Release date: 02/11/11

Tracklist:
1. スパイス (Spice)
2. GLITTER
3. スパイス -Original Instrumental- (Spice)
4. GLITTER -Original Instrumental-

‘Spice’ is the electro pop trio’s 19th single and I think it’s one of their finest to date. The first track is a mid tempo song, even though at first it didn’t really leave much impression on me however I eventually ended up liking it a lot. It doesn’t contain the dramatic melodies like some of their previous singles but the thing I like about the song is the simplicity and the laid back vibe. Of course it still has a catchy chorus that flows along with the verses nicely.

The other track ‘GLITTER’ is a well known song even before it’s release as it was used in a drinks advert and also used for a dance contest where they asked fans to come up with their own choreography. At first when I heard the song (mainly the chorus) as a preview it sounded like any other of their songs but now that I’ve listened to the whole song it turned out to be really good. It’s a bit more upbeat than ‘Spice’ especially the chorus part. I’ve noticed that they’ve slightly toned done the vocoder effect but only slightly. To sum it up ‘Spice’ is a great single.

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Sorry for the long the long hiatus. I’ll try and resume regular posting on this blog. But here’s one of the songs that has been captivating me recently.

We’re right into the Summer it’s time to check out what will be frequent on our Jpop playlist this season. There’s definitely a lot to look forward to.

First up SCANDAL fans will be overjoyed as they will be releasing their new single ‘LOVE SURVIVE’ and also their third album ‘Baby Action’. I’m hoping the new album will be much better than their last one. If that’s not enough they will also be featured in a tribute album to the legendary girl group ZONE.

Release date: 27/07/11
Pre-order LOVE SURVIVAL now:
Yes Asia
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Release date: 10/08/11
Pre-order Baby Action now:
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Tokyo Jihen’s fifth album ‘Daihakken’ will once again we get to hear Shiina Ringo and co’s extraordinary stuff. I hope they can match or even surpass their last album.

Release date: 29/06/11
Pre-order  Daihakken now:
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The legendary J-rock band B’z is back with their latest album ‘C’mon’. Actually I’ve not paid much attention to B’z for long time however I will be willing to give this album a spin as it will feature a new version of their old hit single ‘Ultra Soul’.

Release date: 27/07/11
Pre-order C’mon now:
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SPEED’s newest and the first single of the year  ’Little Dancer’. It will be their 20th single as part of their 15th anniversary. I still wonder when they’ll release a new album.

Release date: 10/08/11
Pre-order Little Dancer now:
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‘Good Luck My Way’ the latest single from L’arc en ciel is also featured in anime film ‘Fullmetal Alchemist: Milos no Sei-Naru Hoshi’.

Release date: 29/06/11
Pre-order Good Luck My Way now:
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JUJU’s fourth album ‘You’ will be one of the highlights of this Summer for sure.

Release date: 13/07/11
Pre-order You now:
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So there is mine and it looks to be an exciting period with releases from some of my favourite acts. Tell us your recommendations for this Summer.

Release date: 20/04/11

Tracklist:
1. ハルカ (Haruka)
2. サティスファクション (Satisfaction)
3. Want You
4. ハルカ (Instrumental)

Buy it from:
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SCANDAL has been one of the most featured band on Jpop Chitai, well almost intentionally. Their 10th single ‘Haruka’ is not the most anticipated release for me, the last few releases has bee mixed bag. The single track ‘Haruka’ is a catchy mid-tempo track. It has some nice string arrangement to go with the pop rock sound. I think this probably the most likeable and the least forgettable single in a while. TOMOMI higher vocal in the second verse blends in surprisingly well with the song this time.

The B-side ‘Satisfaction’ is much more up tempo and cheery song. This time you can hear all band members contributing to the vocal parts more equally, which is good to hear. There isn’t much to say about the song except it’s a catchy song for easy listeners. The other B-side ‘Want you’ starts off with heavy guitar riff and repeats almost through out the song. It’s probably the most interesting song the single and some nice guitar parts that shows a bit more complexity in composition. However it does remind of another song they’ve done in the past. The verdict is ‘Haruka’ is probably one of their weaker singles.

Rating:

Release date: 23/02/11

Tracklist:
1. MOON
2. Time goes by ~Acoustic version 2010
3. MOON（Instrumental）
4. Time goes by ~Acoustic version 2010（Instrumental）

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‘MOON’ is the other single that was released on the same date as ‘STAR’. This single reminds a lot of ELT’s early career especially with the use of retro synthesizer. I think for many long time ELT fans like myself would feel a bit nostalgic just as when the band was a trio with Mitsuru as the keyboardist. The B-side is an acoustic version of their best selling single ‘Time goes by’. It’s a great up date of a classic song but with a more organic style of production. ‘MOON’ along with ‘STAR’ are great releases that takes you back to their early works which is not a bad thing at all.

Rating:

Release date: 23/02/11

Tracklist:
1. STAR
2. good night ～Acoustic version 2010
3. STAR (Instrumental)
4. good night ～Acoustic version 2010（Instrumental）

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Every Little Thing released two singles ‘STAR’ and ‘MOON’ in the same time exactly a year since their last released. ‘STAR’ is a melodic semi-ballad, which I think is one of their best songs in a long while. The sound is unmistakably ELT but not in a boring sense. Kaori’s sweet voice is always a pleasant to listen as always. You can’t really expect more anything different from the band except a song that just makes you feels all warm inside. The B-side is an acoustic version of one of their older singles ‘good night’.

Rating:

Release date: 02/02/11

Tracklist:
1. Angel
2. The Man You Were
3. Sunshine
4. 夢の世界Y (ume no Sekai)
5. 魔法の言葉 (Mahou no Kotoba)
6. Runaway
7. Disco Girl
8. Wonderland
9. Everything is going to be alright
10. the party’s over
11. One Day
12. Safari
13. If I Knew
14. HALO

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After several years of absence here comes the new album by Monkey majik. If you’re already familiar with their music then you’ll already know what to expect from ‘westview’. Monkey Majik’s brand MOR rock pop has always had mass appeal and the crossover between fluent English and Japanese within a song is the band’s distinct style. The new album also coincide with their 10th anniversary.

To start off the album there’s ‘Angel’ which sounds very similar to a lot of their previous songs. The two tracks that followed ‘The Man You Were’ and ‘Sunshine’ also carries that upbeat rock pop vibe. I prefer ‘The Man You Were’ out of the three; the chorus is excellent. ‘Yume no Sekai’ is a nice ballad that break away from the upbeat songs.

The songs that really stood out for me on the album are ‘Maho no Kotoba’ and ‘Safari’. ‘Wonderland’ is also a noticeably good song; acoustic guitar with reggae riffs. Whilst ‘Disco Girl’ features some heavy rock riffs that set it apart from the lighter rock songs on the album. The other songs like ‘Runaway’ and ‘the party’s over’ are less impressive. Maybe they could cut out these songs to make the album shorter.

So there it is. As mentioned ‘westview’ represents what Monkey Majik is best at that is catchy easy listening rock pop. The good thing is there aren’t any songs in the album that are particularly bad or boring. However on the other hand the generic style starts to take its toll and in overall the album suffers a bit of blandness. For long time Monkey Majik fans will find this album quite satisfying, but it isn’t bringing anything relatively refreshing to the band’s discography.

Rating:

Release date: 09/02/10

Tracklist:
1. Pride
2. CUTE!
3. Emotion
4. Pride (Instrumental)

Buy it from:
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SCANDAL has been a band I unintentionally pay attention to for several release even though I’m not a great fan (OK just a moderate fan). How can a straight male like me ignore a band made up of young attractive females who play their own instruments? (Ho ho) I digress. ‘Pride’ is Scandal’s ninth single and is the ending theme for the anime STAR DRIVER Kagayaki no Takuto. The title song ‘Pride’ starts off with an energetic burst of an intro and also a catchy guitar lead. It’s slightly more sentimental compared to their previous rock songs.

‘CUTE!’ has a fun and youthful feel to it. Even though I always prefer their more rockish songs this is actually an enjoyable song. The short guitar solo is pretty cool. The whole song just gives you a very feel good vibe that you’ll listen to start your day off. ‘Emotion’ is also a fantastic B-side and loving the guitar lead at the start. I find it to be a bit too good for a B-side, maybe it would make a good album track. To sum it up ‘Pride’ is a great release to start off the new year for SCANDAL, a decent single with equally good B-sides.

Rating:

Release date: 26/01/11

Tracklist:
1. It’s My Life
2. Your Heaven
3. Rain ～YUI Acoustic Version～
4. It’s My Life ～Instrumental～

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This is quite a surprise release from YUI which is a double A-side single. If you’re suffering from the winter blue then ‘It’s My Life’ is a song that will cheer you up. YU’s acoustic sound is the main feature as usual but not only that there’s also the brass section as well, which inject a lot happy mood into the song. Also featuring ORESKABAND an all female ska-band. The song’s lyric defines her career and her passion for rock music (‘SUSUME Rock ‘n’ roll life’).

The second track ‘Your Heaven’ is a melancholic ballad that fits the winter mood very much. It’s a simple song that has a very catchy chorus. I thought the song was boring at first but I think it grew on me eventually. I happen to like this track better than the first song. The B-side is an acoustic version of previous single ‘Rain’, which I think is very pleasant. YUI and her acoustic set can never go wrong I guess. This I think is a very average single and far from her best. So not quite the YUI I’m expecting for the start of this year after such a great success of releases from last year.

Rating:

Release date: 19/01/2011

Tracklist:
1. Baby! Baby! Baby!
2. Special
3. 1/100
4. Hand in Hand
5. ワンダフルライフ (Wonderful Life)
6. 僕が描いてた僕 (Boku ga Egaiteta Boku)
7. JIDAISHIN
8. Everything will be all right
9. Fly to the Freedom
10. Dear memories
11. 1176時間 (1176 Jikan)
12. 君がいない未来 (Kimi ga Inai Mirai)

Buy it from:
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First review of the year^^ ‘Eight’ is possibly the only album that really caught onto my J-pop radar this January. It’s the second album since they’ve reformed back in 2008 and it’s a wonder how it’ll follow up to their last album ‘Eternal Flame’.

‘Baby! Baby! Baby!’ is a very upbeat way to start the album. Even though it’s catchy I think it’s only an average song for an opener that you would just skip. Hearty rock pop style gives you a little foresight into the rest of the album really. The second track ‘Special’ confirms this. It’s much faster and simpler track, but doesn’t quite have the catchy guitar groove as the first track. Then comes their excellent single’s track ‘1/100’ which is no doubt one of the best songs on the album.

‘Hand in Hand’ is the first ballad of the album, the production is pretty much clichéd rock and orchestra style. In overall it’s a very mediocre song and very forgettable. ‘Wonderful life’ that followed after it is semi-ballad that is a lot more enjoyable. The other down tempo song ‘Dear memories’ exerts a greater impression on me as a good DAI song.

The album still contains rock/pop songs that are trademark to DAI’s sound like ‘JIDAISHIN’ and ‘Fly to the Freedom’ however I feel the band have become much mellower and ‘pop’ compare to the previous album. ‘1176 Jikan’ is one of the most pop songs you’ll ever hear from DAI it’s almost not like them. Though that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re not good. ‘Everything will be all right’ turned out to be a great song and it was composed by a DAI fan (Shohei Ohi) as well.

In summary ‘Eight’ is a slightly disappointing album compared to their previous works. A mixed bag is probably the best way to describe it. One would expect DAI at this point to be more mature in the song writing, but instead they seemed to have gone the opposite compared to say ‘Deep Forest’. It’s quite strange. But still it’s not enough to deter me from being a DAI follower.

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