Missed me people?!

Apparently it wasn't a virus attack. My harddrive just got old, broke a few parts here and there and died.

The good news is that it is finally repaired. I kinda procrastinated repairing it for so long because I wanted to get on with life without a laptop. And since it was the holidays, I didn't actually need a laptop. But since school is starting pretty soon (in fact it's orientation tomorrow) I will most probably need it.

Another piece of good news, I replaced my old harddrive (100GB) with a new 320GB harddrive. =D

The bad news? All my data in the old harddrive is untrievable. =(

So I'm in the process of ripping and re-downloading my collection. I've been reduced from almost 5000 songs to barely 500 (those that I ripped). Bleh. I still have a ton more that I downloaded this morning. I think I'm going to spend DAYS on regaining my collection. Doesn't help that school's started which means that I only have a couple of hours online everyday. =/
 
Till then, updates will be sparse but I will still try my best to update at least once or twice a day. Usually at night, Singapore time (GMT +8; figure it out on your own if you're in a different timezone =P).

For now, toodles~!

P.S. I may update with some stuff tonight. =D

At least that's what I think happened to my laptop. Stupid thing can't start up. The Acer start-up screen leads to the Windows loading screen before restarting - over and over again. Ugh. I have to send it for repair. So till I get it repaired, don't expect updates.

P.S. I'm at a free Internet place right now (The Cathay for Singaporeans).

P.P.S. On the bright side, I just watched Bolt which was quite funny in a cute way and I bought Mika Nakashima's VOICE. ^^

P.P.P.S. Pray my laptop gets well soon. ^^

LOVE~winter song~ is Miho's fourth single and the first single I've heard from her. It debuted at #16 and is still within the Top 20. I downloaded this single 'cuz I was in the mood to listen Christmas-themed singles, and I have to say I really like it.

Tracklist
01. LOVE~winter song~ [MF]
02. I BELIEVE [MF]
03. All in time [MF]
04. LOVE~winter song~(instrumental) [MF]

DVD
LOVE~winter song~
Making of LOVE~winter song~

01. LOVE~winter song~

She really surprised me with her voice in this song. She started off the song a capella. From the covers and title, I expected someone Morning Musume-ish, and yet I get a cross between ayaka and Superfly.

This song has a total Christmas vibe going on with it from the bells and the... Other instruments, whatever they're called. >.< And the echo-y gospel voices at some parts during the chorus.

It's also pretty uplifting in mood and totally in the Christmas spirit. It's not like all those sob stories that other artistes whore out this time of the year. *coughAyucoughKuucough*

Don't get me wrong, I love ballads, but not when everyone puts one each at the same time.

[7.5/10] A very refreshing track from the usual crack that artists churn out this time of the month year.

02. I BELIEVE

Total ayaka vibe, eh? Just in caps.

I BELIEVE is an all-English track and I'm very impressed that I can understand her perfectly. In fact, she has a very American accent. Kinda Asian New York (I think?)-ish actually.

Hey, here's one song whose (is that the right word? =X) lyrics I actually understand. It's not too bad although this girl should be told that Santa Claus doesn't exist, and sure as hell isn't her boyfriend - although Santa Claus as a boyfriend would be kinda kinky. I'm sorry, you can kill me for the disturbing images in your head right now. I'm sorry.

Well, back on track, this song has a definite Christmas feel to from the whole musical style and lyrics.

[8/10] Plus points for the lyrics being in English. This chick is making a good impression on me.

03. All in time

Ah damn. We're back in Japanese. OK. I shall concentrate very hard the first time round to get my drift of the lyrics.

OK. From the lyrics and the music, this song is definitely a one-eighty in terms of mood. I think she got ditched or something and she's delusionally waiting for the ditcher. I take back what I said about her being refreshing.

That - and the way she repeats the title over and over again - aside though, this song isn't too bad, just very generic - a generic power(-ish) ballad at least so it gives it a few plus millipoints.

[6.5/10] Pleasant but just like the rest of them.

Miho has given me a very good impression with this single. I'd actually heard her before from her track on the Celine Dion tribute album but I didn't really take note. One of these days, I'm going to download her previous three singles and this is definitely one artiste I'm going to continue listening to. You guys should give her a try too. =D

世界はそれでも変わりはしない is Aya's 10th single and it was released last week on the 3rd of December. It debuted at #21, fell to #27 and then subsequently to #39 and I think it's kinda poofed off the charts. This song was also the theme song for this movie.

Tracklist
01. 世界はそれでも変わりはしない [MF]
02. EVER SO SWEET [MF]
03. 世界はそれでも変わりはしない -Instrumental- [MF]

01. 世界はそれでも変わりはしない

At 45 seconds, the intro gets a little draggy. Don't get me wrong, I like classical pieces - or at least classical style in this case - once in awhile (heck, I'm going to a Chinese Orchestra concert later [at the point of writing]) but 45 seconds of that in an Aya song wasn't really what I was expecting.

Thankfully, post-45 second mark, the guitars and drums take their rightful positions as background music.

Not bad, it took her a minute and fifteen to get her mouth open. (Why am I so snarky today? Maybe I'm just cranky 'cuz I've not slept yet. My sleeping clock's totally backwards - I sleep when the sun rises and awaken when it goes down the West. Twilight much [reference borrowed from my dear friend]? And I'm really rambling so I shall shut up now. I need sleep. -.-")

Back to the music. Oh wait. That dies down again during the verses. It's mostly her voice, the drum beats and random guitar. I can't really focus on her voice much during the verses 'cuz it's kinda monotonous; voice and style.

The chorus ain't too bad though, but still kinda lacking? I dunno. It may just be my mood - not very receptive? But...


[5/10] It just doesn't really stand out. I'm listening to it and yet I still don't get the tune. It's like when someone dies and the machine shows a flatline. Too bitchy. Sorry.

02. EVER SO SWEET

Yay. She starts quickly. That's already a plus compared to the A-side. =)

While the A-side wasn't exactly upbeat, uptempo party tune, EVER SO SWEET pulls the tempo down a beat. Don't get me wrong, it fits the song.

I'm getting the whole dark, seedy pub, live/ unplugged feel from this song. It kinda has a Western feel to it. Totally bar music. Emo bar music.

And I don't really think I'm making much sense but I hope think you get my drift?

OK. For some actual opinions on the song, I think it's quite an emotional song. At least I can hear her trying to make it sound emotional (she's kinda not doing a very good job of it though). It has all that angsty stuff going on in the song.

[6/10] Not exactly angels singing but it's relatively soothing, especially if you're in the mood.

Overall, not really a step up from her previous single, which I thought was much better than this snorefest. While the songs don't exactly suck that bad, they're not particularly memorable either so I guess it kinda deserves its chart run.

Labels: Aya Kamiki, download, JPop, mediafire, review, sekai wa soredemo kawari wa shinai, single, 世界はそれでも変わりはしない

LAST CHRISTMAS is EXILE's 29th single and it was released last week on the 26th of November. It debuted at #1 and has since sold 200k and counting.

FYI, just a little piece of information. They just released their 3rd best of album this year on Wednesday. For EXILE (and a best of album), debuting at #1 isn't all that surprising. It gets raised eyebrows when it's first day index is 185 875. Still not THAT bad considering people predicted it to drop like a rock the second since everyone's bought it on the first day already, right?

Wrong.

Second day index numbers? 132 277. Like. OMGWTFBBQ. After multiplying, their first TWO DAYS sales is 540 858. Some artistes can't even sell that much during their albums WHOLE chart run for the year. And EXILE did it in two bloody days. That's... Crazy. Do I see a million copies in it's first week? I think that'd set records.

Anyways, back on topic. I think this single has been set for limited release.

Tracklist
01. LAST CHRISTMAS [MF]
02. LAST CHRISTMAS -カラオケversion- (karaoke) [MF]

The single also has some special goodies, namely a jacket-sized sticker and a booklet containing Christmas messages from the members.

01. LAST CHRISTMAS 

LAST CHRISTMAS is one of my favorite Christmas songs ever. I can never resist downloading a new version of it.

While the original one was very poppified, EXILE has put in a smoother, R&B feel to the song. I guess it's in part due to Atsushi's voice (and the other guy too, of course. xD). It's very... Smooth and R&B-ish. xD

From the segments of lyrics that I could catch/ understand, there are some parts that are kinda similar to the English lyrics. The general lyrics are different though - I think. =X

It helps that the two of them didn't butcher the English parts with horrendous pronunciation - for the most part. xD

[7/10] Not bad a remake of a Christmas classic. =D

When I first heard of EXILE, I thought they looked cool - until I saw them on Music Station and realized that five of the seven members were dancers. -.-" I found it quite stupid and I've blacklisted them. Haha. Well, I may give them a chance now. =D

Buy it!

LAST CHRISTMAS

Labels: cover, download, EXILE, JPop, LAST CHRISTMAS, mediafire, review, single

Ugh. One thing I hate about JE is their lack of proper HQ covers. For other artistes, HQ covers come out pretty much immediately after the covers are announced. Heck, sometimes the HQ covers come out even before the official site updates it with the small covers. For Johnny's, there are like NO HQ covers. It's only when fans scan them and upload them. Bleh.

Anyways, White X'mas is KAT-TUN's 8th single and their first since DON'T U EVER STOP, seven months ago. It was released two days ago on the 3rd of December and obviously debuted at #1 on the Oricon charts. I'm too lazy to get the numbers but if I'm not wrong, the index number was around 69k. So multiply that by 1.75 and you get the debut sales.

As seen from the covers, the single was released in two different versions: first press CD+DVD and regular CD only. The limited edition comes with a DVD and a 20-page photobook while the regular edition has the instrumental track.

Tracklist:
01. White X'mas [MF]
02. White X'mas(オリジナル・カラオケ) (original karaoke) (CD only track) [MF]

DVD
White X'mas(ビデオ・クリップ＋メイキング) (video clip + making)

01. White X'mas



This song has to be the only song from KAT-TUN that I like (so far). The first time I heard it was during their first performance of this song at Music Station.

Honestly, their voices aren't very strong at all. Even in the studio recording of the song, their voices sound strained (especially on the high notes, it's VERY noticeable) and, sometimes, sound on the verge of cracking.

The thing that draws me to the song is the emotion in their voices and the music. Basically, it's the 'feel' of the song. It does give off a nostalgic-ish, winter-y vibe.

The verses are very stripped and the chorus (despite the horrendous harmonizing) sounds touching.


[4/10] For vocal performance.
[7/10] For the overall song. It really is quite decent if you give their voices some a substantial amout of leeway.

I've really never liked any of their songs before. I'd first heard of them through Kame because I was watching him in some dramas and I got interested. Downloaded a bunch of their music and kinda hated it so I deleted everything off.

Since I started this blog (and watching Music Station regularly <3), I've been listening to lots of new music so I heard this single, and, hey, it's not bad. =)

I don't think I'll like their future releases though. =X

Buy it:

White X'mas [limited edition]
White X'mas [regular edition]

Labels: download, JPop, KAT-TUN, mediafire, review, single, White X'mas

Not covers you were quite expecting, eh? Especially the CD+2DVD one on the left. Despite (or maybe because of) it's weirdness, I am in love with the CD+2DVD cover. You can't even tell that that's Kuu-chan. Even though we know that it's her, we still can't discern any defining Kuu-chan feature.

The CD only cover though, is pretty blah. It's not really ugly but I'm just not loving her top. If they'd changed her top to something flashier (not glittery) and does not camouflage with the backdrop, then BOTH covers would be awesome.

And there really isn't much continuity between the two covers; unlike BEST~first things~, BEST~second session, Black Cherry and Kingdom where the different covers were different but still the same.

Anyways, on to the tracklist. The official line-up (well, I'm assuming, since they've finally numbered the tracks) is out.

01. INTRODUCTION~TRICK~ (tentative)
02. TABOO
03. show girl
04. Your Love
05. stay with me
06. This is not a love song
07. Driving
08. Bling Bling Bling feat.AK-69
09. That Ain't Cool (倖田來未 feat. Fergie)
10. Hurry Up!
11. Moon Crying
12. JUST THE WAY YOU ARE
13. Joyful
14. 愛のことば
15. Venus (CD+2DVD bonus track)

In the previous entry, there was a yet-to-be-determined track right? Well, it's been determined. Haha. It's called 愛のことば (ai no kotoba; Words Of Love). How much more blah can the title get? Ugh. It doesn't sound like a power ballad, more like a stay with me ballad. Ah wells.

After hearing the previews of three of the new tracks (i.e. Driving, show girl and Joyful) [credits], I'm not really hoping for much from the album. The beats for the songs are nice but she's using her cutesy voice to sing. While I don't mind that at all, I think she kinda spoiled the first two songs because her voice doesn't really match the music. Ah wells. I'm not too bothered now though. I know that I'm going to buy it anyway so I'll see how the full song turns out.

Another small note, Bling Bling Bling has been updated to Bling Bling Bling feat.AK-69. He's some rapper I think. Haven't looked him up yet but I've heard he looks... Retarded.

Pre-order!
TRICK [CD+2DVD]
TRICK [CD only]

FYI, it's cheaper to pre-order. And I think you get Venus -English Version- if you pre-order the CD+2DVD version.

Labels: album, covers, JPop, Koda Kumi, news, pre-order, previews, tracklist, TRICK, YesAsia

あしたの空 is SPEED's 15th single and their first in five years. With this single, SPEED is supposedly coming back for good. Or at least a few more years. It was released on the 12th of November in two versions, CD+DVD and CD only and has since sold about 60k.

Tracklist
01. あしたの空 (ashita no sora; Tomorrow's Sky) [MF]
02. SOMETHING NEW [MF]
03. White Love～STEADY～Body&Soul 2008 [MF]
04. あしたの空(Instrumental) [MF]
05. SOMETHING NEW(Instrumental) [MF]
06. White Love～STEADY～Body&Soul 2008 (Instrumental) [MF]

DVD
01. あしたの空（Video Clip）
02. OFF SHOT

01. あしたの空

I spent quite awhile trying to think of something to write for this song. I don't know whether it's writer's block or that the song is very generic.

True, the song is not bad and I actually quite enjoy it - especially the chorus. But, to be honest, there's nothing very defining about this song. Also, their voices aren't very strong.

[6.5/10] While I like the song just fine, it's nothing very outstanding.

02. SOMETHING NEW

SOMETHING NEW is a more up-tempo song with a more aggressive feel to it. It's catchier and more memorable. I think it has something to do with the less common instruments they use for background music; quite interesting.

However, I still feel their voices are quite weak. You can hear the strain in their voices whenever they try for more power.

[7/10] Better.

I don't know whether it's me or the songs, but I just don't feel that the A-side is fit as an A-side. In fact, I feel both songs are just album tracks quality.

Thankfully SPEED already has a pretty solid fanbase who've been anticipating their reunion since forever so I guess they'll lap up whatever releases they put out.

I'm not really dissing this single but there's really nothing that stands out from it at all. It's horribly blah - as you can see from my horribly blah review as well. Let's hope their next release will sound better and more inspired.

If you've still not bought it:

あしたの空 [CD+DVD]
あしたの空 [CD only]

Labels: ashita no sora, download, JPop, mediafire, review, single, SPEED, あしたの空

I know I haven't been updating even though I said I would but I've been going out a lot these few days so I've been too tired/ have not had time to update much. >.<

And this entry is going to be short and abrupt as well 'cuz I'm about to leave my place already to go out again for a friend's birthday.

Sorry people! I swear I'll update soon! ^^

Limited CD+DVD cover and regular CD only cover respectively. Click here for the rest of the single information.

01. 砂のお城



Another song whose PV precedes it in my case. Honestly, the PV was boring as hell. The song as well actually.

The cello is obviously the main instrument in the song since it's Kanon's instrument. At the start, the cello kinda overpowers her voice. You can barely hear her whispering. Yes, that's what she's doing: whispering.

She gets stronger in the second verse but it still doesn't help much. At this point, the repeating notes from the cello is getting really irritating. It's the exact same notes, going up in key, going down; up, down, up down. Ugh.

Then she starts her whispering again before going back into normal singing voice.

The whole song is like that. I wouldn't even call it 'mood music', IMO. It's really bland.

[3/10] Not good at all for a sophomore A-side.

02. skip turn step♪

skip turn step♪ has a very different setting compared to 砂のお城. This song is so much cheerier than the dark A-side.

There is more musical variety here with more instruments being used. Kanon is also audible throughout the song. The more going-ons in the song make it catchier and overall, better than the A-side.

I'm having a hard time figuring out where the chorus is. But there's a part slightly after 3 minutes where it's quite cute. Could be the bridge though. =/

[5/10] Just passed. Still quite bland.

OK.... This single is a really bad follow-up to her first single, still doll,which wasn't too bad. Kanon should work with another producer to produce a bit of variation in her sound.

Buy the singles if you liked them:

砂のお城 [limited edition]
砂のお城 [regular edition]

P.S. I'm trying to clear reviews that I've got lined up since two weeks ago so you may get a sudden influx of reviews over the next few days if I have enough stamina. I hope to clear everything I intend to review up to this week's releases by the next release date - which gives me less than a week.

Off to the next review, SPEED's あしたの空!

Labels: buy, JPop, single, skip turn step♪, Wakeshima Kanon, YesAsia, 砂のお城