Comments | synchrostorm: SURREAL

synchrostorm

SURREAL

Oct 29, 2007 18:10

No, I'm not referring to my favorite Ayu song, but rather Avril Lavigne's bizarro appearance on SMAPXSMAP today. Unfortunately, clips aren't available on Youtube yet (wtf?), but the torrent's up at jpopsuki and boy is it memorable. J-boyband relics SMAP duet with Avril on her bubblegum anthem "Girlfriend" ... and seem way more into it than she ( Read more... )

Comments 3

dobledorje October 30 2007, 00:46:50 UTC

That does sound delightfully delirious!

Did you see the magazine photoshoot Avril did with YUI a few weeks back? I kept wondering why they didn't ask Tommy Heavenly6 to do it instead of YUI ;)

Avril's popularity in Japan is kind of mindboggling to me. I don't listen to her stuff so I'm not saying she's necessarily bad but they seem to really have taken a liking to her.

synchrostorm October 30 2007, 23:21:59 UTC

here we go! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1AK2qitLcms

yeah, I'm always baffled by what western stuff the japanese embrace. Like the "Numa Numa" song ... wtf was that about? But in Avril's case, I wonder it's because her niche of angsty teen rock is unfulfilled in their domestic market? Is Tommy really like her?

dobledorje October 31 2007, 14:09:30 UTC

Haha by the same token, up until rather recently most of what the U.S. picked up from Japan was the oddity here and there, especially as far as music was concerned (cfr: rise and fall of Shibuya-kei).

Without paying much attention to the lyrics it's hard to tell if Tommy is Avril's equivalent beyond the obvious aesthetic similarities. Tommy definitely has some angst going on in some of her lyrics but it's mindboggingly tongue-in-cheek, what with the constant references to candy and her scary movie stylings.