Friday, November 28, 2008
Aoyama Thelma - Daikkirai Demo Arigatou (I Hate You , But Thanks)
Daikkirai Demo Arigatou (I Hate You , But Thanks) is Aoyama Thelma's 5th single . This is set to be released next month on the 10th in Japan & this comes since her previous single release Mamoritai Mono which was just put out 2 weeks ago .
The single will also be released on the same day as Aoyama's 1st remix album titled PARTY PARTY ~Thelma Remix~ .
The song was entirely composed by DREAMS COME TRUE & it's currently being used as the theme song to Fuji TV's dorama "Ai no Ri" .
1st impression of the song ? that's really Christmas inspired & yes it's a ballad (AGAIN) . However there's just something bittersweet about the song which I really like & not to mention the I really like the music going on in Daikkirai Demo Arigatou as well in which you have to give credit to DREAMS COME TRUE for composing such a really beautiful melody .
I really thought Daikkirai Demo Arigatou will be an upbeat no. as Aoyama hasn't put out an upbeat A-side since her debut single ONE WAY . Maybe that will happen in her future single releases .
You're My Only Shinin' Star & Walk will serve as B-sides in Daikkirai Demo Arigatou .
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Mafuyu no Seiza (Midwinter Constellation) & miss you -Hawaiian Breeze Remix- [Koi wa groovy x2's B-sides]
Mafuyu no Seiza (Midwinter Constellation) & miss you (Hawaiian Breeze Remix) served as B-sides in Yuna Ito's 12th single Koi wa groovy x2 which her new single was released just yesterday .
The 1st B-side Mafuyu no Seiza is a bittersweet ballad & it's such a great contrast to the otherwise well groovy & upbeat A-side that's of Koi wa groovy x2 . I really like Mafuyu no Seiza on 1st listen as it reminded me of previous ballads that Yuna did whether are they found on her albums or singles & it's kinda a no brainer that the song has a Christmas inspired tune going on .
The Hawaiian Breeze Remix of miss you is actually nice although it's a tad long clocking in at a whopping 7:56 mins ! However this's 1 remix that I actually don't mind at all simply because it has a casual chilled out Hawaiian inspired like tune going on when comes to the remix of miss you .
It just makes you wanna kick back on the couch & just lounge away .
Just when I thought Yuna can't suppress musically wise with her previous single miss you , Koi wa groovy x2 is a step up or 2 away & this single overall really impressed & surprised my expectations of her & she proved to me that she actually can sing groovy & upbeat no.s just as well as her ballads as before that I had a strong dislike towards her non ballads material .
I'm going to get a copy of the single in due time to support her .
Mafuyu no Seiza
miss you -Hawaiian Breeze Remix-
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
KAT-TUN - KAT-TUN Live Tour 2008 Queen Of Pirates DVD Tracklist Details
Source = http://www.johnnys-net.jp/j/artists/kattun/disco/_popup/pop_2008_queen.html
Tracklist :
1) T∀BOO
2) Keep the faith
3) DON'T U EVER STOP
4) GOLD
5) Jumpin' up
6) Nannen Tattemo (Even after many years)
7) 12 o’clock
8) PARASITE (Tanaka Koki's Solo)
9) w/o notice ?? (Kamenashi Kazuya's Solo)
10) Natsu no Basho [The Place Of Summer] (Taguchi Junnosuke's Solo)
11) TEN-"G"
12) Ai no (Love) Command
13) LIPS
14) WILDS OF MY HEART
15) MOTHER / FATHER
16) SIX SENSES
17) HELL , NO
18) SMACK (Nakamaru Yuichi's Solo)
19) Ai no Hana [The Flower Of Love] (Ueda Tatsuya's Solo)
20) LOVEJUICE (Akanishi Jin's Solo)
21) Bokura no Machi de (In Our Town)
22) SIGNAL
23) SHE SAID ...
24) Yorokobi no Uta (Song Of Joy)
25) Crazy Love
26) Real Face
27) 「un-」
28) Peacefuldays
29) OUR STORY ~Prologue~
30) Harukana Yakusoku (A Promise Long Time Ago)
The tracklist for KAT-TUN's KAT-TUN Live Tour 2008 Queen Of Pirates DVD is finally up & running & I just love what I'm seeing .
The 1st press of the DVD will contain 6 pieces of collective cards of the guys which I think it's so cool .
I think it's such a fitting way to kick off the DVD with T∀BOO as it's a great & grand sounding no. & of course all the singles that they have released so far are included in the mix .
& naturally most of the non singles from their 3rd album KAT-TUN III -QUEEN OF PIRATES- are included with the exception of DISTANCE , AFFECTION ~Mou Modorenai~ (NOOO not the exclusion of this fantastic song :( ) & SHOT ! .
All the solos that the guys did in the 3 different limited editions of their 7th single DON'T U EVER STOP are included as well & they also thrown in a tune or 2 from their previous 2 albums although I'm surprised that the B-side of Keep the faith which's Crazy Love is included .
Not that it's a bad thing as I really like Crazy Love & I'm not surprised they close off the set with Harukana Yakusoku as that was the very 1st song the guys recorded together as a group .
KAT-TUN Live Tour 2008 Queen Of Pirates is scheduled to be released on new year's day in Japan & be sure to get a copy when it's released !
Koda Kumi - Winter Bell (stay with me's B-side)
Winter Bell is the 1st B-side found on Koda Kumi's 42nd single stay with me . Originally when it was announced that the single was pushed back 2 weeks later to Dec 24th from its original release date of 10th Dec , it was rumoured that Winter Bell would have been scrapped off from the single but not anymore .
This's such a cute Christmas inspired song if you ask me & I think it's a perfect mirror contrast to the otherwise sad ballad that's of the A-side . Winter Bell's a cheery & peppy no. that's bound to put a smile to your face .
The single will also contain an ～orgel version~ of the A-side & I can't wait to hear it in due time .
Winter Bell (Radio Rip)
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Koda Kumi - TRICK Album Details
Source = http://rhythmzone.net/koda/info/release090128.html
Tracklist :
1) INTRODUCTION FOR TRICK
2) TABOO
3) show girl
4) Your Love
5) stay with me
6) This is not a love song
7) Driving
8) Bling Bling Bling Feat AK-69
9) That Ain't Cool Feat Fergie
10) Hurry Up !
11) Moon Crying
12) JUST THE WAY YOU ARE
13) Joyful
14) Ai no Kotoba (Words Of Love)
15) Venus (English Version) (CD + 2 DVDs Track)
1st DVD Tracklist :
1) show girl -MUSIC VIDEO-
2) JUST THE WAY YOU ARE -MUSIC VIDEO-
3) Moon Crying -MUSIC VIDEO-
4) That Ain't Cool Feat Fergie -MUSIC VIDEO- (Album Version)
5) TABOO -MUSIC VIDEO-
6) stay with me -MUSIC VIDEO-
2nd DVD Tracklist :
Dirty Ballroom ~One Night Show~ LIVE
1) Cherry Girl -Space Cowboy Remix-
2) D.D.D.
3) Shake It Up -Kazz Caribbean Remix-
4) Always
5) come back
6) Butterfly
7) Bounce
8) BUT
9) Teaser Feat.Clench & Blistah
10) Hot Stuff
11) Amai Wana (Sweet Trap)
12) Hana (Flower)
13) Candy Feat Mr.Blistah -Mad reggaeton remix-
14) Selfish ~the meaning of peace~
15) WIND -PORTABLE WIND MIX-
ENCORE :
16) TABOO
17) TAKE BACK Remix
18) Sora -Yukihiro Fukutomi Remix- (Sky)
TRICK is the upcoming 7th album to be released by Koda Kumi . This piece of news has been confirmed on her official website recently & surprisingly unlike her previous albums Kingdom , Black Cherry , BEST ~second session~ , TRICK will be released in 2 formats instead of 3 , namely a CD only & a CD + 2 DVDs edition .
I find it a bit odd this time round TRICK will not be released in a CD + DVD format but ah well .
The CD tracklist of TRICK will contain all the songs that she has released so far , namely Moon Crying & 'the awful/overhyped & I can deal without' That Ain't Cool feat Fergie (more like Koda Kumi feat Fergie) , TABOO & her most recent hit stay with me which's not released til Christmas eve in which I suspect the reason as to why stay with me was pushed back 2 weeks later prior to its original release date of 10th Dec was due to the announcement of TRICK .
I'm curious to see how the album version of the That Ain't Cool video will differ from the single version . Probably not much but then again like what I said before , this's a song I really can do without it , be it video or song wise as I rather she included either Lady Go ! or Once Again from her MOON single .
If you were to purchase the CD + 2 DVDs edition , you will get 2 DVDS . The 1st DVD will contain 6 PVs in which 2 of them are for the non singles on TRICK which're JUST THE WAY YOU ARE & show girl while the 2nd DVD consists of nearly 2 hours worth of live footage from her famous Dirty Ballroom ~One Night Show~ concert where she performed at Shinkiba STUDIO COAST & also you will receive a bonus track in the CD tracklist in the form of the full Eng version of Venus & no it's not a cover of Tackey & Tsubasa's hit .
It's actually a cover of Shocking Blue's Venus & Koda's version of the song was 1st heard in a Gillette advertisement which she endorsed a while back ago . I frankly don't know how the eng version of Venus will sound like especially after she butchered A Whole New World pretty badly & also Twinkle which she did with Show Luo which sounded terrible but thankfully her solo Japanese take on the song sounds waaay better than the Eng one , be it with Show Luo or her just singing it alone .
TRICK is set to be released on 28th Jan next year so be sure to preorder your copy soon to support Koda Kumi !
KAT-TUN - KAT-TUN Live Tour 2008 Queen Of Pirates DVD Details Received this piece of information from CDJapan earlier on :
JABA-5044
KAT-TUN/KAT-TUN Live Tour 2008 Queen Of Pirates DVD
Price : 4762 yen
Release Date : 2009/01/01
Description : New live DVD release from KAT-TUN featuring footage of their August 5 , 2008 performance at Tokyo Dome ! Includes all single tracks , songs from the new album, and solo-tunes . Also includes multi-angle version of the tracks "Ai no Command" and "SIX SENSES" .
Source - http://cdjapan.jp/d.html?KEY=JABA-5044
This's just OMG & YAY at the same time because I have been waiting for this to be released for a while now especially since KAT-TUN Ⅲ -QUEEN OF PIRATES- is such a great album & I still believe it's 1 of the best albums I came across this year .
Not to mention it's the very 1st Johnny & Associates album I listened to & oh man the thought of doing the whole album live & that it finally makes it on DVD , it's just ... YAY-ness at max !
From the look of things , there's no mention of a 1st press edition like what happened in their previous Tour 2007 cartoon KAT-TUN II You DVD . Maybe the edition will be a standard affair like in the case for Live of KAT-TUN "Real Face" .
Hopefully the guys will be doing all the solo songs which made the cut in their DON'T U EVER STOP single .
Guess the tracklist & the DVD cover will be out in due time then .
What a great way to kick off the new year with this brand new release from KAT-TUN .
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Electrico - Hail To The Friends
Hail To The Friends is the 2nd single taken from local rock band quartet Electrico . This can be found as track 6 on their 3rd album We Satellites .
This's the 2nd single release after Save Our Souls & unlike Save Our Souls , Hail To The Friends received a video on its own .
Now this's a surprise , I was watching MTV Asia's Asian Takeaway earlier on & I was surprised to see the video & not to mention this song that is released officially as the 2nd single & I say great choice the guys & girl has made because this's actually 1 of my fave songs on We Satellites .
The way the heavy synth , guitars & drums harmonise themselves together , it's a masterpiece & you can't help but feel great of sorts when you listen to this somewhat cheery damn catchy no. & it's a breath of fresh air after the release of the somewhat serious Save Our Souls .
Hail To The Friends
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
KAT-TUN - White X'mas Covers
CD Only Cover :
CD + DVD Cover :
The covers for KAT-TUN's 8th single White X'mas are finally up & running & wow what I can say ? Beautiful covers (for once) & they're way so much better than their previous singles & albums covers .
I think this's probably 1 of their best covers to date as they're both so pretty but between both , I prefer the CD only cover slightly . Maybe because the words are being blended & hidden in the background with regards to the CD + DVD edition .
The type of font used for both covers are nice as well & earlier on , a 15 secs preview of their upcoming video for White X'mas was released on the net & it looks really promising & great .
White X'mas is scheduled to be released 2 Wed's from now in Japan & I can't wait to get my hands on a copy of the guys's latest single in due time .
GIRL NEXT DOOR's Self Titled Debut Album Details
Source
CD Only Cover :
CD + DVD Cover :
CD + DVD Cover (mu-mo's special cover)
Tracklist :
1) Winter Game
2) Drive away
3) Power of love
4) Shiawase no Jouken (The Condition Of The Happiness)
5) WINTER MIRAGE
6) Jounetsu no Daishou (The Compensation Of The Passion)
7) Fine after rain
8) Breath
9) Day's ...
10) ESCAPE (Album Edit)
11) Winter Garden
12) Climber's high
13) NEXT DOOR
14) Guuzen no Kakuritsu [Accidental Probability] (Album Edit)
DVD Tracklist (Music Video Special Version) :
1) Guuzen no Kakuritsu
2) Drive away
3) Jounetsu no Daishou
4) Winter Game
GIRL NEXT DOOR's self titled debut album will be released on Christmas eve in Japan in both CD & CD + 2DVDs editions .
Just like their 1st 3 singles , both editions of their upcoming self titled debut album will have 1st press items consisting of slipcases & different photobooks for each editions .
All of the 3 singles that they have put out since their debut single was dropped in Sept this year are included in the tracklist inclusive of Breath which's the 1st B-side of their debut single Guuzen no Kakuritsu .
They somehow have a winter trilogy of sorts going on in their debut album , just look at Winter Game , WINTER MIRAGE & Winter Garden .
In anycase , I'm looking forward to the release of GND's debut album & speaking of them , their brand new 3rd single Jounetsu no Daishou / ESCAPE is released officially today in Japan .
Monday, November 17, 2008
GIRL NEXT DOOR - ESCAPE & Jounetsu no Daishou's 2 Remixes
ESCAPE is the 2nd A-side of GIRL NEXT DOOR's 3rd single Jounetsu no Daishou / ESCAPE in which their new double a-side's scheduled to be released this coming Wed in Japan .
Hmm .. ESCAPE's an interesting song as it basically sounds like a mix mash of their 1st 3 singles Guuzen no Kakuritsu , Drive away & Jounetsu no Daishou . If you listened to ESCAPE , the opening sounds like Jounetsu no Daishou , the verses will remind you of Guuzen no Kakuritsu while the chorus's kinda similar to Drive away .
It has been a long time since I last came across such an unique song so this's either something you like or don't .
There're 2 B-side remixes found in Jounetsu no Daishou / ESCAPE , namely the Shinichi Osawa Remix & the ice cream mix of Jounetsu no Daishou . I'm usually not big on remixes but the Shinichi Osawa Remix is pretty good as it sounds something different while for the ice cream mix , it's pretty standard for a remix song coming from the trio .
It's said that GND will be releasing their debut self titled album next month on the eve of Christmas . Hopefully the news will be true as just like their previous 2 singles , Jounetsu no Daishou / ESCAPE's yet another solid single coming from the jpop/rock trio .
ESCAPE
Jounetsu no Daishou (Shinichi Osawa Remix)
Jounetsu no Daishou (ice cream mix)
Sunday, November 16, 2008
CD Review :: NEWS - color
CD Only Regular Edition Cover :
CD Only Limited Edition Cover :
Tracklist :
1) weeeek
2) STARDUST
3) SUMMER TIME
4) SNOW EXPRESS
5) Forever
6) MOLA (Yamashita Tomohisa's Solo)
7) Kesenai [Can't Erase] (Tegoshi Yuya , Ryo Nishikido & Kato Shigeaki's No.)
8) ordinary (Ryo Nishikido's Solo)
9) Minna ga Iru Sekai wo Hitotsu ni Ai wo Motto (One Of The World People Have More Love) Give & Take Shimashou [Devilishness] (Masuda Takahisa , Yamashita Tomohisa & Koyama Keiichiro's No.)
10) Murarisuto [Uneven List] (Koyama Keiichiro & Kato Shigeaki's No.)11) Taiyou no Namida (Tears Of The Sun)
12) Smile Maker
13) Happy Birthday
14) FLY AGAIN
15) Towairo no Koi [Eternal Love Of Color] (Regular Edition Track)
color is NEWS's 3rd album . Their brand new album's scheduled to be released this coming Wed . However the whole album has already been leaked out on the net since yesterday .
The album will be released in 2 editions , a regular edition containing a 16 page booklet & an extra track titled Towairo no Koi (Eternal Love Of Color) while the limited edition will contain a 32 page booklet without Towairo no Koi in the tracklist .
Just like in the group's previous album pacific , Yamapi & Ryo received solos on color while Tegoshi , Ryo , Shige are being grouped together to sing in 1 song . Similarly in the case of Masuda , Yamapi & Koyama who are grouped together to sing a song & also for Koyama & Shige's case too .
4 singles made the cut in color & among the 11 new songs (ie. if you have the regular edition) , 2 songs SNOW EXPRESS & Towairo no Koi that the guys performed live in their concert dvds Never Ending Wonderful Story & NEWS CONCERT TOUR pacific 2007 2008 -THE FIRST TOKYO DOME CONCERT- were finally given the studio album treatments in color .
I think it's an awesome way to kick off color with their 7th single weeeek which's easily 1 of the guys's best single release to date . Not to mention it's the 1st single/song that I heard of NEWS too .
The chorus & melody are so infectious , insanely addictive & catchy , hats off to GReeeeN who wrote & compose the song . Keeping it in the family is JIN whom arranged the song in which he's HIDE (GReeeeN's lead singer) older brother , this's some excellent stuff & it's a no brainer that weeeek became Japan's 10th most sold single last year .
Track 2 is the 1st new song on color . I only find STARDUST a-ok in that it's typical NEWS stuff . It's frankly nothing outstanding & it almost borderline on the filler factor but thankfully the guys's vocals saved STARDUST from being a major dud . Maybe because I was expecting STARDUST to sound as super as weeeek which probably explains on why I was slightly disappointed in this mid tempo pop/rock no. .
From 1 non single to a single , in comes SUMMER TIME , the band's 9th single . This was 1 song that took me quite a long time to change my perception on it as in the beginning I didn't like the song . It was only after watching the video & the live performances NEWS did for SUMMER TIME that I gradually began to like the song .
After SUMMER TIME , there's a huge gap of 7 new songs before you find the guys's next single which make the cut on color which's Taiyou no Namida .
The 1st concert song to receive the studio treatment is track 4 . Found as track 4 of disc 2's Never Ending Wonderful Story DVD & also as track 23 of disc 1's NEWS CONCERT TOUR pacific 2007 2008 -THE FIRST TOKYO DOME CONCERT- DVD , it's SNOW EXPRESS . I love the song on 1st listen as there's something charming about the melody pertaining to SNOW EXPRESS . Not to mention this's a really catchy & strong no. which easily is 1 of the album's highlights if you ask me .
The next track's a ballad titled Forever . Even before the whole album has leaked out on the net yesterday , I have already heard Forever for streaming on youtube & I must say that I'm not disappointed with this song as I'm basically a sucker for ballads & not to mention I love the way the guys's vocals harmonise in synch with the melody which has some really nice old fashioned guitar strumming going on in the song .
Track 6's called MOLA & this's Yamapi's solo . OK when I 1st heard MOLA , the 1st thing that caught my attention were the lyrics which were sung in FULL English followed by the melody .
Not to mention with regards to the lyrics , I can't help but compared it to another fellow Johnny Entertainment's full eng solo song in the form of KAT-TUN's Akanishi Jin's LOVEJUICE in which of course LOVEJUICE's found in KAT-TUN's 7th single DON'T U EVER STOP (the 2nd limited edition of the single) .
I guess you can say that MOLA's somewhat the more tamer version of LOVEJUICE in terms of lyrics wise since I find LOVEJUICE to be more 'dirty' . Melody wise , it bears resemblance to Chris Brown's Forever where Yamapi's voice sounded distorted in MOLA .
Not sure if it was done intentionally or something but surprisingly I like MOLA & also what surprised me was that Yamapi's English dictation/command is pretty good . At least I can understand what he's singing about , unlike in Akanishi's case where in certain parts of LOVEJUICE , I had to read the lyrics in order to catch what he sings about .
ANYWAY , enough of comparison between KAT-TUN & NEWS , in comes track 7 called Kesenai (Can't Erase) which's sung by Tegoshi on main vocals in which he's backed up by Ryo & Shige .
Although Kesenai can't match up to the greatness that's of the trio's previous music effort in pacific which's Ai Nante , I still like this song especially as this song gives Tegoshi plenty of opportunity to showcase his vocals & not to mention Ryo & Shige are ain't 1/2 bad in backing Tegoshi up in this not too shabby mid tempo song .
From a trio's music effort to a solo effort , in comes ordinary which's Ryo's solo . I feel this's another highlight in color simply because I like the somewhat simplicity of ordinary & not to mention Ryo didn't scream a lot on ordinary unlike in his previous solo effort code on pacific .
ordinary's a mid tempo rock driven no. & this's 1 really good & catchy song coming from Ryo . This I like & not to mention the music direction of the song's simple & not complicated .
Up next it's the trio of Masuda , Yamapi & Koyama . This time round , they come together to sing in Minna ga Iru Sekai wo Hitotsu ni Ai wo Motto (One Of The World People Have More Love) Give & Take Shimashou [Devilishness] which's easily the longest & most complicated sounding song title on color .
But thankfully the song's not otherwise as this's 1 peppy & cheery no. & Masuda's being backed up by Yamapi & Koyama as I tend to hear Masuda's voice more often than the other 2 , the same case for in Kesenai too although I can't help but to draw comparison of Minna ga Iru Sekai wo Hitotsu ni Ai wo Motto Give & Take Shimashou with the band's 4th single TEPPEN as the opening sounded too similar to TEPPEN but still it's not so bad as I really like TEPPEN so it's all good for me .
Track 10 is called Murarisuto (Uneven List) & it's the duo of KoyaShige (Koyama & Shige) who're in charge of this no. & goodness on 1st impression of Murarisuto , it reminded me of something on what Kanjani∞ might do as it's quite crazy & it gets a bit silly at times but luckily I have heard the preview of this prior to the full song so I more or less know what to expect coming from Murarisuto .
The duo sounded like they have a bit too much fun going on Murarisuto but this's 1 song that you should listen with a pinch of salt as it gets over the top in some parts .
After 7 new songs on color , track 11 is the band's 8th single Taiyou no Namida which was used as the theme song for the movie Kurosagi in which Yamapi plays the lead role .
I know there were criticisms surrounding Taiyou no Namida when it was released as it sounded very different from what NEWS normally does but regardless of which , this's 1 of my fave singles as it's the group's most serious sounding single to date + the melody's just gorgeous to boot .
From 1 single to a non single comes Smile Maker . This's 1 neat catchy & upbeat no. . I like the fact that the chorus sounds really grabbing & strong . The ending parts of Smile Maker sounded distorted which somehow added a nice touch to it .
Track 13's the last single which made the cut on color which's also incidentally the group's latest/10th single Happy Birthday . Even up to now , I still love this song as I feel rapper SEAMO did such a great job writing & composing this great catchy no. .
This's also NEWS's 10th straight no.1 single in which they're the 2nd Johnny's Entertainment group to have all their singles since their debut single to debut at the top spot , the 1st being their Senpai KinKi Kids with 27 straight no.1 singles & the next's KAT-TUN with 7 straight no.1 singles (& probably another along the way since they will be releasing White X'mas next month on the 3rd) .
The last 2 non singles to close off color , 1st in line's FLY AGAIN . This was the very 1st non single that I heard from color & needless to say , this stands as 1 of my fave non singles on the album & it's great to finally hear the full version this time round .
Only available in the regular edition of color it's Towairo no Koi (Eternal Love Of Color) & this's also the 2nd concert track to receive an album version treatment . You can find Towairo no Koi being listed on NEWS CONCERT TOUR pacific 2007 2008 -THE FIRST TOKYO DOME CONCERT- as track 21 on the 1st disc & I think it's such a great way to close off color as this's a really nice heartwarming ballad & come to think about it , it does sound Christmas-y of sorts with due respect to the music arrangement of the song .
color more or less presents a more mature side of NEWS & I can definitely tell the guys have shown maturity & growth especially in the non singles in their latest 3rd album .
My initial concern was that it might be a challenge for the guys to make the non singles sound better if not on/above par than the singles as the singles themselves already are class on its own but I'm happy to say that NEWS didn't fall into the trap of letting the singles overpar the non singles .
Instead , the non singles on color managed to carve a niche of their own right & as a result , you get a really solid album effort coming from NEWS & I really cannot wait to get my hands of color when it hit stores officially next week in time to come .
Saturday, November 15, 2008
ayumi hamasaki - GREEN
(LOVE ~Destiny~ Versions) ::
CD Only Cover :
CD + DVD Cover :
(TO BE Versions) ::
CD Only Cover :
CD + DVD Cover :
GREEN is the 2nd A-side of ayumi hamasaki's upcoming 44th single Days / GREEN . Her 2nd single release of the year , Days / GREEN will be released next month on the 17th in Japan & this comes almost 8 months since her previous single release Mirrorcle World .
The song was used to promote the latest Panasonic LUMIX camera & the video for GREEN was shot in Shanghai .
At this point in time , the Days / GREEN single covers & the video for GREEN have not been released yet .
Just like Mirrorcle World , Days / GREEN will contain 2 re-recorded versions of ayumi's past singles namely LOVE ~Destiny & TO BE which're dubbed the 10th anniversary versions of both respective songs .
When I 1st heard GREEN which has been since leaked out on the net , I thought it sounded a bit different than her usual works . There's a pretty strong oriental influence going on in the song & kinda no surprises since it was already stated that the video for GREEN was shot in Shanghai .
For me what I like about the song's the many different layers of instruments that was used to construct the melody of GREEN . It's something unusual but yet it still managed to retain the ayumi feeling going on in it .
GREEN
Friday, November 14, 2008
GReeeeN - Tobira (Door)
CD Regular Edition Cover :
2 CDs Limited Edition Cover :
Tobira (Door) is GReeeeN's 8th single . This's set to be released next month on the 3rd in Japan & it's the quartet's 1st single release after their collaboration with BACK-ON on the funky hip hop inspired no. Ashiato in which the song was released under the name BAReeeeeeeeeeN .
Tobira will be released in 2 editions , a CD regular edition & a 2 CDs limited edition .
This's classic GReeeeN in that once you switch on the radio , you can immediately tell it's a song that's sung by them . I feel lead singer HIDE's voice's extremely distinct & this's a very nice piano driven no. & come to think about it , it's kinda Christmas inspired in a way since the single will be released in Dec (just look at the 2 CDs cover too if you know what I mean) .
2008 has been a relatively good year for the guys & hopefully they can close things off nicely with a bang with Tobira .
Both editions will contain 2 B-sides Kimi Omoi (You Thought) & Shounen ga Yue no Jounetsu (The Passion Of The Late Boy) while in the 2 CDs limited edition , the 2nd disc will contain an extra song called Fuyu no Aru Hi no Uta (Song Of A Winter's Day) .
Tobira (Radio Rip)
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Aoyama Thelma - MADONNA (Mamoritai Mono's B-side)
MADONNA is the B-side song found on Aoyama Thelma's 4th single Mamoritai Mono which was released yesterday in Japan .
It's the 1st time I'm listening to Aoyama's B-side & I must say that MADONNA's nothing like what I expected it to be .
I like the usual melody going on in MADONNA & it's a bit exotic sounding to me & for once it's not a ballad but rather a R&B mid tempo driven no. .
I feel MADONNA kinda managed to contrast itself well with Mamoritai Mono as the former's a midtempo no. while the latter's a ballad & I find it pretty neat .
Aoyama's set to release her 5th single Daikkirai Demo Arigato (I Hate You , But Thanks) next month on the 12th together with her 1st remix album titled PARTY PARTY ~Thelma Remix~ & I look forward to somemore material coming from her in due time .
MADONNA
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Koda Kumi - stay with me
CD Only Cover :
CD + DVD Cover :
stay with me is Koda Kumi's 42nd single . This's going to be released next month on the 24th in Japan . The single is Koda's 3rd single release for the year & this comes almost less than 2 months or so after the release of her previous single , the fantastic TABOO .
The main A-side has been described as a winter love ballad on her official website & it's kinda a no brainer especially with a title like stay with me .
I guess when the words 'winter love ballad' are echo on her official site , immediately her previous winter inspired ballads Ai no Uta , Yume no Uta / Futari de ... & you are brought into the pic since the singles were released during the autumn/wintertime period .
I find stay with me pretty & honestly I really like this ballad & Koda's English pronunciation in some of the words on the song has improved . At least I can understand what she's singing with regards to the Eng words/phases that're thrown in the mix of stay with me .
Although I feel stay with me can't match up to the greatness that's of Yume no Uta , but still I like this no. coming from Koda . stay with me does get forgettable initially but after a few listens , I'm ok with it now .
Winter Bell & an Alternate arrangement version of stay with me will serve as B-sides on the A-side so hopefully both songs will sound good & that overall it will be a great single just like TABOO .
stay with me (Video Rip)
Sunday, November 09, 2008
alan - Namida (Tears) [Megumi no Ame's B-side]
Namida (Tears) is the B-side found on alan's 7th Japanese single Megumi no Ame in which the single will be out this coming Wed in Japan .
Well as the title of the song suggest , it's a sad slow no. (I stress the word slow on here) & this's probably 1 of her more depressing B-sides that alan has put out to date as this's quite different from her usual music styles that she dabbed in as compared to her other B-sides that're more on the cheery side like My Stage on Sora Uta .
Frankly I don't know how will Megumi no Ame fare when it will be released in Japan in 3 days to come because there had been mixed reactions surrounding the A-side prior to the release of the B-side Namida but in any case , I'm curious to see the sales/chart performances of alan's latest Japanese single .
Namida
Saturday, November 08, 2008
Mika Nakashima - VOICE Album Details
Both CD Only & CD + DVD Covers :
Tracklist for both editions :
1) LIFE
2) SAKURA (Cherry Blossoms) ~Hanagasumi~ [~Flower Haze~] (DAISHI DANCE) [Album Version]
3) FOCUS (Album Version)
4) Eien no Uta (Endless Song)
5) ORION
6) Anata ga Iru Kara (Because You Are Here)
7) MY GENTLEMAN
8) TRUST YOUR VOICE
9) IT'S TOO LATE
10) I DON'T KNOW (MICA 3 CHU)
11) SHUT UP (MICA 3 CHU)
12) conFusiOn
13) FLOWER OF TIME
14) Koe (Voice)
DVD Tracklist :
1) LIFE (PV)
2) Eien no Uta (Endless Song) (PV)
3) SAKURA ~Hanagasumi~ (Cherry Blossoms ~Flower Haze~) (PV)
4) I DON'T KNOW (MICA 3 CHU) (PV)
5) ORION (PV)
6) FOCUS (PV)
VOICE is Mika Nakashima's 6th album . This will be released on 26th this month in Japan in 2 different editions , a CD only & a CD + DVD edition . The CD + DVD edition will be housed in a deluxe box .
5 singles , 4 B-sides & Mika's 1st digital download single Anata ga Iru Kara make the cut in VOICE which just leaves only 4 brand new songs which might be a disappointment to you especially if you have bought all the singles that make the cut in Mika's new album .
This's the most no. of B-sides I have seen on an album's tracklist too . I hope the 4 new songs will sound promising as they have quite a bit of a challenge & expectation to live up if not to be on par with the singles .
For once , I don't mind that an original single is not included in the album as evident in the case of track 2 in VOICE which's SAKURA ~Hanagasumi~ (DAISHI DANCE) (Cherry Blossoms ~Flower Haze~) as honestly I like the DAISHI DANCE remix of the song as the original's a real snoozefest & I find it to be a rather big bore .
If I could , I would exclude the B-side of SAKURA ~Hanagasumi~ which's conFusiOn out of the tracklist as out of the 3 B-sides that will be included in VOICE , conFusiOn's the one I dislike the most followed by SHUT UP although I'm pleased to see FOCUS on VOICE & that it will be receiving a video of its own which's great as this's 1 B-side that I really like which's found on Mika's ORION single .
Also another B-side that I love IT'S TOO LATE is included which's fantastic as I remembered when LIFE was released , I actually like the B-side more than the A-side & I still do . The same thing goes for ORION too .
I feel both B-sides conFusiOn & SHUT UP should be scrapped & that Mika should include the B-side of Eien no Uta which's YOU'D BE SO NICE TO COME HOME TO in which it's a great jazz influenced no. that Mika's featured alongside with jazz group Katteni-Shiyagare & probably she should have done another new song as 4 new songs outta 14 tracks seem a bit short changed to me .
As a result of this , I suspect sales of her upcoming single ORION which will be out next Wed will be affected since both the A & B-side are included in the album & I suppose people would rather wait a little bit longer to get hold of VOICE .
I'm not really having any high expectations of VOICE . I'm just curious to see whether or not it can sell better than her previous album YES . In any case hopefully VOICE will do a-ok when it's put out in less than 3 weeks's time .
Friday, November 07, 2008
KAT-TUN - White X'mas
White X'mas is KAT-TUN's 8th single . This's going to be released next month on the 3rd in Japan & CDJapan described it as their 1st actual love ballad even though by right this's the 2nd ballad single release that they have put out , the 1st ballad being their 3rd single Bokura no Machi de .
For the 1st time , White X'mas's the guys's only single to include just the A-side for both the CD & CD + DVD editions (not counting previous single DON'T U EVER STOP assuming if you have just the regular edition as there're 6 solo songs spread out across the other 3 limited editions of DON'T U EVER STOP) & also another 1st for them , both editions of White X'mas have limited pressings that will be printed out to be sold .
& yesterday the full version of the song have surfaced on the net & wow what can I say ? it's kinda like what I expected it to be & it's so beautiful .
The music of White X'mas is stunning & blows me away but yet the lyrics to the song is real bittersweet & it has a sadness tone attached to it as I have seen the Eng translated lyrics of White X'mas earlier on . It kinda gives a nostalgic feeling especially since Christmas's around the corner .
2008 has been a pretty good year for the sextet with single releases LIPS & DON'T U EVER STOP being propelled straight to no.1 on the Oricon singles chart , this will close off the year nicely for them with their latest single release White X'mas .
White X'mas
Thursday, November 06, 2008
Wednesday, November 05, 2008
alan Feat Wei Chen (魏晨) - Jia You ! Ni You Wo ! (加油！你有 ME !)
Jia You ! Ni You Wo ! (加油 ! 你有 ME !) is a new chinese song sung by alan & this time round she has rope in singer Wei Chen in this no. .
The song is used to promote EPSON & so far there's no word on whether will this song will be given a physical single release .
I already have heard some of alan's chinese songs like Xin Zhan ~RED CLIFF~ (心・战; Heart , War) & Ai Jiu Shi Shou (愛就是手 ; Love Is Our Hands) & I like how carefree Jia You ! Ni You Wo ! sounds as it's really catchy & I feel both she & Wei Chen's voices compliment each other extremely well .
There's no signs of her signature yodelling in here but she makes up for it with this really nice , cheery & upbeat no. & speaking of alan , she's going to be releasing her brand new Japanese single Megumi no Ame (Blessed Rain) in exactly a week's time in Japan & I look forward to it as I'm curious to know how will the B-side Namida (Tears) will sound .
Hopefully it will be a good B-side .
Jia You ! Ni You Wo !
CD Review :: Anna Tsuchiya - NUDY SHOW !
CD Only Cover :
CD + DVD Cover :
Tracklist :
1) overture
2) Cockroach
3) Crazy World Feat AI
4) Virgin Cat
5) GINGER Feat MONKEY MAJIK
6) u
7) Dirty Game
8) Style
9) masquerade
10) BUBBLE TRIP
11) Serenade
12) Shape of your love
13) cocoon ～NUDY SHOW ! version～
14) LUCY
15) RIDE ON !
16) BLOOD ON BLOOD
17) Kuroi Namida (Black Tears) ～deep sadness version～
NUDY SHOW ! is Anna Tsuchiya's 2nd album . This was released last Wed in Japan .
6 singles & a B-side are included in the album in which 2 of them have been given music arrangements treatments . Excluding overture , you get a generous list of 9 brand new songs .
After a short overture where you can hear Anna singing verses from Virgin Cat in the background , she jumps straight to track 2 Cockroach which's the 1st non single on the album . Now I was going ??? when I saw the title on the tracklist but thankfully it doesn't sound as silly as what I imagined & this's 1 pretty good rock song although it's a bit short as it clocks in under 3 mins .
After Cockroach , the next 2 songs are singles that Anna has put out prior to NUDY SHOW ! . Crazy World Feat AI's her 8th single & this's still 1 of my fave Anna singles & collaboration to have emerged this year & I still love this song a lot & the sound consistency from Cockroach to Crazy World is there .
Virgin Cat's Anna's 9th single & this was the reason why the album was pushed back slightly . Some people might find the song to be a joke especially since the title's not helping things either but personally I like it although I must admit you should not listen to it if you take yourself seriously .
For me the thing that draws me to Virgin Cat is how catchy it's & the music style of the song's quite different from her usual rock works as it dabs in pop/jazz in this area .
The 2nd collaboration on NUDY SHOW ! , Ginger features MONKEY MAJIK & the song was used in the Asahi Ginger Draft ad & this's the only non single to receive a video of its own .
I must say that this's another collaboration that I enjoyed coming from Anna as the music's a more simple guitar pop driven song but the only grouse's that I can't help but realise that MONKEY MAJIK's playing 2nd fiddle to Anna as I only manage to hear their voices in the chorus only but still this's good stuff .
I thought the song on the album will be extended by a few secs or so but apparently not & this's the shortest track on NUDY SHOW ! clocking in at 2:36 mins .
u is track 6 & the only B-side which make the cut on the album . Found in Anna's 7th single cocoon , this's 1 mean song in that it has punk inspired rock roots & I just like how Anna sounds in your face when she belts out u .
The next 3 songs are non singles aka new songs . Just like u , Dirty Game is also another angsty rock driven no. . The same thing goes for Style but the good thing's that both songs managed to sound different from each other despite treading in the same music style & they're real catchy sounding too .
masquerade is track 9 & the style of masquerade is a bit different from what Anna does usually as it takes on a more trance like feeling but it still managed to maintain its rock roots . Usually trance & rock doesn't go well together to me but masquerade sounds really good & I love it how the song gives a dancey feeling to it .
I guess it kinda make sense to slot BUBBLE TRIP after masquerade as both songs are almost in the same music genre with BUBBLE TRIP having a more pop like sound & of course BUBBLE TRIP's the 1st A-side single in Anna's 6th single BUBBLE TRIP / sweet sweet song & just like in strip me ?'s case where MY FATE didn't made the cut , she has excluded the 2nd A-side of her double A-side single which's quite a pity as I really like sweet sweet song .
But anyway at that time when Anna released BUBBLE TRIP , that was considered her 1st non rock song & for me I was glad that she decided to put out a no. like BUBBLE TRIP as I didn't like it if she continue to put out rock songs on a constant basis so it was nice of her to step outta the rock comfort zone with BUBBLE TRIP when this was released at that time .
The next 2 new songs are the ballads on NUDY SHOW ! Serenade's just amazing & for me I love how simple the song sounds & to me I feel it sounded like a less scarier version of ayumi hamasaki's Marionette with due respect to the music box like melody found in Serenade & I personally think Serenade's 1 of the best non singles on the album .
Whereas for Shape of your love , it's another ballad except in the midst of the tune , the song began to build up & subsequently lashed out at full swing . I love the lyrics of the song but I can't help but wonder if the song's dedicated to her now deceased ex husband which's something I probably will never know about .
Although both ballads can't match up to the brilliance of Forever which's found in strip me ? but still these 2 no.s are great considering that quite few ballads are found in NUDY SHOW !
Anna's 7th single cocoon is up next except it has been given a music arrangement treatment & it's titled as cocoon ～NUDY SHOW ! version～ . Basically the album version of cocoon is a more stripped down acoustic guitar no. unlike the single version where it's rock driven . This's 1 music arrangement that I really dig .
This follows with her 5th single LUCY . If you have her ANNA TSUCHIYA inspi' NANA (BLACK STONES) , naturally you will feel cheated in that why's it included in here once more .
Fortunately for me , I don't mind it at all as LUCY's 1 of my fave Anna singles & this song still never fails to let me down as even up to now , I still think it's a great energetic highly charged up rock no. tune coming from Anna .
The last 2 batch of new songs followed suit in which 1st in line's a song called RIDE ON ! . I feel this's the only weak link in the album because it took me quite a while to remember how it sounds like but thankfully the next track BLOOD ON BLOOD is a great catchy angsty rock no. & the opening of the song's just fantastic .
& what a great way to close NUDY SHOW ! with 1 of Anna's best ballads / 4th single Kuroi Namida & I think it's awesome that she included the ~deep sadness version~ of the song instead of the single version .
Both the original & ~deep sadness version~ of Kuroi Namida can be found in the Kuroi Namida single .
The reason why I'm happy that Anna included the ~deep sadness version~ of Kuroi Namida instead of the original simply because I feel the ~deep sadness version~ of the song totally pawns the original in every music aspect but then again I like both the original & the ~deep sadness version~ take to Kuroi Namida .
The ~deep sadness version~ of the song never fails to blow me away everytime I listened to it & I should add that Kuroi Namida's so far the only single that Anna released which she sung in full Japanese since most of her singles are either sang in full Eng or a mixture of both languages .
Wow what can I say ? NUDY SHOW ! totally suppressed the music quality & production of her debut album strip me ? & for me I'm happy to know that the non singles on Anna's 2nd album are not straight up rock no.s & that the album in general is not another strip me ? or ANNA TSUCHIYA inspi' NANA (BLACK STONES) as this time round Anna really stepped outta her music comfort zone & that she decided to be more bold & daring in experimenting outside of her rock roots which's great .
& I'm glad that I have been a fan of Anna's music since her debut solo single Change your life as I can really see the music growth & maturity that she has displayed since her 1st single til now .
This's 1 album that's highly recommended & it's going straight to my fave album releases of the year list .
Tuesday, November 04, 2008
Yuna Ito - Koi wa (Love Is) groovy ×2
Koi wa (Love Is) groovy ×2 is Yuna Ito's 12th single . This will be released on 26th in Japan ie. 3 Wed's later .
The song is described in the initial press release as a 'latin house party tune' & it's used as a campaign song for the clothing line GAP .
After the somewhat dismal performance that previous single miss you obtained , Yuna's back with this HOT dance track & I stress the word HOT because this's very different from her previous works so prepare to get a shock of the good kind when you 1st hear Koi wa groovy x2 .
I know I have said it before that I don't like it when Yuna does dancey upbeat no.s & that I prefer her to stick to ballads but Koi wa groovy x2 is an exception .
There's just something about the music of the song that's really & seriously addictive & I must say that Yuna has produced such a great catchy song that seems to get better as each listen goes by .
I do hope that Koi wa groovy x2 will be able to perform better than miss you in terms of sales & chart performance wise when it's released .
Mafuyu no Seiza (Mid-Winter Constellation) & miss you -Hawaiian Breeze Remix- will serve as B-sides in Koi wa groovy x2 & I look forward to hear both B-sides . I'm curious to hear how the -Hawaiian Breeze Remix- will sound like though , hopefully it will be good as I was quite impressed with the -Bittersweet Movement Blood-I Riddimix- of Urban Mermaid in the miss you single .
Koi wa groovy ×2 (Video Rip)
ARASHI - Boku ga Boku no Subete [I Have All My] (Beautiful days's B-side)
Boku ga Boku no Subete
As promised the full & better quality of ARASHI's 1st B-side Boku ga Boku no Subete (I Have All My) .
Monday, November 03, 2008
NEWS - Forever (Track 5 In color)
Forever is found as track 5 in NEWS's upcoming 3rd album color . This's the 2nd song to have been leaked out on the net , the 1st being a rather long preview of track 13 FLY AGAIN even though color's not scheduled to be released until 19th of this month in Japan .
Except this time round , you get a choice of listening to the preview or the full song of Forever in which I chose the 2nd option LOL
& as expected Forever's a ballad & it's quite a no brainer even though I listened to the full version of the tune & I guess you can say it's typical NEWS fare when comes to their ballads .
I don't know if it's a good or bad thing but frankly I like Forever for the simplicity of the music arrangment & the guitar adds a nice touch to an otherwise typical NEWS ballad although I somewhat find the little rap in the midst of the no. a bit un-necessary .
& oh happy 24th birthday to you Ryo :D & speaking of song leak , there's a 34 secs preview of Kesenai floating on the net too in which Tegoshi's the main vocalist in the song . I did heard it just now & it sounded OK although I'm a bit bummed that it probably will not sound like another Ai Nante part 2 .
Forever
Sunday, November 02, 2008
Ken Hirai - Ken Hirai Films Vol.10 Ken Hirai Live Tour 2008 "FAKIN' POP" at OSAKA-JO HALL DVD Details
Tracklist :
1) POP STAR
2) Kimi wa Su.te.ki♡ (You're Won.der.ful)
3) fake star
4) UPSET
5) Elegy (Aika)
6) Pain
7) Hitomi wo Tojite (Close Your Eyes)
8) even if -piano instrumental-
9) Omoi ga Kasanaru Sono Mae ni ... (The Memories Pile Up Before Me ...)
10) Canvas
11) LIFE is ...
12) even if
13) Kimi no Suki na Toko (What I like about you)
14) Twenty ! Twenty ! Twenty !
15) Strawberry Sex
16) KISS OF LIFE
17) Love Love Love
-encore-
18) Itsuka Hanareru Hi ga Kite mo (If Some Day a Day Comes Where I'm Separated from You)
19) Shashin (Photo)
Ken Hirai Films Vol.10 Ken Hirai Live Tour 2008 "FAKIN' POP" at OSAKA-JO HALL DVD Details is Ken Hirai's latest concert DVD . This's his 4th concert dvd after the release of Ken Hirai Films Vol.9 this year in April .
This latest DVD release of Ken is set to be released next month on the 17th in Japan & as the name of the DVD suggest , most of the songs found in the tracklist consists of material that's found in his 7th album FAKIN' POP .
First press items include a 2nd disc which contains a documentary of the tour & the dvd will come packed in a digipack & last but not least it includes a 20 page booklet .
Wow it's about damn time this dude put out something since he went really quiet on me in April after he released his 1st recut single Itsuka Hanareru Hi ga Kite mo from FAKIN' POP & in a way I'm so glad that DefSTAR records decided to release this as I know Ken's concerts are seldom put out in a DVD (this's his 4th concert DVD release within a 13 years career that Ken has so you can imagine :O ) so in a way when I found out about this I was stoked !
In general I'm real pleased with the tracklisting of the dvd & on what it has to offer although I can't help but realise the absence of Bye My Melody which's 1 of the more poppier singles that Ken has put out to date & also Utsukushii Hito which's a fantastic B-side found on his Kimi no Suki na Toko single but still other than that , the tracklisting's pretty much solid & the dvd cover's pretty simple & at least not as silly & over the top as his FAKIN' POP & Ken Hirai Films Vol.9 covers .
Now what's left of Ken's to release some new material but before doing that , Ken will hold his usual Ken's Bar Live from the end of the year , this year entitled Ken's Bar 10th Anniversary Christmas Eve Special , on December 24th at Yokohama Arena .
