Album review: Mademoiselle Yulia - Whatever Harajuku

Mademoworld was one of 2011's surprise releases and one of the year's best albums. Gravely underrated and a complete shocker as there was never any inkling Mademoiselle Yulia wanted to become an artist in her own right. The chart performance of the album dashed all hopes of a follow up, but still, one came. But given how this album sounds, I wish Yulia hadn't bothered. Whatever Harajuku is such a mess of an album that I do not know where to begin.

Where Mademoworld felt like a credible album with the purpose of delivering good songs (as any good album should), Whatever Harajuku sounds like it was created with the purpose of becoming a soundtrack to a Mademoiselle Yulia fashion show. There is nothing palatable about the songs on this album. They are completely throw away. Unless you're a fan of badly produced club records, will.i.am or 2NE1, you would never voluntarily listen to 80% of the music on this album. I can deal with a song being vacuous, but at least produce the damn thing properly.

Yulia's amazing debut was a nice ode to chart pop music of the 80s and 90s. Comparable to Gwen Stefani's Love. Angel. Music. Baby, only a little less contrived and much more consistent. The songs all held together nicely and had a clear over-arcing theme. Whatever Harajuku however is a messy tug-o-war which pulls between the foundations built by Mademoworld and Yulia's current fixation on EDM and trance. The division is far too stark. On one song Yulia will be rapping over a Cybertron inspired production about big girls needing love and then two songs later she's singing over an easy breezy Beach boys guitar jam lamenting to some white dude in chino shorts to not tell her goodbye. The collection of songs short listed for this album make for such an non-cohesive set of songs that the album runs through like a shoddy mixtape. In a year where so many consistent and conceptually sound albums have been released in both Western and Japanese Pop, Whatever Harajuku sticks out like a sore thumb from a collective of talent who seem utterly oblivious to what makes a good album. Entirely baffling given they had gotten it near perfect the first time around.

The production is what carried Mademoworld and the same is said for Whatever Harajuku. Yulia sings a lot less on this album, and raps for almost half of it. But her singing has improved. Mademoworld featured one ballad which was God awful because it placed all emphasis on Yulia's lack of vocal talent. It marked the lowest point of the album; unanimously panned and deservedly so. But despite this we get two ballads on the follow up album; "Bad Vibrations" and "Runner". Yulia manages to hold them together nicely, much in part to there being a lot more in the song to support her. "Chronic" was completely stripped down and highlighted Yulia's vocal shortcomings, where-as "Bad Vibrations" and "Runner" are lavishly produced around her. They are unlikely stand out songs on the album, but I found myself liking them. "Runner" is a winner, which feels instantly familiar due to it's 80s sound-scape.

Yulia is no Miho Fukuhara, but she can hold a tune and sounds much more vocally confident here than she did before. This is what makes it even more of a shame that the majority of the material on this album is so bad. Because even though Yulia's not had a chance to really train her vocals on tours and such, she does sound better. But this isn't exercised through the material, with Yulia's vocals being affected or decisions being made for her to not sing at all.

Whatever Harajuku has moments when it does deliver solid songs, but these moments are too few, and as a result feel fleeting. Album opener "Boom Boom Boom" is utterly ratchet and awash with auto tune (East Asia ain't done with that shit yet. We can continually blame T-Pain) but it's funky, bouncy and swagged out. It doesn't set the tone of the album at all, but it at least ties in with the album concept and artwork. At least I think it does. Bitch mentions a bike and some keys. "BGNLT" is 90's techno fused with a bit of hip-hop and has Yulia in her element. This would have made a much better promo single choice than "Harajuku Wander". "Don't Tell Me Goodbye" feels completely out of place. Yulia sings the entire song in English and the 60s doo-wop, Grease vibe flies in the face of every other song on the album, but it is stellar song. It's also a nice insight into Yulia away from what we see perpetuated online and by other songs she's done, as you would never expect her to ride with a song like this, let alone record one herself.

Whatever Harajuku doesn't feel like an album from somebody who wanted to record an album to be taken seriously as an artist. But rather an album which was released for the sole purpose of it being something to reel off to socialite friends in fashion who are desperately aspiring to release music. And also to make her appear credible to fashion friends because she's directly highlighting fashion boutiques in her music video, has 'Harajuku' in her album title and mentions a high heel in one of the songs. Not a great deal concerning this album really goes beyond that from what I can see and hear. No care was taken to at least present a solid body of work which could be appreciated outside of the Yulia circle who love everything she does by default. Mademoworld could be appreciated regardless of whether you had heard of Yulia, or were a fan or not. The same can't be said for Whatever Harajuku.

VERDICT: WHATEVER

Album highlights:
■ Boom Boom Boom 🔥
■ Don't Tell Me Goodbye
■ Runner

💿 Album review: Mademoiselle Yulia's debut Mademoworld