Archive for J-Pop

Utada Hikaru – HEART STATION

June 9, 2008 (Monday) · Filed under J-Pop · Tagged , ,

HEART STATION

Rawr, I am only writing about my favourite singer’s new album after like 3 months.. =(

Utada Hikaru’s 5th Japanese album reached the shores of Singapore pretty fast so I bought it in less than a week after its original release date. The bad thing is, it is a CD-only album.

It would be quite redundant to say that it reached No. 1 on Oricon Weekly Charts after its release, but I still have to say it (:

Tracklist:

  1. Fight The Blues
  2. HEART STATION
  3. Beautiful World
  4. Flavor Of Life -Ballad Version-
  5. Stay Gold
  6. Kiss & Cry
  7. Gentle Beast Interlude
  8. Celebrate
  9. Prisoner of Love
  10. Take 5
  11. Boku wa Kuma
  12. Niji-iro Bus
  13. Flavor Of Life (Bonus Track)

* Bold ones are my favourite songs in this album

Mini-review

HEART STATION

Yep, the kind of song you should expect at least from hikki. A song that is more pop-like and mainstream, but catchy in tune, though the chorus isn’t that a prominent part of the song. What I liked was its lyrical reference to the frequencies of the heart (sounds cool huh =D)

Beautiful World

Yay, theme song for Evangelion 1.0 Movie. It sounds just like an anime song (hence the theme song for Evangelion). Fast-paced, dreamy tune and I love the chorus (:

Flavor Of Life -Ballad Version-

The name itself already tells you that this is a slow-paced song. Simple yet powerful. So much so that it beats the original version (which is only a bonus track) =P

Definitely one of the best recent ballads (and also the best-selling) till date from hikki, though not usual of her. This is the kind of song I really really look out for in any album I listen to, haha.

Prisoner of Love

My favourite non-single song (as of the release date then) in this album! And the theme song of a currently airing drama in Japan, Last Friends, which I so love watching =)

Also a ballad about love and friends, but the tune sounds much more elaborate because of its intense strings background. The tune sounds great even on its own, which can be heard in the drama mentioned, though I don’t have it =(

Final Comments

This album had some of the nicest songs (especially the singles) but the accompanying songs lacked the outstanding quality the singles had. I ended up listening to the favourite few continuously, and nearly forgotten the rest.

But hey, the few songs above are good enough for it =D

Hmm, her 2nd English album coming up..

Rating:
StarStarStarStarBlank star

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BoA – THE FACE

April 6, 2008 (Sunday) · Filed under J-Pop · Tagged , ,

The Face

Haha, I think I haven’t talk about songs for quite some time.

BoA’s 6th Japanese album actually came sort of 1 month later than the original releasing date in Japan. So I waited pretty long =( But it came at with 2 DVDs of MVs and live performances so I thought it was well worth it.

As usual, her album reached #1 after the 1st week of release on Oricon =)

Tracklist:

  1. AGGRESSIVE
  2. Sweet Impact
  3. My Way,Your Way feat.WISE
  4. be with you.
  5. LOSE YOUR MIND feat.Yutaka Furukawa from DOPING PANDA
  6. Girl In The Mirror
  7. Happy Birthday
  8. Diamond Heart
  9. LOVE LETTER
  10. BRAVE
  11. ギャップにやられた!
  12. Style
  13. Smile again
  14. Beautiful Flowers
  15. Best Friend
  16. Hey Boy, Hey Girl feat.BoA/SEAMO

* Bold ones are my favourite songs in this album

Mini-review

BRAVE & AGGRESSIVE

Both songs actually felt pretty dreamy and R&B in its tune. But its actually these kind of tune that I like =)

LOSE YOUR MIND & Sweet Impact

Sweet Impact would be a nice dance song. Though many have mixed comments about it, I thought it would be great if you watched it with the PV.

LOSE YOUR MIND is a better version in my opinion, as the groove is much better and sounded quite heavy. Its quite short in length so looping it would be better, hehe.

be with you. & Smile again

Ballads!

The recent ballads by BoA are pretty nice in my opinion, though I still loved those from the Made in Twenty era. I won’t say this is where she is strong in, but you will never fail to find a few good ones from her albums.

Happy Birthday

Wahaha, my favourite one from this entire album.

No, its not any remake of the one you always hear on your birthday. Instead, this is a pretty upbeat and cheerful song that is sure to brighten up your day xD I usually prefer slower-paced love songs but I thought this was great.

Final Comments

This album wasn’t bad at all and it’s definitely worth buying for the 2 DVD version =)

But, BoA’s recent songs haven’t been as good as the past in my opinion, especially compared to those during the Best of Soul era. They just sounded more mainstream and nothing new, and not something I would loop for multiple times on my iPod.

That’s why most of my favourite BoA’s songs can date back to 2003.

Rating:
StarStarStarStarBlank star

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melody. – 遥花～はるか～

February 21, 2008 (Thursday) · Filed under J-Pop · Tagged , , ,

Haruka

Single: 遥花～はるか～ (Haruka)
Artist: melody.
Release Date: 13/2/08

Tracklist:

  1. 遥花～はるか～ (Haruka)
  2. プルメリア (Plumeria)
  3. That’s The Way It Is
  4. 遥花～はるか～ (Instrumental)

This is melody.’s 11th Single, released on February 13, 2008 and reached #10 on Oricon’s Weekly Charts. This is also her 1st single after her Ready to Go! album

1. 遥花～はるか～ (Haruka)

Ahhhh! It is my favourite song of this month ^^

A great ballad I would say, without much emphasis on the background music. However, the instrumental version is also worth listening, since you can listen to the background vocals in that version. The tune is simple but sweet in my opinion. But one thing that could be better was if it was filled with more emotions.

The promotional video is a bit abstract, but worth a watch =)

Overall comment: I simply love this emotional ballad!

Rating:
StarStarStarStarStar

2. プルメリア (Plumeria)

This B-side is a pretty nice fit for Haruka, since its another ballad, but with a more guitar acoustic tune. Background vocals play a more important role here, giving it much more variety in tune rather than just being plain acoustic.

Overall comment: Simple song but I would prefer listening to it after the A-side.

Rating:
StarStarStarStarBlank star

3. That’s The Way It Is

The 2nd B-side is a cover of Celine Dion’s song! I always liked Utada Hikaru, Yuna Ito and melody.’s English songs because they can deal with it well — most J-Pop singers can’t.

If you had listen to the original version, melody.’s cover would be much sweeter and pop-like. But in the end, I still preferred this over the original version..

Overall comment: Listen to both melody. and Celine Dion’s version and make a comparison! =D

Rating:
StarStarStarStarBlank star

Links

Song: Entire Single
Promotional Video: 遥花～はるか～ (Haruka)

Final comment

I have always loved melody.’s ballads and this single just proved it much better. Though 3 songs are all ballads, they are all pretty well sang, even though their tunes may seem simple.

Even though my main reason for turning to J-Pop would be that their tunes are much more varied, experimental and synthetic, I eventually still love simple but emotional ballads the most ^^ Like Yui’s recent single which I will be doing an introduction of it soon =)

Let’s hope melody.’s next single would be a nice dance song!

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Ayumi Hamasaki – GUILTY

January 19, 2008 (Saturday) · Filed under J-Pop · Tagged , ,

GUILTY album

Yay! Finally bought Ayumi’s latest album =)

Comes with a free poster as usual, though I have nowhere to place it in my room, other than my cupboard, haha.

Not to forget lots of Music Videos + “Making of” videos available in the DVD

Tracklist:

  1. Mirror
  2. (don’t) Leave me alone
  3. talkin’ 2 myself
  4. decision
  5. GUILTY
  6. fated
  7. Together When…
  8. Marionette -prelude-
  9. Marionette
  10. The Judgement Day
  11. glitter
  12. MY ALL
  13. reBiRTH
  14. untitled ~for her~

* Bold ones are my favourite songs in this album

Mini-review

(don’t) Leave me alone (Featured song)

Another of Ayumi’s usual rock song with pretty much electronic guitar

talkin’ 2 myself / decision (Single)

Both songs have similar music arrangements — starting out with piano and the rough drums and guitar just kick in straight. Rock songs too, but definitely pack more punch in the chorus. Imagine singing talkin’ 2 myself chorus..

Together When.. (Digital Single)

My favourite song in this album =) Simply love ballads.

It may sound normal at first but the chorus builds up pretty well with an orchestral background. This song packs much emotions too, which is why I love this song..

Marionette (Featured song)

Hehe, one with a creepy intro and video =)

A ballad with a confronting & loud chorus, which makes the chorus very distinct from the starting and ending parts.

MY ALL

A happy and upbeat song like glitter, though not as cheesy.

untitled ~for her~

Like Together When…, soft intro with a loud chorus. But the chorus here isn’t as emotional. Nevertheless, another great ballad addition to this album.

Ratings / Link

Rating:
StarStarStarStarBlank star

Listen to the album here.

Final Comments

Definitely a great album to start off the year =D

Most of my favourite songs here are still the singles released previously. Featured songs on this album are also pretty good in quality. However, there are still quite a number of songs here I didn’t really like.

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BoA – LOSE YOUR MIND feat. Yutaka Furukawa from DOPING PANDA

December 21, 2007 (Friday) · Filed under J-Pop · Tagged , ,

LOSE YOUR MIND

Single: LOSE YOUR MIND feat. Yutaka Furukawa from DOPING PANDA
Artist: BoA
Release Date: 12/12/07

Tracklist:

  1. LOSE YOUR MIND feat. Yutaka Furukawa from DOPING PANDA
  2. Smile again
  3. LOSE YOUR MIND (Instrumental)
  4. Smile again (Instrumental)

This is BoA’s 25th Single, released on December 12, 2007 and reached #6 on Oricon’s Weekly Charts. This is also her 3rd single, after her album Made in Twenty (20).

1. LOSE YOUR MIND feat. Yutaka Furukawa from DOPING PANDA

Yep, you either like or hate this song. To put it simple, a dance song with much electric guitar chords. What I liked was its catchy chorus mixed with a very nice electric guitar background, provided by Yukata Furukawa.

However, it is a pretty short song — only a little longer than 3 minutes. But it would definitely be worthwhile to put it on loop. I looped it for at least 20 times =)

Not to forget the great dance she puts off in the Promotional Video.

Overall comment: Something new and funky, but sounds better if looped on your media player

Rating:
StarStarStarStarBlank star

2. Smile Again

This single with another love ballad, which BoA often sings. Background music this time is relatively simple and you would be able to listen to BoA’s vocals better. Even though her vocals are just as good, it didn’t make an impact as compared to Winter Love.

Overall comment: Shouldn’t miss this if you wish to listen to BoA’s great vocals

Rating:
StarStarStarBlank starBlank star

Links

Song: LOSE YOUR MIND & Smile Again
Promotional Video: LOSE YOUR MIND

Final comment

I really loved the A-side here, especially if you see it on the PV. Haven’t listen to such addictive song from BoA for quite some time I guess. But the B-side here isn’t one that I really liked, because it is relatively simple.

Nevertheless, it was great to listen something new from BoA.

Oh ya, and she will be releasing her new album next February. Definitely won’t miss out on this one =)

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mihimaru GT – I SHOULD BE SO LUCKY / 愛コトバ

December 6, 2007 (Thursday) · Filed under J-Pop · Tagged , ,

I SHOULD BE SO LUCKY / Ai Kotoba CD+DVD Cover

Single: I SHOULD BE SO LUCKY / 愛コトバ
Artist: mihimaru GT
Release Date: 28/11/07

Tracklist:

  1. I SHOULD BE SO LUCKY
  2. 愛コトバ
  3. I SHOULD BE SO LUCKY (Instrumental)
  4. 愛コトバ (Instrumental)

This is mihimaru GT’s 15th Single, released on November 28, 2007 and reached #8 on Oricon’s Weekly Charts. This is also the 2nd single released after their collection album, THE BEST of mihimaru GT.

1. I SHOULD BE SO LUCKY

Like the name sounds, this is another upbeat and wacky-tuned song from mihimaru GT. Personally, this is the type of song I like from them, because it just makes you feel happy =)

Being a cover of Kylie Minogue’s song of the same name, it maintains that dance tune. But mihimaru GT’s cover definitely sounds more upbeat with a more varied background music and a wacky touch. miyake’s rapping blends pretty well with hiroko’s in the non-chorus sections and the chorus is quite well managed by hiroko.

Overall comment: A must-listen because this is what mihimaru GT excels in.

Rating:
StarStarStarStarHalf star

2. 愛コトバ (Ai Kotoba)

I would say this is the perfect song to accompany the previous A-side. It features another style of music that mihimaru GT does, toned-down love song. miyake still plays a part in rapping but the song sounds soothing.

Background-wise, this is a piano based song with a cheerful tone. The chorus repeats quite a lot but it didn’t make the song repetitive and boring in my opinion. hiroko’s “ta-la-ta-la-ta” also served as a nice start, interlude and ending for the song.

Overall comment: Perfect song after listening to I SHOULD BE SO LUCKY

Rating:
StarStarStarStarBlank star

Links

Song: I SHOULD BE SO LUCKY / 愛コトバ
Promotional Video: I SHOULD BE SO LUCKY

Final comment

I think this was a better single compared to their previous Gazen Yeah!, since both songs are just as nice in this single. If there was a B-side with a soothing ballad like Koisuru Kimochi, I think it would be sufficient to feature mihimaru GT’s styles.

Personally, I like mihimaru GT’s style of song because it is something quite different from the normal love ballads or pop song one may listen around. Pop with hip-hop elements aren’t that common nowadays, but mihimaru GT’s style just makes me love it. Their songs are definitely of certain standard and I definitely look forward to their next one in 2008 =)

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