CD
CD + DVD
CD + DVD (Total Eclipse Edition)
1) Go to the top
2) darling
3) Go to the top [DJ AKi ASY Remix]
Go to the top is Koda Kumi's 53rd single & it was released on 24th Oct .
This's Koda's 1st single release of 2012 after she released her 10th album JAPONESQUE this year on 25th Jan . Subsequently , she also released 2 remix albums KODA KUMI DRIVING HIT'S 4 & Beach Mix which both of them were released on 14th March & 1st Aug respectively .
The A-side was selected to be used as the opening theme song for the anime Total Eclipse . Described as a dance tune , the song tells a message for people living in conflict & that it's being directed at people who do live with constant conflicts within themselves .
There're 2 B-sides in the single , the 1st 1 is something titled darling .
darling is a straight forward love song portraying Koda's feelings as a wife & mother which contrasts the A-side a great deal . The result of darling showcases a raw warm side of Koda .
The DJ AKi ASY Remix of Go to the top serves as the 2nd B-side in the single . Unlike the main A-side , Go to the top [DJ AKi ASY Remix] has a sleek futuristic sound despite it being shorter than the original .
Koda seldom include remixes of the main A-side in her singles but I have to say be it both the original or the remix of Go to the top , both are equally solid .
Just three months after giving birth to a healthy baby boy , Koda Kumi has already making her comeback to the J-pop world with Go to the top . The pop diva's 53rd single is a pulsating electronica dance tune that also serves as the opening theme song for the anime series Total Eclipse . Welcome the return of a true pop diva with Go to the top !
Her 54th single Koishikute (Darling) will be released on 5th Dec .
An updated version of YUI's 8th single CHE.R.RY , the production of SHE LOVES YOU is supervised by YUI herself , with artistes such as miwa , SCANDAL , NEGOTO , Kylee , STEREOPONY , Ayaka Ide , Aoi Eir , joy , Goose house & Miku Sawai covering one YUI song each . Also, YUI also participates in the album with her self-cover live bossa nova version of CHE.R.RY .
YUI brings together the best girls pop artist in J-pop today for the cover album SHE LOVES YOU & for her own self cover of CHE.R.RY , as the updated version suggests , it has a bossa nova touch to it .
All this while , CHE.R.RY has always been 1 of my fave songs from YUI & hearing the ~Bossa Live Version~ of it , it's very cool in which YUI gave it a 360 music degree makeover that's completely different from what the original had to offer .
Listening to CHE.R.RY ~Bossa Live Version~ on a lazy day couldn't have been more better than this .
Cover for both CD & CD + DVD's editions
1) Jigsaw Puzzle
2) Technical
3) Jigsaw Puzzle -KARAOKE ver.-
This single was released about 3 months + since their previous single Hotaru (Firefly) .
While Hotaru is a charming touching ballad , Jigsaw Puzzle presents a more cheery carefree side which's something that I enjoy on listening to on 1st listen .
Technical serves as the B-side in the single & I don't know why but I kind of find this song a bit irritating .
Perhaps it's the way that rapper/singer TOC delivers the song or the fact that the melody utilises quite a lot of over the top synth which both factors contribute in making Technical slightly turn off for my liking .
Showing no signs of slowing down despite releasing their 1st best album Best of Hilcrhyme earlier this year , Hilcrhyme returned back with their 2nd single of 2012 in the form of Jigsaw Puzzle .
The duo's 12th single Kaleidoscope will be out on 7th Nov , followed by their 4th album LIKE A NOVEL that will drop on 28th Nov .
CD
CD + DVD A
CD + DVD B
1) Danger Zone ~to the unknown world~
2) Slave Maker
3) Fallen Angel
4) Deepness
5) Come closer
6) Bluff××
7) invisible
8) JAM ~Freaky Night~
9) Lost World
10) SUPERSONIC
11) LOVE CRIES
12) A Silent Night (CD Only Track)
Gravity is Domoto Koichi's 3rd solo album & it was released on 3rd Oct .
Koichi's latest album offering is released 2 years & a month since his previous album BPM & unlike his 1st 2 solo album offerings , Gravity is his 1st album not to include any singles .
2 songs in Gravity are composed by Koichi himself who's 1/2 of the duo KinKi Kids alongside with Domoto Tsuyoshi .
Kicking things off in the album is Danger Zone ~to the unknown world~ which's the only song in Gravity that received a music video .
Serves as the lead album promo track for Gravity , Danger Zone ~to the unknown world~ is insanely addictive if not downright catchy on 1st listen . I wasn't surprised that a music video was made for this song as it's a great opening album track .
Slave Maker follows after Danger Zone ~to the unknown world~ & just like the latter , Slave Maker is also another catchy entertaining dance no. with it being just as aggressive sounding as the next song which's Fallen Angel .
Fallen Angel is 1 of 2 tracks that's composed by Koichi & Koichi's composing skills is something that I really admire/respect & no exception goes for Fallen Angel which showcases what Koichi does best .
The mood is somewhat slow down a bit in the form of the next track ie. Deepness . It's not as upbeat as the 1st 3 songs but it still has plenty of attitude attached to it .
Likewise , the same thing goes for Come closer & Bluff×× with both tracks sounding quite lush sounding . I don't think they're the strongest tracks in Gravity but these 2 songs are something I don't mind listening to if I have the album on loop .
invisible is the only slow no. in Gravity & this almost can be considered as a ballad & it's a refreshing change to see a switch in music direction after a series of back to back upbeat club driven songs .
JAM ~Freaky Night~ takes centre stage after invisible & for this track , I think it's ok as it's neither good or bad since there're much more memorable stronger tracks in Gravity .
Lost World is 1 of my fave album tracks as it's a really strong entertaining track on 1st listen . The melody is what makes Lost World stands out as it has plenty of catchy hooks going on & even autotune is present in it which makes things even better .
From an awesome track to the next , in comes SUPERSONIC which really caught on me at 1st listen , in that the song is very polarizing & I was straightaway drawn into it .
Lost World & SUPERSONIC are definitely 2 great tracks back to back which're on par if not enough to rival Danger Zone ~to the unknown world~ .
LOVE CRIES is the 2nd song that Koichi composes besides Fallen Angel & in LOVE CRIES , it does sound like something left behind from his debut solo album mirror .
I frankly have no issues with Koichi's composing as it's this aspect of him that I like/respect which I still feel that mirror is awesome even up to now , despite it being released close to 6 years ago .
A Silent Night is only available in the CD only pressing of Gravity & should this edition be purchased , it serves as the bonus track , something both CD + DVD's of the album doesn't have .
Oddly , I feel that A Silent Night is something KinKi Kids might personally sing themselves & not Koichi alone . As such I didn't find it very memorable on 1st listen & it only sunk into me after a few listens .
I don't think A Silent Night will be a fave track of mine . It's a pleasant no. but that's that .
While Domoto Tsuyoshi continues to explore the experimental side of rock music , his KinKi Kids group-mate Koichi shows off his dance skills in his latest album Gravity .
Truth be told , when it was announced that Koichi be releasing a new solo album , I was surprised especially since there're no singles included in Gravity . At 1st I didn't want to listen to his latest album offering but I'm glad I didn't undertake that decision because after listening to Gravity , I think it's a solid effort .
Unlike his previous album BPM which I think is quite weak sounding , Gravity is much stronger overall as there're plenty of great dance tracks which're good enough to be potential singles themselves & surprisingly , I find myself listening to Gravity a lot more than expected .
I don't think Gravity will be able to match up to just how Koichi's debut solo album mirror is as I still feel mirror is top notch but it's definitely a big music step up for Koichi from what he did in BPM & what he did now for Gravity .
Hopefully in his next solo offering he will compose the whole album as that's something I really miss from him but for now , I will be plugging into Gravity on repeat mode .
CD + DVD Regular
CD + DVD Limited
1) HALLOWEEN PARTY
2) Penalty Waltz
HALLOWEEN PARTY is a special collaboration single that was released on 17th Oct under the name HALLOWEEN JUNKY ORCHESTRA .
This collaboration single features the following artistes :
- HYDE (L'Arc~en~Ciel/VAMPS)
- Acid Black Cherry
- DAIGO (BREAKERZ)
- kyo (D'ERLANGER)
- Tommy february6
- Tommy heavenly6
- Tatsurō (MUCC)
- Anna Tsuchiya
- Aoki Ryuji
- K.A.Z (VAMPS)
- Hitsugi (Nightmare)
- Aki (SID)
- RINA (SCANDAL)
- Kanon Wakeshima
Written & composed by L'Arc~en~Ciel/VAMPS's HYDE , HALLOWEEN PARTY features an all stars cast lineup with HYDE inviting his famous friends to participate in this wickedly fun song & seriously what's there not to like about the A-side ?
With HALLOWEEN PARTY sounding a little bit like L'Arc~en~Ciel's Hurry Xmas , HALLOWEEN PARTY is basically fun fun fun & it definitely fits the whole Halloween theme extremely well .
Penalty Waltz serves as the B-side track of the single & this's actually an instrumental no. that's composed by HYDE .
To sum up what Penalty Waltz is all about , think of the instrumental of HALLOWEEN PARTY that has the addition of numerous weird/creepy/amusing sound effects that're all Halloween associated .
Before VAMPS's annual organised Halloween Party concerts kick off this weekend & next weekend , the release of HALLOWEEN JUNKY ORCHESTRA's HALLOWEEN PARTY couldn't have come at a more precise/better timing than this !
Also the very fact that the whole gang will be taking centre stage performing at all 5 concert dates for Halloween Party 2012 , you know nothing but crazy good 'ol Halloween fun will definitely be expected from the guys & girls . Just don't be too scared by them ... or not .
DESTROY CRASHER 2012 & FAKE LOVE 2012 are 2 newly re-recorded songs taken from BREAKERZ's 1st best album BREAKERZ BEST ~SINGLE COLLECTION~ which was released last week 10th Oct .
Both DESTROY CRASHER 2012 & FAKE LOVE 2012 are only included in the 2 CDs + bonus disc limited edition type B , in which the bonus disc is titled MEMBER'S SELECTION .
MEMBER'S SELECTION consists of 16 tracks in which all 3 members in the group selected the best tracks & cherry pick them to be included in this bonus disc .
DESTROY CRASHER was originally found as track #7 in the guys's 1st mini album Ao no Mirai EP . A video was made for DESTROY CRASHER 2012 but is not included in the DVD tracklist pertaining to BREAKERZ BEST ~SINGLE COLLECTION~ .
Written by vocalist DAIGO & composed by guitarist SHINPEI for both the original & updated versions , I'll be frank to say that DESTROY CRASHER is actually 1 of my least fave tracks in the guys's discography & coincidentally with it being the last track in Ao no Mirai EP , it's always the song I skipped if I listen to the mini album .
However surprisingly I kind of enjoy DESTROY CRASHER 2012 . I'm not sure why but somehow , the updated version of the song has a lot more bite to it & it's somewhat more aggressive/meaner sounding as compared to the original .
FAKE LOVE was originally found as track #6 in Ao no Mirai with both the original & updated versions being written by DAIGO & composed by guitarist AKIHIDE .
Unlike DESTROY CRASHER , FAKE LOVE is actually 1 of my most fave tracks , be it in Ao no Mirai EP &/or in the guys's discography so I was really surprised when they chose to record an updated version as this would make the 2nd time FAKE LOVE gotten a music makeover , with the 1st one being an acoustic take that they included in their 9th single BUNNY LOVE / REAL LOVE 2010 as a B-side track .
FAKE LOVE ~Acoustic Version~ was done really well but in the case of FAKE LOVE 2012 , it's much more punchier & the guitar riffs are a lot more stronger . Also , the updated version score brownie points in that AKIHIDE's vocals could be heard very distinctly in the background prior to the conclusion of the song which made me really stoked .
It was unexpected but it turned out to be a really great surprise .
Celebrating their 5th anniversary this year since their debut formation in 2007 , BREAKERZ has come of age with the release of BREAKERZ BEST ~SINGLE COLLECTION~ .
BREAKERZ BEST ~SINGLE COLLECTION~ already stand out on its own for being a solid must get best album , with this being their very 1st best album but BREAKERZ did 1 step further & include 2 updated songs which the ending results turn out to be quite top notch if I say so myself .
CD
CD + DVD
1) ROCK THIS WAY SEAMO x SPYAIR
2) It's a Gloomy Monday (SEAMO)
Released under the billing SEAMO x SPYAIR , this collaboration was planned after SEAMO participated in a live event hosted by SPYAIR back in August & the A-side is described as a rock tune that's a message song in sending a yell to those who face themselves & keep chasing after their dreams .
This's something kind of unexpected but the ending result is actually really good if not so cool & this's what you get when you combine rap & rock together .
As for ROCK THIS WAY , I couldn't help but detect traces of SPYAIR's Rockin' the World (the introduction song from their self titled debut album) & that really pleased me as that opening track is really rocking & I suppose ROCK THIS WAY can be considered as an extension from where Rockin' the World left which's fantastic .
It's a Gloomy Monday serves as the B-side in the single & unlike ROCK THIS WAY , the song has a much more heavier rap hip hop vibe going on , with SEAMO being the only 1 featured in it , vocals wise .
I feel that It's a Gloomy Monday is interesting as it contrasts the A-side a lot with SEAMO being featured in it solely & the fact that he's a rapper , it's saying a lot with what's going on in It's a Gloomy Monday .
Rapper SEAMO & rock band SPYAIR band together in releasing this special collaboration single in the form of ROCK THIS WAY & if you ask me , this collaboration is something I really enjoy when both artistes come together in doing this .
Combining rock & rap can be something tricky but the good thing's that SEAMO & SPYAIR were able to fused each of their music niche which led to the enjoyable if not catchy ROCK THIS WAY being born .
I'm not sure if this's a 1 off thing but should both artistes release another collaboration in future , it will be something I wouldn't say no to & never say never as what I would put it .
1) WARRIORS
2) Play Within A Play (GOSPELS OF JUDAS)
Released about 6 months + since previous single IF YOU WANT , WARRIORS is an exciting rock tune which has two promo tie in's in the form of being used in the ads of HAL TV CM song & also in the WOWOW TV network for its broadcast of their football programmes .
The single's B-side track is something that's titled Play Within A Play & this's the 1st song from that's released under a new unit that Himuro coined up with , which's GOSPELS OF JUDAS .
Play Within A Play on its own is quite unusual sounding & definitely something not Himuro's style . I guess I can understand why instead of him , the song's credited under GOSPELS OF JUDAS .
The B-side is very different from WARRIORS , with Play Within A Play sounding almost on the borderline of being creepy but this showcases a different side of Himuro , something that he chose to step out of his music comfort zone that I don't mind at all .
After the release of the previous single , the heartwarming no. IF YOU WANT , legend Himuro Kyosuke is back with this back to basics rock no. in the form of his latest single offering WARRIORS .
I think both songs are solid , with the added emphasis that Play Within A Play is a must recommended track to hear if you want to hear something unusual that's not the usual style that Himuro embarks on .
If not , there's always WARRIORS to satisfy any old school rock fans out there .
CD
CD + DVD A ; DVD contents includes the Beautiful life video
CD + DVD B ; DVD contents includes the GAME video
1) Beautiful life
2) GAME
3) Girl 2012
4) Beautiful life (Original Karaoke)
5) GAME (Original Karaoke)
6) Girl 2012 (Original Karaoke)
Originally supposed to be released on 26th Sept , Beautiful life / GAME is released about 7 months + since Fukuyama's previous single Ikiteru Ikiteku .
Both A-sides will be reviewed with the exception of Girl 2012 . But with that said , Girl 2012 is actually a re-recorded version of Fukuyama's 1992 song Girl in which it was used as TV Asahi's London Olympic theme song for this year .
The 1st A-side Beautiful life is used to promote in the ads of P&G SK-II & it's described as a heartwarming ballad .
On the other hand , the 2nd A-side GAME is theme song for 2012's London Olympic coverage that was broadcasted by TV Asahi is a hot-blooded rock tune that served as the theme song for TV Tokyo's London Olympics coverage .
After almost 7 months , Fukuyama Masaharu is finally back with a new single in the form of a double A-side no. , Beautiful life / GAME & honestly I really dig his latest release offering .
I think both A-sides are equally solid with each track showcasing a different side of Fukuyama . On 1 hand , Beautiful life displays a soft & touching side of him while for GAME , it's a no nonsense rock driven no. which proves that Fukuyama still does know how to rock out & have a great time .
I hope that the next music move Fukuyama will undertake is to release a new studio album as his last album that he released was 2009's Zankyou . As such , I really hope that will be the case . If not , the next best move is to release his next single before doing so .
After all , his next single release will be his 30th in his career & that's considered as a form of a milestone .
