Journal

Currently still working on the March 8th entry, but before that, I've got a question to ask of any of you who read this journal.

How do you judge remixes?

I've been listening to AAA's remix album, and while I rather enjoy the electronika that is BLOOD on FIRE (SHAM-POO vs. HEAVENS WiRE RMX), I can't find myself enjoy any other track on the album. (And even then, I have expectations for anything HEAVENS WiRE after their hardcore trance mix of 島谷ひとみ's already electronic Perseus -ペルセウス-.)

It's certainly not that they're not good or anything. I don't think I'm qualified to judge that given that I have a slightly inherent disliking of remixes. I think. At the very least, I'll prefer the original songs more often than not.

Let's not even get started on how I can't seem to recognize what everyone deems as Clazziquai Project's greateness.

So, whether it's megamixes of Heartsdales' or 浜崎あゆみ's songs, or it's individual mixes as can be found on Move's and 玉置成実's singles, or even from full remix albums like those from m-flo and SOUL'd OUT... What makes a remix good? What's the defining factor that separates one remix from another when it comes to categorizing "awesomeness" or "cheeziness"?

And while I'm at it, what sort of remixes do you prefer to listen to?

Me, give me upbeat techno/trance tracks anyday. 8D

I have the feeling I really ought to apologize. Those of you who friended me if only because you found my writing interesting certainly deserve it. I didn't intend to neglect this journal for as long as I have. But that's life (and a 9-5 job).

Now that I've finally updated at OMGLM, which was originally meant to be the motivation behind the review posts, I'm sort of at a loss. *laughs*

Of course, it doesn't help that the March 1st release week wasn't particularly satisfying, either.

Out of 6 releases, only one could've been properly called new.

Let's look at albums, first. 嘉陽愛子 released her first album since her debut in late 2003 last week, titled Dolce. Out of the 12 songs, only 2 were specifically new - the rest were composed of her 9 singles and one B-side, さすらいの天使 (from her 彼女はゴキゲンななめ single).

The two new tracks, 緑の季節 and 夕暮れはラブ・ソング, were typical Kayo fare - that is, pop. Between the upbeat cutesy pop of the former and the pop ballad that was the latter, it was something of a disappointment to have wanted an album from her for so long but only receiving this.

Moving on to WaT's major label album 卒業TIME ~僕らのはじまり~ - to downloaders, this is nothing new. It's been drifting on the Nets since early February.

I must say I've never really understood the appeal of this duo. They're heavily involved in the creation of their own songs, yes. They can play guitars, yes. They're decent looking boys, yes. They can sing. Somewhat. *gets pelted with rotten tomatoes*

Frankly, I'm picky about nasalness in voices. While neither boy has that striking clogged-nose tone that artists like hitomi or 浜崎あゆみ have, there's something there that doesn't strike a nice chord with me.

That bias aside, the album is filled with acoustic pop songs. Upbeat, gentle, ballads, there's a variety of acoustic pop here for those of you who love it. I can't say I'm overly fond of it (case in point - even with YUI, my choices were undoubtedly pop-rock), and so my favorite track is the orchestral Wentz TIME, which was also on their indies single 卒業TIME. Both Wentz and Teppei have decent voices, but Wentz has the less nasal one (albeit warbling like there's no tomorrow), and backed with full orchestral, it makes for a nice rendition of their first released song.

Thankfully, there is 高橋瞳 with her first album, sympathy. Her debut single, 僕たちの行方, took Japan by storm when it popped up as the 3rd opening to Gundam SEED DESTINY. Her vocals are strong, though slightly rough, and altogether fitting for the upbeat rock songs she sings. She does well on slower songs as well, as コトノハ and 約束 prove, and poppier songs like Beatin' aren't bad when done by her either.

Perhaps the biggest obstacle to listeners would be her voice - there's an unpolished quality to it that can make or break Takahashi Hitomi. For now, it seems to be doing fine.

Heading to singles... let's start with Gackt. His release this week was a complete rehash of earlier songs - Love Letter and Dybbuk. Apparently more original Gundam tie-ins? Regardless, neither the string ballad of the former or the hard rock/synthesizer pop fusion of the latter had much appeal to me.

Better off is Hawaiian vocalist 伊藤由奈 with her second single and double A-side Faith/Pureyes. The R&B piano ballad Faith doesn't have much impact until the chorus - Ito's voice is subdued, even overpowered by the music at times, and only the emotion in her singing during the chorus keeps it heard. Pureyes, for a R&B pop track, fares better and allows Ito's vocals to be heard. There are lots of transitions within the song, whether from high to low, soft to strong, fast to slow - and Ito handles them all smoothly, a credit to her abilities.

Okay, let's talk Sound. I've Sound, in fact. The Geneon-licensed vocalists of the music production group, KOTOKO and 川田まみ, released another joint single this week: Face of Fact RESOLUTION ver./undelete for Baldr Force EXE Resolution.

The former track is obviously not original - in fact, the original Face of Fact was the song for the original Baldr Force game. Comparing the two, they're essentially the same melody and vocals with slightly different instrumentals. RESOLUTION version has a more dynamic sound, with the music and KOTOKO on even ground, as compared to the original where the music, while a great listen, was weaker when mixed with KOTOKO's vocals. Of course, that may just be because of the 3-year difference between the releases.

Last time Kawada and KOTOKO had a joint release, the former had the upbeat techno/trance while the latter sang the ballad. Obviously, with that sort of an introduction, Kawada sings the ballad this time with undelete. The slow song is obviously electronically created, with various synth effects and melodies playing in the background. Kawada's vocals are made to be the focal point of the song, which has both good and bad points. She shines in the choruses, and her wavering vocals do well in the stanzas; but the bridge between the two parts has her wavering as she draws out the lines, something that doesn't work too well even with the echoed feel of the song.

The week? Not especially good, but far from horrible all the same. For now, I live by Takahashi's lyrics in SKULL as I attempt the rest of March and await the time my life is less busy - Baby no music is no life 8D

Mmm, I think I'm still missing a release or two before I can finish up the March 1st roundup (that's okay, I've got the weekend.) *excellent procrastinator*

Before that, I just got and watched AAA's newest PV, Shalala キボウの歌 (to be released the March 22nd week along with their remix album), and, well...

It's a sweet, feel-good sort of a song. Definitely happy, whether you're just listening to the song or watching the grinning faces of the AAA members in the PV.

So, of all the endings... O_o (I've never reacted well to thriller or suspense flicks, never mind direct horror, if you need a hint.)

It was a interesting decision by the director, I'll give him/her that.

Hi. I know, I have one more roundup to do before I'm fully caught up. That's what this is for.

February followed January's example and rushed a lot of I was watching into the last week. 3 albums, 6 singles, and I still have that nagging feeling that I missed a couple. (Which is partially the reason for this getting put off so long. The other reason - I'm a lazy ass.)

Let's start with the singles. Oricon's top hitters on the daily charts the day after were IT'S IN THE STARS, Keep Tryin', Someday/Boys Girls (albeit technically with a ♥ in the middle there), and SEASON'S CALL - going from 4 to 1, respectively. Other ones I happened to be looking for were CRY NO MORE (debuting on the daily charts at 7) and Dёjа Vu (unfortunately, nowhere to be found in the top 20).

Let's start with the lowest ranked and go higher.

皆川純子 (Minagawa Junko) is best known for being a voice actress - usually playing males (the best known of which is Echizen Ryoma from Tennis no Oujisama), but occasionally bringing out a female (such as one Yukihiro Ayaka from Mahou Sensei Negima). She's also been releasing music without anime/game tie-ins, though she's not very known as a JPop singer.

Which is a damn shame, since she has one of the better voices to come out of the seiyuu world. It's fairly low in range, but her control over her vocals are excellent. Her songs have leaned towards Rock, R&B, and the occasional ballad, and Minajun does fairly well in each, singing passionately and easily matching whatever tempo she needs to. Her biggest problem would be audible straining of her vocals to reach higher pitches, but thankfully, it's not a problem that jumps out in the middle of a song to ruin it completely.

Dёjа Vu follows the formula of rock and Minajun's vocals - a combination that has made for some of her best songs. Dёjа Vu contains pounding rock throughout and starts with low stanzas building into the stronger choruses. It takes a while for the realization that you're at the chorus to hit you after falling into the tempo of the stanzas, but it's a strong punch when it finally does.

Afternoon Tea is a somewhat of a rock ballad. The first thing that will strike you, though, is the obviously higher pitch at which Minajun is singing. While she sings well enough at this level and, it's somewhat jarring as you can you can hear her straining to maintain the pitch without going off. If she'd stayed lower, she'd sound a bit more natural and the song would flow better. As it is, it's a decent song, but still not my cup of tea. *dies for the horrible joke*

Place of your Life (AITAIKOTOBA Live ver.) is apparently a recording from a live performance of the song from earlier album AIKOTOBA . (Admittedly, I didn't listen to that album much.) This is a poppy song with rock touches and R&B influences. The mixture of synth with rock is certainly not a new combination, but in the case of this song, it's fairly ear-catching. Minajun's vocals go smoothly in the song, even the high notes of the chorus gliding with little problems.

A decent single from her overall, though I really wish she'd stick to her natural pitch.

CRY NO MORE, like SEASON'S CALL, was tied-in with the BLOOD+ anime - as the 2nd ending song. It's somewhat amusing to see 中島美嘉 at 7 whereas her past releases topped the charts. I guess now that the thrill of the NANA movie has worn off, she needs to grow into the spotlight again?

CRY NO MORE brings Nakashima back to the slower tempo her voice grew famous with. This song starts with a sleepy feel to it, between the piano and bass, and grows into a nostalgic jazz piece completely with gospel backup. The casual pop listener probably won't find much to enjoy upon first listen, but the song buildup combined with Nakashima's emotional voice works for a wonderful track.

The B-side, BLACK & BLUE, starts off with edgy electric guitar and piano before taking a definite turn into seductive Jazz with an addictive beat. The chorus is pretty catchy, whether or not you can rach the high notes Nakashima does. One of the best, non-ballad songs I've heard from her. The single really should've ranked higher, if only for this song alone (and even higher for the main track).

Okay, w-inds.. Screw being calm, I'm a fangirl who'd willingly jump them for a foursome if they stood in front of me. That said, they released their latest single, IT'S IN THE STARS last week, and it has been dominating my in-head jukebox.

There. I said it. 8O

It's fairly amusing, though. I joined the ranks of w-inds. fangirls around the time of SUPER LOVER ~I need you tonight~. That song, above all other w-inds. songs, is utter crack. Between the disco beats, Keita's spoken lines, the high-pitched hook of "Ai no hana/saku kana/Do you wanna?/Ain't no wana", I honestly don't think any other song by these boys has hooked more fans or amused more people. It's sort of an insurmountable thing. The boys have performed it in every concert since their second - and they didn't particularly need to perform it in the ageha concert either.

IT'S IN THE STARS takes a little while to grow on the listener, but essentially? It's SUPER LOVER part deux.

Never mind the dramatic opening, the song quickly breaks into its infectious hook and disco beat. Chiba Ryohei and Ogata Ryuichi's combined backup vocals chorusing "IT'S IN THE STARS" is fairly amusing when taken in contrast against lead singer Tachibana Keita's lower (for once!) vocals. While this song obviously isn't for everyone, w-inds. fans have good reason to rave over it.

Philosophy starts off with a series of synth chords - these same synth chords pop up again throughout the course of the song, sort of bringing the song together. Another disco-styled song, the most striking part for w-inds. fans is the presence of Ryuichi's SUPER LOVER rap. For casual listeners, it's essentially IT'S IN THE STARS with a different melody. And without that repetitive hook. Special Thanx! is yet another disco track, this time with a hook of "Thanx for your love//Thanx everybody". Again, similar to the title track of the single with a different melody and hook.

An interesting observation made by misuzu - the three tracks on this single (IT'S IN THE STARS, Philosophy, and Special Thanx!) segue into each other. I couldn't tell you for sure if this is true or not, but listened together, they all have that synth disco beat that helps one meld into the other. Of course the same beat also makes all three tracks too similar for any given one to stand out in a special way to the casual listener (I'm a raving fangirl, I don't count.) Though at the same time, the songs sound best when listened to together rather than being mixed with other songs.

Another decent single, and it's nice to see w-inds. deviating from the basic pop that they've acclimated into "their" style, regardless of the lack of variety within the single.

Okay, thanks to the stupid fans, Kimi's going to go and lump Keep Tryin' and Someday/Boys Girls together. Which is fairly stupid, because the more I listen to 宇多田ヒカル's new single, I love it (it had every reason to usurp the number one spot, as it seems to have done upon checking today's daily Oricon) - and I'd already dismissed 倖田來未's final single of the 12 2 weeks ago after multiple listens and still failing to like it.

That said, I will attempt to give reviews without actively listening to any of the 4 following songs.

Someday: Slow bland pop. Not completely ballad slow or oldies slow, but with a definitely slower tempo than the other song on the single. Slow makes Kimi sleepy. I should never have to listen to slow songs without some sort of interest point in them to keep me awake.
Boys Girls: Upbeat pop with a touch of jazz. Which isn't bad, definitely better than the above song.
Keep Tryin': For all the supposed poppiness, sounds more like electronic New Age. Which is good. I'm a sucker for New Age.
WINGS: Acoustic slow jam with bossa nova touches. I love the music. But Hikki's voice seems too strong at times.

Got that? Good. I'm rather sick of dealing with Kodaku now. Yo, Koda fans? There is such a thing as "too much of a good thing". Only in this case there wasn't much of anything good.

It's been 4 months since HYDE's last single (5 if you consider that COUNTDOWN was released at the beginning of the month and SEASON'S CALL at the end of the month.) - but I'd say it was worth the wait. Despite its release on my birthday, COUNTDOWN's hardcore grunge didn't attract me. On the other hand, SEASON'S CALL has more of a pop-rock feel. It's still rock and blatantly so - just a lot easier on the ears than COUNTDOWN and far more similar to his works with L'Arc~en~Ciel.

The title track has a gradual buildup that's similar to L'Arc~en~Ciel's earlier songs, with some continual chords in the background that add to the rising-and-floating atmosphere. UNEXPECTED <DIST.> is a revamped version of earlier song Unexpected (English Version). The opening theme of echoed, muffled vocals and light melody makes me think of someone under the water. *laughs* It carries on for the first two minutes and then slams the listener into the louder (courtesy of HYDE's vocals) chorus, slows down into the opening theme, and then finishes the remaining 1.5 minutes with powerful guitars mixed in. Definitely a great listen.

Let's move onto albums. Three of note this week - YUI - FROM ME TO YOU, Heartsdales - Ultra Foxy, and Crystal Kay - Call me miss....

YUI's been a JPop darling for some since feel my soul, for most since LIFE. Her first album, FROM ME TO YOU, is half acoustic pop, half pop-rock, and a treat all around. Beyond the four singles (feel my soul, Tomorrow's way, LIFE, and TOKYO), she also snuck in the B-side from her indies single, I know. The original album tracks, beyond the common factor of a guitar, have a variety to them that makes the album fun to listen to. Kimi's favorites are Swing of lie and Just my way, both pop-rock tracks, but you'll no doubt differ.

Heartsdales, as previously mentioned, have been leaning heavily towards synth pop in their songs, which in turn has given them a somewhat definitive, if acquired, sound. This album is fairly hard to describe - everytime it starts leaning definitely towards hip-hop/pop, it swerves around a tosses a different genre at you. It's certainly got more variety than previous album Super Star, though whether or not that's a good thing is up to you. Kimi's favorites (out of the limited listens she's done of this album) are the hip-hop with jungle beat So Safari and the combined introduction track Let's Go Angels with previous single Angel Eyes.

For Crystal Kay, this would be her 6th album. 7th if you include her commemoration album CK5. Having turned 20 this past Sunday, "Call me Miss..." seems like an apt title for the album.

If Crystal Style sounded more ballad-oriented, Call me Miss... is half-pop, half-R&B in the style of Together. Not that it's particularly bad, but it all sounds fairly generic when listened to in sequence.

And so Kimi gets closer and closer to catching up... XDD I'm half-tempted to just leave this post and the next post for another few weeks.

February 15th brought out 4 albums and 2 singles of interest. From the singles, ハレルヤ and WIND. Both 倖田來未 and AAA hail from avex, both singles are two-tracks with just the titular song and an instrumental, and both placed in the top 10 on the Oricon charts at the end of the week.

But if you know me (or have at least been reading earlier posts in this journal), you know that it isn't even a point of contention as to which single I prefer.

To sum it up quickly:
-WIND: 11th in Koda's 12-single lineup (and I swear I'll be glad when I can stop mentioning her in these posts), a slow-jam/pop piece that Koda's voice works strongly with. It's better than most of the other singles in the 12, with a general upbeat air. Still nothing too memorable.
-ハレルヤ: RAWR. Rocks like an avalanche of boulders or a meteor shower. Though not literally. Upbeat and fun hip-pop, with AAA's vocal powerhouse Misako getting more focus, and one of the theme songs to drama ガチバカ! It so kicks ベスト オブ ヒーロー's ass. A great mood-lifting song (of course, if you've seen the PV, it's even more fun), and pretty catchy after a couple of listens.

Yeah, I've had too much of Koda lately. XP

On the album front is TRF's Lif-e-motions, BoA's OUTGROW, HOME MADE 家族's musication, and UVERworld's Timeless.

Let's start off with the UVER crew. They debuted mid-last year with a smash thanks to their first single, D-tecnoLife being the opening song to hit anime Bleach, and have only garnered further overseas fans since.

Their three singles prior to this album - D-tecnoLife, CHANCE!, and Just Melody - have all been of the pop-rock variation, with an undisputably pop sound despite vocalist TAKUYA's forays into rapping mid-song, especially with the addition of a piano/keyboard melody mixed in with the actual band sound.

Fans who loved that particular sound will find that this album likely takes a while to grow on them. On the other hand, fans who loved B-sides like PRIME or Revolve will enjoy this album more. All the new songs lean towards the rock side of things, even the less hardcore songs like 優しさの雫 and Lump of Affection. Give them a chance and you may find a song or two that you like out of the new ones, if not all. Kimi's personal favorites out of the new ones: Nitro, with a desperado feel, and bonus track SE, which apparently serves as a vehicle for TAKUYA to show off his synthesizer skills.

Oh, and out of the songs that aren't new? D-tecnoLife, Just Melody, and AI TA心 (a B-side from the first single) have gotten revamped versions on this album. The latter one doesn't sound particularly different from the original, but just Melody (Album Version) has a longer opening and changed some parts of the bridge melody for a gorgeous effect, and D-tecnoLife (Album Version) has an introduction recorded from a life and a rearranged opening, with some lesser changes to the melody. At the very least, these latter two are worth the listen.

BoA is one I'm not overly fond of. I don't hate her, but I don't particularly go for her songs. I think this review is included here out of a sense of twisted obligation because she's a mainstream artist.

Read most reviews of BoA's 2005-2006 releases, this album included, and you'll find they're not very approving. I guess it goes with the whole "she's grown up and trying to change her image" thing. As for me? DO THE MOTION and 抱きしめる grew on me after a while and that's it (there's a reason I left out a review of Everlasting earlier).

With this album, I gave it a once-through. And then another one. And then another one. While I tend to favor upbeat songs, none of the new ones on the album hooked me through any of the listens. Which is a bit sad, when you consider just about every new song was upbeat (with the sole exception of First snow - but I didn't like that either.)

Maybe it's just my general dislike for BoA speaking here. Perhaps some of you BoA fans will enjoy this. But personally, if she's going for a different image, I think she could do much better than this.

HOME MADE 家族's musication was easily the single most anticipated album for me this week, after a run of great singles. Don't let the mellow opening Journey in 2 H.M.K.U. fool you - musication is FUNKY 20X8 (bad pun reference, I know, but it's true). Whether it's the upbeat hip-hop fun of music & communication, the quirky folk atmosphere of Take It Easy, the fast Latino-beat and enticing rapping of KURO and MICRO in Shall We 乱舞!? (Shall we burei!? - a funky pun in the style of ORANGE RANGE), or the laid-back feel of いつもいつでも... on all counts, the album has a definite variety and a major improvement over prior album ROCK THE WORLD. Now if HMK can continue to keep up this sort of quality, they'll be standing out for more than just the Bleach ending in J-Hip-Hop.

I honestly don't know how many were looking forward to TRF's first album release in several years. JPop classic fans might've been. I remember loving BOY MEETS GIRL when I first heard it (some 7/8 years after it was first released).

That said, I'll admit it. I'm superficial and think the members of TRF look old and ugly (choreographers or otherwise) and I honestly wouldn't have gone for this album had it not been for the second disk - current artists covering TRF hits. Like CRAZY GONNA CRAZY -meets AAA-.

...Okay, fine. So that song was the sole reason I got the album. It's a worthy cause. The cover rocks. Though I've never heard the original. (There should've been a cover of BOY MEETS GIRL on there.)

AAA's like a next generation version of TRF anyways. So there. XP

That said, part of the major influence behind TRF was Komuro Tetsuya - it's not Tetsuya Komuro Rave Factory for nothing. He's not working with them now (unless you count his wife KEIKO covering EZ do Dance), so I suppose it was somewhat interesting to see the direction they've headed in.

But first, on the covers. T.M.Revolution is now apparently part of the avex stable as well as SONY MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT - at the very least, he's also performing a cover here and he was included in one of avex's compilation albums. Regardless, he's here covering a song along with BoA, Hamasaki Ayumi, 倖田來未, Tomiko Van, and others. Like AAA. *squee* The music for the songs have apparently all been remixed (at least, I don't remember survival dAnce ~no no cry more~ sounding like BoA's cover does) to work with each singer's vocals. (Such as TMR's cover having more of a rock sound.)

The actual songs by TRF themselves aren't anything special. They're danceable and upbeat, true to TRF style, but they also lack the classic Komuro synth-rave that helped make the group what they are. It's a great restart for a classic group, particularly if they're trying to remake themsleves, but hopefully they'll be able to make something more unique in the future.

As an AAA fan, the Valentine's week was great. But in terms of general releases, HOME MADE KAZOKU was the only one who really satisfied.

Whoa.

So the Oricon Daily Charts for Wednesday came out, and practically the first thing I see is Koda-Utada bashing. Hikki fans don't like Kodaku for ranking #2, Kodaku fans bash Hikki's new single, etc.

And of course, the fans in between get riled up about that because they like both artists and get insulted either way.

Honestly, if you ask me, I'm not much of a fan of both 宇多田ヒカル and 倖田來未. They both have their hits (Most recently Passion and No Regret respectively) and misses (a good majority of their releases) for me.

I'm not going to be a blatant idiot who cries, "Why can't we all just get along?" I know better than that - this sort of competition is how the artists in question get pushed to the top.

Frankly, because of the damned argument and bashing, I'm glad SEASON'S CALL was number 1. I'd be even happier if IT'S IN THE STARS had beaten both divas, but I'll take the #4 I can get. (Amusing, w-inds. fans are taking this whole thing in stride. "It'd be great if they ranked higher, but they're against HYDE, Koda, and Utada. Ranking #4 is awesome enough as it is." I love my actual fandom. Kimi's a diva-fan-poseur. XDD)

Drama-mocking aside, is it so hard to ask for all things given to be taken in perspective?

Actually, overseas hardcore Koda fans have gotten pretty damned riled up and argumentative lately. With the sudden shooting of their diva to the top, I guess they've decided they have a right to be elitist? (Though how many of you want to bet 95% discovered her when the rest of us did, with real Emotion/1000の言葉?)

Utada's been hitting the top of the charts since her debut, she's got reason to stay around there. Even if I don't particularly like the song (speaking of which, I haven't listened to Keep Tryin' at all yet), I can understand what others see in her. She writes and composes her own songs - and has been doing so since her debut, I believe - that's got to be admired and applauded.

Meanwhile, prior to writing the lyrics to Butterfly (or around that time), Koda didn't have much of a hand in her songs other than singing them.

On the other hand, Koda's got a strong voice and equal potential. I don't particularly like her image change into eroticism, but she's got the body for it and she can work up the naughty attitude. By all means, go ahead. It works a lot better than 安室奈美恵's attempts at it (though part of that is the lingering effects of Amuro's "teen idol" image), and it allows her to carve a niche in a market of clones. She's worked and built up her success in the current market over the narrow course of 1.5 years, so she's obviously doing something right and selling something interesting to the market.

Ayu? Utada? Amuro? They've all been in the market for longer than Koda has. Of course you're going to hear rumors of displeasure between the new blood and the reigning queen. How about being the bigger person and letting it slide instead of picking on it? You don't see the Japanese fans overhyping it, do you?

Speaking of which - let's clarify one thing again. The elitist bitching fans? Yeah, you're all overseas. You've got little say in their rankings on the Oricon charts. Be proud for the artist you're a fan of, but please don't get it into your heads that you're really all that important when you're just another face in a crowd. Hopefully that'll bring down the "ZOMG I R WINNER U NOT CUZ I LIKE THIS ARTIST N S/HEZ SOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH BETTAR HAH" ego balloon so many of you seem to have (though I doubt you're reading this).

I mean, you have artists/groups like m.o.v.e and m-flo, or Heartsdales and BENNIE K, who could pretty much be considered rivals. But yet their fandoms give the other fair treatment - is it because image isn't as important as the music for them? If that's the case, dress all the divas in trash bags and give 'em better music, if only because I want to see the outcome. (And if it works, I claim credit for JPop peace. 8D)

Going back to the w-inds. point... I'm only starting to scratch the surface of the Johnny's empire and it scares me deeply. XDD I worry about when I finally get into the world of Korean boybands like 東方神起/DBSK or Super Junior.

But that's another thing that confuses me. Half of the wFL fandom (as far as I've seen) seems to have a deep-rooted disliking for Johnny's boybands. But Korean boybands are okay? Run&Gun is okay? (Johnny's fans are apparently fine with other boybands. So we won't say anything about them.)

How the hell do you expect to be a fan of Japanese pop but not expect to run across a Johnny's group (any Johnny's group) sooner or later? Arashi seems to be in their prime right now, but NEWS and KAT-TUN aren't far behind. (Never mind タッキー＆翼, KinKi Kids, SMAP, or V6 for the moment.)

On the other hand, Flame has just about died out, we don't hear anything from indies-boy KYOHEI these days, Lead is still growing into a definite image. w-inds. against the Johnny's empire and winning?

Not just yet.

Of course, Japan could always use more boybands. Look at all the girl groups there are - morning musume, SweetS, Dream, berryz koubou, Harenchi Punch, Perfume, SEED, Bishoujo Club 31, AKB48, PARADISE GO!!GO!!, and more. You don't see their fans bitching against each other.

And who knows, maybe if we toss more pretty boys at the fangirls, they'll be distracted enough to stop the ridiculous fighting.

If only the same tactics worked with diva fandom.

The February 1st release week wasn't all that noteworthy. (To me. Those of you who actually read this and care that I leave out heaps of artists - I'm only bothering to get the mainstream basics and my personal favorites. So when I'm talking about the state of release weeks, it's in relation to me.)

Thankfully, the February 8th week made up for it. Barely. 8O

To start off, 倖田來未's two singles for these two weeks - 今すぐ欲しい and KAMEN feat. 石井竜也 on the 1st and 8th respectively (the former being the only one I noted for the 02/01 week).

Apparently 今すぐ欲しい was banned in Korea for explicit lyrics? *laughs* At her LJ fan community, I've been seeing a lot of praise for Kodaku and bashing at 安室奈美恵 because she doesn't receive as much flak for the slut image. Except Amuro's still got the "teen idol" image

This song is, well, mellow. It's not particularly seductive - and neither are Koda's vocals - and unless you understood Japanese, read a translation of the lyrics, or were paying attention to the rap... Quite frankly, you really wouldn't be able to tell this song is explicitly about that particular act. The most intriguing part about this song is probably Koda's rap - the lyrics written by Jewels of Heartsdales, the sound completely reminiscent of 浜崎あゆみ in Paper Doll. It's an interesting sound for Koda, but not one she ought to be sticking with anytime soon.

石井竜也 is probably best known mainstream for having sung one of the outro themes to Kidou Senshi Gundam SEED, RIVER. KAMEN feat. 石井竜也 is even more mellow than the previous song, with the air of an oldies love song. Ishii's got a smooth voice, albeit very wavering, and makes a fairly good combination with Koda - though she ultimately comes out as stronger and clearer between the two vocalists. It's not to my taste, but then again, if I wanted an oldies love song, I'd turn on the radio to the local Lite.FM station.

While we're on the subject of bland, ベスト オブ ヒーロー (BEST OF HERO) was released on the 02/08 week as well. We're not even going to get into the B-side Cuz You'll Know that You're Right, because I just deleted that one after the first few seconds. So back to BOH.

On the plus side, it's upbeat pop, like 倉木麻衣's earlier single ダンシング. On the downside, it's nothing too striking unless you're a fan of Mai-K. Uplifting, it's a fitting theme for ガチバカ! (Gachibaka!), the drama it's a theme song to. But I prefer the other one (that comes next week).

Okay, let's go to someone with a bigger impact. A much bigger impact. ARE YOU READY? フォー! レイザーラモンHG (Razor Ramon HG), hit Japanese comedian known for his pelvic thrusting, released his first single this particular week (do note that all references from here on out to "this week" means the 02/08 week), a cover of Y.M.C.A. by Village People - YOUNG MAN

Sumitani (HG) has a very powerful voice - while his singing abilities aren't above average, it's got a certain strength that makes it work. Must be all the "FOO"-ing he does. *laughs* At any rate, Y.M.C.A. has always been a fun song, and covers - in any language - are no exception. Sumitani's random interjections of "FOO" rather help cement the song as his cover, along with being highly amusing.

There are two remixes of the song included with the single. YOUNG MAN - VENUS FLY TRAPP HB MIX and YOUNG MAN - ADULT TRANCE MIX. The former puts us through various beats and childish giggling before leading into a synth-mixed version of the song. The latter throws trance at us straight from the beginning, but still keeps the general melody of the original song and adds a bit of additional dialogue from HG (Kimi has the nagging feeling that he rerecorded the whole thing for this particular mix. But who knows?).

Overall it's a fun single, fitting with his image. Not anything special, but if you like Y.M.C.A. or Hard Gay (though for the life of Kimi I can't see how anyone wouldn't), go for it.

Moving on (unfortunately)... Most anticipated singles of the week? Kirakuni, 振り向けば…, and Fantastic.

Crystal Kay is apparently e-mail buddies with 松浦亜弥 (or so Utawara Hot Hit 10 got her to verify, and they both turn 20 this year. O_o Not that it's anything important, but it got mentioned prior to her performance of Kirakuni on the show.

Kuri's latest, in the form of a PV rip, had been running on the Internets for practically a month prior to its release, though not without reason. Her vocals are heavily backed but still sounding beautiful in this R&B song with a dance beat and some ethnic instrumental touches. The lyrics are mostly in English and easy to relate to with a very catchy hook. It's a bit repetitive after too many listens, but how many depends on the listener.

The second A-side, Together starts off slow, then builds up by way of Kuri's vocals into the stronger, upbeat chorus. The music is layered, yet minimalist - I love how the beats, piano, and flute combine to form the melody, though I don't particularly like the synthesized scrolling sound. Kuri's singing is what really makes this song, and while it's not particularly bad, it makes less of a first impression than the above song does.

The B-side here is a remix of Crystal Kay's hit single from last year, 恋におちたら kut Remix. 恋におちたら being the single. It starts off with your basic remix chord and throws in some light synth notes with heavy beats, but it's not particularly danceable or interesting, and Kuri's vocals don't sound as nice with it.

Of course, at the time of this writing, her album's out, so who cares about the single? 8D

Janne Da Arc's last release that truly interested me was easily 月光花. I raved about their JOKER album, yes, but all the same, the only track that stuck with me was 月光花.

振り向けば… is another mournful pop-rock song in the style of Gekkouka, though slightly more upbeat. There's nothing bad that I can say about it - Yasu's vocals work well, the music is a nice blend of rock and classic strings/piano, and the melody's not bad. It's still nothing outstanding. The other A-side, [track artist=Janne Da Arc]Destination is harder, faster, generally more chaotic, and definitely rock. The music easily overpowers Yasu' vocals, though.

鈴木亜美's latest with avex goes off the ballad route and heads back to the techno-dance. Let's start off by saying that I love the music to Fantastic. The only avex!Amigo track with music and a melody I might like more than this one is AROUND THE WORLD.

Unfortunately, Amigo's vocals seem more than bit strained when reaching the higher notes in this song. It works great when she stays low, but sounds like she has problems with raising the pitch and goes a bit nasal. Great trance piece, mediocre Amigo piece.

スローモーション heads back into the ballad territory, as a slow pop song. Again, the greatest problem is Amigo's vocals - it's not particularly noticable until the chorus thanks to the slow nature of the song, allowing her to buildup. But the jump in pitches is striking in the chorus and not particularly pleasant to the ears. Shame, because the music is, again, great.

Lastly, the two artists Kimi's got an interest in despite the minimal fandom. SOUL'd OUT, who released TOKYO通信~Urbs Communication~, and 北出菜奈, who released SLAVE of KISS. The opening to the former gave me so much hope...

Alas, despite the awesomeness of previous single ALIVE or whatever the synth melody or even Diggy-MO's opening rap may bely... this track's an acquired taste if only because of the chorus feeling forced and unnatural. The hook, a standard selling point with SO-Cru songs, isn't catchy in the least. It's in the typical SO style, but definitely not one I'd highly recommend.

The B-side, Betrayed Tha Sun, isn't any better. At best, it's undecided between being a jazz, rock, or hip-hop song. At worst, it hurts the head far too much to be worth the full 6-and-a-half minutes it runs.

I fear for their upcoming album. At least the singles on To All Tha Dreamers were good. The only good one for ALIVE is its namesake single.

On the other end of the spectrum (female, pop-rock, and in her teens) is 北出菜奈. SLAVE of KISS is apparently a Valentine's tribute, all the songs containing "Kiss" in their titles.

Unfortunately, I'm inclined to think that Kitade (or her producers) may have sacrificed quality for quantity in this 4-song "single". The only noteworthy songs are KISS or KISS (English version) and Sweet frozen kiss - the former because it's in English from an artist who, as far as we know, isn't especially fluent in English; the latter because it's a slow song that lacks any traces of rock, something that's pretty much gone hand-in-hand with Kitade.

Please don't get me wrong, it's not that the songs suck. Not in the least. They're decent songs coming from Kitade. Decent songs even if one ignores the presence of Kitade. The problem is that Kitade also has a very unique voice that doesn't go well with pop - and all the songs lean heavily towards the pop side.

All-in-all, this week wasn't bad - next week, though, turns out better.

The last release week of January sent the whole lot at J-music fans. The most anticipated release? Easily REDEMPTION, which will also be the theme song for the upcoming FF7AC tie-in game Dirge of Cerebus. His first single since DIABOLOS is a goth-rock affair, with two solid songs that are great listening. The only disconcerting thing would be the sudden interjection of synth organ horror ride music in LONGING, but it's easily overlooked.

Other hyped releases this particular week included No Regret (the 8th in 倖田來未's 12-single lineup and a non-limited one). The second opening song to animation うえきの法則 (Ueki no Housoku) and replacing Falco -ファルコ-, it's dramatic upbeat pop nature screams "anime theme" from the beginning.

On the other hand, it's one of the few singles in Kodaku's series that I actually remember, since I rather like Ueki and it's reminiscent of her older single Crazy 4 U. (Summarily, I quickly dismissed Rain (Unplugged version), so let's not go into it.)

Hyped to a lesser extent were 冬 gonna love ♥ and Just Melody.

It'd be no exaggeration to say Heartsdales has strayed from their R&B beginnings deep into pop. At the same time, it seems to have gotten them more sales along with a definitive sound. 冬 gonna love ♥ is synth pop with the usual Heartsdales combination of Rum singing/rapping and Jewels rapping. It's fairly hard to say much of anything about Heartsdales' releases without sounding like a broken audio player.

On the bright side, UVERworld's distinctive pop-rock is keeping them going strong, each single better than the one before. Just Melody lives up to its name, with a nice melody and some good delivery by TAKUYA. I rather love the opening. Revolve didn't particularly strike me, particularly since TAKUYA's vocals seem to be dueling it out with the music to be heard, but I've seen fans that rave about it.

There's also a remix of their debut hit single, D-tecnoLife. Ladies and gentlemen, this is D-tecnoLife (RYUKYUDISKO MIX). ORANGE RANGE fans will probably recognize the Ryukyudisko name, though the group's worked with m-flo, amongst others. It's an interesting piece, beats taking precedence over guitars and a shamisen thrown in for good measure.

On the fanbase side is Hold on to love, m.o.v.e - GRID, and 三浦大知 - D-ROCK with U.

It's fairly hard to believe 嘉陽愛子 (Kayou Aiko) is 20 (disregard the fact that she turned 20 in December last year, she's still 20). In comparison to artists like Crystal Kay, she still has a fairly childish image - and she's not even part of Hello!Project, like 松浦亜弥 (Matsuura Aya). Part of her charm is that childish image, though - it goes well with her vocals. (I still wonder what つんく♂ was thinking when Kayou got left out of 5th gen.)

Hold on to love is a decent slow pop song, albeit generic. (To me, it emanates an aura of pink, though the CD cover and PV played quite a part in that.) Kayou brings out her mature vocals for this song, switching into the cutesy side only for the hook and when reaching higher parts of the choruses.

The B-side, Callin'～僕を呼ぶ声～ is a very anime-style affair, with upbeat music and the generic melodies and guitar chords to match. While it's not a bad song, and very fitting for Kayou's vocals, it also doesn't stand out as anything special, as compared to こころの惑星~Little planets~, which was actually an anime theme.

Overall though, it leaves me worried for Kayou's upcoming album if the single right before it is so bland.

m.o.v.e popped up again in late September 2005 after being unheard from for 8 months with a name change and a return to electrobeat in musical style. For some fans (like me), it took a while to get used to the change - while being equivalent to the course of the 4 singles they released in the 4 months leading up from their return to this album.

GRID is even more of a change. Rather than being the typical Move style of focusing on a particular genre of music, the songs are a fusion of various styles, evident from the first stanzas of FADED ～色褪せたアルバム (which is a mix of hip-hop, dramatic orchestral, and rock). The fusion experiment continues throughout the course of the album, from tracks like Disinfected Generation (pop-rock with a tropical beat to the stanzas) to Misha (Skit) (full synth orchestra piece that's reminiscent of gaming music from the Super Nintendo days), to White Fox (slow jam ridden with electronika touches).

Somewhat of a boon is that most of the tracks from the 4 singles preceding this album are included (with the exception of The Longest Movie), making it easier to get used to m.o.v.e's new sound. Unless you didn't particularly listen to or like those tracks.

My favorite tracks for this album remain the ones from the singles. Specifically SAIL AWAY (a nice throwback to old-school Move trance) and FREAKY PLANET (techno-eurobeat mixed with rock). Fairly strange given I didn't have much liking for them at first, but in comparison to the rest of the album... well, that may give you an idea of how the album is.

Of note may be 山岡晃 (renowned for the Silent Hill soundtracks) popping up for a remix of FREAKY PLANET, FREAKY PLANET -rosy mix-. It's nothing particularly enjoyable to me, but I'm not the biggest fan of remixes.

The surprise hit of the week? Undoubtedly (with the exception of his fans) 三浦大知 - D-ROCK with U.

三浦大知 (Miura Daichi) has a powerful singing voice. Japan has acknowledged that since he was 9. The boy is now 18. And while puberty hasn't been so kind as to make him like the pretty boy of many an East Asian boyband, he sings and dances a hell of a lot better than any of them.

Daichi's vocals carry the entire album, backed by R&B of various styles. Some tracks have a dance beat, others have a dramatic atmosphere thanks to the help of additional genres (be it rock, techno, or orchestral), and yet others aren't meant for anything in particular but good listening. All do their job well.

At this point, we no doubt realize Kimi is biased. That's okay. Give him a chance, listen to the songs. His voice is smooth, his control excellent. The music always a perfect showcase, but standing out to catch the listener on its own. I could go on praising this album, but what are you doing still reading? Go already! Wake up and hear the Daichi!