Best Album Track
5. Ami Suzuki – Bitter…
I think everyone would agree that Bitter… was a surprising promotional track. It isn’t like the two singles and the mix of ballad and dance really helped it out. I guess I shouldn’t be bragging that Bitter… is one of Ami smoothest songs.
4. Ai Otsuka – Shachihata
Ai even though the album to me is an initial bust, Shachihata is one of my favorite random Ai songs. Not only is there one word sung twice the rest of the song is under scat singing. Ai also sounds really good and mature, and possibly the most deepest she’s done altogether.
3. Utada Hikaru – Fight The Blues
The first track off of Hikki’s album really set the mood of the album and with Fight The Blues, comes great imagery. Putting those two thoughts into mind really what made FTB on of Hikki’s album openers.
2. Ayumi Hamasaki – Marionette
Ayu really brought her game with Marionette, one of the 3 promotional tracks off the album. There really hasn’t been a scary/gothic rock tracks since her angsty “Because of You” and was this one powerful track or what?
1. Aira Mitsuki – GALAXY BOY
Aira really showed what J-tek was all about with the song. Terukado with his superb futuristic sound and Aira lispy vocals worked really well and with how awesome both songs turned out. Beat out the previous 2 singles.
Worst Album Track
5. Ayumi Hamasaki – GUILTY
Ayu and title tracks usually never work out and the title track for “GUILTY” was continuing this legacy of bad title tracks. I didn’t think it had enough focus and interest to keep it interesting. It’s definitly one of the icky songs.
4. Koda Kumi – Wonderland
In an album of strangeness, nothing beats Kumi’s Wonderland track. It was way sugary and cute especially for an artist like herself to present on an album no less. I really despised this song for sure.
3. BoA – BRAVE
BoA really failed by having this unforgiving track. Everything just seemed messy and BoA didn’t help by singing in it either. Yeesh, BoA BRAVE is and will be one of her worst endeavors on an album.
2. Tsukiko Amano – Primal Scream
Tsukiko really killed me interest with the falsely titled Primal Scream what I thought was an aggressive dark rock tune was in fact a boring ballad. I wish she didn’t screw us over with such a faily track.
1. MELL – repeat
Weird, an old track first appearing as a track on her debut album. This one of three tracks that I couldn’t stand. repeat is bad because MELL didn’t sing with the tune and acted really off and crappy. Add in the love/hate vocals which this time were on the hate side made it so much worse.
Best Album Cover
5. Koda Kumi – Kingdom
Yep, there’s so much gold here that you know it’s a good cover. I personally love the cover for Kingdom with Kumi being queen bitch and all that. The cards are a little random, but other than that great cover.
4. Saori@destiny – JAPANESE CHAOS
How crazy is that Saori mixed traditional looks with vivid colors? Chaotic is a great way to describe the cover for Saori’s debut. We see her in a kimono and carrying a parasol like traditional Japanese people do and then splashed on neon colors to add freshness and some shock value to it. I love it.
3. Ami Suzuki – DOLCE
DOLCE’s cover is definitly pink. It is a little creepy that Ami looks like a 5 year old trying to be innocent and sipping pink juice. I do love the mirrors adding more of a mind trick to the viewer.
2. Sound Horizon – Moira
I also really liked Sound Horizon’s cover for Moira. Even though REVO is never on them anyway, this one just looked like something pulled from an RPG. The whole of the past is nice and OMG fairies FTW
1. Perfume – GAME
Yep, nothing like the leading ladies of J-tek wielding huge lightsabers for our viewing pleasure. I love the girls poses with the lightsabers and the black/blue look totally fits the J-tek sound.
Worst Album Covers
5. Crystal Kay – Color Change!
Kicking off the worst is definitly Crystal Kay’s album cover. I mean it just seemed really low budget for a cover you know? It’s can also be blamed on the ew text they used for “Color Change!” Just poor if you ask me.
4. Mika Nakashima – VOICE
Mika’s covers for this era has been really saddening, except for “LIFE” and “ORION”. VOICE didn’t help the cause because Mika looks almost demonic. If she’s wearing makeup than this failed even more than normal. I’ll stick with her past covers.
3. MEG – STEP
MEG’s covers aren’t usually good, except for a certain few, but STEP definitly took literal sense into the cover shot. MEG posing on a 3 step object. I wished it was a little more fantastically made but ehh.
2. misono – Sei ~say~
misono took creepy to a new level with her sophomore album cover. I mean misono put some damn clothes on please!!!. Even the pictures in the album were just as freaky and suggestive as ever. The line breaking through the nipplez area was definitly shocking nonetheless.
1. Tsukiko Amano – ZERO
So Tsukiko always have great album covers. Look at her last two album covers, they were amazing and out of this world. Her final album was the biggest disappointment in the covers department. It’s empty and just has the title and album name….Worst ever!
Best Albums of the Year
5. Ami Suzuki – Supreme Show
Supreme Show is one of 2 Nakata albums that made the best of this year. Ami really showed a more sexy side to J-tek with this release and with the singles leading up to this, this was definitly anticipated with high regards. Great album!
4. HIGH and MIGHTY COLOR – ROCK PIT
I think one of the biggest surprises of the year is that ROCK PIT was an actually great album for HandMC…Sad it’s the last one with Maaki, ROCK PIT was definitly in more control than “San” ever was. Songs like “EARTH”, “Rosier”, and “HINATA” really took them to new heights.
3. Sound Horizon – Moira
Including a wide variety of styles, Sound Horizon also managed to tell a story throughout the entire album. Moira is also part of a bigger story with the other singles/albums. Even to the point that Oricon calls it the best album they heard. Wow! I agree this album was da shitz!
2. Perfume – GAME
Perfume, this was definitly their year. GAME has the biggest songs of the year mixed in with even better new songs giving a great J-tek album and the first of the year. I honestly think this’ll stand the test of time and interest people in the future with their sound.
1. Utada Hikaru – HEART STATION
Yep, in all honesty Hikki’s HEART STATION album was the first album that I liked all of the songs equally in the first listen. From the good-messaging sounds of “Fight The Blues” to the original “Flavor Of Life”, Hikki really surprised me and I hope this album continues to get huger!
Worst Albums of the Year
5. Ai Otsuka – LOVE LETTER
Honestly, this was one of my many dissapointments this year. After the great album, “LOVE PiECE”, I was hoping to have a good album was this one. Sadly one a few songs stood out and the rest was just not memorable enough to harken another full listen.
4. Leah Dizon – Communication!!!
Leah’s 2nd album, was just very off for me. I’m not sure why it was so, but Communication!!! was a ver forgetful album and a step down from her debut. Still, how do you go on pronouncing “BxKxRxxx”?
3. Morning Musume – COVER YOU
I usually like MM’s albums but their cover album was just icky. None of the songs stood out except the preceding single “Pepper Keibu” and “UFO”. Other than that, this album was just boring and too safe with the remakes. Need more pizzazz.
2. Momoi Haruko – Sunday early Morning
Yikes, this album was full of issues brought upon Momoi’s way too cutesy seiyuu voice. Even my favorite song off the album “Lumica” was seiyuu pitched. She needs to sing in a more mature tone than kill the songs arrangement with her bad vocals.
1. Hitomi Shimatani – Flare
Flare took worst album of the year because Hitomi truthfully had three memorable tracks, Neva Eva, Shinku, and Taiyou no Flare. Everything else was amazingly weak of her and c’mon her past albums 1-ups this album in everyway….Filler album practically.
Best Mini-Album
HANGRY & ANGRY – Kill Me Kiss Me
I wasn’t having high hopes for their debut mini, but Kill Me Kiss Me won me over with their gothic punk style kind of music and every track was pretty good and full of energy.
Worst Mini-Album
SAWA – COLORS
SAWA’s debut mini-album was musically and vocally bad. The promotional track pretty much summed up what the album would sound like. Very bland and SAWA sucks at singing, luckily she fixed it up with her 2nd mini-album
