Ami Suzuki – can’t stop the DISCO September 21, 2008

Track Listing

1. can’t stop the DISCO
2. climb up to the top
3. SUPER MUSIC MAKER (SA’08S/A mix)

1. can’t stop the DISCO

This song has to be the cleanest made Nakata track with it’s more simplistic view.  I always love her deeper voice since it fits perfectly with the vocoder unlike MEG LOL.  Adding two minutes from the PV version, I was pleasantly surprised at how classy this song can be.  The chorus can be a little awkward but it makes up with that synth line right after.  Oh yea the ending is so friggin awesome!  I’m so jealous. Intrestingly, in the song she says ~In my arms~ now why do I single that line out because it’s a pure homage to Kylie Minogue because the PV is modeled very similar too her video “In My Arms” see the similarity?

2. climb up to the top

Again, Nakata has done another aggressive track.  This time though we get to hear a new side to Ami I haven’t heard of in her entire career.  Oh yea, its led immediatly from the end of “can’t stop the DISCO”.  So she comes in screaming.  I’m not sure what to think of it.  Like her yelling can be quite out of tune and purely annoying but it does accent the song to be in your face.  Then again like “edge” it’s pretty repetitive as lyrics go and well w/e.  Though she’s very Engrish in sound which is to me pretty fail.  Then about before the 5 min. mark the song gets all cute and synth happy.  Other than that, this was a pretty good aggressive B-side for Ami-go.

3. SUPER MUSIC MAKER (SA’08S/A mix)

When I saw this track, I was like WTF why didn’t “FREE FREE” get the same treatment?  Really I think this is definitly better than the original IMO.  Takes the original and gave it a more subdued pop sound to it.  It’s got a nice beat and doesn’t sound so out of place and freaky.  I don’t know is she redid her vocals or what but they also sound a bit more clearer.  Seems like she added some new lyrics as well which was pretty fitting.  Way to go!

 

 

Ami-go….I love where she’s going now and this single is actually the same with ”ONE”.  can’t stop the DISCO is pretty funky and to see where it came from 1st being on a Mister Donuts CM which is only like what 30 secs?  So to hear a full version is awesome.  climb up to the top fills the aggressive gap and really showed that Ami can yell?  OK maybe that’s not good, but wow it was a new thing.  The remix ended up being my favorite off the single beating the original fully.  Now I wish for a “FREE FREE” remix. Very awesome single and def nice to know that all the songs are on the upcoming album

 

abingdon boys school – BLADE CHORD September 21, 2008

Track Listing

1. BLADE CHORD
2. Desert Rose

1. BLADE CHORD

Definitly a pretty epic way to start with sounds you’d hear when you see a samurai hence the cover.  Takanori is once again the driving force with the song and everyone playing as strong as powerful.  There’s a little rapping section that covers the bridge and that pumped me up.  Still carrying the fuel from the last album, it’s pretty good for an A-side!

2. Desert Rose

Am I supposed to remember this track?  I mean it’s alright but it just isn’t as mind-numbing as “BLADE CHORD”.  It’s basically in English and has some pretty depressing lyrics.  ~I’m a criminal~.  Sadly, Takanori and his vibrato disrupt the pronunciation of some words and got me lost.   Try to make sense next time

 

 

So the new era starts off with a bang as BLADE CHORD represented to power this band can take while the B-side shows off that the lyrics are pretty important as well.  As I’m reviewing this, I’m thinking where the hell did they go they haven’t released anything since except a live DVD which didn’t include an new material.  So I’m waiting for their return.

m.o.v.e – BLAZIN’ BEAT September 21, 2008

Track Listing

1. Blazin’ Beat
2. singin’ 4 U
3. BREAK IN2 THE NITE (Reactor Edit)
4. Blazin’ Beat (a breath of yan MIX)
5. singin’ 4 U (DJ FLOWER ROCK”LOW LIFTING DUB”)
6. Blazin’ Beat (DJ FLOWER ROCK mix)
7. Blazin’ Beat (a breath of yin MIX)
8. singin’ 4 U (STRAIGHT HOUSE mix)
9. Blazin’ Beat (TV MIX)
10. singin 4 U (TV MIX)

1. Blazin’ Beat

For being the 3rd single for this era, it was pretty weird.  I was pretty much disappointed in this too.  It lacked any response with me.  There was nothing interesting or was any power in it.  I remember the PV where people say some titties in it.  I was like what a dirty PV this is.  This has to be the weakest A-side I’ve heard in the era.

2. singin’ 4 U

Jazz takes over for this B-side.  It’s funky smooth and the beat just fits the mood.  I still think it’s a bit boring for track, but I notice that they are roaming for new styles which I adore about them.  So it being a smooth R&B/jazz fusion track I think it did its job alright and motsu sounds pretty monotone lol

 

 

Hmmmm…I think I would rather go back and fully listen to “platinum” again.  This single just didn’t cut it for me and is the worst one in this era.  Even though like I said, they are everchanging genres all the time so it’s a nice start.

Kana – Anzen Pin September 21, 2008

Track Listing

1. Anzen Pin
2. Puppy-chan
3. Suna-Arashi
4. Uka -Kokoro Shiki-

1. Anzen Pin

Anzen Pin to me sounds like an anime opener for some reason.  Kana doesn’t sound ultimately bad, but that’s just because the music is calling for some softer vocals.  There’s not much to it really, but it’s dark.  I found this to be her strongest A-side since “Hebi-Ichigo”

2. Puppy-chan

Man, she’s on a roll.  Puppy-chan is actually the first upbeat cute song she’s done and it actually works fully.  She sounds like a young girl having some cute moments before she goes into her mature sound which would be the bridge.  Then the chorus comes by and it sounds like she’s lost her ~Puppy-chan~.  Definitly one of my favorite tracks from Kana surprisingly.

3. Suna-Arashi

When theat fun-fest ends we gets this very absent-sound track.  It’s kind of weird.  Then she starts to sing and sounds a little bit like Koda Kumi before she gets onto her medium sounds.  There’s something mysterious about this song and I kind of like it.  The chorus is also very strange and mysterious….it’s pretty cool.

4. Uka -Kokoro Shiki-

This would have to be my least favorite track of the single.  I mean there’s some interesting background sounds like bugs and other things you would hear in a forest, however…It’s destroyed by Kana’s creaky voice.  I guess its a haunted track, but this works for being a creepy track.

 

 

Kana’s final single is the best she’s released.  She doesn’t sound bad in the first three.  Anzen Pin was rocking and definitly makes a great addition to “Kikai-teki Ningen”.  Puppy-chan is just so cute and made me love that song bad.  Suna-Arashi is definitly something else and very eerie.  Uka is musically nice but just fails with Kana.  When I say final single I mean it.  She goes on to release Kikai and 3 other albums so it’s kind of sad really.

Ai Otsuka – Neko ni Fuusen September 21, 2008

Track Listing

1. Neko ni Fuusen
2. Natsuzora
3. Neko ni Fuusen (Instrumental)
4. Natsuzora (Instrumental)

1. Neko ni Fuusen

Taking a more acoustic drive for her next A-side.  Neko ni Fuusen, is a pretty basic track which sadly doesn’t stick out to me.  I thought the random synth was pretty weird.  Things doesn’t get going until the chorus comes forth and even then I was kinda bored with it.  It’s a laidback track though which I’ll give cred to since the previous single was bomb to me.

2. Natsuzora

Wow, even then her B-sides never fail to impress me.  There’s some interesting japanese sounds and a very calm atmosphere to it.  I would call it enka but I’d be lying to myself.  It’s just a nice nod to the classic music Japan had.  Perhaps, Japanese folk?   Ai sounds pretty calm as well giving much needed support.  A very beautiful track.

 

 

Ai’s 2nd single for “LOVE COOK” came to me as a wide falloff from what she did in “SMILY/Biidama”  I guess it was meant to compliment it.  Neko ni Fuusen was an alright track but it failed to impress like she’s had in the past.  Though Natsuzora is so beautiful and peaceful with its mix of past and present.  Sucks it isn’t on the final cut.

BoA – LOVE LETTER September 21, 2008

Track Listing

1. LOVE LETTER
2. Diamond Heart
3. Beautiful Flowers
4. LOVE LETTER (Winter Acoustic Version) (First Press Only Edition)
5. LOVE LETTER (Instrumental)
6. Diamond Heart (Instrumental)
7. Beautiful Flowers (Instrumental)

1. LOVE LETTER

For being a winter track, this is pretty good for being one.  Although recently her R&B songs have taken a pretty strong dive into blandness this was pretty nice to hear.  BoA sounds pretty stable in her vocals and doesn’t scream terrible.  There’s some pretty wobbly synths in the chorus and that was nice to hear.  I think this is a pretty great standard pop track.

2. Diamond Heart

So when you speed up “LOVE LETTER” we get this track.  Another sparkly pop track.  I found this to be a very memorable track indeed.  The verses could be a little more fluid and less mechanical.  Other than that the music is very poppy and the chorus shows off her stronger side of sound.  ~laaaaa di yaaaaa~  Ok?

3. Beautiful Flowers

Starts off with a drum roll before some hard violins.  Which were pretty interesting until we’re led into this odd synth happy track.  I found this to be the weakest track off the single because it just sounds too familiar to the other “be happy” tracks.  I kind of wished they left this off “THE FACE” and replaced it with “Bad Drive”.

4. LOVE LETTER (Winter Acoustic Version)

Yea, so we’ll just add some strings and call this an acoustically wintry remix.  I prefer the original, so I guess it’s an alright addition, but they could’ve done a little more to make a remix for LOVE LETTER. 

 

 

BoA’s 2nd single of the era was definitly a good one in mind though half was good and the other half was alright.  She’s another artist who has way too many ballads in entire career.  LOVE LETTER and Diamond Heart were great tracks but Beautiful Flowers was just so typical of her and it was a little on the boring side of things. 

Utada Hikaru – DEEP RIVER September 21, 2008

Track Listing

1. SAKURA Drops
2. traveling
3. Shiawase Ni Narou
4. Deep River
5. Letters
6. Play Ball
7. Tokyo NIGHTS
8. A.S.A.P.
9. Uso Mitai na I Love You
10. FINAL DISTANCE
11. Bridge
12. Hikari

1. SAKURA Drops

Still the fantasy song and placed first on the album, SAKURA Drops is pretty interesting at the least.  Still I kind of found this to be my least favorite A-side of the era.  I do enjoy the acoustic playing with some sparkly beackground sounds.  What was up with the breathing in the verses?  That was strange. 

2. traveling

Jingle bells rule for this very outlandish pop/dance track.  I still find myself lured in te tune with its structure and overall fun that was put into the song.  I still love how she rhymed the bridge and strung across it.  Definitly her funnest song so far in this song. 

3. Shiawase Ni Narou

Starts with a metronome before a piano melody starts playing along with Hikki.  Then it just turns into an R&B track which I knew she was trying to stray away from.  Somehow I didn’t find it particularly memorable.  Just because this sounds like a more boring “Automatic” (prolly is gonna get flamed)

4. Deep River

I usually love her title tracks, but this is her best one so far.  The use of sitar surprises me before it turns into an acoustic track mostly.  It flows pretty majestically throughout and Hikki sounds pretty strong in the vocal area.  It’s a ballad of sorts but there’s a beat to it, but it doesn’t beat out the more memorable one of this era. 

5. Letters

Letters was a far better A-side than “SAKURA Drops” IMO becuase it has a more breezy like sound.  I found this song to be really soothing and very interesting and to be after “Deep River” makes tons of sense and carried the same fascinating dreamy sequence. 

6. Play Ball

When I first heard it, I thought “Addicted To You” with how similar they both start up.  Funny, that this track has a more impressive R&B sound and doesn’t sound boring.  Hikki though made the chorus seemed very compact and difficult.  So I’m on ends with this track.

7. Tokyo NIGHTS

Aggressive strings open this pretty nifty song.  It sounds like she’s combining classical sounds with her R&B tracks.  When I go through this it just seems to fly by fast and only left a small impression.  I remember when she was interviewed she said her father thought this song was like her mothers and I was like 0.o   It’s one of the better new tracks if I remember it more often.

8. A.S.A.P.

Then there’s this track.  It’s like she’s trying to mix some of her newer style with her past style.  It came out kinda of strange and kinda disappointing.  I mean the R&B beats just sounds overbearing to the song.  Hikki is trying hard to be powerful but the beat is just too much for her.  I do like how she sounds even if she’s a little bit thin in the higher areas.

9. Uso Mitai na I Love You

Just like how “Drama” was the rock song, this actually was 10x better.  It’s a bit on the simple side of things, but this was definitly taken a good route.  Piano playing here and there notes and the guitar being the main focus was awesome.  However, the transition into the chorus was so awkward and sounds like “Simple and Clean’s” chorus so I was like this is just freaky.

10. FINAL DISTANCE

Finally, the most beautifully sounding ballad appears here.  With the piano leading this whole track and some variant styings and synths it’s godly almost.  Like I said before, her voice is racked with so much emotion, it’s awesome.  Even though it’s a genre change from “Distance” this was a more appropriate version and it’s the best song of the album.

11. Bridge

Before we enter our last song we get a very interesting interlude that leads into “Hikari”.  Beautifully played violin takes us through the song as there is more synths being added until they fade off quickly.  Somewhat of downer interlude, but it did its job.

12. Hikari

Ok, I don’t know why everyone is praising this as her best work.  I mean yes, it was in Kingdom Hearts but to me this was just another track to me.  I did find it good to put it as the final track with its acoustic sound and light R&B beats.  I just think “Simple and Clean” sounded more fluid though.  Pretty good single though.

Tracks Recommended

• FINAL DISTANCE
• traveling
• Deep River
• Letters
• Tokyo NIGHTS

So this album totally blew me out of the water.  With some very soothing tracks but not entirely letting go with her past.  Other than that, this was her best album so far.  I think the best part of this entire era was the Kiriya PV Trilogy which consisted of “FINAL DISTANCE, SAKURA Drops, and traveling.  Those videos were so magnificent and beautiful to watch.  This era wins of PVs