[PREVIEW] 中河内雅貴 (Masataka Nakagauchi) - 「君は僕の太陽」 tracks

Preview of the tracks included in Masa's upcoming single, 「君は僕の太陽」 (Kimi ha Boku no Taiyo), is now available for listening! :D I've combined the three previews in one mp3 file because I'm lazy to record three previews. The track titles are arranged as follows:

1. 君は僕の太陽 (Kimi ha Boku no Taiyo)*
2. Shining Ray
3. REPEAT (bonus track)

[*] は is specifically romanized as "ha" in the single cover, instead of "wa." Therefore, I shall follow the official romanized title.

Single covers

Source: Nakagauchi Masataka MMV site

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Spazz times! \:D/ 君は僕の太陽 sounds so optimistic and light, I loooove it to bits already! Can't wait to listen to the whole song ♥;;

"Shining Ray" equates to jazz feeling much. Not bad, but I can't seem to describe how I feel about the song, orz. Full song, Mana needs you.

LOL times for REPEAT! Sounds like your happy anime theme there, eh Masa? XD *hides excessively amused face*

KASJADKHSDJEIRY AT SINGLE COVERS (*A*)/ I'm getting the CD-only edition! *SQUEES MUCHLY* SO MANLY, MASA ♥♥♥♥ I LOVE THE HAIRCUT. KYAAAAAAAAA-----! Drat. Goodbye, money. You have lived well in my stash for quite some time.

*brain dedz* Once again, I don't have a Masa icon.

Hi, I am procrastinating once again.

Tonight, I spent three hours renaming, updating typesets, and scrutinizing my GazettE mp3s. Now I have two versions of songs like 幸せな日々 (Shiawase na hibi), one for the version in the Gozen O-ji no Trauma Radio single and another for their EP COCKAYNE SOUP. I would happily have just one mp3 if only I failed to notice that the EP version is 26 seconds longer than the single version. ARGH. So I went back in time (metaphorically speaking here) and listened to re-recordings for variations. Of course, I discarded those with the same sound and length.

For Guren, I have the single version and the album version, just because there is a slight variation (in Ruki's singing) between the two.

Sometimes, my obsessions scare me *facepalm*

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The guy using the karaoke downstairs is starting to annoy me. He's been doing these irritating vocal beats since an hour ago. Screw this. It's too freakin' noisy here today. But then again, it's always noisy here. It's kind of funny how I can still complain about it with a straight face XD But I honestly can't concentrate on things these days, so I just sleep a lot these days and cram when I wake up.

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I have harbored a deeper feeling of love for THE INVISIBLE WALL, just because I was finally able to understand RUKINGRISH (Ruki + English) by ear alone (yes, I have yet to browse the lyrics booklet) XDDDDDDDDDDDDD I think the thought of the chorus is lovely:

Sorrow made you (3x), yeah
In the bottom of the dark sea

...the second line would sound better, though, if Ruki wrote "in the bottom of the darkest sea." The line lacks a syllable in the actual. But nonetheless, it's still beautiful <3!

[REVIEW] Hime Ichigo (姫苺) mini-album - 「Loudly Riot」

My grueling wait finally ended last Wednesday upon discovery of the download link for Loudly Riot. I guess this is the sad part about liking an Indie band coupled with tough money times, lol ^^;  So yeah, it took me forever to listen to the tracks. Plus, I admit being lazy for most of the days this week. Though my heart swells at the album raves in Last.fm :DD

Anyhoo, let's formally kick off the review!

「Loudly Riot」 is Hime Ichigo's first mini-album, which has been released on 22 July 2009. Overall, it has seven tracks, including the bonus track in the Type B (CD only) Edition. The PV for this release is entitled コトノハ (kotonoha), which is their third PV to date.

Personally, I have known and loved Hime Ichigo as a band whose music is upbeat with a touch of groove and jazz. 「Loudly Riot」 tells a completely different tale. It offers a collection of tracks with new strength both in instruments and vocals. Basically, the sound is heavier and bolder compared to their first releases. I like to think that this is the band's successful transition from their emergent style to a heavier and more developed one. Though this may be a huge flip from the style that I have loved, I am still liking how Hime Ichigo pulled this off.

With that all said, here's my specific take on the tracks:

Tracks

01. Adler. - Nothing beats a loud track to kick off this record. However, it lacks on the catch-my-attention aspect. The song is not bad, and we get to hear more of the band's heavier music style proceeding 「re:alice」, but it is nothing special either. It simply comes and go when you listen to it. The lyrics are also hard for me to pick up by ear, so I'm still at loss regarding the whole idea of the song. Though I did my research on what Adler means, and I found some pretty interesting stuff, lol. Anyway, I give this track a 7/10.

02. Asogurera (アンブレラ) - This is a very nice song, with catchy instrumentation and vocals. It slightly reminds me of R/T (B-side of「sherry?」) in a way; I can see myself also listening to this for hours. Hands down, I have nothing more to say. 9/10 for this!

03. Riot - Ah, the undeniable favorite track in the record. I have seen a number of listeners love this track on Last.fm last week. It is a crime to disagree, because this track is nothing but pure awesome! This justifies the title "Loudly Riot" by levels. Goodness, Jin and Reina's fast yet melodious guitars, Jun and Ruka's super awesome bass and drum combination, and of course, Suzuya's powerful vocals -- what more can you ask for? This, I have to say, is the album's best track. It kind of makes me wish that they used this for the PV instead, but oh well. Super awesome song deserves a 9/10!

04. Guilty - I appreciate the sound combination of the song, really, but the intro part gets complicated to listen to when Suzuya starts singing. LOL sorry, Suzuya. You're still my Akiba baby ♥;; I'm thinking if this could have worked better if Suzuya's intro doesn't feel like he forcibly smished the words into the instrumentation. That factor gives the song a bit of overwhelming feeling. On a happier note, his words and singing eventually fits, and the overwhelming feeling fades. After carefully scrutinizing this track, I think I learned to appreciate this one. This gets an 8/10.

05. Puranetariumu (プラネタリウム) - The pace starts to decelerate with this song. Planetarium is a lovely track to listen to, and with the very little Japanese that I can understand by ear, the lyrics are also pretty. The instrumentation is quite simple, but the melody nicely fits the lyrics, so I'm satisfied with it. This calls for an 8/10.

06. Kotonoha (コトノハ ) - I like this song. It may not be as awesome as Riot, but I think this is nice in its own special way. The melody is quite easy to listen to, so it is a good song to have on your music player if you want to take a breather. The music clip is boring, though. The setting and scenes are not bad, but it could be better. Loving this and giving it a 9/10.

07. Chouhane (蝶羽) - Bonus track exclusive in Type-B. I have not yet seen someone share the Type-B tracks /sad.

Overall album rating: 9/10
Package/merchandise: n/a
Oricon chart debut position: n/a (Indies category)
Status: n/a

They are really growing up so fast, these five guys from Sapporo. I guess I'm going to miss the smooth sound of 『そよなら。愛した人。』 or the jazzy twist of 「sherry?」, but I'm hoping that Hime Ichigo would continue moving forward and make great music. :DD

Meh, it seems that everyone purchased the Type-A Edition. I would so get Type-B if I wasn't so poor back then T__T Guess it's time to order my copy :|

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Wow, this took me half a day to finish! :OO Those six tracks are extremely hard to review.

Good lawd, I have not yet prepared for my demonstration tomorrow DD; I should peel myself off this computer now.

[NEW SINGLE] 中河内雅貴 (Masataka Nakagauchi) - 『君は僕の太陽』 [09.09.2009]

Months after the wrap-up of his Japan concert tour, Nakagauchi "MASA" Masataka kicks off with an upcoming release. A third single entitled 『君は僕の太陽』 (Kimi wa Boku no Taiyo) is set to be released on September 9, 2009. The single is available in Normal Edition (CD only with bonus track) and CD+DVD Edition.

Tracklist

[CD+DVD Edition]

CD
01. 君は僕の太陽 (Kimi wa Boku no Taiyo)
02. Shining Ray [*]
03. 君は僕の太陽  [karaoke]
04. Shining Ray [karaoke]

DVD
01. 君は僕の太陽 PV
02. Making of "君は僕の太陽"

[Normal Edition]

CD
01. 君は僕の太陽 (Kimi wa Boku no Taiyo)
02. Shining Ray [*]
03. REPEAT [bonus track] [*]
04. 君は僕の太陽 [karaoke]

[*] lyrics by Nakagauchi Masataka

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He wrote two songs for this single~~~ *flutterhearts*

Goodness, Masa is starting to make things tough for his fans me T__T I honestly find it hard to choose between the bonus track and the PV clip. >>;; My dorky self wants each bonus track, because I want my artist discography to be complete up to the last song. But then again, who doesn't want a copy of the PV?! DDD;

Tough times! I wish I can buy both editions, gednemmit. And I need a Masa icon here. I am such a bad fan for not having an icon uploaded here! D: