If you were to map my musical DNA, a sizable portion would be indebted to 90’s J-pop. To me, this is a truly magical time in music, but it’s rarely discussed or shared outside of Japan.
Being an aficionado of certain sounds within this era, I’ve tracked down hundreds of highlights over the years. And I think it’s time to share my carefully curated playlists with the world.
With this in mind, we have a new ongoing Bias List feature – The 90’s J-Pop Roadmap.
I’ll be writing about (and rating!) a number of singles from Japan’s 90’s pop boom, constructing a timeline of the era piece-by-piece.
Whether you’re familiar with these artists or not, I invite you to go on this journey with me and discover new classics you may have never heard before.
T.M.Revolution – Wild Rush
Released February 3, 1999
This will be the final post in “season one” of this series, mostly because I’m going to be busy writing about wall-to-wall K-pop comebacks next week! There are still plenty of great 90’s tracks to spotlight, so I’m sure I’ll kick off a “season two” eventually.
For now, it seems fitting to pause this feature with another song from my favorite 90’s J-pop act, T.M.Revolution. This time, I want to share the ridiculously fun Wild Rush. Another TMR single meant another ridiculous outfit from Nishikawa, and this time he’s dressed as a Tarzan-like king of the J-pop jungle.
The guitar riff in this one is killer, and it repeats often as a response to each line in Wild Rush’s verses. The backing vocals are also so satisfying, with a filtered texture that reminds me of Scissor Sisters (anyone remember them?) or even The BeeGees at their most falsetto. The track is stuffed with competing textures, each of which acts as a perfect foil for Nishikawa’s strong, guttural performance. And as expected, we get another clobbering chorus, propelled by insistent stabs of synth and buzzsaw guitar. Who could ask for more? Certainly not me!
| Hooks | 10 |
| Production | 10 |
| Longevity | 10 |
| Bias | 10 |
| RATING | 10 |
The Bias List // K-Pop Reviews & Discussion 
Nevermind, I can see this becoming my favorite Jpop Song of the 90’s! Totally ferocious, with an all killer no filler arrangement!
Also, I am excited about the wall-to-wall K-pop comebacks next week! ATEEZ? Take Me Home Music Video?
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So many exciting comebacks! I can’t wait 😀
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I have no idea why, but after Golden Child releasing “Breathe” for a follow up, I am still shocked by the amazingness of it happening true. “Take Me Home” just sounds so amazing and deserves to be heard by more people!
“https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s03QLBdd_PY”
But why do I think ATEEZ are just going to do this?
Please don’t fail me!
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As much as I want to get on the ATEEZ hype train, it’s just not happening so far. I see and appreciate their unique style but somehow their songs don’t connect with me? Maybe I need to delve into their stuff a little deeper though.
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I think you’d appreciate a song like Aurora by them. Or Maybe even Utopia? Who Knows, I just want Take Me Home Music Video!
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Too bad the season of these reviews is ending. Still, I found several new classics! Most notably, Koigokoro, which is one of my favorite songs of the 90’s already.
Maybe not top 10 yet (my musical tastes are very, very indebted to the 90’s), but I see it reaching there soon.
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I’m not finished really reading through all entries in this series, so I’ll be busy enough until you continue!
This one is a hit for me. I always appreciate vocals like this that have passion and energy in them to match the rock guitar and stomping beat.
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This sounds kind of like Body Feels Exit by Namie! What are your thoughts on that song? I’m only familiar with her and Koda Kumi. Do you have any songs you like by them?
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There are several Namie songs I wanted to include in this feature, and Body Feels Exit was one! I’ll probably write about her when I end up rebooting this. For now, I tried to focus mainly on acts that might be less-known internationally.
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me when its been a year and this feature’s never gonna be renewed again
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nick be cancelling features like netflix cancels shows 😩
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