Rock Band: Idol Edition - The Playlist
What if Harmonix made a Rock Band game exclusively for 2010s idol songs? Here's what the setlist might look like.
This feature is part of Idol Watch: July & August 2020. You can return to the main newsletter here.
My dear friend and amazing writer/radio personality Nathan Stevens recently put together a Spotify playlist he called Guitar Hero of the 2010s in which he listed rock songs from the last decade that would be great to play on the video game Guitar Hero. I pushed him to create a follow-up playlist for the Rock Band game as a joke, and because he is a great friend, he actually made that one too. About a week later, I thought it would be funny if I shared Nathan a Necronomidol song as a potential late add, but my mind then went to an even stranger place: “what other idol songs would be fun to play on Rock Band?”
I followed that thought, and it led into its logical conclusion: a playlist of Rock Band: Japanese Idol Edition.
It’s worth thinking of idol songs as playable music on a rhythm game such as Rock Band. The exercise shifts the focus of the songs more to their musical inner workings, encouraging a closer listen to evaluate separate elements in the mix. How would I rank the drum parts in terms of gameplay difficulty? Are the guitars pronounced enough to consider it as a Rock Band-appropriate song?
The latter question entails you to think of an idol song more within the stylistic rules of rock music and its offshoots like metal, punk, power pop, etc. rather than this nebulous, market-based subgenre of idol music. It’s easier to determine the music by groups like Babymetal and Passcode, thanks to their referenced styles being very pronounced. This process becomes interesting for the more traditional groups like AKB48 or Wasuta because it pushes you to figure out the influences that make up this singular idol sound at a molecular level. It forces you to answer the question, “what genre exactly is ‘Heavy Rotation’?” by seeing how it exactly fits into certain rock idioms.
You can listen to the playlist on YouTube and Spotify. Not everything in this list is available on the latter service. A huge thanks goes to my friends Bacci and Myrna, who helped me brainstorm songs to add to this playlist. Below is the full list here along with a breakdown for some of the songs.
WARM UP
“c.a.n.d.y.” by Bellring Shoujo Heart [AqbiRec, 2014]
Guitar: ☆☆ | Bass: ☆ | Drums: ☆ | Vocals: ☆
For the beginner’s level, who else is more appropriate than Bellring Shoujo Heart? The group hardly hid the lack of polish with their off-key vocals, so you can, too, rock on to this not-so-subtle nod to Blur’s “Song 2” even if you don’t have a lick of skill. The music also re-tools the Britpop band’s anthem to rock a more gentle rhythm with the blown-out guitars more baggy and slouched compared to Graham Coxon’s pulverizing riff.
“Nakisou Sunday” by Billie Idle [Otsumo, 2015]
Guitar: ☆☆ | Bass: ☆ | Drums: ☆ | Vocals: ☆☆
“Clover” by Especia [Victor, 2016]
Guitar: ☆ | Bass: ☆ | Drums: ☆ | Vocals: ☆
“12byou” by HKT48 [Universal Sigma, 2015]
Guitars: ☆ | Bass: ☆ | Drums: ☆ | Vocals: ☆☆
HKT48’s “12byou” helps makes sense of a project from Yasushi Akimoto like the girl band The Coinlockers. The 48 franchise has been a reliable power-pop factory from very early on, so it’s no surprise for it to skip the charades and just assemble a rock band. HKT’s entry into the rock game may lack speed and fury compared to others, though the cautiousness to move right along is only a product of the worry that occupies the idols. “This is too romantic that I can’t see what’s ahead,” they sing. “We can no longer go back to being friends.”
“Garasu Wo Ware!” by Keyakizaka46 [Sony, 2018]
Guitar: ☆ | Bass: ☆ | Drums: ☆ | Vocals: ☆☆
“Love Variation” by The Dance for Philosophy [Philosophy of the World, 2018]
Guitars: ☆ | Bass: ☆ | Drums: ☆ | Vocals: ☆☆
APPRENTICE
“Karate” by Babymetal [BMD Fox, 2016]
Guitars: ☆☆ | Bass: ☆☆ | Drums: ☆☆☆ | Vocals: ☆
Babymetal are undoubtedly the most visible group in the West from this list, thus making them the most realistically plausible as an actual entry in a Rock Band game. They are also the notable example of a group playing with overt rock stylings that go against the traditional imagery of idol and also align with the Rock Band ethos. The participatory hooks and ad libs establish the core of “Karate” ultimately as an idol song, but from the brutal riffs and the double-pedal kick drums, the genre tropes of metal comes across in a very obvious manner here.
“Hatsukoi Cider” by Buono! [Up-Front Works, 2012]
Guitars: ☆☆ | Bass: ☆☆ | Drums: ☆☆ | Vocals: ☆☆
“Poker Game” by BED IN [Space Shower Music, 2015]
Guitars: ☆☆ | Bass: ☆☆ | Drums: ☆ | Vocals: ☆☆☆
“Snacky” by There There Theres [AqbiRec, 2018]
Guitars: ☆☆ | Bass: ☆☆ | Drums: ☆☆ | Vocals: ☆☆
“Wing” by PASSPO [Universal J, 2012]
Guitars: ☆☆ | Bass: ☆☆ | Drums: ☆☆ | Vocals: ☆☆
The airline-themed PASSPO also put their rock-band side to the forefront with their live band The Ground Crew backing the group’s shows. The hard rock music was just as juxtaposing played against a visual of idols dressed in stewardess outfits, rolling out their carrier bags. The songs, however, resonate beyond irony. Take “Wing” and its pop-metal riff but especially its powerful chorus.
“Colors” by Team Shachihoko [Warner Music Japan, 2014]
Guitars: ☆☆ | Bass: ☆☆ | Drums: ☆☆ | Vocals: ☆
“Plan” by Oyasumi Hologram [2015]
Guitars: ☆☆ | Bass: ☆☆ | Drums: ☆☆ | Vocals: ☆☆
“Lily” by Yanakoto Sotto Mute [DCG, 2017]
Guitars: ☆☆ | Bass: ☆☆ | Drums: ☆☆ | Vocals: ☆☆
SOLID
“Paint It Black” by BiSH [Avex Trax, 2018]
Guitars: ☆☆☆ | Bass: ☆☆ | Drums: ☆☆ | Vocals: ☆☆☆
Kenta Matsukuma and his production group Scrambles are great at knocking out two kind of rock songs for the idol company WACK: the string-swept melodrama perfected in BiSH’s “Orchestra” and the rough-shot punk served in BiSH’s “Paint It Black.” This one commissioned as the opening theme to the anime Black Clover is one of the faster ones.
“Heavy Rotation” by AKB48 [You, Be Cool!/King, 2010]
Guitars: ☆☆ | Bass: ☆☆ | Drums: ☆☆ | Vocals: ☆☆
“Senjou No Saint Valentine” by Niji No Conquistador [Fujiyama Project, 2015]
Guitars: ☆☆ | Bass: ☆☆ | Drums: ☆☆ | Vocals: ☆☆
“Metamoriser” by Band Ja Naimon! [Pony Canyon, 2017]
Guitars: ☆☆ | Bass: ☆☆ | Drums: ☆☆ | Vocals: ☆☆☆
“Children of the Night” by Necronomidol [Imperiet IV, 2019]
Guitars: ☆☆☆ | Bass: ☆☆ | Drums: ☆☆☆ | Vocals: ☆☆
The very idol group that launched this dumb list. The grand, majestic guitar riff sounds like a joy to summon on the fret while the galloping momentum of this NWOBHM-esque track asks for some stamina in the drums department.
“My lxxx” by BiS [Tsubasa, 2011]
Guitars: ☆☆ | Bass: ☆☆ | Drums: ☆☆ | Vocals: ☆☆
“Great Fxxking My World” by Burst Girl [Burst, 2018]
Guitars: ☆☆ | Bass: ☆☆ | Drums: ☆☆☆ | Vocals: ☆☆
“Light On!!” by Malcolm Mask McLaren [Fiveridge, 2018]
Guitars: ☆☆☆ | Bass: ☆☆ | Drums: ☆☆☆ | Vocals: ☆☆
MODERATE
“Ray” by Passcode [Warner Music Japan, 2018]
Guitars: ☆☆☆ | Bass: ☆☆☆ | Drums: ☆☆☆ | Vocals: ☆☆☆
Passcode is one of the very few in this list who calls for an option for two mics, one for the main vocal line and the other to tackle Yuna’s death-metal growls. The latter makes the vocal part a bit challenging to navigate but also the filter that bends the former seems equally tricky. With the intricate riffs asking for some nimble moves from the guitarist as well, “Ray” is a good introduction to the upper tier.
“Hamidasumo!” by You’ll Melt More! [You’ll, 2015]
Guitars: ☆☆☆ | Bass: ☆☆☆ | Drums: ☆☆☆ | Vocals: ☆☆☆
“Kanzennaru Idol” by Wa-Suta [iDOL Street, 2016]
Guitars: ☆☆☆ | Bass: ☆☆☆ | Drums: ☆☆☆☆ | Vocals: ☆☆☆
Wa-Suta forces you to think fast in “Kanzennaru Idol.” The mood abruptly shifts about halfway through with the idols abandoning the sunny, smiley expressions to reveal their true fed-up feelings underneath, and the music responds accordingly, suddenly breaking down into brutal heavy metal. They get back to their usual selves as if nothing happened, keeping each player on their toes.
“Post Catastrophe” by Yukueshirezu Tsurezure” [Codomomental, 2017]
Guitars: ☆☆☆ | Bass: ☆☆☆ | Drums: ☆☆☆ | Vocals: ☆☆☆
CHALLENGING
“Precious Summer” by Dempagumi.inc [Toy’s Factory, 2018]
Guitars: ☆☆☆☆ | Bass: ☆☆☆ | Drums: ☆☆☆☆☆ | Vocals: ☆☆☆☆☆
If singing and dancing along to Dempagumi.inc songs seem exhausting, imagine playing the music. The group’s most powerful singles have a thrash-metal energy to them when it comes to aggression and speed with the latter highlighted very well via the pummeling drum beats here. But “Precious Summer” is the kind where the guitars are as pronounced and busy as their sputtering synth works that has become their signature over time.
“Lightpool” by Sora Tob Sakana [Toy’s Factory, 2018]
Guitars: ☆☆☆☆☆ | Bass: ☆☆☆ | Drums: ☆☆☆☆ | Vocals: ☆☆☆
“Mouretsu Uchuu Koukyoukyoku Dai Nana Gakusho: Mugan No Ai” by Momoiro Clover Z [King, 2012]
Guitars: ☆☆☆☆☆ | Bass: ☆☆☆☆ | Drums: ☆☆☆☆☆ | Vocals: ☆☆☆☆
When it comes to idol-pop bombast, who else ranks higher than Momoiro Clover Z? This single from their second album invites comparisons to “Bohemian Rhapsody” through its multi-suite structure but also the flamboyant guitar riffs, and it’s surely ridiculous and extravagant as its space-opera music video. The five never gets overshadowed by the music, however, wholly making this epic piece of idol pop theirs.
“Houkago Getabako Rock ‘n’ Roll MX” by Shiritsu Ebisu Chugaku [DefStar, 2012]
Guitars: ☆☆☆☆ | Bass: ☆☆☆☆ | Drums: ☆☆☆☆☆ | Vocals: ☆☆☆☆
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