{"id":9042,"date":"2026-11-09T08:06:13","date_gmt":"2026-11-09T15:06:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/?p=9042"},"modified":"2026-11-09T08:06:13","modified_gmt":"2026-11-09T15:06:13","slug":"make-believe-melodies-for-nov-9-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/?p=9042","title":{"rendered":"Make Believe Melodies For Nov. 9, 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"captioned-image-container\">\n<figure><a class=\"image-link image2 is-viewable-img\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/%24s_!_MzQ!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F855ba7d3-33a9-4c35-9cef-fab363ebf5db_554x554.jpeg\" data-component-name=\"Image2ToDOM\">\n<div class=\"image2-inset\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/%24s_!_MzQ!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F855ba7d3-33a9-4c35-9cef-fab363ebf5db_554x554.jpeg\" width=\"462\" height=\"462\" data-attrs=\"{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com\/public\/images\/855ba7d3-33a9-4c35-9cef-fab363ebf5db_554x554.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:554,&quot;width&quot;:554,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:462,&quot;bytes&quot;:59300,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image\/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/mbmelodies.substack.com\/i\/223963458?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F855ba7d3-33a9-4c35-9cef-fab363ebf5db_554x554.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}\" class=\"sizing-normal\" alt=\"\" \/>\n<div class=\"image-link-expand\">\n<div class=\"pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset\"><button tabindex=\"0\" type=\"button\" class=\"pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image buttonBase-GK1x3M\"><\/button><button tabindex=\"0\" type=\"button\" class=\"pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image buttonBase-GK1x3M\"><\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/p><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>Maegami Pattsun Shonen \u2014\u00a0<\/strong><em><strong>POP FACE<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>Quartet Maegami Pattsun Shonen label itself as a \u201cneo music unit,\u201d expanding in the project\u2019s bio to include the phrase \u201cNEO J-POP\u201d and \u201cnew generation music unit.\u201d It\u2019s pretty clear what adjective they want to emphasize, further emphasized in widely spread descriptions like how they boast an \u201caverage age of 18.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Listening to debut album <em>POP FACE <\/em>I mostly hear an intersection of two lines of internet-influenced Japanese music crossing, influences clear but mixed in a novel way. This isn\u2019t a total departure from what came before towards some unseen sound, but rather a different perspective on what has been brewing in the nation over the last six year, delivered with spunk.  <\/p>\n<p><em>POP FACE <\/em>serves as an overlapping moment for the decade\u2019s dominant mutations on web-centric sound. On one corner is the part descended from netlabels such as Maltine Records, early online outposts reveling in genre freedom while also maintaining a heavy IRL community. <\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s many children of this era, though for our purposes let\u2019s zero in on the particularly thrilling and fun PAS TASTA. Maegami frequently sounds indebted to them, to the point this feels like the first time that supergroup has really shaped a younger project. There\u2019s an interest in pushing pop to its limits on the rave rumble of \u201cChobibibit!\u201d and sample splatter galore on the otherwise chipper synth hopscotch of \u201cPOP U Ism.\u201d Other songs feature heavily manipulated vocals and shuffling club beats turned daytime bright, with \u201cmeroneid\u201d covered in a layer of familiar <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=4A6KUZkZQ4g\">smoke<\/a>. I mean hell, the title is <em>POP FACE<\/em>, not far from the <em>GOOD <\/em>and <em>GRAND <\/em>variety.  <\/p>\n<div class=\"youtube-wrap\" data-attrs=\"{&quot;videoId&quot;:&quot;EOkhUAMPiBw&quot;,&quot;startTime&quot;:null,&quot;endTime&quot;:null}\" data-component-name=\"Youtube2ToDOM\">\n<div class=\"youtube-inner\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The other story of the 2020s comes from the children of Vocaloid. A generation who didn\u2019t see Hatsune Miku as a weird-Japan development but rather just a part of their musical lives stepped onto the J-pop stage, most prominently captured by YOASOBI and Ado. Yet in the case of Maegami, it\u2019s better to focus on the more rock-oriented (and, critically, semi-mysterious, as Maegami also kind of hide their identities) likes of Zutomayo and Yorushika. Sometimes on <em>POP FACE <\/em>the internet wonk drops away to reveal a deceptively melodic project clearly inspired by those two projects<a class=\"footnote-anchor\" data-component-name=\"FootnoteAnchorToDOM\" href=\"https:\/\/mbmelodies.substack.com\/p\/make-believe-melodies-for-nov-9-2026#footnote-1\" target=\"_self\">1<\/a>, with the lead vocalists delivery helping a lot (women only appear as guests in PAS TASTA\u2019s sound, whereas here it\u2019s foundational). <\/p>\n<p>When those two lines collide, <em>POP FACE <\/em>becomes a blast to listen to <em>and <\/em>a vital entry in explaining the evolution of J-pop as the back half of the 2020s settles in. \u201cDesk Pop!\u201d starts as sputtering electro-pop, but then the chorus reveals a kind of sleekness of a Zutomayo (before promptly going haywire again). That\u2019s true of the hook on \u201cPOP U Ism\u201d and \u201cIT FACE,\u201d while there\u2019s a whole side route to note about the Shibuya-kei-accent of \u201cPurapurizumu.\u201d<a class=\"footnote-anchor\" data-component-name=\"FootnoteAnchorToDOM\" href=\"https:\/\/mbmelodies.substack.com\/p\/make-believe-melodies-for-nov-9-2026#footnote-2\" target=\"_self\">2<\/a> <\/p>\n<p><em>POP FACE <\/em>isn\u2019t \u201cnew\u201d in the purest definition of that word\u2026you can hear how this quartet came to this point, and how the 2020s guided them towards this moment. At it\u2019s best though, it\u2019s a sign of how these developments have mixed and evolved, revealing thrilling new combinations that were always there but now present. \u201cNew\u201d eventually just turns into \u201cnow,\u201d though, and here\u2019s an album capturing 2026. Listen above.<\/p>\n<div class=\"youtube-wrap\" data-attrs=\"{&quot;videoId&quot;:&quot;Fmcf_Si0AIc&quot;,&quot;startTime&quot;:null,&quot;endTime&quot;:null}\" data-component-name=\"Youtube2ToDOM\">\n<div class=\"youtube-inner\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"button-wrapper\" data-attrs=\"{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/mbmelodies.substack.com\/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}\" data-component-name=\"ButtonCreateButton\"><a class=\"button primary\" href=\"https:\/\/mbmelodies.substack.com\/subscribe?\"><span>Subscribe now<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Tatsuya Kitani \u2014\u00a0<\/strong><em><strong>PURE<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>A somewhat similar combination was already underway thanks to Tatsuya Kitani, a creator emerging from the Vocaloid scene (so\u2026also a possible influence on the above, though I do think he has a bit more of a rock edge to him) and one who has worked with PAS TASTA before. Newest album <em>PURE <\/em>largely collects previously released singles and anime tie-ups, showcasing both his frantic guitar-centric side (\u201cKasuka Na Hana\u201d with BABYMETAL) and more reflective approach (personal fave \u201cLevitating,\u201d which also has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=l7hbIgnyhe0\">one of the best videos of the year<\/a>). There\u2019s a similar blurring of digital and livehouse lines, though Kitani stands out for a more ironic approach to his words, with wedding-cake-sounding cuts like \u201cWanna Live and Die with You!\u201d concealing pretty venom-laced lyrics. Listen above.<\/p>\n<div class=\"youtube-wrap\" data-attrs=\"{&quot;videoId&quot;:&quot;8aoYUxGMz3E&quot;,&quot;startTime&quot;:null,&quot;endTime&quot;:null}\" data-component-name=\"Youtube2ToDOM\">\n<div class=\"youtube-inner\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>Stones Taro \u2014 <\/strong><em><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/stonestaro.bandcamp.com\/album\/nc4kal002-luminous-alluvium\">Luminous Alluvium<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"bandcamp-wrap album\" data-attrs=\"{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/stonestaro.bandcamp.com\/album\/nc4kal002-luminous-alluvium&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;[NC4KAL002]Luminous Alluvium, by Stones Taro&quot;,&quot;description&quot;:&quot;8 track album&quot;,&quot;thumbnail_url&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com\/public\/images\/d8cb2c72-0df2-45ff-a3e1-da38ec3f3ed4_700x700.jpeg&quot;,&quot;author&quot;:&quot;Stones Taro&quot;,&quot;embed_url&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/bandcamp.com\/EmbeddedPlayer\/album=437948101\/size=large\/bgcol=ffffff\/linkcol=333333\/artwork=small\/transparent=true\/&quot;,&quot;is_album&quot;:true}\" data-component-name=\"BandcampToDOM\"><\/div>\n<p>Kyoto\u2019s Stones Taro is a master of classification. Despite releasing\u2026I don\u2019t know, nearly a hundred tracks over the last ten years, he\u2019s only released two \u201calbums\u201d in the sense of putting out conceptual works tied together by themes. <em>Luminous Alluvium <\/em>serves as the follow-up to 2024\u2019s magnificent <em><a href=\"https:\/\/stonestaro.bandcamp.com\/album\/nc4kal001-dwellers-of-the-seabed\">Dwellers Of The Seabed<\/a><\/em>, a set drawing from the depths of the ocean in its creation. <em>Alluvium <\/em>moves up to the edge of the water, featuring brighter tones reflecting the more lit area.<\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s definitely conceptual heft here, with more ambient passages helping to set the tone and create a more united work\u2026but like <em>Seabed<\/em>, the songs here can\u2019t help but groove in a way that would make isopods get loose. Stones Taro is just too good at crafting club heat, whether through the garage splashes of \u201cPrismatic Surface\u201d or the blurred house of the incredibly named \u201cTolerant Biotope.\u201d His strengths always come through, however it is presented. <a href=\"https:\/\/stonestaro.bandcamp.com\/album\/nc4kal002-luminous-alluvium\">Get it here<\/a>, or listen above.  <\/p>\n<p><strong>Yuri \u2014\u00a0\u201cUreshi Sabun\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"youtube-wrap\" data-attrs=\"{&quot;videoId&quot;:&quot;99S_9BzbHoc&quot;,&quot;startTime&quot;:null,&quot;endTime&quot;:null}\" data-component-name=\"Youtube2ToDOM\">\n<div class=\"youtube-inner\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>There\u2019s certainly still something off-kilter about Yuri\u2019s interpretation of pop on \u201cUreshi Sabun,\u201d both via the textures deployed in its more squiggly moments and lyrics that strongly suggest this is about a\u2026robot or AI or just like an iBook falling in love with a human. Yet it\u2019s also one of the most relaxed songs her and go-to producer Sasuke Haraguchi have ever put together, letting the odder details exist around the edges while letting the melody take it. Listen above.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Sasuke Haraguchi And Tukumoya \u2014\u00a0<\/strong><em><strong>Physsical 1<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>Though if you do want the weirder side of Haraguchi, he\u2019s got you covered with this short EP of Kasane-Teto-heavy experiments. Here he links up with drummer Tukumoya to add some\u2026physical drumming to his singing-synthesizer powered sketches, giving some muscle to music that is usually near liquid. Though don\u2019t worry, even with this type of percussion, the weird ways he deploys Teto still comes through, almost blurring reality lines. Listen above.<\/p>\n<p><strong>wood pure luvhear And Yoyou \u2014\u00a0\u201cHeiki\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Always up for songs that sound like they are bleary-eyed, going on like two hours of sleep by Wednesday. Both artists here bring the head-spinning feel to this short number. Listen above.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Various Artists \u2014\u00a0<\/strong><em><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/alpenseagull.bandcamp.com\/album\/-\">Sonzaishinai Supermarket No Soundtrack!!!<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"bandcamp-wrap album\" data-attrs=\"{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/alpenseagull.bandcamp.com\/album\/-&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;\u5b58\u5728\u3057\u306a\u3044\u30b9\u30fc\u30d1\u30fc\u30de\u30fc\u30b1\u30c3\u30c8\u306e\u30b5\u30a6\u30f3\u30c9\u30c8\u30e9\u30c3\u30af\uff01\uff01\uff01, by Various Artists&quot;,&quot;description&quot;:&quot;11 track album&quot;,&quot;thumbnail_url&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com\/public\/images\/c3f7bc0e-36e9-41b2-9e45-7941300beed7_700x700.jpeg&quot;,&quot;author&quot;:&quot;\u3055\u3081\u3053\u3046\u3082\u308a \/ samekoumori&quot;,&quot;embed_url&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/bandcamp.com\/EmbeddedPlayer\/album=658306476\/size=large\/bgcol=ffffff\/linkcol=333333\/artwork=small\/transparent=true\/&quot;,&quot;is_album&quot;:true}\" data-component-name=\"BandcampToDOM\"><\/div>\n<p>One of the biggest threats AI poses for art at large is an erasure of charming jankiness. Generative AI tends to create something very\u2026bland and familiar, at least when it isn\u2019t <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/interactive\/2026\/10\/06\/technology\/ai-slop-food-images-restaurant-menus.html?eafs_enabled=false\">creating food the Cenobites might eat<\/a>. The biggest problem I find with AI stuff is how, despite being this paradigm-shifting technology that will ruin the entire world or save it, none of it has any tension or character! What we lose are shitty hand drawn menus, silly commercials made on a shoestring budget, or in-store music full of amateur shine. It\u2019s too smooth.<\/p>\n<p>So salute to the folks behind this compilation featuring imagined supermarket music. There\u2019s been a lot of experiments in this space before \u2014\u00a020-year anniversary of <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=-7JSooWRj0k\">MUSIC FOR SUPERMARKET<\/a> <\/em>in 2027 \u2014\u00a0but I\u2019ve long tied those to a mix of vaporwave glee or city-pop-ish nostalgia experiments. While that certainly creeps into this one, I\u2019d give this collection the nod of first to make me start thinking about the place of silly BGM in an AI world, where something far more polished but less interesting than the chunky keyboard melodies and MIDI interpretations of rock imagined here thrive. Bonus points for Vocaloid, an antithesis to AI-generation and a nice touch. <a href=\"https:\/\/alpenseagull.bandcamp.com\/album\/-\">Get it here<\/a>, or listen above.<\/p>\n<h4>Support Make Believe Melodies By Upgrading!<\/h4>\n<p>All round-up posts will always be free, but by upgrading to paid you\u2019ll get a bonus post every week. Including ones going a bit beyond just music.<\/p>\n<div class=\"digest-post-embed\" data-attrs=\"{&quot;nodeId&quot;:&quot;6b51ded8-1b00-4aac-9cd5-9c6e42890547&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;Smooth sailing for Japanese entertainment abroad in the 2020s, right? Two recent controversies, though, reminded that Japanese performers\u2026and the companies representing them\u2026simply can\u2019t wedge themselves into other spaces and expect to be embraced. It can actually backfire big time when those running the show don\u2019t understand the context of media itself.&quot;,&quot;cta&quot;:null,&quot;showBylines&quot;:true,&quot;showDescription&quot;:true,&quot;showImage&quot;:true,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;lg&quot;,&quot;isEditorNode&quot;:true,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Make Believe Bonus: Lessons From Two Major Japanese Entertainment \u201cOnline Firestorms\u201d (NewsPicks)&quot;,&quot;publishedBylines&quot;:[{&quot;id&quot;:28594,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;Patrick St. Michel&quot;,&quot;bio&quot;:&quot;Freelance writer in Tokyo&quot;,&quot;photo_url&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/$s_!_hBR!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F86987a4b-7dc4-468a-a2e3-8d50ec328afb_400x400.jpeg&quot;,&quot;is_guest&quot;:false,&quot;bestseller_tier&quot;:null}],&quot;post_date&quot;:&quot;2026-11-04T13:24:40.448Z&quot;,&quot;cover_image&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/$s_!4Zn-!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdf14e899-afb4-4c44-bebf-95b28cfed4f8_1462x1456.png&quot;,&quot;cover_image_alt&quot;:null,&quot;cover_image_crop&quot;:null,&quot;canonical_url&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/mbmelodies.substack.com\/p\/make-believe-bonus-lessons-from-two&quot;,&quot;section_name&quot;:null,&quot;video_upload_id&quot;:null,&quot;id&quot;:223464552,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;newsletter&quot;,&quot;reaction_count&quot;:3,&quot;comment_count&quot;:0,&quot;publication_id&quot;:71186,&quot;publication_name&quot;:&quot;Make Believe Mailer&quot;,&quot;publication_logo_url&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/substackcdn.com\/image\/fetch\/$s_!RVQ-!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep\/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd43daefc-8f05-408a-9061-f92693ba8bba_804x804.png&quot;,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;youtube_url&quot;:null,&quot;show_links&quot;:null,&quot;feed_url&quot;:null}\"><\/div>\n<h4><strong>Oricon Trail For The Week Of Oct. 26, 2026 To Nov. 1, 2026<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p><em>Back in the day, the Oricon Music Charts were the go-to path to music stardom in Japan. Acts of all sorts traversed these lands, trying to sell as many CDs as possible in order to land a good ranking on a chart choosing to only count physical sales, even as the Internet came to be and the number of versions offered for sale got ridiculous. Today, with the country finally in on digital, these roads are more barren and only looked at by the most fanatic of supporters needing something to celebrate. Yet every week, a new song sells enough plastic to take the top spot. So let\u2019s take a trip down\u2026the Oricon Trail.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong>NGT48 \u2014\u00a0\u201cKaze No Kataomoi\u201d (68,528 Copies Sold)<\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"youtube-wrap\" data-attrs=\"{&quot;videoId&quot;:&quot;jG8xTjpRM-c&quot;,&quot;startTime&quot;:null,&quot;endTime&quot;:null}\" data-component-name=\"Youtube2ToDOM\">\n<div class=\"youtube-inner\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Lots of fun narratives to explore in female idol music this year, including among all the numbered groups. Yet with NGT48 the only place I can ever arrive on is \u201chow are they still going?\u201d I\u2019m not even talking about <a href=\"https:\/\/mainichi.jp\/english\/articles\/20190424\/p2a\/00m\/0na\/014000c\">past to-dos<\/a> with that\u2026just like, there\u2019s nothing interesting about them musically or thematically. Even topping Oricon comes during a down week, and they have easily the lowest numbers of any -48 outfit going. The most neat-o detail about NGT48 is they are in Niigata. That\u2019s it, and it\u2019s something they don\u2019t really lean into. Instead, just unrequited love and rehashed idol templates. Credit for surviving though. Listen above.<\/p>\n<h4>News And Views<\/h4>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<p>Easily most important news of the week\u2026<a href=\"https:\/\/mainichi.jp\/english\/articles\/20261108\/p2g\/00m\/0et\/029000c\">Nocchi got married<\/a>!!!! The Perfume member tied the knot with actor Kento Shibuya. All eyes on Kashiyuka\u2026<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>Lots of Kohaku buzz as the NHK year-end bonanza comes into view. Tabloids have reported that <a href=\"https:\/\/news.yahoo.co.jp\/pickup\/6601600\">Takanori Nishikawa<\/a> (aka T.M. Revolution), <a href=\"https:\/\/news.yahoo.co.jp\/articles\/e6de3272df2be94f6bc9f8bc0cd5b53fbaa19a88\">CUTIE STREET<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/news.yahoo.co.jp\/pickup\/6601855\">Ae! Group<\/a> are set to appear at this year\u2019s edition. Expect even more names to appear in the days \/ weeks leading up to the announcement itself.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>Seeing as 2026 is nearing its end, the year-end lists have begun to flow. In Japan, that starts with the candidates for \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.japantimes.co.jp\/news\/2026\/11\/05\/japan\/2026-buzzword-nominations\/\">buzzword of the year<\/a>,\u201d which this year includes a few music-related entries tied to Sakanaction, M!LK and Monaki. Though you could also argue that \u201cdopagaki\u201d \u2014\u00a0slang for dopamine junkies who need constant changes and excitement in their media to stay glued to it \u2014\u00a0applies to popular music too.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>Speaking of wrap ups\u2026<a href=\"https:\/\/www.theidolcast.com\/podcasteps\/episode-96-notes-from-club-mlk-feat-patrick-st-michel\">I\u2019m back on The Idol Cast to talk the year in J-pop<\/a>!<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>Kenshi Yonezu\u2019s video for \u201cLemon\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/reissuerecords.net\/2026\/11\/04\/%E3%80%8Clemon%E3%80%8D_mv_1billion\/\">became the first J-pop song to achieve over one billion views on YouTube<\/a>. <\/p>\n<div class=\"youtube-wrap\" data-attrs=\"{&quot;videoId&quot;:&quot;SX_ViT4Ra7k&quot;,&quot;startTime&quot;:null,&quot;endTime&quot;:null}\" data-component-name=\"Youtube2ToDOM\">\n<div class=\"youtube-inner\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/towatei.bandcamp.com\/\">Towa Tei now on Bandcamp<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>A\u2026<a href=\"https:\/\/www.oricon.co.jp\/news\/2491620\/full\/?utm_source=Twitter&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;ref_cd=jstw003\">kind of confusing announcement from YOASOBI regarding its 2027 Asia tour<\/a>. They announced some of the shows had been cancelled but not which ones\u2026probably because they seemingly didn\u2019t announce the city to this point? Yet they also added shows in Australia and Hong Kong so\u2026OK? When I first saw this I mostly assumed they were freaking out over having to rename the tour since Australia isn\u2019t technically Asia but no, there\u2019s something else vague happening here. I\u2019m <a href=\"https:\/\/www.j-cast.com\/2026\/11\/09519051.html?utm_source=twitter&amp;utm_medium=sns&amp;utm_campaign=20261109&amp;utm_content=news_519051#goog_rewarded\">not alone in thinking this is odd<\/a>. <\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>All of the dates on King Gnu\u2019s 2027 US tour\u2026all two of them\u2026sold out instantly, <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/KingGnu_JP\/status\/2118765362561044615\">so an additional show has been added to LA and New York<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.electricbloomwebzine.com\/2026\/11\/rize-the-bonez-jesse-cocaine-arrest.html\">Police arrested BONEZ and RIZE singer Jesse on suspicion of using cocaine<\/a>. <\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.musicbusinessworldwide.com\/daniel-hong-joins-nebula17-as-coo-as-naoki-osadas-us-japan-music-company-signs-distribution-deal-with-the-orchard\/\">Some developments with Nebula17<\/a>, the company started by former Avex USA CEO Naoki Osada.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>In a very interesting development that speaks to how major acts are approaching social media, <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/KAWAII__LAB\/status\/2117573614702936394\">KAWAII LAB revealed last week all individual member\u2019s accounts would be deactivated with only group accounts being left to disseminate news<\/a>.  <\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.oricon.co.jp\/news\/2490789\/full\/?utm_source=Twitter&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;ref_cd=tw\">Mrs. GREEN APPLE among Universal Music\u2019s best-selling acts for the third quarter<\/a>. <\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>A <a href=\"https:\/\/musicwayproject.net\/news\/detail\/115?lang=en\">concert featuring Hitsujibungako, Otoboke Beaver, and Kyary Pamyu Pamyu comes to London later this year<\/a> as part of CEIPA\u2019s efforts to promote J-pop abroad. <\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/natalie.mu\/music\/news\/697233\">Denki Groove Crocs<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<p>A <em>Girls Band Cry <\/em>movie is coming to theaters next year. Alongside that <em>Bocchi The Rock!! <\/em>prequel, shaping up to be a big year for rock-theme anime at the theater.<\/p>\n<div class=\"youtube-wrap\" data-attrs=\"{&quot;videoId&quot;:&quot;cuywy0zVBPo&quot;,&quot;startTime&quot;:null,&quot;endTime&quot;:null}\" data-component-name=\"Youtube2ToDOM\">\n<div class=\"youtube-inner\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><em>Written by Patrick St. Michel (patrickstmichel@gmail.com)<br \/>Twitter \u2014 <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/mbmelodies\">@mbmelodies<\/a><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/playlist\/6LHkRA8cFRT5ZHPABezl7D?si=e699aa0a7ee94a74\">Check out the Best Of 2026 Spotify Playlist here<\/a>!<\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"subscription-widget-wrap-editor\" data-attrs=\"{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https:\/\/mbmelodies.substack.com\/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe&quot;,&quot;language&quot;:&quot;en&quot;}\" data-component-name=\"SubscribeWidgetToDOM\">\n<div class=\"subscription-widget show-subscribe\">\n<div class=\"preamble\">\n<p class=\"cta-caption\">Make Believe Mailer is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"fake-input-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"fake-input\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"fake-button\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"footnote\" data-component-name=\"FootnoteToDOM\"><a href=\"https:\/\/mbmelodies.substack.com\/p\/make-believe-melodies-for-nov-9-2026#footnote-anchor-1\" class=\"footnote-number\" target=\"_self\">1<\/a>\n<div class=\"footnote-content\">\n<p>A potential chute too long to get into now but&#8230;whereas PAS TASTA definitely sounds like a bunch of people who listened to Vocaloid, I don\u2019t hear the influence of that world in Maegami\u2019s world at all, but rather the sound of groups that came out of Vocaloid but weren\u2019t using, like, Hatsune Miku in their music. Really speaks to how far we\u2019ve come\u2026you could listen to Zutomayo and make themselves your life but know little about Vocaloid!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"footnote\" data-component-name=\"FootnoteToDOM\"><a href=\"https:\/\/mbmelodies.substack.com\/p\/make-believe-melodies-for-nov-9-2026#footnote-anchor-2\" class=\"footnote-number\" target=\"_self\">2<\/a>\n<div class=\"footnote-content\">\n<p>Though that might actually be a secret third influence that I don\u2019t think is super strong but part of its DNA\u2026idol music. Member Zuma De Sukoto also creates music for idols, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=QiU5wNm3LYk\">including that ChumToto song I enjoyed last week<\/a>. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Maegami Pattsun Shonen \u2014\u00a0POP FACE Quartet Maegami Pattsun Shonen label itself as a \u201cneo music unit,\u201d expanding in the project\u2019s bio to include the phrase \u201cNEO J-POP\u201d and \u201cnew generation&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":[],"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9042","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-rss"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9042","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=9042"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9042\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9042"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9042"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/catbradley.io\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9042"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}