Filed under: J-rock, Kagrra | Tags: album, core, download, J-rock, Kagrra, review
Kagrra – Core
Tracklist:
01. Irodori no Sanka
02. Ujyou
03. Shigatsu tsuitachi
04. GUILTY
05. Boukyaku no hate no kogoeta kodoku
06. Sai
07. Kaze no kioku
08. Kamikaze
09. Yuki koi uta
10. Shin・Hyakkiyakou
Possibly the most overlooked band in history, Kagrra,, has long been overshadowed by the likes of the GazettE, Alice Nine, Vidoll, Gackt, et cetera. to name a few. In fact, much of this comes from the fact that Kagrra, was formally a Visual-Kei band, but now simply J-rock or as they like to dub it, Neo-Japanesesque.
2007 was not a good year for Kagrra,. They only came out with one album, Shizuku, which was a mild success, and then vanished for a full year. Now they start 2008 with their 4th major album, Core is every bit as amazing as Kagrra, is expected to be. Released on 9th January, 2008, it sold 4,765 copies in its first week while ranking on #28 on the Oricon Weekly Charts.
The first track on the album is Irodori no Sanka, a beautiful rock ballad in the same vein as Utakata. The track has vibrant Japanese undertones, thanks to the excellent co-ordination with the band. Isshi’s voice has matured drastically since Shizuku and makes every note sound heartwarming. This is an excellent song, one that regained my faith in Kagrra, and made me a huge fan (once again!).
Irodori no Sanka is quickly followed by what is the most unlikely track Kagrra, has ever done. Ujyou is a funky song with a catchy beat and great guitar work by Akiya. This track is much more musical than vocal though and only 2:41 minutes long, but cool none the less.
Shigatsu Tsuitachi is a 90’s pop sounding track, with added synths and whatnot. The chorus is my favourite part which is fast paced and blaring with energy. Shigatsu Tsuitachi is a different, more poppish sort of song by Kagrra, and I’m not complaining at all. If anything, I like this change. Bravo – at finally making your songs distinguishable!
Next is (ho boy) Kagrra’s very first English titled song! I was a little skeptical about GUILTY at first but with repeated hearings it has slowly grown on me. Of course, this might just be the least Japanese-sounding song Kagrra, has ever done, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t good. The chorus is nice, but I really like the verses better where Isshi sounds aggressive and energetic. Another definite-sounding track from Kagrra,.
The next track on the album is Boukyaku no Hate no Kogoeta Kodoku, another high quality rock-ballad in the same vein as Irodori no Sanka. There’s not much to say for this apart from that it’s very nice, even though Isshi’s voice doesn’t sound as good.
I will say this, and I will say this once. Sai is the strangest, most definitely interesting and amazing track by Kagrra, ever. It has a strangely addictive beat that even when I try I can’t stop drumming my fingers on the desk or tapping my toes. It’s really different to what Kagrra, has ever done before and in a good way because I can’t ever get bored of this song. XD
After the roller coaster that was Sai, I was expecting to be disappointed but Kaze no Kioku is a delightful treat! I really like its mellow, soft-edged sound that reminds me of some old Indian rock songs (which are completely extinct now, however).
Next on the line-up is a rather unusual fast-paced track Kamikaze. I say unusual because this sounds bit like what the GazettE would usually come out with, not Kagrra,. However, there’s a lot of energy in this song and Isshi sings frighteningly fast, so kudos for that.
If there’s one thing Kagrra, has learned since Shizuku, it’s melody. Because after 8 songs in a row, Yuki Koi Uta still manages to sound incredibly original. An elegant and sorrowful track with excellent lyrics and vocals by Isshi. The chorus is especially amazing and sounds dipped in emotions. Seldom are there songs which convey meaning without needing to understand the lyrics, and Yuki Koi Uta does exactly that.
The last track on the album is an updated version of Hyakkiyakou, Kagrra,’s very first demotape track. Even though I’m not a huge fan of the original, I quite enjoyed this remix and liked listening to it all over again in this album.
In a nutshell, Core is a perfect addition to Kagrra,’s discography. After the rather lackluster Shizuku, I was expecting something much worse. But with 9 new perfectly amazing tracks Kagrra, have regained their status of ’supreme awesomity’ in my books once again. If you’re new to Kagrra, Core is an excellent introduction to their unique style of music. An absolute essential.
Overall grade: O
Filed under: Rie Fu, j-pop | Tags: download, Home, j-pop, review, Rie Fu, single
Rie Fu – Home
Tracklist:
01. Home
02. Wait For Me
03. (They Long To Be) Close To You
I never thought I would ever be into Rie Fu’s musical style, but slowly and gradually she has grown on me immensely and has become one of my most favourite artistes ever. She has a distinct style in this plethora of same-sounding J-pop idols. Apart from YUI, she is the only singer whom I can recognise audibly.
Home is Rie Fu’s 10th single which was released on 23rd January, 2008. The title track of this single is the themesong for the movie Koneko no Namida.
The first track on the album is a sweet, cutesy song Home. As usual, Rie Fu puts heavy emphasis on lyrics over music with well written and poetic songs in Home and makes it sound lovely. The musical instruments are also handled very well and match the pleasant atmosphere of the song. In all, Home is a sweet and cute sort of song, but at times it reminds me of some other Rie Fu songs which are definitely better.
The next track is Wait For Me with such an incredibly heartwarming melody. The whole song is backed by acoustic guitar and piano which suits the mood very well. One thing I really, really love in this song is the beaaautiful chorus which makes me feel all fuzzy inside. Rie Fu’s vocals song quite good in the verses, but (once again) they sound much too generic and like her previous songs. Wait For Me is definitely one of the better Rie Fu songs.
The third track is actually Rie Fu’s cover of the song (They Long To Be) Close To You by The Carpenter. Not having known of this duo before, I checked out the original version of the song before listening to this one and I must say I can’t say which one I love better. Rie Fu doesn’t change much in her cover and makes everything sound exactly like the original.
Overall grade: A-
Filed under: YUI, j-pop, lyrics | Tags: lyrics, lyrics translation, namidairo, YUI
I figured I’d translate this song since I like it so much. The lyrics of namidairo are about sadness, sorrow, and love (I bet you could tell even before I opined). YUI sings about why the person she loves is such a coward and she wants him to change, but it’s going to happen since she’s afraid to tell him that. That sounds really, very unorthodox for a song, but this is just the interpretation I took from the song.
Japanese lyrics
嫌われているような気がしてた 帰り道
見上げた部屋の明かり 今どんな気持ちで居るのだろう
ケンカになればすぐ謝る 弱くてあなたはずるい人
涙色声が聞こえない夜は
困らせてしまうほど わがままになりたい
大丈夫 そう言ってみたけど そんなはずないでしょ
水溜りに写る悲しい顔 見られている
無理言わないつもり 分かってるから苦しくなるの
優しくされると撫でてくる やっぱりあなたはずるい人
涙色声が聞こえない夜は
困らせてしまうほど わがままになりたい
大丈夫 そう言ってみたけど そんなはずないでしょ
あなたの前じゃ嘘つきを きずいて欲しいと思ってるの
そんなに強いわけじゃないからね あたし
涙こぼさない 決めていたのに
困らせてしまうよね わがままになれない
大丈夫 なんてまた聞くけど そんなはずないでしょ
Romanji lyrics
kirawarete iro you na ki ga shite ta kaerimichi
miageta heya no akari ima donna kimochi de iro no darou
KENKA ni nareba sugu ayamaru yowakute anata wa zurui hito
namidairo koe ga kikoenai yoru wa
komarasete shimau hodo wagamama ni naritai
daijoubu, sou itte mita kedo
sonna hazu nai deshou?
mizutamari ni utsuru kanashii kao minarete iru
muri iwanai tsumori wakatteru kara kurushiku naru no
yasashiku sareru to nakete kuru yappari anata wa zurui hito
namidairo koe ga kikoenai yoru wa
komarasete shimau hodo wagamama ni naritai
daijoubu, sou itte mita kedo
sonna hazu nai desho?
anata no mae ja usotsuki o kizuite hoshii to omotteru no
sonna ni tsuyoi wake janai kara ne atashi
namida kobosanai kimete ita noni
komarasete shimau yo ne? wagamama ni narenai
daijoubu, nante mata kiku kedo
sonna hazu nai desho…
English Lyrics
I feel like being hated as I walk home
Looking back at the light of your room
I wonder how you feel
Whenever we fight, you apologize quickly
You’re such a weak and sly guy
My voice laced with tears can’t be heard tonight,
I want to ask you why, I want to be selfish.
“It’ll be alright”, you’d said to me once,
But that’ll never happen, right?
I wonder as the frowning face looked back from the puddle,
Anything is possible, I know, that’s why it’s painful
Gently, you came to me and held me,
You’re a sly person, after all.
The voice laced with tears can’t be heard tonight
I want to ask you why, I want to be selfish.
“It’ll be alright”, you’d said to me once,
But that’ll never happen, right?
I lived a lie, I wish to have told you that
But I didn’t want you to think of me that way
My tears cannot fall, I decided
No use in crying, is there?
I just can’t get used to being selfish
“It’ll be alright”, I keep hearing you,
But that’s not true, right?
I feel my life…
Filed under: J-rock, Kra | Tags: j-pop, music, album, Kra, creatures, downloads, J-rock
Kra – Creatures
Tracklist:
01. Planet
02. Yami yo no gene
03. Yume no juunin
04. Jounetsu
05. Doko mademo tsuduku saka no tochuu
06. Ai no fureba
07. World
Creatures is Kra’s first and only mini-album released on 26th September, 2007.
The album starts out nicely with an instrumental. Planet is an upbeat and futuristic sounding track which sets up the tone for the rest of the album. It has some light vocals by Keiyuu here and there which give a 1990’s vibe to the song, but the most of it is completely melody based. A great way to start the album.
Planet flows right into Yami yo no gene, which is an incredibly pretty pop-rock song and definitely my favourite pick of the album. Keiyuu’s vocals are a bit shaky in the verses, but his energy never gives up. The chorus is a major highlight with impressive guitar work by Mai topped only by Keiyuu’s amazing expression with the lyrics. A lovely song, this one!
The next song on the playlist is Yume no juunin, a free-spirited pop song with a slight inclination towards rock. Technically, there’s nothing wrong with this song, not really, but I found the song to be a bit lackluster overall. I don’t know whether to blame the average-ish vocals or the jumbled up instruments in the background, but I found this song to be a bit disappointing after Yami yo no gene.
Jounetsu is a rock song (finally!) with a catchy beat to go with. Keiyuu’s vocals are definitely at his best during the entire song accentuated by the fast-paced melody. There are many Jazzy elements in the song, too, like the strange beginning with the band singing in English (which is hardly decipherable, btw XD). Another great song by Kra!
I really love the theme of this album and how consistent it is while at the same time being as diverse as possible. Doko mademo tsuduku saka no tochuu proves exactly that. The song is an all-out pop song, with inspirational lyrics about conquering your destination while retaining its position from sloping down to Disney Channel-standard. Keiyuu’s vocals are a bit shaky in the verses but they get better as the song progresses.
Next on the list is Ai no fureba. Strangely, this reminds me of those retro NES videogame sound tracks (Alladin, especially) with the jazzy beat and all XD. And on top of all that, the lyrics sport a satirical romance theme. A strange song, this one, but very enjoyable none-the-less!
Kra never ceases to amaze me with this mini-album, because their next song sounds just as good as the rest of the album. World is a fast paced pop-rock song with excellent energy to boot. World sounds a bit more western compared to the rest of the album, however, like something you’d hear in a highschool teen comedy >_>.
Creatures is my first ever experience with Kra, and I must say I am not disappointed. Overall, Creatures is an excellent mini-album in all and definitely recommended to everyone! It’s a complete package full with high quality pop-rock with some jazzy elements in. A must listen!
Overall grade: A
Filed under: YUI, j-pop | Tags: j-pop, namidairo, news, single, tear color, YUI
At last! YUI annonces a new single! After five months in the working, namidairo, YUI’s 12th major single will be released on February 27th, this year. The title song of this single will be the theme-song for the drama Yonshimai Tanteidan.
Download namidairo (YUI LOCKS rip) here
As excited as I am to get my e-mitts on this single, I’m equally disappointed. Don’t get me wrong, I loved the preview and YUI looks near damn sexy in that profile pic. I couldn’t seriously ask for any more than that.
But you see, the title of the song is Japanese.
YUI has used English titles for all – I repeat, all - of her songs so far and even a Spanish title for one song, but never a Japanese one. This isn’t tradition. This isn’t only happening with YUI though, Kaggra, just released their new album titled CORE. I suppose I’m being too much of a fan-boy and taking it way too far, but I just wish it was an English title. Sigh.
Moving on~ namidairo is a typical YUI acousitic ballad, as heard from the YUI LOCKS rip. The lyrics are quite poetic and sad, and the melody is rather catchy but trite. If anything, namidairo sounds like a cross between I remember you and TOKYO, and that’s not a bad thing at all. I mean, fans were complaining that YUI was losing her ‘acoustic-ness’ so I suppose everyone should be happy with her returning back to her older music style.
One thing that bothers me though is that even though the melody of the song sounds similar to her previous work, the addition of the violin suggests otherwise. The violin was bad enough in Love & Truth, we don’t need it again. I suppose the plain acoustic version of namidairo in her next single would be much better.
Interesting to note that namidairo literally translates as tear-color 「涙色」. That, obviously, is a metaphor unless tears really do have a color which I don’t know about. Taking the term very loosely namidairo could also somehow in a strange way mean the essence of tears.
Now, my Japanese translation skills are worse than that of a kindergartner, much less with cryptic Japanese poetry, but somehow ‘essence of tears’ works better than tear-color to me. Anyway, looking hugely forward to listening to the b-side called I wanna be…. *coughs* Hannah Montana, anyone? ;p
