Primavera de 2006.

Passei 15 dias no terraço de trás da casa de meu pai.

Estudando para as provas de recuperação que ocorreriam na primeira semana de agosto.

Acho que minha irmã já havia ido embora, pois eu estudei ao som de seus CDs proibidos à mim.

Bonnie Pink – The Origin Of Love.

Imprimi as letras na parte de trás de uma folha já usada, e nos momentos de distração durante aquelas tardes, das quais lembro com saudades, fui aprendendo sobre fisica, quimica, matematica, historia, biologia, e sobre as crianças do sol, lua e terra.

Children Of The Sun - When the earth was still flat | And the clouds made of fire | And mountains streched up to the sky, sometimes higher

This album starts things off with the opening track Won’t Let You Go. I actually love this song despite not liking it on my first listen, the arrangement sounds jazzy in my opinion. I also heard some pop blended into the arrangement but that must just be my ears, Bonnie’s vocals weren’t at their best but she seems to be getting into this song so that’s a plus in my opinion. The backing vocals were strong even though they sounded a little weak, this was a pretty nice song.

I was so curious about this next track Fyusha Fyusha Fyusha, especially after seeing that weird title. This is actually a pretty nice song, the arrangement sounds so Jamaican/Bahamian island atmosphere… it was just so lovely. Bonnie’s vocals were really nice in this song also, she really sounded good when she did the ‘la, la, la, la, la, la…’ parts at the end. This song was so cool.

This album gets even with the next track Princess Incognito and this song was just love. The vocal performance from Bonnie was so nice and high-pitched, it was such a perfect touch to this song. The arrangement was country-rock, I always think of the Friends TV Show theme song as soon as this song plays. This song really knows how to put a huge smile on my face especially when she sings the chorus ‘I can’t believe you chose your friends over me, just because i’m not a guy!’ that was brilliant.

This next track is really making me love Bonnie Pink even more, Joy is such a nice song. The chorus ‘joy! yes, you give me joy!’ was so lovely in my opinion, it makes me think of my best friends or people that are close to me. The arrangement was really nice and it seemed to fit with everything else, Bonnie’s vocals sounded so good on here and that’s what makes this song so much love.

Mousou LOVER is another nice song to follow up Joy, I’m really becoming impressed with Bonnie Pink with this song along many others I’ve heard from her. The arrangement is dancable pop with slight percussion, it was all nice. Her vocals were pretty nice on here and I loved how she just slowed them down at the end of the song, that was so nice and this song all in all is pretty awesome.

The next track is the hard rocking out loud track kane wo narashite, I don’t know I like this song or not but the arrangement is making it pretty tough to like this song. Bonnie’s vocals were good but it seems as the arrangement is trying to be much louder than her voice. The arrangement was sort of a mess and I’m not using the term lightly, it really is a mess. This song is just pretty exhausting after a while, one play of this song and that’s enough for me.

One Last Time is the next track and i’m really on the fence with this song because it’s so damn boring and the electric guitar makes this song even worse. The arrangement was just awful, loud, and boring – I really didn’t like it at all. Bonnie’s vocals sounded pretty decent but dragged down by the awful arrangement playing loudly in the background, this song was just horrid.

This album just keeps getting worse and worse with the next track Rock You Till The Dawn. The main reason why I hate this song so much is because Bonnie sounds so disinterested in her vocal performance, it’s like she doesn’t care and just wants to be lazy and sing it in such an uninspired and lazy way. This song also plays like bad album filler, the arrangement was nice but sadly her vocals weren’t up to par to the nice dance composition and guitars, this song might sneak up on me and I might just like it someday but right now, I just can’t be bothered with it.

Well at least this album gets semi-better with the next track Fed Up feat. Craig David. I got so excited and curious because along with Bonnie Pink, I love Craig David. He has such a nice voice, he really reminds me of Usher in my opinion and my ears. The arrangement is r&b of course, pretty upbeat and simple but also nice. Craig did a good job and Bonnie also did pretty good also and as a duo they did a pretty good job together, this song was pretty good.

PLAY & PAUSE has grown on me through the past weeks, I really like it a lot now and a lot more than I did when I first heard it. The arrangement was hybird dance pop with some r&b elements but very little and it played like it was just there. Bonnie decides to go with a falsetto throughout the entire song and raps also which I thought was pretty neat because she sounded so cool while doing it and her falsetto was kind of weak but despite that she seemed to shine here, she did a good job with this song, this song is pretty good in my opinion.

This album stays in this up-tempo pace for the next track Himitsu Secret and I’m starting to get bored with this album’s pace and constant rock tracks. This song has a rock flare to it, I don’t mind that but the arrangement seems to be a bit louder than Bonnie’s vocals which were fine but the drums were overpowering them, that was a major drag down for the enjoyment of this song, fail.

Try Me Out brings back my interest into this album if only because the song sounds much better than the previous track. I’m so in love with this song, the arrangement is really smooth and drowned in under the sun, at the beach pop music with some r&b here and there. Bonnie’s vocals were so nice in this song especially when she sings the nice chorus ‘try me out, try, try me out, let me show you what I got!’ that was just lovely and neat.

I just don’t know, I just don’t… this next track Happy Ending sounds good and all but that electric guitar was numbing my mind and it was kind of grating on my poor ears. The arrangement makes me picture of laying under the sun with sunblock on on a hot, sunny, summer afternoon. Bonnie’s vocal performance wasn’t all that good and the music sounds better in my opinion, I wish she would have tried harder with her vocals to make it sound better, I want to like this song but I just can’t because of the music being better than the actual singer.

This album is almost done with the next track Get on the Bus. I love the message in this song ‘just get on the bus…’ and ‘life is too crazy to control!’ that’s so true, Bonnie. As for her vocals, she really did an awesome job with them and impressed me so much, the arrangement seems to flow with her a whole lot better than the previous track. The chorus is the highlight of this song in my opinion and the best part of this song.

The next track Ring a Bell (Bonus Track) wraps up this album on an awesome note. Bonnie is singing in full english, in pretty nice english and the arrangement was pretty nice, her vocals were pretty awesome also and I personally thought that they were a lot better than kane wo narashite. This was a pretty good song but Get on the Bus would have ended this album better.

Won’t Let You Go
Fyusha Fyusha Fyusha
Princess Incognito
Joy
Mousou LOVER
Fed Up feat. Craig David
PLAY & PAUSE
Try Me Out
Get on the Bus
Ring a Bell (Bonus Track)

Bonnie Pink’s tenth album ONE was really good in my opinion, I really enjoyed it. I liked so many of the songs on here that I probably have nearly the entire tracklist for this album. Bonnie Pink is a nice singer but sometimes even she pops out some duds here and there, not all the time. I think my favorite song of hers that I love the most is Take Me In, I haven’t been keeping up with her outside of listening to this album and many others from her. I want to hear the new single from her called A Perfect Sky and find out for myself if it’s any good, I hope her next album is just as good as this one was and if not, better. This album all in all was pretty nice.

I’m still scratching my head as to why Bonnie didn’t just put this version on her Thinking Out Loud album instead of that awful Philharmonic version she did put on it. I mean I can remember anticipating hearing that song so bad when the album first came out, only to be subjected to whatever that version was; needless to say I was disapointed. A Perfect Sky took a while to grow on me, because it was a bit different from what I was use to from Bonnie, but once I got over that I found myself enjoying its feel good nature immensely, and this song is only outshun by Catch The Sun. I love how the arrangement makes me think of the sky, it just fits the atmosphere of the song perfectly, despite not being as tranquil as I’d hoped it would be. Bonnie’s vocal performance was also nice, she manages to do average vocal talent, pretty well. I honestly never get tired of hearing this, this was a refreshing a-side.

Bonnie has a knack for good b-sides and Free isn’t really an exception, because though she has better b-sides, this is a pretty good one as well and it couples rather nicely with A Perfect Sky. The arrangement is more tranquil and makes you think of water as oppose to the sky, and Bonnie’s vocal performance was more calm as this song didn’t ask for much and was sung in a rather straight-forward way. I’m use to simple tracks like this from Bonnie so I like the flow, but others will probably find this not so much boring as uninteresting. I think its a nice b-side though, love the water sounds that the track closes on.

interlude -siesta- was a really nice and serene end to the single, as the sounds of water crashing against the shore and the gentle thrums of the guitar are oh so soothing and sound like love on the ears.

A Perfect Sky 

I heard the song, So Wonderful, by talented Japanese Pop icon, Bonnie Pink, a while back and it always makes me smile. Her music clips are always strange, but her songs never fail to lift my spirits. Without further ado, here is the song :

Screenshot do vídeo promovendo o MF10 no youtube

Mais uma news que eu deveria ter postado há umas 2 semanas, mas que só agora eu tou fazendo! (sorry, pessoal =p). Trata-se do 3º best album do m-flo, que comemora seus 10 anos de carreira, como eu adiantei aqui, sendo esse best album a “segunda parte” da comemoração.

Como já foi dito aqui, o m-flo lançou um site em comemoração a esses 10 anos, junto com um canal no youtube com TODOS os videoclipes feitos nas duas eras do grupo, quando eles eram um trio e após a saída da LISA, quando VERBAL e TAKU fizeram parcerias com os mais diversos artistas, inclusive Namie Amuro, BoA e Koda Kumi no currículo.

Assim, para promover o álbum, eles fizeram mais uma música com a LISA (nada mais justo né…fez história com o grupo) denominada “SOUND BOY THRILLER feeeeeeeeeeat. LISA”, junto com o PV.

Além disso, o m-flo abriu uma enquete ao público para escolherem quais músicas deveriam fazer parte desse álbum, que foi lançado nas versões 2CD e 2CD+DVD, sendo um CD para cada era (mas claro, houve também a escolha dos membros para o álbum também). Já o DVD contém um mix de várias clipes e performances ao vivo do grupo que, creio eu, sejam dos shows no Yokohama Arena e no Nihon Budokan.

E vale lembrar que no dia 16 de outubro lá no Japão, VERBAL foi junto com a BoA no Music Station para promover o MF10 com a música “the Love Bug”. Acho que vai demorar mais algumas horinhas pra postarem o vídeo no youtube, então talvez depois eu coloque o vídeo aqui.

E o futuro do m-flo?

Agora, muito se especula sobre o futuro do m-flo, já que eles anunciaram no lançamento do best álbum “Award Supernova -Loves Best-” que aquele seria o último álbum relacionado ao “m-flo loves…” (sem considerar o MF10, claro). Assim, há rumores que o grupo poderia acabar ou que a LISA voltasse para o grupo. Só nos resta esperar pra ver.

Segue abaixo as informações dos CDs e, como sempre, alguns vídeos/links:

m-flo – “MF10 -10th Anniversary Best-”

CD1 – TRIPOD DISC

01. SOUND BOY THRILLER feeeeeeeeeeat. LISA
02. Mirrorball Satellite 2012
03. flo jack
04. How You Like Me Now?
05. been so long
06. The Way We Were
07. Yours only,
08. Hands
09. One Sugar Dream
10. prism
11. orbit-3
12. Come Back To Me
13. L.O.T.(Love Or Truth)
14. come again

CD2 – LOVES DISC

01. Lotta Love / ♥MINMI
02. miss you / ♥melody. & Ryohei
03. Luvotomy / ♥安室奈美恵 (Namie Amuro)
04. the Love Bug / ♥BoA
05. Love Song / ♥BONNIE PINK
06. DOPEMAN? / ♥Emyli & Diggy-MO’
07. STARSTRUCK～”The Return of the LuvBytes” / ♥AI & 日之内エミ & Rum(Heartsdales) (AI & Hinouchi Emi & Rum (Heartsdales)
08. Summer Time Love / ♥日之内絵美 & Ryohei (Hinouchi Emi & Ryohei)
09. ONE DAY / ♥加藤ミリヤ (Kato Miliyah)
10. let go / ♥YOSHIKA
11. A.D.D.P. / ♥MONDAY満ちる (MONDAY Michiru)
12. HEY! / ♥Akiko Wada
13. Cosmic Night Run / ♥野宮真貴 & CRAZY KEN BAND (Maki Nomiya & CRAZY KEN BAND)
14. REEEWIND! / ♥Crystal Kay

DVD

01. m-flo Biographical MIX DVD -mixed by ENLIGHTENMENT-

PV

m-flo – “SOUND BOY THRILLER feeeeeeeeeeat. LISA”

Bem, minha opinião quanto ao álbum é que faltou eles colocarem mais músicas nesses dois CDs, como as parcerias com CHEMISTRY, BENNIE K e com a Sowelu. No total, foram apenas 28 músicas, que alcançaram a 5ª posição no ranking semanal da Oricon, com 31512 cópias.

E antes que eu me esqueça de novo, vou colocar pra vocês, novamente, o canal do youtube do m-flo 10yrs e o vídeo do VERBAL comentando sobre esses 10 anos.

Canal no youtube – m-flo 10 yrs

Comentário do VERBAL

Até mais, pessoal.

This is a list of the top twenty saddest songs I ever heard, seriously. This is of course Asian music wise, since American wise it’d be a bit harder.

20. Think of me – Namie Amuro – I know a lot of of people will be like ‘think of me? why that song? her vocals are horrid!’ but please don’t misunderstand this is a beautiful song and Namie sings it in a way in which I can feel it, seriously. I heard this song when I was really young and it brought me to tears, I was literally bawling, its just… I don’t know, when you listen to how tragically depressed her voice sounds throughout and how she sings think of me its like remembering someone you love and just wanting that person to always remember you too, like when you aren’t doing anything I hope you’re thinking of me. Its quite the tearjerker.

19. Only Reminds Me Of You – MYMP – I’ve only recently gotten into this duo and boy can the lead singer sing. I mean I can say Tell Me Where It Hurts, because that’s a pretty sad song as well, but its just something about this song right here that just gets to me like nothing else. I can totally relate to what she is singing; its like remembering someone you love whose gone and everything just reminds you of that person… its just so heartbreaking. Her vocals are so soft and wistful, and this song doesn’t make me cry excatly, but seriously my heart aches when I hear this and I get the feeling that my eyes are welling with tears. It makes me think of unrequited love, and there’s no love sadder than that, in my opinion.

18. Daisuki da yo.; I Love You – Otsuka Ai – Otsuka has a voice that is just very unique, and is more of an aquired taste, but if anyone can do ballads, it is her. This is my favorite and it just rips at my heart, because it is so beautiful. I know others would lose their minds over Planetarium or Kingyo Hanabi (I love those too), but I’d choose Daisuki da yo. over them any day, because for one it boasts one of her most emotional and powerful vocal performances to date and it just exudes that feeling of just loving someone with every fiber of your being; completely, entirely, utterly.

17. PROUD – Tohoshinki – I’m stuck. Tohoshinki has a lot of sad songs, like Begin, Heart Mind and Soul and Love in the Ice, but its something about this that really touches my heart. The first time I heard this was during a live and I mean EVERYONE but JaeJoong were brought to tears and then because they were all crying I started crying. Well, just got teary eyed and maybe a few stray tears slipped free… this is one incredible song an I just love the emotion behind it, its like they know how hard they had to work to get to this point in they did it together and that’s all that matters.

16. Sakurairo Mau Koro; When The Cherry Blossom Colours Dance - Mika Nakashima – Mika has a few tear-jerkers, one that pops into my head vividly is Yuki no Hana, but this one is the one right here, because its not sad persay, but when I think about it, it makes me pretty wistful. Its just such a lovely song from her, and even though her vocals are a bit hoarse its just right, like she wouldn’t have been able to bring the true potential of this track out sounding any other way. Its beautiful and makes me think of youth, like being a child once again, of innocence and the feeling of being free. I miss those days.

15. Hair Like Snow – Jay Chou – Oh, Jay Chou, you use to make such beautiful music, what happened? This is one of the first songs by him I ever heard and I use to listen to it like it was going out of style, its also the only Asian song aside from Faye Wong’s Everything and Crystal Kay’s flower that my mom likes. I mean I can put Silence on here, I can even put Chrysanthemum Terrace on here, but Hair Like Snow just never fails to tug at my heartstrings, its so lovely (is that a shamisen thrumming so beautifully in the background?) I can’t stand it and Jay’s vocal performance is gorgeous. This song is sad to me because its almost like Only Reminds Me Of You, but in a ‘loving someone you’ll never have kind of way,’ not quite unrequited, because you both love each other, but you can’t be together, because its just not meant; that is why this song gets to me. Its like maybe not in this life, but in the next.

14. Enrai; Distant Thunder – Do As Infinity - This is one that really caught me by surprise, because I had never really paid attention to it before. Its just one day I was listening to their DEEP FOREST album and this song came on and just… touched me. I was so taken aback I listened to it again, and again, and again. And each time I listened to it I was just overcome with such a sadness it was nearly breathtaking. I don’t know if its Tomiko’s somber vocal performance or the dreary yet lilting arrangement, but this is just one sad song; though it does give me a sunshine after the rain vibe.

13. Sweet Memories – Seiko Matsuda – I really love this song, I’m so serious, I love it so much. It has such a warmth to it that just touches me like nothing else. Its so innocent and nostalgic and I always love when she sings sweet memories. This is the type of song that makes you want to grab a pillow and cry your eyes out. I never get sad to that point when I listen to it, but I do get a bit wistful. Its like you and the person you love could not be, but you’ll always remember the times the two of you shared and they’ll remain sweet. Very cute. Sweet Memories never gets old, its timeless and achingly sad.

12. Darling P.P.P. – Crystal Kay – Kuri has plenty of tearjerkers, but this one is so sad, sometimes I really can’t stand it. Its off her first album Crystal Lover Light and when I first listened to it, I cried without meaning to, like I didn’t even know I was crying until I felt the tears on my face. This is one of a handful of songs that have touched me so completely and it never fails to break my heart everytime I listen to it. The arrangement is simple, but effective and Kuri-chan’s melancholy vocal performance is full of so much emotion and heartache that its hard not to get teary eyed especially when she sings darling, darling p.p.p… oh my heart.

11. JEWEL - Ayumi Hamasaki - I can think of a slew of sad Ayu songs, like YOU, Dearest, No more words, Moments… it goes on and on, but its just something about JEWEL that just stands out to me. It not even her saddest song EVAR, but it just really depresses me when I listen to it. It just makes me think of a fragile and fleeting love that you just want to protect. It gives off a feeling of not being enough, but still wanting to be that someone special to the one you love, even though its hard. I thought Ayu’s vocal performance was wonderful and this song never fails to touch my heart as well as pull at it.

10. First Love - Utada Hikaru  - This is my favorite J-pop song ever, I kid you not and the one song that catapulted my into the J-scene; its why Hikki will always hold a special place in my heart, because she started everything. This song use to make me so sad, it was to the point that I couldn’t even listen to it, because I would want to break down. Its almost like who can’t relate to this song? Everyone has had that first love, that true love in which you will never forget. No one will ever replace that person and even though you know that person has moved on, it still hurts, because you haven’t, but you hold on to the hope that someday you will.

09. I Just Want You To Be Happy – Bonnie Pink – Oh wow, this is one of my favorites and its just a really sad song to me, because it just gives me that vibe. Its a tragically underrated song from her, but its one of her best and really drives that i care for you message home. Its like loving someone, but loving them from afar, and even though you know you aren’t the one for that person you want to see that person happy and you’ll do whatever it takes, even at the expense of your own. Its really simple, nothing goes on, but Bonnie puts enough emotion behind it to make it felt. This song is love, but it does sort of leave a numbness in its wake.

08. I Wanna Go To A Place… – Rie Fu – This was really hard, because Rie has a lot of songs that make me want to shed tears, Life Is Like A Boat is definitely one of them, but this is the track that sticks more in my heart, because its almost rebellious in a sad sort of way. Its gives me this feeling of death, like the person you were really close to, is no longer earth bound, but you’re wishing for those days. It hits close to home, and I can definitely relate. It has a totally different meaning that is still just as sad to me, and this is one of those songs that makes you turn your head and wipe away tears so that no one will see them. This is beautiful and very wistful. I wanna go to a place where i can say i’m all right and stay there with you…

07. Everything – MISIA – In truth MISIA is not an artist whose songs make me sad, the only song I can think from her that makes me even remotely blue is Its just love and I almost included that one, but this song is just beautiful. It could be MISIA’s superb vocal performance, but everything about this track is just so melancholy to me and makes me think of standing alone in the wake of an unwavering love, that consumes.

06. Eyes On Me – Faye Wong - This is such an nostalgic song and I’ve never even played Final Fantasy 8, seriously. This is a song that doesn’t make me sad at first, but it manages to just creep up on me, snatch my heart and run away with it. I’ve said this a lot during this list-listing, but this song is just beautiful, lovely, gorgeous, I don’t care what anyone says, Faye really did this track justice. Eyes On Me makes me think of the sensation of love, that feeling you get when your eyes meet for the first time and you know that this is the real thing, this is something that’s going to last forever. It seems nice, but the atmosphere of the song is so melancholy and surreal, like its all an dream, because something that wonderful just can’t be real.

05. Nemurenai yoru – Aikawa Nanase – Aikawa is one rock artist that just kills my heart with her down-tempo’s, but none of them manages to wring it quite like this one; its so beautiful its nearly surprising. I think what strikes me the most is the sheer sadness that this songs exudes, but it always manages to retain a beauty that touches my heart. It exudes love, a beautiful love that is very precious, and you’ll always remember that love, because it meant just that much to you. This track aches, and I love it.

04. Jewelry day – ayaka – OMG! Why is this song so heartbreaking! I LOVE it, and no one but ayaka could’ve pulled off a song of this caliber. I’ve said this a zillion times already, but gosh is this one beautiful song, I can’t even put into words what this song does to me, but it just always manages to break off a little piece of my heart everything I listen to it. I just want to die everytime I hear her sing broken, broken my heart… and those notes at the end and the lovely, lovely arrangement taking the song out and making it so epic. It makes me think of a tried love, a love in which you gave your all to, but it just wasn’t enough, you part ways on good terms and though its sad, you’ll never forget that person, because that person showed you love, a love that though over, will never die.

03. infection – Chihiro Onitsuka – Chihiro is the queen of tragic ballads, but none leaves an impression quite like infection. This song is so depressing, it really is, but at the same time its depressing its so very powerful and therein lies the beauty of it. The sheer emotion in Chihiro’s voice is enough to throw you back, because you feel her pain and it holds you prisoner. It aches of hopelessness, abandonment, loneliness, a heartache in which there is no escape from, and because of that the only thing that is left is acceptance. This is Chihiro at her best, and most broken.

02. Mushi; insect – Dir en Grey - …woah! just woah! I’m not an Dir en Grey fan, but even I can appreciate a good vocal performance when I hear one, and this was definitely one of the best live performances I have EVER heard period. What makes this song so sad is how tragic it is. I always have a hard time getting through it, because Kyo gets so emotional and into it, that its almost like you’re feeling the pain he is feeling so completely and it leaves you breathless with sheer awe. I sometimes find myself staring at the screen wide eyed feeling tears prickle at the backs of my eyes and my heart shattering in my chest. This is one powerful performance, and its definitely one that will leave you touched, if not a little bitter.

01. Aojiroi Tsuki; Pallid Moon – fra-foa – This is quite possibly the saddest, most emotionally moving song I have ever heard, and I’m dead serious. I found this track by chance and it left such an impression on me that I’m sure I will feel always. This song knows no love, only heartbreak and the loss of someone precious, someone whom you’ll never see again. This song was written for her older brother who died when she was young and you can just feel her pain, especially when she gets to those screaming high-notes, it just breaks your heart. This song is very personal to me because I have a older brother who I love dearly, and words could not describe the heartache I would feel if something ever happened to him. If I were to follow the lines of the moons memory, if I could return to that day, I would put a necklace made of three leaf clovers around your neck…

00. I Love You – Yutaka Ozaki – This is a song that has been covered plenty of times, my favorite being the Utada cover, but I liked Mika’s cover of it as well. I think this is a song that surely survives the test of time by the sheer purety of it, because when I think of love, I think of this. I mean Sukiyaki was sad too, but this is just heartache incarnate, but a beautiful heartache none the less, because it speaks of love, a pure love, a true love, a love that is going to go on regardless of the obstacles. If I ever fall in love, I want it to be a love like this, definitely.

04. Evergreen – HYDE – I love HYDE, he has a great voice and he’s gorgeous despite being in his forties! This is a song I heard a long time ago and though I favor the English Ver. the original is just as beautiful and heart-wrenching, because for some reason it makes me think of giving up, and a remembrance of a time when you weren’t so weak, it really does. The lyrics are really touching and I just adore this song to death; it just washes over you in waves of melancholy, HYDE’s soothing vocals lulling you to you sleep, with tears on your lashes.

03. Teddy Bear – Ayumi Hamasaki - This song is a bit underated to me, sadly so, I mean people seem to forget that this is one of her best and most emotionally moving ballads, because other more in your face ballads from her seem to overshadow it, but this song stands out because its so genuinely poignant and is the best ballad live from her I have seen, second only to Memorial Address. I just love the simple and weeping little piano arrangement and Ayu’s squeaky yet heartfelt and somewhat emotional vocal performance. It’s a song that speaks of losing someone very dear to you, who left behind only their heart. Its quite beautiful.

02. Tsuki no Uta; Poem of the Moon – GACKT – This is another song I managed to hear by chance and it wormed its way into my aching heart, because its so emotional and sad. Its like I can’t even place it, because its so abstract, but beautiful. The arrangement is gorgeous and gives off this feeling of being unreachable like the moon; pale, weak, fragile and very lonely. Gackt’s vocal performance was just perfect, he really sung this; its my favorite, gets to me everytime.

01. Dareka no Negai ga Kanau Koro; When Someone’s Wish Comes True – Utada Hikaru – I know, FINAL DISTANCE is sad too, but no Utada song to date has managed to squeeze my heart quite like this one has. Its so heart-wrenchingly depressing, and just leaves you feeling ponderous and cold once it ends. I always feel heavy when I listen to this, its like carrying a burden I can’t bare. I’ve never cried listening to this, because it saddens me yes, but never to the point of tears, because I was always left feeling empty. The first time I ever cried listening to this was during her Utada United Tour, it quite literally broke my heart and I broke down and cried like a baby, because it touched me so completely. This is a beautiful song, one of her absolute best, without a doubt.

00. Forever Love – X JAPAN – This was hard, because Tears, Endless Rain and Longing are so sad I can’t stand it, but this is the one, this is the one that just does me in. It was the first ballad by them I heard and it just tears me apart, because its so sad, oh my goodness, if there was ever a song that would bring you to hysterical tears its this song right here. Why is it so tragic? why is it so beautiful? I can’t stand it. Its like the end of all things, like everything is falling apart around you; what is left behind is only love and dreams, the only two things that seem to go on an on. Yoshika played the hell out of that piano and Toshi depsite not having the best voice really sung this, he really did, he can belt and I loved every minute of it. I also hate that they sung this at hide’s funeral so that makes it all the more sadder. Their ballads are the best.

Los chicos de m-flo quieren tomarse muy en serio su décimo aniversario así que menos de 1 mes después del álbum tributo del que ya hablé, van a lanzar al mercado un recopilatorio de toda su carrera en el que han dejado a los fans elegir sus canciones favoritas; estará disponible a partir del 7 de Octubre.

m-flo – MF10 -10th Anniversary Best -

cd only

cd +dvd

CD 1
01.SOUND BOY THRILLER feeeeeeeeeeat. LISA
02.Mirrorball Satellite 2012
03.flo jack
04.How You Like Me Now?
05.been so long
06.The Way We Were
07.Yours only,
08.Hands
09.One Sugar Dream
10.prism
11.orbit-3
12.Come Back To Me
13.L.O.T.(Love Or Truth)
14.come again

CD 2
01.Lotta Love/♥MINMI
02.miss you/♥melody.& Ryohei
03.Luvotomy/♥安室奈美恵
04.the Love Bug/♥BoA
05.Love Song/♥BONNIE PINK
06.DOPEMAN?/♥Emyli & Diggy-MO’
07.STARSTRUCK
～”The Return of the LuvBytes”/♥AI & 日之内エミ & Rum(Heartsdales)
08.Summer Time Love/♥日之内エミ & Ryohei
09.ONE DAY/♥加藤ミリヤ
10.let go/♥YOSHIKA
11.A.D.D.P./♥MONDAY満ちる
12.HEY!/♥Akiko Wada
13.Cosmic Night Run/♥野宮真貴 & CRAZY KEN BAND
14.REEEWIND!/♥Crystal Kay

DVD
[10 YEARS IN A FLASH～m-flo 10th YEAR SPECIAL mix DVD～mixed by ENLIGHTENMENT]
including…
The Way We Were/The Rhyme Brokers/been so long/flo jack/Mirrorball Satellite 2012/L. O. T. (Love Or Truth)/chronopsychology/Hands/Come Back To Me/Quantum Leap/prism/come again/How You Like Me Now？/Dispatch/orbit-3/REEEWIND!/gET oN！-ugly duckling remix-/the Love Bug/WAY U MOVE/TRIPOD BABY/DOPEMAN?/Loop In My Heart/Summer Time Love/Love Song/let go/Luvotomy/Lotta Love/miss you

Como podemos ver el recopilatorio está dividido principalmente en 2 CD’s; uno perteneciente a su etapa Tripod con LISA y otro a la etapa Loves con el resto de fauna del jpop. Del primer disco no tengo muchas quejas pero del disco Loves hubiese preferido otras canciones antes que muchas de las que han incluido, aunque habrá que conformarse.

Una de los mayores incentivos del álbum es una nueva canción que han grabado con LISA llamada SOUND BOY THRILLER feeeeeeeeeeat. LISA, con 10 e’s xD Para la que también han grabado pv que os dejo a continuación.

m-flo – SOUND BOY THRILLER feeeeeeeeeeat. LISA

La verdad que no puedo decir que la canción y el pv me gusten mucho, pero este recopilatorio merece la pena a todas luces aunque sea por echar un vistazo a la historia de uno de los grupos de j-urban más importantes de la historia de Japón.

The first track on the album Won’t Let You Go is a song I have a hard time liking, but disliking at the same time. It just seems so bland to me, with the hollow, uninspired beat and a not very good vocal performance from Bonnie, at the same time it has an underlying charm that makes me hesitate, I don’t really know what it is, but I guess its half and half. I’m thinking this track is going to grow on me becaue I absolutely hated it the first time I heard it and now I’m partial to it. Its all right, I guess.

I really like this next track Fyusha Fyusha Fyusha, though I’ll have to admit the title put me off of the song  at first, because I was honestly wondering what Bonnie was going to do with such an odd title. I love how laid-back the beat is, has an Island-y feel to it that is very nice and makes you just want to sit back and relax. Bonnie does a rather simple vocal performance, which I thought was fitting. I may be one of the few people who like Bonnie’s average voice.

Princess Incognito was another song in which I wary about, but just like the previous Bonnie managed to surprise me in a pleasant way. I love how catchy the beat is with the guitar, drum and bass ensemble it really sucks you into the song and makes it a bit fun, almost like a country-rock track. Bonnie’s vocal performance was pretty simple, only going high when needed, so I liked it, especially when she would sing: i can’t believe you chose your friends over me, just because i’m not a guy it was so brilliant.

I’m not too enthused with Joy, though I do like it, its a nice song, though not something I would have preffered her release as a single. Its entirely to simple and doesn’t hold as much of a punch as Kane wo Narashite did. The arrangement is all right, I thought the violin was nice, though I kind a don’t like how it seems to come out at you like a badly timed climax. Bonnie’s vocal performance was decent, but sometimes she sounded really stagnant like she was bored or something. I do like this track though, I think more than the other a-side, Happy Ending.

Mousou LOVER Delusional Lover is a pretty chill track and I like it a lot more this time around, now that I’ve actually listened to it, because I don’t think I really paid attention to it the first time. The arrangement is pretty fresh and laid-back, sounds very lounge, I really like it. Bonnie’s vocal performance was also nice, like you could lost in it and towards the end as she was taking the song out she sounded really good. This is a surprising track, because I wasn’t expecting to like it as much as I do.

I’m still wondering why they use Kane wo Narashite Ring a Bell and its English counterpart as the openings to the Japanese and English themes of the Tales of Vesperia games, it just doesn’t click and despite me liking both songs, I just didn’t like them as openings, it just didn’t sound right. This is pretty much a rock track and Bonnie doesn’t really do this genre of music so it was a surprise to me, but she pretty much pulled it off. This isn’t no where near one of favorites from her, but I do appreciate it for being something different, its a decent up-tempo track with a pretty good chorus.

The second real down-tempo track on the album if you count Joy is One Last Time and just like with Won’t Let You Go, I’m kind a on the fence with this one, because its not good, but its not really bad either. I don’t really like the arrangement, its pretty boring and I don’t know what made Bonnie include that electric guitar solo, because it seemed to come out of nowhere. Her vocal performance was decent, I’ll give her that and that is possibly the only reason why I find that I somewhat relunctantly like this song, or it could be because it reminds me a bit of Last Kiss. This tracks main downfall despite the arrangement, is that it seems to go on for forever, making it a bit impossible. Its an all right track, though, I guess.

Bonnie has has a few songs like Rock You Till The Dawn, that’s pretty upbeat in nature and though it offers a nice change in pace, this has to be her most dullest song with this kind of soundThe. It reminds me of bit of You Got Me Good and Can’t Get Enough, only without the charm. I don’t know it has a pretty neat dance-like atmoshpere, but it just seems really lazy to me and I don’t particularly like Bonnie’s vocal performance, because she sounded a bit unenthused to me. This track really plays like filler, and maybe that’s the main reason why I don’t really like it.

I remember being very surprised when I came upon this little collaboration, because it seemed to come out of nowhere and the last time I heard Craig David it was years ago with his song 7 Days, though I only really remember Fill Me In. Craig came up for air with the song Insomnia, and then asked Wheesung to cover it, who I think did a better job of it and now this track Fed Up with Bonnie Pink who always manages to shine in the songs she’s featured in, because I so love Love Song with M-flo, seriously. This is a pretty all right track, rnb-ish of course, catchy and they both did decent jobs. Its not stand-out in the least, but I guess it did what it set out to do.

The next track continues the pace Fed Up started and PLAY & PAUSE could have been a good track if Bonnie had not decided to sing the entire thing in some sort of tired falsetto. I don’t like the arrangement either which was really just there, and not very good, this song is pretty annoying and forgettable.

This album is kind a going down in qaulity at this point, the last good track I heard was Kane wo Narashite. Himitsu Secret is just not really a song I can see myself listening to; its around mid-tempo, has a rock flare, but I really don’t like how the drums and bass seem to overpower the song, especially since its not even good and sounds like they whipped it together in seconds. Bonnie’s voice sounds regular, but uninteresting. I hope the album picks back up, because I’m bored with it.

Try Me Out brings back a bit of my interest if only because its the type of sound I’m use to from Bonnie and reminds me of her old stuff, and a lot of Thinking of You. The arrangement is simple and makes you think of sunny and lazy days, which is nice. Bonnie sings this song in full English, though I can’t get around how weird she sounds, I guess she’s not as fluent in English as I thought. This is a charming song, I love the whole try me out of the chorus, really cute.

I do like Happy Ending a lot less than Joy,  because this song honestly doesn’t really do anything for me. I also think the arrangement is a bit better than Bonnie’s vocal performance, which is average like it always is. This track has a dramatic flare to it that makes it stand out, but can be boring if you think too much about it.  Its all right, but Joy definitely had more going for it.

The second to last track on the album is the mellow Get on the Bus and I like this song because it doesn’t do much, but still managed to catch my attention and keep it. I mean there is nothing special about the arrangement or Bonnie’s vocal performance, its just a simple song, that delivers a positive message. I like songs like this the most.

I still hate that Ring a Bell the English version of Kane no Narashite is the opening to Tales of Vesperia, how does that work? This version is a lot more tame than its Japanese counterpart and that could be why I like the English version more, its just better in my opinion.

Fyusha Fyusha Fyusha
Princess Incognito
Mousou LOVER
Ring a Bell

I felt the same way about Thinking Out Loud that I felt about this album, especially after looking at the tracklist to ONE I just knew I was going to be disapointed with it. I still kind a am, because Thinking Out Loud surprised me in a good way, all the way through, this album on the other hand surprised me only every once in a while, in mostly at the beggining of the album, because after Kane wo Narashite it just goes downhill and gets boring, and even though it picked back up once Try Me Out came around I still found myself only mildly interested. This album isn’t as bad as I had at first thought it was, but it isn’t good either, I mean Bonnie’s last really good and authentic album was Present, so maybe I’m hoping for a part two of that one. I hope her next album is more along the lines of Thinking Out Loud, if she wants to keep up with this new sound she’s adopted, otherwise bring back the old stuff, because that’s when her music was really good.

Tracklist:

1.  Sweet
2.  Communication
3.  Building a Castle
4.  Thinking of You
5.  Coin (コイン?)
6.  Live Life (Interlude)
7.  Saikei (再生)
8.  Take Me In
9.  Are You Sure?
10.  Movin’ On
11.  Bokujya Nakatta Nara (僕じゃなかったなら)
12.  Nemurenai Yoru (Album Mix) (眠れない夜)
13.  Just a Girl

Download here and here.

Tracklist:

1. Evil & Flowers (Piano Version)
2. Forget Me Not
3. Your Butterfly
4. Hickey Hickey
5. He
6. Eve’s Apple
7. Kingyo (金魚 Goldfish?)
8. Meddler
9. Masquerade
10. Quiet Life
11. Only for Him
12. Fallen Sun
13. Evil & Flowers

Download here and here.

Tracklist:

1. Ordinary Angels
2. Perfect
3. Manic Monday
4. Got Me a Feeling
5. The Origin of Love
6. Don’t Get Me Wrong
7. Manatsu no Kajitsu (真夏の果実 )
8. That’s Just What You Are
9. Your Eyes
10. Through the Dark

Download here and here.

Tracklist:

1. Scarecrow
2. Curious Baby
3. Candy Futatsu no Sanpo (キャンディ2つの散歩)
4. Senaka (背中)
5. Freak
6. Too Young to Stop Living
7. Maze of Love
8. Orenji (オレンジ)

Download here and here.

Tracklist:

(Disk 1)

1. Heaven’s Kitchen (from Heaven’s Kitchen)
2. Forget Me Not (from Evil & Flowers)
3. Awa ni Natta (泡になった I Became a Bubble?) (Non-album song)
4. Kanawanai Koto (かなわないこと Not to Hope?) (Non-album song)
5. Orenji (オレンジ Orange?) (from Blue Jam)
6. Inu to Tsuki (犬と月 A Dog and the Moon?) (Non-album song)
7. Surprise! (Non-album song)
8. Lie Lie Lie (from Heaven’s Kitchen)
9. Kingyo (金魚 Goldfish?) (from Evil & Flowers)
10. It’s Gonna Rain! (from Heaven’s Kitchen)
11. Do You Crash? (from Heaven’s Kitchen)
12. The Last Thing I Can Do (Non-album song)
13. Evil & Flowers (Piano Version) (from Evil & Flowers)

(Disk 2)

1. So Wonderful (from Golden Tears)
2. Daisy (Non-album song)
3. You Are Blue, So Am I (from Let Go)
4. Kako to Genjitsu (過去と現実 The Past and Reality?) (from Let Go)
5. Sleeping Child (from Let Go)
6. Tonight, the Night (from Present)
7. Take Me In (from Just a Girl)
8. Nemurenai Yoru (眠れない夜 The Night When I Can’t Sleep?) (from Just a Girl)
9. Thinking of You (from Just a Girl)
10. New York (Non-album song)
11. Love is Bubble (Non-album song)
12. Private Laughter (from Even So)
13. Souldiers (Non-album song)
14. A Perfect Sky (from Thinking Out Loud)
15. Last Kiss (from Even So)

Download disk 1 here and here.
Download disk 2 here and here.

Tracklist:

1 – Tonight, the Night
2 – Losing Myself
3 – Present
4 – Need You
5 – Home
6 – Rope Dancer
7 – Over the Brown Bridge
8 – Can’t Get Enough
9 – Passive-Progressivism
10 – Chronic Vertigo
11 – Wildflower
12 – April Shower ~Shigatsu no Arashi~

Download here and here.

Tracklist:

1 – So Wonderful
2 – Paradiddle-free
3 – Coast to Coast
4 – Addiction
5 – Mirror
6 – Nichinichisō (日々草)
7 – Robotomy
8 – Monster
9 – Rise and Shine
10 – Cotton Candy
11 – Nocturne
12 – You Got Me Good
13 – Believe

Download here and here.

Tracklist:

1 – Sleeping Child
2 – Fish
3 – Trust
4 – Reason
5 – Kako to Genjitsu (過去と現実)
6 – Tears for Leo
7 – Call My Name
8 – Run with Yourself
9 – Shine
10 – Shadow
11 – Rumblefish
12 – You Are Blue, So Am I
13 – Refrain

Download here and here.

Tracklist:

1 – Heaven’s Kitchen
2 – Hohoemi no Kate (ほほえみの糧)
3 – It’s Gonna Rain!
4 – Do You Crash?
5 – Silence
6 – Mad Afternoon
7 – Lie Lie Lie
8 – Melody
9 – Pendulum
10 – Get in My Hair
11 – Farewell Alcohol River
12 – No One Like You

Download here and here.

Tracklist:

1 – Gimme a Beat
2 – Broken Hearts, Citylights and Me Just Thinking Out Loud
3 – Burning Inside
4 – Nagusami Blue (慰みブルー)
5 – Imagination
6 – A Perfect Sky (Philharmonic Flava)
7 – Lullaby
8 – Sakamichi (坂道)
9 – Water Me
10 – Catch the Sun
11 – Chances Are
12 – Anything for You

Download here and here.

Japan’s top fashion models, JELLY, will be releasing a compilation album, “JELLY meets HOUSE” on 10/7.

The CD will contain 14 songs all by the original artists. The three models are Yuu Yamamoto, Maya Mori and Maiko Takahashi.

01. A Perfect Sky (BONNIE PINK)
02. Koi ni ochitara (Crystal Kay)
03. Hanamizuki (You Hitoto)
04. Asita e no tobira (I WiSH)
05. Fragile (Every Little Thing)
06. LOVE LOVE LOVE (DREAMS COME TRUE)
07. Kokode kiss site (Shiina Ringo)
08. Mimi motoniiruyo … ~Ring the bells~ (Mao Tsutaeda)
09. STORY (AI)
10. Saiai (KOH+)
11. Ienai kotoba (EMI MARIA)
12. EVERYTHING (MISIA)
13. Last Song (Utane)
14. (TBA)

So check out this line up: Akino Arai, Yuuko Ando, Cocco, BONNIE PINK, Chara, LOVE PSYCHEDELICO, Keiko Hiraoka . What do they have in common? Well they will all be appearing at Curly Giraffe’s live on 10/21 at SHIBUYA-AX.

The show entitled, “Curly Giraffe presents “Super Session vol.3/Thank You For Being A Friend”, is a release event for his new album, “Thank You For Being A Friend”.

Ticket sales start 9/12, but if you cant’ make it you can order it on Space Shower TV on 9/4 starting at 19:00 (7PM JST) and will end on 9/8 at 01:00 (1PM JST).

Also, this will be the first time in 8 years that singer, Keiko Hiraoka will be releasing an album called, “25″ through Tower Records. It will go on sale on 11/25 and can only be obtained through Tower Records.

I wish I could go, that is an awesome line up. Curly Giraffe definitely got some of J-Pop’s best singers in the industry.

Pre-order his new album at CDJ.

Tracklist:

01 – Private Laughter
02 – Ocean
03 – New Dawn
04 – 5 More Minutes
05 – The Answer ~Hitotsu ni Naru Toki~
06 – I Just Want You to be Happy
07 – Mint
08 – 1-2-3
09 – Last Kiss
10 – Walk With You
11 – Shinsei Geemu
12 – Bedtime Story

Download Here and Here

*Obrigado ao Edo-san do Anime Total Fórum pelos links*

Week of 8/9 – 8/16 (18 votes)

Results this time were both predictable and yet surprising. The former because of who got first and the latter because also of who got first.

The best voice in J-Pop is? (Part II)

1. Utada Hikaru / Fukuhara Miho: 28% – 5 votes
2. Hamasaki Ayumi / BONNIE PINK: 17% – 3 votes
3. Onitsuka Chihiro: 11% – 2 votes

Losers: Otsuka Ai / Miyamoto Issui (Nichika): 0% – 0 votes

Mmmk. Wth is Issui doing there if I had voted for her? Rip. Unfortunately, theres a bunch of ties in here. I’m surprised Miho is that well known to have tied with Hikki, even though her voice(IMO) is the best out of all of them. And yea, I voted Issui ’cause her voice is spine-tingling(OMG just like KOKIA!).

Looks like my wish for KOKIA to win all this has gone down even more since both J-Pop “Queens” Ayu and Hikki will make it into the finals… Hmm, must find a way to get people to recognize KOKIA’s greatness…

Joy/Happy Ending / 30th Single / Release Date: [2009.04.08]

Ultimamente tenho mostrado um interesse especial por bandas com vocal feminino. Não sei dizer, mas parece que a presença feminina caracteriza bandas muito menos convencionais, algo que eu sinto muita falta nas bandas atuais.

E isso começou com uma cantora realmente pouco convenvional: Bonnie Pink, uma japa! Sinto olhares estranhos?

Tá legal, muita gente tem a idéia errada da música japonesa, por causa daqueles programas dos anos 80/90 estilo Power Rangers e de animes, com trilhas muito engraçadas – são mesmo. Tenho que dizer, não sou o maior fã da música japonesa, mas a Bonnie Pink é uma excessão.

Se preferir, leia um breve resumo biográfico da japa em sua página no LastFM.

Cortando o bla-bla-bla, O que me interessa é o seguinte: diferente da maioria dos japoneses, que têm uma dificuldade bizarra na pronúncia do inglês, Bonnie fala essa língua fluentemente. De fato,  muitas de suas canções são em inglês.

Heaven’s Kitchen, de 1997, é o seu segundo álbum, e na minha opinião, seu melhor. A sonoridade é única, tem um quê de jazz, soul, pop e rock, o que realmente me agrada. A maioria das músicas é em japonês, mas há 4 em inglês, todas tão bonitas e bem cantadas que te fazem achar estar ouvindo alguma cantora americana. Sua bela voz é realmente única. Consegue ser doce e forte em uma mesma música, sem soar estranha.

O álbum começa com a faixa-título, Heaven’s Kitchen um belo hit “soul-like”, cantado em japonês e inglês. Belo refrão, letra bem forte. Uma das melhores do disco. Seguindo, Hohoemi no Kate, uma faixa bem melancólica, sonoramente instigante, com o refrão em inglês. Logo depois vem It’s Gonna Rain, uma música divertida, com um belo arranjo de metais. É daquele tipo de canção marcante, para te animar num dia chuvoso, e foi a primeria música da cantora que ouvi. Do You Crash, a quarta faixa, também cantada em japonês/inglês, tem um arranjo em violão desafinado bem bacana.

Em seguida vem a primeria música completamente em inglês do álbum, Silence. É um jazz genuíno, dançante, cativante. Ótimo som. Continuando com o inglês vem Mad Afternoon, faixa muito divertida. Começa num tom doce, apenas com um sintetizador e a voz suave de Bonnie, e vai crescendo até um final bem animado. Lie Lie Lie, a sexta faixa, também cantada nas duas linguas, lembra um soul calmo, muito cativante e com um ótimo refrão e backing vocals dignos de uma cantora americana.

Melody é mais uma faixa em inglês. Talvez seja a menos marcante do álbum, mas ainda é boa. Tem uma letra curiosa e engraçada. PENDULUM foi uma surpresa para meus ouvidos: é um samba/bossa gringo! Essa é toda em japonês, mas não é estranha. O ritmo brasileiro é bem contagiante, e a língua não muda essa característica. Logo após vem Get In My Hair, outra faixa em inglês. Começando apenas no piano, sentimos a força da voz de Bonnie. Parece uma faixa melancólica, mas o sintetizador no refrão dá um ar de inocência e jovialidade muito interessante.

Fechando o disco temos duas faixas em japonês. Farewell Alcohol River parece inspirada nos Beatles. Traz um clima forte. Por fim, uma bela balada. No One Like You começa com um som de sintetizador (eu sei que o uso de sintetizadores nas músicas pode parecer repetitivo, mas não é) e parte para uma forte batida de violão. Belíssima faixa para fechar este disco maravilhoso.

Bom, depois de tanta falação, fique com o que importa: a música! Deixo o preconceito com a língua estranha de lado e sinta o som!

Primerio algumas em inglês, para você se acostumar:

Silence

Mad Afternoon

Agora em japonês:

Heaven’s Kitchen

It’s Gonna Rain