News
Tama new album [BITTER] out on April 12!
BITTER (album cover)
Courtesy of CD Japan
Solo independent artist Tama is releasing her third (mini) album on April 12th. Titled BITTER, the collection will contain 8 original tracks. Tama has also announced her live tour, titled “SUMMER of BITTER” with two shows announced so far in July.
Tama is best known as the former singer of Hysteric Blue. Since the band split in 2004, Tama has pursued several projects including The Screaming Frogs and Sabao, which she continues to be active with. If her recent work is any indication, BITTER is likely to have upbeat, catchy pop/rock songs containing Tama’s distinct “high tone” vocals.
Hirahara Ayaka new album [Love 2] out on April 26!
Love 2 (album cover)
Courtesy of CD Japan
Exactly one year after her previous album, singer Hirahara Ayaka is releasing her new album Love 2 on April 26th. Love 2 is Ayaka’s tenth original album, and the second album in her “love” series (her previous album was titled Love). Not the most original title, nor the most original theme…this album is also centered on devoted love. Ayaka presents 11 new songs on this album, including the bonus track “Wasenedeya.”
Clips of all tracks from the album are available on the Universal Music YouTube channel and can be previewed below.
Otsuka Ai’s 8th original album [Love Honey] out on April 12!
Love Honey (regular edition cover)
Courtesy of CD Japan
Singer-songwriter Otsuka Ai is releasing her eighth original album on April 12th! Continuing her tradition of having “Love” in the title of every album, this one will be titled Love Honey. Love Honey will contain a total of 12 tracks, including the single “Watashi”.
And continuing the Avex tradition, the album will be released in several versions: other than the regular CD edition, there will be 3 limited editions–one with a fabric freshening spray, one with a DVD, and one with a Blu-ray disc. The DVD and Blu-ray will contain the same six clips consisting of music videos to “Watashi” and “Sakura harahara” and 4 live songs from her AIO PIANO vol.4 tour on February 14, 2017. A limited number of pre-orders at CD Japan will come with an advert poster. A pre-order version with a poster is also available on Amazon Japan, but differs in price from the non-poster version.
Tanimura Shinji releasing 45th anniversary best compilation [STANDARD ~Iki~] on April 5th!
STANDARD ~Iki~ (album covers)
TOP: limited edition
BOTTOM: regular edition
Courtesy of CD Japan
April is a month for compilations and re-issues. Singer, musician, composer and all-around music veteran Shinji TANIMURA is commemorating his 45th anniversary as an artist with a massive greatest hits album titled STANDARD ~Iki~ (breath) to be released on 4/5. The album will include 45 tracks plus 2 bonus songs on 3 CDs. Disc 1 will contain 15 tracks by Tanimura, considered by the artist to be his “standard” songs. Disc 2 will contain 15 live version songs performed by Alice, the band that Tanimura formed with Takao HORIUCHI in the 1970’s. Disc 3 will contain 15 songs that Tanimura considers “standard” in the canon of Japanese music, covered by Tanimura.
STANDARD ~Iki~ will be released in 2 flavors, a regular edition and a limited edition with a DVD containing footage that recreates a 1970’s radio show which featured Alice, and a booklet biography of the artist. The full track list has not yet been announced, but so far the following songs will be included:
Wagakki Band new album [Shikisai] out on March 22!
Shikisai (regular edition cover)
Courtesy of CD Japan
Wagakki Band, the ensemble best known for blending traditional Japanese instruments with rock music to cover vocaloid songs, is releasing their new album Shikisai on March 22nd! The album will contain 16 total songs, including their most recent single “Kishi kaisei,” and other songs with anime tie-ups, “Valkyrie-ikusa otome-“, “Howling”, “MI.RA.I”, “OKINOTAYUU”, “Ukiyo heavy life”, “Strong Fate”, and “Hotarubi.”
Melody Chubak first mini album [Melody] out on January 25th!
Melody (album cover)
Courtesy of CD Japan
Japanese singer Melody Chubak is releasing her major label debut, a mini album, on January 25th. Titled Melody, the collection of 6 previously unreleased songs focuses on an uplifting and optimistic mood. Melody is best known for her sweet, child-like voice and her ethereal high notes in the soundtracks of anime Macross Delta and TV show 35-sai no Koukousei (“35-year-old High School Student”). The track “Marvin Gaye” is a cover of a Charlie Puth song and is sung in duet with Melody’s younger sister, Angela Chubak.
In case you are wondering about the Chubak sisters’ last name, their father is Canadian by birth.
SCANDAL best hits album out on February 15th!
SCANDAL (regular edition cover)
Courtesy of CD Japan
All-female Osaka rock band SCANDAL is releasing their greatest hits album on February 15th! The eponymously named SCANDAL album consists of 2 CDs with 18 tracks on each disc; 2 tracks out of the 36 are original, previously unpublished songs titled “FREEDOM FIGHTERS” and “HELLO.” Songs are collected mostly from singles throughout the band’s 10 prolific years. The group has released 3 compilation albums in the past.
Ieiri Leo 5th anniversary best album out on February 15th!
5th Anniversary Best
(regular edition album cover)
Courtesy of CD Japan
Singer-songwriter Leo IEIRI is releasing her first compilation album, 5th Anniversary Best, on February 15th, 2017. The album will contain 17 tracks including all 12 of her singles released to date, and a new original song titled “Sorezore no ashita e.”
The collection will be released in 3 versions: a regular CD edition and two limited editions with DVDs. For the type A release, the DVD will contain clips from live events; for the type B release, the DVD will contain music videos for 13 songs and making-of footage. Both limited editions will include an 18th track, “I promise you.”
Nothing’s Carved In Stone releases new album [Existence] on December 14th!
Existence (album cover)
Courtesy of Amazon Japan
Indie rock band Nothing’s Carved In Stone, best known as guitarist Shinichi UBUKATA’s project after ELLEGARDEN, is releasing their eight album on December 14th. Titled Existence, the album will contain NCIS’s two recent singles “In Future” and “Adventures” with 8 other tracks for a total of 10 songs.
Whereas another ELLEGARDEN member, Takeshi HOSOMI went deep into singer-songwriter and piano ballad territory with his project the HIATUS, NCIS went into structured, energetic rock. However, with their most recent single “Adventures”, NCIS dipped into ballad territory as well. Taku MURAMATSU, vocalist for the band, also continues to sing in decently pronounced English.
You can watch videos of several songs, some live versions and some MVs, posted to the group’s official YouTube channel below the track list.
ONE OK ROCK new album [Ambitions] out on January 11!
Ambitions (regular edition cover)
Courtesy of CD Japan
Punk/emo/pop rock band ONE OK ROCK is releasing their new album on January 11th! Titled Ambitions, the album will contain 14 tracks all sung in English. ONE OK ROCK collaborated with such notable artists as Avril Lavigne and 5 Seconds of Summer on this album.
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