Still suffering from sparse releases, Japanese music is slowly recovering itself, now having most singles rescheduled to April. But Matsushita Yuya, known for his recent popularity boom and for his participation in the "Kuroshitsuji" musical, just released a new song. "Naturally" is a very nice song despite the slight change in the singer's usual style.
"Naturally" Promotional Video
Real change, however, was that suffered by U-KISS. After replacing Alexander and Kibum, the group is back with the fifth mini-album "Bran New Kiss". The main track, "0330", features a totally different image of the boys, going from dark electronic to smooth rapping. It's definitely fresh and captured my attention positively. Good luck on your new concept, U-KISS!^^
I just had to do Infinite's post this week. I don't know if it's because I'm totally addicted to "Nothing's Over" or due to their awesome dancing skills... I think I've become an Inspirit (member of their fan club) :DDD
Infinite
Infinite, a seven-member boy band under Woollim Entertainment, debuted last year with "Come Back Again". Released in June, the main track not only delivered higher than the expectations, but also amazed the music video's viewers with the extremely synchronized choreography. Such perfectionism would later become the group's trademark.
"Come Back Again" Music Video (Dance version) - lol @ Woollim's official channel not letting me put the video here
After finishing the debut song's promotions, Infinite came back with "She's Back", another song from the first mini-album. It was the boys' last activity in 2010.
"She's Back" cover
On January 2011, the group returned fully prepared with the second mini-album "Evolution". The promoted track, "BTD (Before The Dawn)", once again impressed the public with complicated dance moves such as the "Scorpion Dance", which became a hot topic in the internet. Visually stunning and filled with action, the music video also had its controversial moments, triggered by the discussion over some violent scenes. Haters to the left, "BTD" still topped many charts. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to give Infinite their first award... :(
"BTD (Before The Dawn)" Music Video - yay! Now the official channel works \o/
Despite *surprisingly* not winning any award, the boy band got a great boost of popularity, establishing their official fan club: Inspirit. Two months later, in March, it was announced that a follow-up single would be released. "Nothing's Over" was revealed on the 17th, showcasing a cuter, brighter image of the boys.
"Nothing's Over" Music Video
Okay, I swear I didn't like this song at first. But believe me, it grows on you like a vicious virus, dominating your mind and making you sing it the whole day! Now I have to listen to it every hour at least three times or I'll start getting angry and evil. And it has no known cure. :333
Infinite is that kind of group that, at least in my case, took a while to shine among so many new groups. When it does, though, you'll feel like you were stupid for ignoring them all this time. I really hope to see them winning some awards this year, simply because you can feel how they work nonstop in order to become noticed as a talented group. If you liked them, please remember to support the boys by purchasing their music!
Before the daaaaaaaaaaawn, Before the dawwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwn~ *0*
I've never hated anything so much as I hate Blogger right now for erasing my saved post. I just had to press the "Publish Post" button when it suddenly discarded everything, without even giving me the option to undo it. Basically, this post you're going to read is the second edition of SID's post. Anyway, I can't let my horribly bad mood affect my readers right? Just enjoy the reading ^^''
SID
Formed in 2003, the J-Rock band debuted with their complete line-up only in 2004, releasing the first single "Kaijou-Ban". From that year until 2008, SID kept on producing nonstop as an indie band, making many people notice them for the hard work. Such effort led them to perform at the famous Nippon Budokan Live Hall in 2006, also helping them reach Oricon's top ten for the first time.
In 2008, the band announced they would be going major. The debut single, "Monochrome no Kiss", was chosen as the opening theme of "Kuroshitsuji". It's definitely one of their best songs to date, especially if you hear it while watching the animation sequence rather than the music video...
"Monochrome no Kiss" Promotional Video - not the best video out there, but an awesome song
The following year was full of new songs, including "2ºC Me no Kanojo" in January, "Uso" in April and the first major album "Hikari" in July. All those releases proved SID's popularity by continuously reaching the top three on charts. Before ending the year, the band produced yet one more single, "One Way", which I personally love :3
"Uso" concept photo
As you probably noticed, this J-Rock group doesn't know the meaning of a break, and 2010 wasn't an exception for them. "Sleep" hit the stores in March, just after the announcement of a massive concert at Saitama Super Arena, which would happen in July. But the most important achievement of that year was the release of "Rain". This single was the first to reach #1 on Oricon Daily charts. It's really an awesome and catchy song, despite the not-so-great music video. I mean, Mao's vocals are superb, but he just doesn't know how to act in ANY music video. xP
"Rain" Promotional Video - *0*
SID's next jump of popularity came right after the "cosmetic" single, more precisely on December 2010 with "Ranbu no Melody", the 13th opening of "Bleach". No one can deny the power of being tied-in with "Bleach". Actually, I think it's gotten even more meaningful than if it had been with "Naruto", which I reckon is really forgotten by now, right?.
"Ranbu no Melody" Promotional Video - more Sid-ness :D
The successful year was more than enough to showcase the band's incredible quality, making SID win the Top Pop Artist Award from Billboard Japan Music Awards 2010 in the beginning of 2011 (although I still consider them J-Rock even with their slight change of style compared to when the band was created).
All in all, I hope this simplified post clearly showed how great SID is. As this will probably be another year full of new stuff, you can expect to see more from them in the future. If you liked this group, please remember to support by purchasing their music! Also, if you're interested, many other videos can be found on YouTube like "One Way"s or "Sleep"s promotional videos ^-^
Well, I don't think I need more than two words to express my thoughts on IU's newest repackaged album: fucking awesome.
First of all, the main track "Good Day" (refer her K-Artist post) from the first release of "Real" was the song that turned the whole K-Pop world's eyes to this young girl. An unquestionable genius singer, IU impressed everyone not only with her vocal range at the end of the song, but with the album's entire quality.
"No, Not This" (Track 01) - the mini's intro
Even after a perfectly composed mini-album like "Real", it seemed that IU would have one more time to shine, continuing her deserved fame. The repackaged version, entitled "Real+", was released after the end of "Good Day" promotions and featured two new, brilliant tracks. "The Story Only I Didn't Know", chosen as the lead track, presented a melancholic image of the girl with a heartbreaking background scenario.
"The Story Only I Didn't Know" (Track 01 of repackaged version) Music Video
However, the most surprising song of the album and probably one of the most beautiful, different and mysterious songs I've ever seen in the K-Pop business was "Cruel Fairy Tale", the coupling song of "Real+". With a Kanon Wakeshima feeling and a dark, fairytale aura, this song is basically a magical trip to Wonderland, creepy style.
"Cruel Fairy Tale" (Track 02 of repackaged version)
I don't know if I made it clear enough, so let me just say it again: This album is absolutely spectacular. I wouldn't miss the chance to fully hear it if I were you. If you like it, please remember to help IU's empire by purchasing her music!
As you may have noticed, I didn't post last week's artists. I really wasn't able to get on the computer for enough time to write about them, so I just skipped to this "Teh Newz" in order to calmly start this new week. Sorry if I made anyone sad lol ^^''
sorry >.<
In South Korea, many new songs are being released at the same time, making it difficult for me to choose one to talk about. But since I HAD to do it, I carefully chose C.N Blue's new song "Intuition". As the title track of their first full-album "First Step", this song continues the band's usual feeling along with a music video that presents a new bad boy image. An expected, yet great song!
Don't worry, the ads disappear after a while (credits to the uploader)~
Unfortunately, the "new" Japanese release isn't so new. Due to the quakes, most March songs were postponed, leaving just some older ones (from the beginning of the month) to put here... But that's not a problem: Shion Tsuji came back with "Ai ga Hoshii yo" on March 9. Used as the opening theme for the second broadcasting of "Soul Eater", this song is really nice and I hope it puts Tsuji back to work XD
To add more interesting stuff to this corner, I've decided to include CFs to the list. And what would be better to introduce this new addition than SNSD's new Dior commercial? The chosen girls are just spectacular minus fugly Hyoyeonand full of flawless skin to show off.
Today my friend came over to watch with me the Super Show 2 DVD she bought last week. It was hilarious and now I can't think of anything but Super Junior, so I had to make this post about them... But since they have, let's say, members that don't have an image that appeals to me (ugly), I'll dedicate this only for my favorite ones~ *0*
I've always loved supercell, a Japanese pop band. Actually, the reasons I haven't made a post for them yet are due to the lack of videos on YouTube and because of their complex career history. Anyway, the group has just released a new album and it's superb.
"Today Is A Beautiful Day" contains the band's most recent singles like "Utakata Hanabi" and "Perfect Day" plus many new songs. Varying from the usual piano ballads, which are always amazingly composed, to surprising rock tunes, this album is a perfect listening to both hardcore and new fans.
Following them since their "Sayonara Memories" single, I must say that I was eagerly expecting this release. Even with so much hype, it still impressed me a lot. The vocals are just lovely.
星が瞬くこんな夜に (Track 09)
ロックンロールなんですの (Track 06)
If you liked this album (I certainly did *0* lol), please support supercell by buying their music~
With the natural disaster in Japan, most labels decided to postpone the release of their artist's albums. Therefore, I can only show you a preview of what's coming next in the Japanese music scene while we wait for the full versions to have a new release date announced.
Trying to bring back happiness and genki-ness to our hearts, Morning Musume has already revealed the video preview for "Maji Desu Ka Suka", a ska song featuring the four new-generation members. I'm loving it!
On the other hand, in South Korea, epicness returns with Dong Bang Shin Ki's follow-up song "Before U Go". Believe me, S.M. Entertainment must have spent multiple fortunes on this music video. Even my waifubeloved actress Go Ara is featured in it. The song is awesome, full of Changmin's high notes and Yunho shooting and punching everyone. I just hope this over-the-top production doesn't mean f(x) will come back dancing in a cardbox set... x_x
Damn, school is trying to leech even my precious blogging time :( I did everything I could to get on the computer now to post this artist for you, so please read it with love and care lol *-*
U-KISS
Created by NH Media in 2008, U-KISS is a six-turned-to-seven-member boy band (actually, their formation has just reached wtf level, read on to know why). They debuted practically at the same time in South Korea and Japan with the first mini-album "N-Generation", which included "Not Young" as the lead track.
On February 11, 2009, the boys started promoting a second mini-album, "Bring It Back 2 Old School". The title track was "I Like You", and U-KISS even got their own variety show after the comeback.
"Bring It Back 2 Old School" mini-album cover
Not long after the return in February, the group came back once again, this time with the third mini-album "ContiUkiss". It was during this cycle that the seventh member was added. The main track "Man Man Ha Ni" was extremely important for U-KISS since it showed a mature image of the members, attracting many drooling fangirls. Remember: crazy fangirls = $$$. Welcome to reality xD
"Man Man Ha Ni" Music Video
2010 started off with the release of their first full-album "Only One" and the opening of the official fan club, KissMe. The first promoted track was "Round And Round", which followed the steps of "Man Man Ha Ni" by making use of a manly image and strong electronic beat. As usual for full-length albums, U-KISS made a quick follow-up promotion with "Mworago".
"Round And Round" Music Video
After ending live performances, the boys turned their attention to overseas promotions. Concerts were made in the Philippines, Mongolia and Singapore. They also returned to Japan for a while before making a new comeback in Korea with the fourth mini-album "Break Time" in October. The release topped charts for a small time.
"Shut Up!!" Music Video - the lead track for "Break Time"
Unfortunately, the year ended with no awards being earned on weekly music shows. In the following year, more specifically last week, U-KISS's members Alexander and Kibum left the group after their contract was terminated. Two new members have already been announced and are expected to make part of the next single.
Bye-Bye Alexander and Kibum! at least they chose the uglier ones to kick out
U-KISS is underrated. I mean, how is it possible that such a great group never wins a single award? They already have a stable and loyal fanbase... I just can't understand their situation! I hope the new song will be awesome and dominate every single chart. Well, I heard it's going to be a ballad... I love ballads but come on, everyone knows how hard it is for a ballad to win =___= Fail choice is fail. But I still have some hope for it! And remember: if you liked them, please support by buying their music~
I can't believe they're going to release a new single! I thought they were dead or something... Anyway, this is some awesome news, therefore I'm going to dedicate this post to these twins, ON/OFF~
The ON/OFF twins
Debuting in 2007 under DefStar Records (a subsidiary of Sony Music Japan) with the single "Eien no Setsuna", the twins Naoya and Kazuya showcased great vocal talent. The single peaked at the 59th position, which is kinda good for a new artist. But most importantly, it's an awesome song with a beautiful meaning!
"Eien no Setsuna"s Promotional Video - credits to the subber~
2008 was definitely their year. Getting an opening song tie-in for the absurdly famous manga series "Vampire Knight", the boys were put under the spotlight. "Futatsu no Kodou to Akai Tsumi", an spectacular single by the way, was released in June and peaked at #19, an astounding achievement!
"Futatsu no Kodou to Akai Tsumi" - brilliant *-*
ON/OFF's golden year continued as they were invited once again to sing for "Vampire Knight", this time as the second season's opening theme. "Rondo", released in October,is not only a good song, it's a masterpiece. I know this may sound biased, but HOLY CRAP THIS SONG IS PERFECT. When I first heard it in a preview, I almost collapsed from such epicness.
"Rondo" - ok, the video is kinda lame...but the song OMG I love it :3
2009 was a really calm year. Too calm, actually. Only one single was produced, entitled "Hana Kagari", which was released in March and had mild sales. The first album "Legend of Twins I: Futago Densetsu" was also released, but just a few songs were actually new.
"Hana Kagari"s concept
I swear, after some time I though they had been abducted. I mean, can you guess how much time it took them to release anothe single? A long, sad and rainy year plus 3 months. Is that some kind of Vampire Knight artist curse? My angry self aside, "Butterfly" reached stores in June, 2010. It was another anisong and, as usual, a great song. At least they came back with more awesomeness, right?
"Butterfly" - the return of the twins~
After the successful return, I once again thought they had been abducted, or worse. lol I'm kidding, but it was only this week, 9 months later, that the duo announced a new song, with the expected title of "Hajimaru no wa, Sayonara". I can't wait to hear it, especially because I know it's going to be nice!
These twins never let me down. I just hope they will realize how many fans they have and stop taking so long to show new stuff. If you liked them, please support by buying their music! Their album is a great choice to get since it includes the best singles~ ^^
With the help of my new Photoshop skillz, I managed to create awesome red-cyan 3D images using photos of Japanese and Korean artists. I'm still learning how to make them more realistic, but I'm already in love with some of my creations! Just put your glasses on and have fun~ *-* (I recommend viewing them in full size)
f(x):
Jaejoong:
Ali Project:
Please credit me if you use them elsewhere ^^
PS: I've seen the news about the earthquake and tsunami in Japan.. :( I really suck at sentimental writing, so I'll just say this (which is actually full of positive emotions ^^): Japan, Hwaiting!!!! #prayforjapan
I'm going to be really sincere here. I can't imagine anyone saying that DBSK isn't extremely awesome in singing and dancing. There's no way someone would be THAT stupid. But if that happens for an oscure reason and a poor DBSK-less person tries to convince you otherwise, just put the Mirotic album on your music player and dare him/her to repeat such blasfemy.
"Mirotic - The Forth Album"s cover
Released in 2008, the last album of five-member DBSK is full of different emotions, ranging from heart-breaking ballads such as "Love In The Ice" (track 12) to electronic songs with a strong beat like "HEY! (Don't Bring Me Down)" (track 05) or the title track "Mirotic" (track 01).
"Mirotic"s Music Video
The album actually has one more promoted track, "Wrong Number" (track 02), which presents awesome rapping by Yunho and Jaejoong and smooth dance moves. There are also songs with exotic feelings like "Nagwon" (track 08) and dancing tunes: "Crazy Love" (track 04) and "Are You A Good Girl" (track 09). All with astounding harmonizations and vocal solos!
Live version of "Crazy Love"
Not listening to this album is like saying you don't want a better life. The only thing that might make you sad is the fact that the fifth album "Keep Your Head Down" is not nearly as awesome as this one due to obvious reasons (-3 including the best two members).
Live version of "Love In The Ice" - it's also the Japanese version but WHO CARES, it's their best performance
Oh my, look who is back with a new song! After the neverending trouble inside the K-Pop industry with the possibility of KARA's disbandment, the girls just released a new Japanese music video. "Jet Coaster Love" features the five members full of fake happiness, hugging and being cute. It's certainly a brief moment of relief after so much negative buzz over the group.
In Japan, pop solo artist Namie Amuro revealed the highly expected music video for "Make It Happen" featuring the After School girls. This collaboration between a famous Japanese artist and the veterean Korean girl group is sure to become a hit! Now we just have to wait for After School's own Japanese songs.
I'm so excited to talk about this group! With much attitude and catchy songs, please welcome the 4minute girls~
4minute
Created in 2009 by Cube Entertainment, 4minute is a five-member girl group. With an image that screams attitude, these girls are known for making a different sound compared to your usual bubbly girl idol .
Their first single was revealed on June 18. "Hot Issue" was promoted until August and earned them the award of "Rookie of the Month".
"Hot Issue"s Music Video
Following the promotions of the first single, 4minute released a mini-album called "For Muzik", which included the second single "Muzik" and "What A Girl Wants". Both tracks would then be promoted, ending the year of 2009 in a successful wave.
"For Muzik" mini-album cover
In the following year, the girls entered the Japanese market. Just like most of the Korean groups that are going to Japan, 4minute had a great start but ended up having only moderate single sales. In May, it was announced that they would come back to Korea for a new mini-album.
"HuH (Hit Your Heart)" would be promoted twice. First with the title track "HuH", which got many music awards, and then with "I My Me Mine", both with full music videos and live performances.
"HuH" Music Video
"I My Me Mine" Music Video
After the Korean comeback, the idols decided to return to Japan and released two more singles. One of them was a double side-A single called "First/Dreams Come True", which helped the group to get a special award for Korean artists in Japan. From that moment on, 4minute continued to release songs only in Japan, including a full-length album entitled "Diamond" and their first 2011 single, "Why".
"Why" promo picture
While there are no official dates for a Korean comeback, fans can expect it to happen soon as the group has already ended "Why" promotions. These lovely girls will surely catch you with their strong image and beauty. I hope they'll get more famous in Japan someday because they really deserve it! Please support the group if you liked it and help 4minute in this highly competitive industry~ ^^
