In the last years of the 20th century, Sony Music Japan released a series of three samplers called Japan Not for Sale, which highlighted the artists on its roster. The music presented was a mix of J-pop, techno, R&B, and alt-rock of various ilk. The songs were, of course, hit or miss, but the samplers were consistently interesting in that they offered a group of acts from the Far East that didn't get that much attention in North America. With the new century came a new series, this time entitled
Japan for Sale. However, not much has changed. A good deal of the same artists are here, such as Puffy -- now named Puffy Amiyumi, perhaps to prevent confusion with certain American R&B pop stars -- as well as the Boom Boom Satellites,
DJ Krush, Supercar, and the Brilliant Green. With this sampling, however, the overall product is not as good. The tracks by Polysics (with a detectable deranged influence of
Mr. Bungle, of all things), Chappie, and Kodo are strong, and Supercar's "White Surf Style 5" is one of the best songs to appear on any release. But a good majority of the other tracks seem to represent more of a hollow aping of certain Western styles (Jenka sounds like urban contemporary radio as filtered through Parappa the Rappa on happy pills). A rather strange selection is offered by YKZ (featuring
the Beatnuts); ever think you'd be hearing Japanese rap metal? Still, the music selections offer an intriguing look at what constitutes pop music on the other side of the planet.