Friday, November 27, 2009
school food punishment - light prayer
CD Only Cover :
CD + DVD Cover :
light prayer is school food punishment's 4th single . It will be released next Wed on 2nd Dec & this comes barely less than a month since the release of their previous single sea-through communication .
The song is a rock tune which was recorded with the supervision of Kamiyama Kenji during in the recording process & is chosen to serve as the theme song to the movie of the anime Higashi no Eden , called Higashi no Eden Gekijouban I The King of Eden .
In fact , their major debut single futuristic imagination was used as the ending theme for Higashi no Eden & the movie is scheduled to hit theaters in Japan on November 28th .
For me , what draws me to light prayer is the fast paced of guitar riffs going on in the tune . light prayer's obviously more guitar driven as compared to sea-through communication & also brings back the guys & girl to a less mainstream style that they have adopted which I like .
The following songs serve as B-sides in the light prayer single :
- deviswitch
- sea-through communication-sung in English with symphony-
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Kanjani∞ - Fuyu Koi (Winter Love)
Fuyu Koi (Winter Love) is a song taken from Kanjani∞'s upcoming 11th single GIFT - Shiro - which will be out on 23rd Dec .
The guys will be releasing 3 singles within 3 days during the Christmas week as follows & all 3 are deemed limited releases just like what happened to LANDS's BANDAGE & KAT-TUN's White X'mas singles :
GIFT - Shiro - --- 23rd Dec
GIFT - Aka - --- 24th Dec
GIFT - Midori - --- 25th Dec
All the 3 GIFT singles contain a total of 7 songs & for GIFT - Shiro -'s case , there're 2 songs in which the 1st one's Fuyu Koi while the 2nd no.'s Kimi no Uta wo Utau (I Sing Your Song) .
The 3 GIFT singles trilogy's being released in conjunction with their upcoming countdown concerts which will take place at Kyocera Dome in Osaka next month on Dec 30th & 31st & also on Jan 1st 2010 .
Yokoyama You & Murakami Shingo played Fuyu Koi on their radio show Kanjani Eight Yokoyama You – Murakami Shingo no Recomen ! last Thurs & even before you listen to Fuyu Koi , you can sense that the song's a ballad & it's indeed .
Despite the radio rip quality , Fuyu Koi is really gorgeous & beautiful . The most recent ballad I can compare Fuyu Koi against it is the 3rd B-side of their last single Kyu☆Jou☆Show !! ie. Hitotsu no Uta (Only Song) .
The last ballad the guys released as a single was Osaka Romanesque which was the 2nd A-side of their 4th single Osaka Obachan ROCK / Osaka Romanesque so I'm really happy that they have return back to release another fantastic ballad as part of their GIFT - Shiro - single / 3 GIFT singles trilogy after releasing a string of crazy whack over the top tunes .
The 2nd song found in GIFT - Shiro - ie. Kimi no Uta wo Utau will be reviewed in due time .
CD Review :: B'z - MAGIC
Cover For Both CD Only & CD + DVD's :
Tracklist :
1) Introduction
2) DIVE
3) Time Flies
4) MY LONELY TOWN
5) long time no see
6) Ichibu to Zenbu (One & All)
7) PRAY
8) MAGIC
9) Mayday !
10) TINY DROPS
11) Dare ni mo Ie Nee (Tell Anyone)
12) Yume no Naka de Aimashou (Let's Meet In A Dream)
13) Freedom Train
MAGIC is JRock duo B'z's 17th album . It was released last Wed on 18th Nov & this comes in 2 years since their last album ACTION !
The duo's latest album contains 2 singles . MAGIC debuted at #1 with 1st week sales of 340,630 which's even higher than the 1st week sales collected by ACTION ! ie. 292,687 copies .
All lyrics in MAGIC were written by lead singer Koshi Inaba while all music were composed by guitarist Tak Matsumoto .
The opening track Introduction was a guitar instrumental requested by Koshi once the rest of the album had been completed .
This track was designed to merge into the opening of the second track DIVE which had previously been on the album's first single .
The slow tempo opening of the single version was removed to provide a more seamless crossover from the end of the introduction track .
DIVE is of course the 2nd A-side of their 46th single Ichibu to Zenbu (One & All) / DIVE which was released on 5th Aug this year & it was used to promote Suzuki's Swift compact car .
Red Hot Chili Peppers's drummer Chad Smith & Mars Volta's bassist Juan Alderete were invited as guest musicians by the duo to play drums & bass for both tunes .
The album version of DIVE is about 18 secs shorter than the single version since the single version's intro was cut off in here in order for Introduction to move into DIVE easily .
Well regardless of the single or album versions of DIVE , I still like both takes of the no. & just like Ichibu to Zenbu , this's a fast & mean rock influenced tune .
Time Flies is MAGIC's 1st album track & this's a less aggressive song unlike DIVE but it's still an upbeat no. & I really like the guitar riffs going on in Time Files .
MY LONELY TOWN is the duo's 47th single & this was released last month on 14th Oct . It's the last single to be included before MAGIC was released .
The song was already played during the duo's most recent B'z SHOWCASE 2009 -B'z In Your Town tour and also as a part of their performance at the popular rock festival SUMMER SONIC '09 in August this year .
Also , this's their 1st single to be released in CD & CD + DVD's editions in their 21st year together in the business .
Despite the fact that somehow I overplayed MY LONELY TOWN to a certain extent , the song never fails to captivate me because I really like the way on how the song started off really mean/kick ass & then somehow it mellowed down in the middle & the cycle goes on .
Also with a touch of classical/violin influence thrown in for good measure , you know you're listening to something that's really solid .
long time no see is the 2nd album track & it was selected as the theme to the upcoming drama Salaryman Kintaro 2 , which is set to begin airing in January 2010 on TV Asahi .
This's yet another fast paced album track just like Time Files but the difference's that it's more upbeat & guitar driven . Not to mention , I can detect a lot more synth going on in long time no see too .
Definitely another great kick ass rock track to watch out for .
Ichibu to Zenbu is the 1st A-side of the duo's 46th single Ichibu to Zenbu / DIVE & it was used as the theme song for the drama Buzzer Beat which starred NEWS's Yamashita Tomohisa & Kitagawa Keiko .
I never watched Buzzer Beat but this's the song that kicked start my B'z's music journey as I just absolutely adore how the song sounds . I mentioned before that it sounded like something on what Franz Ferdinand might come up with but obviously B'z does it better with plenty abomb .
I noticed that the album version of Ichibu to Zenbu where it seems that the drums beats are much more louder as compared to the single version . I'm not sure if it's just me or something though but ah well .
PRAY is the 1st album power ballad & it served as the theme song for the movie TAJOMARU .
I was really drawn into PRAY the moment I 1st listened to it . It sounded like the B-side of MY LONELY TOWN ie. Kirei na Namida (Beautiful Tears) but the only difference's for PRAY's case is that it's much more emotional driven & the melody's just so beautiful & really , kudos to both Koshi & Tak for making this song a masterpiece in its own right .
MAGIC shares the same title as the album . I reviewed this song before but that time I only heard a radio rip of the tune .
Now that I have heard the studio/clearer version of the song , I'm fine with it . It's just that I wouldn't really consider MAGIC to be my fave album track .
Mayday ! is track #9 & just like the song title suggest , it's probably those kind of songs you might hear if a disaster's about to strike or something -_- . But jokes aside , it's quite a heart thumping no. for that matter .
TINY DROPS is the 2nd album track that's a power ballad & this was first played on the bayfm radio show .
This's probably the only album track that has a piano driven melody which's very pretty to say the least & lead singer Koshi pretty much conveyed the message of TINY DROPS across the board .
The song's more depressing sounding than PRAY but considering that these 2 tracks are the only power ballads in MAGIC , this's a keeper .
Dare ni mo Ie Nee (Tell Anyone) & Yume no Naka de Aimashou (Let's Meet In A Dream) are the 2 album tracks that I had a bit of a difficulty telling them apart from each other as both of them tend to sound alike .
It took me quite a while to distinguish both songs but at least now I know Yume no Naka de Aimashou is the song that has trumpet beats thrown in for good measures while for Dare ni mo Ie Nee , the guitar riffs are really cool in there .
Freedom Train is the last track you can find in MAGIC . Despite the case , this's actually the 1st song that the guys recorded .
I thought that might be a Kobukuro cover seeing that they had a song which has the same title but thank goodness that's not the case .
Freedom Train's basically a really enpowering no. & as such , I think it's quite fitting for the duo to close things off with this tune .
MAGIC is the 1st B'z album I listened to & I have to say that it's a really solid rock album offering .
Before this , I went with an open mind but I somehow know that the album's going to sound really epic seeing that this's coming from the best selling Japanese act of all time & when you have Tak Matsumoto who was responsible for composing KAT-TUN's debut single Real Face & Real Face #1 , you know what good things you're getting in MAGIC .
The production's really solid & both Koshi & Tak's roles in the group are very well defined & their talents in each field go hand in hand together .
The only thing I wish I heard more from MAGIC is more ballads seeing that out of 13 tracks , only 3 songs are in the ballad department inclusive of MY LONELY TOWN .
It might have been better for the duo to come up with more ballad inspired like tunes in their next single/album seeing that they're versatile in both rock thumping songs & ballads as evident in the ballad version of Ichibu to Zenbu .
But other than that , a solid rock & roll album to check out before 2009 wraps up & looks like I'm officially onboard the B'z's music wagon from now onwards .
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
abingdon boys school - From Dusk Till Dawn
From Dusk Till Dawn is abingdon boys school's 8th single . It will be released on 16th Dec & this comes in 4 months + since the release of their last single Kimi no Uta (Your Song) .
The band's new song's currently used as the ending theme for the anime DARKER THAN BLACK -Ryūsei no Gemini- which started airing in Oct this year .
Their 2nd single HOWLING was used as the opening theme song to the anime series DARKER THAN BLACK -Kuro no Keiyakusha- .
Also From Dusk Till Dawn's so far their only single release which just contains the A-side which explains on why it's going for a really cheap price/cost of 525 Yen .
I have been waiting for them to release a mid tempo ballad after their 3rd single Nephilim & I finally got my wish in here after listening to From Dusk Till Dawn .
Frontman Takanori just let his vocals work in this soaring uplifting no. coupled with great guitar riffs . It's no Dress nor Nephilim but I can't help but being drawn into the song instantly .
Also , kudos to guitarist Shibasaki for composing such a great melody for From Dusk Till Dawn as well .
The guys seldom do mid tempo tunes which's a pity but they probably should change their mindset in due course when this happens & I hope that analogy will apply to their 2nd album ABINGDON ROAD which will be out on 27th Jan 2010 .
ABINGDON ROAD will consists of 5 singles inclusive of From Dusk Till Dawn , their cover of Luna Sea's Sweetest Coma Again & 6 new album tracks .
This will be their 1st album in nearly 3 years after the release of their self titled debut album 2 years ago on 17th Oct & naturally being such a big fan of this extremely talented rock quartet , this might be the album to kick off 2010 with a great big bang !
Monday, November 23, 2009
Aoyama Thelma - OH BABY Koishitetai (I Want To Fall In Love)
OH BABY Koishitetai (I Want To Fall In Love) is Aoyama Thelma's 1st digital single & it was released last Wed on 18th Nov .
Her new song serves as the theme no. for the drama Mezamashi Doyoubi Mega .
Now this's what I'm talking about ! Despite being her 1st digital single which it should have gotten a physical single release instead , I'm so relieved that Aoyama has returned back to do an upbeat R&B no. after releasing a whole string of mid tempo/ballad no.s after her debut single ONE WAY .
Song wise , OH BABY Koishitetai is real catchy/good which frankly gets extremely addictive after a few listens or so . It's not like I'm Sorry but this's enough for me to keep me satisfied .
Aoyama will be releasing her 1st single of 2010 ie. her 8th single titled Fall in love on 27th Jan 2010 & this no. features Korean boyband BIG BANG's Sol & it's her 2nd collaboration single after Todoketai ... (I Want To Send ...) feat KEN THE 390 .
Fall in love will be released under the billing Aoyama Thelma x SOL from BIGBANG .
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Hidemi Uematsu - Baby (Dear Lady's B-side)
Baby is the B-side tune you can find in Hidemi Uematsu's 3rd single Dear Lady which was released on Wed / 18th Nov .
Just like the A-side , the lyrics & music for Baby is solely written/composed by Hidemi herself .
Wow , all I can say's that Baby is a really emotional driven B-side no. . Unlike the A-side where it's quite carefree sounding , you're not getting it for Baby's case .
Hidemi managed to tap in & drew in her emotions while delivering this powerful piano driven song . Her vocals did went over the top in some parts of the song but you can appericate the rawness that's being given off in here .
Hidemi Uematsu never fails to deliver the goods & when she does , she nail every single music aspect downpat & the same thing goes for her latest single Dear Lady too .
I sure hope that she will release her debut album soon . It's kind of long overdue if you ask me .
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Yamashita Tomohisa - Loveless's B-sides
A whopping 7 B-sides can be found in NEWS leader's Yamashita Tomohisa 2nd solo single Loveless which was released on Wed / 18th Nov .
He will kick start his 1st solo tour called SHORT BUT SWEET today which will be held at the Yokohama Arena from 21st - 23rd Nov .
Due to demand , Yamapi will also be performing at Jan 6th & 7th at Osaka-jo hall next year .
I will be reviewing 6 B-sides because I don't see the need to review the instrumental of the A-side & like what I mentioned before , these songs can be combined into 1 edition & thus making it a mini album of sorts for Yamapi's case .
CD Only Regular Edition Tracks :
- Crush On You
- Dance Jam
- After the Rain
- Loveless (Instrumental) Crush On You has a very electro disco pop vibe which took me by surprise when I 1st listened to it .
I thought it might going to sound really cheesy/dated but surprisingly that's not the case .
The same electro disco pop vibes can be felt in Dance Jam as well . Yamapi's vocals sounded a bit distorted here . I'm not sure if it's done on purpose or something though but I'm fine with the 2 upbeat B-sides tunes in the CD only regular edition of Loveless .
After the Rain is the only B-side that's a ballad & it's probably no surprises that I really like this no. out of the bunch as compared to Crush On You & Dance Jam .
The song gives off a really sad & somewhat subtle bittersweet mood which's almost simliar to the A-side except for After the Rain's case , it's more emotionally driven which I really like .
Yamapi didn't went over the top in this no. which's a good thing .
CD Only Limited Edition Tracks :
- Run From You (CD + DVD track also)
- ME
- Moon Light Run From You & ME are the only 2 B-sides which Yamapi sang in full English & are upbeat dance no.s with ME written by zopp .
I have to admit that both tunes are hot to crank up in a club but unfortunately Yamapi's (lack of) English pronounication/dictation somehow got lost in between both songs , so much so that I had to refer to the lyrics sleeve of my Loveless single when I listened to both tracks .
English's not a 1st language for most Japanese but still at most you should brush/work on your pronounication/dictation if you want to carry off a full English song which's usually risky business .
But you have to give Yamapi credit for trying in here as it's frankly not easy to carry off such a task at all .
Moon Light is the only song that Yamapi wrote in the Loveless single & in this no. , he has a fave Spanish phase that he included in the song which's "a luz da la luna" aka light of the moon .
It's a slight Spanish tinged no. which almost bear some simliar traits to his debut single Daite Senorita (aside from the song title) & this's quite an unusual song of the good kind .
I was feeling a lot more of Moon Light & considering that he wrote it , it's really a nice mid tempo tune .
Basically at the end of the day , the 6 B-sides you can find in Yamapi's Loveless single are pretty good & it's something different from what he might usually do in NEWS .
The only thing I didn't like about some of the songs is that it's too Americanised sounding especially for Run From You & ME . If the lyrics for both songs weren't full English no.s to begin with , the songs might sound a bit better since it's quite obvious that Yamapi still has some work to be done for his English pronounication/diction .
Other than that , this's a pretty good worthwhile single to listen/check out for & since NEWS wouldn't be releasing anymore material for 2009 , this will be keeping the NEWS fans happy for a while .
Friday, November 20, 2009
alan - my life
my life is found as track #14 in alan's 2nd Japanese album which shares the same title as the song .
The album will be released next Wed on 25th Nov & my life (the song) is the only album no. which receives a music video of its own & is used as the theme song for the PSP game GOD EATER .
I guess it's easy to see why my life deserves to get a music video of its own because it's really an awesome ballad & alan did not need to make use of her signature yodelling in this no. .
Instead , she just let her vocal chord work to almost full maximisation & the ending result gives you this really powerful & yet understated ballad . It helps that the melody surrounding my life is plain gorgeous too .
Except my album review of my life in due course .
otsuka ai - Amaenbo (Spoiled Child) ~Wedding~
The ~Wedding~ version of otsuka ai's 3rd single Amaenbo (Spoiled Child) is found as track #11 in her 2nd compilation album LOVE is BEST which was released last Wed on 11th Nov .
LOVE is BEST debuted at #1 with 1st week sales of 56,366 copies .
I honestly cannot detect any form of wedding influences going on in here if you ask me .
Anyway I realised that otsuka's vocals are more stronger & emotionally driven in the re-recorded version of her 3rd single if you were to compare it against the original take of Amanebo which was released way back in 3rd April 2004 .
Also melody wise , the changes in the updated version of Amaenbo is pretty minor to a certain extent .
Having said that , I feel it's nice of her to do to re-record & re-arranged some of her songs that're found in LOVE is BEST but hopefully in her next compilation album or let alone single/album , she might do even more of such things as I frankly enjoyed it .
I gladly welcome let's say an updated version of Planetarium , Kingyo Hanabi , Cherish & Kurage Nagareboshi , that will be awesome .
