RE: ~11 – 12~ Curtain Call

I don’t know if you all have been aware, but I’ve been working on a 2nd anniversary special for my blog for 12 weeks, and it just ended, with the ending of many other things.

I won’t be writing here anymore, (unfortunately), but there might be a space available soon where I’ll be getting restarted on my J-Pop reviews and possibly many more things, so if you’d like to be a part of this, please follow to this link and answer the polls to help guide me a bit!

Hope to see you soon!

Thank you so much for everything and I’m sorry for being so loosely committed to a²fiction, it certainly deserved a lot more attention than it got from me.

Lots of love,

Alvy.

Leah Dizon – Softly

Artist: Leah Dizon
Single: Softly
Year: 2007
a²fiction Rating: 4.5/5

1. Softly
2. Everything Anything
3. FEVER

The first time I listened to Softly was in the talk show where Leah and Utada first met, when Utada was telling us how she really liked Leah’s work (I think she fell in love with the Kuma that Leah is hugging on the cover) and proposed a friendship with her because Leah isn’t Japanese and she wanted to have more friends in Japan. They played a bit of Softly and I fell in love with the preview, so I went after her and fell even more in love with the complete song.

Softly is an amazingly fresh, beautiful ballad. Leah’s vocals are amazing, with just the right amount of range and feeling to make it a smooth, refreshing song. The instrumentals are amazing and its softness blend in perfectly with the softness of Leah’s voice, and doesn’t take away from the richness of the song. Everything about it is amazing, and certainly makes it the highlight of the whole single, a very well-chosen (And well-performed) A-side! It’s like every part of the song is original on its own and when put together, you can’t get enough of it. It’s a ballad that has a very unique quality and isn’t tiring like many others out there. It also makes me feel good and soft in the inside.

I think Everything Anything is a lost song in this single. It’s a really pop song, but not exactly generic. It doesn’t appeal to me very much, it has its ups and downs, but it’s between two really strong tracks, and would be better off in a single that’s more pop-oriented, or less pop-oriented. The purpose might’ve been to add some more variety, since Softly is a ballad and FEVER is a dance track, but it doesn’t call too much attention. The chorus is pretty much that of a regular Japanese song, so it’s enjoyable, just not a song to listen to for a long time.

On the other hand, FEVER is really hot. It’s a cover of Fever by Kylie Minogue, and a simple dance track. It’s not the kind that makes you jump out of your seat and dance around, but the beat doesn’t let you down and is great for dancing. The lyrics are the best part, though. Flirtatious, sexy, enjoyable, and amazing through Leah’s vocal range. I love the verses

I am ready for the news so tell me straight
Hey doctor just what do you diagnose
There ain’t a surgeon like you any place in all the world
So now, shall I remove my clothes?

Especially because FEVER might be taken as a name referring to some kind of dancing fever or some sort of corny connotation, but it’s used literally with really witty lyrics!

Softly is a really good single. No matter how many times I listen to it, it always remains fresh and capable of withstanding many listens.

Koda Kumi – 3 SPLASH [Jacket A]

Artist: Koda Kumi
Single: 3 SPLASH
Year: 2009
a²fiction Rating: 3.5/5

1. 09:00 A.M. [Intro]
2. Lick Me ❤
3. ECSTASY
4. 12:35 P.M. [Interlude]
5. 走れ! (Hashire!)
6. 12:00 A.M. [Outro]

Kumi’s latest releases have been complete flops to me (Including that awful single that was It’s all Love!), but 3 SPLASH seemed to be quite promising because Kumi seems to be in her element whenever she releases one of her single-disguised mini-albums.

The introduction, 09:00 A.M. [Intro], sets a bit of a hip-hop feel because of the noisy stereo and the urban vibe that it gives off when there’s no static. It gets the listener really excited and expecting sexy Kumi to be back… Until the next track begins.

In a diabetic explosion of sweetener to the ears, Kumi kicks off the single with Lick Me ❤. It’s just a really forced, literal cutesy track. It’s my least favorite song in the world, and probably the worst enemy of any overweight or diabetic person in the world… I feel overweight just by listening to it. Kumi’s vocals are not all that good, it just seems like she’s trying to be cute and still trying to add a bit of attitude but it’s not working for her and it’s not working for my ears, nor my eyes if it’s the PV you’re watching. It’s equally sweetened.

At least ECSTASY oils down the overdose of sweetness that Lick Me ❤ leaves to linger in the air. ECSTASY is to Driving what Chase is to Butterfly. It’s a less synthesized, rawer version of Driving, from her TRICK album, but it works for her. It’s a really edgy, fun track that saves the whole single. Especially with the amazing PV collection of the single. After each listen, the song grows into you more and more and it gets really catchy, but doesn’t have the bubblegum feel that some dance tracks do. It’s very energetic and raw and sets the mood to a better level, at least it didn’t allow Lick Me ❤ to get to the next interlude.

12:35 P.M. [Interlude] is my favorite interlude. It has an edgy, urban feel, a lot more street than the intro and is just very Kumi. But once again, the interlude misleads the listener and another random genre begins.

Hashire! begins with the static that we thought was left behind with the first interlude. This song’s PV saved it for me because if it weren’t for the edge and fun of the PV, it’d just be a second version of Lick Me ❤ to me. This is a very generic pop track where Kumi still tries to sound cute and enjoying herself, but to me, not much of it is enjoyable. It’s still a good track, possibly for the summer, but it gets too pop and noisy at times and just doesn’t grow as easily into you as ECSTASY does. You’d need the PV of Hashire! for that.

The outro, 12:00 A.M. [Outro] has a fairly familiar vibe… Similar to Lick Me ❤… when we think that the sugar ant has left us for good, it comes back and bites us. This odd distribution of interludes is something weird about the single. The intro should’ve been Hashire!’s interlude. The second interlude should’ve been the intro to ECSTASY and the outro should’ve kicked off Lick Me ❤. This way we’d know what we’d be getting ourselves into a bit more.

Besides the diabetes you’re able to inherit from Lick Me ❤ and the odd distribution of interludes, 3 SPLASH is a really good single that breaks that chain of awful Kumi releases. It’s very bubblegum and generic, but it’s a big evolution from It’s all Love! and I hope it’s a bridge for a really good, original Kumi track! 3 SPLASH isn’t a great example of what Kuu can do because it doesn’t show off her work or voice very well, but it’s an okay release for now.

Maki Goto – GOLD Lady [UNOFFICIAL]

Artist: Maki Goto
Single: GOLD Lady [UNOFFICIAL]
Year: 2009
Compiled by: ~Bitches Aloud
a²fiction Rating: 5/5

1. Golden LUV
2. Lady-Rise
3. Fly away
4. Golden LUV (Instrumental)
5. Lady-Rise (Instrumental)
6. Fly away (Instrumental)

~Bitches Aloud has brought us an incredible release that comes in CD-only and CD+DVD releases. The audio tracks don’t seem to be the original tracks and the instrumentals are fanmade, but everything else makes up for it! The DVD comes with the 3 PVs and the whole booklet is uploaded, and the differ depending on which version you download. Even though it’s not an official release, none of the songs included in the single (Except for Golden LUV) have cover art or been physically released, so I loved how ~Bitches Aloud put it all together so wonderfully!

The first song, Golden LUV, is what got me absolutely hooked into Maki’s music. A friend introduced the song to me because he’s a huge fan of the Belive in LOVE single by ravex and Golden LUV is included in the single. The instrumentals are incredible. It can be a bit repetitive after a while, but because Maki’s vocals are so amazing, there’s a point that the instrumentals just get into your mind naturally, making you forget all about the repetitive goodness and allowing you to enjoy the song 24/7. Maki’s vocals take the spotlight so incredibly and effortlessly, with a lot of emotion and her range sounds wonderful. The whole package of the song is beyond words and everything about it is 100% mind blowing. It has an addicting quality that grabs on to anyone.

With Lady-Rise, the ravex part of the album ends and in comes Maki’s SWEET BLACK era. Lady-Rise is a good pop track and the type of work Maki’s fans suspected she’d develop by joining avex. It’s really catchy, but lacks the captivating instrumentals of Golden LUV and Fly away, it’s more up to Maki’s vocals. Maki is more tuned up to a sexy, yet cute tone through the song, nothing is out of place and it’s a pretty good song. Not the best of the (Unofficial) single, but still an enjoyable pop song.

Fly away is my favorite Maki Goto song of all time and possibly one of my favorite songs of all time. The beginning is really different, it starts heavily, and by the time the synth kicks in at the same pace of Maki’s vocals, it makes the song so incredible and fierce. Her vocals seem to set the rules for the instrumentals, making for something less repetitive and very fresh for every listen. It has a heavy tone, but Maki’s voice is smooth as always and her range is incredible. The synth that continuously plays through the song sets the whole dance motif of the song, and together with Maki’s vocal performance, make for the best song of the (Unofficial) single. Every element of the song is perfect on its own and the PV only makes it sound better because it’s so mind blowing with Maki’s dance sequence and the bed scene.

This unofficial single, brought by ~Bitches Aloud proves just how serious Maki is about leaving her idol image behind her and becoming serious singer, with incredible releases that I’m really looking forward, and avex is capable of exploring all of Maki’s potential so she can keep releasing amazing tracks like the ones she’s been working on and that are present on GOLD Lady!

Maki Goto – ガラスのパンプス

Artist: Maki Goto
Single: ガラスのパンプス
Year: 2006
a²fiction Rating: 5/5

1. ガラスのパンプス (Glass no Pumps)
2. ＬＯＶＥ缶コーヒー (LOVE Kan Coffee)
3. ガラスのパンプス (Glass no Pumps) (Instrumental)

Since Maki Goto switched to the avex record label, I became very interested in her music, and even though her older music is a bit harder to like because it’s easily classifiable as bubblegum-type J-Pop, Glass no Pumps is an amazing single that at first, takes some getting used to, but is still incredible.

At first listen, Glass no Pump has a certain clash between the instrumentals and Maki’s vocals, because her voice really stands out and is really comfortable, and dance tracks usually ease the singer into the song with some synth, and it’s not the case with Glass no Pump, they throw out Maki’s raw voice on completely synthesized instrumentals. There’s still something that draws me into it, though, and the instrumentals are just incredible, it’s like it sings with Maki Goto as well, and this contrast between her voice and the environment is what makes this song so hypnotizing and unique. The sound of the lyrics sound a bit weird, especially since Glass no Pumps is pronounced “Garasu no Pampusu”, but it only makes more addicting and everything that is different about this song just contribute to its overall addictive nature. I love this song, and it makes a great single!

The b-side does not let the listener down either. LOVE Kan Coffee shows off more range, and the instrumentals are amazing. It’s a lot less synthesized, so Maki’s vocals fit in perfectly and it’s a lot more of a whole song, but then again, the whole charm of Glass no Pumps is just how different it is, so none of the tracks lose points, because they’re very different. LOVE Kan Coffee has that b-side feel that I love for a single to be complete and it certainly works here. It gives off a pop vibe, not as dance-oriented as Glass no Pumps, but Maki’s vocals take the spotlight and she shows off just how good her voice is.

Glass no Pumps is a really impressive single, with a strong dance track with really fun, interesting and original instrumentals and another strong pop track with equally fun elements! Maki’s vocals are amazing in both songs and the single does not let anyone down, it’s addictive, fun and very impressive!

Anna Tsuchiya – Virgin Cat

Artist: Anna Tsuchiya
Single: Virgin Cat
Year: 2008
a²fiction Rating: 4/5

1. Virgin Cat
2. Imitation night
3. Virgin Cat (LAVA Remix)

A friend had suggested the song Virgin Cat to me before, but at first listen, I didn’t enjoy it, it’s not the type of song you easily get drawn to, but when I received it as a request here on a²fiction, I knew I’d have to pick up the single for a listen. I’m sorry for the delay, but I’m very thankful to Ryo, because it’s a great single that was missing out on!

The first song, Virgin Cat, just grew on me. The beginning is really scary, at least to me, with the weird voice that I can’t grasp the concept of. Maybe it’s the mixture of images between the title, the cover art and that first segment of the song. When the song normalizes, it becomes quite fun. Anna Tsuchiya shows off really playful, yet seductive vocals. The sound really grasped the concept of… a virgin cat, and parts like

Lets get a rat

really show that the singer had no intention of creating metaphors for the song, at least for the English parts of the song. It’s a really fun track, with varying instrumentals, playful lyrics and a really unusual concept. After all the scurrying and cartoon feel of the song, it’s all wrapped up in a cute meow.

The B-side, however, is the song that caught my attention the most. Imitation night has a more intense vibe from the beginning, it’s a great contrast with Virgin Cat, and it would probably have lost this charm if it were the A-side, which makes me like Virgin Cat a bit more. Anna’s vocals seem to have gone from playful to beautiful and this song is just impressive from beginning to end. The strong rock instrumentals and amazing vocal performance drew me into the single immediately. Anna keeps hitting the notes charged with feelings, and it just fits with the guitar and instrumentals. There always seems to be a new part to the song because of its fresh quality and the mixture of synth with rock goes perfectly well. It’s just an incredible B-side.

I love well-done remixes, and Virgin Cat (LAVA Remix) is one of them. It’s so original, not at all like the generic club songs that are usually added for singles and albums, it’s more of a jazz version of Virgin Cat, without the creepy beginning. It makes the song even more fun, with a mellow quality, and without all the scurrying that the original song contained. It’s up to you if you want the mellow, kool kat or the sex kitten, but it’s all available to you in one single. I really loved this remix, very original and well done!

This single really impressed me. It goes far beyond the odd cover and title, with impressive tracks and Anna’s vocals are top notch in every single one. The remix does not take anything away from the original song, and this is what I really like in a remix. It’s like a completely different song. Such an edgy, impressive and puzzling single!

Shiina Ringo – 茎 ～大名遊ビ編～

Artist: Shiina Ringo
Single: 茎 ～大名遊ビ編～
Year: 2004
a²fiction Rating: 5/5

1. 迷彩 ～戦後最大級ノ暴風雨圏内歌唱～ (Meisai ~Sengo Saidai-kyuu no Boufuu-u Kennai Kashou~)
2. 茎 ～大名遊ビ編～ (Kuki (STEM) ~Daimyo Asobi hen~)
3. 意識 ～戦後最大級ノ暴風雨圏内歌唱～ (Ishiki ~Sengo Saidai-kyuu no Boufuu-u Kennai Kashou~)

Shiina Ringo is genuine, she’s genius, and 茎 ～大名遊ビ編～  is proof of just how amazing her work can be. She just goes beyond anything we’ve ever listened to with each release of hers, and this single is no exception.

The first track is Meisai ~Sengo Saidai-kyuu no Boufuu-u Kennai Kashou~, which starts off roughly with few instrumentals, a rainy sound, but Shiina sounds amazing as always. It then breaks out into more instruments and becomes a typical Shiina song, upbeat, with the sexiness of her voice and the jazzy instrumentals. The chorus is incredible and Shiina singing with the violin in the background is just amazing. Especially because of her nasal voice. By the time Shiina stops singing, the instrumentals take a whole other turn and go berserk, really different from how they started off. This song is great with that crazy, artistic, Shiina quality. It prepares the listener to just how epic the next song of the single will be.

I fell in love with Kuki (STEM) ~Daimyo Asobi hen~  in the first listen. When I showed it to a friend, he replied that it sounds like an orchestral song off old Disney movies, and it is true, but this mixture of a playful orchestra, Shiina’s beautiful vocals, the poetic lyrics and how everything is put together is epic. There’s so much emotion through Shiina’s voice and the instrumentals. This song takes the spotlight for the single because of how genuine it is and how much personality and feelings Shiina put into it.

After the outburst of feelings that was Kuki (STEM) ~Daimyo Asobi hen~, comes more of a playful song, Ishiki ~Sengo Saidai-kyuu no Boufuu-u Kennai Kashou~. The instrumentals are, like always, amazing and original, but the thing about this song is Shiina’s voice, her vibrato, range, everything is just beautifully sung and tied with the instrumentals perfectly. Just like in Meisai ~Sengo Saidai-kyuu no Boufuu-u Kennai Kashou~, the instrumentals go crazy at times, but it’s amazing how the song starts one way (Cheerful, bright) and smoothly end in another (Calm and tranquil), completely different, so it has that fresh quality.

茎 ～大名遊ビ編～  is a fresh, epic release by Ms. Shiina Ringo and just pure originality. I love this single because of how soulful and orchestral it is without losing that bright quality that only Shiina can work.

JYONGRI – Possession/My All For You

Artist: JYONGRI
Single: Possession/My All For You
Year: 2006
a²fiction Rating: 4/5

1. Possession
2. My All For You
3. Possession (English Version)
4. Possession (Chris Paul Club Remix)
5. Re-Possessed (Possession-Chris Paul Dub Mix)
6. Possession (Instrumental)
7. My All For You (Instrumental)
8. Possession (Vocal Track)
9. My All For You (Vocal Track)

I was introduced to JYONGRI’s work through Possession, and I’m not a big fan of her work, but Possession/My All For You is certainly a great single and not at all like her albums that just seem like one song that lasts an hour. This single contains two really good genres through really good songs.

Possession is a good dance track. The instrumentals mix dancing beats with other instruments that make it certainly unique for being a club song. I just don’t like JYONGRI’s singing of the chorus. Her voice is a bit too sweet for me and makes me feel diabetic by the time I finish listening to this song. I like her range, though, and how she picked a club song to be in the single and made it her own. It’s unlike many dance tracks out there, in a good way. The only thing that kills the song is the chorus and how sudden it is at times. The rest of the song is pretty natural and flows really well. It’s a good introduction to her work because it’s a genre that she doesn’t pursue much. A big turnoff in the song is when she sings

You are my possession

She could’ve done a lot more with such a different song title.

My All For You is my favorite song in the single and just my kind of genre. It’s an R&B ballad that shows off JYONGRI’s range really well. It’s also a lot more soulful than Possession and even though the title can be corny and romantic (Like most of JYONGRI’s song titles), she makes the song really unique and beautiful. When she sings

My all for you

she makes sure she shows off her range and vibrato and I love it. Sometimes her voice sounds a bit too relaxed and it damages certain parts of the song, but not enough to make the song bad, just enough to make the listener look forward to the good parts and listen to this song over and over.

The english version of Possession, ingeniously entitled Possession (English Version), isn’t as good as its Japanese counterpart. The thought of having an English version of Possession is good (Even though I’d prefer an English version of My All For You), and the lyrics are certainly fun, but it doesn’t flow as well as the Japanese version. It’s still a really fun dance song just like its Japanese version.

One thing I liked about Possession are the instrumentals of the song, and when you take that away in remixes, not much of the song remains so it’s no surprise that I disliked Possession (Chris Paul Club Remix) it’s fun until a certain point, but then it just gets repetitive and the brightness of the original instrumentals aren’t there to light up the song.

Re-Possessed (Possession-Chris Paul Dub Mix), on the other hand, didn’t turn out to be a bad remix. It has a lot more of a techno/dance influence and I love the ad-libbing in it and the instrumentals are amazing. A lot more to it than the previous remix and certainly to be more enjoyed on the dance floor.

Overall, Possession/My All For You is a great single, even if (Like me), you’re not a big fan of JYONGRI’s. It mixes dance with R&B and it’s remixer-friendly because of the extra vocal tracks and instrumentals included (Besides the remixes themselves). The only problem is that, like I have mentioned before, JYONGRI’s voice is very sweet, even though she does show off her beautiful range, so the songs easily grow into you but easily grow out too.

OLIVIA – Sailing Free

Artist: OLIVIA
Single: Sailing Free
Year: 2009
a²fiction Rating: 4.5/5

1. Sailing Free
2. Love Love Love
3. Undress

Sailing Free was recommended to me, since I wasn’t familiar with OLIVIA’s work, but had read something about her before, I just had never taken time to actually listen to her work. I’m glad I came across this single because it’s truly amazing.

Sailing Free is the A-side and the first track of the single. The beginning of the song is a typical form of J-Rock-ish J-Pop and is quite boring, with Anime-like vocals from OLIVIA. It’s quite unappealing, but when the backing vocals and the chorus kick in, the song takes a whole other turn and becomes quite edgy and fun. Nothing like how it started, with monotonous vocals and unoriginal instrumentals. 

This sudden burst of edge among the lack of originality of some parts of the song somehow keep it fresh and bring the listener to ups and downs that make the song quite pleasing.

Love Love Love is the first song I’ve ever listened to by OLIVIA and the one that got me interested into listening to this single. Her accent is quite strong, or at least her pronunciation of the words, but the song is in English. The words are so beautiful and the emotion in her voice makes this song epic (It’s also 6 minutes long). My favorite verses are:

Here they come, my lambent fireflies
Surrounding you, lighting up your trail

The song overall is filled with beautiful verses and stanzas and the way OLIVIA sings them is truly unique and charged with beauty. Love Love Love is certainly the highlight of the single for its uniqueness, beautiful and rich lyrics.

The last song, however, is a risky addition to such a profound album, but it’s better if it’s included among great tracks because it doesn’t seem to influence the single as a whole. Undress is a bit more on the simple side and there’s not much more to it. It’s an average pop track that lacks the depth or the unique factor of the previous two. I’m unsure if there is a right type of song to end this single because the first songs were so good, but at least with Undress, it’s a bit of a mood breaker to finish off the single.

Sailing Free was a great introduction to OLIVIA’s work. It’s visually appealing because the cover art is beautiful and the song choice is just as beautiful.

Shiina Ringo – 本能

Artist: Shiina Ringo
Single: 本能
Year: 1999
a²fiction Rating: 5/5

1. 本能 (Honnou)
2. あおぞら (Aozora)
3. 輪廻ハイライト (Rin-ne Highlight)

This single was my introduction to Shiina Ringo’s work and it’s one of my favorite singles ever. It contains amazing jazz tracks and certainly shows off Shiina’s voice. The A-side, Honnou, was the first song I’ve ever heard from her and my favorite one by her up to today.

Honnou is indescribable. It contains elements from rock and jazz with a bit of synth and Shiina’s voice sounds really amazing. The song starts off quite violently, but becomes more melodic with the first verses of the song. When the vocals begin, they start hardcore, proving that song is strong and different. The track alternates between jazz and rock in a really smooth way that fits Shiina’s voice and the feeling that she is trying to transmit.

Some people complain about how high-pitched her voice gets, but I love it, it’s different, it fits the song and she shows off her range really well, with mature vocals, and an aggressive vibe that is so soulful at the same time. When you think the single can’t get any better, Aozora begins.

Unlike Honnou, Aozora is really smooth, and has no rock mixed with its jazz, instead, there’s a bit of synth. It’s such a fresh song, and this time, Shiina shows a whole other face to her vocals. The highlight for this song are the incredible instrumentals and the way they flow with Shiina’s voice. She sings in a very smooth way, nothing spectacular, but still being spectacular. It’s kind of a morning song, and I love the saxophones for this song, without them, the instrumentals wouldn’t have its brightness and charm.

To complete the single, another type of jazz is included, but this time, with English lyrics. Rin-ne Highlight is a sexy type of jazz. Shiina’s voice goes back to its natural roots and are once again, the highlight for the song, just like in Honnou. The instrumentals are really simple, but like always, really charming and full of spirit. It fits Shiina’s voice and the lyrics perfectly, it’s kind of a more retro-oriented kind of jazz, unlike the modern versions she experienced with previously in the single.

本能 is a really impressive single, with 3 different kinds of jazz, all unique and wonderful in their own way and seem to display a different kind of emotion each. Honnou is an angry kind of jazz mixed with rock. Aozora is a modern and fresh version of jazz, and Rin-ne Highlight has a more sexy, retro feel to it. This variety keeps the single fresh, and it’s impressive how Shiina can experiment with rock and jazz and always keeping it fresh, never creating generic music like many contemporary artists do.