So I’ve been thinking about it a lot, and I think I’m totally done with this ABC thing. I’m so bored with it. So as of now, I’m just gonna add WHOEVER THE HELL I WANT. D: < DON’T JUDGE ME.

I was also thinking about something I could do once a week. A weekly update! This would include stuff that’s gone on on this blog, new release news, and just up and coming things so I’ll give you an idea right now of what I’m talking about.

6/26 – 7/3 ~ 2009 (for me the next week would be Friday. yah w/e I’m weird.)

Friday – review for JYONGRI’s Maybe Someday was posted
Saturday -
Sunday – review for Tommy heavenly6’s I KILL MY HEART was posted
Monday -
Tuesday -
Wednesday -
Thursday -
Friday – review for GIRL NEXT DOOR’s Infinity was posted; added the single(s) HIMEKA’s Asu e no Kizuna and MONKEY MAJIK’s Aishiteru to the Upcoming Reviews page; posted weekly update ;D ; Upcoming Releases page deleted

There’s an example. I thought it was kind neat, that way I can keep the blog updated most of the time. Oh and speaking of new artists~

MONKEY MAJIK and HIMEKA will now be featured on this blog! Woo~ *confetti and such as*

Oh now onto the release news!

July 8th, 2009

ayaka – Minna Sora no Shita (single)
Koda Kumi – 3 SPLASH (single)
Perfume – ⊿ (album)

July 15th, 2009

Ikimono Gakari – Hotaru no Hikari (single)
Shoko Nakagawa – Kokoro no Antenna (single)

July 22nd, 2009

Kaya – Ophelia (single)
FLOW – NUTS BANG!!! (mini-album)
Aira Mitsuki – PLASTIC (album)

July 29th, 2009

AAA – Break Down / Break your name / Summer Revolution (single)
Nami Tamaki – Friends! (single)
Hitomi Shimatani – BEST & COVERS (best-of album)

August 5th, 2009

GIRL NEXT DOOR – Be your wings / FRIENDSHIP / Wait for you (single)

August 12th, 2009

Ayumi Hamasaki – Sunrise / Sunset ~LOVE is ALL~ (single)
Crystal Kay – After Love -First Boyfriend- feat. KANAME (CHEMISTRY) / Girlfriend feat. BoA (single)

August 19th, 2009

JYONGRI – Muteki na Ai (single)

August 26th, 2009

MEG – journey (album)
capsule – FLASH BEST (best-of album)

September 16th, 2009

Shoko Nakagawa – TBA (single)

2009

Maki Goto – TBA (digital single)
Utada Hikaru – TBA (single)

And of course as stuff is released and new information is released, this’ll be updated. That about wraps up this post.

Happy reading!

Tracks:

1. Infinity

2. If

3. Jounetsu no Daishou (Diamond Mirror SCP Version)

4. Seeds of dream (ice cream mix)

5. Infinity (Instrumental)

Infinity is GIRL NEXT DOOR’s 5th single, and it was released on June 10th, 2009. It reached #1 on the Oricon Weekly Charts, and has sold 39,063 copies. The title track was used as the ending theme for the drama Atashinchi no Danshi.

Being the big fan of GIRL NEXT DOOR, I will admit that their music was starting to sound repetitive. But when the TV-size version of Infinity came out, I quickly returned to my GIRL NEXT DOOR frenzy. D: Though this song uses similar synths, beats (it has the same beat as Seeds of dream lulz) the trio is able to execute this song in an extremely infectious fashion, and I can’t get enough of it. CHISA remains as upbeat as ever and her voice is PERFECT for this song. I’m very impressed with this group right now, and hopefully they keep their good streak going with their triple A-side on the way.

For If though, they tone things down A LOT. The trio decides to take a stab at a ballad-like track, and I think they got it. But there’s just one major problem with the song: it’s far too long. Clocking in at 6 minutes and 37 seconds, I get bored with the song after the first 4 minutes. While CHISA sounds nice (she can totally do the slow songs), I still get bored. Since it’s a ballad, there’s use of piano, epic strings, and random electric guitar in the background. For some reason though, I feel the soung sounds synthetic at times.

ANOTHER remix of Jounetsu no Daishou? Come on now. Oh well. I actually really liked this remix and it’s an interesting take at the song. The Diamond Mirror SCP Version speeds up the song a lot (not too fast though!) and turns it into a trance song. Luckily there’s still vocals.

But the ice cream mix’s are getting annoying now. This time it’s a remix of Seeds of dream. It turns this light-hearted, happy song into a clunky, out-of-tune, aggressive track. The vocals don’t work with the music at all and I’m getting sick of whoever does this remixes. Go away!

Overall Grade:

Tracks:

1. Wait For Me There

2. Leaving You

3. Do You Know My Heart?

4. Sad End To A Fairy Tale

5. Shut Up

6. Flower Crown

7. Surely

8. Gonna Change My Way Of Life

9. Playground

10. Things I can Do

11. You Should Live In The Sunny Light

I KILL MY HEART is Tomoko Kawase’s 3rd album as Tommy heavenly6, and it was released on April 29th, 2009. The album reached #9 on the Oricon Weekly Charts, and has sold 14,377 copies.

I realize this review is a tad late (talk about 2 months late!) But after hearing what was put before me, I wanted to put this off as much as possible. And since I was running short on things to review, I figured now’s the time. Anyways, now about the review. Since everything on this piece of shit sounds about the same, I’m just going to summarize it in one full paragraph, because I honestly don’t know how one could review each individual track when it comes to something like this.

After her decision to release to best-of albums for both of her persona’s (which I thought was a little overdue) Tomoko Kawase graces us with this icky and nasty piece of material. Described as a “concept album” Kawase decided to tone things down a bit for her aggressive ego and making everything sound exactly the same in the end. From the monotone guitar riffs, to the boring snoozefest of the drums, Kawase really outdid herself on this one. She even tried to add a little “variety” in tempo, with songs like Do You Know My Heart? and Shut Up, but in the end it sounds just the same as Wait For Me There and Sad End To a Fairy Tale. I don’t think I’ve ever been this disappointed when it comes to an album and I never thought it would be Tommy heavenly6 that would disappoint me this much. I hated this album SO much, that it gets my lowest rating EVER, beating capsule’s FLASH BACK album but half a star. Oh, and I’m wondering, how the HELL did it sell so much? Plus, I’m still laughing about the fact that her contract expired with her label shortly after this album’s release. Karma? Oh yea.

Overall Grade:

Tracks:

1. Maybe Someday

2. Special

3. First Kiss

4. Maybe Someday (Instrumental)

5. Special (Instrumental)

6. First Kiss (Instrumental)

Maybe Someday is JYONGRI’s 7th single and it was released on April 29th, 2009. It reached #23 on the Oricon Weekly Charts and has sold 4,290 copies.

I’m glad JYONGRI decided to take a different route in terms of style for Maybe Someday, a melancholy, yet uplifting pop ballad. Instead of something R&B, JYONGRI uses a lot of percussion and some electric guitar. Luckily, JYONGRI sounds great, despite being out of her element. She continues to show strong vocals on this track and hopefully her next one is just as good, if not better.

As for the B-sides… well, like I’ve said before, they aren’t really JYONGRI’s strong-suit, especially if they’re upbeat. First is Special, a really strange song that uses small beats and light and airy piano chords. The overall arrangement is just weird and throws me off a bit. But with those things said, it’s not a bad song.

First Kiss sounds a lot like every other B-side JYONGRI has done… but with some random brass thrown in. So I guess I can live with it, since their is some minor differences. Plus JYONGRI sounds nice.

Overall Grade:

Tracks:

1. MARIA&JOKER

2. Etsuraku Camellia

3. PERFECT SMILE

4. Trickster

5. Mr.Bunny!

6. Chinmoku no Kajitsu

7. Brand New Tops

8. Shounen

9. Gimmick Game

10. Dancing in the velvet moon

11. ray of change

12. Shin Ai

13. Aoki Hikari no Hate -ULTIMATE MODE-

14. Astrogation

15. Yume no Tsuzuki

ULTIMATE DIAMOND is Nana Mizuki’s 7th album, and it was originally supposed to be released on May 20th, 2009, but got pushed back to June 3rd, 2009, due to lyricist Ryouji Sonoda’s arrest. It reached #1 on the Oricon Weekly Charts and has sold 92,277 copies.

Opening up Nana Mizuki’s 7th album is MARIA&JOKER, which sounds like it was taken right out of a James Bond film. That being said, this song has a prominent use of brass and other big band elements. As well as some strings to give it a little more volume. While the verses in this song are nice, with Mizuki sounding seductive, the transition between the verses and chorus is sloppy and makes the song flop terribly. The song sounds silly sometimes too, with the random gunshot noises and random talking parts from Mizuki. Not exactly what I would’ve picked for an opening, but it’s okay.

Track 2 is by far my favourite off the album. Etsuraku Camellia is such a kick in the ass that it’s not even funny. Mizuki ditches all the glitz and pop for a more hard rock sound. I’ve said before that her voice is more suited for more aggressive songs, and this is the perfect example, as her voice sounds AMAZING among the loud guitar riffs.

For fans of Nana Mizuki, and those that have listened to the album, you can probably tell that this album is all over the place in terms of song placement. PERFECT SMILE is just the first in a ver long string of bad placement. Who puts a happy track after something loud and aggressive? Nana would! Anyways, despite the bad placement PERFECT SMILE is a nice and light-hearted pop song with lots of piano and lighthearted vocals from Mizuki.

Though Trickster was released back in October, I still love this song to death. Another example of why her voice is good with rock songs… even if the drums sound horrid. Oh yeah, the drums, they still suck, but otherwise the song is awesome.

I cringed at the first though of Mr.Bunny!. Not only does the title sound bad, but it’s a big hint that this song is cutesy. Luckily, Mizuki doesn’t go overboard with the cuteness, and executes this song in a nice and upbeat fashion. I get a 90s vibe from this track since it uses a lot of 90s synth and instruments. In the end, this song is pretty catchy and I’m glad she didn’t use her uber-seiyuu voice for this track, since that would just ruin it.

Chinmoku no Kajitsu sounds more like something that would be on GREAT ACTIVITY, if you ask me. That being said, it sounds like your typical Nana Mizuki anime song, but I still really like it. The flowing strings in this song are gorgeous and Nana sounds really strong when she’s in her element, which is anime music of course. if I had to make a comparison of an older song, this would definitely sound like Justice to Believe.

I was definitely thrown off by the beginning of Brand New Tops since it begins with a ballad-like piano sound, but quickly turns into an upbeat pop-rock track. I don’t really like this song as much as the others since Mizuki’s voice gets on my nerves at some points during the song since she’s constantly at a yell during most of the song. But I’m glad she’s adding more variety on the album by throwing in a combination of pop and rock.

Compared to everything before it, Shounen is a more laidback track. Though it’s laidback, it features constant guitar riffs, as well as a few pop elements, like twinkling synth during the chorus, which is definitely the best part of the song since Mizuki sounds strong and gets a little help from the back up to make it sound even more epic. There’s even a little sax after the chorus.

We kick things into high gear with Gimmick Game, the first known track on the album. Mizuki combines a eurotrance song with loud guitar riffs and makes it into an extremely catchy and infectious song. I really like this song and it’s probably my second favourite if I had to choose.

Dancing in the velvet moon follows a similar style as the latter. Boy is this song old, originally on the STARCAMP EP single back in February of 2008! This song has an elegant, yet aggressive feel and fits perfectly onto the album.

ray of change is a damn good pop song. The verses are really catchy with Nana singing at a somewhat faster speed and then finally bringing in the chorus with an uplifting message. Though it sounds a little too typical for a Japanese pop song, Mizuki definitely makes this song her own and takes this album in a new direction.

Shin Ai sticks out like a sore thumb on this album. The last single to be released on this album, Mizuki definitely shocked me with this song, because after rock-ish singles she comes in with her typical anime song, which is exactly what it is! This is probably my least favourite A-side of the era.

Another typical anime sounding song is the ULTIMATE MODE version of Aoki Hikari no Hate, which was originally used as character song for one of her roles in an anime. This sounds a lot like Shin Ai but more upbeat and with electric guitar thrown in.

Astrogation comes in to save the day! Though this song is almost a year and a half old, it still sounds so new to me and is a welcome addition to the album. I think the lyrics are kind of cheesy and Engrishy though. XD “Ready go, to star heaven” and “shining now and galaxy.” It’s okay, the epicness of this song makes up for those minor flaws.

The only ballad and our last song on the album is Yume no Tsuzuki. At first, I liked this song, but now I think it’s boring and could’ve been left off the album completely. Mizuki fails to catch my attention in this sleepy ballad. Astrogation would’ve ended the album just fine.

Wow. Nana Mizuki definitely stepped it up with ULTIMATE DIAMOND, as it has a lot better material. Not only is the instrumentation a lot better, Mizuki’s vocals were at tip-top shape for almost every song on the album. Songs like Astrogation, Etsuraku Camellia, and Gimmick Game, show Nana Mizuki at her best and show that she isn’t a force to be reckoned with. She’s shown that she’s not just some seiyuu that’s been in every anime under the sun, she shows that she CAN sing and can do much more then just voice act. In terms of material, this album blows GREAT ACTIVITY out of the water, and really makes it sound mediocre. Nana Mizuki has impressed me extremely, and I can’t wait for what she has in store next.

Overall Grade:

Tracks:

1. Melody

2. Kimi Nan da

3. Tashika na Mono

4. calling you

5. Seseragi

6. Tsunagu Mirai

7. STEP

8. DEEP BLUE

hands is Eri Nobuchika’s 1st mini-album and it was released on June 4th, 2009. It (most likely) failed to appear on the Oricon Weekly Charts.

It’s been a while Nobuchika! opening her first release in about 4 years is Melody. I was quite taken by this acoustic ballad, with the gorgeous strings and calming acoustic guitar, and I’m so glad that the hiatus hasn’t affected Nobuchika’s voice.

As for Kimi Nan da, she takes a sort of jazzy route. I think this type of song is more suiting for her type of voice (which still sounds amazing, might I add. ♥) I loved the prominent use of piano in this song, which is almost the only melody providing instrument in the song, but there’s also some drums to add a bit if flavour. I really liked this song and I thought it was extremely infectious.

Tashika na Mono slows things down a bit, while still adding an infectious, almost R&B-style beat. The chorus is pretty uplifting, despite the verses sounding sort of melancholy. Nobuchika’s vocals still sound nice and she uses more of her chest voice for the bridge, which is nice.

I kind of thought calling you sounded more like normal Nobuchika. It uses a weird twisting beat that is constant and never lets up. Again, there’s a prominent use of piano and it’s almost the only melody-providing instrument, with a little acoustic guitar thrown in. So far, this is the most versatile song on the album.

Seseragi also provides a little differentiation with it’s country-styled guitar. I didn’t really like this song and I got bored of it after the first minute or so, since it doesn’t really go anywhere from there on.

Then, Tsunagu Mirai comes in and lifts your spirits! Nobuchika’s vocals sound almost angelic-like during the chorus and it’s reallu uplifting. I love the use of tambourine during the chorus and the single-violin sounds wonderful.

Now add a little flavor with STEP. THIS definitely sounds like the old Eri Nobuchika we all know and love. It uses the same kind of Spanish guitar like in her 2nd single, Voice. It also uses a clapping beat as it’s main rhythm. I’m glad she decided to throw in a spicier song in the mix, because despite all those years she still can pull it off!

I thought STEP would’ve been a better ender than DEEP BLUE, but this song is still gorgeous. It kind of combines all the elements of each song into one neat package. But I thought overall, it was kind of a campy ending and I didn’t really like the chorus since there’s some unneeded harmonization going on.

First things first, I’m glad Eri Nobuchika is back. It’s been so long since her debut album, nobuchikaeri. While I was excited about her releasing new stuff, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Mainly because she’s on an otherwise unknown label, so there goes Shinichi Osawa and that AWESOME electro. Also, since it’s been almost 5 years I wasn’t sure if her voice was to be what it was on her debut. Boy was I wrong. While Nobuchika played it a little safe with this new release, I thought it was a good thing to put out as a debut under a new label. I’m just hoping for a little more… I dunno… oomph for her future releases (if there are any.)

Overall Grade:

Sorry I haven’t been posting AT ALL. I’ve been at my mom’s with no computer of my own, so I can’t review whatsoever. But, I’m back! …for a week. THEN I GO BACK. I’m trying to figure out a way to review while I’m not at my current computer.

Anyways, this is just a filler post to revive the blog, since it’s been dead for a while. But also to tell you guys that I’m working on a review! That’s right! It’s of hands by Eri Nobuchika. Expect that and other random reviews to pop up, since I’m going to be reviewing like CRAZY these next couple of days.

Hope you haven’t forgotten about me!

-Ethan

Tracks:

1. Flower

2. Utopia

3. manacles

4. Brave

5. Yumeji

6. carry out

7. Senkou

8. message.

9. Tokyo Biyori

10. Refrain

11. Van.

Van. is Tomiko Van’s 2nd album, and it was released on December 10th, 2008. It reached #28 on the Oricon Weekly Charts, and has sold 8,852 copies.

Tomiko Van’s 2nd album opens up with a pretty old track, and the first single of her solo career, Flower. I thought this was a perfect opener, since the overall arrangement is very uplifting with the upbeat acoustics and Van’s nice vocals. This track also sets the tone for most of the album.

Well, well, well! This track comes off as a surprise! Utopia explodes onto the scene with it’s prominent use of synthetic beats, which I thought was pretty different for Van. Anyways, this is definitely one of the best tracks off the album because not only is this song catchy, Van’s vocals make it even more catchier, especially during the very uplifting, yet simple chorus.

To me, manacles sounded like a combination of the two B-sides from the Senkou and Yumeji singles. While I think that, this is one of my favourite off the album. I love when Van does that smoky jazz track because her voice is PERFECT for it. The loud piano chords and melancholy guitar is awesome and I have no idea why I like it so much. XD

Originally the B-side on the Flower single, is Brave. For some reason, I get this song stuck in my head a lot. It might be because it’s pretty epic, and this song has really good build ups. I like how the verses start out calm and then as the chorus comes in it BLARES.

Another single track! ;D But Yumeji is also epic, so it doesn’t really matter. I’m gonna flat out say that this is probably Van’s best SECOND solo track to date (it doesn’t beat Senkou!). I love the flowing strings and the really nice and strangely uplifting chorus.

After Yumeji, carry out comes in, as loud as ever. There’s so much going on in this track, from the electric guitar, to the crazy beats and the odd blaring synth. It’s also the fastest song since Utopia. But, Van’s able to keep up with the crazyness and she’s not drowned in everything that’s going on. Despite it being really loud, I kinda like it. This also marks out last new track before a string of previously released tracks.

Omgz bbz, it’s Senkou~ I still really love this song and I think Van nailed the emu rock style. I also still like the epic minute-and-a-half instrumental part, especially that CRASH.

I bet the only reason message. got on here was because she made it herself. D< Oh wellz, I still like this dreamy acoustic track, even though it’s her worst B-side of the era. Van does sound kinda cute though.

Yawn, here comes Tokyo Biyori. Wait, that was mean. LOL ANYWAY. Speaking of worst B-side of the era, here’s the worst A-SIDE, to that B-side. ;D After 2 years of silence (no not including those “cover” albums) Van pumps out this single before waiting 5 more months. On the bright side, it kinda sounds nice, but only for a few listens, then I just get bored. And that’s it for the single tracks!

Van saved the best for last with Refrain! Like a certain someone said, “if Brave and Yumeji were one song, you’d have Refrain” and I couldn’t agree more. This track almost sounds like an exact mix of the two. It has that epic factor and a really nice build up. As well as a really uplifting chorus. Van sounds absolutely radiant too. Since it’s a combination of the two songs, you can expect flowing strings and some acoustic and electric guitar.

Van chose to end her 2nd (and probably last) solo album with an instrumental/title track. Van. is a serene and very ethereal track and I thought it would’ve made a fantastic full track. The Celtic woodwinds sounded really nice and I couldn’t have thought of a better track to end this great album. I’m kinda sad that her solo career is over… to be honest.

Though Tomiko Van waited too long to release her 2nd album, I thought it was well worth the wait. Not only did she put out amazing album tracks, the singles prior to them were amazing (except for maybe one. ;D) Though I’m sad her solo career is over, I’m glad that Do As Infinity is getting back together. When one door closes another reopens! But… in this case it’d be a minivan.

Overall Grade:

Tracks:

1. DAYS

2. PRECIOUS

3. TELEPHONE

4. LIES

5. STAR

6. STAND

7. WHY

8. JOKER

9. SKIN

10. BEAUTIFUL

BEAUTIFUL is MEG’s 6th album, and it was released on May 27th 2009. It reached #10 on the Oricon Weekly Charts and has sold 11,440 copies.

Opening up MEG’s 3rd Nakata album is DAYS, a really twisted sounding opener. This track has really weird synth that sounds all out of tune. Speaking of out of tune… in comes MEG sounding as out of tune as can be. After a while, this opener gets on my nerves, and it gives me a headache as well.

Our first full track, and the only single track off the album is PRECIOUS, our first single of the era. Even though this song is kinda old, I still very much like it and I think it’s one of MEG’s best songs to date. And whenever I listen to this song, I always think of the dancing cats from the PV… XD

I think TELEPHONE might be my favourite new track off the album. I really like the prominent use of synthed-up acoustic guitar and the fast paced beats that never let up, not even for one second! Even though it sounds a little repetitive, I really like it… and even MEG sounds alright. ;D

What’s a Nakata-produced album without an aggressive track? Well, that’s exactly what LIES is! I thought this was another great track from MEG, since I like the aggressive tone of it. I also like the elongated ad-libbing lines too.

When I first heard STAR, I was immediately reminded of SEARCHLIGHT, from her last album, STEP. Mainly because this track has a prominent use of piano. It’s nice to hear a slower track after all that fast, aggressive craziness. The chorus is definitely my favourite part because it’s so light and cute and has a nice transition.

Speaking of slower songs, in comes STAND, a light club track. Since this a club track, it’s full of acoustic guitar and club-like synth. MEG sounds so much better with slower or happy songs, to be completely honest.

WHY reminds me a lot of LIES, since the style is pretty similar. It also has its fair share of aggressive synth. Though, I hate when MEG talks in her songs since I can never understand what she’s saying, that’s when the bridge comes around.

Finally another upbeat track. Unlike the title implies, JOKER isn’t all that crazy. It’s a cute club track. Since it sounds cute, MEG sings in a playful matter to fit with the song, and it totally works.

Hmmm… I’m still kind of skeptical when it comes to SKIN. Some days I like the song, some I don’t. Anyways, what’s a Nakata-produced album without a mostly instrumental track with only one set of lyrics? SKIN is one of those. It opens up with MEG singing the only repeated lyrics in the song, among a pretty monotone backtrack. MEG’s voice kind of gives the song flavour since she sings in different tones. After a while I just get bored with this song, so I only listen to it in moderation.

Ending us off is the title track, BEAUTIFUL. While I think the instrumental is… I can’t really say the same about MEG’s vocals during the chorus. I like the cuter synths and it worked well with MEG’s voice, even if it stink during the chorus. But I thought this was a nice title track and overall, fit in with the album, and ended it nicely.

When I first listened to BEAUTIFUL as a whole, I didn’t really like it. But like an anorexic once said, it’s better the second time around. I’m going to have to agree with the general census, that this album is a BIG step up from STEP. MEG finally got this right and I’d really like to hear more songs like PRECIOUS and STAR in the future. Good going, gurl!

Overall Grade:

Tracks:

1. Winter Love Story

2. Tender Touch

3. Blue Destiny

4. Winter Love Story (Instrumental)

5. Tender Touch (Instrumental)

6. Blue Destiny (Instrumental)

Winter Love Story is JYONGRI’s 6th single and it was released on December 3rd, 2008. It reached #31 on the Oricon Weekly Charts and has sold 4,245 copies.

Whenever I think of a title like Winter Love Story, I usually think of a light, fluffy ballad with gorgeous flowing strings and other winter nonsense. But not with JYONGRI! Nosiree. JYONGRI’s version of a winter love story is a cute, upbeat winter pop song, complete with those winter elements. Chimes, bells, and a harp(?) mainly drive this song, with the help with the light strings in the back. I thought this was a nice follow-up single and JYONGRI definitely came back strong.

Ahh, the ever-so-elusive Tender Touch. It finally gets its single release, like it was supposed to be in the first place! D< Anywayz, I still like this song and JYONGRI sounds radiant in this slow, yet beautiful ballad. It makes for a good B-side and definitely stays with the winter theme.

Right now, Blue Destiny is my favourite B-side from JYONGRI. This is her first attempt at an epic ballad and she NAILED it. I absolutely love the haunting strings in this song and the chilling piano chords. Words can’t describe this song… it’s just… gorgeous.

Overall Grade: