Nostalgia for the 1980s typically takes one of two forms in contemporary Japanese music. Artists either embrace laid-back, acid jazz-leaning pop, or they double down on the washed-out fuzz of old VHS tapes. G.Rina finds a balance on ¡°Live & Learn,¡± her first major label release. Ignore the keytars she often holds in music videos ¡ª this isn¡¯t an ironic exercise in bubble-era kitsch but an earnest set constructed from synthesizers and a drum machine that always sounds lively.
G.Rina works best when moving at a quick tempo, whether she¡¯s singing above rubbery bass lines on ¡°Machi no Requiem¡± or rapping through the synth whirlwind of ¡°Close2U.¡± Even near-wordless creations such as the dazed electronic jam ¡°Memories¡± tower over the slower tracks ¡ª and authenticity cops take note: G.Rina herself wrote, produced and recorded everything on ¡°Live & Learn.¡± That may be why the album doesn¡¯t come across as dated.
The highlight, though, is ¡°All Around the World,¡± which features Asako Toki, formerly of Cymbals and a retro-loving creator in her own right. The track is inspired by well-worn ideas but, like on most of the album, G.Rina easily flips it into a sunny pop travelogue that sounds just as great in the 2010s.
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