Jun Togawa [戸川純], born in 1961, demands an introduction, and perhaps many. A talent too multifacetic and bizarre for the compartimentation of the record industry, this most peculiar character would step into any musical or acting field with unexpected yet overwhelming consequences. Musical experimentation and avant-garde lyrics of the utmost honesty (from a detailed account of menstrual bleeding to surrealist parodies of nationalist speech) traverse all her trajectory to this very day, as well as too-real-for-life opinions and metaphors conveyed through unlimited means, for Togawa's voice is ever shifting. From operatic to burlesque, from chidlike to growl, it transforms either matching of willfully contrasting with a mixted style partaking with traditional Japanese folk, new-wave afterpunk, noise, minimal techno, fairy-tale declamation, rock and pop. No label humping is indeed necessary, as any and every Togawa album willfully dissolves any categorial assumptions about the flow of music, and is conveyed in a variety of styles, in studio form as well as live (and her concerts were indeed something to behold). Not simply a musician, she has either acted or hosted many TV programs, from movies to quiz shows or radio programs.
Born in the already music-fueled and bar-filled district of Shinjuku in Tokyo, Jun Togawa manifested a passion for playing dramas and singing (activities much closer in Asian traditions than in those of the West). In the early 80's (decade for which she is mainly known) Togawa, along with her sister Kyoko Togawa [戸川京子], began a prolific career. She got into proffesional acting and became a full-time singer both as a soloist and as a member of two experimental bands: GUERNICA [ゲルニカ] and YAPOOS [ヤプーズ]. A second stop is here necessary, for these two projects are among the most influential works of the Japanese underground scene, during a time that heavily transformed the musical landscape of most of the world, as it was also happening in Europe and the United States. GUERNICA is a retrofuturist band, which projects a strong aesthetic throwback to the poster and propaganda culture of Japan's 30s and 40s, creating a saccharine revival of a long time dead Showa epoque in a very ambiguous yet rich subtext. Dressing in historically accurate attire and remaking or mimicking the old style via an 'electro-cabaret' style with lyrics displaying surreal deformation of the Showa slogans of progress written by member Kōji Ueno [上野 耕路], GUERNICA were not record sellers, but left a truly unique and transformative mark among bands of the time. YAPOOS was also an avant-garde project, more oriented to the futurism, and more open to variation, manifesting much of Togawa's own solo albums. During its years of duration, many of the most original Japanese musicians made ocassional collaborations with them, such as Susumu
Hirasawa [平沢 進] himself. Albums such as ''Dadada-Ism'' [ダダダ イズム] are testimonial to its conceptual roots, much of the cover art displaying collage and the industrial landscapes classic of the early stages of the literary avant-garde in Europe. As an individual, her first solo album Tamahime-sama [玉姫様] (1984) was widely comented on, for its rather unconventional composition and themes. While most people recommend it as an introduction to Togawa's career I'd argue its weirdness may repulse willing listeners, and thus I'm reviewing an album just one year later, much more consistent and harmonic in melody and themes, as an introduction.
During the following decades, Togawa was to experience traumatic changes. While becoming an actress and appearing in some commercials, she refused to adapt to most of the stereotyping typical of the industry. At conflict with her original artistic aim while (esentially) selling things, and feeling isolated in her private life, Togawa attempted suicide by slicing her throat in 1995; she failed, leaving scars in her neck. A YAPOOS song (Not Dead Luna) from 1992 already had spoke of attempts of suicide. Depression hit her again when her sister Kyoko commited suicide by hanging herself in her apartment at age 39. Months later, Togawa attempted the deed herself again, only to -luckily- survive again. Many of her declarations to musical interviewers pointed out to unresolved upbringing problems:
I've felt this strong feeling of wrongness all through my life. There is no space for me in this world. Every time I believe I've finally found my place, someone comes to me and says "Go away! You're not supposed to be here." I mean, I have always had this kind of feeling. I had a lot of trouble communicating with other children. The discipline was extremely strict in my family. I was not allowed go out freely with friends. So, I tried not to make friends.
Alive to this day, Togawa has earned a kind of cult-like status, quite a deed in a such fast-changing atmosphere as the music landscape in Japan. Her being an unconvincing fashion and musical ''idol'' during the early 80s did not took away her open-minded approach to music and art. The result: her bizarre display of cyborg-like oddities, insect-inspired costumes and Imperial Japan's overacted speech and symbolism colluded with a willful parody of the sweet, childlike behaviour and singing expected of female singers by the Japanese public, sometimes even reversed into the strong, low and even screaming voice of a rock star owning the scenery and giving no fucks about it. The influence of heavily distorted guitars from her new-wave-punk era and the unlikely sampling she had in common with other Japanese experimental formations such as P-Model never really left her wherever she went.
The present album, Kyokuto Ian Shoka [極東慰安唱歌] (Far Eastern Comfort Songs) has 11 tracks. Overall, a shooting and relaxing album compared to those of YAPOOS, it most displays Togawa's folk side. First track, 眼球奇譚, rythmic and relaxing, is built around a simple synth phrase. Percussion is as essential to it as Togawa's voice, fairly contained in this one. Yet voice is absolutely essential to the next track, a version of the traditional Okinawan song 海ヤカラ. Concerning Okinawa's music you only need to know that it's amazing and magical, any example will do it for you. A simple shamisen and taiko base recede to second place to a magnificent display of vocal virtuosism, to the highest pitch notes you have ever listened to. A nice addition of Togawa's version is a low pitched -almost like a ship's siren- synth from start to end, quite fitting for a song about the sea, creating an adequate contrast to the vocals. The third track, 戸山小学校校歌~赤組のうた歌, is an unlikely combination of fairy-tale singing with an almost industrial base, as those from Kraftwerk's work. If the rythm of Togawa's voice also resembles that of a soldier marching, it becomes evident past 1:50 of the track: the synth is actually playing a parade-style progression typical of air instruments. 無題 opens protagonism for the guitars, which provide a warm track, also built around a very stark percussion. You also get quite sweet flutes around 2:00, playing in a quite amerindian style, not at all Japanese (not for the first time in Togawa's career). 家畜海峡 starts ominously, for the first time in the album. This one is, by far, the darkest and more war-era based track, including piercing percussion, male choruses and a god-level bass game. Togawa's voice conveys anguish and impending tragedy, yet in a restraint and stylistically pleasant way. The atmosphere is rich, complemented with reverb-filled synths. 人間合格 is a quite short track, a transition filled with Togawa playing rhymes over a lighthearted track repeating itself. No impressive feat here yet really pleasant.
極東花嫁 starts to a really 80s techno phrase, reminiscent of the German electronic scene from Berlin around that same time. You can actually dance to this, and that was probably the aim; Togawa's voice is also central to the theme, and she allows for a more seductive, pop-oriented femme voice. What else can I analyse, it's pretty catchy. ある晴れた日 starts and remains quite childish all the shudden, accompanied by a pianica (the mandatory instrument in Japanese prescholar music lessons). 極東慰安唱歌 is exactly the same sans a little longer, as if both comprised a common theme or story. 勅使河原美香の半生 is a shooting track, which again brings a strong percussion added to it. Togawa's voice, carefree and high pitched, conveys more of a nostalgic or dramatic tone which musically resembles the enka singing except it subtitues the classical voice of this genre (that of a middle aged, low pitched female) with an almost oblivious, childlike tone. 夢見る約束, the last one, is reminiscent of her GERNICA tracks: the whole song could be a Showa hit yet of course updated and accompanied by heavy synths. Its frenetic rythm has something of a tango to it, of dancing in circles and freely moving. The voice features quite a lot, in fast transitions which also circle one after another while, at the end, losing themselves in a fade out which completes the album.
I leave this entry with (for the first time) a video of Jun performing 諦念プシガンガ, with many of the elements previously cited: percussion, choruses, and vocal complexity. Togawa's trajectory has been long and fruitful, scoring may hits not present on this album, and her influence has gone a long way aside from music, as many artists interested in the morbid often quote her as an influence. Many singer-performers using growl in Japan and even noise musicians (some of which have actually collaborated with her) also admire Jun without reservations. And no doubt about it: Jun Togawa is not Japan's Bowie or Siouxsie, she is her entirely own thing.
Alive to this day, Togawa has earned a kind of cult-like status, quite a deed in a such fast-changing atmosphere as the music landscape in Japan. Her being an unconvincing fashion and musical ''idol'' during the early 80s did not took away her open-minded approach to music and art. The result: her bizarre display of cyborg-like oddities, insect-inspired costumes and Imperial Japan's overacted speech and symbolism colluded with a willful parody of the sweet, childlike behaviour and singing expected of female singers by the Japanese public, sometimes even reversed into the strong, low and even screaming voice of a rock star owning the scenery and giving no fucks about it. The influence of heavily distorted guitars from her new-wave-punk era and the unlikely sampling she had in common with other Japanese experimental formations such as P-Model never really left her wherever she went.
I leave this entry with (for the first time) a video of Jun performing 諦念プシガンガ, with many of the elements previously cited: percussion, choruses, and vocal complexity. Togawa's trajectory has been long and fruitful, scoring may hits not present on this album, and her influence has gone a long way aside from music, as many artists interested in the morbid often quote her as an influence. Many singer-performers using growl in Japan and even noise musicians (some of which have actually collaborated with her) also admire Jun without reservations. And no doubt about it: Jun Togawa is not Japan's Bowie or Siouxsie, she is her entirely own thing.
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