I know i know. I have disappeared again. I have gotten lazier and plus, work has been quite overwhelming lately. So I am here taking a break to post a new song. This song is by Utada Hikaru (宇多田ヒカル) from her album Distance. So it is not so new, but remixed as they call it for the dorama ‘Innocent Love’ (イノセント・ラヴ ) starring Maki Horikita (堀北 真希). I like this song, it really brings out Hikki’s talent in singing ballads, like First Love. With so many hits, you just gotta love her. She may not be best vocalist around..but you’ve got to hand it to her..she sings her songs well and like how it was intended to. I attempted to watch the first episode, and at once i knew it was same drill. Lovers with a dark past, hiding secrets, one or two characters having leverage since they know the secret, too many coincedence where they overhear people talking about them, terminally ill characters…all this and more of the same ol’ thing. I really think that japanese dramas should step a notch up! Of course don’t take my word for it..perhaps i am getting old and impatient these days. So it may be profound for some, who knows? Oh well, they did have a nice theme song though. The newer version of Eternally is done to give a more sad and melancholic mood which suits the show well. Hence, this newer version in my opinion is better. I didn’t really pay attention to this song previously but after looking at the lyrics…it’s quite touching no? This song (the drama version one) is currently available only on digital format. Of course i will let you be the judge since i will be posting both songs here. I like the lyrics though….especially when she sings,

"I can see you are all I need
ashita made tasuke wa iranai
kono shunkan sae mo kitto just a fantasy"

Download : Eternally (drama version) mp3

Download : Eternally (original) mp3
me no maeni iru kimi ga sukoshi kagayaki
mawari ga mienai
watashi-tachi wa doko ni iru no

In front of me, you start emitting lights
and I can’t see.
Where are we?

zawameki hajimeta haikei no nakani
mada kienai da ne
mou nani mo kikoenai
But I can feel your breath

Among the noisy landscape,
don’t disappear yet.
I can’t hear anymore.
But I can feel your breath

odoroku hodo kimagurena tenkai ni sukoshi dake
watashi rashi kunai kitai o, oh oh shiteru

Due to this surprising outcome,
oh oh I still hope.

I wanna be here eternally
kono mama mitsume aetteitai
I can feel you close to me
itsumademo sobani wa irarenai
kono shunkan dake wa zutto eien ni

I wanna be here eternally
Like this, I want to stare.
I can feel you close to me
I can’t be without forever.
Make this moment eternity.

tatakai ni dekakeru maeno hito yasumi
anata to sugoshitai
yakusoku wa kondo aeta toki ni
Can you hear me breath?

A break before this battle.
I want to spend my time with you.
The promise is next time we meet.
Can you hear me breath?

odoroku hodo dewanai tenkai ni mo
kandou shichau toki ga dare ni datte, oh oh aru

Even the unsurprising outcome,
oh oh everyone sometimes will be touched.

I wanna be here eternally
dare ni mo mitsukaranai tokoro ni
I can see you are all I need
ashita made tasuke wa iranai
kono shunkan sae mo kitto just a fantasy

I wanna be here eternally
At the place where no one can see us.
I can see you are all I need
Untile tommorrow, I don’t need help
maybe, this moment is just a fantasy

I can feel you close to me
ano basho ni kaere nakunatte mo
ima no kimochi dake wa zutto eien

I can feel you close to me
Even if I can’t go back to that place,
this feeling is eternity

I wanna be here eternally
I can see you are all I need
kono shunkan dake wa eien ni

I wanna be here eternally
I can see you are all I need
At least this feeling is eternity

Ok not so new this one since it was released a couple of months ago this year. I guess i was a tad bit out of touch with the japanese music scene as well. In fact the only album i was looking forward to was Spangle’s Isolation, so that made me start to browse through some latest japanese tunes. Well, i like Miho Fukuhara and what she did with the song ‘Change’. Thus, i figure this song Himawari would be just as good and won’t disappoint. Fortunately i was right! A soulful ballad perfectly matched with her vocals. There are a couple other songs in this single release but i will probably put them up later. You know the more i listen to her, she reminds me of a black singer but i can’t seem to figure out who! And when this kind of things happen it drives me nuts!! But for those who have not heard of Miho, i urge you to give her a try. Of course only if you are okay with jpop music that is.

I’ve been watching so much CNN these days, following the campaign trail for the presidency elections in US. I know it doesn’t directly involve me, but it’s kinda interesting. I like to watch the reporters and analyst give their opinions, it makes you think…would i have said the same thing? could i have come out with something like that? Well, I’m not gonna say i want who to win in case i get attacked again. lol. All i know is, the next president has a whole lot of promises to fulfil and pardon my french, a whole of shit to clean up.

Well, for those in Asia and with CNN access, there will be a feature on Japan from Miss Universe Mori on Talk Asia. So watch it, it is pretty interesting i think as she will take you on a journey to the city life of Tokyo. I watched the one on the Sumo Grand Champion Asashoryu, a little insight into  japan’s national sport.

Well, here is the song Himawari…sorry about my boring story..

download : himawari – miho fukuhara mp3

絢香×コブクロ

Here is another song by the collaboration of ayaka and kobukuro. They have formerly collaborated on winding road. This new one is a ballad about relationships which ayaka fans will like. And if you are looking around for some nice pop ballad to share with your friends, this will do fine as well. I just realized that my post on her song Mikazuki has had the most blog hits and comments as well. I’m glad you guys like the song, as it really suits the masses. I hope you will like this just as much. I wonder if she will ever achieve the international superstar status like Utada Hikaru has. She does afterall possess quite a talent in singing, where her voice and style is somewhat different from the other japanese female singers.

Again..i hope to stick around for awhile! hehe

download : anata to – ayaka featuring kobukuro mp3

Sakki made naiteta kimi ga
Ima tonari de waratteru
Sukoshi sakini
Matte tako no miraini
Tadori tsukete yokatta

“kimi wo, kizutsuketakunai”
Kono kotobani nigeteita
hontou wa dare yori
Jibun ga ichiban
Kizutsuku no ga
kowakute

Konya, kodoku to jiyuu wo
Hane nishite
Anata ni ai ni iku
Koware sou na kokoro no tomariki wa
Anata to
Kaketa negai

Deatta ano hi no yume wo mita
Te mo tsunagenai mama futari
Warai koe ga
Tada toki wo tsunai da
mirai nante mada mienakatta

Mega somete kimi oboe ba
Tenohira ni kobore ochita
Ano hi no nukumori
Sotto nigiri kaeshite
Afureta namida ni
me wo tojita

Donna sasai na itami mo
wakeatte
anata to aruke kara
togiresou na
kokoro mo dakishimete
anata no
soba ni itai

Translation ? click here

Hello everybody. I beg your pardon for my long absence again. Don’t you just hate it when you come across a website and you find that it has not been updated for several months or worse 2 to 3 years. lol. Well, i can’t promise i’m back for good but meanwhile here i am to share some songs, good or bad, i will leave that to you. I will start with the newly released album Isolation from one of my favorite bands from Japan. They are Spangle Call Lilli Line and as i have introduced them before, i will skip their music genre and styles and band members. This album was released in Japan on the 24th September 2008, so it is super fresh from the oven…thawing not required. It contains 8 tracks, mostly consisting of slower tracks and more subtle in its approach compared to their previous works but it is still done with style that suits my ear drums. I guess you get a warmer and personal album in Isolation. Plus, they are known for changing music styles as evidenced through their previous album releases. Their first single release is Room in Octave, which the video can be viewed on Youtube if you are interested. It doesn’t show the band members but mainly landscapes of the ocean’S waves and greeneries in the forest. Yes they like nature i suppose, perhaps a form of inspiration for their songs. That song is ok, but my favourite track has to be ‘an’, (frankly i have no idea what is the meaning of most of their songs and perhaps that is the way it is meant to be enjoyed) a melodious lullaby sung so soothingly and alive by Kana Otsubo. Other commendable tracks include the ones i have featured here for your downloading pleasure.. Enjoy their beautiful musical journey through this fine accoustic chill-out album, Isolation. For indie fans,  prepare to make this band one of your favourites! Meanwhile please enjoy!

By the way, have anyone watched the latest Shiina Ringo’s DVD yet? Zazen ecstasy. I’ll be receiving it soon. I can’t wait! and she’ll be designing some t-shirts for Uniqlo as well, that’s out in November…in Japan of course..check it out though at their website. As with all Uniqlo’s stuff, it’s cheap but i can’t say much for the prints though..hmmm…

download : an – spangle call lilli line mp3

download : it remains to be seen – spangle call lilli line mp3

download : russian gothic bold – spangle call lilli line mp3

download : quiet warp – spangle call lilli line mp3

download : room in octave – spangle call lilli line mp3

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Argh…the scorching heat, the oil price hikes, food price hikes, earthquakes, italy losing 3-0 to netherlands, detergent suicides….what’s the world becoming to? Luckily in the midst of all these ‘catastrophes’, we still have our ears…and when we have our ears…we have music and sometimes i guess is comforting to know that we still have that.
I’m featuring 2 other songs from the indie band The Swinging Popsicle. This time around is from their album In Transit which was released back in 2004. This is their 3rd album before the release of Go On which i have featured the song by the same name previously. This album is one of their most popular one to date, and one that i have enjoyed very much as well. The first song is ‘I just wanna kiss you’, a nice pop and sing-along song. Of course this is very different from the song Go On, but it depicts their genre more accurately. Therefore, this song would suit most to the common listener’s ear buds. So if you are tired of R&B and modern pop music, give this a spin, you might just like it.
The next song, is Shinemani (シネマニ), a heavier song in terms of guitars and bass. Now this is somewhere along the lines of Go On, where her voice trails behind the music. Kinda like Cranberries you know? So if you are in the mood for some rock, this might just be your cup of tea.
Now back to the heat….

• Fujishima Mineko (Vocals)
• Shimada Osamu (Guitar)
• Hirata Hironobu (Bass

download : I just wanna kiss you – the swinging popsicle mp3

download : Shinemani – the swinging popsicle mp3

Their latest single featured as one of the theme song for Mobile Gundam Suit. Honestly, I didn’t know that, I just saw some Gundam pictures on the CD cover. But yeah i do know what is Gundam, and the other dude, Zaku or Zapu..or something like that…the green erm..fatter one. I beg your pardon, really, cause when it comes to anime and manga, i’m totally lost! I tried watching Blood+ though, cute vampire slaying Saya but after a while i began to lose the plot. Or maybe they dragged the story too long, I don’t know. All i know is that i didn’t finish the series. But who cares, cause some anime comes with really cool j-rock tunes like The Brilliant Green! And this one is cool and it certainly rocks! The guitar sounds at the beginning instantly prepares you for a great Brilliant Green song. Just months after releasing Enemy, they are back with a rock-worthy song. Unlike Enemy, this is fast-paced, yes it feels like you are riding on that thing she is on. So if you don’t have one, try it on a motorcycle and some cool intergalactic shades, i think it’ll do just fine. In this single, it includes a newer version of the english song Goodbye and Good Luck which was originally released in 1997. Well, enjoy!

For Lyrics : Click Here

Download : Ash Like Snow – The Brilliant Green mp3

Download : Ash Like Snow (Instrumental) – The Brilliant Green mp3

Download : Goodbye and Good Luck ~ Piano Arrange Version~ – The Brilliant Green mp3

More Brilliant Green ?

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Yes, more from me! I guess when i’m on a roll there’s no self control! (taken from the Green Day song, Hitchin’ a Ride) Afterall, recently i’ve been back to listening to some japanese songs and I must say some of them are pretty good and well, refreshing! One such is Miss Utada.
This is Utada ‘the chart topper’ Hikaru latest single, Prisoner of Love. This song is dedicated to Aiko, as she was the one who recommended this song to me. This song is also found in her latest album Heart Station. In this single however, it features a ‘quiet’ version, which basically translate to a slower beat. Yes, very much like what she did on Flavor of Life. Back then it was called ‘The Ballad Version’. Yes, the japanese marketing strategy. Hikki strikes gold again with this very catchy pop song, which i think sounds pretty similar to Beautiful World or a mix from her other songs. I don’t know, maybe all her songs sound alike that it makes one think that ‘where have i heard this before’. Well, can you blame the artist as this is her style, and one that she excels very much in. I like this song, kudos to one of japan’s most famous singer!

I’m a prisoner of love
Prisoner of love
Just a prisoner of love
I’m just a prisoner of love
A prisoner of love

heiki na kao de uso wo tsuite
waratte iyake ga sashite
raku bakari shiyou to shite ita

naimononedari BURU-SU
mina yasuragi wo motomete iru
michitariteru noni ubaiau
ai no kage wo otte iru

taikutsu na mainichi ga kyuu ni kagayakidashita
anata ga arawareta ano hi kara
kodoku demo tsurakutemo heiki da to omoeta
I’m just a prisoner of love
Just a prisoner of love

Prisoner of love
Prisoner of love
I’m a prisoner of love

yameru toki mo sukoyaka naru toki mo
arashi no hi mo hare no hi mo tomo ni ayumou

I’m gonna tell you the truth
hitoshirezu tsurai michi wo erabu
watashi wo ouen shite kureru
anata dake wo tomo to yobu

tsuyogari ya yokubari ga muimi ni narimashita
anata ni ai sareta ano hi kara
jiyuu demo yoyuu demo hitori ja munashii wa
I’m just a prisoner of love
Just a prisoner of love

Oh mou sukoshi da yo
Don’t you give up
Oh misutenai zettai ni

zankoku na genjitsu ga futari wo hikisakeba
yori issou tsuyoku hikareau
ikura demo ikura demo ganbareru ki ga shita
I’m just a prisoner of love
Just a prisoner of love

arifureta nichijou ga kyuu ni kagayakidashita
kokoro wo ubawareta ano hi kara
kodoku demo tsurakutemo heiki da to omoeta
I’m just a prisoner of love
Just a prisoner of love

I’m a prisoner of love
Prisoner of love
Prisoner of love
I’m just a prisoner of love
I’m a prisoner of love

Stay with me, stay with me
My baby, say you love me
Stay with me, stay with me
hitori ni sasenai

Download : Prisoner of Love – Utada Hikaru mp3

Download : Prisoner of Love (Quiet Version) – Utada Hikaru mp3

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A debut single for Miho Fukuhara, and what a debut it is. Just 20 years of age, she is hear to rock your world with her powerful vocals. Her first single, Change is a mix of rock and pop. What vocals! She kind of reminded me of Ai, with her gospel-like style of singing. She is fresh and energetic, and will appeal to most. Well, she was featured in the album, Tribute to Celine Dion along side many japanese famous female vocalist. Frankly, the album is a torture. Those who don’t agree with me, I apoligize. Please don’t come with spears and fork knifes at me. I guess I’m comparing their vocals to Celine Dion’s which is not really fair to them. Anyways, i will feature her song from that album too, it’s Because You Loved Me. One of Celine Dion’s hit song from the Robert Redford and Michelle Pfeiffer movie, Up Close and Personal. Well, you be the judge.
I have also included, Believe My Way, from the same single. In fact i like this song best from her debut single. It really showcases her vocal ranges. In short, this is a really good debut and I will be looking forward to her future releases! and oh if it helps…she’s hot too.

As always please enjoy!

Download : Change – Miho Fukuhara mp3

Download : Koi wa Rhythm ~ Believe My Way ~ – Miho Fukuhara mp3

Download : Because You Loved Me – Miho Fukuhara mp3

Hi everybody. Another single for Ayaka fans. This time is, Okaeri (おかえりa song featured in Yuu Watase’s Zettai Kareshi (Absolute Boyfriend). This single also features a live version of 手をつなごう (te o tsunago), her previous single. This comes just days before her release of her 2nd album, Sing to the Sky, which will probably feature all the songs you have heard here in my site. Okaeri is an upbeat ballad and will definitely please her fans and likes. She just keep on churning hits after hits. I guess probably her songs are melodious and she has strong vocals to give it that special charm. That said, i guess we have another winner here. I have also included an instrumental version of Okaeri and the second track, Meiro.

I guess Okaeri is for me! Cause i’m home, baby!

Okaeri Lyrics

Mata heiki na furi wo shite
Kanashimi no iro wo nuri tsubushite
Waratte shimaun desu

Shinjiru koto no taisetsu sa
Wakatteru noni iza to iu toki
Utagatte shimaun desu

Karappo no karada nagareru toki ni
Uite shimai sou ni naru kedo
Anata no koto dakishimetai
Kono kimochi ga tsuki ugokasu no

Okaeri I’m home hitokoto de mitasareru kokoro
Okaeri sweet home kaeru basho ai wo arigatou
Sweet home…

Jibun no koto bakari wo
Kangaeru otona wa zuruin dato
Omotte itan desu
Demo hisshi de kaeru koto wo
Sakenderu hito mo iru n dato
Yatto shittan desu

Atari mae no shiawase nanka
Kono sekai ni hitotsu mo nai
Anata no tame sou omoeta
Kono kimochi ga tsuki ugokasu no

Okaeri I’m home speed ga kasoku shiteku mainichi
Okaeri sweet home kawaranai zutto aru keshiki
Sweet home…

Sagashite nakushita kokoro no kizu ga tachimukau
Tsuyosa ni kawareta nowa okaeri ga atta kara

Okaeri I’m home hitokoto de mitasareru kokoro
Okaeri sweet home kaeru basho ai wo arigatou

Okaeri I’m home daijoubu anata ga iru kara
Okaeri sweet home mattete ne mou sugu tsuku kara
Sweet home…

Download : Okaeri – Ayaka mp3

Download : Okaeri (instrumental) – Ayaka mp3

Download : te o tsunago (手をつなごう) <2007/12/20 日本武道館 LIVE ver.> (at the Budokan)

Download : Meiro – Ayaka mp3

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Ok , this is late. I heard this song months back, but was too lazy to feature it. I decided to anyways because i featured the 1st version, which Soulja featured her in Koko ni iru yo. Both song sounds similar and i guess it depends on who you want to hear more, Souja or Thelma. I think this version is more popular though, as it spent a substantial amount of time on the charts. Lyrics ? Click Here. Thelma, as you may have already noticed is half black, therefore possessing a really soulful voice (not vocally powerful like Ayaka, but suitin her genre) which suits her in singing J-R&B. She can really move as well making her an all-round perfomer. Another reason for featuring this song is also because it’s in conjunction with her debut album release, Diary. I haven’t really had the chance to listen to the whole album, so as always i would listen to the album titled track, in this case, Diary. Diary is a R&B ballad, and it’s actually quite nice. It reminds me a little of some 90s black R&B song. There are probably other similar gems in this album, but again, will take time. Meanwhile, enjoy these 2 songs.

Download : Soba ni iru ne – Thelma Aoyama featuring Soulja mp3

Download : Diary – Thelma Aoyama mp3