Small Fish, Big Pond

I always figured that if done right there are a few Jpop/Idol groups that could do well collaborating with more underground rock and punk bands; seeing idols let loose, drop their cutesy persona’s and go wild would seem a bit more real to me than the typical wota pandering that most spend all their time doing.

Hello Project’s (former?) girl group Melon Kinenbi (メロン記念日) is going to see if it’s actually possible just having done a collab with <Beat Crusaders (Good, Lightweight, not quite “Pop Punk”, Punk) and now one with New Rote’ka (ニューロティカ) (more underground, energetic punk).

Beat Crusaders Collaboration
New Rote’ka Collab

Of all the Hello Pro girls, Kinenbi seems most likely to fit in at a punk show but that’s still not saying much. I know Japanese punk shows are usually a bit more tame than some here in the US (no brass knuckle fights for one) but I still wonder what happens when you drop a few idols in the middle of a screaming Punk show.

Still I hope it works good because I think seeing the wild side of some idols would be great. Besides the fact that it’s been over a year since Kinenbi had a release. What’s really shocking is that Kinenbi formed shortly after Maki Goto joined Morning Musume and are still the same group! Ok, maybe that was too much of my personal H!P nerd knowledge coming out, but seriously when you understand how they work it’s amazing. Up Front Agency always kept them on the back burner and now that they’re free they’re taking their act in a direction I really like. Hopefully this is just the first of a new image for them.

The only trouble now is getting hands on these singles over here in the US. Like a tragically overlooked idol group isn’t hard enough to come by they’re teamed up with punk bands that are unknown in the US.
Come on Japan! You did a good job of starting up a Ska movement. Show us the wild punk scene that’s hidden behind Japan’s conservative image!

Melon x Crusaders on youtube (which means nothing when you have a CD collecting personality like me).

Good but doesn’t stand out other than sounding like Melon Kinenbi with that “Beat Crusaders sound”. Chorus still sounds like an idol group song.

Melon x New Rote’ka

Bad recording. Melon is straining in a format they’re not used to but I think they could defiantly go in this direction and do great.

If UFA had taken Hello Pro in a direction more like this I don’t think I would have given up on them. But The New Rote’ka collaboration “Pinch wa chance,baka ni narouze!” is an excellent start (we hope!)