Cover for both CD & CD + DVD versions
STAR ~Remake Best 3~ was released last month on 2nd Dec & this was the last remake best album in the series after 2019's SUN & MOON remake albums .
Unlike the 1st 2 remake albums , STAR was released in 2 versions , CD & CD + DVD .
Yuiitsu Muni was performed for the 1st time during the last date of Hilcrhyme TOUR 2020 「THE MC」 .
I actually like Yuiitsu Muni & my only grip about the song is that I wished it could have been a bit longer . I will not be surprised if this could have been in THE MC but it probably didn't made the cut so instead it was included in STAR ~Remake Best 3~ .
On a different side note , hearing some of the remade older songs in STAR ~Remake Best 3~ brought back quite a few nostagic memories for me especially with regards to RIDERS HIGH & Recital as up to now , I still consider Recital to be Hilcrhyme's best album & let alone it was their debut album release somemore .
CD
CD + DVD A
CD + DVD B
Standard tracklist for all 3 versions :
1) Fab-ism
2) I am
3) Okami Seinen
4) Muah Muah
5) Senya Ichiya
6) Your Song
7) Jazzy Cut
8) Snow White
9) Liar
10) Last Mermaid…
11) MANTRA
12) Puppet
13) Kiss Your Lips
14) Otogi to Shiru Sekai
15) Naimononedari
16) Last forever
Only available in the CD only :
17) Yami no Saki e Bokura wa Arukidasu
The group's previous album release was 2019's PARADE .
Fab! -Music speaks.- include 3 singles :
- I am / Muah Muah ; both A-sides are included
- Last Mermaid...
- Your Song
The theme of Fab! -Music speaks.- is music & fairy tales . It includes new album material with fairytale motifs provided by various artists including Ziyoou-Vachi's Avu-chan (Little Red Riding Hood) , YOASOBI's Ayase (Arabian Nights) , Shota Shimizu (Snow White) , Okazaki Taiiku (The Boy Who Cried Wolf) , Mafumafu (Hansel & Gretel) & wacci's Hashiguchi Yohei (Peter Pan) .
5 album tracks had videos made but 1 of them is not included in the physical release/s of Fab! -Music speaks.- .
Kicking things off in the new album is Fab-ism which also happens to be the main album track that also had a video made .
The video for Fab-ism is very heavily computer graphics driven but if you love fairy tales , a lot of very familiar ones can be spotted in it & the video prevented the song from sounding somewhat quite cheesy .
I am is the 1st A-side of Hey ! Say ! JUMP's 26th single I am / Muah Muah .
Promo wise , I am was used as the theme song for the TV Tokyo drama Boku wa Doko Kara starring member Nakajima Yuto .
Okami Seinen is the 2nd album track & it's also the 2nd song that has a video made .
2 different videos were made for Okami Seinen which the members appear in both takes . 1 version featured their faces being concealed entirely while the 2nd version is not .
Okami Seinen was produced by QUEEN BEE's Avu & the dance choreography was supervised by TOKYO GEGEGAY's MARIE .
Even before Fab! -Music speaks.- was released officially , Okami Seinen within a matter of short time became 1 of my favourite new material in the album as it's very catchy and it's not surprising Hey ! Say ! JUMP performed it on TV . Even the looks they spotted for the video were very interesting yet mysterious .
Muah Muah is the 2nd A-side of Hey ! Say ! JUMP's 26th single I am / Muah Muah . . This sweet love song with a funky urban sound was used in the Kose Cosmeport's Fortune ads starring all the members themselves .
Track 5 Senya Ichiya is the 3rd album track that has a video made . Unlike the other album tracks that had videos made , for Senya Ichiya , the video is animated .
Described as an exotic number created with the theme of Arabian Nights . YOASOBI's Ayase wrote & composed Senya Ichiya .
Just like Okami Seinen , Senya Ichiya is another standout song in Fab! -Music speaks.- & I could see why a video was made for the song as it deserves so .
Your Song is Hey ! Say ! JUMP's 28th single & it was used as the theme song for TBS's drama Kiwadoi Futari -K2- Ikebukurosho Keijika Kanzaki Kuroki starring member Yamada Ryosuke .
The next 3 songs after Your Song are new material and each of them are very different from each other sound wise .
As the song title suggests , Jazzy Cut is a funky Jazz inspired song & Snow White is the 1st album track that's a really good ballad .
Shota Shimizu created Snow White & it's the 2nd time that he has contributed a song for a Johnny group after V6's Right Now and I think he did a terrific job with it .
It would be wonderful to hear Shota self cover Snow White in future as this's something I definitely can envision him singing it himself .
From a ballad to an angsty sounding no. which brings to the next album track Liar and the complete turn of music direction between Jazzy Cut & let alone Snow White couldn't be any different .
Last Mermaid... is Hey ! Say ! JUMP's 27th single & it's the last single included in Fab! -Music speaks.- .
Promo wise , Last Mermaid... was chosen to be used as the ending theme song for season 4 of the 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 reminding 6 songs are new material in Fab! -Music speaks.- .
MANTRA is an interesting song & it's almost in the same exotic sounding music vein as Senya Ichiya .
Puppet has an animated video made & this's the only video that's not included in the physical release/s of Fab! -Music speaks.- .
While the other 2 album tracks Kiss Your Lips & Otogi to Shiru Sekai to me are the weak links in the album as I don't find anything special about both no.s .
Naimononedari is the last album track to have a video made but the members do not appear in it .
Written & composed by wacci's Hashiguchi Yohei , the music video of Naimononedari stars actress Nao and the video plot centres on the eve of Wendy's marriage who in turn is in love with Peter Pan .
Just like Snow White , Naimononedari is another standout song & the 2nd album ballad in Fab! -Music speaks.- & it was a good decision Hey ! Say ! JUMP took when they decided to perform this song last month on TV .
Concluding things in both CD + DVDs versions of the album is the 3rd album ballad Last forever .
Only available in the CD only version of Fab! -Music speaks.- is Yami no Saki e Bokura wa Arukidasu & it's also surprisingly a ballad .
Surprisingly even though both of the last 2 songs are ballads , I frankly have no issues with them as I think both are equally good .
Fab! news – Hey ! Say ! JUMP's 8th original album is here ! The group tells fabulous stories of love , hate , friendship , joy , frustration , growth , adventure & more through music in Fab! -Music speaks.- .
Hey ! Say ! JUMP collaborates with Tsujimura Yuki , Avu-chan , Ayase , Shimizu Shota , Okazaki Taiiku , mafumafu, wacci's Hashiguchi Yohei & other musical artists to present songs with fairy-tale motifs .
Experience the fantasy fabulous new world of music & fairy tales created by Hey ! Say ! JUMP ! .
Hey ! Say ! JUMP was quite musically active last year & I was not so surprised they concluded 2020 with the release of their latest album offering Fab! -Music speaks.- .
Before listening to Fab! -Music speaks.- , I was hoping the new material in the new album would not be cringy & terrible but luckily as soon as I heard the new songs , I was quite relieved .
Since 2016 when Hey ! Say ! JUMP released their 5th album DEAR. , the albums following DEAR. have been quite consistently good & I think the same thing also can be said for Fab! -Music speaks.- as well .
I myself like fairy tales so it was a good idea that the members decided to use this as an inspiration for Fab! -Music speaks.- theme wise & in a way it's a bit like PARADE 2.0 to some extent .
The list of musicians that contributed their expertise towards Fab! -Music speaks.- is quite extensive & this in return makes the album's new material very musically diverse .
If there's 1 minor thing I want to pick on is that I wished Last Mermaid...'s B-side ie. Stupid made the cut in Fab! -Music speaks.- but considering Hey ! Say ! JUMP does not include any B-side/s in their past albums , it's not very surprising Stupid was excluded .
Other than that , Fab! -Music speaks.- is a very enjoyable yet fun album which for a brief period of time , the listener is transported to another different yet magical realm .
This song is described as a message no. that's over 8 minutes long that reflects on the happenings of 2020 .
Out of the recent digital release songs by Saito , 2020 DIARY is not only the longest but also 1 of most thought provoking from him as he sums up the good & the bad of what happened last year .
For 2020 DIARY to release before 2020 concludes , it's also quite fitting poetically to say the least .
Saito's 21st album 55 STONES will be released on 24th March & 2020 DIARY is included in the album as track 11 .
CD
CD + DVD
SPYAIR's 1st music release of 2021 , Wadachi EP includes all the songs SPYAIR has provided to use for the Gintama anime over the past decade , including Wadachi .
The new EP has 2 versions , CD & CD + DVD . The CD only version includes selective live tracks recorded from their JUST LIKE THIS outdoor concerts .
Wadachi was chosen to use to promote the new Gintama THE FINAL movie that opened in Japan's cinemas 3 days ago on 8th Jan .
Gintama THE FINAL is the last installment of the Gintama franchise that has been running for 15 years . In order to recover peace in Edo , Gin-san & the Yorozuya members along with their allies Katsura Kotaro and Takasugi Shinsuke + the Shinsengumi fight their last battle .
Credits wise , Wadachi was written by bassist MOMIKEN & composed by drummer KENTA .
KENTA & MOMIKEN commented , "We are really grateful to have met this great work that has changed our band life & we created a song that's perfect for Yorozuya's finale , so all you Gintama fans , let's watch the compilation of Gintama at the theaters in the beginning of 2021 !"
Wadachi is the 6th song SPYAIR has provided to use for the Gintama anime franchise after :
Singles :
- Samurai Heart (Some Like It Hot!!)
- Sakura Mitsutsuki
- Genjou Destruction
- I Wanna Be...
Album track :
- Scramble ; track 4 in 5th album KINGDOM
Wadachi is classic SPYAIR at their best & it's a really great uplifting number that I like a lot on 1st listen . Vocalist IKE really delivers vocally in the song & I have no complaints about it .
My only slight grouse about Wadachi is that I wished for a change it could have been a ballad as SPYAIR has some great ballads in their discography but considering that the past songs they've provided to use for Gintama were upbeat songs , this does not surprise me .
Other than the Gintama anime franchise , the other anime that SPYAIR also has to thank for is Haikyuu!! & perhaps another mini album release containing songs they've provided for Haikyuu!! might materialise in the near future .
CD
CD + DVD A
CD + DVD B
This latest single release has a number of 1st for NEWS :
- 1st triple A-side single
- 1st single not to feature former member Tegoshi Yuya who left both NEWS and the talent agency last June
All 3 songs have videos made & the single was released in 4 versions with 1 version that can only be bought via Johnny's Online Store .
Beautiful was used to promote the drama Rental Nanmo Shinai Hito starring member Masuda Takahisa while Chincha Umakka was used as the ending theme for Gochi ni Narimasu which's featured as part of a segment in NTV's Guru Guru 99 .
The 3rd A-side Kanariya is described as a NEWS style fight song . The video & making footages for Kanariya are only available in the Johnny's Online Store version of the single .
A total of 4 B-sides were made available :
- Endless Summer (CD Only Track)
Originally included as track 13 in NEWS' 4th album LIVE , this version of Endless Summer was newly recorded & it was used to promote TOKYO MX's 2020 Summer East / West Tokyo High School Baseball Championship coverage
- CHANGES (CD + DVD A Track)
- Oborodzuki (CD + DVD B Track)
- Champagne Gold (CD + DVD C Track) (Johnny's Online Store Exclusive)
I'm not going to lie . Just like many other NEWS fans , I was quite shocked when former member Tegoshi not only left NEWS , he also left the talent agency last June .
This in return also brought back painful memories of what happened to KAT-TUN but for NEWS , it's a lot more worst as it's a terrible feeling to see the original 9 members group go from 9 to 8 to 6 to 4 & now 3 within the last 2 decades .
That said , it's surprising that up to now , NEWS has not release a triple A-side single until Beautiful / Chincha Umakka / Kanariya .
Out of the 3 A-sides , Beautiful is my most favourite while my least favourite is Chincha Umakka while B-sides wise , they're all musically diverse even though oddly they sounded a bit too short except for the newly updated version of Endless Summer .
I don't know what to expect from the now trio NEWS this year but like with many other long time NEWS fans , I'm sure regarding future music releases , I & so many others will continue to have NEWS' back .
Despite numerous members leaving over the last 2 decades , like what trio KAT-TUN has proven , the now trio NEWS vocally definitely can carry on & they prove just that with Beautiful / Chincha Umakka / Kanariya .
For Daijoubu , vocalist Ryuta teamed up with sound producer Tabo Koichi . They utilised messages & words submitted by listeners of Radio Fields , a radio programme which Ryuta serves as a radio DJ .
In addition , 38 volunteer students from a middle school where Yamamura's former teacher works at participated in the chorus . They also incorporated audio clips of singing that were submitted by listeners .
In a way I was hoping Daijoubu might be another Christmas sounding type of song from flumpool as it has been years since flumpool last created such a song but it turns out not to be the case .
Despite this , Daijoubu is a nice mid tempo song & it's really cool that flumpool sought additional input from others which makes this 1 of their more unique sounding songs in their discography , creation wise .
I hope to see flumpool be more musically active this year . I'm not expecting another new studio album from them anytime soon but who knows if they can release a new full length or mini album without any singles preceding them , I don't mind it either as long as the material in the release is good .
Cover for both CD & CD + Photobook
1) Houkiboshi
2) siren
3) Kowairo
SID's latest single offering comes in about 9 months+ since the release of their previous single delete .
Before the physical release of the single , the A-side was 1st released digitally on 23rd Nov .
Not only that , 2 other new songs were also released digitally and both are eventually included as B-sides in the physical release of Houkiboshi .
All 3 songs were composed by each SID member except for vocalist Mao who wrote all 3 songs :
- Houkiboshi ; 23rd Nov & then 23rd Dec physically -- guitarist Shinji
- siren ; 7th Dec -- bassist Aki
- Kowairo ; 21st Dec -- drummer Yuya
Just like other musicians , SID was unable to carry out any tours & events in 2020 due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic .
The band expresses their feelings about not being able to meet with fans & listeners last year in the conceptual single Houkiboshi .
It's quite surreal for SID to go on without any new material release for a considerable amount of time after delete but the wait for Houkiboshi is quite worth it .
All the 3 songs in the band's new single are very different from each other but in a good way and you can hear each of the band member's different music influence in all 3 songs in the release .
Hopefully in 2021 , SID will be a lot more musically active unlike last year .
