News
Leola mini-album “LOVE, LIFE & LAUGHTER” out on Aug 1st!
Love, Life & Laughter (limited edition cover)
Courtesy of CD Japan
Singer-songwriter Leola is releasing her new mini-album LOVE, LIFE & LAUGHTER at the beginning of next month! This is Leola’s first mini-album and will contain 5 tracks total, all new songs.
The album will be released in 2 editions with different cover art: a limited edition which includes a DVD, and a regular CD-only edition. The DVD of the limited edition will contain the music video and making-of video to the song “Sunshine & Happiness.” The regular CD-only edition will contain a bonus track of a remixed song.
Anly new album “LOOP” out on July 25th!
LOOP (album cover)
Courtesy of CD Japan
Singer-songwriter Anly is releasing her new album on the 25th! Titled LOOP, the album appears to make ample use of looping, whereby a short recurring segment of music is recorded on the spot, and played over and over again, with multiple recorded layers forming the background of the song. LOOP will contain 12 tracks, several of which Anly has performed live.
Clips are available on YouTube for previewing the live versions of these songs; scroll down below the track list to watch.
Sakamoto Shogo first album “FLUFFY HOPE” out on July 25th.
FLUFFY HOPE (album cover)
Courtesy of CD Japan
Singer-songwriter and actor Sakamoto Shogo is releasing his first album in July! Titled Fluffy Hope, the album will contain all of his singles which have been released on CD or digitally amongst 10 total tracks.
FLUFFY HOPE will be released in 2 editions: a limited edition with a bonus DVD, and regular CD-only edition. The DVD will contain the music video to “Natsu no Venus” and other making-of footage.
BAND-MAID new single “start over” out on July 25th!
start over (limited type B edition)
Courtesy of CD Japan
Hard rock group BAND-MAID is releasing their third single on a major label! Titled start over, the single will be released on July 25th and contain 2 tracks: the title song and a coupling track.
start over will be released in 3 editions: a “super limited” type A edition for hardcore fans, a limited edition type B with a DVD, and a regular CD only edition with just the 2 songs.
Slowheights to Taiyou mini-album “Mienai KATACHI” out on July 11th.
Independent rock band Slowheights to Taiyou is releasing their first mini-album next month! Titled Mienai KATACHI, the release will contain 6 songs total. Two of the songs, “Hontou ni tsurakunatte shimatta anata e” and “Soredemo ikiteiku anata e,” were released previously on 2 of the 5 indie singles the band has released so far.
Slowheights to Taiyou combines spoken word with emo singing and poppy guitar work to create a unique art rock sound.
Miura Daichi new album “Kyuutai” out on July 11th.
Kyuutai (album cover)
Courtesy of CD Japan
Singer, songwriter, and dancer Daichi MIURA is releasing his 7th original album on July 11th! The album will be titled Kyuutai (“Globe”) and contain 17 tracks, produced by Nao’ymt. Kyuutai comes on the heels of Miura’s recent hit compilation, simply titled BEST. The artist is currently performing on the “Kyuutai” tour leading up to the album’s release.
ELLEGARDEN is back!
After a 10 year hiatus, the legendary punk rock band ELLEGARDEN has announced they are back! The group split up in 2008 at the height of their popularity over creative differences, and have been pursuing solo projects since then. Most notable have been Takeshi HOSOMI’s group the HIATUS, and Shinichi UBUKATA’s group Nothing’s Carved In Stone.
ELLEGARDEN has not yet announced any new releases since their comeback, but will be touring in August in Japan, with three live events set so far.
CRCK/LCKS new EP “Double Rift” out on July 11th!
Double Rift (EP cover)
Courtesy of CD Japan
Post-pop band CRCK/LCKS is releasing their third mini-album on July 11th. Titled Double Rift, the EP contains 7 songs among 9 total original tracks. The band has experimented with jazz, funk, and strange time signature transitions on their past releases, so it will be interesting to see where they go with this EP.
CRCK/LCKS has released the date of their Double Rift special live, to take place on July 15th. A release trailer previewing several tracks from the album has been posted to YouTube.
Academic BANANA first EP “Tokyo” out on June 27!
Tokyo (EP cover)
Courtesy of Amazon Japan
Independent jazz/rock band Academic BANANA is releasing their first EP on June 27th! Titled Tokyo, the EP contains 7 funky, groovy songs with a variable dose of uniquely Japanese pop influence. The last and title song, “Tokyo” is a ballad reflecting the emotions of the band members, who all grew up in Tokyo.
A trailer of the EP has been posted to the YouTube channel of the group’s record label, and can be previewed below the track list.
Utada Hikaru new album “Hatsukoi” out on June 27th!
Hatsukoi (album cover)
Courtesy of CD Japan
Singer-songwriter Utada Hikaru is releasing her 7th studio album on June 27th! The title of the album, Hatsukoi, means “first love” and recalls her first album released 20 years ago, which was actually titled First Love. This album will contain 12 original songs including tie-ups to TV shows, movies, and video games.
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