Non-Anglophonic Tunes

ourchair

Well-Known Member
Joined
Feb 16, 2005
Messages
13,105
Location
Philippines
I'm just wondering... how many people listen to musicians who don't speak or sing (or rap) in English?

Lately, I've been enjoying a lot of Japanese rock like Chirinuruwowaka, the pillows and Bugy Craxone. I'm sure most people would probably find that unsurprising (not just because I'm Asian, though that's probably one reason) since it seems to me that it's a common assumption that people who like anime automatically like J-rock (which is only true to a limited extent).

Anyway, I find that I'm enjoying Japanese rock mostly because they're aestheticists who are playing off of styles established in other countries, but in a rather excellent fashion that I could wax smartypants about for pages.

The most definite hook that J-rock has for me right now is that they rock hard in the way that 'mainstream' Western rock seems to have forgotten to do. Well okay, that's generalizing, but the point I'm making is that the art of the solo and bang-out rocking and unabashed macho posturing seems to have fallen to the side to be replaced by 'sensitive' rock.

Which means that most of the popular rock musicians today are almost too 'embarrassed' to rock out. Anyway, I'll only bore everyone with the details if someone cares to argue that.

But back to the question: Does anybody enjoy music that feature languages they don't understand for a specific reason?
 
There is some Japanese music I like, not the rock though, the wordy ones for some reason.

As for other types of music, I also enjoy the good Spanish/Latin Dance song and some Philipino Pop/Rap thrown into the mix when I'm writing.
 
There is some Japanese music I like, not the rock though, the wordy ones for some reason.

As for other types of music, I also enjoy the good Spanish/Latin Dance song and some Philipino Pop/Rap thrown into the mix when I'm writing.
Filipino Pop/Rap? Do tell! Examples, please. (I'm sure compound would be interested to know, he's big on keeping track of global multi-cultural tastes since he's a wannabe World Citizen like that)

Name names for the Japanese music too.
 
Sorry, but I'm pretty snobby about only listening to classic rock. But to be fair, a good amount of the bands I like are not American; They are English.

I guess that I listen to a bunch of modern Indie rock, but Japanese stuff has never interested me. The outfits that most of them wear are really creepy.

creepyasianguy.jpg
 
I can't name names, since I simply listen to whatever comes on my radio or my girlfriend's Sirius network.

When I'm writing, I tend to pick a strange station and stay with it, sorry
 
Sorry, but I'm pretty snobby about only listening to classic rock. But to be fair, a good amount of the bands I like are not American; They are English.

I guess that I listen to a bunch of modern Indie rock, but Japanese stuff has never interested me. The outfits that most of them wear are really creepy.

creepyasianguy.jpg

I don't 'watch' music. I listen to it.

I'm not being snotty, I just don't even know what half the bands/musicians I listen to look like, Japanese, Scottish, Irish, American... all of them. They could be transexual space aliens for all I know.
 
The closest thing I listen to that fits that criteria are The 5.6.7.8s, but even they sing in English.
 
The closest thing I listen to that fits that criteria are The 5.6.7.8s, but even they sing in English.

Ooh, they're good.

I like Utada Hikaru too.
 
The Pillows = :rockon: :rockon: :rockon:

Their music is about 30-40% of the reason why FLCL is my favorite anime show ever. The last time I was at the anime merchandise/Hello Kitty/general crazy Japanese pop culture crap store at the local mall, I looked for the FLCL soundtrack in their music section but I couldn't find it.

I don't really mind the fact that it's in a different language, but I do occasionally worry that I'm unknowingly singing along to some sort of tribute to transgender midget pr0n.
 
Last edited:
This might make seem gay as everyone says it was gay song but I liked the song "Dragostea din tei" by O-Zone. (Most know it as the Numba song)


I also have all the Japanese Dragonball/z/gt songs downloaded
 
I don't 'watch' music. I listen to it.

I'm not being snotty, I just don't even know what half the bands/musicians I listen to look like, Japanese, Scottish, Irish, American... all of them. They could be transexual space aliens for all I know.

Yeah...but I see these guys' faces plastered all over the internet, and they creep me out.
 
About half of my iTunes is full of non-english music.

I generally listen to German and Russian goth metal and porngrind (E. Nominae, CBT, Rammstein and Glukoza). I also have an affinity for Gaelic and Celtic musis, as well a your average girl oriented J-Rock like Dir En Grey.


I have a huge love of Yoko Kanno as well.


PS: The Pillows are made of win, I got the FLCL ultra boxed set with the included soundtrack.
 
Last edited:
The Pillows = :rockon: :rockon: :rockon:

Their music is about 30-40% of the reason why FLCL is my favorite anime show ever. The last time I was at the anime merchandise/Hello Kitty/general crazy Japanese pop culture crap store at the local mall, I looked for the FLCL soundtrack in their music section but I couldn't find it.

I don't really mind the fact that it's in a different language, but I do occasionally worry that I'm unknowingly singing along to some sort of tribute to transgender midget pr0n.
I completely agree I enjoy the opening to "Little Buster"
 
http://ebaumsworld.com/2006/06/numanuma.html


The main one though, is The Chieftains, an Irish band whose songs are a mix of English and Gaelic. Their Christmas album "Bells of Dublum" is one of the greatest albums of all time. We more or less have it, along with a few others, on a continuous loop for two weeks of December.

Seldes' knows what I'm talking about.:rockon:
 
Planet-man said:
The main one though, is The Chieftains, an Irish band whose songs are a mix of English and Gaelic. Their Christmas album "Bells of Dublum" is one of the greatest albums of all time. We more or less have it, along with a few others, on a continuous loop for two weeks of December.
I'll totally be downloading that as soon as i can. :D

The closest thing I listen to that fits that criteria are The 5.6.7.8s, but even they sing in English.
They are totally excellent. And they also count. I think you should consider some Tokyo Jihen and Shiina Ringo. :D

I didn't mean acts that DON'T sing in English at all, so much as I meant acts that perform a large amount of material in non-English.
 
I'm really passionate about Sigur Ros. An Icelandic ambient group, half of their tracks are sung in, you guessed it, Icelandic, the other half Hopelandic, a language invented by the band members.

I like them not only because they're the only truly relaxing but uplifting band I know, but because I don't feel a particular need to sing along with the music, or even understand what they're saying. Agaetis Byrjun is one fine album, one of my favourites.

Other than that, the Super Furry Animals have produced a number of tracks, and one entire album (Mwng {Mane}) in Welsh/Celtic, which is a beautifully haunting language, as long as it's not spoken by bloody sheep farmers.

The Arcade Fire (my favourite band as of the last few years) have a number of tracks that heavily feature French. Asobi Seksu are a quirky American Japanese pop outfit with Japanese vocals.

My favourite soundtracks are from French and Korean composers, for the movies Amelie and Old Boy, respectively.

Other than that, I often listen to traditional Hindu and Bollywood music; one of my good friends plays it often, so it's in the background quite a bit.
 

Latest posts

Back
Top