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D-51 to release their first best of album in February
Having a best-of album released after only three full-albums in the US would probably be a subtle hint by the record company that the artist is not selling as much as they had in the past. In release-happy Japan though, where an artist normally releases an album a year, a best-of album can be a…
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Yanawarabaa announces new single for 2008
Ishigakijima J/O-pop duo Yanawarabaa announced a new single for 2008, “Sakura” (2/6/08), which will be released in two versions: CD+DVD (the DVD featuring live footage from their “Utagusui” tour) and a CD-only version (it’ll be an enhanced CD featuring a photo slideshow of the duo). “Sakura” will be used as the theme song for the…
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HandMC announces new double A-side single for 2008
Striking while the andagi’s still hot, our favorite J-rock band, HIGH and MIGHTY COLOR (HandMC, Haikara), announced a new double A-side single for 2008: “Flashback/Komorebi no Uta.” The single, which will be released on February 27, will be the band’s 12th with “Flashback” being an uptempo rocker and “Komorebi no Uta” a slow ballad featuring…
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More drama theme songs announced – Tokyograph
News of new albums/singles for release in 2008 by artists slowly trickle in as we close 2007 and the latest is J-pop singer melody.’s “Haruka” which will be the theme song for TBS’s “Daisuki!!” The singer’s last single to be used as a theme song in a drama was 2005’s “realize” for “Dragon Zakura.” (Via…
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Cocco’s ‘Jugon no Mieru Oka’ links to Okinawa
Being a big fan of Cocco’s art and music, I was pleasantly surprised to hear the tun-tun-ten of a sanshin in her latest single “Jugon no Mieru Oka.” Although that alone is pretty cool in itself, Cocco goes on to sing (at 4:51) lyrics from “Ittaa Anmaa Maakaiga”, an Okinawan warabi uta (children’s song). While…
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Film: J-pop singer Beni Arashiro to make her big screen debut in 2008
With an upcoming single called “BIG BANG” picked as the theme song for TBS’ live American Football broadcast in March of next year, J-pop singer Beni Arashiro will be making her big screen debut in the movie “Bura Bura Ban Ban” based on a manga of the same name. The movie is set to begin…
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Music: FUZZY Quartet Row, J-rock
Always on the lookout for new music from Okinawa, bounce.com has a write-up on an upcoming band called FUZZY Quartet Row (or ‘FQR’) who are signed to the HIGHWAVE — the same label of popular rock band MONGOL800. A single of FQR’s, “Mahiru no Hoshizora”, is being streamed on the band’s MySpace page. FQR have…
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Music: New Rimi Natsukawa single is an iTunes Store exclusive
The iTunes Store (Japan) has an exclusive J-pop new single from Rimi Natsukawa, “Jidai/Wasurete Ikenai Mono”, the singer’s first release from her “Uta Sagashi 2007-2008” project. There’s a bunch of other stuff of Rimi’s available at the Japan iTunes Store but sadly, none to be found outside of that store. 😦 Come on iTunes Store,…
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SPEED MASTER
This song rocks! The song “SPEED MASTER” is a collaboration between J-pop group m.o.v.e and Okinawan J-rock group 8-BALL and is the theme song for a movie (think “Initial D”) of the same name starring Shunsuke Nakamura. I think the song as a collaboration is what really makes it much more powerful than if either…
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Cocco to release Okinawa-only single on 9/15/07
Having just released a new album titled “Kira Kira” in July of this year, Cocco has plans to release a new single on September 15, 2007 called “Jugon no Mieru Oka” which will only be sold in Okinawa. The song is Cocco’s way of celebrating the return of two dugongs to Okinawa’s Oura Bay in…
Karakui 