Release news
lyrical school new album [guidebook] out on Nov 16!
guidebook (album cover)
Courtesy of CD Japan
Japanese female hip-hop idol group lyrical school is releasing their first major label album on November 16th! Titled guidebook, the album will contain 13 tracks including the singles “Magic Hour,” “Summer Foundation” and “RUN and RUN.”
Chara greatest hits collection [Naked & Sweet] out on November 16th!
Naked & Sweet (album covers)
TOP: limited edition, BOTTOM: regular edition
Courtesy of CD Japan
Singer-Songwriter Chara’s first best song collection, after 25 years, will be released on November 16! Titled Naked & Sweet, this 3-CD set will contain 45 tracks in Blu-spec CD2 format. Tracks are selected from songs released since 1991 including singles and rearrangements. The release will be in 2 versions, a limited edition which includes a DVD and the 3-disc only regular edition. Contents of the DVD have not yet been announced.
The track listing appears to be mostly chronological, with earlier songs on the first disc and her most recent work on the third disc. The second disc contains many songs from the late 1990’s, which may have been her most popular era, around the time that she starred in the 1996 movie Swallowtail Butterfly. A fictional band from the movie, called Yen Town Band, inspired songs including “Swallowtail Buttery (Ai no Uta),” “Shanghai Baby,” and “Sunday Park.”
Tainaka Sachi new album [Aoi Senaka] out on Oct 26th!
Aoi Senaka (album cover)
Courtesy of CD Japan
Singer-songwriter Tainaka Sachi is releasing her 5th independent album. Titled Aoi Senaka (“Blue Back”), the album will contain 9 tracks on a music CD and include a DVD with clips from her 10th anniversary live, as well as the music video for “tomori.” Tainaka continues moving towards piano-based slow-tempo songs with this release.
Shima Kaori first mini-album [Soredemo Egao de Itai kara] out on October 12th!
Soredemo Egao de Itai kara (album cover)
Courtesy of CD Japan
Singer-songwriter Shima Kaori is releasing her first mini-album, titled Soredemo Egao de Itai kara (“Because, Even So, I Want To Keep Smiling”) on October 12th. It will contain 7 original tracks, several of which Shima has performed and are recorded on YouTube.
Shimako, who hails from the city of Takaoka in Toyama Prefecture, is something of a regional star who has written and performed cheer songs for the area, including a song titled “Runrun Kurun” to promote tourism to Takaoka. You can watch videos of her live performances below.
NECOKICKS first album [Papa wa New Guinea] out on October 5th
Papa wa New Guinea album cover
Courtesy of CD Japan
Upbeat indie rock band NECOKICKS is releasing their first full length album Papa wa New Guinea (“Papa Is the New Guinea”). I couldn’t resist the pun, either. The album will contain 11 tracks for 2000 yen. Music videos are available for some of the songs; Youtube previews available below.
Tane Tomoko’s 30th anniversary compilation [Daily Bread] out on October 5th!
Veteran singer-songwriter Tane Tomoko is releasing a best-of album on October 5th! Titled Daily Bread, it will contain 31 tracks on 2 discs to commemorate the 30th anniversary of Tomoko’s career. Tracks include singles, live recordings and remix versions. Notable songs in the collection range from her early singles in the 80’s like “Naisho Love Call” to the her well-known anime work “Message #9” and “Broken Wings” used for Gasaraki and Trinity Blood, respectively.
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HONEBONE third album [Funade] out on October 5th
Funade album cover
Courtesy of CD Japan
Japanese pop duo and comedic(?) unit HONEBONE is releasing their third album, Funade, on October 5th. The album will contain 11 original tracks with titles ranging from “Tired of living” to “Why don’t we go to hell?” The music consists of a variety of catchy pop tunes that lean toward the acoustic side.
I’m not sure what to think of this group, because unlike most artists, they don’t seem to take themselves very seriously. Are they the Weird Al of J-Pop? Vocalist Emily has a very visible sense of humor to go with her considerable singing ability. You can decide for yourself from their Youtube videos, with links below the track list.
Ayano Mashiro releasing her first album [WHITE PLACE] on October 5th!
WHITE PLACE album cover (Type B)
Image courtesy of CD Japan
In the trend of excessive references to a specific color (c.f. Eir Aoi), singer Ayano Mashiro is releasing her first full-length album WHITE PLACE on October 5th. “Mashiro” means “completely white.”
The album will contain 15 tracks total, including her first four singles “ideal white”, “infinity beyond”, “vanilla sky” and “Lotus Pain” which were featured in various anime. In addition, the digital singles “Focus Light” and “Believe” will be included. Fans who have already picked up her mini album Early Days may find a lot of overlap here with 4 tracks on this album already previously released on that mini album.
Eir Aoi releasing 2 best albums on October 19th!
Best -A- (regular edition cover)
Courtesy of CD Japan
Pop/rock singer Eir Aoi (surname AOI) is releasing two best-of albums, titled BEST -E- and BEST -A-, on October 19th, in celebration of her 5th anniversary as a singer. Each album contains 13 tracks, 12 of which are compiled from her releases to date, and a new previously unreleased song.
Each album will be released in 3 editions: two limited editions music videos–one includes a Blu-ray disc and one comes with a DVD, and a regular CD-only edition. Members of Aoi’s fanclub have the additional option of buying the boxed set BEST -E/A- which comes with both CD albums and a third disc, a DVD containing clips from Aoi’s live show “D’AZUR-EST FINAL” in June 2016.
Legend of Zelda 30th anniversary special album will be released on September 28th!
Zelda music collection (cover)
Courtesy of CD Japan
Nintendo is celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Legend of Zelda series with a set of music selected from all the games! Appropriately titled The 30th Anniversary Legend of Zelda Game Music Collection, the compilation will contain a total of 93 tracks on 2 CDs. Several songs from the original Legend of Zelda and Legend of Zelda II–the original 8-bit midis!–are included, although the majority of tracks are from later games in the series including Ocarina of Time, The Windwalker, and A Link Between Worlds.
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