Lolita(-esque) Music Beyond the J-rock

I’m moving back into my dorm next week and then starting up class again right, so I’ll legitimately be busy. I wanted to get this up, since it’s sadly/happily illustration free and relatively fast to put up.

Obviously, this blog has a lot of musical influence, and I like the idea of coordinating outfits to the feel of some music or a period of musical influence. I know there are posts about what music is lolita to whoever on several forums and groups for lolita, but here are some of my lolita-inspiring favorites.


Blondie

Punk and quite grown up, but girly with a sweet side. Just like what lolita fashion is to me. What’s not to love? Plus, they wrote my favorite song of theirs in both English and French, and there’s this big Francophile thing going on in lolita fashion [i.e. Magical Etoile, Paris Window and everything Marie Antoinette].

And I’ll admit to being a sucker for French things almost as much as I’m a complete Anglophile. I’ll pin the blame on my sister bossing me around in French and getting me into Shakespeare at a young age.





Brigitte Bardot

Speaking of French things; if you didn’t know what this awesome upbeat piece from Sophia Coppola’s Miss Dior Cherie commercial, it’s Moi Je Joue . I got the Best of Brigitte Bardot, and it’s pretty much my soundtrack for sweet lolita days.





Message of Rouge by Yumi Arai

Ok, this is only one song and it’s J-pop, but this song is freakin’ adorable and has a really groovy (yes, groovy) classic rock ‘n’ roll sound to it. Everyone around me knows I’m a sucker for retro stuff, and I looooove ‘50s/‘60s inspired lolita looks. It’s part of the reasons why I adore Meta. Plus, this was on the soundtrack for Kiki’s Delivery Service in the original Japanese, and Kiki has one rockin’ headbow, aside from being my favorite Ghibli flick.





Pizzicato Five

Alright, another J-pop group, but again, it’s not VK or Nana and I’m a vintage girl, so they go right in. Plus, the song below was on the sweetest episode of Futurama (the one where Leela meets her parents). Really, I squealed when this started playing in the montage at the end of that episode. If you like lounge and retro music, totally check them out.






Siouxsie and the Banshees

Like Blondie, they’re punk (or goth or both, depending on who you’re talking to), but they have a sweet and girly-ness to them. Plus, first track on the Marie Antoinette soundtrack. Really, I might not be the biggest Sophia Coppola fan, but her cinematography and soundtrack choices are fantastic.



(Hnnngh, is that Tom Hardy’s sexy mouth at 1:42? I think it is.)




Buddy Holly

His songs are just adorable and I’m again a sucker for retro stuff. This song gets extra points for being on the soundtrack of Big Fish, which is one of my favorite movies and what I would like to theme my wedding around.



Something magical to add: I was just listening to this on my iTunes and when it was done, Weezer started playing. It would be better if it were Buddy Holly, but it’s Island in the Sun. Alas.




Rasputina

Quirky, chamber, creepy and over all very nice to listen to. If you’re a fan of Kanon Wakeshima, you’ll probably like them.






David Fuckin’ Bowie

I shouldn’t even be explaining this one. The dude use to wear dresses and make-up but could make women pregnant with a look and is still gorgeous at 64. He was doing this shit well before Mana and his music has gone through as many (ch-ch-ch-)changes as his image, but is consistently fantastic. And have you seen Labyrinth? Jareth looks like he stepped out of a Versailles MV, except again, he and that movie predates them. On top of that, he’s the key influence for a movie that not only gave me bitchin’ music, but Ewan McGregor, JRM and Christian Bale all being gorgeously gay for each other in glitter rain.





And last but not least:



Strawberry Switchblade

I was once told that this band was a big influence on lolita fashion. I’m not sure how true that is exactly, but you can totally see in the video below how it’s feasible. Generally speaking, though, looks like this were easy to find in the ‘80s, and that’s really when lolita was starting to seriously form as a look. But yeah; this band. Their music is cute and wonderfully ‘80s.