BRAVE HEART feat. Kana Nishino February 7, 2010
Posted by Die in Kana Nishino.Tags: Kana, Kana Nishino, NERDHEAD, Nishino, Nishino Kana
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BRAVE HEART feat. Kana Nishino was a single by NERDHEAD. It was released on January 27, 2010.
Tracks:
1. BRAVE HEART feat. Kana Nishino
2. Mou Ichido feat. TOKO/KAZMANIAC/FEROS/U-KI/NAMBA
3. BRAVE HEART feat. Kana Nishino (Instrumental)
Review:
So my lap top is pretty much in lap top heaven right now….it’s not going to get fixed anytime soon, unless someone can point me to a site where i can get some windows xp software for free xD And there aren’t any new releases yet…well any that I really want to review anyway. So this is what I have decided to review.
I’m not all that sure who NERDHEAD is but I LOVE BRAVE HEART. And why do I love it? Cause it has my favorite Japanese blonde R&B star Kana Nishino of course. So this song is pretty much a R&B ballad. Lots of lovely piano chords and tons and tones of synth. The music is very typical of her latest works, piano and synth driven with various beats etc. Kana’s vocals are very R&B sounding, and quite powerful as well. They remind me of her performance in Kimi ni Koe wo. NERDHEAD pretty much just raps, which isn’t all that bad. I’m just loving this song, there’s no other way to describe it then an amazing R&B sensation.
I didn’t care for Mou Ichido all that much because it was….Kana-less. It’s just another R&B song, with lots of random rap verses. Not much to say after that I guess.
~~~~~
So this single is pretty much one of Kana….er NERDHEAD’s greatest singles! I really think that Kana made this single, and actually I could see this being put into her next album, or hopefully a solo version. Her newest single will be out within a few weeks so this should hold over any fans till then. I might have to give NERDHEAD a listen if he releases anymore singles, but I doubt it’ll be half as good unless he has some more collaborations.
Basically if you’re a fan of Kana Nishino you’ll love this song, if not oh well.
Rating
UNIVERSE February 5, 2010
Posted by Die in Koda Kumi.Tags: Koda, Koda Kumi, Kumi, Kumi Koda
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UNIVERSE was Koda Kumi’s 8th album. It was released on February 3, 2010 as a part of her 3rd compilation album entitled BEST ~third universe~. It debuted at no. 1 on the Oricon Daily Charts. This album includes the singles from It’s all Love! to Can We Go Back. * Sorry about the scans, to my knowledge there aren’t any really good ones yet, just pictures.
Tracks:
1. Step Into My World
2. Can We Go Back
3. SUPERSTAR
4. You’re So Beautiful
5. Lick me♥
6. Work It Out!
7. No Way
8. Stay
9. Comes Up
10. Physical thing
11. ECSTASY
12. UNIVERSE
13. It’s all Love! feat. misono
14. Alive
15. Moon Crying (Live ver. in Taiwan)
Review:
I can honestly say while I’ve been eagerly waiting for Kuu’s many albums to leak over the years, I wasn’t waiting as eagerly as her previous albums. That’s probably due to multiple reasons, such as TRICK not living up to it’s hype, the mediocre singles, and then the so-so previews, oh and the fact that it was paired with her 3rd compilation album, which basically means that avex wanted to make sure this album sold well, which I don’t think it will, I could be wrong though. Anyway this album is certainly interesting, so hopefully this review will be insightful and flashy as always.
Now I thought the full version of TRICK was going to be on TRICK, but I could be wrong. Turns out that that melody was used in Step Into My World. So basically that infectious melody and edgy aggressive music was transformed into this. Although I can honestly say that it’s not nearly as infectious or as catchy as TRICK. Still a great opening, but it could have been better.
Yeah so then we come to Can We Go Back. The best way to describe it is a mediocre rock song. Kelly Clarkson should have kept this, Kuu’s vocals aren’t suited for this level of rock, or just most rock songs in general. However while that track was boring and dull I actually liked Work It Out! It’s another rock song, but it’s not completely rock, instead it’s a fusion of rock and electric, I even think I can hear some distortions/vocoder. Maybe the music just sounds more fluid and just better, either way this is the better rock song. And the chorus, catchy as hell. Lots and lots of cool instrumentals.
So now we have the promotion track, the first entitled SUPERSTAR, or as I say su-pa su-ta-ru! That’s somewhat racist but I’m asian, get over it xD It’s sort of like a light pop-rock song, just not nearly as good. This is definitely cute Kuu, who I haven’t liked in ages, that’s why I’d say press the skip button. Also another song to skip, Lick me♥. It’s not nearly as bad as the previous track, but the live performances were just overkill. Not sure how many people can like this, it has grown on me considerably. Comes Up is also another cute track, confirmed even more with the “merry-go-round” line. I like cute, and it’s better than some of the stuff on Kingdom, but it’s not my cup of tea. Cute Kuu could be a tad bit less annoying, but it’s not the worst.
I believe that it’s time for the ballads, well the themed ballads. The 2nd promotional track is You’re So Beautiful. It’s a lovely acoustic based ballad, that still sounds like an exquisite ballad, strings and all. The up-beat tone sounds so vibrant and so lively that I can’t help but love it. I guess you could classify Stay as a semi-ballad. The mid-tempo music is quite nice, piano and synth filled, almost childish at times but Kuu’s vocals make up for it. Now my personal favorite ballad, and the greatest on the album is No Way. This R&B ballad is the best thing she’s done, probably since Yume no Uta. It’s seriously that amazing, I can’t get over all of the amazing synth elements, as well as her vocals, which could have more emotion but their suited perfectly for this song. It definitely matches the whole Universe theme of the album, very far out and spacey to some degree.
But now it’s time for SEXY KUU!!! I still can’t over just who powerful and sexy Physical thing really is. The music is just really sexy, that’s the only word I can think of to describe the music, and aggressive. Certainly another sexy and dance tune is ECSTASY. By far the BEST song on 3 SPLASH this song is another hot number, sort of like a more aggressive and sexier version of TABOO, if that’s even possible. It’s infectious as hell and the beats are insane, and the distortions are pretty hot as well.
And now UNIVERSE gets its own section just because it’s that good. I don’t think Kuu has ever had a title track on her album, think about it. Black Cherry was featured on Kingdom, Kingdom just had an intro, and then TRICK was finally released on a single, and that was only a live version. Anyway for her first title track on an album it’s pretty sexy. It has that signature Kuu sound, edgy, aggressive, fierce, and naturally it’s a dance song, all of her sexy songs seem to be dance now. The music is mostly a mixture of aggressive beats and synth with some distortions. I personally loved the bridge, it sounded so surreal and the music breakdown was spectacular, truly impressive, I just wish it was longer. The chorus was still a little freaky, but fun nonetheless and still a fun dance song overall.
Finishing the album are the ballads. The first is Alive. I can honestly say that it has grown on me a bit, but I’m still not all that crazy about it. I still think the instrumentals are beautiful and all, but I don’t feel that it goes well with Kuu’s vocals, then again maybe her vocals weren’t just good. Could have been better, but it could have been worse. And then you have the live version of Moon Crying, which was sung in Taiwan. It was the longest track too, an astounding 7:47. Her vocals sounded phenomenal live and the whole experience was mind-blowing, an another excellent rendition.
I almost forgot the collaboration track, but then I didn’t since it SHOULD NOT even be on the album since it’s a piece of crap. If anything faraway should have been put on the album, even though it was only so-so.
~~~~~
So what did I think of this album? Despite some of its flaws I can honestly say that I enjoyed this album more than TRICK and Kingdom. When compared to TRICK, there weren’t any tracks that made me want to shoot myself, or tracks that just had me laughing *cough* Bling Bling Bling *cough*, there was just a lot of variety that I liked. As far as Kingdom goes, well Kingdom was pretty much just a mess. Only 1/3 of the tracks really stood out, and most were released as singles. With UNIVERSE it doesn’t depend on the singles to make it a good album. There’s a good amount of balance between strong singles and strong album tracks, as well as sexy, ballad, and cute Kuu. My personal favorites were all the dance/sexy tracks, they’re always catchy no matter what. The ballads this time though were just astounding. No Way is perhaps her first and greatest R&B ballad of all time, truly a work of art. The album itself could have been more cohesive and flowed together better but the good songs are enough to make me like it as a whole complete work. So I have to say that it’s a step up from TRICK, it’s just too bad there’s nothing as fierce as TABOO.
But before I finish I need to say one thing: AVEX IS MONEY HUNGRY/DUMB. Basically the only reason why avex would release this album with the compilation album is because they’re pretty much afraid that it won’t sell enough, and let’s face it, most compilation albums are the highest sellers for most artists (eg. Ayu & Kuu). And the fact that it only includes some of the singles is annoying as well, seriously just release it ALL. I want to see ALL of 4 hot wave, as well as Cherry Girl / Unmei, and Aishou etc. Seriously it would have been better to have maybe one or two new songs on the album and another PV and to separately release a true 2CD + 2DVD compilation album. And apparently Kuu is also declining in popularity, I might even do a special review on this later.
Favorite Tracks: UNIVERSE || No Way || Work It Out!
Rating
Diamond / Over the clouds February 3, 2010
Posted by Die in alan.Tags: alan, GOD EATER, InuYasha, InuYasha Final Act, InuYasha The Final Act
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Diamond / Over the clouds was alan’s 12 single. It was released on February 3, 2010 and debuted at no. 11 on the Oricon Daily Charts. This is alan’s first double A-side. The first title track Diamond was used as the 2nd ending theme song for the anime InuYasha Kanketsuhen, while the 2nd title track Over the clouds was used as the opening theme song for the PSP game GOD EATER. It was released in a CD+DVD version, a CD version, and a limited-edition CD version.
Tracks:
1. Diamond
2. Over the clouds
3. Diamond (Instrumental)
4. Over the clouds (Instrumental)
Review:
ZOMG ZOMG ZOMFG. Now that I’ve got that out of my system xD Let me just say that out of everything alan’s released, this is the SINGLE GREATEST ONE EVER! I was probably waiting for two or three days straight on a certain site waiting for this single to leak. There are some criticisms but then again isn’t there for everything.
First off we have Diamond. Despite some small problems I feel that it’s one of her best ballads. If you’ve heard everything from alan you’ll notice that it bears a similar sound to Essence of me. And you should, because both songs use the same melody, well maybe the melody of the chorus, it’s pretty obvious when you listen to both songs, this is more of a pop/ballad version of the original. Anyway it’s because I loved Essence of me that I love this song, that chorus was just so damn infectious, and while Diamond has slowed things down it still retains that level infectiousness. Now as far as music goes, it’s a very Ayu sounding ballad. The piano chords, percussion, bells, and the most Ayu sounding thing of all, the guitar! Especially after the chorus and during the “lalala…” parts, it sounded so much like Ayu, M actually. But besides that I really loved this song, it’s just that incredible and amazing.
As for Over the clouds, MOST EPIC ALAN SONG TO DATE! Not only is it one of her most unique, seriously I’ve never heard anything like it. At first it sounds soft with the harp playing, but then suddenly the music picks up, and the next thing you know you’re listening to an aggressive guitar driven song, with some lovely strings, as well as some synth/programing elements. It just sounds like someone’s running, but that’s just me. And as for the chorus, it’s amazing. It’s a mixture of synth elements, as well as strings, and lots of programing sounds (you get what i’m trying to say) as well as guitar riffs, with a great emphasis on the synth. Anyway there’s also a slight use of the vocoder which is another great thing, alan’s altered vocals sound cool and surreal. My one problem was that alan didn’t sing according to the official lyrics, it clearly states “You can get it over, over the clouds” she totally skipped the it, but it actually sounds better that way. And the ending of the song, reminded me of Ayu’s alterna with the strings. Also in the ending, the last lines written in the katakana, the meaning is interesting but it sure sounded mystical, almost esoteric with the again altered vocals.
~~~~~
If you couldn’t tell from all the long words up there, I LOVE this single. Each song is pretty high quality, dare I say almost, almost on the level of Hikki? Probably not xD But still both songs are just that good. The first is a ballad that could have easily been one of Ayu’s many ballads, so you know it sounds good. And then Over the clouds is truly something new to alan, it pretty much blows everything out of the water. It’s also one of her few songs that’s not a ballad. I think alan is on the right track with her 3rd Era, I just hope she can keep it up. Yeah it’s kind of sad that she’s becoming the Chinese Ayu, but because this single is 10 times better than Swear and most songs on my life I’ll allow it. Oh and as for the cover, I don’t even think Ayu would do something like that.
Rating
Bad News February 2, 2010
Posted by Die in Uncategorized.add a comment
To make a long story short, my lap top (the one with pretty much all my music) isn’t working. And in order to get it to a usable condition I will have to scrap everything and install a new driver program (Windows XP or Windows Vista). I did salvage some music and most of the scans I had so it’s not all bad. But as a result of that there’s only one computer in my house that has internet access. And now the reviews will be coming out a little bit slower =( It’s quite sad. So I’ll try to update the site whenever I can but until I get my lap top working there will be 4 of us sharing this one computer. But don’t worry, I’ll post Kuu’s UNIVERSE soon as well as alan’s Diamond / Over the clouds which finally leaked.
20-CRY- February 1, 2010
Posted by Die in Miliyah Kato.Tags: Kato, Kato Miliyah, Miliyah, Miliyah Kato
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20-CRY- was Miliyah Kato’s 14th single. It was released on January 28, 2009 and reached no. 7 on the Oricon Weekly Charts with 14,875 copies sold. In all this single has sold over 23,179+ copies. The title track was used as the theme song for the drama of the same name.
Tracks:
1. 20-CRY-
2. Kanashimi Blue
3. let’em go
4. 20-CRY- (INSTRUMENTAL)
Review:
I honestly had no intent on reviewing this single, but I guess you should review something today, and I need to finish up her Ring Era.
So pretty much 20-CRY- is a ballad, and a tearjerker at that. It’s not exactly a traditional ballad but it still sounds just as beautiful and heart-wrenching. Sort of a mixture between R&B and rock, with the percussion and guitar, and the strings as well. The best part besides the music and lyrics are her vocals. She can really bring the house down.
I actually expected Kanashimi Blue to be an R&B ballad, and I was right. This song actually sounds a lot sadder and more depressing at times than the title track, which could be due to the stronger instrumentals. And then let’em go is actually another R&B ballad too. It sounds as lovely as the others, and it’s also a bit longer.
~~~~~
This single was truly full of R&B goodness. Basically every song was a ballad, and all were R&B sounding too. I did like that it kept with one theme, and that appeared to be heart-wrenching ballads that due with suffering. I enjoyed all the tracks, 20-CRY- was by far the best. I sounded very Miliyah-like. I think her vocals were probably the best thing, she has so much power. I would have liked it to sound a little more like Destiny, but since it’s a later release it’s all good. Another good single for Ring.
Rating
Blog Stats January 2010 February 1, 2010
Posted by Die in Blog Stats.Tags: alan, BoA, Hikaru, Hikaru Utada, Hikki, Kato Miliyah, Koda, Koda Kumi, Kumi, Kumi Koda, Miliyah Kato, Stereopony, Utada, Utada Hikaru
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Welcome to yet another edition of Blog Stats! This is not only the first blog stats of the year, but the first blog stats of 2010. Kinda special but then not special. Anyway as far as blog stats go here’s the list:
Views This Month: 5,616 (Slowly getting back to its prime)
Most Viewed Page (Not Homepage): Yura Yura 124 Views
Total Views: 128,596
Busiest Day: November 7, 2009 – 424 Views (Not sure how that happened)
As for reviews this month and last month. There wasn’t much to review after the swarm of 20.1 reviews, so that was basically it. As for this month. I plan to review Kuu’s UNIVERSE, which is almost done, the tracks are done, I’m just writing the album as a whole part, as well as waiting for some better album scans that are flat and not just pictures of the scans. I also can’t wait to review alan’s Diamond / Over the clouds, the previews sound amazing! I’ll also stop being a bum and finally review Miliyah Kato and her Ring Era. I also hope to review some Stereopony an finish up their discography, and review their new single, hopefully I’ll like it, I love the covers already. And maybe Hikki will grace us with that song entitled Show Me Love??? Who knows, oh and I almost forgot about BoA’s new album, I’ll review that as well. So get ready for February!
BEST ~Countdown~ Album Ver. January 27, 2010
Posted by Die in Specials.Tags: Ai, Ai Otsuka, alan, Ami Suzuki, Amuro, Amuro Namie, ayaka, Ayumi, Ayumi Hamasaki, BENI, Bentley Jones, BoA, Goto Maki, Hamasaki, Kana Nishino, Koda, Koda Kumi, Kumi, m-flo, Mai Kuraki, Maki Goto, MEG, Miliyah Kato, MONKEY MAJIK, Namie, Namie Amuro, Otsuka, Otsuka Ai, Perfume, Q;indivi, ravex, Rie fu, SWEET BLACK, Verbal, Yuna Ito
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Welcome to yet another hopefully spectacular BEST ~Countdown~ 2009. This Countdown is the Album Version and like it’s counterpart it is a compilation of the 2009 Japanese music year, but instead it features albums only. The first section will feature the BEST Album Only Songs. The second will feature the BEST Albums, and finally the third will just be just random, while still featuring some other albums etc.
BEST 10 Album Only Songs
LOVE MACHINE GUN (from DREAM) – Yuna Ito
Besides the obviously amazing title, this song just plain rocked it. That being said, it does have a rock sound, with Yuna’s usual pop sound as well. And the beats, those beats were just infectious. And the song’s upbeat nature made it even better. As for Yuna’s vocals, great balance between power and clarity.
Shibuya de Punch (from UP TO YOU) – MiChi
One thing that everyone can agree about this song is that either you love it, or you hate it. I personally love this song. At first I only liked it because it sounded really oriental and all of the synth/electronic elements. But upon further listening I found out that this song is actually depressing. It’s pretty much about how an old man in Shibuya (I’m assuming) is getting beat up by some boys and no one, not even bystanders, are helping him. It’s quite depressing and sad, and the moral of the story is to help people. DON’T just stand there and let bad things happen, help people, even if you don’t know who they are. So the reason why it’s really good is because it sounds good, and then the lyrics of course.
Beautiful World (from BITTER & SWEET) – BENI
I think most of us can agree that this was without a doubt the best song on BENI’s latest album. Although all of us are still wondering who was that guy in the background? The point is that this smooth synth drivne R&B ballad was one of BENI’s best songs.
Driving (from TRICK) – Koda Kumi
I can honestly say that TRICK didn’t have many impressive songs besides the singles. And let’s face it, even some of those songs from the singles had flaws. But what I did love on the album was this song. It was infectious, and very dance/synth driven. It’s almost like a dance version of TABOO, just more dancing and lots of distortions and synth.
Something In My Head (from URBAN ROMANTIC) – Rie fu
This opening was so energetic and just so up-beat. But more importantly it’s something that only Rie fu would do. It still holds true to Rie fu’s folk sound, while adding some more friendlier pop elements, along with some percussion. The English is a huge factor as to why it’s so catchy, as well as the melody. I just love up-beat happy songs.
1 more night feat. MONKEY MAJIK (from trax) – ravex
It was either this song or Bangalicious, but this won. Again the song is made up entirely of English, and it’s very dance/techno/electronic sounding, which is the main reason why I loved this song. The infectious beats, crisp vocals, and just amazingness of MONKEY MAJIK really made this song a hit.
LOVE GAME (from PAST < FUTURE) – Namie Amuro
WAH! Namie’s kick ass album produced some great hits, my personal favorite was LOVE GAME. The song’s pretty much about a match, that’s all I remember right now, and it sounds incredible. DOUBLE outdid herself this time as the producer. The R&B music as well as the catchy distortions make this song a hit.
touch Me! (from touch Me!) – Mai Kuraki
I didn’t feel like reviewing the album, but after this song I might decide to. The music isn’t very powerful as far as sound goes, but it sure does sound nice. A bit more aggressive and it would have been perfect. But I did love the guitar elements as well as her smooth vocals. I personally loved the hook, as well as the chorus.
Kimi no Koe wo feat. VERBAL (m-flo) (from LOVE one.) – Kana Nishino
Kana is going to be one of J-Pops newest and best R&B singers. So naturally it’s no surprise that Kimi no Koe wo is a great song, it even beat Kuu’s Lick me ♥ on one of the digital charts. But this song has a sweet sound as well as some great music.
Over And Over (from BEST of CRYSTAL KAY) – Crystal Kay
I haven’t gotten to the BEST Compilation Albums yet, but something like it will appear towards the next half of this review. So CK decided to release an anniversary album and it had 4 new tracks, the best IMO was Over and Over. I immediately fell in love with this song. Rather than being R&B it’s more synth driven, as well as a tad bit catchier than some of her part songs. What I loved most was the fact that it was infectious and that it was long, none of that 3 minute crap.
Honorable Mentions:
NEXT LEVEL (from NEXT LEVEL) – Ayumi Hamasaki
Plastic Lover (from SWEET BLACK) – SWEET BLACK feat. MAKI GOTO
WHEN YOU WISH UPON A STAR (from House☆Disney) – MEG × Q;indivi
MAGIC (from LOVE.IT) – LOVE (Ai Otsuka)
Sunao ni Naretara ~FINAL NIGHT~ (from TRANS//LATION) – Bentley Jones
my life (from my life) – alan
BEST 10 Albums
DREAM – Yuna Ito
Yuna’s best album to date! This album had it all. Your tearful ballads, up-beat classics, and lastly some sensational pop songs. I can’t find a single flaw in this album. It’s truly one of the greatest albums of 2009.
Favorite Tracks: Ima Demo Aita yo… feat. Spontania || LOVE MACHINE GUN || trust you
UP TO YOU – MiChi
U rOcK MiChi! This album contained her catchy singles, their energetic B-Sides, and more fresh new tracks that are mind-blowing. At this point MiChi can do no wrong, especially after Shibuya de Punch.
Favorite Tracks: Shibuya de Punch || PROMiSE || ChaNge the WoRLd
PAST < FUTURE – Namie Amuro
The Queen is back! She never left, but you know what I meant, it’s been 2 years since she’s released a studio album. This album easily blew away competition from her rivals *cough* Ayu & Kuu *cough* Not only did she outsell them in almost a week, but the quality is so much better. There’s more variety, catchier songs, and then it’s Namie nuff said.
Favorite Tracks: LOVE GAME || Dr. || Defend Love
Voice of EARTH – alan
Let’s remember her as she was. She was a wonderful, a peaceful, a beautiful singer. Anyway her debut album was just impressive. It contained her 5 Elements singles, as well as some other impressive ones. And her mountain wailing was awesome as usual. Sounded something very mature and primeval.
Favorite Tracks: Gunjou no Tani || BRAVE || Ashita e no Sanka
LOVE one. – Kana Nishino
After a crap-load of singles she finally released her debut album. Full of R&B songs, the occasional pop songs, and even a ballad or a collaboration I guess. Point is that she’s J-Pop’s biggest rising R&B star. Her singles were kick-ass and most of the new songs were as well.
Favorite Tracks: MAKE UP || Kimi ni Koe wo feat. VERBAL || Kimi ni Aitaku Naru Kara
URBAN ROMANTIC – Rie fu
ZOMG Rie fu! This is the first album that I’ve heard from Rie fu and it’s probably her greatest ever. The up-beat folk songs and then the infusion of synth really made this album stand out. It’s like the new & old of Rie fu, all rolled into one cohesive album.
Favorite Tracks: Romantic || Something In My Head || Money Will Love You (English Version)
trax – ravex
ravex was the best thing avex did this year, and I mean the BEST. These three DJs knew how to make a great collaboration album with some of the best artists to date, too bad they couldn’t include Hikki xD All of the songs were very dance driven, infectious, and just plain fun. Each songs brought something different to the table, whether it be Anna’s sexiness, Gocchin’s sweetness, MONKEY MAJIK’s canook-ness (is that even spelled right?), and finally Namie’s queen status, among many others. Best collaborations ever!
Favorite Tracks: 1 more night || Believe in LOVE || Bangalicious
BITTER & SWEET – BENI
Best re-debut album by far. Not many artists can switch labels and plot a comeback, especially after they were basically trash at their previous label. But Beni has managed to re-debut as well as released better singles and a better album. It’s packed with lots of R&B songs as well as some ballads and even a pop song or two.
Favorite Tracks: Beautiful World || stardust || Kiss Kiss Kiss
TRICK – Koda Kumi
I can honestly say that I’m a tad bit disappointed in Kuu this year. If it wasn’t her collaboration with her little sister it was another single, but most of all I have to say that it was this album. It’s not nearly as impressive or as powerful as Kingdom, who’s songs have somehow managed to escape my mind. Her singles were fairly good, especially TABOO. If she got rid of the crappy rap song, and maybe some more aggressive tracks and added some more Kuu tracks the album would have been better. At least she still channeled her sexiness.
Favorite Tracks: TABOO || show girl || Driving
NEXT LEVEL – Ayumi Hamasaki
Most of all though, I’m most disappointed by Ayu. While I liked GUILTY because of the strong emotions, I can honestly say that I was a bit shocked with NEXT LEVEL. I’d have to say that this is her antithesis to her 8th studio album, it’s heavily electronic/techno driven, and not necessarily in the good way. The only songs that I really liked were the two singles, and maybe the title track on a good day, the others were slightly mediocre. And I have to say that 1 intro and 3 interludes are pointless, just make a new song already! Yeah so despite this being one of the Best Albums, Ayu could have done a lot better.
Favorite Tracks: Sparkle || NEXT LEVEL || GREEN
Honorable Mentions:
SWEET BLACK – SWEET BLACK feat. MAKI GOTO
TRANS//LATION – Bentley Jones
House☆Disney – Various Artists
Ring – Miliyah Kato
⊿ – Perfume
BEST Compilation Albums
Since there were some compilation albums released throughout the year I decided I’d weigh in on them. So the ones featured aren’t necessarily the best.
Gothic Melting Ice Cream’s Darkness Nightmare – Tommy heavenly6
I have to admit that this is one of the greatest titles ever, long but still the greatest. It’s pretty much a compilation of her singles and other songs under her Tommy heavenly6 persona. I liked it because it included a ton of her songs, and it gave me a chance to listen to some of her works. It even included a new song entitled Unlimited Sky, which sounds pretty good. Be sure to pick this up if you really like dark rock music.
Strawberry Cream Soda Pop Daydream – Tommy february6
The 2nd longest, and equally as great, title is also from Tommy february6, another persona. This is a compilation of her happier, lighter songs. I haven’t gotten a chance to listen to all of it, but it sounds amazing so far. And the new track is ◯Strawberry●Cream◯Soda●Pop◯. It’s a pretty sweet new song.
ALL MY BEST – Mai Kuraki
To celebrate her 10th Anniversary ALL MY BEST was released, in a whopping 10 different versions. But it included pretty much all of her singles as well as a brand new track entitled Watashi no, Shiranai, Watashi. You get the best of Mai Kuraki throughout her extensive career, what’s not to like?
Out Works & Collaboration Best & Diving Hit’s – Koda Kumi
I’m not exactly sure why anyone would release a Best Collaboration album and a remix album on the same day but Kuu has done it. Her collaboration album was pretty much a flop, the collaborations weren’t all that great, except for maybe a handful. The remix album was slightly more pleasant, but some variety wouldn’t hurt.
BEST of CRYSTAL KAY – Crystal Kay
Yet another 10th Anniversary compilation album. It includes all but 3 singles. It was released in a 2CD an limited edition 3CD version. I personally didn’t care for it all that much, except for the newer stuff from 2008+. But I’m sure some R&B fans will enjoy this album. I did however LOVE the 3rd disk, which contained 4 new tracks. My personal favorite was Over and Over. Also included was Step by Step produced by Nakata Yasutaka, along with Private Dancers, and finally Helpless Night.
LOVE is BEST – Ai Otsuka
Instead of most albums being a compilation of singles or hits, this album is a compilation of love songs. It includes all of Ai’s love songs, some of which have been rearranged or just new versions, and one brand new song entitled Is. So if you’re a sap for love songs be sure to pick this up, if not then just get Is, or maybe some of the other “new” songs.
BEST & USA – BoA
This album not only includes her hits singles from DO THE MOTION to Eien / UNIVERSE / Believe in LOVE. It even included her debut album, which was interesting to say the least. I liked the album since it showed the her Asian and American “self.” And the new versions of Meri Kuri and Valenti were great. And this is really awkward to say but seeing two versions of BoA on the cover is kind of a turn-on xD Lesbian BoA xD
ayaka’s History 2006-2009 – ayaka
I’m sure all of us are sad about ayaka’s hiatus but we’re all glad about this beautiful compilation album. The first disc includes all of her singles while the second disc includes the songs chosen by fans as well as a piano version of the lovely Minna Sora no Shita. Hearing this album reminds me of why I feel in love with ayaka’s music.
Now it’s time for some random stuff.
BEST Collaborations
Ima Demo Aitai yo… feat. Spontania – Yuna Ito × Spontania
Love Forever – Miliyah Kato × Shota Shizuma
WHEN YOU WISH UPON A STAR – MEG × Q;indivi
After Love -First Boyfriend- feat. KANAME – Crystal Kay × KANAME
Worst Collaborations
It’s all Love! – Koda Kumi × misono
aisu × time – Ai Otsuka × SU from RIP SLYME
BEST Covers
Dub-I-Dub – Ami Suzuki
GLAMOROUS SKY – Bentley Jones
BEST Remixes
Mou Nido to… -DJ HASEBE REMIX- – BENI
Plastic Lover (Club Mix) – SWEET BLACK feat. Maki Goto
BEST Intros/Interludes
Bridge to the sky – Ayumi Hamasaki
INTRODUCTION FOR TRICK – Koda Kumi
Tennyo ~interlude~ – alan
That concludes the BEST ~Countdown~ Album Ver. Hope you liked it! If I get bored or more creative I’ll add some more images to this last part. Thanks and comments are always appreciated.
yeah….about that January 24, 2010
Posted by Die in Uncategorized.Tags: alan, Kato Miliyah, Miliyah Kato
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So about my mega review. I know I said I’d have it finished by the weekend, but it’s Sunday, and I can’t work on it anymore. It should, keyword SHOULD be finished by Wednesday or Thursday at the latest. I pretty much wrote the review, I just need to finish all the pictures, and for that I’m 2/3 done, so it’s almost complete. And there haven’t been many things to review for a while, not since Super Wednesday (20.1) so just wait for a while. I’ll be reviewing alan’s new single, as well as a few others. And I’ll wrap up Miliyah Kato’s RING Era soon as well.
Kimi ga Inai Mirai January 21, 2010
Posted by Die in Do As Infinity.Tags: DAI, Do As Infinity, InuYasha, InuYasha Final Act, InuYasha The Final Act, Tomiko, Tomiko Van, Van, Van Tomiko
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Kimi ga Inai Mirai ~Do As x InuYasha SPECIAL SINGLE~ was Do As Infinity’s 22nd single. It was released on January 20, 2010. This single was released in 4 versions, a regular and limited CD edition and a regular and limited CD+DVD edition. The title track was used as the theme song for the anime InuYasha: The Final Act. The B-Sides were used in the anime as well.
Tracks:
1. Kimi ga Inai Mirai
2. Fukai Mori
3. Shinjitsu no Uta
4. Rakuen
Review:
This single IS the entire single of songs that has ever been used in InuYasha, as far as DAI was concerned. That being said I love it already. And while I’ve heard all of the B-Sides before I’ll still do a little review for all of them, but only since they’re amazing songs.
So when it comes to Kimi ga Inai Mirai lit. A Future Without You, it’s just like their old material, which is actually a good thing. The producer is the same person who’s produced all of their other InuYasha songs, so you’ll notice a similar sound throughout each song, slimmer in others of course. But as far as this song is concerned it’s pretty fast. And as always there is rock music, strong guitar riffs and naturally some drum beats. Van’s vocals are great as usual, can’t complain about them. The song itself sounds extremely up-beat with the breakneck speed and the fast instrumentals.
Then we have the 10th single Fukai Mori lit. Deep Forest. This was actually the first song from DAI that I heard. At first it’s a little slow, and more acoustic based. But right before the chorus the strings pick up and the percussion becomes stronger and then BOOM! The amazing chorus arrives. I still love it and the catchy music, and everything about it, especially the woodwinds.
And then there’s Shinjitsu no Uta lit. Song of Truth. It’s a bit more somber than any of the tracks, and more oriental than any others. It’s still an amazing rock song, one of my favorites from DAI. And I just love all the oriental influences. Oddly enough this was also the band’s 14th single, beginning to see a pattern????
Now it’s time for my favorite track of all time for DAI! Rakuen lit. Paradise is an incredible song. This song is a rock ballad in every shape and form. It utilizes the strings along with the guitar, and the two make a flawless combination. The song is actually quite pessimistic but I can’t help but love the way it sounds. It’s truly one of their most epic works. And this was their 18th single, if you can’t see the pattern now there’s no hope for you at this point xD.
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I have to say that this is the best InuYasha single, it’s basically the mother-load or all InuYasha singles. You have your three classical songs that are some of the best known by DAI, and now you another song that will soon become a classic. My only problem with this song is that it might be too generic. Maybe I need to listen to it a few more times, but right now it’s not exactly the catchiest song. Perhaps it shall grow on me. I still think it’s good, but not up to par with their previous hits. Although from what I’ve heard anything is better than ETERNAL FLAME.
Rating
Sign January 19, 2010
Posted by Die in BENI.Tags: Arashiro, Arashiro Beni, BENI, Beni Arashiro
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Sign was BENI’s 6th single (14th Overall). It was released on January 20, 2010.
Tracks:
1. Sign
2. Goin’ luv u
3. KIRA☆KIRA☆ (DJ HASEBE REMIX)
4. Sign (Instrumental)
Review:
I know I was pretty excited for 20.1 (is that right?) but out of all the singles I was probably the most excited for BENI’s. She’s still rockin that short hair and she looks sexy as always.
As for Sign, why it’s a lovely ballad. It tops Mika’s ballad easily. While Mika’s was more classical, Sign incorporates traditional, as well as modern elements. On one hand you have the lovely piano chords and the pristine strings. On the other you have more R&B beats as well as some synth that just melds all of the sounds together into this symphony of R&B harmony. I personally loved her vocals towards the end where you could hear all of the emotion and such, very powerful. It’s a tad bit slow as far as tempo goes, but the music and vocals make up for everything.
Goin’ luv u actually reminds me a little of KIRA☆KIRA☆. It’s clearly not just pop, but it’s not straight up R&B, the blurs the line between the two. The music is really sweet and innocent, up-beat to some degree, but at the same time still filled with a plethora of synth. The claps and beats are still pretty good though. I can’t say that it’s not catchy, cause it’s infectious as s***t. Another amazing B-Side from the wonderful Beni.
For some reason I always find myself loving the DJ HASEBE remixes, and KIRA☆KIRA☆ is no exception. Like all remixes there’s a heavier emphasis on the percussion and beats. The music, overall sound, is the same, just some addition changes. The song is also a bit faster, but still tolerable. This is more like a soft and light hip-hop version of the original, minus all of the horrible raping.
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Once again BENI doesn’t fail to disappoint. This ballad tops all of the ballads released as of yet, including the deposed Empress. As far as the hoard 20.1 singles released I would say that this is the GREATEST SINGLE!!!! It’s just that damn good. Clearly if you listen to one winter ballad, you NEED to listen to this song. As far as B-Sides go, both were great. Both actually sounded pretty similar but were equally amazing. An impressive and magnificent way to kick off her new era.
Rating
