Every year since 2012, I compile a list of my 40 favourite songs of the year. Then early in January, some of my good friends and I get together, enjoy some beverages, and watch a YouTube playlist of the Top 40. It’s so fun and I look forward to it all year. These friends are not in to Japanese music like I am, but do like some and are only familiar with it because of me introducing it to them. This can make it quite entertaining to see their impressions and reactions of Japanese music and videos.

The Top 40, of course, includes music from countries besides Japan. But for the purpose of this blog, let’s go through the Japanese entries to my Top 40 Of 2016! There are 14 of them.

I was pretty worried that Kiba Of Akiba were going to break up. They don’t play that many live shows or update their website very much. I was delighted to see that they released this video and a new EP in August. They switched up some members between their 2014 album Yeniol and this EP, including adding a female vocalist, Satoshi, to sing alongside Futoshi (though their website does not list her as being new; maybe I’m missing something). The duo make for some great vocals. I’m also a huge fan of genre-switching in songs, which they do a great job of around 2:35 into the video. Doing such a thing reminds me of Maximum The Hormone, who are great company to be with.

Click here to buy Baka Modern EP, featuring “Sacramental,” by Kiba Of Akiba

Previous appearances:

2013: “Watashi Ga Motenai No Wa Dou Kangaetemo Omaera Ga Warui!” [With Konomi Suzuki], #4

This song brings me back to great memories of the sun beating down on me at Tokyo Idol Festival 2016. I was fortunate to see Rock A Japonica twice, whom I had only learned of about a month before the festival via this video. I definitely wanted to see it performed live. At the part beginning at 1:52 in the video, many people put their arms over each other’s shoulders, formed a circle, and ran around. The circle was huge; and I had no idea what was happening at the time! You can see the group do it briefly at about 1:55. That sound bit right after the chorus is particularly energetic and makes for a nice transition. Not sure why their management deemed it necessary to replay 30 seconds of the song at the end of the video.

Click here to buy “Kyouka Shock!” by Rock A Japonica

First appearance

Momoiro Clover Z are enormously popular as far as idols go. I didn’t get into them much until this year, with this song. I love when idol songs have impressive/skillful instrumentals, and this is totally one of them. The bassline is so awesome, and there are a few different segments to the song that are unique from one another. This song helped me celebrate the end of the semester in June; it just puts me in a great mood! It is, however, another instance in which the label doesn’t upload the complete video, which is disappointing. It’s not the only time that this happens during this Top 40, either.

Click here to buy Hakkin No Yoake, featuring “Mahalo Vacation,” by Momoiro Clover Z

First appearance

I first heard this one live at Tokyo Idol Festival. Upon coming home, I searched and searched for the song (which I didn’t know the title of), but found no results. This video was then uploaded in September, and I was so happy when I watched it and discovered that this was it! If I have one gripe with this song, it’s that the bass in the chorus right after the build-up is not prominent enough. “Chichin PuiPui♪” did a better job at this, but I do prefer “Unbalance Umbrella” as a whole. “Bang Bang No.1“, which I previously wrote about, was also in the running (I only allow one song per act).



Click here to buy “Unbalance Umbrella” by Moso Calibration

Previous appearances:

2015: “Gensou Koi Hanabi“, #8

TIFKA Ladybaby have done the somewhat unthinkable in beating out their former incarnation, Ladybaby, because “C’est Si Bon Kibun” was a strong contender for inclusion. I’ve got bad luck with acts I like breaking up while I’m in Japan. Last year it was Fact. Anyway, I didn’t have alot of faith in TIFKA Ladybaby putting out awesome music such as Ladybaby did, but I was pleasantly surprised when they released this debut music video. There is still a strong metal influence and a lot of positivity in the lyrics. I do miss Ladybeard, but judging by this single, the group seems like they will carry on successfully.

Click here to buy “Sanpai! Goshuin Girl☆” by The Idol Formerly Known As Ladybaby

Previous appearances [as Ladybaby]:

2015: “Nippon Manju“, #5

I didn’t think any song from Passpo☆ would be able to beat out their single from earlier in the year, “Mr. Wednesday“, but “7’s Up” managed to do just that. I wasn’t much of a fan of this song at first, but it totally grew on me. I got so excited at TIF when I heard that whistle at the beginning and knew they were about to perform this great role-call song that I had only recently heard. What’s interesting is that this song is just a B-side to “Bachelorette Wa Owaranai“. Yukkii’s name is very wrongly romanized as “Yucky” in the subtitles for this video, which is hilarious. Passpo☆ is another fairly popular idol group that I had not paid much attention to until this year.

Click here to buy “Bachelorette Wa Owaranai”, featuring “7’s Up”, by Passpo☆

First appearance

This is another one that I didn’t take to at first. I thought the vocals were a bit odd for my taste at first, but then after a few listens, I came to feel they were odd in a wonderful way. I can’t even tell the difference between BPM15Q’s (who now go by the name CY8ER) two voices with the amount of effects on them. The song also boasts traditional Japanese strings (which I love) and some pumping bass. This combination makes the song an absolute banger. The video features the members running around Tokyo drinking alcohol and eating ice cream – not unlike what I do when I’m there.

Click here to buy BPM15Q All Songs, featuring “Hakuchuumu,” by BPM15Q

First appearance

Yurumerumo! AKA You’ll Melt More! cover a fairly wide variety of genres with their music, so you never quite know what you’re going to get when you click on a new video of theirs. However, with a title that includes “punk” in the title, you can make a pretty decent guess on this one. The song and is fast-paced, and the drums are very prominent throughout. It sounds pretty messy, and that’s part of why I love it. And the thumbnail for the video is a parody of the Beastie Boys‘ 1992 album Check Your Head. How cool is that? The awesomely titled EP, We Are A Rock Festival, has had a few music videos released from it. I think they’re all great.

Click here to buy We Are A Rock Festival, featuring “Mendoi Shindoi Punk Suru Ka,” by Yurumerumo!

Previous appearances:

2015: “Hamidasumo!“, #28

Known for their humourous punk rock style, Kyuso Nekokami surprised me with this relatively serious song. The song is bursting with emotions of frustration and angst; it hits so hard that it makes me shiver. Some of the humour peeks through during the parts when the whole band sloppily yell “agh” together. Despite not being nearly as comical as last year’s “Mega Shake It!!“, I don’t think anyone would consider such a kick-ass track to be any indication of selling out – there’s a B-side to this single that is plenty humourous.

Click here to buy “Wakattendayo” by Kyuso Nekokami

Previous appearances:

2015: “Mega Shake It!!“, #35

Wa-Suta, AKA The World Standard, get my vote for best new group this year. This song was originally released as a music card in October 2015. I myself hadn’t heard it until their performances at Tokyo Idol Festival 2016 (I had been desperately wanting to see them perform “Ultra Miracle-cle Final Ultimate Choco Beam“). They have taken an odd route to stardom, with this being the only single released before their debut, full-length album in May. The Japanese music industry tends to release a handful of singles before an album release, causing albums to be somewhat of a compilation. Not the case for Wa-Suta, though they did have the support of some music video releases, including the even more popular “Choco Beam.” “Inuneko” is super upbeat, catchy, and positive. The guitar fill during the pre-chorus “nyanyanyanya” is what initially peaked my attention at the festival during their performance of the track, which I luckily got to see an additional two times. The essence of Japan is basically captured in that one riff. Wa-Suta have the theme of cats revolving around all videos they have done, in what I would consider a somewhat ironic way. And I love that.

Click here to buy The World Standard, featuring “Inuneko. Seishun Massakari,” by Wa-Suta

First appearance

AOP broke me out of my typical winter slump with the release of “Zenryoku Batankyu” in February. It’s the kind of song that just has a “let’s get shit done” attitude to it. I must have listened to it for a few hours straight the first day I discovered it. It’s also the second opening theme of Osomatsu-san (they did the first as well in 2015, “Hanamaru Pippi Wa Yoiko Dake“). I don’t know much about anime, but I do know that Osomatsu-san has become a hit. Walk around Tokyo and it is evident. They released an EP on Christmas Eve featuring the two openings, a remix of each, and also an “AOP Medley Megamix”- I’d love to hear that! Karaoke places often have a medley for popular artists (even western ones), so I would imagine it’s in the same style as one of those. It’s a shame that the music video is only for the TV size version, but we do get a full dance video.

Click here to buy Zenryoku Batankyu Wa Yoiko Dake, featuring “Zenryoku Batanyu,” by AOP

First appearance

Don’t blink – you might miss this one entirely. You get only a few hi-hat hits before BiSH takes you on the ride of your life. This song is fast-paced and abrupt, making short work of punching you right in the gut. Raw, heartfelt emotion is really there once the song calms down a bit (around 1:03 into the video). After releasing such an in-your-face single as this, I was surprised to see a relatively soft “Orchestra” as their next single (though that’s a great track from this year as well and was able to gain them some radio airplay). “Deadman” was released in May as a single, and a slightly re-worked version titled “Deadman (2nd)” appears on their September album release KiLLER BiSH. Most differences between the versions have to do with the vocals during clean sections, and I can hear some guitar more prominently at times as well. The video is greatly done as well, with the group going around to places in Tokyo such as the Senso-ji area and Akihabrara to smash stuff up. Get it out!

Click here to buy “Deadman” by BiSH

Previous appearances:

2015: “OTNK“, #14

I already gave this song and band much praise in my previous article about them, but let me state again: Polkadot Stingray are the coolest band I’ve ever seen. “Telecaster Stripe” is musical genius. It really is something unique, something that I can’t compare to any other band I know. The guitar work makes me drool. The one thing that is comparable to many Japanese songs is that Polkadot Stingray take the pitch up for the last chorus – which I think fits in perfectly with the song. The video is spot on as well, taking you through four different visual versions of the band. Lead singer Shizuku doing cat actions in the second one briefly changes the whole tone of the video. What a song.

Click here to buy Honenuki EP, featuring “Telecaster Stripe,” by Polkadot Stingray (iTunes)

First appearance

Many years, I know as soon as I hear a song that it will be #1 for me at the end of the year. This is one of those times. My love for this song actually began quite a while back; August 2015 at Summer Sonic. I got to see Babymetal’s performance, and did not know of this song when they performed it. I was very impressed with what I described as a “90s sound.” I later learned why I thought that: Takeshi Ueda, part of the band The Mad Capsule Markets, who released the majority of their albums in the 90s, wrote the music for Awadama Fever and produced it as well. I love The Mad Capsule Markets, and this song is completely in their style. Get Babymetal, who have already topped my year-end chart before, to add their flair and you’ve got an instant #1.

After Summer Sonic 2015, I listened to live, pro-shot versions of this song many, many times. It was fantastic! I was awaiting the release of Babymetal’s second album, Metal Resistance, impatiently to hear the recorded version of this song (and the rest of the album too, of course). I was blown away at how improved it is from the live performances. Something as simple as the added guitar feedback during the three electronic notes (in the intro and after the choruses) is to die for. I’m still hoping for a music video release, as it seems Babymetal’s rise in popularity around the world has caused them to follow a more western style release schedule. They gave us two music videos for the album shortly before its March 29 release, and none since.

As previously mentioned, I do limit acts to only one song in the Top 40. That’s for cases exactly like this, where I am positive that a few more songs from Metal Resistance could find their way into the top 10. Album of the year, for sure. I was worried that Metal Resistance could be a letdown due to their newfound global popularity, but luckily, I was very wrong.

Click here to buy Metal Resistance, featuring “Awadama Fever,” by Babymetal

Previous appearances:

2013: “Megitsune“, #9

2014: “Gimme Choco!!“, #1

Links to purchase each song can be found again here:

Click here to buy Baka Modern EP, featuring “Sacramental,” by Kiba Of Akiba

Click here to buy “Kyouka Shock!” by Rock A Japonica

Click here to buy Hakkin No Yoake, featuring “Mahalo Vacation,” by Momoiro Clover Z

Click here to buy “Unbalance Umbrella” by Moso Calibration

Click here to buy “Sanpai! Goshuin Girl☆” by The Idol Formerly Known As Ladybaby

Click here to buy “Bachelorette Wa Owaranai”, featuring “7’s Up”, by Passpo☆

Click here to buy BPM15Q All Songs, featuring “Hakuchuumu,” by BPM15Q

Click here to buy We Are A Rock Festival, featuring “Mendoi Shindoi Punk Suru Ka,” by Yurumerumo!

Click here to buy “Wakattendayo” by Kyuso Nekokami

Click here to buy The World Standard, featuring “Inuneko. Seishun Massakari,” by Wa-Suta

Click here to buy Zenryoku Batankyu Wa Yoiko Dake, featuring “Zenryoku Batanyu,” by AOP

Click here to buy “Deadman” by BiSH

Click here to buy Honenuki EP, featuring “Telecaster Stripe,” by Polkadot Stingray (iTunes)

Click here to buy Metal Resistance, featuring “Awadama Fever,” by Babymetal