From Last.fm to Arcade Fire, this essay traces the discovery of 21st-century sound and the conviction that it resonated deeply in Japan and beyond.

I am certain that my “Turntable of Civilization” not only reached the world, but struck it with undeniable force.

2017-07-08

In July 2010, I was compelled to step onto the internet in this way.
My “Turntable of Civilization” undeniably reached the core of Japan and the world.
Not only did it reach them, but I am convinced it delivered a profound shock.

Before that, around 2005, I discovered Last.fm.
After a long period of listening to no new music and devoting myself solely to work, I began listening as if to fill a vast musical void.
It was the 21st century.
I was searching for the sound of the 21st century.

I collected music worth 500,000 yen on iTunes.
Day after day, night after night.
If I had possessed sufficient PC skills, I sometimes felt I could have been the one to create Last.fm myself.

The two young Britons who founded it—true understanders of the internet’s essence—became billionaires after CBS acquired the service a few years after I began listening.
Its name came from the phrase, “the last FM you ever need.”

In my youth, I was one of Japan’s most devoted FM listeners.
As a high school student suffering from family difficulties, I listened to classical music on NHK-FM from morning until night.
Later, living in Senbayashi in Osaka, I listened every day to Beat on Plaza.
The shock of encountering Television and Bob Marley there for the first time in Japan remains vivid.

While thoroughly collecting the sound of the 21st century, I encountered Arcade Fire.
After they emerged in 2010, I praised them repeatedly.
When The Suburbs was released, I became convinced it would be their masterpiece.
Among its supreme works was Half Light I, which I shared today.

I wrote that with this song, they had reached the realm of John Lennon.
During a period of intense work following painful farewells, the Grammy season arrived.
I wrote that Arcade Fire deserved the award.

Today, while translating an article about my hometown, the word “house” appeared, and the lyrics of Half Light I came to mind.
The following song is another masterpiece, standing alongside Half Light I.
I offer this song as well to the people of Yuriage and to people all around the world.

Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)