Release news
Aimer new album [daydream] out on September 21st!
Daydream (album cover, regular edition)
Courtesy of CD Japan
Singer Aimer is releasing her new album daydream on September 21st! She has collaborated with many well known singers and musicians to record the songs featured on this album; collaborators include Mao Abe, Taka from ONE OK ROCK, Yojiro Noda from the RADWIMPS, and Sukima Switch. The album collects four recent A-sides “insane dream,” “ninelie”, “Chouchou musubi” and “us” and 9 original songs for a total of 13 tracks.
Universal Music “Golden Best” special low-price reissues!
Universal Music is re-releasing “best-of” compilation albums from the past 6 decades of contemporary Japanese music! These special priced re-issues will all be released on June 22nd for 951 yen.
I’m highlighting some of the pick-ups I’m looking forward to below (links open to CD Japan page).
› Continue reading
Ayumi Hamasaki new album [Made in Japan] out on June 29th
Singer, songwriter and actress Ayumi HAMASAKI is releasing her 17th original studio album Made in Japan on June 29th! The veteran J-pop artist, sometimes dubbed the “Empress of J-pop” in the early 2000s, seems to show no signs of slowing down her musical career. She has released on average one studio album every year since her debut in 1999.
› Continue reading
Aimer releasing new single [ninelie] this month!
ninelie covers (left: limited edition A; right: limited edition B)
Courtesy of CD Japan
Singer-songwriter Aimer is releasing her ninth single ninelie on May 11th! The title track is the ending theme to TV anime series Koutetsujou no Kabaneri (Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress) and features a vocal collaboration with singer chelly from EGOIST.
Aoyama Thelma triple releases [PINK TEARS], [SMOKE & TEARS], and [LOVE! ~SPECIAL~] out on April 27th!
Pop singer Aoyama Thelma is releasing three discs in one day! However, only 6 of the tracks released on April 27th will be original material.
PINK TEARS is Thelma’s new EP, containing 6 original tracks and featuring collaborations with other artists including LiLy and MAPPY. SMOKE & TEARS is a compilation album containing all the songs from PINK TEARS and GRAY SMOKE, Thelma’s previous EP which was released last fall, for a total of 12 tracks. LOVE! ~SPECIAL~ is a compilation of compilations–it will contain 15 tracks selected from Thelma’s previous compilations LOVE! and LOVE! 2, in ultimate high quality CD format.
Hirahara Ayaka releasing new album [Love] on April 27th!
Love (cover)
Courtesy of CD Japan
Singer Hirahara Ayaka is releasing her 9th original album, titled Love, on April 27th. Love will contain 10 tracks, many penned by notable veteran artists including: Nakajima Miyuki, Tamaki Kouji, Tokunaga Hideaki, and Okamoto Mayo. Ayaka writes the lyrics for two tracks and the music for one song.
Hakobune new album [apsidal] out on April 13th!
apsidal (cover)
Courtesy of CD Japan
Indie ambient/performance art project Hakobune, the one-man project by guitarist Takahiro Yorifuji, is releasing new album apsidal on April 13th, 2016. Hakobune is prolific, having released 50 albums since 2007. Takahiro uses his guitar to create layers of sound in what the artist terms “sonic landscapes.”
Album info: Catalogue# WPMC-32. Price: 2000 yen.
Nothing’s Carved in Stone releasing new single [In Future] on April 6th!
In Future (cover)
Courtesy of CD Japan
Rock band Nothing’s Carved in Stone is releasing their new single In Future on April 6th. The single will contain 4 total tracks, including original song “Ignorance” and live recordings of “YOUTH City” and “Perfect Sound.”
NCIS is also releasing an analog version (in vinyl) of their previous album “MAZE” on the same date.
ONE OK ROCK new tour + documentary DVD “35xxxv” out on April 6th
Alternative rock band ONE OK ROCK is releasing their “35xxxv” tour DVD on April 6th! This film is coming out almost exactly one year after their DVD of their 2014 tour “Mighty Long Fall.” The DVD contains 21 live clips and a second disc with documentary footage, for a total of 5370 yen. A Blu-ray version is also available for 6296 yen.
Rie fu releasing 10th anniversary album [O] on April 6th
O (album cover)
Courtesy of CD Japan
Singer-songwriter Rie fu is commemorating her 10th year of major label music with a two part series of albums. I was released back in November 2014. According to the release notes, O, the second part of the series, was created with the theme of “Outside” in mind, after Rie fu toured in Asia including Indonesia and Singapore. O will be released on April 6, 2016 and contains 10 original tracks.
Recent Posts
- Aaand…back, partially! Jan 9, 2022
- The music is still playing ♪ Jul 25, 2021
- JUNNA new album “20 x 20” out on December 9th! Nov 28, 2020
- OAU best-of album “Re:New Acoustic Life” out on December 9th! Nov 28, 2020
- KEIKO debuts solo album “Lantana” on December 2nd! Nov 27, 2020
- BoA 10th album “Better” out in December! Nov 27, 2020
- OAU – Midnight Sun [English Lyrics] Nov 20, 2020