New Releases ; Aya Kamiki & the studs
GIRL NEXT DOOR ; Guuzen no Kakuritsu
“Guuzen no Kakuritsu” is the debut single by Avex produced band “GIRL NEXT DOOR”. It is comingo out in both CD-Only and CD+DVD formats on September 3rd. As you may have guessed, it is coming out on the Avex Trax record label. First Press come with a bonus photobook.
Tracklisting
| 1. | Guzen no Kakuritsu |
| 2. | Breath |
| 3. | red ribbon – Unmei no Hito |
| 4. | Guzen no Kakuritsu (ice cream mix) |
| 5. | Guzen no Kakuritsu (instrumental) |
| 6. | Breath (instrumental) |
new singles ; Tohoshinki, misono, AAA
L’arc~en~ciel ; NEXUS 4 / SHINE
This is the 35th single release by popular J-Rock band L’arc~en~ciel and their last before their hiatus, which will last at least a few years. “NEXUS 4 / SHINE” is on sale August 27th. It will be released in just the Cd-Only format under the Sony Music Entertainment label. “NEXUS 4″ is the tie-in song for the Subaru Legacy while “SHINE”is the theme song for the anime “Seirei no Moribito”.
Tracklist
- NEXUS 4
- SHINE
- NEXUS 4 (hydeless version)
- SHINE (hydeless version)
ayaka x kobukuro ; Anata To
“Anata To” is the second collaborative release put together by singer-songwriter and pop starlet ayaka and the folk duo who has been making tidal waves in the Japanese music scene for the last few years, Kobukuro. The song is a nice ballad. It is being released in CD-Only format under the Warner Music Japan label on September 24th, 2008. The cover is very similar to the cover of their previous collaborative efforts, “WINDING ROAD”
Tracklist
- Anata to (あなたと)
- Anata to (あなたと) (Instrumental)
Sora no Hana Recommends
- “Say”, the sophomore album by misono koda, is much better than her debut album and defintely deserves a listen. Her music is much more enjoyable and interesting this time around, and this album does not disappoint!
- Another fantastic single by Ayumi Hamasaki, otherwise known as the queen of J-Pop. This version of her 10th Anniversary single “Mirrorcle World” features “Depend on You (10th Anniversary Version)” as the second b-side, which is superior. Including the instrumentals, there are a total of 6 tracks.
- With only 3 songs and no instrumentals, this single may sound a little dry, but believe me when I say it’s not. It’s worth the small amount of money for a masterpiece like “still doll”. It also has a b-side and an orgel (music box) version of the a-side.
- This single sports a poppy and catchy song while still being uplifting and meaningful. The single is the second single in an on-going singles project and is, in my opinion, her best single to date. It features and a-side, a b-side and instrumentals of both.
alan ; RED CLIFF ~Shin Sen~
As part of her 5 singles, alan is releasing the Japanese version of her Chinese song “Xin Zhan ~RED CLIFF~”, titled “RED CLIFF ~Shin Sen~” this time around. It will be released on October 15th, 2008, in both CD-Only and CD+DVD formats under the avex trax record label.
*track listing not yet out
Anna Tsuchiya ; Virgin Cat
The Cover of Anna Tsuchiya's 9th Single, "Virgin Cat"
“Virgin Cat” is the 9th single release from experimental rock artist Anna Tuchiya. The song is being used in the commercial for the Japanese DVD release for the TV show titled “The L World” and is being released on September 10th under the Avex Trax sub label MAD PRAY RECORDS. Unlike her other singles, this single is being released in only one format: CD-Only, as the release of her second studio album is coming shortly after this single.
Tracklist
- Virgin Cat
- Imitation night
- Virgin Cat (Remix)
alan ; Kaze no Tegami
This is Tibetan-Chinese songstress alan’s 3rd single, “Kaze no Tegami (風の手紙, Letter of the Wind)” in her 5 elements single collection. This song has a wind theme. It is being released under the Avex Trax record label is both CD-Only and CD+DVD formats on July 10th.
- CD Tracklist
- Kaze no Tegami
- TBA
- Kaze no Tegami (Instrumental)
- TBA (Instrumental)
- DVD Tracklist
- Kaze no Tegami (PV)
- Bonus Movie
Perfume ; love the world review
“love the world” is the first single to be released by techno-group and all girl group Perfume after their successful #1 album, “GAME”. The single was released in CD-Only and CD+DVD formats. It was released on September 9th, became their first #1 single and has since sold 104,470 copies.
- love the world
- edge
- love the world -original instrumental-
- edge -extended mix-
the title track, love the world, is a catchy and cute song with, surprisingly, some pretty powerful lyrics. It has a strong electropop feel while remaining reminiscent of the early 90s. The cute, catchy chorus is the highlight of the song. The song is, overall, only decent. Grade: B
The b-side, edge, is the superior song on the single. It has a repetitive allure, a la “chocolate disco” and “take me take me”. The song repeats the same line many times, yet it works very well. The song, as in all perfume songs, is electropop and features mainly synth instruments with distortion on the girls voices. The high point in this song is also the chorus as well as the bridge. Grade: A
love the world -original instrumental- offers nothing musically, sadly, and is one of Perfume’s weakest instrumentals to listen to solely.
The edge -extended mix- is a longer version of edge which has more vocals.
OVERALL GRADE: 85 / B+
