BOA was a funky old coffee shop near Kichijoji station that had probably peaked around 1973, yet still clung onto the ghost of the Showa era past for all it was worth. It looked just like that idealized record cover there except that the husband and wife team that owned the place were ancient and ornery, the seats had seen better days decades ago, and the plastic dessert display outside was caked in dustballs. The sole concession to the world outside was the thin and tinny sound of modern J-pop radio that came out of a once state-of-the art speaker hidden away behind a metal grill on the wall. I was sad - but not surprised - when the place closed down earlier this year. If only they’d splurged for a CD player and slapped on KISSA ROCK – ADAM to EVE mo, then the march of time might have utterly stopped once and for all.
Like others in the series, this volume of KISSA ROCK features extremely sensitive and caring Japanese vocal acts from the bygone days of yesteryear pulling out every mellow musical trick in the book to help even the most wound-up person in Tokyo to JUST FUCKING RELAX ALREADY, OK? As a genre, “Coffee shop rock” could actually be softer than soft rock, even several notches dimmer than lite rock, but songs like "Umareta toki wa" still must have been a wall-shaking experience (in a nice way) when served inside a proper cathedral of coffee and cake.
When the chorus of that second song hit... I think I could feel my brain start to melt.
That was maybe an hour ago. It's still on repeat.
A good song.
Posted by: Mike | July 15, 2008 at 01:08 AM
Umarita toki wa - Popcorn--my favorite song!
Posted by: jay tack | July 15, 2008 at 07:02 PM
It saddens me when old classic town mainstays close down, too... v_v
I also like the second song. :D
Posted by: kagitsune | July 16, 2008 at 10:13 AM