CD
CD + DVD A
CD + DVD B
V6's 1st single release of 2020 , this's their 6th back to back double A-side single release to date .
It's my life was chosen to use as the theme song for season 3 of the Tokusou 9 drama starring member Inohara .
The 1st A-side is described as a cheerful support song that speaks to life .
The 2nd A-side PINEAPPLE is described as a dance tune with an adult charm . This song has bittersweet sentiments that's just right for the current V6 to perform .
Both A-sides have videos made .
2 song serve as B-sides in It's my life / PINEAPPLE which they're only found in the CD only version of the single :
- Tada Konomama
- Yume no Tsuzuki
This year is V6's 25th anniversary & they mark this momentum milestone with the release of their latest single offering , It's my life / PINEAPPLE .
I 1st heard It's my life way back in April when avex uploaded a lip sync video featuring the song on YouTube . At that time , I was really hoping it would be released as their next single as I really liked it .
So it was a surprise that not only It's my life was eventually released , but it was alongside with PINEAPPLE .
With a song title like PINEAPPLE , I was worried it might be a joke song of sorts but luckily that's not the case .
PINEAPPLE sounds between a cross of All For You & Right Now . It would have been better if the song title was changed to Feel Your Love as this phrase kept repeating within PINEAPPLE but that's just me .
It's my life & PINEAPPLE both contrast each other quite well but obviously between the 2 , I prefer It's my life a lot more than PINEAPPLE .
With 2020 coming to an end soon , I don't know what will V6's next music move would be as for once , I don't want them to release a best album .
If V6 did not release SUPER Very best in celebration of their 20th anniversary 5 years ago , then that will be different . And I'm sure if not for COVID-19 , they would have done a lot more things to mark their 25th anniversary milestone instead of doing a series of non music related low key things in celebration .
I personally would like V6 to release a new studio album next as it's about due time for a new album after The ONES was unexpectedly and is still fantastic .
For now , happy 25th anniversary V6 & may they continue to have a long lasting legacy in many years to come .
CD
CD + DVD
1) Be ZERO
2) Grand Chariot
3) Yoridokoro
4) Jealous
5) Futari no Onna
6) LAZY HOLIDAY
7) Jijitsu Ai Feat HY's Nakasone Izumi
8) Jama
9) Byoushin
10) THE MC
11) By Everyone
Originally supposed to get released on 12th Aug , Hilcrhyme's last studio album release was last Jan's self titled album .
THE MC includes 11 songs , 8 of the songs are new material .
The other 3 songs in THE MC are :
- Jijitsu Ai Feat HY's Nakasone Izumi ; 23rd single ; used to promote the drama Watashi Danna wo Share Shiteta
- Be ZERO ; opening theme song for the Netflix anime Mushiko no Kagasuter
- Futari no Onna (Jijitsu Ai's B-side)
THE MC lead promo track is Yoridokoro which was chosen to be used as the ending theme song for the Peter Grill to Kenja no Jikan anime .
TOKYO MX started airing Peter Grill to Kenja no Jikan from 10th July onwards & Yoridokoro was made available digitally on 12th June prior to THE MC's album release .
Other than Yoridokoro , 2 other album tracks also received promo tie in's too .
Track 2 Grand Chariot was chosen to be used as the ending theme song for the drama Oretachi wa Abunakunai ~ Cool ni Saboru Keijitachi .
Before THE MC was released , track 4 Jealous was released digitally on 26th Aug & it will be used as the ending theme song to promote CDTV Saturday for Oct .
Both Grand Chariot & Yoridokoro have videos made but they're not included in the DVD of THE MC .
I consider THE MC to be Hilcrhyme's 1st proper album release after the departure of DJ KATSU . As such their last Jan's self titled album release , I don't see it as a proper album given the way things were unlike now in THE MC .
THE MC overall is quite a nice surprise & it feels a lot more put together as compared to some of their past studio albums .
For THE MC , it feels more streamed lined . Even some of the album tracks which almost feels like borderline filler , they don't have that very big music inferior quality gap between the others who're a lot more memorable sounding .
Before listening to THE MC , I was a bit sceptical on how the album might be like especially since Jijitsu Ai is the only single included .
The album tracks I'm not so keen on are Jealous & Byoushin but the rest of the new material are pretty good and I can see why Yoridokoro was chosen to be THE MC's lead album promo track as it's 1 of the few songs in the album that's the closest that can be counted as a ballad , alongside with Jama .
And I think it's great to conclude THE MC with By Everyone . The album started out on a high upbeat note with Be ZERO and it's only fitting to wrap up THE MC with an equally on par uptempo number .
The release of THE MC proves that TOC is able to carry on Hilcrhyme's name in years to come & I look forward to their next music release , like now .
Koda's new song was released a month+ after Lucky Star .
XXKK is the 3rd part of Koda's 20th debut anniversary project after puff & Lucky Star & song title context wise :
XX = 20
KK = The current Koda Kumi
A video was made for XXKK just like puff .
puff , Lucky Star & XXKK are all included in Koda's fanclub exclusive album MY NAME IS... which was released on 11th Sept , 1 day before KODA KUMI 20th ANNIVERSARY TOUR 2020 MY NAME IS... took place at Osaka Jo Hall .
XXKK to me sounds like a cross between W FACE & Ultraviolet and just like Lucky Star , it's either you will like or dislike it .
For me up to now I'm still not 100% sold on XXKK even though I liked both W FACE & Ultraviolet respectively .
Despite this , the video that Koda made for XXKK is easily 1 of her best in recent times and I thought after so many years in the business , she couldn't come up with anymore great videos but I was proven wrong .
With this year being Koda's 20th anniversary , I will be very surprised if year end she would not release a best album in celebration of her milestone in the industry .
CD
CD + Blu-ray
1) Jounetsu wa Oboete Iru
2) Scorn
3) Jounetsu wa Oboete Iru (OFF VOCAL)
4) Scorn (OFF VOCAL)
GRANRODEO's 1st single release of 2020 , Jounetsu wa Oboete Iru was originally supposed to be released on 15th July but it was postponed due to COVID-19 .
Despite this , only the anime short version of the A-side was released digitally on 15th July .
The A-side was chosen to promote the new season of the Baki anime as its new opening theme song which Netflix released all episodes on 4th June .
This's GRANRODEO's 2nd time to provide their song to be used to promote the Baki anime , after 2018's BEASTFUL .
Frankly I did not like BEASTFUL but luckily I warmed up to Jounetsu wa Oboete Iru quite immediately .
On 1st listen Jounetsu wa Oboete Iru is quite exotic sounding & it's a bit odd that a Bollywood inspired song would be used to promote an anime .
Other than that , Jounetsu wa Oboete Iru is very catchy & I feel it's a lot more better than BEASTFUL .
With regards to the B-side Scorn , I'm not really into it much as I feel after a while it gets very repetitive .
I think I would have like Scorn a bit more if it was much shorter even though KISHOW's falsetto notes stood out in the song .
This year is GRANRODEO's 15th anniversary & their new best album GRANRODEO Singles Collection "RODEO BEAT SHAKE" will be released on 4th Nov , with Jounetsu wa Oboete Iru included in the 2nd disc of the release .
CD Front
CD Back
1) BARABARA
2) LOVE STAGE
3) LOVE STAGE ~CRUSHERZ Version~
The guys' last single release was last Sept's Yamiyo ni Mau Aoi Tori while their last double A-side single release was 2018's D×D×D / GREAT AMBITIOUS -Single Version- .
This's BREAKERZ's 1st single release to have only 1 standard version and it's also their 1st release where both songs were not written solely by any of the 3 members .
The 1st A-side BARABARA was cowritten by AKIHIDE & DAIGO while AKIHIDE solely composed the song .
Promo wise , BARABARA was chosen to promote the Youkai Ningen Bela movie which opened in Japan's cinemas last Fri .
Youkai Ningen Bela is a horror film based on the character Bela from the Yokai Ningen Bem franchise . BARABARA is described as having a dark sound just like the movie's plot .
Prior to BARABARA , the only other time AKIHIDE & DAIGO had joint writing credits was for SECRET GIRL which was found as track 7 in their 2009 / 4th album FIGHTERZ .
The 2nd A-side LOVE STAGE was cowritten by DAIGO & SHINPEI while SHINPEI solely composed the song .
This's the 1st song for DAIGO & SHINPEI to have joint writing credits . Before that they had joint composing credits for Everlasting Luv .
LOVE STAGE is described as an uptempo tune that captures the band's rock sound in a catchy way .
Promo wise , LOVE STAGE was chosen to promote the upcoming LOVE STAGE !! live action movie which originally was supposed to open in Japan's cinemas on 5th June .
The LOVE STAGE !! live action movie release date was postponed due to COVID-19 & its new rescheduled release date for the movie is next month on 2nd Oct .
DAIGO has a bit role in the movie which he plays SHOGO of CRUSHERZ . CRUSHERZ is loosely based on BREAKERZ & for now , there's no word how long DAIGO will be featured in the LOVE STAGE !! live action movie .
The back cover of BARABARA / LOVE STAGE was drawn by DAIGO's oldest sister Eiki Eiki .
LOVE STAGE ~CRUSHERZ Version~ served as the B-side in the main standard version of the single .
The difference between LOVE STAGE & LOVE STAGE ~CRUSHERZ Version~ is the name calling done in the 2nd 1/2 of the song :
LOVE STAGE - chanting of each BREAKERZ member's name
LOVE STAGE ~CRUSHERZ Version~ - chanting of each CRUSHERZ member's name ie. Shogo (DAIGO) , Haru (AKIHIDE) & Rinpei (SHINPEI)
The fanclub version of BARABARA / LOVE STAGE includes an exclusive B-side ie. Day Soldier ~Acoustic Version~ .
Day Soldier was originally included as track 5 in the guys' 2nd album CRASH & BUILD .
Both the original & acoustic versions of Day Soldier were written & composed by AKIHIDE .
BARABARA / LOVE STAGE is the guys' 11th overall double A-side single release & all the while I have always have liked their double A-side single releases as you get 2 different looks , songs & videos in the same release .
Song wise , BARABARA is better than LOVE STAGE but video wise , LOVE STAGE is better than BARABARA even though it's heavily special effects driven .
BARABARA sounds like a cross between LAST † PRAY & RUSTY HEARTS while LOVE STAGE is a more 80s sounding version of Zettai! I LOVE YOU & Smile 100% .
Both A-side sounds nothing like each other but yet , both songs contrast each other really well .
Day Soldier ~Acoustic Version~ is really fantastic & it sounds like nothing like how the original was .
AKIHIDE did an amazing job creating Day Soldier ~Acoustic Version~ , almost like how Birdman & Birdman ~Acoustic Version~ turn out for the best .
I really like BARABARA / LOVE STAGE a great deal & it was a risky decision for the guys to decide to only put out 1 standard version as compared to multiple versions which their past releases had .
If not for DAIGO's intervention , both BARABARA & LOVE STAGE would have gone solely the digital route but I'm really glad he fought for a physical CD release .
And speaking of acoustic versions , I really hope BREAKERZ's next music release would be an acoustic album as it's extremely long overdue for a new 1 to materialise .
This release is to celebrate GRANRODEO's 15th anniversary in the business .
The new physical CD release date for GRANRODEO Tribute Album "RODEO FREAK" was subsequently changed to 19th Aug even though 6 out of 9 songs were released digitally on 13th May .
The 3 songs that're not released digitally are :
-- SID - Infinite Love ; 2nd single
-- FLOW - modern strange cowboy ; 11th single
-- Nishikawa Takanori - Henai no Rondo ; 19th single
For this post , I will focus on Nishikawa Takanori & SID's respective covers on GRANRODEO's songs .
Frankly both artistes' renditions doesn't stray that much from the original versions be it style or melody wise although for Nishikawa Takanori's , he kind of make it his own .
I find it strange that Lantis chose not to make all the cover songs available digitally but I suppose if they release all the songs , then some will not have any incentive to get the physical release especially if they want to hear the covers that were not made available digitally for sale .
That said I think it's nice for other musicians to celebrate GRANRODEO's 15th anniversary in the form of GRANRODEO Tribute Album "RODEO FREAK" & hopefully in the near future , GRANRODEO will also likewise do the same thing too .
Koda's latest song offering comes in 2 months+ since the release of her previous digital released song puff .
Lucky Star is the 2nd part of Koda's 20th debut anniversary project & her latest song release is described as a positive summer no. that will make you want to swing a towel around .
For this song , people would either like it or dislike it , that's the best way I can describe about Lucky Star .
If you're not a fan of autotune over usage , then Lucky Star is probably something that will turn people off straightaway .
For me , on some days I like Lucky Star while on other days I would find it quite annoying . I think if the autotune usage would have been toned down , the song would have been better .
Also it's not as though Koda is not vocally good so for her vocals to be hidden underneath all the autotune , it's a bit of a waste .
That said , Koda released a new song digitally XXKK last Fri on 4th Sept and that song would be reviewed by me in due time .
1) Talkin' About You
2) Eyes On Me Feat Jinmenusagi
3) Atashi no Make
4) Erase
This is the 1st of 2 mini albums that JASMINE plans in releasing .
M includes Atashi no Make which was released digitally in April .
I don't know what does M stands for in this context but most probably it's either mid tempo or mellow cos all the 4 songs in the mini album are in the same music direction .
That's not necessary a bad thing as M showcases a more softer side of JASMINE and vocally she's really good in her latest music release .
The only thing about M is that I wished that Talkin' About You & Erase could have been slightly longer .
Other than this , M is a release from JASMINE that I like & it's nice to listen to if you wish to stay in to chill out .
Seeing that JASMINE will release another mini album after M , hopefully the songs in the next mini album will be a polar opposite of what M offers .
CD
CD + DVD
1) ROCK ACADEMIA
2) DOPE
3) Ryuusei no Howl
4) Into the Wild ~Mitsu~
Bonus Tracks :
5) Into the Wild (☆Taku Takahashi Remix)
6) Into the Wild (80KIDZ Remix)
7) Into the Wild (BUNNY Remix)
GLAY's last single release was last July's G4・V-Democracy 2019- .
G4・2020 was released on the same day as GLAY ARENA TOUR 2019-2020 DEMOCRACY 25TH HOTEL GLAY THE SUITE ROOM in YOKOHAMA ARENA DVD + Blu-ray & this's the 6th of GLAY's G4 single release series .
GLAY's latest single offering includes 3 new songs & 4 remixes for Into the Wild .
ROCK ACADEMIA was written & composed by HISASHI .
Described as a Pop number , ROCK ACADEMIA is the only song in G4・2020 to have a video made .
ROCK ACADEMIA's video features smartphones and computers showing GLAY's past releases' covers & live footages through various social media platforms .
The 2nd new song DOPE was cowritten by TAKURO & JIRO while only JIRO himself composed this Rock number .
Ryusei no Howl is the 3rd new song which was written by TAKURO & composed by TERU .
For this , Ryusei no Howl was chosen to use as the opening theme song for the Daiya no Ace act II anime .
This's the 5th time GLAY provided their songs to be used for the Daiya no Ace anime after HEROES , Hashire! Mirai & Sora ga Aozora de Aru Tame ni & Hajimari no Uta .
4 different remixes of Into the Wild mark up the 2nd 1/2 of G4・2020 which Into the Wild was originally included as 1 of 2 new songs in best album REVIEW II~BEST OF GLAY~ .
TAKURO wrote & composed Into the Wild and he was also in charge of creating the Mitsu remix of the song while the other 3 remixes are bonus tracks .
G4・2020 musically is quite different from G4・V-Democracy 2019- as this time round , GLAY has a lot more fun experimenting with a lot of synthesisers in their latest single offering .
Out of the 3 new songs , I surprisingly like Ryusei no Howl the most while I only find ROCK ACADEMIA & DOPE ok for my liking .
I really like how empowering Ryusei no Howl sounds even though I wish the usage of synthesisers could have been a bit toned down melody wise .
I never been a remix person & for Into the Wild to have 4 different remixes in G4・2020 , it's a bit over the top for me .
And ironically the remix that I enjoy the most out of the 4 is the 1st 1 ie. Into the Wild ~Mitsu~ which's also the song used in the No Audience Live director’s cut video .
For the other 3 Into the Wild remixes , I'm not really a fan of them . I know each remix wants to give a different unique character to Into the Wild but sometimes less is more .
On whole G4・2020 is not as musically diverse as compared to G4・V-Democracy 2019- but nonetheless , I still appreciate that GLAY put out an extensive single release despite the current COVID-19 pandemic .
CD
CD + Blu-ray
1) Hana Uta
2) Cindy
FLOWER FLOWER's last physical single release was 2017's Mannequin .
Hana Uta was created as an collaboration song for Boku Beer Kimi Beer as the 3rd part of their Craft Beer Music Project , a project by Yoho Brewing in which an unique artist collaborates with an unique craft beer .
Prior to the single physical release , the A-side was 1st released digitally on 5th Aug . Hana Uta is FLOWER FLOWER's 1st single to have a CD + Blu-ray version , their 2nd release after their latest 3rd album Target .
Hana Uta also includes a B-side no. , Cindy .
Both Hana Uta & Cindy showcase a very different music side of FLOWER FLOWER but in a good way . Unlike some of their other songs which're not so mainstream sounding , that's not the case for both tracks in the band's latest single offering .
Instead , both songs are very cheery & upbeat which's quite refreshing and some music elements of YUI's past solo material can be felt in both tracks , something that I frankly missed from her .
For people who would like to get acquainted with FLOWER FLOWER's music , Hana Uta is frankly a good place to start & a not so known fact is that yui herself is the 1 that's whistling in the song .
That said , I sure hope I wouldn't need to wait another 3 years for FLOWER FLOWER to release another single .