Flashback Review: Yonezu Kenshi - Loser
Who is the biggest J-Pop star active? By far, Yonezu Kenshi. Kenshi dominates streaming, he dominates the physical charts, while garnering critical acclaim at the same time. He has released some massive albums, including 2020's Stray Sheep, which sold an astonishing 1.6 million copies. It was not always that way, and Kenshi had to work his way to the top. Loser was his breakthrough hit, and still stands as one of his best songs.
Opening with dance-floor ready rock beats, Loser is groovy from start to finish. Kenshi has always had one of the most unique voices within the music industry, and through the claps and rock beats, he adds a level of personal-ness to this, and all of his, songs. He "sings" with heart. This is singing with glowing air quotes, as it qualifies as sing-talk. In a way, it sounds closer to a drunken confession of loneliness than traditional singing, while still being quite melodic. The unique production, Kenshi's other strength, assists him quite well. It all leads to a collected pre-chorus, not a call for help, but a statement for it.
The true heart of Loser is its chorus. Maybe because it was released around the age the hook was dying, replaced with a drop, but Loser's melancholic yearning has aged especially well. The surging refrain, popping with a hint introverted-ness, is very Yonezu Kenshi-esque. A weaker musician would tie this hook to a generic ballad, but it is pure pop under Kenshi's supervision.
More than anything, Kenshi is able to infuse Loser with emotion. The lyrics are key to this. While other songs with similar subjects would act as a cry-for-help, Kenshi uses this tale of isolation to ask people to reach out to their families and friends, and still be key to themselves. If no one cares for you, tell them, they can't read your emotions. If they still don't care, they don't care, so be yourself and just have a blast with life. As someone who suffers from autisim, Kenshi would be more than true when tackling such a topic.
Loser is artful, a movement of music, and the sign of an artist finally reaching his golden era. He would top this song very soon, but Loser remains an important and emphatic moment in Yonezu Kenshi's career.
I would have rated this an S. Loser is my favorite song from Kenshi Yonezu. It is a mix of orthodox songwriting, modernist arrangement, and a post-modernist message. This truly makes a synthesis of all of music. Loser never loses to a void despite being situated around it. It uses all of it's forces to harness this romanticism of being alive, and at the same time a cynicism of our current state.
ReplyDeleteWell, I would not call Loser my favorite Kenshi song (Lemon and Placebo are ahead, along with Kite if we count the songs he wrote), but really this song is so wonderful, and I am glad you love it too! Kenshi really is a healing voice for so, so many people.
Delete