Hello! It’s been forever since I last posted :sweatdrop:, and I apologize for that!! (I hate being so busy!)

Anyway, to start I will give you the AWESOME VIDEOS OF THE POST!

4#    (Yes, this isn’t exactly a video but I love the song. *sigh*)

3#

(lol)

2#

(Not really a video either, but I love to be with my sis and do “Hey Cait! *Plays video* YOU DROP DA BOMB!! )

THE NUMBER 1 VIDEO (for now anyway)!

Now, we say MORE… >:D

As for my writing currently, I am putting my time into a new story. A mystery to be precise, woooo. I have to get it to 5,000 words, so I have quite a ways to go before I can start work on chapter 2. X/

And here are some random thoughts musings and things I thought up…

- COULD IT BE… Silence?

-After a long day, I lie down on my pillow to sleep. My first thought? “Ew, this pillow stinks!”

- Apparently, there’s a reason  why socks don’t go in the blender…

-”MENTAL HEALTH CENTER. HIGH RISK SUICIDE UNIT: TOP FLOOR”

-DOES THERE HAVE TO BE A REASON WHY I’M DANCING?!

-”In a world without coffee…” Forget it man, there is no world without coffee!

-I broke my toilet today, something to do with squirrels, plastic eggs, and Cool Whip.

That’s it for now, come back later!

-Maki

(Thanks to OMNIGLOT.com for phrase info) (Editing  by Still Doll)

Hebrew: Eifo ha’sheirutim? (?איפה השרותים)

Russian: Где туалет? (Gde tualet?)

Greek: Πού είναι η τουαλέτα; (pu íne I tualéta?)

Πού είναι το μπάνιο; (pu íne to báño?)

Polish: Gdzie jest toaleta?

German:Wo ist die Toilette?

Ukrainian: Де туалет? (De tualet?)

Thai: ห้องน้ำอยู่ที่ไหน? (hôrng náhm yòo têe nǎi?)

Scottish Gaelic: Càite bheil an taigh beag?

Tagalog: Nasaan ang kasilyas banyo?

Hungarian: Hol van a mosdó?

Swahili: Choo kiko wapi?

Swedish: Var är toaletten?

Korean: 화장실이 어디예요? (hwajangsiri eodiyeyo?)

French: Où sont les toilettes ?

Irish Gaelic: Cá bfhuil an leithreas?

Indonesian: Di manakah kamar kecil?

Mongolian: Бие засах газар хаана байдаг вэ (Biye zasakh gazar khaana baidag ve?)

Japanese: 便所はどこですか。 (benjo wa doko desu ka)<m>

トイレはどこですか。 (o-toire wa doko desu ka)<f>

Uzbek: Hojathona qay yerda?

Albanian: Ku është banjoja?

Hindi: टॉयलेट कहाँ है (Tāyalet kahan hai?)

Arabic (Standard): ayn al-ḥammām?) أين الحمّام؟

Farsi: (dashtshuee kojast?) دستشويي کجاست؟

I have had a relatively crappy week, with some highlights

Well, I missed book club, which messed me up a bit.

But we had a great time shoe shopping with a friend

…But when I wore my new shoes today, they caused me to sprain my foot and now I am partially immobile.

And the worst part?

They fit my older sister without hurting her at all!

BOO YOU, IRONY!

For this upcoming week, I need a better phrase! Hmm…

Kanon  Wakeshima  è  nata  nel  1990  e  alla  sola  età  di  3  anni  iniziò  a  cimentarsi  nell’utilizzo   del  violoncello.

Kanon  debutta  nel  2008  con  il  singolo “Still Doll”  seguito  poi  da  un  secondo  singolo  chiamato “Suna no Oshiro”  che verrà  poi  utilizzatio come  ending  dell’anime  “Vampire Knight”.

Still Doll

Suna no Oshiro

Il 18/02/09  pubblica  il  primo  album “Shinshoku Dolce”. Attualmente  la  sua musica  viene  prodotta  da  Mana  (ex membro dei Malice Mizer). Kanon  nonostante  sia  molto giovane  si  presenta  con  una  voce  molto  dolce  e  suona  il  violoncello  con  maestria,  il  tutto non  fa  che  giovare  alle  orecchie  di  chi  l’ascolta.

Antonio “Cayman” Sammartano per Mag-Music

still doll by Kanon Wakeshima

1.) still doll
2.) 黒い鳥籠
3.) still doll (オルゴールバージョン)

Released: May 28th, 2008 ~ Highest Chart Position: #33 ~ First Week Sales: 3,642 ~ Total Sales: 6,838

still doll is Kanon’s debut single. still doll was used as an ending theme for the anime Vampire Knight. Kanon plays the Cello btw (if you couldn’t tell anyway xD).

still doll starts with some cello playing (I LOVE STRINGS ZOMG <3) and some epic drums in the background. Some music box things start to play and I’m sure the listener will be captivated by the creepy atmosphere this all protrays. Kanon’s vocals aren’t the strongest in the world, but she provides some nice vocals that make this song even creepier. Kanon can play the cello with like, no trouble at all XD So I’m happy she knows how to play that instrument with no problems at all. This song is quiet great actually. Very creepy and beautiful.

黒い鳥籠 starts with some synth believe it or not xD Then some strings start playing (I was gonna say the cello, but they sound like regular violin strings). This song reminds me of like, a frantic waltz or something. Kanon’s vocals are a bit more powerful in this song, as she projects more tone out. The song is a lot shorter than still doll sadly. Only clocking in at around 3 minutes. But I still enjoyed this B-Side.

still doll (オルゴールバージョン) is perfection. Anything in Music Box form is Grade A-PERFECTION in my book XD Take the way that still doll played out and put in a pure music box sound. It’s a very creepy instrumental track if I do say so myself. I personally think the addition of the random winding up of the music box to play again was really stupid to add because it was a disctraction. But I still love this music box version of it nonetheless <3

still doll was a strong debut. Kanon knows how to write some great lyrics and play the cello with ease. I personally love still doll (オルゴールバージョン) more than everything else present on the single xD But still doll and its b-side were both nice to listen to.

A

1. sweet ticket

2. 真紅のフェータリズム

3. 鏡

4. still doll (album ver.)

5. マボロシ

6. アンニュイ気分！

7. 砂のお城

8. Monochrome frame

9. L’espoir ～魔法の赤い糸～

10. 黒い鳥籠

11. skip turn step♪

12. 白い心

13. sweet dreams

Released on February 18, 2009 as Kanon’s first major album.

Mana-sama (Moi dix Mois, ex MALICE MIZER) composed the music for the album, making the concept of each song  sound like an amusement park in Europe. In which I agree with the whole concept, every piece in this album has a nice dark, fun and European sound to it he has captured that effect quite well.

The album begins with sweet ticket, a smooth and calming cello draws in soon followed up by a drum. Which gave the intro to the album a marching band feel to it, another affect added to this track was the tune of “Suna no Oshiro” lightly in the background making it sound more like a carnival like Mana had envisioned. Soon  the tune of “Suna no Oshiro” turns into a strange choir sounding like they came off of a Danny Elfman score >:I The track was very relaxing and a fun to listen to, it kind of puts you in a trance and makes you want to sleep. So don’t listen to at night XD

I love how 真紅のフェータリズムintros with the sound of the cello, making it seem like very dark and the sound makes it feel like the color of the title (Crimson Fatalism). Along with the cello, a dark beat kicks up the feeling making the song more meaningful. Kanon’s unique voice helps carry out the darkness of the song, and lets it flow along with the beat and cello. The mood I felt while listening to this song was empty, like someone was trying to keep you away from the world or you were keeping something from someone. Another mood swing to this album.

鏡 is a change from dark to light from the last track, this song plays the theme of fairytales. 鏡 is about Snow White, and how grotesque the world truly is within the story. The song starts with a strange beat and intro of a cello and violin making it sound mysterious, Kanon lightened her voice in this song giving more of a innocent touch kind of like a whisper. The chorus is amazingly catchy to me, you will find yourself singing it at times for no reason like Kanon got into your head somehow from Japan.. This track is fun and energetic, although it is really isn’t a happy song but it makes you feel that way with all the sounds throw out there.

still doll is song Kanon is well-known for, this version of still doll starts out with Kanon weakly singing the chorus of the song.  Even if that part of the song is changed, the same feel flows from this song dark and vampire-like. Another beautiful cello solo keeps this song interesting and unique, Kanon lowers her voice and holds the notes of the song to keep the edge still doll represents. Soon this song kind of turns creepy when Kanon repeats saying, “Hi Miss Alice” makes her sound like a pedo, but over all this song is insanely addictive to listen to and like 鏡, you will find yourself singing the chorus.

The tone of マボロシ is also cheerful, but really this song is about Kanon being an illusion and not truly being there only a figment of imagination. Which is rather sad, the music makes you think otherwise. The sweet orchestrated sound and the sound of a xylophone begin as the intro. Yes people, I’m serious, for once there is a song with a xylophone! >:I  In a way, Kanon’s voice does hint a bit of sadness but the way she sounds next to the music makes it seem like it is a happy Kodak moment. This is one of my favorite songs by Kanon, it is very catchy and upbeat and it holds a lot of meaning behind the music, I find myself singing the ending chorus a lot.

If you ever look at the lyrics for アンニュイ気分！, you’ll wonder what the hell Kanon is actually talking about… I thought she was being random, but she is actually talking about the feeling of boredom and how it makes you think about random things. So in a way, the crack lyrics make since. It is odd how this song begins, the sound of birds chripping outside then a cat meows at the sound of water running and then a phone begins to ring. The intro reminds me of Ringo Shiina’s albums.. To follow up on the strange intro is the sounds of bubbles popping, but a cute beat in the background makes the bubble noises less noticeable. Kanon’s voice is kind of poor in some parts of this song, when she makes that whiny voice for no reason, even though she is trying to emphasize she is totally bored out of her mind.. But it really hurts to listen to, some people might mistake the noise for something else.. XD This is not my favorite song, but it is fun sometimes to listen to.

砂のお城 is another song Kanon is known for, but not her most popular song. Castle of Sand is the English title for the song, which makes you think it is all about sand castles.. Not really, if you think deeper about it  this song is about being the sand and slowly flying away with time. Which probably makes you think this song is dull and boring, in which is the wrong answer. 砂のお城 is a dark and eery song, the cello is the main part of the song it repeats the same notes in the background making it feel like something is about to build up. A heavy echoing beat makes the song feel like it is dragging you along, the only really annoying part about this song is how Kanon makes her voice weak and quite at the beginning like she was singing her last song.. The song and Kanon would be better off if she didn’t do that, I know she is imitating the feeling of drifting away, but it ruins the feel of the whole intro and let alone the song.

Again Kanon uses sounds to start a song, Monochrome frame has the sounds of the ocean and seagulls making you picture the scene is suppose to be on a beach. I like this idea she went with, it helps explain the songs meaning. With the name Monochrome frame, it makes you think it is going to be a slow song.. It just happens to be very slow and melancholy, the song is meant to be this way Kanon is singing about how the memories of a lover are painful to think about and wants to be drown in the dark blue ocean. The sounds of song are clear, the violin makes the theme of melancholy expand. These sounds make me feel pain and sorrow of the past, but I don’t think I want to drown in the ocean over it.

L’espoir ～魔法の赤い糸～, for those of you that don’t speak either Japanese or French the title in English translates to The Hope ~ Red Thread of Magic~ , so is it about sewing? Strangely, this song is about how Kanon wishes to trap the man she loves with a cherry flavored string and keeping him as a slave to fall into her charm  XD Sounds like another episode of Bewitched or some bad magician in Vegas. I like the sound of that, really it is cute. Her voice at the beginning sounds childish and playful because she is saying she wants him to fall for her and be sneaky about it, don’t mistake it as unprofessional. Throughout the song it is upbeat and lively, with the reoccurring sound of the beloved cello, it makes the song seem happy but in a bittersweet sense of happy.

黒い鳥籠 is the very opposite of L’espoir ～魔法の赤い糸～,  dark and harsh sounding. This is a hard song for me to get into since, Kanon’s voice is yet again too hard to actually stay with the song and listen. Although her voice is deep and sounds in pain, that is meant for the feeling of the song and she is getting into it. 黒い鳥籠 is about being trapped in a cage like a bird with no escape, and struggling against the world. After the beginning part of the song, it became easier to listen to, the sounds of the it are enjoyable and seem to guide the true feelings of no escape. Not really my favorite song, but it does have a catchy chorus which makes up for it.

skip turn step♪ is the best track on this album, it is a happy and sweet song about dancing outside when it begins to rain. That is something most of us can relate to, I’ve been outside in the rain dancing in and out of the puddles it is the better way to spend  a rainy day, rather than inside.  The track begins with a light sound of the harpsichord and sounds of the cello, suddenly turning into a orchestra. When Kanon begins to sing, the cello follows along with a violin and then a piano. Capturing the true beauty of the rain, the chorus the second time around is the main reason to really stay into the song it turns into something unexpected and is the liveliest track on the album and it isn’t about suicide 8′D

The second to the last track is 白い心, like 鏡 it follows the fairytale theme, but instead of one fairytale Kanon mixes all of the classics together into one song. The beginning of the song sounds sad and gives the imagery of snow falling on the ground, the piano plays a big part within the song giving the tone of great despair and sadness. You may wonder why it sounds that way if it is about fairytales, 白い心 is about not wanting to ruin others’ happiness and being in the way of what they wish, also not being selfish and becoming heartless to others. Being pure of heart is the true theme besides the fairytales. Expect a sad feeling when listening, it isn’t as upbeat as skip turn step♪, it is almost like a ballad.

sweet dreams is the final track to Kanon’s album, instead of cellos as the main instrument her final song is a music box.  Like sweet ticket it carries the same tune, but in a sadder way like it is ending forever. This music box is a bipolar sounding, filled with sorrow and suddenly filled with great joy, but in a way endings are always looked at in both perspectives, the best of both.

3 out 5

It is a great album for Kanon’s first, it shows she is dedicated to working with her music,  even if she tries to change her voice to match the sounds.. XD She really is talented and needs to work at a few things, but she’ll get there.

RECOMMENDED

真紅のフェータリズム

鏡

still doll

マボロシ

砂のお城

L’espoir ～魔法の赤い糸～

skip turn step♪

白い心

You know what, I’m really really sorry guys for not having written this post up and publishing it AGES ago. I don’t know, but suddenly, I just lost my fandom with Kanon Wakeshima due to school, laziness, and my sudden interests in other string groups such as Bond and Escala. But anyways, here’s the post I should have put up a long time ago, just a few months late!

_______

Considering this was the very first album from one of the very few artists who I have actually gotten a chance to listen to them from the very start of their career, I had very high expectations for Shinshoku Dolce. Adding to these very high expectations is how I was overly obsessed with her singles that she released before. Adding to that is the fact that she is an artist who really changed my life by inspiring me to take up the violin and become more involved in music.

The very first few tracks really helped to satisfy my high expectations for the album. Sweet Ticket, is just as the title says. It’s a sweet gorgeous instrumental with Kanon Wakeshima (of course) playing her cello along with marching percussion and a bunch of other things, and it really does feel like a sweet ticket into the rest of the album.

Following is the very first new track on the album called Shinku No Fatarhythm, which still continues to convince me that is the best album I have ever listened to. A unique combination of techno beats, string backings, and gorgeous cello playing, I fell in love with this song. I was also glad to hear that Kanon really improved on her vocals. They weren’t shaky for the most part, and even though it felt rather piercing at times, it still sounded amazing. Her high pitched voice also contrasted well with the deep tone of the cello.

As the alum continues, we are treated a track called Kagami, which is in reality, just a more toned down version of the previous track. However, I loved Shinku No Fatarhythm, so I had no problem with it. Plus, Kanon really explored the range of her cello by actually going into the deep end for the first time, and of course, I gasmed when I heard this.

Following up is actually an album version of still doll. Now, I’m going to be honest here, even though there is a nice new introduction to it, and even though this song is the very reason why I got into violin, and I still get memories of the smell of my new violin and entering the violin shop, I am a tad sick of it. Of course, the song is still amazing, but after 220 plays of the original (which isn’t that different from this version), it can get a bit tiring, and some of the magic I felt when I listen to it is now kinda lost.

And now, this is where the album gets slightly disappointing for me. Maboroshi is one of the closest I may hear to earlier Capsule doing a collaboration with Kanon. OH WAIT, you know what, I just realized that this whole disappointment was just me being too negative about things, because I just realized that this song rocks too. >.>

As I said before, the whole capsule feel I am talking about is with that little instrument that sounds like elevator music. In fact, this entire piece sounds like elevator music, but GOOD elevator music. Cutesy elevator music combined with extremely cute high pitched vocals from Kanon, a pretty cello solo here and there, and a bunch of other more gentle aspects.

Following is  Ennui Kibun!. With the sound of little birds chirping and a water fountain, I was scared that this was gonna be a Morning Musume –esque song. And HOLY CRAP, I am right. However, we all know that Kanon wouldn’t torture us like that. This song is even cuter than Maboroshi, but as we all know, Kanon can’t just be cute. This song sounds like a little murderous psycho homicidal maniac of a girl with a knife. And you know what, I like that. The song ends with the sound a shower, which makes me feel like she’s showering all the blood from her murder-fest. Lovely.

So now, we all take a break from all these new tracks with a previous single called Suna No Oshiro. Now, considering that I haven’t been listening to this song for too long, it still has not grown old on me. It’s possibly one of Kanons most dramatic and scariest songs to date, and I give credit for her really making it scary by singing as if she is suffocating. YAY for a dying voices!

Continuing the theme of creepy songs, we are treated to Monochrome Frame. Now, I originally felt disappointed at this song, mainly due to the fact that there is no cello solo at all (I’m sorry, but I can’t help but love Kanon and her solos!). Aside from that little thing missing, there is just something so strong about this song. The arrangement isn’t as heavy as other pieces (although the violins playing in the background are GORGEOUS), and the song just kinda feels like it’s staying in the same general area for the entire 4 minutes. However, I think this may be her strongest presentation of her vocals. I can’t explain it, but her vocals just scream POWER here, and I like it for that.

Following up is a song that sounds a lot more like the Kanon I know (by that, I mean cello solos). L’espoir ～魔法の赤い糸～ kinda feels rather “regular” for Kanon Wakeshima, but it does have little quirks. The verses still feel dark and creepy and all that good stuff, but there is an awkward and quirky change when the chorus comes in, which is what helps make this song stick out. In addition, the cello solo is GORGEOUS (when is it not?). Aside from that, it still kinda “blends in” with her other material, but her other material rocks anyway, so its still a rockin song to me.

The next two songs are actually previous singles, just to give us a break before the final tracks. The first is Kuroi Torikago, which was my very first hear at Kanon taking a techno style with her music. Also, it was the very first time I heard Kanon have a song with the violins having a more involved role in the arrangement, and I’m still not sick of this song!

Skip Turn Skip is also the first track where Kanon isn’t so dramatic and crazy with the cello and stuff. It sounds a lot more “sophisticated” compared to her other tracks, and was the first time I heard her take on a cuter style with her voice. This song however, I don’t find far too amazing when put next to the rest of her material.

Now, we have finally come to the end with the final track called Shiroi Kokoro. For some reason, I can’t help but feel that this song really does feel appropriate as an “ending song”. I’m guessing that it’s just because of more “unique” it is to her other stuff. This is the first time I’ve heard her use the piano in such a unique way, creating an image of snowy day, or the thoughts in someones head, or just something depressing yet uplifting. The piano is definitely the strongest element in this song, along with Kanons vocals, where it sounds like she’s really giving it her all, and while the cello takes a bit of a backseat.

Of course though, it’s not like Kanon to just end it there. The FINAL FINAL track on the album is called Sweet Dreams which is just an orgel version of the intro track Sweet ticket. The name is appropriate, because the orgel does feel more like something to put you sleep. And then getting murdered in your sleep of course.

I swear, you know what? I am COMPLTELEY BI POLAR when it comes to my opinion on albums. I remember listening to this album for the very first time, and feeling extremely disappointed with the album, due to the lack of all the high expectations I had. Reading the review from Selryam didn’t at all. However, I am SO GLAD that I finally got chance to do a full review of this album. It’s helped me realize how just plain awesome this album is. I am a bit annoyed at how all the tracks on the album do sound a bit samey, and I can understand how some people would be disappointed with it. However, considering the fact that I’m completely Bi-polar, indecisive, and very biased towards Kanon, I’m going to say I LOVE this album. Just give the album a try before automatically assuming something like how I do. I’m just hoping however, that she tries something different with her future material. Kanon Wakeshima and an electric guitar anyone?

Overall Rating

5 out of 5

Oi!!^^

  Hoje eu vou falar um pouquinho sobre a Kanon Wakeshima, uma cantora japonesa super mara!!!

  Eu conheci o trabalho da Kanon no anime (maravilhoso) Vampire Knight. Eu fiquei apaixonada pela música de encerramento e eu PRECISEI descobrir quem cantava. Adivinhem quem era? Descobriu amiguinho? Exatamente! Ela! A única e maravilhosa Kanon Wakeshima! Não precisava de mais nada: eu já tinha virado fã. A música em questão se chama Still Doll e é muito linda *-*.

(Vídeo do encerramento da primeira temporada do anime Vampire Knight. Música: Still Doll de Kanon Wakeshima *-*)

(Clipe de Still Doll, primeiro single de Kanon Wakeshima)

  Como se não bastasse, a música de encerramento da segunda temporada do anime de Vampire Knight, Vampire Knight Guilty também é cantada por Kanon, e se chama Suna no Oshiro. É igualmente linda.

(Encerramento do anime Vampire Knight Guilty, música Suna no Oshiro, interpretada por Kanon Wakeshima)

(Clipe de Suna no Oshiro, Kanon Wakeshima)

  Eu já estava completamente interessada no trabalho de Kanon. A sua voz doce que canta letras tão profundas (e as vezes até mesmo estranhas e desconcertantes), o seu violoncelo marcante e mágico, o seu violino que canta. Eu baixei o cd completo. O cd se chama “ Shinshoku Dolce” e é fácil de encontrar na net. Recomendo também a música “Kagami” , uma das minhas favoritas, que é divertida e vibrante, e soa como um encanto mágico *-* .

(Kagami, Kanon Wakeshima)

  Essa foi mais uma dica de Mallu, que além de amar animes e mangás shoujo, é loucamente apaixonada por música! Ouçam a Kanon! Ouçam o cd inteiro! É completamente…SUGOI!!!! Por que além de super linda, ela é super talentosa!

XOXO

Mallu

I decided to be evil and take over the writing world with a retractable pen.

MWAHAHAHAHA

THE END.

Whenever something actually happens in my life I stop blogging for some insane reason!

(which some people have complained about. Anwyas… I don’t have many readers so it shouldn’t matter much)

What’s happened since the Alice in Wonderland week you ask?

I’ve been to Oslo and seen Mamma Mia! Live on stage! It was fantastic! Tale and I was in the first row and it was like magic!

It's the Mamma Mia! ticket and a petal from the stage!

At the same time Alexander Rybak won the Eurovision Contest with his Fairytale. Everyone in Norway’re so proud of him, but… we’re all damn sick of that song by now. It’s played all the time on the Telly, radio and etc…

He won on the 16 of May and the day after it was the national day in Norway, and I was marching with my band as every 17 of May. But this year we played Fairytale just because he won. It made everyone happy, though!

Me on the 17th of May

So that week everything was about Mamma Mia!

But the week after… it’s POKÉMON! I’ve started playing my old Gameboy game again. A bit sad I know, but it’s fun! The music is rubbish, though. My Charizard is on level 50 now. I’ve got 5 badges too! Go me! (clap, clap, clap)

Elise and I had a get-together-and-play evening, where we played Mario and the theme music from the menu of the Pokémon Stadium Nintendo 64 game. It was so much fun, and we even made a small dance. The only problem was that I couldn’t stop laughing, (You should’ve seen Elise’s cute dance), and it’s not easy to play flute when you laugh, so I kind of ruined it a little!

But… I’ve also watched the entire Britain’s Got Talent 2009 show on Megavideo. I simply loved the winners, Divinity. They were totally awesome!

I went to Nøtterøy, Tønsberg together with Sigrid too. We had three wonderful days with sun, ice cream, water and boats. Then only problem was that her dog thought it was amazing the way the water flies through the air when a wave hits the boat. It tried to catch it and… dun dun duuuuun…

The dog fell from the boat and into the water. It was quite dramatic, it could’ve ended up into the motor, or drowned, but luckily it could swim. We managed to save it and ten minutes later it was back to catching the water drops.

Me using the fantastic cartoon-study technique!

Since last time I blogged I’ve had my final Science test and even got the grade back. I managed to get the grade I want for the test so I kept my Science grade. It’s a final subject so if I’d scored badly on this last test I’d get a horrible grade in the subject! But I didn’t!

My Science notes...

I studied my head off (on my own study scale at least) and managed the grade I wanted!

The only way to keep me awake was tea and apples:)

Today Elizaveta, Elise and I arranged the piece Still Doll (a Japanese song that’s used as the ending song for the Vampire Knight anime) for flute, cello and vocals. It’s amazing, and we even want to enter a cosplay competition and perform it. Don’t blame Elise, she’s not the nerd, it’s the other two:)

Listen to the song here!

The song’s a bit Emilie Autumn goes Pirates of the Caribbean goes Japanese

Our self-aranged sheets for Still Doll, these are the flute sheets!

I’m watching La Corda d’oro second passo. It’s really good so far. It’s a good sequel to the great anime about music. It’s making me start to think though. They say that technique and feeling is very different for a musician kind of. Some are really good at the techniques while others play more by the heart. I’ve noticed it’s a bit of a discussion about this in the musical world.

Here’s what I think: I can like whatever kind of music, the only thing that can be put as a standard, or request from what I listen to is: it should strikes me in the chest and gives me goose bumps. Eg. When I listened to Mozart’s requiem I had this feeling. When the music gives a response in my body and soul then it’s complete. You don’t need to be great to achieve this, you just need to play by the heart.

The thing is… if you’ve mastered to play by the heart then start practise technique a little, because it’s important to combine them to give a perfect musical performance.

Check out: Atashinichi no Danshi – a good J-dorama

and this funny youtube video: Total Eclipse of the Heart: Literal video Version.

Oh well… My language didn’t work at all today,

And I apologise that I’m not updating often enough.

Mata ne!!

「still doll」
分島花音

Hi Miss Alice.
あなた　硝子の眼で
どんな夢を
見られるの?
魅入られるの?
またあたし
こころが裂けて
流れ出る
繕った
隙間に刺さる
記憶たち

Hi Miss Alice.
あなた果実の口で
誰に愛を
投げているの?
嘆いているの?
もうあたし
言葉を紡ぐ
舌の熱
冷め切って
愛でるお歌も
歌えない

Still, you do not answer.

’still doll’
by Wakeshima Kanon

Hi Miss Alice.
With glass eyes,
what kind of dream
are you able you see?
Are you able to be possessed by?
Once again my heart
is being split,
Memories
stuck into
the repaired crack,
flowing out,

Hi Miss Alice.
With your fruitful mouth,
to whom do you
throw your love?
grieve your love?
I’m already
spinning out words
the warmth of my tongue
has completely cooled,
I cannot sing
a loving song

Still, you do not answer.

＊ The difficult thing about this song is its vagueness and the fact that all the lines are broken up, so it’s hard to tell which lines refer and connect to what.  It’s mostly up to interpretation, really.

I, Ba, stumbled over Kanon Wakeshima for not so long ago. This artist was a big surprisment to me! She has a gothic style of clothing and music. I was also overly amused by her music. She is really good to be so young! The special thing about her is, that she has played cello since she was three, and cello suely plays a big part in her music.

She was found by Mana, the founder of the gothic lolita label Moi-même-Moitiè.

For me, she looks like a doll -a walking one, too. Her debut and first single got the name “Still Doll”, the track still doll was also used for the ending theme in the first season of Vampire knight. The other season of this anime, used also her second single track suna no oshiro as ending theme.

I think I will nominate this song of hers to be the week’s song!

Shiroi Kokoro

The two songs she is most known for;

Still Doll

Suna No Oshiro

Each of these songs have their on PV’s, you can check them out on youtube ^^

Okay, so one of my friends is a huge fan of KAT-TUN and I have another friend who’s a fan of DBSK. Now, apparently two of their singles are going “head-to-head” and me being into the whole Japanese Music Scene just had to see what was up. Now apparently KAT-TUN’s ‘Rescue’ single is coming out right around DBSK’s ‘Survivor’ single. Now, I checked YouTube and I can’t find a preview of DBSK’s new single, go figure. However, I was able to listen to KAT-TUN’s rescue, I’m not really pro or anti- KAT-TUN I just go, “oh, this is a good song” or “Oh, I don’t really like this song…” or my classic “meh..” so I just call the music as I hear it. Since I haven’t heard DBSK’s song and only KAT-TUN I’m going with KAT-TUN, of course this isn’t a default win int he slightest. I’ve heard plenty of KAT-TUN songs, multiple times, it happens when one of your good friends is a fan, so I know what most of their music sounds like. I must say this is one of the best ones. Of course I think as of late their music has been really good, especially with “DON’T U EVER STOP”. Of course I haven’t listened to “One Drop” yet, which, although is coming out before ‘Rescue’ doesn’t seem to be as good from what I hear. Mostly what I hear is “Why can’t they released Rescue first and then One Drop?” I must say that I didn’t think One drop was all that special but I guess my taste in music is very picky. OR maybe I had listened to one drop already, which I think I might have since the title seems familiar to me, but I didn’t think it was anything worth remembering-Ouch. Oh well, they make it up by the fact that I actually like one of their new songs. Me not liking a song isn’t anything new, even amongst some of Utada’s songs I have to say, “I… really don’t like the song… at all…” I’m very picky, it also depends on what mood. After all we have things like Utada Hikaru’s new song (currently available on iTunes) for her new album “Come Back to Me” which is really a beautiful song, but if you’re in a dance/party kind of mood, you’d probably be better off with Morning Musume’s “Onna Ni Sachi Are” or their “Resonant Blue” or if you wanted some music to sleep to Do As Infinity’s “Hiiragi” would probably be a good choice. It really depends on what mood you need to set.

So Kanon Wakeshima did an album, now it sounds like an awesome idea, right? Well, I don’t like it. It has “still doll” and her “Kuroi Torikago” and her “Suna no Oshiro” but other than that I can’t say I like the album. It’s almost as if she was forced to take a little pop to her album. Of course which kills the mood and also kills the music. Rarely should the cello be overshadowed by meaningless noise that pop music tends to be known for. I gave her a listen because I heard that Mana was her tutor and I mean come on… Mana! Who doesn’t love at least one song that God (as arrogant) produces. Though I wouldn’t recommend the album other than for the cover art, it’s really pretty, she’s really photogenic, but I suppose anyone who had that much make up on would be photogenic. Well, that’s assuming she’s got a face covered in make up, there’s always photoshop or something like that. Oh, the album I’m talking about is called “Shinshoku Dolce” but like I said, it wasn’t good at all, if anything it made my heart break to hear such a thing come from Ms. Wakeshima. Maybe I’m tired, maybe I’m in pure and simple denial, but I’ll listen to it later and beg to Mana-sama that my opinion has changed.

Guilty “Resident Evil: Degeneration” Ending Theme it’s 2 play counts away from being Tsuchiya-san’s other song “Taste My Skin” is it just me or is this singer awesome? Yes, I am into music, well it almost consumes my life. I actually saw Tsuchiya-san without realizing it, well, on DVD anyway. IT was Kamikaze Girls and I had no idea who the Yanki was, it was “adorable” Momoko and “cool” Ichiko (haha Ichigo) but anyway, then I was on the computer, la de da, but really where else would I be? Outside? Ha! But anyway, I heard a song and was like “this is really good” so then I found out her name. Then I wiki-ed it and realized that she was in Kamikaze Girls, that’s when I popped the DVD back in and realized that she had a music video on the DVD!! WHAT?! I must say, although I’m a little iffy about the PV itself, the song was just amazing. Then the other day I realized that iTunes has this song called “Guilty” I listen to the preview (Ha! Yeah right, I head straight to YouTube to hear the whole, real thing) and loved it and bought it. I recommend listening to the whole song before you buy it, just because you liked the 30 seconds of it doesn’t means you’ll like the other 3.5 minutes. This actually happened more than once to me, I loved the preview, but in context it was just really weird, so it was a waste of a dollar. and yes it might have only been a dollar, but if you do it more than once, well, it just adds up and why waste the money if you don’t have to? Back to Tsuchiya-san, I love her song “frozen rose” I have 3 versions of it, of course I only listen to the original (for obvious reasons) just because I listened to that version first and fell in love with that version and no other. But I have her Norino mix and Otona Mix. I like her songs “Change Your Life” “Lovin’ You”& “Kuroi Namida” of course those aren’t my top 3, they rotate, but they’re all awesome, I highly recommend Tsuchiya Anna for your music needs, if you like that rock feel to your music anyway. Her music sounds intense, I should probably figure out what she’s actually saying, well, her English is actually really good, well, in my opinion, but I think that’s good. It might not always make sense, but we seem to have that exact same problem for native haha, but I think she really has an awesome hold on her pronunciation. What was really cool is that alot of my friends really wanted to see the Nana movie and Tsuchiya-san actually did a mini album inspired by the Black Stones (a band in the Nana series) so we watched the movie and it  was awesome. “Kuroi Namida” and “Lovin’ You” were my favorites from her Mini album. She did a collaboration with Hiphop artist AI, it’s called “Crazy World” this is awesome, you need to check this out, I don’t care about the PV, it was just like “weeeeirrddddd” but it’s also Tsuchiya-san and she’s bound to be weird, of course that’s what I think adds to the beauty and magic of her ability. Because if you don’t have a creative “weird” side then you can’t really expand your music, because in order to grow you need to have some idea of where you want your music to sound like, even if it’s not concrete like “I want my music to sound more mature” if it’s something like “I wonder what it would sound like if I…” then that’s still a direction, and it’s the creative side that makes things like that happen. Apparently she gives “smoking and drinking at an early age” as the reason for her “sultry” voice (And I do adore her voice) but her mom denies this, of course her mom would deny this, of course if I knew that would give me an awesome voice I might go for it. Too bad my morals against drinking and smoking are so strong. Oh and she did the opening for Nana (it was her song “rose” which I wasn’t that much a fan of, but I doubt that matters )

I listened to Kanon for the first time yesterday and immediately fell in love. A little late on the bandwagon, yes, but better late than never. Alors, voilà! Here are the scans for her first single.

still doll / 1st (Debut) Single / Release Date: [2008.05.28]