JAM File 02. The Various Forms and Charms of Stars
I think that given the circumstances we have, a.k.a JO1 has just released their first album and has wrapped up their first concert (and currently preparing for the Deluxe version as I speak), perhaps it's the perfect time for me to actually talk about JO1's discography.
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Growing up as a musically inclined and rooted person, songs come and go to my ears as if I was just breathing. With that, I was always interested to experience new genres just like how one would visit a buffet to have a taste of everything. JO1 didn't disappoint me on that spectrum, as personally I felt like they always had something different to offer to the table, something that I am proud of whenever I talk about JO1 to my friends because not every group has a solid discography like they do.
The Star, released November 25, is JO1's first album that had their entire discography (sans If I Can Tell You) so far along with 7 new songs (5, if we count out the Produce Concept Songs). It's around an hour or so's worth of listening time, which is just perfect if you start streaming it from the beginning of your work shift as you gear up reading e-mails and getting prepped for the heavy labor (speaking from experience you see!) because it ends up when you're already good to go and hyped up for the rest of the day, motivated and ready to take on any challenge.
JO1 songs, no matter how various they might seem, are somehow following a certain pattern for the songs that they are releasing. You can group them into certain categories, kind of like typical high school cafeteria lunch situation.
Next would be the Serotonin Boost line, which is exactly what the title of the group is. Very high, fun, exciting pop that just makes you feel light and happy when you listen to it. From Yonashiro Sho's wonderfully crafted My Friends, down to our old friends Yancha Boy Yancha Girl and Happy Merry Christmas—these three songs make up for a very lively addition to JO1's discography. Watching the live performances of these three songs real time was a treat for me personally, as JO1 clearly projects the excitement through their dancing and singing, and they just honestly look like they were having a blast smiling and playing around. Also, Happy Merry Christmas being a Christmas song that you can sing in the middle of the year shamelessly is a feat in itself, it's just that enjoyable regardless of whether it's actually Christmas or not.
We also have our Emotional Pop line, I know it's just ballads but I think it's better to describe them as that, just because. This is the group that is usually performed with either mic stands or the boys sitting down, and that's how you know it's the winding down part of the concert—which also loosely translates to the crying part for them and us. From Running that paved the way, to very emotional and controversial Voice to Starlight—a song that I personally wished was longer than a minute because damn—and Be With You that is just a literal masterpiece especially in the bridge, we have If I Can Tell You, a KitKat CM song that managed to find itself ranking 3rd in charts upon release along with really locally big name acts like YOASOBI and Nogizaka46, wrapping up the group as a solid emotional banger set list. Each one has a varying level of will it make me cry depending on when you listen to it, but it's guaranteed each one has its own merit.
Moving along, there's the Cool Kids Table Group or as I personally call the unconventional pop line. These are The Bops, the songs that you don't usually hear from other groups and simply one we can call our own (or JO1's own, for this matter). Like personally, I have yet to think of a song that sounds like Safety Zone, GO, and Monstar prior to the release of these songs. They're unique, they follow a set of pop rules and yet somehow find ways to go around them and stand out, be very different from any typical song in your playlist. Like look at how GO sounds very smooth, perfect for star sailing™ and Safety Zone, despite being very unsafe for some, has a very unique way of portraying a narrative with various interpretations through a sexy funky sound. Then we have Monstar that is just peak perfection, hitting all the good points of what a good song should be. Each song is a literal experience. It's a moment.
Shortly following that is what I like to call the Formulaic KPOP Line or the fool proof dance pop, comprised by songs like La Pa Pa Pam and So What. I think if you have listened to both songs at least once and know some K-Pop dance tracks, you'd get what I mean. It follows a specific set of rules, a pattern—verse-instrumental only dance break in chorus-rap-dance break again in chorus—that several popular K-pop songs follow, which is honestly not a bad thing because it works. It's fool proof. It's a guaranteed bop, as a dance track. It's a tried and tested sound that you'd feel comfortable with when you listen to it, which makes both songs a good addition to the discography. This is also the type of songs that you'd typically hear in clubs and bars pre-pandemic, remixed into another song to get people in the mood as they let loose in the dance floor. Serotonin boosting, in it's own little cute way.
Lastly, we have songs that don't somehow fit in any major category, but they can be justified as such. Kungchikita doesn't really fall into any major category we have so far because it's a Hip Hop/Rap based song, and although most of JO1 songs do have some rap in them it's not really built similarly as Kungchikita in terms of structure.
(I would personally like JO1 to try out more songs like this, and maybe in the future we can have a new bubble for them!)
Then we have The Tsukame™ which is dance pop but it doesn't fit the Formulaic KPOP Line and even though it's the theme song for Produce™ it doesn't really particularly fit our Title Track bubble. It's fun, but it also doesn't quite meet the criteria I have for Serotonin Boost Line. It did pave the way for everything, so I guess that in itself is a category that only Tsukame can hold. I don't have much to say about it anymore, except that I've listened to the song practically at least more than a thousand times and it's a great song to exercise to.
En masse, each song has it's own flavor that is appealing to some or not, which makes JO1 likeable because they can be for everyone. Despite having only 2 singles and an album on their belt, they currently have a generous pool of songs enjoyable for people of any age or gender. If people's taste in music may vary, JO1 went ahead and said here, if you don't like this one then you can try this other one we have as well. Performance wise they're already improving so well and you can hear it in every release, with everyone getting to try out new things and reaching new heights as they move forward.
As far as line distributions go, I do agree there must be a certain level of balance and a definite improvement needed for this aspect as it usually causes much uproar in the community (rightfully so, at times). I recall Sukai during the early pre-debut/debut days talking about their songs being built to sound in a higher range compared to what their vocals are usually capable of reaching, and that is definitely at least one of the many factors that affect the distribution that we can consider. There are definitely things we don't have any say either, or things we don't know of, so those are matters completely beyond our hands. In good faith, the management and the producers should definitely consider this and address.
Lyrics-wise, I've liked and listened to a lot of Japanese pop songs, and most of them have this theme of telling an actual story—like literal stories in the lyrics—and while JO1 don't have those types of lyrics, that doesn't mean they're any less Japanese (pop). Their lyrics are just targeted more towards to being built as catchy as possible, and the message being conveyed as a single thought after the words have been bundled together. Sometimes, maybe we just want to ya ya doo bi doo 1人じゃなく, and that's completely fine.
They did say so themselves they are JO1Pop, more than anything, so I trust them on that.
Anyways, in a holistic sense, whether it be the lyrics or the instrumentals, or the meaning of the song, what definitely qualifies for what good music is is the question of how does the song makes you feel. It's a good song if it makes you feel things you want to cherish, and regardless of which one it is, JO1's songs have definitely made at least one person smile, feel encouraged, motivated, energized, among many other emotions which is the most important thing.
If this is just the beginning of their wonderful musical journey, I can't wait to be there to listen to every single new song in the future like a kid gleefully unwrapping a present—and that much is true I guess, as JO1 is a gift that keeps on giving.
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ABOUT ME
Eri (commonly known as for__jo1 on Twitter) is a full time corporate working JAM, who likes writing and drawing as a treat. Her personal favorite JO1 songs are currently My Friends, Grandmaster, and Monstar.
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