TITLE : hands
2009.06.03 Release
1.Melody / Ryuichiro Ymaki
2.きみなんだ / さかいゆう
3.タシカナモノ / THE COMPANY
4.calling you / DSK (Port of Notes)
5.せせらぎ / 信近エリ produced by 高田漣
6.つなぐみらい / 沖仁
7.STEP / 沖仁
8.DEEP BLUE / 大橋トリオ
This would be the cover and tracklisting to my most anticipated J-Pop release in months–if not years, Eri Nobuchika‘s Hands.

EDIT: OH MY GOD. Eri’s got THREE new tracks from the album up at her MySpace now!

And the result is…jazzy? I’ll admit, I was initially crushed beyond belief. What happened to the mysterious, throbbing electronica she conquered so well on her debut?!

But then I gave another listen or two to the previews again, and I do like what I’m hearing. It’s loungey, relaxing, and perhaps a fitting reaction piece to Eri’s first. As a chill-out enthusiast, I’m still excited to hear the mini-album in full–just found it a bit jarring to hear Eri shift from the all-out explosive cries of “Voices” to a series of listless coos.

With the help of Miss E from the From You To Muu (over on the right), a fan site, and two years of Japanese training in college, I have determined that Eri Nobuchika is indeed recording a new album!

According to her blog, Eri is finishing the mastering of a new record due sometime in June! And, unless I’m mistaken, this is the list of producers and/or collaborators: 大橋トリオ、沖仁、さかいゆう、高田漣、DSK（Port of notes）、Ryuichiro Yamaki、THE COMPANY.

That’s all I got so far…if anyone else has got more information on this release, please let me know!

Note: My reviews tend to go to more than one publication–some of which require editors, thus explaining the first line. My blog does not have any editors aside from myself…yet.
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If I had my way, this review would simple. In a word: Perfection. Sadly, I’m sure the editors would have something snippy to say about that (fascists), so allow me to flesh this one out.

The boys of Röyksopp have been hard at work over the past three years conjuring up their third major album, Junior. Like a Nordic creation of Frankenstein proportions (I’ll allow time to envision the monster as a blonde), the album operates as a complex series of bits and pieces mixed together, pasting together the moody beats of Melody AM with the tenderest bits of pop-mindedness from The Understanding.

To do so, the duo have enlisted a superstar cast of Swedish chanteuses, including Lykke Li, Robyn, and Karin Dreijer (as well as fellow Norde Anneli Drecker)—a line-up indie-licious enough to make the pants of the Pitchfork crew grow even tighter at the waist.

With a burst of giggles, Röyksopp bounces into Junior with the mindless glee-fest that is their first single, “Happy Up Here.” Ironically, it’s also the album’s weakest moment—not quite an instrumental, not yet a full fledged song. Sure, it’s got all the makings of a Röyksopp track (looped beats and breathy lyrics), but it’s mainly a teaser for things to come.

That’s probably why “The Girl And The Robot” follows shortly thereafter. Undoubtedly one of the coolest songs Robyn has recorded in recent time (though let’s face it, she hasn’t truly recorded anything new in the past five years), the song is a stomping, stuttering 21st century upgrade of a classic torch song: “Fell asleep again in front of MTV / God, I’m down at the bottom / No one’s singing songs for me / I’m in love with a robot.” Then again, has there ever been a song involving robot love that hasn’t proven itself entirely amazing? Doubt it.

After comes “Vision One,” a song I’m still holding responsible for no less than three slipped discs in my neck. Why? “Vision One” happens to be a cover of a track the group first remixed in 2005 sung by a ridiculously under-appreciated J-Pop artist named Eri Nobuchika. Hearing those opening notes re-imagined through bright piano melody and some lo-fi electronica for the very time, my head whipped forward faster than I could shriek “Oh my God, it’s ‘SING A SONG.’” As a result, I’m still healing.

“Let evil ways caress our smile, the cities are dying / As we watch it fall into a modern state, a modern time,” Anneli Drecker goes on to declare as the world around her plummets into the depths of misery. Looking for a distraction from the crumbling economy? You’re probably listening to the wrong song.

In fact, as delightfully “pop” as Röyksopp may claim this album may be, it’s sure depressing—if we’re not listening to Lykke Li sighing away memories of a lost love with “Miss It So Much,” we’ve got the boys themselves throwing their hands up in a cry of resignation in the final moment of the album, “It’s What I Want”: “It’s what I want that’s easy / It’s getting it that’s complicated.”

Still, everything’s not so dire. And by “not so dire,” I mean “vaguely homicidal.” Case in point: The album’s shining moment; the Anneli Drecker led “You Don’t Have A Clue.”

“We’re meant to be one, I know we are,” Drecker croons along a lush set of stringed electronica and choir voices, “If I am the sky, then you are my star.” Sweet, right? Well keep listening, and tell me this doesn’t go from lovey-dovey to stalker-friendly in a matter of minutes: “But you don’t have a clue / This party hasn’t ended yet / Not for me and you.” Yeah, I’d say we’ve got a creeper on our hands.

And so the album trudges on, an eclectic helping of lyrical craft and well-produced beats ready to appeal to listeners of all genuses and genres—“Smart Pop,” as I like to refer to it.

Junior is in many respects a musical triumph; an eclectic collection of breathy chanteuses and guttural vocalists all set to the tune of brooding synthesizers and geeky computer blips and bleeps. Presenting their most accessible, instant, and engaging album yet, Röyksopp is one of the very few, truly legitimate artists still standing on the frontlines fighting in the name of all things pop. After all, they’ve already just released the best album of the first quarter, as well as a capable contender for the best of ‘09.

That is, until Junior’s companion piece, Senior, hits shelves later this fall.

Click here to visit the band’s MySpace, and click below to purchase Junior NOW!

BoA is living up to her single’s name and eating the world up. No literally, she’s certainly doing enough to merit a Daily B in her own right!

First of all, BoA is releasing her second Greatest Hits compilation in Japan, featuring every single since “DO THE MOTION” and re-recorded versions of fan favorites, “VALENTI” and “Meri Kuri” (my favorite!) The release will be called BEST&USA and is set to be tied together in a 2-CD set with her English album on March 18. A marketer’s dream!

Then, BoA has found time to record her 27th Japanese single “Eien/Universe/Believe in LOVE,” a TRIPLE A-side due for release on February 18 in roughly thirty five thousand different formats (as is slowly becoming the trend in the J-Pop market). There’s a CD version, the CD+DVD, and then limited versions of each one featuring special bonus tracks and clips. Simply speaking, it’s impossible to keep track.

As for the lead single “Eien,” I remain unimpressed. It’s a pretty sub-standard R&B offering with some nice, melodious electro undercurrents going on, but the song is simply forgettable after the first play. In other words…A standard Japanese release from BoA.

Far more interesting to me are the A-sides from the single. The second will be a Bloodshy & Avant produced track with Crystal Kay and Verbal from M-Flo called “Universe.” Though it hasn’t leaked yet, there are far too many factors suggesting the track’s potential epic-nessity.

And then there’s the third, an acoustic version of a song recently recorded with Ravex called “Believe In LOVE.”

Let’s shift gears to the original version of the track. Essentially, “Believe In LOVE” is a dream come true for fans wishing that our superstar would branch out into newer, experimental genres. The song marries the ceaseless, rich ambient nature of an Eri Nobuchika track with BoA’s rich vocal abilities. I’ll admit that I’d like to hear Eri’s take on the track (where is she, lately?!), but I am nonetheless thoroughly impressed by this elegant arrangement. It’s certainly the most interesting thing she’s done in Japan for years!

Also, according to news reports, BoA has been recording with Sean Garrett and Brian Kennedy, two massive pop producers responsible for some of the hottest Fergie, Britney, and Rihanna tracks. Check out the final tracklisting for the English album:

01 I Did It For Love (featuring Sean Garrett)
02 Energetic
03 Did Ya
04 Look Who’s Talking
05 Eat You Up
06 Obsessed
07 Touched
08 Scream
09 Girls On Top
10 Dress Off
11 Hypnotic Dancefloor

Finally, slight fandom freak-out: “Hypnotic Dancefloor”? Cool! Is “Girls On Top” an English version of the very same hit song from 2005?! OMG! Watch out, America. Err, not that the general public would embrace the track, but still…Step it back now.

DL: Ravex – Believe In LOVE (Featuring BoA) (Sharebee)

BoA’s self-titled debut English album will debut worldwide on March 17.

Click here to purchase BoA’s English single, “Eat You Up.”

Click here to pre-order BoA’s upcoming Japanese single “Eien,” featuring the ballad version of “Believe In LOVE” and here to pre-order BEST&USA.

Long time, no listen! In fact, I haven’t heard anything about Rie Fu for a while now! The bilingual beauty is back with a new single entitled “Romantic,” and it’s simply lush. In fact, with those echoing dance beats and lonesome vocals, I’d place this release in the style territory of Eri Nobuchika. Very warm, though very sad disco…I recommend.

Oh, and while I’ve got your short-lived attention, take a look at Rie’s official painting site. Rie Fu happens to double as a gifted artist, and her paintings are gorgeous, imaginative representations of everyday life in Japan. Though I’ve never been a big Rie Fu enthusiast, Wikipedia tells me that much of her liner notes and album artwork is largely comprised of Rie Fu’s own works. Therefore, I can conclude that her CDs must be rather pretty on the inside.

DL: Rie Fu – Romantic

Music releases have been a bit sparse this past few days, so I do apologize for the lack of updates. I’ve gotten wind of a new artist that I’m premiering on the site today. Her name is SATOMI’, and she is a Japanese singer. In J-Pop fashion, she has altered her name by adding some unnecessary capital letters and an extra dash of punctuation. I don’t know why they do it, either.

Anyway, according to her Myspace, Satomi was born in 1989, making her a mere 19 years old. Despite the age difference, the girl’s got some jazzy vocals rivaling Crystal Kay, and the lower octaves of Eri Nobuchika (who has been shelved from the J-Pop industry, despite having the largest vocal range of any Japanese artist I’ve heard yet.) Not only that, but the beats in her latest release could be straight off the recording sessions of Namie Amuro. Stomping hand-clap verses melting into sweeping, horn-blaring choruses…the song is a dance-funk treat.

DL: SATOMI’ – Innumerable Answers

SATOMI’ is a fairly new artist, so I assume I’ll be watching for further releases from her. She will be releasing “Innumerable answers” digitally on January 30. Her upcoming album is expected to be released late March.

You’ll have to excuse the looks of this place. I’m trying to remain simple and yet modern, which is causing some issues. The background will probably be changing daily until I stumble upon something I’m moderately pleased with.
Okay. Time to go underground. Well, sort of. In the Japanese pop scene, you can’t be hot for longer than about a week. Even the pop titans cannot control the fact that an album or single will typically debut at number one, only to fall in the following week. J-Pop is just that competitive. So when you’ve got an artist that isn’t a household name, sometimes it’s difficult to chart at all.
Take Eri Nobuchika. She’s never made it too big, though she remains one of the most underrated voices of Japanese pop music. Her voice is absolutely haunting, and probably the best out of all of the singers I’ve heard. Yet she’s relatively unknown. So, this is for Eri. My favorite track off of her first and only studio album, nobuchikaeri, is the song “Voice.” The song starts off with an electro-salsa beat along with tiny hand-clap beats, slowly rising and falling, but never losing its steam. The song’s intensity starts to build, and the climatic crescendo is something indescribable. It’s almost cathartic, really. The song is epic, and one of my favorite J-Pop songs ever. It’s long, but it’s worth it, trust me.

DL:

And you, what do you think?