The 2012 general election might not seem to have any bearing on the state of pop music in Japan, but there was an eerie similarity in the way both the electorate and the pop world turned back the clock and wrapped conservatism in a neurotic embrace.

Japanese chart company Oricon's year-end rankings tell two main stories. The first is of an industry desperately clinging onto the hoary old remains of the past. The best-selling albums of the year include three releases by 1990s rock superstars Mr. Children in the Top 10, including two compilations sitting pretty at No. 1 and No. 2. Compilations by fellow rock relics Keisuke Kuwata and Tatsuro Yamashita, as well as the evergreen Yumi Matsutoya also ride high in the rankings, while unkillable boy band Exile make a strong showing, too. Meanwhile the poor performance of dance-pop singer MiChi's excellent but ominously titled "Therapy" suggests that even when delivered something vibrant and modern on a plate, the industry — or the market — is so set in its ways that it was clueless about how to deal with her.

Even in the fanatically youth-oriented idol world, echoes of the past preponderated this year, with breakout media stars Momoiro Clover Z consciously playing to older listeners' sense of nostalgia for old superhero teams and monster shows, all the while bowing long and hard to their audiences. Their music may sound like something from another planet, but their values are firmly rooted in the Showa Era.