. AKB48’s song just makes you feel good. It’s a positive feeling. In fact, I think that’s it’s biggest weapon.

There are many girls singing the song, and for all intents and purposes, the chorus appears to have been sung by the group. However, if you listen it through my ears, you can tell it’s only the voices of 2-3 people dubbed and stacked on one another to give the appearance of a large chorus. This, of course, is not a critism of the group, these tricks are often used by the music industry as a technique to promise a higher quality product.

Every singer is a little different. When I sing with a group there can be an array of issues including varying vocal quality or simply getting in sync with one another and this creates a sort of disharmony. Vocal overlays is a measure to create harmony and ease the discomfort you feel inside of that large group. With people like Tatsuro Yamashita or Todd Rundgren you would find they overdub their own choruses.

In the case of AKB48 Minami Takahashi, with whom I’ve had the ability to meet and work with on Shindou Moto Kyodai [新堂本兄弟], has become the key vocal track because of her considerable vocal talents. AKB48 is the sound of the current idol pop generation, they are the royal road of all of J-pop. They create some wonderful sounds that can fix your mood in an instant. Hey, why don’t you invite me to pay a visit while you record sometime?

Source: EntameNext Japan