The Singles Jukebox

Controversy!

[Video][Website]
[6.00]

Sonia Yang: Since their 2001 hit single, “Tentai Kansoku,” Bump of Chicken has captured hearts all over Japan with their ability to evoke an unflinching nostalgia in their listeners. Frontman Motoo Fujiwara writes about love, loss, and an ever present sense of hope and often wraps everything in grand cosmic metaphors, making their songs both universal and mystical. It’s easy for bands of their status to get complacent. Timid experiments with synths followed by an unusual collaboration gave me hope. “Butterfly” takes what the band learned from their flirtations with electronic elements even further, with fluttery keyboard loops silhouetting bleaker than usual (for them) lyrics and bursting synth pulses that make the song dance floor-ready. When Fujiwara’s wordless vocalizations unite with the synths and sparsely dotted guitar riff, it’s a moment of triumph, perhaps; the band breaks free from their own boundaries. Dig beneath the new bells and whistles and find the heart of Fujiwara’s songwriting still beats stronger than ever. I couldn’t have asked for a better comeback.
[10]

Iain Mew: A sky full of light pollution.
[3]

Cassy Gress: On my favorite Bump of Chicken songs, Motoo Fujiwara sounds exhilarated: he’s got a nasal, nerdy sounding voice, but effective in its upper range. They’re great at finding-a-reason-to-drag oneself-out-of-the-swamp-of-despair songs in an emphatic, inspired way, not a smarmy “We Are the World” kind of way. That amazing reverbed “wooooooo” reminds me of sped-up videos of moonrises in big cities with the traffic flying by. And the suspended 4th at the end! “Butterfly” is “a great Bump of Chicken song in 2016” — the year appended because the synths are the contemporary touch. I’m pleased this exists and am restraining myself from squealing.
[10]

Patrick St. Michel: The non-Japanese music media tends to only pick up on the extremes of the country’s music — either its colorful pop or Merzbow — but Bump of Chicken offer a way better snapshot of what perseveres over here. They exist as the happy medium between the politically tinged rock of Asian Kung-Fu Generation and sonic garbage pile Mr. Children, capable of speedy rock and swooping ballads in equal measure. “Butterfly” comes closer to the latter, and like most J-rock ballads could probably lose a minute off its run time. Yet the way they work in Avicii-inspired electronics is far more subtle than most rock groups trying to latch on to the still booming EDM market, resulting in something that sounds current yet in line with their style.
[6]

Alfred Soto: The Japanese-sung WB drama theme song of my dreams, and you can dance to it. The voice keeps me listening.
[5]

Crystal Leww: Wishful thinking makes people want to compare “Butterfly” to the 1975. This is not the 1975; this is Coldplay — but not Good Coldplay — no, this is “Every Teardrop is a Waaawawawawaterfall” Coldplay. But also if that version of Coldplay made songs that were too long. This is too long and also Bad Coldplay.
[3]

Brad Shoup: Dang, I thought we were heading somewhere baggy. Instead it’s the more modern version of pop-house, with guitars plucked idly while the synth columns are assembled. Motoo Fujiwara’s earnest tenor gets to some affecting notes on the refrain, but mostly everyone’s along for a very basic ride.
[5]