Release news
Inshowha new album “Inshowha wa Kimi ni Toikakeru” out on October 4th!
Inshowha wa Kimi ni Toikakeru (album cover)
Courtesy of CD Japan
Electro/art pop duo Inshowha is releasing a new album on October 4! Titled Inshowha wa Kimi ni Toikakeru (translated as, “The Impressionists Are Asking You a Question”), the album will contain 10 original tracks. According to the release notes, the album will cover topics including human relations, society, and economics–questions relevant to all of us. The duo has released the music video to the first track, “Lemon [le:mon]” on YouTube. Scroll down below the track list to view.
Aimer triple A side single out on Oct 11th!
ONE / Hana no Uta / Rokutousei no yoru
(Magic Blue version)
Courtesy of CD Japan
Popular singer Aimer is releasing her 13th single on October 11th! This ambitious “triple A side” will feature the three songs “ONE,” “Hana no uta,” and “Rokutousei no yoru [Magic Blue version]” and the B-side “Ito” for a total of 4 tracks. “ONE” is an original track, as is “Hana no uta”, which will be used as the theme song to the animated movie Fate/Stay Night [Heaven’s Feel], part I. presage. “Rokutousei no yoru [Magic Blue version]” is a re-arrangement of Aimer’s debut single. The B-side is a cover of a song by Nakajima Miyuki.
Shibata Jun releasing new album “Watashi wa Shiawase” on Sept 20!
Watashi wa Shiawase (regular edition cover)
Courtesy of CD Japan
Veteran singer-songwriter Jun Shibata is releasing her 11th original studio album, Watashi wa Shiawase, on Sept 20th! After more than 2 years since her last album release, Jun’s new album will contain 10 newly written songs. The writer explains on a special release webpage that she thought she had “run out of steam” for more two years, and sought to find herself, intending to tell a “straight, unvarnished” tale of life with all of its suffering, not a collection of “gentle” songs. Her happiness would come from the listener’s acceptance of her message.
Rihwa new single “Michishirube” out on Sept 20!
Michishirube (single cover)
Courtesy of CD Japan
Singer-songwriter Rihwa is releasing a new single on September 20th! With the name Michishirube, the title track is the theme song of the mystery/drama film Yurigokoro. The single contains two other tracks: “Hane” and “THE GATE” for a total of 3 new songs. This release comes 9 months after Rihwa’s prior single.
You can preview the Yurigokoro official trailer on YouTube, below the tracklist. “Michishirube” plays in the background; clicking on the link starts playing the video where the song starts in the backgound, at 0:41.
Aimyon debut major album “Seishun no Excitement” out on Sept 13th!
Seishun no Excitement (album cover)
Courtesy of CD Japan
Singer-songwriter Aimyon is releasing her first major label album on September 13th! The disc, titled Seishun no Excitement, will contain 11 tracks including three major singles “Ikite itanda,” “Kimi wa rock wo kikanai,” and “Ai wo tsutaetai datoka.” Aimyon’s intimate, bold style and fearless lyrics are demonstrated in songs such as “Ikite itanda,” an unflinching psychological portrait of a girl who commits suicide, contrasting with more conventional alternative songs like “Kimi wa rock wo kikanai” or the funky “Ai wo tsutaetai datoka.” It will be very interesting to see what kinds of songs she writes for this major release, particularly in comparison to her two prior indie mini-albums.
Oshiro Claudia new album “Clarity” out on Sept 6th!
Clarity (album cover)
Courtesy of CD Japan
Claudia OSHIRO, musician and singer of the shima-uta (Ryuukyuu islands) style of music, is releasing her 5th album Clarity on September 6th! The album is perhaps more correctly considered a mini-album as it contains 8 tracks with several of them likely being covers, including “Dynamic Ryuukyuu”, “Nanta hama”, and “Ichimadin.” The first track, “ALAS ~Tsubasa~” is being used for a TV commercial.
Claudia is known for her work with THE BOOM, a band that popularized shima-uta music (although they did not originate in the Ryuukyuu islands). › Continue reading
Aoyama Thelma new album “10th Diary” out on Sept 6th!
10th Diary (limited edition cover)
Courtesy of CD Japan
Singer AOYAMA Thelma is commemorating the 10th anniversary of her debut with her new album, titled 10th Diary. This album will contain 10 tracks, including one single “My Only Lover” and 9 original tracks. 10th Diary comes in two editions; one is a limited edition with 29 remixed tracks selected by fan vote from Thelma’s discography, while the other is the regular CD album only.
MISIA releasing mini-album “Misia Soul Jazz Session” on July 26th!
Soul Jazz Session (album cover)
Courtesy of CD Japan
R&B veteran artist MISIA is releasing a new mini-album this month! Titled Misia Soul Jazz Session, the mid/slow-tempo collection of 9 total songs consists of 2 new songs and 7 jazzy remixes. In conjunction with this release, MISIA is embarking on her Summer Soul Jazz tour in several cities in Japan.
The album CD will be blu-spec and able to play in CD players as well as Blu-ray players. The first press of the mini-album comes in a special digipak case with a sticker. Previews of the songs are available on MISIA’s YouTube channel (scroll down below the track list).
Chara new album “Sympathy” out on July 19th!
Sympathy (limited edition cover)
Courtesy of CD Japan
Singer-songwriter Chara is releasing her new album on July 19th! Titled Sympathy, the record will include 13 total tracks. Chara has collaborated with numerous artists for this disc, including KanSano, Kishida Shigeru (岸田 繁) of Quruli, kensukeushio of agraph, Kenmochi Hidefumi (ケンモチヒデフミ), mabanua, BASI, and TAKU.
Sympathy will be released in 2 editions: a regular album edition, and a limited edition containing an extra CD with 8 tracks recorded live at Chara’s “Tremolo Sparks” performance on January 22nd, 2017.
Rei releasing single and music book “CRY” on July 5th!
CRY (album cover)
Courtesy of CD Japan
Blues/funk guitarist and singer Rei is releasing a new single containing 4 tracks. Titled CRY, the release includes all original songs and a music book designed and illustrated by Rei herself.
Samples of the new release are not yet available. For clips of other music videos and live performances by the biligual guitarist, scroll down below the track list.
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