Hibari's Hi 8 - Alice Songs
I had not actually planned to do an Alice in Wonderland-themed music entry, but then I saw this, It made me think about how frequently "Alice" or "Wonderland" pop up in J-music, and I felt the urge to do a countdown. Most J-pop and J-rock songs with "Alice" in the title don't have anything to do with the book so while relevancy is a factor in determining this list, it won't eliminate an otherwise great song.
Hibari's Hi 8 is my countdown of the top eight songs or videos for a particular theme. Katekyo Hitman Reborn! fans may be able to guess why it's called such and why there are eight picks instead of ten. In the Reborn! fandom, Hibari is known as 18 because "hi" (as in "hito") is another way of saying "one" and "ba" is the Chinese pronunciation of "eight". Eighteen was too much so I relied on some word play to come up with Hi 8.
Note: There will never be two songs or PVs by the same artist on a countdown (unless that happens to be the theme). My goal is to introduce you to a variety of music so a single artist won't dominate the list.
Hibari's Hi 8 - Alice Songs
8. "Megalopolis Alice" by ALI PROJECT - "Megalopolis Alice" reminds me of a fairy tale gone awry, as something sinister lies beneath the whimsical piano melody. It's simple and almost childish yet the dissonance is unsettling. Arika Takarano's voice also embodies this paradox, as it shifts from a playful singsong to clear and resonant melancholy.
7. "Still Doll" by Kanon Wakeshima - Even though "Miss Alice" refers to a doll, not Carroll's heroine, this song would be the perfect theme for a darker version of the story. The music box-meets-cello melody transports us to a world of fairy tales and mystery. Wakeshima treats her voice like another instrument, shaping her phrases with crescendos (and decrescendos) and legatos to leave you haunted by the final notes.
6. "Alice" by Nana Kitade - Something about this song makes me think of Alice waking up at the end. I don't know if it's the sweet yet melancholic tone or lyrics like "Well it's not like the footprints/ You left on my heart will disappear" that evoke the loss of innocence. Perhaps Kitade just reminds me of a more grown-up Alice.
5. "Alice in Wonder Underground" by Buck-Tick - Even though this song is only a couple years old, it brings back the perkigoth sounds of the 80s. The timpani adds whimsy to the toe-tapping rhythm whereas Atsushi Sakurai's resonant voice casts a shadow over the cheerful song to prevent it from becoming too saccharine. The best part, however, is that it'll make you sing the word "epicurean" all day.
4. "Twist ~Alice in Wonderland~" by m.o.v.e. - This song is a nice departure from m.o.v.e.'s usual techno-rap style. Even though the screaming feels out of place, the guitar riffs make you want to headbang. Motsu's rapping take center-stage here while Yuri's vocals bring down the pace to allow us to savor the music. m.o.v.e. has proved that they can rock.
3. "Wonderland" by Kumi Koda - Koda uses Alice in Wonderland imagery as a metaphor for the pursuit of a new crush. She calls the object of her affection a "cute rabbit" (though by the end of the song, he's a "prince") and relates feeling insecure and unnoticed to shrinking. This song is pure bubblegum sweetness, and Koda delivers it with such innocent sincerity.
2. "Alice" by Immi - Immi brings Alice in Wonderland to the clubs. With an electropop sound and a unique fashion sense, she reminds me of a softer, more coy Lady Gaga. The song kicks off with a catchy hook that'll have "Dream, dreamin' Alice in Wonderland" stuck in your head for days. Immi's breathy vocals convey an innocence yet she teases in her rap, "I make it more, just now/ Ah, if I say it like this we’ll search for countless possibilities".
1. "Mad Tea Party" by D
"Mad Tea Party" is a B-side to their other Alice-themed single, "Yami no Kuni no Alice". I prefer the former due to the unlikely combo of jazz and heavy metal. It's a bipolar mixture of cool brass and a manic thundering of drums and guitar with Asagi's smooth singing descends into screams. Then we get some nonchalant whistling before the frenzy starts up again. It's chaotic (like the mad tea party scene), but D arranges the sections to somehow make perfect sense.
+4 Bonus - Alice in Wonderland-themed PVs
I didn't think it was fair to judge the PV as well as the song since only a few fit the theme. Instead of doing honorable mentions, I decided to recognize the PVs in a bonus countdown.
4. "Bloomin'" by Tommy february6 - Honestly, I expected something trippier from Tomoko Kawase or at least more pink. However, this PV contains the most traditional Alice in Wonderland imagery, complete with a blue pinafore, while adding its own playful spin on the "Eat me" and "Drink me" labels.
3. "Yami no Kuni no Alice" by D - Take us away, Asagi (who makes an elegant Mad Hatter)... to your gothic shoujo manga world. That's what the PV reminds me of, as the spookiness is never really that scary and you've got the member in D dressed in their dark finest. The sepia tint makes the PV more Victorian, which is very apropos for both the gothic shoujo genre and Alice in Wonderland.
2. "Wonderland" by Kumi Koda - Koda sheds the ero side of her ero-kawaii image in this colorfully animated PV. Wearing cute Lolita-esque dresses, she marches and skips along the path to her prince's castle in world that is a hybrid of Mushroom Kingdom and Candy Land (with pink elephants). This PV is bound to brighten anybody's dreary day.
1. "Alice in Wonder Underground" by Buck-Tick
Imagine Donnie Darko invading Wonderland with American McGee's Alice and Johnny Depp's Willy Wonka acting as the Mad Hatter. Buck-Tick proves that if you're going to do a twisted interpretation of Alice in Wonderland, you can't hold back. In addition to having snakes, butcher knives, and a ghastly figure, the PV demonstrates clever use of stop-motion animation and lighting (or lack of it) to place the viewer into this Alice's dark, surreal world.
References
http://www.nanakitade.com/nana/albums.html - Nana Kitade lyrics
http://www.jpopasia.com - all other lyrics
Hibari's Hi 8 is my countdown of the top eight songs or videos for a particular theme. Katekyo Hitman Reborn! fans may be able to guess why it's called such and why there are eight picks instead of ten. In the Reborn! fandom, Hibari is known as 18 because "hi" (as in "hito") is another way of saying "one" and "ba" is the Chinese pronunciation of "eight". Eighteen was too much so I relied on some word play to come up with Hi 8.
Note: There will never be two songs or PVs by the same artist on a countdown (unless that happens to be the theme). My goal is to introduce you to a variety of music so a single artist won't dominate the list.
Hibari's Hi 8 - Alice Songs
8. "Megalopolis Alice" by ALI PROJECT - "Megalopolis Alice" reminds me of a fairy tale gone awry, as something sinister lies beneath the whimsical piano melody. It's simple and almost childish yet the dissonance is unsettling. Arika Takarano's voice also embodies this paradox, as it shifts from a playful singsong to clear and resonant melancholy.
7. "Still Doll" by Kanon Wakeshima - Even though "Miss Alice" refers to a doll, not Carroll's heroine, this song would be the perfect theme for a darker version of the story. The music box-meets-cello melody transports us to a world of fairy tales and mystery. Wakeshima treats her voice like another instrument, shaping her phrases with crescendos (and decrescendos) and legatos to leave you haunted by the final notes.
6. "Alice" by Nana Kitade - Something about this song makes me think of Alice waking up at the end. I don't know if it's the sweet yet melancholic tone or lyrics like "Well it's not like the footprints/ You left on my heart will disappear" that evoke the loss of innocence. Perhaps Kitade just reminds me of a more grown-up Alice.
5. "Alice in Wonder Underground" by Buck-Tick - Even though this song is only a couple years old, it brings back the perkigoth sounds of the 80s. The timpani adds whimsy to the toe-tapping rhythm whereas Atsushi Sakurai's resonant voice casts a shadow over the cheerful song to prevent it from becoming too saccharine. The best part, however, is that it'll make you sing the word "epicurean" all day.
4. "Twist ~Alice in Wonderland~" by m.o.v.e. - This song is a nice departure from m.o.v.e.'s usual techno-rap style. Even though the screaming feels out of place, the guitar riffs make you want to headbang. Motsu's rapping take center-stage here while Yuri's vocals bring down the pace to allow us to savor the music. m.o.v.e. has proved that they can rock.
3. "Wonderland" by Kumi Koda - Koda uses Alice in Wonderland imagery as a metaphor for the pursuit of a new crush. She calls the object of her affection a "cute rabbit" (though by the end of the song, he's a "prince") and relates feeling insecure and unnoticed to shrinking. This song is pure bubblegum sweetness, and Koda delivers it with such innocent sincerity.
2. "Alice" by Immi - Immi brings Alice in Wonderland to the clubs. With an electropop sound and a unique fashion sense, she reminds me of a softer, more coy Lady Gaga. The song kicks off with a catchy hook that'll have "Dream, dreamin' Alice in Wonderland" stuck in your head for days. Immi's breathy vocals convey an innocence yet she teases in her rap, "I make it more, just now/ Ah, if I say it like this we’ll search for countless possibilities".
1. "Mad Tea Party" by D
Click to view"Mad Tea Party" is a B-side to their other Alice-themed single, "Yami no Kuni no Alice". I prefer the former due to the unlikely combo of jazz and heavy metal. It's a bipolar mixture of cool brass and a manic thundering of drums and guitar with Asagi's smooth singing descends into screams. Then we get some nonchalant whistling before the frenzy starts up again. It's chaotic (like the mad tea party scene), but D arranges the sections to somehow make perfect sense.
+4 Bonus - Alice in Wonderland-themed PVs
I didn't think it was fair to judge the PV as well as the song since only a few fit the theme. Instead of doing honorable mentions, I decided to recognize the PVs in a bonus countdown.
4. "Bloomin'" by Tommy february6 - Honestly, I expected something trippier from Tomoko Kawase or at least more pink. However, this PV contains the most traditional Alice in Wonderland imagery, complete with a blue pinafore, while adding its own playful spin on the "Eat me" and "Drink me" labels.
3. "Yami no Kuni no Alice" by D - Take us away, Asagi (who makes an elegant Mad Hatter)... to your gothic shoujo manga world. That's what the PV reminds me of, as the spookiness is never really that scary and you've got the member in D dressed in their dark finest. The sepia tint makes the PV more Victorian, which is very apropos for both the gothic shoujo genre and Alice in Wonderland.
2. "Wonderland" by Kumi Koda - Koda sheds the ero side of her ero-kawaii image in this colorfully animated PV. Wearing cute Lolita-esque dresses, she marches and skips along the path to her prince's castle in world that is a hybrid of Mushroom Kingdom and Candy Land (with pink elephants). This PV is bound to brighten anybody's dreary day.
1. "Alice in Wonder Underground" by Buck-Tick
Imagine Donnie Darko invading Wonderland with American McGee's Alice and Johnny Depp's Willy Wonka acting as the Mad Hatter. Buck-Tick proves that if you're going to do a twisted interpretation of Alice in Wonderland, you can't hold back. In addition to having snakes, butcher knives, and a ghastly figure, the PV demonstrates clever use of stop-motion animation and lighting (or lack of it) to place the viewer into this Alice's dark, surreal world.
References
http://www.nanakitade.com/nana/albums.html - Nana Kitade lyrics
http://www.jpopasia.com - all other lyrics