CD
CD + DVD
1) BYE×BYE
2) yours
3) I miss you -refrain- (MANABOON Steppers Remix)
4) BYE×BYE -Instrumental-
Shota's 1st best album ALL SINGLES BEST was released in Feb .
BYE×BYE is described an R&B number that documents the painful feelings of two people parting ways . The song is a catchy mid-tempo R&B song that represents a new sound for the young R&B singer .
2 B-sides are included in the single . The 1st 1 is something titled yours .
Unlike the A-side which can be a bit depressing sounding , yours has a positive vibe that's accompanied by a simple understated melody which contrasts BYE×BYE quite well .
I miss you -refrain- (MANABOON Steppers Remix) is a remix of Shota's previous single I miss you -refrain- .
I usually like Shota's remixes of his single songs but somehow I'm not liking I miss you -refrain- (MANABOON Steppers Remix) that much as the original take of the song is supposed to be a rather sad no. . In this case , the remix has changed the dynamics of the song in which I'm not liking it as much as I was hoping for .
After releasing his 1st best album ALL SINGLES BEST in Feb , Shota Shimizu is ready to start a new phase of his musical career with BYExBYE .
Back when I reviewed/wrote about ALL SINGLES BEST , I did wondered what Shota planned to do after that . It's a relief to know he's still continuing to release music & hence , it's where BYExBYE comes in .
Right now , it's a rarity for male solo acts to release material in a constant regular basis . It's great knowing that Shota is holding his head up high and continuing to do what he does best , releasing soulful R&B no.s that has plenty of charm & character .
CD
CD + DVD
CD + Blu-ray
SUMMER of LOVE was released last week on 22nd July . It comprises of past Summer songs of Koda's + the 3 new songs as mentioned .
Prior to the physical CD release of SUMMER of LOVE , EX TAPE was 1st released digitally on 8th July .
EX TAPE is a smooth sounding no. with a catchy melody that's impossible not to get drawn onto . As for HURRICANE , it's a rather fast paced no. with an aggressive bass that can be heard being emphasised a great deal prior to the choruses in the song .
Unlike EX TAPE & HURRICANE which have music videos (that has a connecting plot that's interlinked with each other) , NO ONE ELSE BUT YOU doesn't have a music video . UTA , a producer who has worked with the DOUBLE & Namie Amuro collaboration song BLACK DIAMOND , as well as JUJU's PLAYBACK & AI's Happiness , worked on this song .
NO ONE ELSE BUT YOU is a R&B ballad that carries the Koda standard that will be heard for decades to come . Koda's comments on NO ONE ELSE BUT YOU , "When I heard the melody , I imagined singing it in the breeze . I wanted to use word from nature like wind , cloud & sun . I didn’t want to force it , so I tried to sing as naturally & gently as I could . It was difficult because It was new territory for me , but I think it came out well."
I like the new material that Koda recorded to be included in SUMMER of LOVE but for me , I'm not happy with the way that this release's being marketed as it downright should be released as Koda's next Summer single , seeing that the 3 new songs are equally good/strong .
Let alone , it doesn't help that I'm quite turned off in the way the tracklist (be it CD , Blu-ray and/or DVD) is as quite a lot of good songs from Koda's past Summer singles have been excluded .
For me , if I want to have the full experience , I rather buy all of Koda's past Summer singles & not this release . It's a bit unfortunate as the new material served as a dangling carrot in order for fans to buy SUMMER of LOVE as I'm sure if this doesn't happen , fans will not be motivated to buy this release .
CD
CD + DVD
1) Fame
2) MUSE
3) Just A Woman
4) Bongo Drum
5) Boogie Night
6) STELLAR NIGHT ~Hoshi no Balcony
7) I Just Want You
8) Knock me down
9) The mAsque
10) DEAD END
11) Night Wanderer
12) Over You
13) Love Professor
14) SHOCK ! (CD Only Track)
15) SHOW ME UR MONSTER (CD Only Track)
16) INTERACTIONAL (CD Only Track)
Koichi's last solo album release was 2012's Gravity . No singles are included in the album . Instead , Koichi's 1st DVD/Blu-ray single INTERACTIONAL / SHOW ME UR MONSTER are both included as bonus tracks in the CD only edition of Spiral .
Serving as the lead album promo track & opening no. , Fame is the only new album track that received a music video .
Gravity's Danger Zone ~to the unknown world~ was an awesome opening no. & likewise for Fame . I did not find Fame catchy on 1st listen but the more I listen to it , it's quite evident on why Koichi chose this song to kick start Spiral .
The next song MUSE is also another stellar no. . The beginning doesn't sound very exciting but towards the later part of the track , it sounded like another different song altogether .
Just A Woman is the shortest track in Spiral with it being under 3 mins . That said , this's a catchy no. that has a fast paced no. with a strong dance melody to back up the song .
Bongo Drum follows after Just A Woman . As the song title suggests , there's slight beats of bongo drums in the track . It's 1 of the more slower mid tempo no.s in Spiral but I actually quite like it .
Likewise , the same thing goes for Boogie Night which's a groovy funky no. . The song is further enhanced with strong sounding trumpet songs which makes it a fun track to listen to .
STELLAR NIGHT ~Hoshi no Balcony is the 1st album no. that's a ballad . This Orchestra grand sounding no. blew me away when I 1st heard it & it showcases that Koichi is equally adapted in handling both dance no.s + ballads rather seamlessly well .
I Just Want You & Knock me down are 2 interesting back to back mid tempo tracks . These 2 songs are somehow interlinked (unintentionally if not purposedly ?) with each other especially the way I Just Want You ended & when Knock me down began .
At this point the album has been slowed down considerably but now the beat is back in full swing from The mAsque onwards .
There's a lot of things going on in The mAsque as Koichi's vocals are distorted with autotune in the song . Whether was it done purposely or not , I like The mAsque as it's just really cool .
DEAD END follows after The mAsque . I was a bit scared when I 1st heard DEAD END as this Halloween inspiring no. was a bit freaky sounding on 1st listen .
Perhaps taking a note or 2 from SHOW ME UR MONSTER , I can imagine Koichi making a Halloween inspired music video if he were to make a video for DEAD END .
Night Wanderer is 1 of my personal fave tracks in Spiral . It's autotune driven just like The mAsque but Night Wanderer is spell bounding & aggressive sounding from the moment the song starts .
Over You is the 2nd album ballad in Spiral after STELLAR NIGHT ~Hoshi no Balcony . The fact that there're not that many ballads in the album , the ballads have to be able to stand up against the other tracks in which I think both STELLAR NIGHT ~Hoshi no Balcony & Over You were able to do that .
Love Professor is the last track in the CD + DVD edition of the album . Despite the rather funny song title , this catchy dance no. is actually quite a fitting no to conclude things .
There're 3 bonus tracks in the CD only edition of Spiral with the 1st no. titled SHOCK ! .
SHOCK ! is a good song even though it feels a bit overwhelmed as there're other better no.s in Spiral . Still , this's something I don't mind to listen on a regular basis .
SHOW ME UR MONSTER & INTERACTIONAL are the last 2 bonus tracks in the album . Before Spiral was released , the album was preceded by Koichi's 1st DVD/Blu-ray single INTERACTIONAL / SHOW ME UR MONSTER .
I enjoyed both songs when the DVD/Blu-ray single was released so I have no complains seeing both tracks included in Spiral as I don't see why they should not been included in the tracklist at all .
KinKi Kids' Domoto Koichi is back with his 1st solo album in nearly 3 years ! Spiral features brand new songs that travel across genres , from dance music to heartwarming ballads .
All the while I always prefer Koichi's solo works as compared to his bandmate Domoto Tsuyoshi a lot more and it feels quite surreal that it took Koichi this long to finally release new solo material again .
Gravity was a surprisingly good album at that time Koichi released it almost 3 years ago . I was impressed with his comeback single INTERACTIONAL / SHOW ME UR MONSTER & Koichi didn't disappoint with what he had to offer for Spiral .
Spiral is an enjoyable album from the moment I listened to it until the end . It's a good successor from where Gravity left behind as most of the new material in Spiral are top notch , solid & memorable .
Let alone , the sound consistency of Spiral is there . It might be mainly a dance album (with ballads thrown in for good measure) but there're many different dance genres in the record which makes Spiral a really fun album to listen to .
I was skeptical before I listened to Spiral as I was worried if it might sound like Koichi's 2nd album BPM (which's my least favourite album from him) but thank goodness Spiral more than exceeded my expectations , given that a lot of talented people wrote/composed the album .
If there's 1 minor downside to Spiral , it's the lack of compositions from Koichi which unfortunately he didn't composed any song/s this time round . I thought it's a pity as I admired/enjoyed Koichi's music compositions a great deal . As such for him not to do any in Spiral , it's a bit of a waste .
Other than that , Spiral is definitely a great music return for Koichi . I just hope I will not need to wait another 3 more years for Koichi to release new solo material again but on the other hand , I do not mind new KinKi Kids material either .
On that note , Spiral is most possibly 1 album that will be going to my fave Top 10 album list for 2015 .
Cover for both CD & CD + DVD
1) Fire Starter
2) JUST LIKE THIS 2015
Released about 4 months since their previous single ROCKIN' OUT , the A-side was picked to be used to promote NTV's drama THE LAST COP .
Prior to its physical CD release , Fire Starter was 1st released digitally last month on 19th June .
A ferocious Rock number packed with energy , the lyrics of Fire Starter float on top of a big-boned wild sound & convey a piercing attitude that prevails even in this world full of conflict . Visually , the single's artwork cover is based on red & compliments the band's attitude .
Fire Starter is another memorable thumping Rock no. but what makes this song stands out from the group's past single offerings is the inclusion of guitarist UZ who contribute in rapping in the song .
This's something that they've never done before & it's actually pretty cool for UZ to rap in the verses of Fire Starter while vocalist IKE sings his heart out .
JUST LIKE THIS 2015 serves as the B-side in the single . This song is a re-recorded/updated version of Just Like This , which was originally found as 1 of 3 B-sides in 2nd single Last Moment .
The group chose to re-record JUST LIKE THIS as it's a song where the band went back to their roots 10 years after their formation & 5 years after their major label debut .
I only started listening to SPYAIR's B-sides from their 6th single My World onwards so I will treat JUST LIKE THIS 2015 as a new song to me .
When I 1st heard JUST LIKE THIS 2015 , it sounds a bit like their 4th single Samurai Heart (Some Like It Hot !!) as for both songs , they kept repeating the song's title name in the background . But song wise , JUST LIKE THIS 2015 contrasts Fire Starter well with the former being a more mid tempo no. unlike the A-side where it's a straight up Rock no. .
Celebrating their 5th year major label anniversary this year , SPYAIR most definitely has come of age with them delivering their 2nd single release of 2015 , Fire Starter .
I'm probably biased but I feel that SPYAIR is 1 of the few groups that they've been putting out consistently good material . Up to now , I have been seldom disappointed with their music . It's a rarity for something like this to happen but if this keeps up , I don't see why they're going anywhere anytime soon .
I can't wait to see what they have up in store after Fire Starter but for now , this's a single well checking out .
CD
2 CDs + DVD A {2nd CD is a live CD}
2 CDs + DVD B {2nd CD is a remix CD}
1) "4th" Overture
2) Brand New World
3) Kiss Damashii
4) Another Future
5) FOLLOW
6) Kimi ni Aeru Kara
7) if
8) Wonderful (Yokoo Wataru & Fujigaya Taisuke)
9) BE LOVE (Tamamori Yuta & Miyata Toshiya)
10) Double Up (Nikaido Takashi & Senga Kento)
11) Akashi (Kitayama Hiromitsu & Fujigaya Taisuke)
12) Shake Body !!
13) Perfect World
14) Thank you Jan !
15) KISS & PEACE
16) Doki Doki de YEEEAAAHHH !! (CD Only Track)
17)) Halley (CD Only Track)
Released about a year since their previous album Kis-My-Journey , KIS-MY-WORLD was released to commemorate how far the group has grown 4 years after making their debut in the music business .
3 singles & 3 B-sides are included in KIS-MY-WORLD . The tracklist of the CD only edition of the album has 17 songs , inclusive of 2 bonus tracks Doki Doki de YEEEAAAHHH !! & Halley .
Aside from this , 4 songs in the tracklist are sung by duo pairings within the group .
"4th" Overture serves as the opening track & the album doesn't waste any time in jumping straight to the 1st new track in KIS-MY-WORLD titled Brand New World .
Brand New World is the only new album track that has a music video & this catchy futuristic upbeat fast paced sounding no. rightfully deserves every reason in getting a video seeing that on 1st listen , the song makes a great positive memorable impact .
The next 2 songs are singles that were released prior to KIS-MY-WORLD .
Kiss Damashii is Kis-My-Ft2's 13th single & it was the latest single that was released before KIS-MY-WORLD was released .
Described as a rock & dance number . Kiss Damashii is the group's 3rd single song that was used in the ads of Glico's Watering KISSMINT , after their 3rd single SHE ! HER ! HER ! & Ki・Su・U・Ma・I ~KISS YOUR MIND~ which's the 1st A-side of 7th single Ki・Su・U・Ma・I ~KISS YOUR MIND~ / S.O.S (Smile On Smile) .
Another Future is Kis-My-Ft2's 11th single . This was used as the theme song for the 2nd season of the drama Nobunaga no Chef starring member Tamamori Yuta .
FOLLOW is the 2nd album group track . Another standout no. , FOLLOW is a tough aggressive sounding that compliments the tough edgy image that Kis-My-Ft2 portrays .
Kimi ni Aeru Kara originally served as the 1 of B-sides of Kis-My-Ft2's 12th single Thank you Jan ! . This song was used in the ads of Kowa's Nukunuku Touban .
I generally liked all the 3 B-sides from Thank you Jan ! so I have no complaints in seeing Kimi ni Aeru Kara making the cut in the album as it's still a good ballad .
Likewise from 1 ballad to another , the 3rd group album track if showcases the soft side of Kis-My-Ft2 . It's hard not to find any fault with if as the emotional vulnerability of the song is done well .
The next 4 album tracks are handled by duo pairings within the group .
Wonderful is sung by Yokoo Wataru & rapper Fujigaya Taisuke . This duo pairing song is a heartwarming no. as it features the voices of children in the background & this gives off a warm fuzzy feeling coupled with nice extra touches in making Wonderful stands out on its own .
BE LOVE was sung by Tamamori Yuta & Miyata Toshiya . Out of the 4 duo pairing songs , I find that BE LOVE to be the weak link as compared to the other 3 tracks .
I feel that BE LOVE is a rather pleasant sounding uptempo song in which both Tamamori & Miyata's vocals compliment each other . However , there's something lacking in the song which prevented it from sounding a lot more better than it should have been .
The 3rd duo pairing song Double Up is handled by Nikaido Takashi & Senga Kento . This's a pretty cool edgy track as both guys sing & rap co-currently . In which the end result , Double Up flows seamlessly from start to finish .
Akashi is the final duo pairing song & for this , group leader Kitayama Hiromitsu & Fujigaya tackled it together .
I enjoyed Kitayama & Fujigaya's FIRE!!! tremendously from Kis-My-Journey & once again they didn't disappoint with what they had to offer for Akashi .
FIRE!!! was a straight up no nonsense great upbeat no. & this time round , Akashi is a piano driven ballad which both guys handled it extremely well . The fact that Akashi is the only ballad out of the 4 duo pairing songs , it was probably done on purpose but even if so , it worked to their advantage well .
The next 2 songs are B-sides tracks originally included in the group's singles .
Shake Body !! served as 1 of the B-side tracks from Kis-My-Ft2's 13th single Kiss Damashii . This song was used in the ads of Kowa's Mushiyoke Touban .
Perfect World served as 1 of the B-side songs of the group's 11th single Another Future . This track was used in the ads of DHC Yakuyou Acne Control Series .
In addition , Perfect World was Kis-My-Ft2's 2nd B-side to receive a video after Tanagokoro which's the B-side of their 8th single Kimi to no Kiseki .
I liked both Shake Body !! & Perfect World at the time when I reviewed/wrote on both Another Future & Kiss Damashii . As such , I have no issues in seeing both songs made the cut in KIS-MY-WORLD , especially Perfect World as I still consider this track to be more superior than Another Future itself .
Thank you Jan ! is Kis-My-Ft2's 12th single . The final single song to be included in the album , Thank you Jan ! is now considered as the group's best selling single to date .
KISS & PEACE is the final album group track (in the tracklist for both 2 CDs + DVD of KIS-MY-WORLD) . This's the 2nd ballad included in the album after if & it's a fitting no. to conclude the album .
Doki Doki de YEEEAAAHHH !! & Halley are included as bonus tracks in the CD only edition of KIS-MY-WORLD .
Out of the 2 bonus songs , Halley had a promo tie in in that it was used as the theme song for Fuji TV's Moshimo Tour .
Doki Doki de YEEEAAAHHH !! is a fun upbeat sounding no. that's not meant to be taken seriously while Halley is an empowering no. that gives off good positive vibes upon listen .
Kis-My-Ft2 continues their unstoppable rise to the top with the release of their 4th studio album KIS-MY-WORLD & they have been on a music roll ever since they made their music debut presence felt with their 2011 debut single Everybody Go .
Kis-My-Journey was a surprisingly enjoyable album & once again , the group didn't disappoint with what they had to offer for KIS-MY-WORLD . No disrespect to NEWS and/or Hey ! Say ! JUMP but to me , KIS-MY-WORLD has so far been 1 of the better Johnnys albums that had been released this year especially after I was rather disappointed with both albums that NEWS & Hey ! Say ! JUMP released prior to Kis-My-Ft2 .
Johnnys albums can be notoriously difficult to listen but somehow Kis-My-Ft2 managed to evade this 'curse' . For starters , their past album releases have different music structures & the same thing applies to KIS-MY-WORLD . Perhaps due to this , Kis-My-Ft2 keeps things fun , fresh & engaging when comes to their albums .
If there's 1 downside to KIS-MY-WORLD , it's the lack of new group material seeing that it's the 1st time they've included B-sides in their album as they didn't do that for their previous 3 albums . I suppose that's done to make up for things but for me it's a minor issue as Kimi ni Aeru Kara , Shake Body !! & Perfect World do deserve to make the cut , especially Perfect World .
All in all , it's heartening to see Kis-My-Ft2 progress + mature considerably music wise from their debut album Kis-My-1st & now with KIS-MY-WORLD . And now I can't wait to see what they have in store for their future 5th album .
KIS-MY-WORLD is 1 of my fave Johnnys albums that's released this year & it's an album not to be missed .
CD
CD + DVD A
CD + DVD B
1) Fantasist (Instrumental)
2) JUMPing CAR
3) Walk
4) SHen SHera SHen
5) Weekender
6) Kira Kira Hikare
7) Ai yo, Boku wo Michibiite Yuk
8) Fever
9) Boys Don't Stop
10) Dangerous
11) Chau♯
12) Yowamushi★Shooter
13) Asu e no YELL
14) Farewell
15) Very Very Happy
Bonus Tracks In Each Edition :
16) Viva ! 9's SOUL (CD Only Track)
17) Puppy Boo (CD Only Track)
18) Koro Sensations (Hey ! Say ! JUMP ver.) (CD + DVD A Track)
19) DISCO JOCKEY !!! (CD + DVD A Track)
20) UNION (Arioka Daiki , Yaotome Hikaru & Yabu Kota)
21) 3-gatsu 14-nichi ~Tokei (Yamada Ryosuke & Okamoto Keito)
22) Pet Shop Love Motion (Chinen Yuri , Nakajima Yuto , Takaki Yuya & Inoo Kei)
Released about a year since the group's previous album smart , JUMPing CAR includes 2 double A-side singles . Through this album , the members want to tell their fans , "during fun times & sad times , get on the 'JUMPing CAR' & move forward with us !"
I will review the album based on the standard tracklist of 15 songs seeing that different bonus tracks are included in all 3 editions of JUMPing CAR . As such , this's done to prevent any bias from happening .
Fantasist (Instrumental) serves as the opening track & the 1st new song in the tracklist shares the same title as the new album .
As the song title suggests , JUMPing CAR is a Summer inspired track that has the inclusion of various special car horn effects pepped in the melody .
Likewise , the next 2 album tracks Walk & SHen SHera SHen are equally fun engaging numbers . Walk has a pretty cool xylophone driven melody while SHen SHera SHen is actually not bad once you get past the rather strange song title .
Weekender is the 1st A-side of the group's 13th single Weekender / Asu e no YELL which was picked to be used as the theme song for the drama Kindaichi Shounen no Jikenbo N(neo) starring members Yamada Ryosuke & Arioka Daiki .
Kira Kira Hikare is the only new album track to get a video & promo wise , it was used in the ads of House Vermont Curry .
I think out of the many happy sounding tracks in JUMPing CAR , Kira Kira Hikare definitely stood out in its own unique way & I guess because of this , a video was made for the song .
Ai yo, Boku wo Michibiite Yuk is the 1st of a few serious grown up tracks & this song to me is a standout no. because after a series of tracks that's targeted to the group's more younger demographic fans , something like Ai yo, Boku wo Michibiite Yuk is a welcome change .
The next song Fever is probably the weak link in the album as I don't think this song stoods out that much on 1st listen . It's only after a few listens that I get the hang of it but considering there're other tracks in JUMPing CAR , Fever is something I will skip if I have the option to do so .
Boys Don't Stop & Dangerous are arguably the best tracks in the album aside from Ai yo, Boku wo Michibiite Yuk . I like aggressive edgy grown up sounding songs & both Boys Don't Stop + Dangerous do not disappoint .
Let alone , both Boys Don't Stop & Dangerous are the type of songs that the guys should be doing on a more regular basis now .
Chau♯ is the 1st A-side of the group's 15th single Chau# / Wo I Need You . Despite being a double A-side , the 2nd A-side Wo I Need You is excluded from JUMPing CAR .
Described as a catchy party tune , Chau♯ was picked to be used in the ads of Bourbon's Almond Caramel Popcorn which starred the members themselves .
With a title like Yowamushi★Shooter , it's perhaps no surprises it's yet another fun loving track that's Summer inspired .
Asu e no YELL is the 2nd A-side of the group's 13th single Weekender / Asu e no YELL . The last single included in JUMPing CAR , it was used as the theme song for the drama Suikyu Yankees. that starred members Nakajima Yuto & Takaki Yuya .
Farewell & Very Very Happy are the final 2 album tracks in the standard tracklist . In a strange twist of fate , both song titles do not do justice to the songs themselves .
In fact , Farewell is actually a peppy sounding no. while Very Very Happy is actually a sad sounding ballad . Was this done on purpose I'm not sure but this goes to show at times you don't judge a song based solely on the title .
Speed into Summer with Hey ! Say ! JUMP's 4th studio album JUMPing CAR ! Just ahead of their nationwide Summer tour Hey ! Say! JUMP LIVE TOUR 2015 JUMPing CARnival that will kick off this month on 25th July , the popular Johnny's group returns with a release that guaranteed to get you in the mood for Summer .
It was a surprise for the guys to release a new album so soon after smart given that for their past album releases , they were released within a 2 years time interval frame . (2010's JUMP NO. 1 , 2012's JUMP WORLD & last year's smart)
JUMPing CAR on whole definitely is Summer inspired which's showcased in most of the new tracks . For this aspect , the group nailed it well but to me , I find myself not enjoying the album as much as I hoped for .
For starters , I only really like 1 single song (Weekender) out of the 3 single songs included in the album & also with JUMPing CAR deemed a Summer album , it's understood that most of the new songs are fun loving no.s but after a while not only do they get rather cheesy , it feels as though the more I hear of such songs , the more I find myself not liking them as each listen goes by .
Ai yo, Boku wo Michibiite Yuk , Boys Don't Stop & Dangerous are the real gems in JUMPing CAR seeing that in recent times , I'm starting not to like the group's cutesy inspired no.s which still applies to Chau# & given that all 9 members are already adults , it doesn't reflect well for them to continue to release such material any longer .
The group's younger demographic fans will not complain over the release of JUMPing CAR but for me I feel that their previous album smart was a lot more better as it included more grown up edgy sounding tracks & singles that I still like even up to now (such as Ride With Me & AinoArika) .
On that note , I hope in their next music move the guys will seriously consider to release more songs that will be geared more towards their older demographic fans as I can't imagine them releasing something like their debut single Ultra Music Power now which frankly will make me cringe .
But for now , since it's Summer , JUMPing CAR is essentially the album to plug in/listen to but after that , it's best to listen back to smart .
