Alright, there have been a lot of artists that I am interested releasing stuff now! I wanna take some time and go through it :). I think my next entry will be about either Gakuen Heaven or Welcome to the NHK!. I think I might save Gakuen for a yaoi post though 🙂
BTW, I really don’t want my blog to get shut down, so I’m not gonna provide downloads (even though no one is reading this!!). I don’t want to risk it. But you can always go to J-pop Suki or j-popmusic.com forums, and they’ll be easy enough to locate 🙂
Yamada Tamaru – Kakuekiteisha no Koi
I cried at this PV. I’ve only done that one other time, and that was with ELT’s “Sasayakana Inori” PV (probably the PV that got me hooked on PVs). Throughout the whole thing, I was debating whether the guy was hot or not, that I barely registered what was happening. (Roll over each pic to see my thoughts)
But in the last minute I realized what was happening, and then when it ended I was like “T___T BWAAA!!!”. The song is the perfect blend of piano and vocals and it’s just looove. I LOOOOVE Yamada Tamaru, and she needs more love over in the English speaking community!
PV – 10/10 Â Â Â Song – 10/10 (probably 9/10 without the PV, but now everytime I hear it, I’m gonna be like T_T. Ah, the power of a good PV.)
Teriyaki Boyz – I Still Love H.E.R.
What am I to say about this? Lazy production from Mr. West, lazy rapping from the Boyz, and a lazy PV with a lame idea. To think I was looking forward to this for SO LONG. The only good thing I can say is that at least it looks like the Boyz were having fun, and since they were having so much fun I had fun watching them, just because I’m a fan. Verbal does an awesome job of cheesing the camera. But everyone else…stay far, far away. If I take my fan filter off, this is seriously crap.
PV – 6/10 Song – 6/10 (non-fans, lower both scores by half)
w-inds. – Hanamuke
Okay, this SO had me!! At the beginning, I was like “*sniff* this is SOOOO beautiful!!1”, what with all the flowers and angsty poses and the beauty of the song, I thought I was going to cry…
AND THEN THEY STARTED DANCING.
Oh. My God. I cracked up SO bad. My roommate was kinda looking at me like “O_o”, and I tried to keep her from seeing what I was. She would have even less respect for me than she does now. And after their little dance, I couldn’t take the PV seriously anymore. Good song though. It’s not as *swoon* as ageha (which I am sure will forever remain their signature ballad – it is amazing how listenable that song is!), but it’s pretty damn wonderful. But this is definitely their worst PV to date. Ever.Even more than the nothing PV that is Forever Memories.
Song – 9/10 PV – 5/10 (since they’re so handsome, and had a good 45 seconds there…)
Namie Amuro – Baby Don’t Cry
“Oh great, a mid-tempo ballad, just what we need…” I moaned. And then I heard the radio rip. “Pretty good” I thought. I liked it. But MAN, the full version is so much hotter! Nao’ymt has done it again! Even though it’s over five minutes, it doesn’t feel long. It’s just such a pretty song! You can keep listening to it over and over, and find someting new about it each time. The PV reflects the song well too. Just Namie walking along. The colors really reflect a fall atmosphere, but I think January is a good time to release it too. it helps lighten up the cold month that it is :).
Song – 8/10 PV – 8/10
melody. – Finding My Road
It’s gonna be released on Valentines Day, which is a long time from now! It’s not even a really romantic song, but it’s really cool that the PV is out now. The PV has a really cheesy set, kind of like the opening of the reality show “So You Think You Can Dance”, but somehow the PV doesn’t feel cheesy at all. It really should as it has an ugly set, flashy costumes, bad computer effects, and (a sure sign of a bad PV) a girl all over a car. But somehow, melody. keeps it all in good fun. Even the sexy shots are not that sexy (seeing melody. all over the CG car was actually really tame). It’s probably because it just keeps moving from one shot to the next without much time to take it in. It’s flashy, but in the best way possible. The song is good and trancey, but isn’t that memorable, and since I didn’t really like Lovin’ U that much either, I hope that melody. comes out with a song that catches my attention a little more next (For her first album, it was Crystal Love & Believe Me, for her second it was Realize).
PV – 7/10 Song – 7/10
U-ka Saegusa in db – Kumo ni Notte
U-ka RAPS?? USO!! It was really shocking to hear them try to something different, but pleasantly shocking. Their third album was a HUUUUUGE disappointment for me (although I should have expected I, since the singles leading up to it were all pretty much the same alt-pop formula). But this is the db I love! Taking chances! I think, if this has the right promotion, it could give them their second smash hit (but the chances they’ll get on Music Station again are next to zeeero…). The PV is typical Giza ghetto, but the mystery future bus at the end was pretty interesting. Usually it’s just a straight performance or a PV with the band goofing off, but they went all out for this one…
Song – 9/10 PV – 6/10 (for Giza, this was a high budget PV).
Home Made Kazoku – Kimi ga Kureta Mono
Well, I thought that db was following a formula last year that almost made me stop looking forward to their releases, I remembered how HMK’s songs ALWAYS SOUND THE SAME without exception. While I love their style, I’d also like them to mix it up a bit, like SOUL’d OUT does. S.O. goes from silly (To All Tha Dreamers), to hardcore (1,000,000 Monsters), to WTF experimental (IRUKA), and I love all those songs. HMK goes from laid back, to more laid back, to regular laid back again. I stopped following them with Salvia no Tsubomi, but decided to check this out for kicks. And WOW! They changed it up! It’s a ballad this time! It still retains the HMK sound though, which is good, since I love their sound. The PV is great too. It’s really artistic, and suits the song well. It’s kind of sad, but not in a “T___T” way. I think the PV took some focus off the song, thus making it better than the song itself…
Song – 7/10 PV – 8/10
Miliyah Kato – Eyes on You
Mili, Mili, Mili, I was disappointed in you too last year! Terribly “covering” an m-flo song? No love, girl! But her new PV starts out well enough – it’s an old school disco tune! Complete with 70s comic graphics and delightful Engrish! But half-way through, my mind starts to wander, and when it comes back, I’m completely underwhemeled. C’mon Mili! Where’s the soul that was in Lonely Girl, Jonetsu (I’ve never heard the original, but Mili did good here!) and Sotsugyo? Yeah, those were all slow songs, but your latest slow song, I Will, was a disappointment. Slow, spiritual songs are what you do, and it’s cool that you want to shake it up a bit, but THIS? Hell, pop songs like ‘Beautiful” are better for you than this. This is something a 2nd rate wannabe diva would sing, which…oh God, don’t tell me…is exactly what you are/have become, depends on who’s asking.
The entire Lonely Girl single impressed me so much…Ooh Baby and Dreaming Under The Moon, those are the types of songs Mili should be singing. Her two previous singles sound like they should be album cuts – and if they were such, they’d be decent enough – and this one is no different…here’s hoping her next album will somehow be good…
PS – Mili, you look ridiculous with only one Baby Phat earring.
PV – 4/10 Song – 4/10
Joy Trip 