A Mission That’s Possible… I think.

As you can see, I posted a review of Aoyama Thelma’s ONE WAY below. Wanna know why?… It’s because I’m rewriting all of the lame reviews I wrote back when I was still a lazy and messy-type-of guy ( That long long time was about a month ago… :] ). So, expect me to rewrite all of the mai K., melody. and the other stuff I wrote before. And of course, I won’t miss to review some of the singles in the Upcoming Reviews section.

I’ll be adding a new Index section in this blog and also be posting the Umiyuki review from Jero tomorrow. Requested by KishimotoHana. :]

 

ONE WAY

Aoyama Thelma - One Way

One Way is Aoyama Thelma’s Debut Single. It was released September 5,2007 and reached #98 in the charts. The title track was used as the Artist Koushiki Sound CM song, the dwango.jp CM song, and the opening theme song for the Terebi Tokyo TV show, Ryuuha-R. The title track was composed by Aoyama Thelma herself.

tracklist:
01. ONE WAY
02. GOOD TIME
03. ONE WAY (DIORI REMIX) featuring Wise
04. ONE WAY (Instrumental)

ONE WAY, the catchy, urban-ized song is what we get from Thelma in her debut. It’s full of urban elements, full of infectious words, and full of energy. It starts with peaceful sounds mixed unobviously with acoustic guitars. After that 10 seconds of intro, all the beats and instruments come in and thelma starts singing the most infectious part of the song, The chorus. The chorus has an energetic feel perfectly paired with some synth-upped instruments and has catchy lines such as the “nanana…” lines she keeps on repeating. To tell you guys honestly, I have never heard a girl, who used to sing only in duets, sing this good. I heard lots and lots of artists who used to sing in duets but, seriously, most of them weren’t really that good. That’s why, when I found out that Thelma used to sing only in duets, I was pretty shocked. Her voice is good and when I heard her songs with other artists, I thought she wasn’t duet-material… she was more of a solo artist-material. Anyway, I wonder why this single didn’t sell well in the market. It seems to have a fresh feel and was highly promoted (oh come on, 2 commercials and 1 program used it as a theme song), It only reached #98 in the charts. Too bad. Overall, I think it was a good debut song and is highly highly recommended. ^^

Try to listen to ONE WAY fifteen times then try listening to GOOD TIME. Don’t they almost have the same beats and used almost all the same instruments in ONE WAY? Despite that copy-thing I’m blabbing about, I also liked the fresh style this song had. It opens with an upbeat tune for about 10 seconds then the chorus and all the instruments come in. It was quite fun until I noticed one thing about this song. What is that Kill-Joy fact I noticed about this song? Well, It keeps repeating the chorus in the near-end part, which is kind of irritating. Overall, It’s a good song. It’s almost perfect if the repetitive part wasn’t included but, Yeah! GOOD TIME definitely gave me a GOOD TIME listening to it.

Next is the most hip-hoppy remix I have ever heard, the DIORI REMIX of ONE WAY. It features good beats, a head-nodding tune, and a good rapping section. Actually, there’s only one word I can say that explains this remix completely… It’s AMAZING. Period. It has a completely different but perfect structure and has a good rhythm that is actually the greatest thing about this remix.

4.8 out of 5

 

WAKE YOU UP

Hitomi Shimatani - WAKE YOU UP

WAKE YOU UP /Ame no Hi ni wa Ame no Naka wo Kaze no Hi ni wa Kaze no Naka wo / Marvelous is Hitomi Shimatani’s 28th single and is her first triple A-sided single release. It was released on June 25, 2008 and is still charting. It reached No.19 on the first day, 23 on the second day and fell at #35 on the third day.

tracklist:
1. WAKE YOU UP
2. Ame no Hi ni wa Ame no Naka wo Kaze no Hi ni wa Kaze no Naka wo
3. Marvelous

This 3-sided single opens with WAKE YOU UP, my favorite track from the single. It starts with a fast drum, paired with some synth and an energetic feel. After that 5-second intro comes the catchy “Wake you up, just you can do it…” lines the “Gospel” background singers are singing. Later on, Shimatani sings the verses and finally reaches the chorus. I know some people find this song so average but, those comments doesn’t stop me from loving it. I adore the energy this song has and I enjoy the super-catchiness of this song! The chorus lines had a really really cute feel in it, which I loved of course and the mid-part of this song with the guitars was awesome! The guitars just come in from nowhere and adds coolness to the song. I just wish this song was used to promote the single instead. Not the next track with an enormously long title!

Now, I was referring to this song when I said “the song with an enormously long title!”. No seriously, Did you hear a song before that has a 6-inch title, Ame no Hi ni wa Ame no Naka wo Kaze no Hi ni wa Kaze no Naka wo ? I know I didn’t. It’s too bad they used this song to promote the single instead of the previous track because I find this song so dull. Actually, not too dull. I just think that it was lacking a lot of effort and the instruments they used were kind of poor. I just find this song to be “AVERAGE”.

Does anyone know the internet game, “o2Jam”? I used to play that game before but, I kind-of grew old out of it. Anyway, I asked you that question because Marvelous sounds like something you could play in o2Jam. It has an outer-space fantasy feel and has a good rhythm. It also had pianos and techno-elements that helped make the song sound so colorful. I also noticed, The background “Gospel” singers in this song sounded like the same ones in WAKE YOU UP.
a little something happened: When I was writing this review, a black-out just happened. good thing wordpress has an autosave feature. ^^

4.5 out of 5

 

Colorful Tokyo Sounds No. 9

Aira Mitsuki - Colorful Tokyo Sounds No. 9

Colorful Tokyo Sounds No.9 is Aira Mitsuki’s Debut single. It was released on August 8, 2007. It is produced by Oonishi Terukado and was used as the image song for the Japanese release of the movie, Transformers.

tracklist:
1. Colorful Tokyo Sounds NO.9 (Original MIX)
2. Candy Light Mode
3. Colorful Tokyo Sounds NO.9 (LAVA’s Electrip Remix)
4. Colorful Tokyo Sounds NO.9 (Disco-Punk Remix)
5. Colorful Tokyo Sounds NO.9 (Mp3 Senyou Digital Mastering Ver.)
6. Colorful Tokyo Sounds NO.9 (Instrumental)

Wait, Am I listening to the 4th group member of Perfume?
No, seriously. In Colorful Tokyo Sounds No. 9, Aira sounds like a member of Perfume. Even though she is produced by Oonishi Terukado, Not Nakata Yasutaka , Her voice sounds so Nakata-produced and the background music sounds like Perfume’s Polyrhythm. It opens with a woosh-sound fading in followed by some fast synth, which we all know, is the same way Polyrhythm opens. I could even make a mush-up of it if you like because they sound so similar. It has the same counts and has almost the same accompaniments. Well, to say it in the shortest form, It’s almost like a carbon-copy of Polyrhythm. Despite knowing that, I still enjoy this song. It’s so catchy and every instrument they used in it was really really helpful in making the song sound so groovy! I think that this song is a great treat to J-pop techno fans and is definitely a worth listen!
Sorry If I keep On Repeating the word, “Polyrhythm”

Now we move on to the super-cute and more up-beat song, Candy Light Mode. It opens up immediately with Aira singing the chorus only with half of the instruments. Try to listen closely to the song. What do you hear other than Aira’s voice, the beats and the techno-instruments?…
…Give up? The one I’m talking about is the guitar in this song. I’m surprised to hear guitars because I never really thought those instruments would turn out good with techno. Despite that good guitar, I think this song is still pure B-side material because I didn’t feel so amazed when I listened to it. I feel like it’s missing something.

The next 2 tracks are remixes of the main A-side.

The LAVA’s electrip remix of Colorful Tokyo Sounds No. 9 is amazing! It has more guitars and is more slower-paced than the original. Aira’s voice really fits the newly-arranged accompaniments and really gives a more relaxing yet fun feel. I also liked the piano solo in the middle because it sounds so interesting. It really joined the beats, the other techno elements and Aira’s voice perfectly. Every second of it is also a must listen.

The Next Track, The Disco-Punk Remix Of Colorful Sounds No.9, sounded repetitive. I admit, I do like the way they remixed this song but, I hated the way it gets so repetitive. It’s 6-minutes long and All I hear is the “Tokyo Sounds No.9″ line every 5 seconds.

Nest Up is the Mp3 Senyou Digital Mastering Version of Colorful Sounds No.9. To tell you guys honestly, I don’t see any difference in it. Thats why I asked myself what got into their minds to include this track. But, I Still like it because it sounds like the original version.

4.8 out of 5

 

C’mon, Why Not?

So, Okay, I know I already featured a new artist here last time (it’s actually in the post before this one) But, I just can’t help it. I’ve been listening to this girl before so, I decided to put her here. But before I introduce her, I’ll give you a clue first : Looks cannot tell you how a person sings (especially when that person is small and so cute!) Anyway, Here she is! ~

Ayaka!

When you first look at her, you think that her voice sounds so thin but, actually, she has a deep and awesome voice. ~ Just to let you guys know, I’ll start with her collaboration with Kubokuro, Winding Road.

 

New theme. New header. New Artist??

Yup. That’s right! I changed the theme for this site… (Just for a change) and created a new banner! Has anyone seen Perfume’s PV for love the world? well, The header was made from a screencap of that video. Anyway, I will be featuring another artist in this site! Yahuu! Well, this time, It’s not a techno-pop artist but, an RnB-pop artist! so, here they are…

mihimaru GT!

Apparently, Fredy from BoA’s Jewelry Box has been putting some song samples of mihima’s latest album. I gave them a try and now, I’m so addicted to their song, Giri Giri Hero and Naki Natsu! Well, that’s it… I’ll be starting with their single “Gazen Yeah!”

:: NOTE :: If you’re wondering why I’m posting today, It’s because school has been canceled due to heavy rains here.

 

FREE FREE / Super Music Maker ~ CD Single Scans

Since I’ve been so busy lately and have not been able to write many reviews, I thought of a way to make it up to you guys… Posts about CD Scans! So, First up, Ami Suzuki’s FREE FREE single! ENJOY! Oh, And… Comments or Saying a little thanks would be much appreciated!

BoNuS : PROMO Pics !!!

:: NOTE :: If you plan to put these scans somewhere else, Please ask my permission first. I’ll say Yes anyway…

 

desTiny

Tiana Xiao - desTiny

desTiny is Tiana Xiao’s debut album. It was released on May 21, 2008 under Imperial Records. The 2 singles that were released for this album is : [o1. Sweet obsession o2. KIZUNA]

tracklist:

1. Aquarium
2. Destiny
3. Kizuna
4. 3.2.1…
5. Painting
6. Echo
7. Paradox
8. Temptation
9. Sweet Obsession
10. Happy Tears
11. Undo Hurt
12. Milestone ~to believe~

NOTE: Since I find it hard to find scans for this album, I used screencaps instead. If anyone knows where to get the scans, Please tell me… Thank you!

Opening the album is Aquarium, A sweet, mid-tempo song. It opens immediately with Tiana singing the catchy “Hear Me…” lines then starts singing the verses. My favorite thing about this song is the “Feel Me, Hear Me, Hold Me…” lines that Tiana is singing at Background part of the song because it adds more beauty and catchiness to the song that gets the listener’s attention once they hear it. There’s just one thing I don’t like about it… The way she sings the part after the bridge. It was kind of annoying because It’s obvious that she cannot hit the high notes properly still, She forces to sing it. So… It kind of ruins the song. Overall, A good song… if the high parts weren’t included :]

[ 4 out of 5 ]

Things speed up a little with the next track, Destiny. I was expecting a lot from it since it was the title track of the album and you know what, I really liked it. Again, It had problems with the higher-pitched parts but seriously, I didn’t mind it. The song had a fantastic melody thanks to the American-RnB influenced instruments that they used and of course, thanks to the catchy tune and lyrics. I think that the way they enhanced Tiana’s voice in some parts was a brilliant idea because it added a more sort-of-techno feel… Which I liked, Of Course. I just hated the way she says the corny lines “Was it an accident, Or destiny?“. It was kind of a turn down.

[ 4.5 out of 5 ]

Aaahh… This is more like it.

We now have the best Tiana Xiao song, Kizuna, as the third track of the album. I don’t know why people seem to hate this song so much. I think that the blending of the beats, the guitars, her voice and all the other instruments was terrific. I absolutely loved the catchiness and the energy this song had… I just think that 4 minutes wasn’t enough for the goodness of the song. (Am I crazy or what?)

[ 6 out of 5 ] ~ Sorry, I just seem to like it so much

3.2.1… appears as the fourth track of the album. I think the combination of the instruments in this song was good but, I felt a bit bored while listening to it. I thought Tiana was just reciting a poem instead of singing a song. Which means that The song lacks a lot of energy and effort because it really sounded dull. Really nothing special about it.

[ 3.5 out of 5 ]

The next track is the B-Side of Kizuna entitled Painting. I liked the calm feel this song had because it fits the song perfectly. The guitars and beats were really good and the lines “It’s the Painting of My Love” she sings added more beauty to the song.

[ 5 out of 5 ]

Echo, The most enhanced track in the album, comes next. It starts with Tiana saying “Once upon a time” then a groovy dance beat comes in. I watched a TV program that shows the recording session of this song (I think it was 流派-R) and I was like “WOW!”. Know why? Because I saw her singing this song without any difficulty. I was really amazed. I was also surprised by the “Bell” sound you can hear in the “Echo, echo, echo” part because it goes perfectly with the enhanced vocals and strong beats. Overall, This song was well-done and awesome!

~ And we live happily ever after…

[ 5 out of 5 ]

Next up is the ugly song “PARADOX”. After listening to the 6 awesome previous tracks from this album, I was thinking of having a great Track 7. What did I get? An ugly, trying to be cute pop song. I was really annoyed by the corny lyrics it had… Oh come on… “It’s a Paradox”?… Can’t the writers come up with a greater line? Look, I don’t hate the writers of this song, I just think that they could come up with a greater idea… That’s it. To be honest, It had a great tune but, Those lyrics pretty much ruined the song. Sorry Tiana.

[ 1 out of 5 ]

After PARADOX, The 2 tracks from Tiana’s Sweet Obsession single comes next.

Temptation, The full-of-synth song is also one of the best tracks from the album. It was really catchy and the energy Tiana’s vocals had fits the theme of the song.

[ 5 out of 5 ]

As for Sweet Obsession, It starts growing in me. I’m really starting to like this song. I think that because everytime I hit Shuffle on my Mp3 player, this song is always the target. Haha!

[ 4.5 out of 5 ]

Track 10 is Happy Tears. I was bored with this song’s verses at first because it only had a guitar as it’s instrument but, when the chorus starts and everything comes in, I started singing along. I was really sad when I listened to this song because the song had lyrics like “Doushite I still Miss You…” that makes me feel Tiana’s sad emotion. (Corny, Right?) Well, If that’s the case, Then I think Tiana has done a good job expressing her feelings. :] I’m just wondering why They named this song “Happy Tears” when it had those sad lyrics. o_0

[ 4 out of 5 ]

I was really blown away by Undo Hurt. It had an awesome arrangement and I must say, Tiana’s vocals were awesome! The guitar solo part at the near end was my favorite part because it blended with the “Undo” chant and the heavy beats. Anyway, Does anyone notice that the song is in full English? Yes, The song is in full English. Tiana’s English is good, I must say (Because she lived in America. stupid me!!) because when you listen to the song, It’s not obvious that She’s Chinese. Overall, I think Everything about this song is great, I just don’t know why there are lines like “Get Lost!”, “Did you think I was stupid?” and “Can I have my stuff back?”. :]] haha!
Extremely WEIRD!

[ 5 out of 5 ]

The final track, Milestone ~ To Believe ~, has a good 80s feel in it. I just don’t know why out of all the 12 songs from this album, This was chosen to close the album. Anyway, I think this song is good. I hated it at first but, after listening to it many times, I started liking it. The song has a catchy melody and inspiring lyrics. I also think the guitars in this song were great!

[ 4.5 out of 5 ]

Overall:

[ 4.5 out of 5 ]

For a debut album by a girl who doesn’t speak english fluently, desTiny was great! It just had some bad tracks but, I guess that’s okay. Well, anyway, I enjoyed this album… It a must-listen! Especially for those who like Urban-pop/rnb J-music. ^^

my favorite track:

KIZUNA

the best new song from the album:

ECHO

 

Yes People. It is now FRIDAY!!!

Yeah!!! It’s Friday already here in the Phils. and wanna know what that means? Reviews all around!!! Yeah!!! Well, I’ve been checking the blogs but not writing posts because it takes a lot of time to do but now, I have friday, saturday and sunday. As for some news about artists… I heard the Radio Rip Version of Crystal Kay’s One already!!! Its sooo good!!! Really really better than Namida no Saki Ni… Well, I’ll be working now on the posts and, well, here are the covers for ONE. The radio rip version can be heard after this.

VIDEO

Note: Sorry, but, I think I’ll just post the reviews tomorrow. I feel tired and sleepy because of school. SORRY. Tomorrow, wait for Tiana Xiao’s DESTINY and Perfume’s POLYRHYTHM

 

Fan Service [sweet]

Perfume - Fan Service [sweet]

Fan Service [sweet] is Perfume’s fourth single (9th overall). It was released February 14, 2007 and reached #31 in it’s first week with 3,990 copies sold. It sold a total of 9,214 copies and charted for 9 weeks. It is the first single that was released for the “GAME” album.

tracklist:
1. Chocolate Disco
2. Twinkle Snow Powdery Snow

Just like in other Perfume songs, Chocolate Disco was very infectious. The whole song is purely made up of electric-pop instruments, catchy melody and lyrics, an awesome arrangement and of course, who would forget the girls’ enhanced, charming voices. If you haven’t noticed, during the days when Perfume wasn’t famous (like in 2002), they sucked so much. Really. I mean, Yes, they have the talent. But, what do you think will this song sound like if all the effects of their voices was removed?… Now, moving on to the melody. Thanks to the fast-paced beats, techno elements and buzzing synth, the song’s melody was really really groovy! Of course, the title of the song was “Chocolate Disco” after all so, I won’t wonder why. Overall, Chocolate Disco was all-fun. It makes you smile everytime you hear it. (Just like this: ^_^)

Twinkle Snow Powdery Snow is a bit slower-paced than Chocolate Disco. I actually was disappointed by this song. I wasn’t completely blown away by it because I feel that something was missing in it. It really wasn’t their best work. I think that they could make better songs than this and that they could find a way to fix things up (REMIX anyone??). Nothing really special about it.

4.5 out of 5