Junko Yagami - Communication (Limited Edition) (2012)

While I tend to think of Junko Yagami more in terms of big singles like 黄昏のBay City, this album may be the exception as it is quite solid throughout. I like how they're not only employing cutting-edge technology, but actually making good use of it to boot (an area where pop music tends to fall increasingly short towards the second half of the '80s, to the point where it became a major cliché fest). It's details like the drum machine or the 16th synth bleeps in the title track (good dance pop with a definite Japanese twist that might have been aimed at the Madonna audience, and it's quite clear who the better singer is), or how they placed the chorus to Imagination in a drop.

The 4 first tracks are all at least solid, as is カシミヤのほほえみ, and there are a few other notable ones like the techno-reggae of ジョハナスバーグ (Johannesburg) or どんな手段使っても (catchy) or BELIEVING. Admittedly I had to warm up to the very American-leaning mid-'80s pop style, which I am not the very biggest fan of. (Then again, she's married to American J.J. Stanley and living in California, so what do you expect.)