This Week in Japan…#1
…is the lame name I came up with for this column, which is basically a look at all the new releases in Japan every week (usual release day: Wednesday). I’ll try to cover as much as I can though this probably won’t include VK or bubblegum pop.
13 December 2006
Thankfully it’s approaching Christmas so there’s not much new stuff out.
Singles
Look. HALCALI
I’m not overly fond of HALCALI’s zany pop, but they do put a smile on my face at times. Look however, seems a rather pedestrian song that doesn’t stick in the mind for long. Being a Powerpuff Girls song I had expected something a little….catchier.
Hajimari no hito/Bartender. Natural High (lyrics)
The single contains the theme songs from the anime Bartender, with the OP featuring Shiina Junpei (Ringo’s brother). I do quite like both songs even if they don’t particularly stand out, though Bartender is a nice, jaunty feel-good jazzpop tune.
KanFu Fighting. Kanjani8
Due to lack of releases this week I decided to give this a spin. It wasn’t as bad as I thought it’d be, but it wasn’t that great either. Boyband-by-the-numbers.
Carnation. Kiyoharu
Every time I hear this song I think of dancing skeletons. I’m not necessarily sure that’s a good thing…I like this slightly more than Slow but like Yamato Nadesico Shichihenge, it starts off well, meanders for a bit and just peters out.
Albums
I album –id-. KinKi Kids
I already? H didn’t seem so long ago. I don’t actually mind KinKi Kids, their music is nice inoffensive pop and the Dohmotos are both talented entertainers. Like most of their albums , it’s a mix of good, catchy singles and some slightly more, ‘ahem’ experimental material.
‘Parental Advisory Explicit Content’ is a rather appalling attempt at rock, ‘Black Joke’ a tired cheesy-electro boyband song and ‘Get it on’ sounds like an EXILE reject. The three singles do stand up well, and ‘Aiiro no yokaze’ is a nice, breezy pop tune.
To me KinKi Kids have always been about the singles, and this album goes further in proving that. Stick to buying their singles collections, you’re not missing much here.
The End. NANA starring MIKA NAKASHIMA
Well at least the album’s name reflects the future of this musical venture. To be fair, GLAMOROUS SKY wasn’t too bad but Hitoiro was just….ugh. It reminds me why I dislike Glay’s tepid and tuneless brand of rock. The rest of the album isn’t much better, and is filled with banal, plodding rock songs with only ISOLATION anything above mediocre. I’ve never been truly convinced that Nakashima’s voice fits the Nana persona, and these songs do little to dispel my doubts. Oh, and Mika really, really shouldn’t sing in English. The cover of My Way is just awful.
UZU-MAKI. KOTOKO
I can understand why a lot of people hated Chercher, it’s a huge departure from the usual Marimite kind of song and its happy chorus threw most off. I personally really like the song, and the lyrics are a good fit for Sachiko and Yumi. But it’s not on UZU-MAKI. On the other hand, the hideous C/W song on that single, ‘Tsukiyo no butoukai’ is here. I have no idea why KOTOKO deemed it good enough to make the album, it’s just extremely cheesy and makes me wince… probably has something to do with the lyrics…’cony’ and ‘birdy’ aren’t exactly words that would make it into most songs.
Nevertheless, there are plenty of other tunes that should keep KOTOKO fans happy, ‘Cider’, ‘Shuusou’ and ‘Haru’ all possess her trademark catchy melodies and thumping beats. Why change a winning formula eh?
D.C.II ~ Da Capo II ~ Character Song Album. Various
I’ve never been into the Da Capo series much, though I did like some bits of the first season. But I’ve always loved the music, both the vocal and instrumental stuff in the games and anime. I know nuts about D.C.II, and I’m not into Japanese games either so there’s not much I can say about the seiyuu involved. Their singing is mostly solid (with one or two exceptions), and the songs aren’t shoddy either (bar the hideous Seishun Graffiti). There are a couple of heavyweight songwriters involved though; rino, BABY FAZE/Saito Shinya (designer + sometime lyricist) and the omnipresent Hata Aki. Overall an enjoyable album if you’re into anime music.
Stuff I wasn’t bothered with: K’s Music In My Life, Bleach The Best Album (nothing new here), Morning Musume.