Two days ago, rock trio REMIOROMEN's new single was released. Furthermore, it was announced that they would perform, for the first time, on NHK's KOUHAKU event. This single「KOI NO YOKAN KARA」is a slow and powerful rock ballad, perfect for this season. I think it's an amazing record following on from the likes of「KONAYUKI」. I have finally managed to find the link, so do DOWNLOAD it and give it a listen. The other songs coupled with this maxi single are pretty good too, you can buy the entire single at the iTunes store. Enjoy.
In January, GREEEEN will celebrate their 3rd anniversary. Today sees the release of their first best album「IMAMADE NO A-MEN, B-MEN DESUTO?!」which includes each and every single and its coupling track to date, that is from their debut hit「MICHI」to their latest release「HARUKA」. Not only is this a wonderful collector's item for the fans, it's also a great opportunity to get to know their music for those who know them less. You can DOWNLOAD this single「HARUKA」which went on sale in the summer. It's really chilled out and it's a very uplifting song. I quite like it. So give it a listen and you can buy the new album NOW.
今年は第６０回。出演する歌手が明らかになりました！ 相変わらず、SMAPやDREAMS COME TRUEやaikoなどは勿論。そして、EXILEはメンバー１４人で初めて出ます。コブクロ、いきものがかり、絢香と大塚愛も出演決定。 さらに、今年初であるビッグアーティストが結構います！順番に紹介していきます。
This year is the 60th NHK KOUHAKU contest, and the starring artists have been confirmed! The likes of SMAP, DREAMS COME TRUE and AIKO all feature once again, with EXILE performing here for the first time with 14 members. Also included in the list are KOBUKURO, IKIMONOGAKARI, AYAKA and OTSUKA AI. Plus, this year some huge acts will be in the mix for the very first time. I will introduce the biggest of them here.
First up is ARASHI! Having debuted in 1999, they are now one of the most popular boy bands in the country. On November 11th, they released their latest single「MY GIRL」and you can DOWNLOAD that right here. Next is the Red team's KIMURA KAELA. She is a half English rock chick who has just released her live DVD「GO!5! KAELALAND」. She will also feature in the programme for the first time this year. Her album form the summer was a great hit and you can DOWNLOAD my favourite track「DOKO」! My third artist is another male group FLUMPOOL. They too are currently of high demand and with an album forthcoming on November 23rd, there is more to come. On 18th of this month, they released their latest single「MITSUMETE ITAI」for which a download is not yet available. So check out the video above. It's a beautiful song. Finally, it's REMIOROMEN! The rock trio have a double release lined up for November 25th with a live DVD and a new single「KOI NO YOKAN KARA」, for which you can catch the video above. It's a wonderful slow number perfect for this coming season, so it's definitely worth checking out. I promise there will be a download link soon.
So, who is going to win this year? The last couple years have unanimously gone to the White team but will it repeat this time round? Find out as always on NHK on December 31st. BROWSE all the confirmed acts here.
On 28th November, these sneakers will be out on sale. They are collaboration items between VANS and SUPREME. The shoes themselves are Vans' 106 model. The collection comes in black, orange and two camouflage versions. How awesome are they? I love them, especially the orange ones. Really want a pair!
Rock duo B'z today release their latest work「MAGIC」. This does not disappoint as it continues to bring surging J-Rock music. It has been around 2 years since their previous original album and this one, including 3 hit singles, does well to keep up with today's music as it feels quite modern and current. This is my favourite song from the album, called「ICHIBUTOZENBU」, which I think has some club music somewhat fused too. It came out as a single in August this year, and you can DOWNLOAD it right here. Check it out, see if you like it, and you can find the full album on iTunes. Enjoy.
収録曲 / TRACKLIST 01. Introduction 02. DIVE 03. Time Flies 04. MY LONELY TOWN 05. long time no see 06. イチブトゼンブ 07. PRAY 08. MAGIC 09. Mayday! 10. TINY DROPS 11. だれにも言えねぇ 12. 夢の中で逢いましょう 13. Freedom Train
Today, the all new UT from UNIQLO has been released. They have collaborated with a traditional UK record company, ROUGH TRADE RECORDS. This year, they enjoyed their 31st birthday, and have combined with UNIQLO to produce some really funky and cool T-shirts. Many are very simple and some have a nice British look. There's a huge variety which you can see in FULL here. The T-shirt itself is 100% cotton from Uniqlo, one of the highest of quality around. The price is a pretty reasonable ¥1500 so PURCHASE your own here. I too will certainly be getting my hands on a few when I next visit Japan. Looks great.
１２月２４・２５日の二日間に渡るコンサートには、RIZE、te'とUZUMAKIなどがもう既に参加決定だった上、今日追加パフォーマーが発表されました。DOPING PANDA、ONE OK ROCK、SiMとcoldrainの皆さんです。
BOO has been a VJ for MTV JAPAN since 2004, and this Christmas, he's the producer for MTV's big live event. Artists invited are all personal friends of Boo himself, and it's set to be an exciting evening of DJ, rock and club music. The concert is separated across two dates, 24th and 25th December. Already included are the likes of RIZE, te' and UZUMAKI. And today, further performers have been announced: DOPING PANDA, ONE OK ROCK, SiM and COLDRAIN.
From these artists, I'd like to specially pick up DOPING PANDA. They have consistently brought to us many products over the past couple years, including 3 original pieces this year. I hope they can show an awesome performance as they are renowned to do. They actually came to the UK last year for their first ever overseas concert but.. sadly I was not aware of this at the time. Disappointed in myself, cause I definitely would have gone. You guys should not miss out on these opportunities and I suggest you go to Zepp Sendai and watch them at the MTV Boo Xmas 09. Plus, almost two weeks ago (4th November) they released a mini-album + DVD「anthem」and you can DOWNLOAD track no 1「anthem」right here. Enjoy. I'm sure they'll be performing this tune on the night so for all the TICKET INFORMATION, check this out.
On the day after tomorrow, NIKE HARAJUKU will be opening - the nation's largest flagship store. With the 944 square metres across 3 floors, it includes all sorts of sportswear, a NIKEiD studio and the Boots Room. They say「you will be connected with sport more than ever before」. Well then, I guess you have to go check it out. In London there's a NIKE TOWN in the city centre which is huge. I reckon the Harajuku store is similar but much newer and more elegant - the one here is pretty old. The pictures above are a sneak preview photos of the store itself. Check out the shoe display above the staircase.. so cool. So, on the 14th of this month (Sat), Nike Harajuku will be opening and it's definitely worth visiting. When I next go to Tokyo, this will certainly be one of my destinations.
This week's pick up artist is IKIMONO-GAKARI. Their new single, also allocated as the theme tune for the film, 「NAKUMONKA」is released tomorrow. The singer KIYOE YOSHIOKA's voice is really fitting to this uplifting and powerful song, with lyrics that are really honest and somewhat innocent. The single follows on from their September release of 「YELL / JOYFUL」and it's their 16th single. This year is also their 10th anniversary so I hope they can end it on a high with this song. So, as usual, for all you readers of ORIGINAL JAPAN., you can DOWNLOAD the song right here. The video is also shown below. Enjoy.
この前紹介したCHEMISTRYの新曲の追加です。 まず！SONY MUSIC JAPAN であと残り１６時間、ケミストリーがサイトジャックしてます。リリースコメントとオフィシャルの「あの日・・・」PVが観れます。今ここをクリック！ そして、やっと見つけちゃいました！シングルのダウンロードを！こちらで「あの日・・・」と「Once Again」をどうぞ。フルのダウンロードはこちらで是非購入ください。
Here is a further update from the last one for CHEMISTRY's new song. First! On SONY MUSIC JAPAN there's about 16 hours left to view the CHEMISTRY SITE JACK. You can watch their comments on the release and also check out the official video - right HERE! Also, I have finally managed to find the download links for 「ANO HI・・・」and「Once Again」. So DOWNLOAD and enjoy. For the full maxi single PURCHASE it here.
はい、いよいよ今日が参りました。１１月４日。ケミストリー、８月振りの新曲リリース！先月童子-Tがケミストリーをフィーチャリングする「あの頃・・・」に続き、二曲で一つのストーリーを描くチャレンジ。今回のシングルは「あの日・・・ / Once Again」の両A面です。 ヒップホップスターの童子-Tとまず、終わってしまった恋の気持ちを語る切ないソング。やっぱ三人の男性が歌うすごくパワフルな一曲、しかも三人で作詞したものであります。メロディーにはなんと２００１年のデビュー頃の「You Go Your Way」がうまく含まれていて、ケミストリーファンにとってはとてもセンチメンタルな仕上げ。PVは童子-Tの「あの頃・・・feat.CHEMISTRY」と一緒に下でご覧ください。スザンヌが登場！ そして第２曲目はNHKドラマ「チャレンジド」の主題歌でもある「Once Again」はいつでも元気の出る最高なポップヒット。聴いてて笑顔を生み出す歌詞であり、すごくいい曲だと思います。こちらでフルコーラスが聴けます。カプリングの「セレナーデ」もこちらで。残念ながらダウンロードはまだ見つかってません。探し中です。
Finally the day has come, November 4th. Today is the day that CHEMISTRY release their new single 「ANO HI・・・ / Once Again」which is in fact a double A side. The first is a track that can be coupled with DOHZI-T's October single featuring CHEMISTRY「ANO KORO・・・」. This time, the roles have switched and DOHZI-T features as the same one story is told by two different songs. The three of them together wrote the lyrics and it's very powerful. Their 2001 single「You Go Your Way」has actually been incorporated into the melody quite nicely, which for us CHEMISTRY fans is a great bonus and it makes the song sentimental. Below, you can watch the videos for both 「ANO HI・・・」and「ANO KORO・・・」. And the next song「Once Again」is being used as the theme tune for an NHK TV series and it's just one of those super uplifting songs. The lyrics simply make you smile and it's a joy to listen to. You can actually LISTEN to the full song after the link, but unfortunately I haven't been able to find any downloads yet so stay tuned guys.
収録曲 / TRACKLIST 01. あの日・・・feat.童子-T 02. Once Again 03. セレナーデ 04. あの日・・・feat.童子-T (Instrumental) 05. Once Again (Instrumental)
Having formed in November 1999, SUKIMA SWITCH will be releasing their newest album this week「NAYUTA TO FUKASHIGI」, in time to celebrate their 10th anniversary. It's actually been 3 years since their previous release of an original album. It features both their singles released this year, inluding 「GOLDEN TIME LOVER」which was used as the opening theme for the popular anime series「HAGANE NO RENKINJUTSUSHI」(Fullmetal Alchemist). The album is a great piece written by the duo themselves, keeping up with the current music industry. It goes out on sale this Wednesday on 4th November so get ready to buy it! To give you a little taster, you can DOWNLOAD the song 「GOLDEN TIME LOVER」right here - it's an awesome funky rock tune. You can also watch the video below. Enjoy.
