DOUBLE DECADES OF GR is to celebrate the duo's 20th anniversary in the business .
2 new songs Magatsu Yoru wa Ao Nari & HOPE for YOU are included in DOUBLE DECADES OF GR .
Disc 1 Track 13 - Magatsu Yoru wa Ao Nari ; promoted the mobile game Gakuen Bungo Stray Dogs
Disc 2 Track 16 - HOPE for YOU
This year marks GRANRODEO's 20th anniversary when they 1st released their debut single Go For It! in Nov 2005 & they have kicked off early celebrations of their landmark milestone with the release of DOUBLE DECADES OF GR .
I like both Magatsu Yoru wa Ao Nari & HOPE for YOU but between both songs HOPE for YOU stands out as it reminds me of Dokoka de Shitta Guzen to , the 2nd B-side of their 35th single Tetsu no Ori .
And I'm sure HOPE for YOU will sound amazing if this song's performed live given how optimstic upbeat it's .
DOUBLE DECADES OF GR will not be the only new release GRANRODEO has put out in celebration of their 20th anniversary this year . They also will release a new album & coincidentally it will be their 10th studio album which's another landmark milestone that they soon will add to their discography .
On that note an early happy 20th anniversary to GRANRODEO !
Promo wise Shinkokyu no Riyu was used to promote NHK's Minna no Uta .
Shinkokyu no Riyu is the 2nd new song that Aqua Timez released after they regrouped temporarily last July & also released their comeback song Hitoshizuku digitally last Aug .
Unlike Hitoshizuku , Shinkokyu no Riyu is a mid tempo no. song with more emphasis on the piano/keyboards . My favourite part of Shinkokyu no Riyu is the piano bridge which can be heard almost towards the end of the song .
Due to this , the piano bridge in Shinkokyu no Riyu almost felt like an instrumental music interlude incorporated into it , something that I rarely hear/see in songs but nonetheless Shinkokyu no Riyu is another wonderful song that Aqua Timez released .
This year's Aqua Timez's 20th anniversary & it reminds to be seen what they will release next before they disband again . To me I do hope they will consider to make their reunion permanent for good as they still have some really great songs in their discography .
If not the best to do is to make do with whatever Aqua Timez plans to do next before their eventual disbandment .
Promo wise Versailles was used to promote the Versailles no Bara animated movie that opened in Japan's cinemas on 31st Jan .
Versailles no Bara is based on the manga of the same name .
ayaka & pianist Ryota Kikuchi 1st performed Versailles at ayaka Premium Dinner Live 2024 Winter held last year on Christmas Eve at Palace Hotel Tokyo .
ayaka created Versailles specifically for Versailles no Bara , drawing inspiration from its world to create a song that enhances the movie’s atmosphere with her signature emotive vocals & melody .
Speaking about Versailles , ayaka shared , "I created Versailles while immersing myself in the world of the series crafting a piece filled with deep emotion .
I love Versailles on 1st listen . Some of ayaka's best songs are her ballads & Versailles is very epic grand sounding which fits the personnel of the Versailles no Bara animated movie extremely well .
CD Regular
2 CDs Limited
CD + Blu-ray
AKIHIDE's latest solo album originally was supposed to be released physically on 23rd Oct . Instead , 23rd Oct became the album's digital release date .
Fortune serves as the sequel to AKIHIDE's previous album release Three Stars . This's AKIHIDE's 2nd release to get a Blu-ray version & just like his past album releases AKIHIDE wrote and composed the entire Fortune album .
Songs in Fortune which featured AKIHIDE singing in them include :
1) Into the Story
2) Fortune
3) Violet & Blue
4) Undersea
7) Kitto , Zutto
8) Kaze ni Nosete
9) Hoshi no Komori Uta -Goodnight Song-
10) CD regular version - Nagisa no Futari
A video was made for Undersea but it's not included in the physical release of Fortune .
The 2 CDs limited version of Fortune contains a 2nd CD titled In the "LOOP WORLD" vol.2 -Three Stars- .
In the "LOOP WORLD" vol.2 -Three Stars- features 8 songs (1 from Kikai Jikake no Yuenchi -Electric Wonderland- , 6 from Three Stars & 1 from Fortune) which AKIHIDE rearranged & recorded them in an original style using the loop pedal just like what he did for the 2 CDs limited version of his 8th album LOOP WORLD :
1) Singing in the Starlight
2) Uso
3) the Burning Star
4) Ao no Matsuri
5) Kaerazu no Mori
6) Shironeko no Rendezvous
7) Undersea
8) Ghost
Just like all of AKIHIDE's past solo releases Fortune is another great release that I enjoy tremendously . It's easy to hear & see why Fortune is a Three Stars sequel because some of the songs in AKIHIDE's latest release do feel and sounded like they could have been included in his previous album release .
This's the 1st time AKIHIDE decided to make a back to back album sequel release so in a way it's not surprising Fortune at times have some musical overlaps from Three Stars .
As for In the "LOOP WORLD" vol.2 -Three Stars- I also enjoy it a great deal & it's so nice to hear the songs in the 2nd disc of Fortune in a very different music style especially the ones from Three Stars .
Ever since AKIHIDE started releasing his own solo music in 2013 I have never been disappointed in anything he released . This might sound biased on my part but seeing that his art & music creativity have no boundaries I'm sure his next music release will be something I will like .
And Fortune is no exception .
Promo wise Buddy was used to promote Fuji TV's drama Mondai Bukken .
The last time SPYAIR's song was used to promote a drama was 2017's / 21st single Midnight which was used to promote Utsubokazura no Yume .
With the theme of friendship & companionship , Buddy delivers the message : "Even if it's just an ordinary day , the world will shine if there is 1 person who cherishes it ."
Just like Ao , I don't find Buddy catchy on 1st listen but the more I listen to it the more the song grown on me considerably over time .
Next new music release wise I hope SPYAIR will release a new studio album which I think it's time for them to do so .
I will not be surprised if SPYAIR's next release will be a new album as it will be almost 4 years since their last studio album release UNITE .
Let alone this will be the 1st album featuring YOSUKE so all the more I think it will happen sooner or later .
Promo wise Muchi was used to promote ABEMA TV's drama Informa -Yami wo Ikiru Kemonotachi- .
A video was made for Muchi .
After releasing the mid tempo ballad Illumination B'z are back with what they do best in the form of Muchi . Muchi is a dark angsty no. that captures the drama spirit of Informa -Yami wo Ikiru Kemonotachi- well .
Next release wise I hope it will be a new album B'z will put out this year . With almost 3 years passed since their last studio album release Highway X it's more or less time for this to happen & with them doing a new tour this year soon hopefully this will become a reality .
CD
CD + DVD A & CD + Blu-ray A
CD + DVD B & CD + Blu-ray B
1) She's Amazing
2) Donkey Gongs
3) NERD
4) Shiatika
5) Never end...
6) DARK HERO
7) Mata, Ashita
8) eek!!
9) Saigo no Namida
10) UMP
11) Rhythm
12) Cheer! (CD Only Track)
The group's last album release was PULL UP! in Dec 2023 .
Only 1 single is included in H+ ie. their 34th single UMP & UMP's 1st B-side NERD which was used as the ending theme song that promoted the drama Osore starring member Takaki Yuya .
2 album tracks in H+ have had videos made :
- Donkey Gongs ; groovy & intense dance number
- eek!! ; pop tune
While Cheer! is only available in the CD only version of H+ .
Hey ! Say ! JUMP's 11th album H+ expresses the discomfort lurking in everyday life in a dark pop style . The H in the album title represents the group's name while the + indicates the addition of Hey ! Say ! JUMP to deliver unique entertainment to their fans .
Arrived on the heels of Hey ! Say ! JUMP's much talked-about single UMP , H+ is packed with songs that embody both new challenges & Hey ! Say ! JUMP-ness . The album's lead song Donkey Gongs is a groovy & intense dance number and there's also the catchy pop tune eek!! plus a variety of new songs from different music genres .
Unlike their previous studio albums , H+ on whole is more concise , relatively easy & straight forward to get into . And it's quite evident why both Donkey Gongs & eek!! received videos and in addition both songs showcase different music sides to Hey ! Say ! JUMP .
Between Donkey Gongs & eek!! , I'm surprised I like eek!! a lot more than I thought as the song reminded me of Weekender which by far it's still 1 of Hey ! Say ! JUMP's best single songs they released while Donkey Gongs is a catchy angsty driven upbeat no. .
New album tracks wise Never end... , DARK HERO & Saigo no Namida are pretty good & quite strong contenders to have music videos made if Donkey Gongs and/or eek!! were not the ones that had videos made .
Overall to me H+ felt like PULL! UP 2.0 & for those who don't like PULL UP! I feel that there's a high chance they will not like H+ but luckily I like H+ .
