Shion Tsuji – Summer Flag!/Hanabi ga Agattara February 1, 2016

Track Listing

1. Summer Flag!
2. Hanabi ga Agattara
3. Summer Flag! (Instrumental)
4. Hanabi ga Agattara (Instrumental)

1. Summer Flag!

I was surprised to hear Shion again and her return with something that’s true to her sound and something a bit more lively and suiting for the Summer time.  It also does have a certain anison vibe to it which makes sense as her earlier singles were tied to different animes (though I recall this one doesn’t).  There’s something a little different about her voice though and I think it’s slightly deeper and maybe a smidge more nasally.  This was a nice track though for how long we’ve waited for this…maybe wasn’t a good choice.

2. Hanabi ga Agattara

Unlike it’s sister A-side, Hanabi ga Agattara is a bit more of a serious song that focus a little more on Shion’s vocals which is more familiar to me than the tone she took for “Summer Flag!”.  Despite the fact the melody of the track is nothing totally spectacular and things can be compared to other guitar-ladened singers, it’s not too bad.

 

 

Wow, almost 4 years without a single from Shion Tsuji…talk about a wait (although she did manage a couple digital singles in the last year).  While the single isn’t something to write home about, it’s nothing bad which is definitely a plus.  Still, I just hope we don’t have to wait too long for the next release from her >.<

Shion Tsuji – Ai ga Hoshii yo March 16, 2011

Track Listing

1. Ai ga Hoshii yo
2. Namae mo Shiranai Kimi ni
3. Rain Song -Pianisshion-
4. Ai ga Hoshii yo -SOUL EATER TV SIZE ver.-
5. Ai ga Hoshii yo (Instrumental)

1. Ai ga Hoshii yo

Why does Shion have to sound like YUI and miwa?  It’s so hard to seperate these three artists since they have similar instrumentations for their songs.  Ai ga Hoshii yo sounds good and she sings pretty well in the song, but seriously there’s nothing stopping me from thinking that it could’ve been seriously a song for YUI.  I still think “Candy kicks” is a better song.

2. Namae mo Shiranai Kimi ni

Beginning with the busy tone on phones and Shion’s vocals filtered a bit was interesting and the song comes in smoothly and it oddly does remind me of a more synth based “Candy kicks”.  When I say that, it means it’s light, upbeat, and carefree which are songs that Shion really does excel at.  Her vocals also sounds relatively different than in “Ai ga Hoshii yo” and that works for me since she sounds more husky than normal.  Better track is here.

3. Rain Song -Pianisshion-

Rain Song from Shion’s debut album, “Catch!” gets a piano version and two extra minutes.  I mean don’t get me wrong, making it past 6 minutes is bold and all, but it oddly worked a much better meaning in this one when compared to the original take.  Having just piano might bore some people, but I think she did well since she usually has her guitar with her in her songs.

Starting a new era, Shion began with a quite interesting song with Ai ga Hoshii yo…seeing as it’s tied to SOUL EATER of all animes.  It’s good, but people might mistake her for a more famous someone XD.  Namae no Shiranai Kimi ni and the piano version of Rain Song were a lot more of a presentation since they weren’t that bland and were more memorable.  Hmmm good single!

Shion Tsuji – Catch! May 19, 2010

Track Listing

1. Runaway
2. Candy kicks
3. Hello Goodbye
4. Take me home (Album Version)
5. Popcorn Night
6. Breathe With You
7. Shoudou Jet
8. Sky chord ~Otona ni Naru Kimi e~
9. Colorful
10. M/elody
11. Digital Mode
12. Rain Song
13. Hoshii Mono
14. Chikyuugi ni Kiss (Bonus Track)

1. Runaway

As the first song off the album, Runaway returns us back to something upbeat after a lot of mid-tempo songs throughout the era.  While I don’t know why it was actually chosen to start the album, it does show off the album’s overall feel.  Shion’s vocals aren’t really any more better than it has been but I do enjoy the harder pop/rock sound she’s giving off since she really hasn’t been this exciting since…

2. Candy kicks

Her debut…Candy kicks is still my favorite A-side of the era despite still having some vocal issues that I can’t pass up without slapping my head and say she’s not a great singer.  Unlike “Runaway’s” more rock influenced arrangement, Candy kicks is a bit more light-hearted and oddly enough has a good enough hook to it to keep me happy.  I do say that Shion’s vocals are near YUI’s moreso than usual in this song but I don’t think that’s entirely a bad thing.

3. Hello Goodbye

Yeah….Shion opening the song with her voice all alone is not a pleasant listen at all.  As the music comes in it gets somewhat better, but it’s a mid-tempo song which we had plenty of altogether.  I wish Shion had a better control on her vocals.  I think she should try again before trying this kind of song out like this.

4. Take me home (Album Version)

I clearly didn’t recognize this song because the melody of the song is entirely different from the original version found on “Candy kicks”.  The new version of Take me home sounds a whole lot more complete since the original was just an acoustic track.  Adding more instruments is always a good one and Shion isn’t stressing vocals to unknown levels so that’s another plus.  Good revision here.

5. Popcorn Night

I like the rhythm for our next new track already.  It sounds kind of like another fun song like “Candy kicks” which is always welcome to the album and with Shion talking bout food and stuff, it’s got a nice charm to it.  The chorus adding in brass instruments was a nice touch as well.  It seems the chorus has a weird minor tone to it at the beginning of each stanza during it but I thought that was clever and there to confuse people to make them expect something bigger chord wise.  Interesting little tune.

6. Breathe With You

The opening lines for the song reminded me of Michelle Branch’s “Everywhere” for some reason, but I think it’s the chords the guitar was giving.  To be quite honest it seems boring after those songs and it just doesn’t stand out to me.  It just doesn’t pop out at me for some reason even though Shion is singing alright…

7. Shoudou Jet

Luckily she fixes things up with Shoudou Jet.  Might not be the most exciting song off the album, but it actually does put itself out there quite nicely amongst the song with it’s light nature and Shion isn’t too bad until the chorus where she’s like screaming her notes out and while I disapprove of that, it’s hard to really hate it fully.  Not that bad of a song.

8. Sky chord ~Otona ni Naru Kimi e~

As the most well-known song off the album (being tied to Bleach) Sky chord is a pretty nice a calming tune after coming off the high of “Shoudou Jet”.  Since this was her second A-side and all I thought this was a pretty solid follow-up after “Candy kicks” so that being said this is still a pretty good song overall.

9. Colorful

If you thought “Candy kicks” was happy, take a whiff of Colorful because it’s even more fun and peppier and Shion’s vocals are fun to listen to as well because she actually sounds cute in this song.  While it does sound like something that belongs on The Wiggles, this was pretty enjoyable and can’t help but clap along with this tune.

10. M/elody

Is it strange that Shion is going through the old songs chronologically released since M/elody is her 3rd A-side.  I’ve said that I did like how this song turned out better than both previous A-sides and it still holds true, but there’s not much of a hook for me to remember it by but that’s OK because it still sounds great listening to it.  Her vocals are a bit more stabilized as well so there’s no nasal parts and c’mon Shion’s ~melody~ pronunciation is too cute to pass up.

11. Digital Mode

Shion gets a little experimental with Digital Mode which is the only song on the album to feature synths in it and it does stand out ALOT when compared to all the other tunes.  The dance beat mixed with Shion’s guitar playing turned out a lot better than I expected and while Shion’s higher register is pretty meh, I can forgive her because the song is different and actually great!

12. Rain Song

Marching drums, guitar, and piano open up our next song and to be honest I found myself finding nothing too exciting outside of the marching drums.  To be honest it reminds me of “Sky chord” a little too much for me.  So that being said it just seems to be fillerish.

13. Hoshii Mono

To be honest, I really don’t remember this song since it had a pretty quiet release otherwise.  Hoshii Mono is quite nice being the most acoustic out of the A-side released and Shion sounds pretty nice.  Since there’s a bit more added once the song gets going, it’s still nice to listen to and it’s calm nature is amplified by the strings.  Nice album closer.

14. Chikyuugi ni Kiss

BUT WAIT THERE’S MORE!  As a bonus, we get another track which is unsurprisingly the shortest tune the album had to offer.  This is actually an acoustic-only track and I kind of thought it was a nicer way to end the album.  It’s got personality and Shion is playing with the song and it’s kind of nice to sway ur head with. 

Tracks Recommended

• Digital Mode
• Candy kicks
• Colorful
• M/elody
• Chikyuugi ni Kiss

Song of Avoidance

• Hello Goodbye

Shion Tsuji’s debut album wasn’t all that special since she’s a YUI-type and all that which isn’t a good curse to have.  It isn’t bad or anything, it’s just that it’s kind of like if you’re a big fan of YUI and like all her songs you basically will hear the same listening to Catch!.  Though Shion has a few tricks up her sleeve, especially with Digital Mode which was the album’s gem to be honest.  Maybe we’ll see more of this Shion someday but for right now Catch! is an alright album.

Shion Tsuji – Hoshii Mono November 12, 2009

Track Listing

1. Hoshii Mono
2. Coin Locker Boy
3. M/elody (Acoustic Version)
4. Hoshii Mono (Instrumental)

1. Hoshii Mono

As far as her era has been stretched, Hoshii Mono sounds almost simplistic and easy to follow.  Hoshii Mono feels like an acoustic version but I do love the additions of strings and drums.  It might be an easily made arrangement but what Shion was given made this song a whole lot better.  Pretty cool tune.

2. Coin Locker Boy

However, I was happy with the B-side of the single.  Coin Lockers Boy goes back to the more energetic side to Shion’s genre and I loved the addition of a band song that reminded me of “Candy kicks” with is catchy passages and its fun sound.  Her vocals to me are still a little weird for me, but it’s nothing too unbearable.  I’d still rather see Shion working on her singing though.

3. M/elody (Acoustic Version)

While we never got to see an acoustic version of “Sky chord”, we do get back to acoustic rearrangements and M/elody was pretty nice to have gotten the nod.  It continues to show the lighthearted pop sound that Shion’s been giving since she debuted.  Anyways, this is going to be like what YUI is doing and the acoustic track will be mostly better than the original.

 

 

Shion is continuing to show progress with every release she puts out.  Hoshii Mono is just Shion at her basic roots and I’m happy she went to a more acoustic sound for the A-side.  Coin Locker Boy also gives out the more fun side to her and goes back to just rocking out.  The acoustic version of M/elody was a nice touch to the single and I’m happy with the results.

Shion Tsuji – M/elody August 4, 2009

Track Listing

1. M/elody
2. Naminari
3. M/elody (Instrumental)

1. M/elody

I’m so happy Shion went back to what she did best and that was happy-feeling acoustic tracks.  I’m noticing that she’s also getting better at singing as well.  I still find her English amusingly cute as she says ~melody~, but she doesn’t have Engrish issues and that’s a plus, though funny.  M/elody was just what I wanted and I’m so happy she carried the song better than she did with “Candy kicks” and “Sky chord”. 

2. Naminari

Naminari right from the start was obviously a different story.  It might be at the same tempo with “Candy kicks”, but this is a bit more serious of a song from Shion that we’ve seen previous.  Its a bit like something YUI would’ve released, but hearing Shion kind of makes it a little more suited.  I do question her high notes as they sound pretty harsh, like a whine or something.

 

 

Shion’s 3rd single is a bit more together than her last single which is pretty sweet.  M/elody was what I thought a good Shion song should sound like.  Naminari is like the other serious songs she had on her previous singles, but with a bad high register I couldn’t enjoy it as much as I wanted to, but the rest is good.

Shion Tsuji – Sky chord ~Otona ni Naru Kimi e~ March 4, 2009

Track Listing

1. Sky chord ~Otona ni Naru Kimi e~
2. Brand new day
3. Candy kicks (Acoustic Version)
4. Sky chord ~Otona ni Naru Kun e~ (Instrumental)

1. Sky chord ~Otona ni Naru Kimi e~

I’m surprised for an artist this early in their career would get such a huge tie-in with Bleach.  Sky chord is classified as an acoustic ballad and its kind of a nice track to listen to.  Shion isn’t trying to be loud and it’s quite actually catchy in some areas.  I keep thinking she’s saying ~Sky cold~ for some odd reason.  Maybe it’s weak English, but she’s alright.  Good A-side.

2. Brand new day

Brand new day is way more upbeat and I love how she accents ~Day~ right from the start.  I actually wished this was the A-side because it’s a lot more easy to connect with and how Shion plays is pretty freecaring and just fun.  The chorus isn’t exactly groundbreaking but it’s pretty damn good. 

3. Candy kicks (Acoustic Version)

Of course…Featured on this single is her debut single without all the glitz and glamour that made it what it is.  The start is just like the original which was cool, but then I start to look at it and it doesn’t seem she resung it, which disappoints me greatly and the backup singers are still present.  Maybe not the best rendition for me…

 

 

Shion’s 2nd single seems to be equally on par with her debut.  I love that she tried out a ballad and it’s pretty good for being honored with a big tie-in.  Brand new day is just as good if not better.  Sadly, the acoustic version should’ve been tooken differently and had her resing the tune.  It’s an OK single.

Shion Tsuji – Candy kicks January 19, 2009

Track Listing

1. Candy kicks
2. 17
3. Take me home
4. Candy kicks (Instrumental)

1. Candy kicks

Iono, but the acoustic pop sound really stood out for me.  It’s got such a happy fun vibe to go along with it.  Now this is Shion’s first A-side and to be honest her voice kind of annoys me for some reason.  Like she’s honky and kind of weird to me.   She’s way better singing in a lower tone IMO and her English is pretty good otherwise.  The chorus is like just ~baby, baby, babyyyy~ I mean maybe she could’ve added more to it, but this is an alright start.

2. 17

I think she did a lot better singing with this track actually.  It sounds pretty cool and this would be where to YUI comparison’s start with her.  I got to say this song is crazy good, but her high notes are thin and not in a good way.  The chorus too is pushing her limits to the brink of just not sounding right.  Luckily, the rest of the song is amazing.

3. Take me home

We finish the single off with an acoustic ballad.  We also hear the sore sound of Shion’s vocals sadly.  She sometimes misses notes that she’s trying to pull off, and her English is failing badly here as well.  She could’ve tried a little harder to make this a better track, but I do love the atmosphere of the song.  Pretty cool.

 

 

Shion Tsuji’s debut was pretty interesting.  We got a poppy track, a more harder track, and an acoustic ballad.  She’s got some potential to actually be pretty big.  As for the YUI comparison’s, yes I can see them, but there’s a lot more differences than similarities.  I can’t wait for the next single