CD Regular
CD Limited LP Sized
CD + DVD
Yamapi's latest single was released 4 months+ since his previous single Reason / Never Lose .
CHANGE was used as the opening theme song for the In Hand drama starring Yamapi himself .
This time round , Yamapi wrote the lyrics for CHANGE .
On CHANGE , Yamapi commented, "Instead of going with the flow , if you listen to your passion + heart & live by your own beliefs , you can change the future for the better . I wrote this song while portraying the protagonist's inner voice ."
Come around is the only B-side available in CHANGE & this's included in the CD Regular & CD + DVD editions of the single .
Same with Like A Movie (B-side in Reason / Never Lose) , a video was made for Come around and Yamapi also directed it .
And just like Like A Movie , the Come around video can only be watched online for a limited time period with the serial code found inside CHANGE .
2019 no doubt has been Yamapi's most musically active year after he made his music comeback with his comeback album UNLEASHED in late 2018 .
Frankly as compared to Reason / Never Lose , CHANGE is a lot more better as it's a bit more unique sounding & it's catchy . I think it's quite interesting the song incorporated elements from the In Hand drama that Yamapi starred in which most definitely helped both ways .
Also not sure if it's coincidental but not only CHANGE & Come around start with the start alphabet , both songs are also roughly around the same time duration too which's something I don't see it often .
But in this case , CHANGE no doubt dominates Come around as I feel the B-side gets quite repetitive after a while with nothing really new to offer .
And fans definitely responded well to CHANGE with it becoming Yamapi's 1st #1 solo single in almost 6 years . It reminds to be seen what will be Yamapi's next music move but until then , I continue to listen to CHANGE to tide me over .
1) I Say
2) Shunkashuutou 2019
3) Loose Leaf 2019
4) Travel Machine 2019
5) Tomoyo 2019
6) Personal COLOUR 2019
7) Changes 2019
8) Kaleidoscope 2019
9) Yell 2019
10) FLOWER BLOOM 2019
11) Summer Up 2019
SUN ~Remake Best 1~ was released on 12th June & this's the 1st of 3 different remake albums Hilcrhyme will release with 3 different themes in months to come until next year during Spring .
The other 2 remake albums titles are :
- MOON ~Remake Best 2~
- STAR ~Remake Best 3~
All 3 Remake Albums will include 1 new song each .
A video was made for I Say but SUN ~Remake Best 1~ does not have a CD + DVD version made .
After a series of rather emo moody sounding songs , it's great to see a more light hearted musical side of Hilcrhyme in the form of I Say & vocalist TOC looked genuinely happy in the video .
On the other hand , I wished the newly re-recorded songs in SUN ~Remake Best 1~ were better as most of them don't sound drastically different as compared to the original song counterparts .
When I saw the CD sleeves in SUN ~Remake Best 1~ , DJ KATSU's name was credited even though he's no longer part of Hilcrhyme which led me to suspect that the re-recorded songs aren't recently recorded unlike I Say which I didn't saw DJ KATSU's name in the song credits .
Hilcrhyme's 23rd single Jijitsu Ai feat HY's Nakasone Izumi will be released on 28th Aug & I Say video is included in the CD + DVD version of the single .
CD
CD + DVD A
CD + DVD B
V6's latest single release comes in almost 5 months + since their previous single Super Powers / Right Now .
Aru Hi Negai ga Kanattanda / All For You is V6's 5th back to back double A side single release since 2017's Can't Get Enough / Hanahirake .
Both Aru Hi Negai ga Kanattanda & All For You have videos made .
The 1st A-side Aru Hi Negai ga Kanattanda was used as the theme song for Tokusou9 Special & the 2nd season of detective drama Tokusou9 starring member Inohara Yoshihiko .
Aru Hi Negai ga Kanattanda was written and composed by Ketsumeishi's RYOJI .
The 2nd A-side All For You was used in the ads of 7/11 starring member Sakamoto Masayuki . Created by AmPm , All For You is described as a danceable song .
In the CD only version of Aru Hi Negai ga Kanattanda / All For You , these 2 songs are included as B-sides :
- Sweet Bitter Rain
- NOIZ
For V6 to release 5 back to back double A-side singles since 2017 , it's quite something but seeing that in recent years they have not been that musically active as before , it's better than nothing .
And just like their past double A-side single releases , both Aru Hi Negai ga Kanattanda & All For You are completely different from each other in a good way .
Between both A-sides , I like Aru Hi Negai ga Kanattanda a lot more over All For You . Ketsumeishi's RYOJI did a great job creating the upbeat positive driven song for V6 .
On the other hand , All For You is probably V6's 1st full English sung song that they've put out , something that caught me a bit off guard when I 1st heard it .
Lyrically , All For You does not sound awkward but it's quite raunchy . Somewhat , I wonder does V6 know what they're singing about . Also it would have been better if All For You was a bit longer as it kind of ended abruptly without knowing .
That said , I respect V6 for tackling a wide variety of music genres in their discography . Some works while some might not but end of the day it shows that they're not afraid to take risks in their music .
It reminds to be seen if V6's next studio album will include all A-sides of the singles they've put out & based on previous experience , that doesn't tend to happen .
Alternatively what can happen is V6 will exclude some A-side songs while they retain some of the video footages in the DVD , something that they've already done with regards to The ONES .
CD
CD + DVD
1) HELP
2) Sora no Tabiji
3) HOPE
4) Tsunagari
flumpool's last single release was 2017's Toutoi .
Prior to the release of HELP , flumpool had been on hiatus due to vocalist/frontman Ryuuta's health issues .
Before HELP was released physically , the A-side was 1st released digitally on 4th May .
flumpool's new artist photo and the jacket covers of HELP were shot by Shinto Takeshi .
All 4 tracks in HELP were created when flumpool was on hiatus .
In HELP , Ryuuta sings about his struggles while he was receiving treatment for his throat condition as well as his feelings when he couldn't call out for help .
3 B-sides are included in HELP & 1 of them Sora no Tabiji was chosen to use as the theme song for the documentary movie Innovative Brewer SORACHI1984 .
When flumpool announced they were making a comeback , I was ecstatic as when they went on hiatus in late 2017 , I was crushed as I wasn't sure how long it will take for Ryuuta to recover .
Now that flumpool are back , I couldn't be any happier about it and lyrically HELP described what Ryuuta gone through when he had to seek treatment for his throat .
Ryuuta used to have issues with his throat so this wasn't the 1st time for something like to happen & I do hope it will not happen again as he and others don't deserve to experience this .
With that said , I enjoy HELP & my favourite B-side out of the lot is HOPE but the other 2 songs are also pretty good as well .
Hopefully I will not need to wait long for new flumpool material to surface but til then , welcome back flumpool you'll been missed !
CD + DVD
CD + DVD (Mitazono Version)
JUMPremium BOX Version
Hey ! Say ! JUMP's 24th single Lucky-Unlucky / Oh! my darling was released a week prior to Ai Dake ga Subete -What do you want?- .
Both Lucky-Unlucky / Oh! my darling & Ai Dake ga Subete -What do you want?- do not feature member Okamoto Keito .
Ai Dake ga Subete -What do you want?- was chosen to promote season 3 of the TV Asahi drama Kaseifu no Mitazono starring member Inoo Kei & TOKIO's Matsuoka (which he has done as the lead role since the 1st season of the drama) .
The A-side is described as a number infused with a Latin flavour . Ai Dake ga Subete -What do you want?- has a melancholic Latin sound that is reminiscent of the loneliness and strong inner passion of the drama's hero , Mitazono .
Only 1 B-side is included in Ai Dake ga Subete -What do you want?- . Bloom is only available in the CD + DVD (Mitazono Version) of the DVD single .
It's interesting that Hey ! Say ! JUMP decided to follow in the same footsteps as NEWS & Domoto Koichi by releasing their 1st DVD single which's something they have not done before until now .
And it's not surprising that when I 1st heard the material of both Lucky-Unlucky / Oh! my darling & Ai Dake ga Subete -What do you want?- , Ai Dake ga Subete -What do you want?- is the 1 that stood out to me which didn't gave me any 2nd thoughts unlike Lucky-Unlucky .
The B-side Bloom is only ok for my liking & it's evident that Ai Dake ga Subete -What do you want?- overshadows Bloom quite significantly .
Hey ! Say ! JUMP made 2 different videos for Ai Dake ga Subete -What do you want?- & this's 1 of the rare times that I like the alternate / Mitazono version of the video a lot more than the original , which TOKIO's Matsuoka made a cameo towards the end of Ai Dake ga Subete -What do you want?- alternate / Mitazono version .
Hey ! Say ! JUMP next release Hey ! Say ! JUMP LIVE TOUR SENSE or LOVE DVD + Blu-ray will be released next month on 24th July .
2 CDs
CD + DVD A
CD + DVD B
Standard tracklist for all 3 versions :
1) "8th" Overture
2) HUG & WALK
3) A.D.D.I.C.T.
4) THIS CRAZY LOVE
5) L.O.V.E.
6) Saturday Life
7) #1 Girl
8) Kimi wo Daisuki da
9) Boku wa Kimi Nashi de Ai wo Shirenai
10) Bring It On
11) Distance
12) HUGTIME
13) Yeah E Yeah!!!!!!!
14) Kimi,Boku.
15) Rura Rurara
Solo songs (only available in the 2 CDs version) :
1) Love=X2U (Fujigaya Taisuke)
2) Catch Ball o Shiyou (Yokoo Wataru)
3) Boku Dake no Princess (Miyata Toshiya)
4) I miss your smile (Senga Kento)
5) DON'T WANNA DIE (Kitayama Hiromitsu)
6) Hug Star (Nikaido Takashi)
7) Love Story (Tamamori Yuta)
Bonus tracks from both CD + DVDs versions :
CD + DVD A :
Tequila! -Tequila-
CD + DVD B :
CHUDOKU
Kis-My-Ft2's last album release was last April's Yummy!! .
FREE HUGS! was released in 3 different editions & this time round , the new album's theme centres on sharing love , beyond the borderline with Kis-My-Ft2's music .
3 singles are included in Kis-My-Ft2's newest album .
The 2nd CD in the 2 CDs version of FREE HUGS! includes 7 solo songs . The group's last album to include solo songs was 5th album I SCREAM but this time round , no videos are made for the new solo songs .
For the new solo songs in the 2nd disc / 2 CDs version of FREE HUGS! , these musicians created them for each member :
Kitayama Hiromitsu - I Don't Like Mondays
Senga Kento - CHEMISTRY's Kawabata Kaname
Miyata Toshiya - Hayashibara Megumi
Yokoo Wataru - Billy Ken
Fujigaya Taisuke - Osawa Shinichi
Tamamori Yuta - Hirai Dai
Nikaido Takashi - Diggy-MO'
Both CD + DVDs of FREE HUGS! included 1 different group track each .
After the album opening "8th" Overture , FREE HUGS! wasted no time diving straight into the 1st album track HUG & WALK .
HUG & WALK is the only album track to have a video made & it was filmed in Singapore , making this the 1st time Kis-My-Ft2 filmed a video overseas .
In addition , Kis-My-Ft2 filmed 2 different videos for HUG & WALK .
I will not deny that I was really shocked when the news media wrote that Kis-My-Ft2 came to my country to film HUG & WALK which happened in February . It was not leader Kitayama's 1st time here in my country unlike the other 6 members as he came here years ago as part of Takizawa Kabuki 2015 .
The fact that Kis-My-Ft2 chose my country to film the video for HUG & WALK out of so many other countries as part of their 1st time filming a music video outside of Japan , it's a real honour especially seeing the numerous landmark attractions in the HUG & WALK video that I instantly recongise .
Song wise , I frankly feel that HUG & WALK is only ok for my liking as I prefer the other new material made available in FREE HUGS! .
The next song A.D.D.I.C.T. is 1 of my favourite album tracks in FREE HUGS! & seeing that the current Dome tour Kis-My-Ft2 LIVE TOUR 2019 FREE HUGS! used that song as the opening no. for the setlist , it's hardly a surprise why so .
When I 1st heard A.D.D.I.C.T. , I straight away love it on 1st listen as it's 1 of the many reasons why Kis-My-Ft2 are still so good when comes to doing extremely rock driven no.s as compared to cheesy Johnny Junior inspired like music .
It's a bit of a shame that a video wasn't made for A.D.D.I.C.T. as it would have been awesome to see .
After 2 back to back upbeat songs , things slowed down a bit for the 3rd album track , THIS CRAZY LOVE .
L.O.V.E. is 1 of 3 single songs included in FREE HUGS! . This was included in Kis-My-Ft2's 21st single LOVE & it was used in the ads promoting topical itch cream Unacool starring Kis-My-Ft2 themselves .
The other song in LOVE ie. Because I Love You is not included in FREE HUGS! .
It's a bit of shame that Kis-My-Ft2 didn't include Because I Love You as up to now , I still like it a lot more than L.O.V.E. but the upside is that at least they made a video for Because I Love You as it deserves to have 1 .
Saturday Life & #1 Girl are the next 2 album material . I think both song are only ok for my liking , same with HUG & WALK but not to the point where I'm turned off by them .
Kimi wo Daisuki da is Kis-My-Ft2's 23rd single & it was used as the theme song for the movie Tora-san ~Boku ga Neko ni Natta Wake~ which Kitayama made his debut lead movie appearance in it .
Described as a rock ballad , Kimi wo Daisuki da was written by Fujii Fumiya & arranged by Kameda Seiji .
Out of the singles included in FREE HUGS! , Kimi wo Daisuki da is my favourite out of the lot . I'm surprised Kis-My-Ft2 do not release ballads as singles often but when they've done so , they do them quite well .
Boku wa Kimi Nashi de Ai wo Shirenai is probably the most experimental track in FREE HUGS! as it surprisingly has an Oriental flair to it .
Just like A.D.D.I.C.T. , I would have loved to see a video made for Boku wa Kimi Nashi de Ai wo Shirenai as well .
The next 4 album tracks are pretty good in their own respective right . Bring It On & Distance are 2 back to back angsty driven no.s while HUGTIME + Yeah E Yeah!!!!!!! showcased a more softer + happy upbeat sides of Kis-My-Ft2 respectively .
Kimi,Boku. is the last single song included in FREE HUGS! . Originally 1st released as Kis-My-Ft2's 22nd single , Kimi,Boku. is described as a pop love song & the song conveys the idea that "I am here because you are here . "
Promo wise , Kimi,Boku. was used in the ads of Kowa's Hokkairo Shin Nukunuku Touban featuring Kis-My-Ft2 themselves .
My opinions towards Kimi,Boku. weren't great but after Kis-My-Ft2 kept doing numerous TV performances to promote the song , my perception on it luckily has changed for the better .
Concluding FREE HUGS! in the 1st CD of the album is Rura Rurara which was created by Mrs. GREEN APPLE's Omori Motoki .
Rura Rurara to me is 1 of the best album tracks in Kis-My-Ft2's discography & out of all the other new material in FREE HUGS! , this's my favourite for very obvious reasons .
Same with A.D.D.I.C.T. , I loved Rura Rurara the moment I 1st heard it as it's so enpowering & concludes FREE HUGS! on a great positive note .
The fact that Kis-My-Ft2 chose to perform Rura Rurara and not HUG & WALK when they promoted FREE HUGS! on TV , that means something & it's a real shame that they didn't made a video for the song which would have awesome .
Tequila! -Tequila- & CHUDOKU are the 2 different group bonus tracks included in both CD + DVDs versions of FREE HUGS! .
Ironically , even though they're bonus tracks , these 2 album tracks are my least favourite & given a choice , I would skip them as I think they offer nothing new musically .
With regards to the solo songs available in the 2nd disc / 2 CDs version of FREE HUGS! , I like Fujigaya , Senga , Kitayama & Tamamori solos .
I like Senga's I miss your smile & Tamamori's Love Story especialy Love Story which presents a very different music side of Tamamori .
CHEMISTRY's Kawabata Kaname did a great job creating Senga's solo as I feel he geniunely can sing quite well in Kis-My-Ft2 . As for Fujigaya's Love=X2U & Kitayama's DON'T WANNA DIE , both are not bad and considering that they're both the main lead singers in the group , it's not really a surprise they're able to handle things vocally on their own without that much problems .
For the other 3 solos , I'm not a fan of them & when I 1st heard Nikaido's Hug Star , I was really shocked as I thought it would have been something more suitable for Fujigaya to sing & not Nikaido .
Kis-My-Ft2 is giving out Free Hugs ! The group's 8th original album carries the ambitious and inspirational theme of "hug with music" .
I will not deny that I did not liked Kis-My-Ft2's last 2 studio albums & this happens when artistes release material on an annual basis where quality will bound to suffer which's evident in both Kis-My-Ft2 & NEWS where I was quite disappointed with WORLDISTA .
That's why before I listened to FREE HUGS! , I decided to lower my expectations & luckily that worked as I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed Kis-My-Ft2's latest album .
Kis-My-Ft2's last 2 studio albums to me weren't good as the material in MUSIC COLOSSEUM didn't match the album's concept & Yummy!! was straight up boring except for a few group tracks & the non group tracks that were great .
Kis-My-Ft2's past studio albums had a mixture of both group & non group tracks and in some cases , the new group material tend to be better than the non group tracks & vice versa .
I guess this time round why FREE HUGS! is a lot more better than I thought is that there were a lot more new group material that were able to be on par if not better than the singles which's not an easy thing to do .
Even the not so good album material in FREE HUGS! aren't so terrible until I want to skip the whole album entirely . And it's definitely smart for Kis-My-Ft2 to separate the solo songs from the main disc which's a wise thing to do .
That said , FREE HUGS! is 1 of Kis-My-Ft2 better put together albums on whole . I still feel that they should not release albums on a yearly basis just like NEWS but I doubt this will happen anytime soon .
And it wouldn't be long before Kis-My-Ft2 is back with new material as they will release their 24th single HANDS UP next month on 10th July .
CD
CD + DVD A
CD + DVD B
This's Hey ! Say ! JUMP 1st of 2 back to back single releases they put out last month while their last double A-side single release was 2017's Precious Girl / Are You There? (A.Y.T.) .
Both Lucky-Unlucky / Oh! my darling & the group's 1st DVD single Ai Dake ga Subete -What do you want?- do not feature member Okamoto Keito .
Lucky-Unlucky & Oh! my darling have promo tie in's and videos made .
Lucky-Unlucky was used as the theme song for the NTV drama Atama ni Kite mo Aho to wa Tatakau na! starring member Chinen Yuri .
Described as a city pop no. , Lucky-Unlucky is a upbeat dance song which delivers energy and a positive message to the listener .
On the other hand , the 2nd A-side Oh! my darling was used in the ads of Kose Cosmeport's Lachesca . Member Yamada Ryosuke only appeared in the Kose Cosmeport's Lachesca ads , not the whole group .
For Oh! my darling , this's sung solo by Yamada & this song is described as a discotheque dance no. while the last time Yamada released his debut solo single was 2013's Mystery Virgin .
A total of 4 B-sides are available in all 3 versions of Lucky-Unlucky / Oh! my darling :
- Entertainment (CD Only Track)
- Bambino (CD Only Track)
- Last Dance (CD + DVD A Track)
- Mayonaka no Shadow Boy ~SENSE or LOVE Remix~ (CD + DVD B Track) ; 4th single
Right off the bat I will not deny that my initial thoughts towards Hey ! Say ! JUMP's latest single offering Lucky-Unlucky / Oh! my darling weren't great as I thought most of the material sounded like leftover tracks from last Aug's SENSE or LOVE album .
Between both A-sides , I probably pick Oh! my darling between the 2 as it's quite hard to believe it has been so long since Yamada last released Mystery Virgin . Not to say that Lucky-Unlucky is not good , I wouldn't mind listening to it , just that it wouldn't be the 1st song I would recommend to someone who don't listen to Hey ! Say ! JUMP's music .
Time no doubt played a big part in changing my opinions towards Lucky-Unlucky / Oh! my darling & that goes for the numerous TV promotion Hey ! Say ! JUMP did for the single as well .
B-sides wise , I like Last Dance the most out of the lot as it's the only 1 that's a ballad . Entertainment is pretty edgy good while I felt that Bambino was only ok for my liking .
Mayonaka no Shadow Boy is still 1 of my favourite Hey ! Say ! JUMP singles & the SENSE or LOVE Remix of the song is quite interesting . It's a bit unfortunate the remix is quite short as it would have been better if it was much longer .
Hey ! Say ! JUMP's 1st DVD single Ai Dake ga Subete -What do you want?- was released the week after Lucky-Unlucky / Oh! my darling & my review on it will come soon .
This song was written by guitarist TAKURO to mark the beginning of the new Reiwa era .
This's 1 of the rare cases where it's best to watch the accompanied music video in order to understand Gengou better as before that my opinion about the song wasn't that great .
Watching the video that GLAY made for Gengou made me appreciate the song in a different manner especially since I wasn't born during the Showa era .
Through Gengou , GLAY shows respect for those who have lived through the Showa & Heisei eras as well as encouragement to the generation who will be living in the new Reiwa era .
With that said , GLAY's 57th single G4・V-Democracy 2019- will be released next month on 2nd July .
Ken's 1st new material release for 2019 , Ite mo Tatte mo was chosen to be used to promote the movie Machida Kun no Sekai .
Credits wise , Ken wrote & composed Ite mo Tatte mo while UTA arranged it .
Ken created Ite mo Tatte mo after he read the Machida Kun no Sekai movie script .
Looks can be deceiving as Ite mo Tatte mo digital cover are nothing like the promo pictures of Ken .
That said , despite the song title , Ite mo Tatte mo is quirky & it sounds like nothing like what Ken normally does .
Also even though Ite mo Tatte mo was not given a physical release , it's surprisingly Ken chose to make a video accompanying the song .
Normally , Ken's videos ain't that great but Ite mo Tatte mo is probably his most amusing yet quite well thought video to date as quite a considerable amount of effort and time went into creating it .
I do hope that Ite mo Tatte mo will get a physical release in the near future . Not sure single wise but at most I'm sure Ken would include it in a future studio album of his .
