Asian music "what's on your mind" thread III

[Corvina]

Originally Posted by Yoake

During my university time I could listen to new music quickly thanks to my long train travel(3 hour twice a week) to go to the town I was studying. Since I work, my commute time lasts barely a single on foot and a song in car. And when I'm at home I'm often distracted by other things to do (or the cat XD). And as I'm in two orchestras my weekend aren't that free.

I always listen to music when doing housework and homework and stuff, cause in fact with university and two jobs I don't have that much time as well.
That's the great thing for me about music, you can listen to it anytime, while doing anything. But interesting to see, how it differs.^^

[Bigtop]

So anisong singer LiSA (Risa Oribe) just got her first-ever Oricon #1 weekly, I heard? She released two best albums "LiSA BEST -Way-" and "LiSA BEST -Day-" and picked up a 1-2 weekly. But not without competition from Korea's EXO-CBX (three members of EXO), they put up a good fight against LiSA throughout the week!

But in the end, LiSA has joined an elite, exclusive club that, interestingly, Ayumi Hamasaki is part of (remember A BEST 2 back in 2007?) - LiSA is the newest female artist to pick up a 1-2 weekly album ranking in the Oricon in the same week. (Alongside Ayu and LiSA, JUJU and Kana Nishino also achieved that feat.)

Honestly, this was LiSA's BEST (pun intended) shot at a #1, she has been waiting for a #1 weekly ranking for quite some time.

So this is how close LiSA was to EXO-CBX at the end of the week:


(EXO-CBX was on top of the Billboard rankings, though, but Oricon is more notable. Although I'm still skeptical with all the changes Oricon has been making, from not counting foreign sales, to limiting 'bulk' sales to 20 copies counted per order - I'm not sure if those changes, particularly foreign sales, actually helped LiSA propel her to 1-2...)

[KarenPang]

Earlier on during this month's 100th episode of DAIGO P , DAIGO announced that he will release his new solo single in July & it's another double A-side single release with both songs written + composed by GLAY's TAKURO !

I was already expecting BREAKERZ to focus more on solo activities this year unlike last year but time to go broke again in July , haha :x xD

[KarenPang]

Another Japanese act coming back to perform in my country in Aug and this time round it's RADWIMPS !

[Corvina]

Kira's 2nd album Naked full tracklist:



01. Black Knight
02. Bye Bye Boy
03. Honesty
04. Ecstasy
05. Macaron
06. さよなら (Sayonara)
07. One More Dance feat. HISATOMI
08. 他の女 (Hoka no Onna)
09. ラッキー★ボーイ (Lucky Boy)
10. #Harder
11. How Much Do You Love Me? (Naked Version)
12. Rainbow Again
13. ジェットコースターみたいな運命デス。(Jetcoaster mitai na Unmei desu.)
14. Never Ending Story
15. TERRY JANE (Remix) - KIRA & 卍LINE

Short version PV for Bye Bye Boy:

[Bigtop]

So, King & Prince, Johnny's newest group, unsurprisingly takes #1 daily in the Oricon charts, and is expected to be #1 weekly. I'm still asking myself - why do Johnny's acts, even newer ones like King & Prince (and Kis-My-Ft2 back in 2011, for example), still that popular? Are key tie-ins to drama series (e.g. Fuji TV Getsu9 - Monday 9PM - dramas) part of the factor?

https://www.oricon.co.jp/news/2112040/full/

(Also, asking to Karen: Are you interested in the King & Prince group?)

[KarenPang]

Originally Posted by Bigtop

So, King & Prince, Johnny's newest group, unsurprisingly takes #1 daily in the Oricon charts, and is expected to be #1 weekly. I'm still asking myself - why do Johnny's acts, even newer ones like King & Prince (and Kis-My-Ft2 back in 2011, for example), still that popular? Are key tie-ins to drama series (e.g. Fuji TV Getsu9 - Monday 9PM - dramas) part of the factor?

https://www.oricon.co.jp/news/2112040/full/

Johnnys still have appeal even though in recent years they have been over taken by the AKB family tree & LDH family tree

For King & Prince , 1 of the members Hirano Sho is currently starring in Hana Nochi Hare ~HanaDan Next Season~ which Cinderella Girl is being used to promote it

Cos of this I'm not surprised at the high sales that Cinderella Girl sold on the 1st day . The amount of publicity drum up for their debut single is high & that goes for having a garden party event in Tokyo

And there's the nostalgic factor towards Hana Nochi Hare ~HanaDan Next Season~ , if not why ARASHI's MatsuJun & Oguri Shun made cameo appearances in the drama ?

(Also, asking to Karen: Are you interested in the King & Prince group?)

Nah , King & Prince members are all younger than me so no . The younger more recent Johnnys debuted groups such as Sexy Zone , A.B.C-Z , Johnny's West , I don't listen to them

For Kisumai , yes because I know about them way back in Shounen Club (back when Hey ! Say ! JUMP appeared on the show prior to their debut) and I 1st saw them perform FIRE BEAT many years ago on MUSIC STATION prior to their official debut

But I must say that Sexy Zone has changed a LOT over the years especially when I watch them perform in the last few Johnnys Countdowns , they look so different back when they 1st started as compared to now

[KarenPang]

Another artiste returning back to perform in my country in mid Sept & this time round it's Sekai no Owari who will be performing at the F1 Grand Prix

[KarenPang]

So happy to know that AKIHIDE is finally singing again after 4 years on his upcoming new solo album !

I don't think Kikai Shikake no Yuenchi -Electric Wonderland- will be a fully sung album like AKIHIDE's 1st album Amber (which's still a perfect album in my books) but it's better than nothing

When my sister 1st heard AKIHIDE's singing , she was shocked cos she didn't expect AKIHIDE would sound very different from what she thought

I personally like AKIHIDE's singing voice a lot more than DAIGO which I know about this way back during AKIHIDE's indie days many years ago prior to BREAKERZ . Sorry DAIGO it's the truth but you're still a great lovable idiot so haha :p

[Corvina]

So, the highlight of Kira's new album is Hoka no Onna for me.
Such a crazy climax of the song and her voice is awesome in it.
Sayonara is also a really awesome ballad/midtempo.
#Harder is rounding up my top 3 from the album for now.

[KarenPang]

DAIGO☆STARDUST is going to gate crash 3 of DAIGO's 8 Manatsu no Zankyou / Konya , Nostalgia de release events

Hahahahaha this's going to be so hilarious

Surprisingly DAIGO☆STARDUST is not going to give Spacey Hug(s) xD

Makes me wonder what DAIGO☆STARDUST will wear when he gate crash DAIGO's release events ? Eien no Space Cowboy or his infamous ROCK THE PLANET outfit which he still can wear both 15 years after his debut

[KarenPang]

I'm currently watching B'z 30th Year Special Vol.2 2003-2018 which WOWOW Prime aired last month

The live concert footages that's included in B'z 30th Year Special Vol.2 2003-2018 , B'z commands such a powerful presence onstage & even the way they came up onstage , it gives me chills

If for some remarkable miracle that B'z are able to come here to perform , I would most definitely go see them perform even though to call myself a fan , it's a bit far fetched as I only started supporting them from 2009 onwards so this means I have to catch up 20 years worth of their backlog material , LOL

[Yoake]

Finally I listened to Naked. None songs (but #Harder) wowed me. It's a gentle and quiet album that need a time of gestation to make me like it what it is worth. Because it's not bad it's just pretty average/common compared to her past releases.

[Corvina]

[KarenPang]

I thought SID would stop touring end of June but nope , they announce today they will be doing another live house tour from Sept to Nov prior to the release of their 1st mini album in Aug

This year is SID's 15th anniversary so it makes sense for them to do 2 extensive tours back to back

Also it's quite an irony that there're SO many releases out on 25th July but none from BREAKERZ :x

[Bigtop]

Have anyone realized recently that the YouTube J-pop blockade has significantly loosened? (I'm talking to you, Sony and Victor. Okay, there are still some Japan-only blockades for certain SMEJ artists, but there are some key ones that are no longer subject to geoblock, whether it's Sony's infamous geoblocks to outside of Japan or the YouTube Red (now YouTube Premium) blockade)

Here are a few videos that used to be blocked in certain countries in some way but are now available worldwide (except where YouTube is prohibited )

[KarenPang]

It's so awesome to hear AKIHIDE sing again in his new solo album Kikai Jikake no Yuenchi -Electric Wonderland-

I think AKIHIDE knows the fans also want to hear him sing again so for him to sing 1/2 of Kikai Jikake no Yuenchi -Electric Wonderland- , I have no complaints

Vocally AKIHIDE always has been better than DAIGO . DAIGO sounds like crap if not a completely different person during his indie days and that was before he debuted as DAIGO☆STARDUST but he has improved a lot vocally over the years

Not AKIHIDE , he still sounds so good back when he was in NEVER LAND & also now

[Bigtop]

I'm surprised to hear that Hey! Say! JUMP's Keito Okamoto could be leaving Hey! Say! JUMP. Already down to nine after Ryutaro Morimoto's underage smoking scandal several years back, that's going to be the second member HSJ is going to lose.

I'm not sure how viable it is for me to continue buying HSJ releases (I'm targeting CDs at the moment, not concert Blu-rays) after hearing this news.

Originally Posted by Bigtop

Hearing some bad news regarding one of the members...

Rumors are saying (source is Shuukan Bunshun tabloid) that Okamoto Keito could be leaving Hey! Say! JUMP. WHOA.

Okamoto is member of the Hey! Say! 7 subunit, which is down to four after Morimoto Ryutaro left following the underage smoking scandal. If Keito leaves, that subunit will go down to three (the Hey! Say! BEST subunit is still intact at five).

Wow, I'm shocked at this. I didn't expect this to happen.

http://bunshun.jp/articles/-/7842

[Kacku]

Over the past few weeks, I've been so ridiculously busy I haven't had much time for music. Pretty much the only things I listened to were Crystal Kay's disappointing new album, Spotify's daily J-Pop mixes to lull me into a trance during long bus trips, and, most importantly, some old I've Sound CDs I recently got. And boy have those I've Sound CDs been a re-discovery. diRTY GiFT still blows my mind with how captivating, emotional and timeless the songs are - most of the tracks don't sound (to me) like they're from 2002, and the one that does, MELL's Sabaku no Yuki, sounds like 2002 in all the best ways, and is her best song and THE central track of this release besides. I can't believe Eiko Shimamiya made the ultimate mini-album of nothing but classics back in 2003 with Ozone, the amount of quality on one CD just blows my mind. I've MANIA Tracks Vol. III is such a cool collection of songs that works together remarkably well for a release that's supposed to be about just throwing rare songs onto one CD (must be all the "cross" tracks tying it together - cross up, cross my heart, Cross talk). KOTOKO's first album is still so impressive, I wouldn't be mad if she went back to this style sometimes.

Also, those Spotify mixes have reminded me that AAA's Daiji na Koto is one of the best J-Pop songs ever.

Now that I'm a little less busy for a while, I hope to catch up on some music. I still need to listen to KIRA's new album, for starters.

[Corvina]

Daoko's Uchiage Hanabi is suddenly back in the Top 5 at both iTunes and recochoku.
I mean, ever since it was released it never left the Top 50, but I wonder what caused the sudden jump.