Hanae - Joukyou Shouko

Hanae may not yet be a household name, but she's no beginner in the world of entertainment. The devilishly adorable singer made her 2011 major label debut at just 17 years old, and has since built a strong following with her offbeat, genre-hopping music. In addition to her whisper-soft singing voice, Hanae is also known for her easy-to-follow choreography, which she occasionally teaches to her fans through tutorial videos. It could be speculated, then, that her aim is to make music that's easy to enjoy in a variety of ways.

"Easy", however, is often synonymous with blandness, or lack of an "edge". So many musicians have sought to make pleasant, low-intensity music and failed to make it interesting in the process. More careful listeners, however, want an experience that they can revisit again and again without getting bored. Though Hanae's new album Joukyou Shouko cannot accurately be described as "powerful" or "in-your-face", it actually brings a significant sharpness to a genre that easily grows dull.

The album begins with EXODUS, an electronic track that will feel very familiar to fans of artists like Perfume. Despite its nearly four-minute length, however, the song doesn't really ever seem to coalesce into a standalone composition. This isn't a bad thing, as EXODUS plays more like an extended introduction. Through its electronic beeps, feather-light vocals, and a bafflingly fun dash of rapping, it lulls listeners into the proper mindset needed to appreciate the rest of the album. EXODUS may not be the album's standout track, but listeners will certainly know if they're ready for Hanae once it's over.

Those who take the plunge are then greeted with Kami-sama no Kami-sama, the album's most heavily-promoted song. A jaunty flute sets the mood, and it’s soon joined by Hanae and her entourage of synthesized Japanese instruments. It may not be a formulaically novel effort, but the track still maintains its own unique, Japanese colour that makes very clear just how easy it is for Hanae to leave her own mark on this particular brand of electronic pop.

The next song, Sorette Magic, is a sleepy, gentle piece that is exactly what Hanae's voice was built for. In keeping with the lyrics, the song is the perfect anthem for a lazy Sunday, even with the liveliness added by some synthesized brass instruments at the climax. A delicate harp riff then eases listeners into the more energetic, 80s-flavored track Rainbow Love. Next, in the same instrumental vein, comes Handsome, a repetitive but catchy song with some surprisingly fun chanting that adds a new twist to the established sound.

Things get quirky very fast once the next song, Intelligence, gets going. Though short, the track establishes itself with eccentric synthesized bass and unusual lyrics that see Hanae pining for true brilliance despite her blatantly false claim to a 306 I.Q. Intelligence marks the point at which the album's true edge begins to make itself known, a trend which continues in Dear My Hero. The track is a peppy number that sees Hanae's feather-soft vocals soaring over an exceptionally tight blend of guitars, drums, and synthesizers. Once again the lyrics are part of the fun, maintaining cryptic indecipherability while referencing everything from cobras to Zoroastrianism to medieval German epic poetry.

The weirdness keeps coming in droves with the unusually-titled Fiction Daimaou ("Fiction Demon Lord"), which couples a retro video game sound with an unforgettably catchy lyrical rhyme scheme. The lyrics themselves remain enigmatically cute, but contribute well to the festivities even without a clear message. The ninth song, Ototoi Oide, features Hanae at her mildest, but its inclusion among so many blatantly odd tracks only emphasizes the lullaby-esque melody that allows it to stand on its own.

Last comes the album's most memorable track: S-T-A-R-S. Though touched upon in EXODUS, this is the song where Hanae gets to outright rap, and she's wonderful at it. Rapping itself is admittedly not very hard unless it's done freestyle, but Hanae pulls it off with such grace that new listeners may not realize this is her first attempt. It is the emphasis on Hanae's new skill that really makes S-T-A-R-S stand out, as her voice is not at all typical for a rapper. The fact that she sells it all the same is a clear testament to her skill as a performer, and it makes for a refreshing change from the incessant grandstanding on which most rappers rely.

People who don't listen to Japanese music, and maybe even first-time Hanae listeners, may write off Joukyou Shouko as a typically wacky, cutesy J-pop affair. Those with a careful ear, however, will easily notice just what makes the album so great. Through unique, quirky songs like Kami-sama no Kami-sama and S-T-A-R-S, Hanae proves that music doesn't have to be powerful to carve out a lasting impression. Her music is bursting with unmatched originality that keeps it sharp, and those looking for something different in the J-pop scene would be wise to give Joukyou Shouko a try. It's a bit silly and a bit surprising, but it never stops being an altogether brilliant amount of fun.