LOST CORNER - Kenshi Yonezu
pop • 2024
8.8
i’ve struggled to adapt to modern japanese pop scene for a while now. perhaps that’s just me. maybe it’s because the industry is striking down a new road i find a bit un-relatable. frankly i find it all a bit TOO extravagant and obtuse. in a wider industry that is already rather “foreign.” through all this i find Kenshi Yonezu’s “LOST CORNER” exciting, perhaps despite his industry leading sound.
there are some songs Yonezu has made, like “KICK BACK” and his most recent Chainsaw Man Movie track “Iris Out,” that lean well into a zany/ eclectic sound formula. it can be distancing and i’m not shy about bouncing off them. for some of my friends, they’re properly addicted to the songs. for me, and my review, i am not. in the same breath a great collective of the album is actually quite terrific. perhaps the more wild songs are just primer to set us up for a curated experience. most work of any sort can be relatable with enough context and background. i may be a bit behind the modern curve, however all i am saying is that Yonezu’s work can tend to feel a bit alien.
so where’s the bad review?!
i felt it prudent to explain the “bounce-off” potential and negatives before diving into why i’m a bit addicted to this album.
Kenshi Yonezu has a somewhat singular ability to turn the knob on pop past modern efforts into something both new and exciting. “Mainichi” is a prime example, a song that rides between chaotic and abrasive to addictively upbeat and groovy. there is more going on in this one song than i’ve heard in full albums, a cacophony of pitches and treble over a string of lyrics and drumming beats. the song has an electric quality that seems to energize itself into an absurd level of atmosphere. Yonezu sings, screams, comments, insists and gently croons across a single track. all that to say, i find it a song that invites instead of gate-keeps itself. the album in turn finds a way to be exactly what it intends to be, while Yonezu gracefully finds a common ground between his work and the listener. the feat itself deserves an accolade. its not just noise, its Yonezu. He expresses himself simply as he is, coming off both extraterrestrial and refreshing.
some songs are much more grounded by contrast. i’ve spent a few years now in love with “LADY.” a single from 2023 that is both jaunty and lovely. in a similar way that Gen Hoshino feels, its a song i could take around a summer garden on replay. “Daydream” is perhaps my personal favorite, taking a moment to slow down. the deliberate and thoughtful song gives the album a much needed contrast, taking a moment to feel the more difficult emotions. on each re-listen, “Daydream” seems to be the center of the album’s orbit. “Moongazing” is an even more somber and pained track, a necessary piece to both show Yonezu’s range and ground the album. in ”JUNK,” Yonezu can feel more like pop than anything else out today. its here that i really connect with his music.
when Yonezu takes a moment to normalize his work, i find it to be some of the best and most modern pop music of today. in this sense, i can appreciate his need to push past the normal in order to properly express himself. it gives his work a bit of a “genius” feel. sometimes he’s way out there, exploring the limits of how he can express himself. sometimes he reigns it in to something familiar. its here i find friction meeting fascination. it’s in this zone that he is making brilliant modern pop pieces that explode his standing across both japanese and american audiences. i believe its somewhere between these lines that he finds a push and pull, a certain magic that engenders so much excitement around his persona. for as much as i thought i would dislike the album, is also about as much as i actually ended up loving the album. in many ways i struggle with his work, yet with “LOST CORNER” even i can admit he is a talented artist. from here and “JANE DOE,” i’ll definitely be looking for more of Yonezu’s work in the future. “LOST CORNER” is a bleeding-edge pop album that pushes general comfort boundaries and establishes brilliance across one united piece, no matter the friction.
written by Marcus Landeros
- highlights -
LADY
Mainichi
Yumeutsutsu
Sayonara, Mata Itsuka!
Moongazing
JUNK
Spinning Globe
LOST CORNER
track list:
RED OUT
KICK BACK
MARGHERITA + AiNA THE END
POP SONG
Shinigami (死神)
Mainichi (毎日)
LADY
Yumeutsutsu (ゆめうつつ)
Sayonara, Mata Itsuka! (さよーならまたいつか！)
Tomaremiyo (とまれみよ)
LENS FLARE
Tsuki wo Miteita – Moongazing (月を見ていた)
M87
Pale Blue
Garakuta – JUNK (がらくた)
YELLOW GHOST
POST HUMAN
Chikyūgi – Spinning Globe (地球儀)
LOST CORNER
OHAYO (おはよう)
