Showing posts with label Namie Amuro. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Namie Amuro. Show all posts

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Do Me, Do Me More

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Here we have the better of the two new song releases from Namie Amuro's latest greatest hits compilation, BEST FICTION. The video is a fairly good summarization of all things Namie Amuro in the past few years: It's got the metallic mod-disco glamorous sheen of her latest clips, the usage of tiny hats, and, of course, those signature Amuro moves that are about one batted eyelash away from asleep. I've never seen someone manage to look so tired while still doing so many vigorous dance moves other than this woman. Whatever...she's amazing.

There's not a whole lot going on in this Alice In Wonderland-themed video that hasn't been conquered before (minus the stripper horses...or horse strippers), though I appreciate the usage of various winning formulas of recent history. The dancing brings me back to a less intense version of Ciara's rooftop choreography for "Get Up," the damsel-in-distressed Alice conjures Gwen "What You Waiting For?" And how much does she look like Ayumi in "Because of You"?


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Posted by Brad at 8:45 PM

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

Don't Lie To Me

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It's absolutely amazing to see how much Namie Amuro continues to grow as an artist. Time is truly proving to be the best formula for success for Amuro's growing discography. Check out the bonus songs from her second greatest hits compilation, Best Fiction, releasing on July 30th. "Do Me More" is all Play-era Namie, stuck in a doll house, with a bit of chorus chanting, while "Sexy Girl" is rather of-the-moment-Namie, dripping with drilling electronica and machine-on-repeat vocal stylings. Both of which are unforgivably addictive--and that's the truth.

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Posted by Brad at 3:44 PM

Saturday, May 10, 2008

Pick A Winner

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She's on the right track, lately. With a whole lot of pumping techno, Namie's returning with yet another unstoppable dance gem in "Black Diamond," a collaboration with DOUBLE. I hope she maintains this style for a long, long time. She even seems to be warming up and moving around in this video! Love the girl, but she can be so stiff sometimes. Not here!

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Posted by Brad at 12:17 PM

Wednesday, April 9, 2008

Feeling High

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Here's Namie on Music Fair 21 promoting her new single "60s70s80s" with a performance of all three songs. Fantastic, and as usual, all live. She's noticeably tired by the end, but who wouldn't be? On a side note, "What A Feeling" refuses to leave my mind. One of the best pop releases of 2008. Absolutely.


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Posted by Brad at 4:45 PM

Sunday, March 9, 2008

That's Amuro!

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Usually I tend to opt for some softer, pensive music on Sundays. It makes it easier to be brought down gingerly to the idea of another soul-crushing, life-sucking seven day cycle within this tortuous, darkened mess plagued with the bloodstains of unavenged souls yearning for justice, buried under the soot-filled ashes of this cruelest of realities that I often refer to as my life. But I think I'll just post some booty jams instead!

I realized one day (yesterday) that I have never actually given Namie Amuro the credit she's so duly deserved. As a J-Pop veteran (1994 and counting), the 31-year-old songstress has contributed so many R&B/Pop fused gems to my daily repertoire that it seems silly to go on without shining the spotlight on some of her more glowing achievements.

Before I go on to what I consider her true best work, I can't say enough about her past. Pegged as the true Empress o' J-Pop, Namie was well on her way to being ten times the cultural icon that Ayumi Hamasaki is today (forgive me, Ayu!) Ayumi even refers to Namie as an inspiration. And you know, if a diva's looking up to someone, that's an indication of success right there.

Her first hit singles, like "Chase the Chance," "Can You Celebrate?" and the pro-digestive system-sounding "Body Feels Exit" weren't just chart toppers--they tore up the country (and perhaps their intestines, judging by the success of the latter track). It was a complete and utter Namie takeover. Girls everywhere took to looking and dressing just like her. They were called "Amuraa," and were thought to be the inspiration for the eventual Ganguro look, which was secretly the inspiration for countless J-Horror ghost movies.

Unfortunately, the fame didn't last completely. First, she announced a surprise pregnancy and marriage with a boy-band member, Sam of TRF. And as soon as she did return after giving birth to her son, Namie's mother was murdered one night before the debut of her latest single in March 1999. Things progressively slowed to a halt around that time.

But Namie wasn't completely lost. She picked up the pieces in 2003 after working on a collaborative effort in which she went under the name SUITE CHIC. The work was a critical success, and elevated her to the point where she could reclaim her title as a solo artist. With the release of her following singles, "shine more," "So Crazy," and "Put 'Em Up," Namie brought in an American hip-hop sound that was less filtered radio pop, and more gritty, textured beats. She went on to fight through a divorce and gain custody of her son, Haruto, all while promoting her album Style, and then released Queen Of Hip-Pop shortly after, which I consider her greatest achievement yet.

Her music is often challenged by Western (read: anime nerds) listeners as being too, well, Western. But you know what? I don't have a problem with it. Mostly because it's not, it's just that a few J-Pop enthusiasts like to hear about "bubble gum happy fun song time dancing" and "bubble gum happy fun song time dancing" only. I on the other hand, would prefer a few songs to make the booty go clap every now and then. That's where Namie comes in. With her often ass long hair and stone faced demeanor, she's not exactly one to conjure thoughts of clubbing. But once you hear a few of her jams, especially off of the latest works she's done, you know that there's a freak inside her yet. So go ahead and have your pick at some of my favorites. They're all great, and more importantly, they're instrumental in passing the time in between cutting yourself.


I couldn't decide on only three songs, so I picked...ten. Oops.


DL: Namie Amuro - Put Em' Up

Punch it out!

DL: Namie Amuro - Indy Lady ft. Zeebra

DL: Namie Amuro - Lovebite

DL: Namie Amuro - Come

This song makes you have sex with yourself. Notice I didn't say "makes you want to..."

DL: Namie Amuro - WoWa

DL: Namie Amuro - Top Secret

DL: Namie Amuro - Baby Don't Cry

DL: Namie Amuro - WHAT A FEELING

Uploaded once before, but it bares repeating. Best J-Pop song of '08, so far.

DL: Namie Amuro - Want Me, Want Me

Without a doubt, one of the finest masterpieces in lyrical construction since Homer's Iliad. "Te kozuru futari wa like a virgin /Demo wasurenaide ne trojan / I am Oochie / La la, poppin' coochie" For those who don't know Japanese, a brief translation: "Silly man, we're fumbling together like lovers in the night, unaware of each other's genitalia. Please don't forget to use a barrier of contraception so that we may not become pregnant. I am oochie, therefore I'm going to need you to go ahead and la la my poppin' coochie.

These are words transcends the boundaries of a mortal love, teeming with sexuality that overflows onto the eardrums. Oh, and the beat done gon' be crazay.

DL: Namie Amuro - No

When I first heard "No" in 2005, I told everyone that I hadn't felt so excited about a song since I heard Kelly Clarkson's "Since U Been Gone" for the first time. I have no idea how I pulled that analogy out of my ass, but I've been known to make awkward statements in the past. I don't think my thoughts are so far from the truth, though. Epic. Song.

The bonus slow-down version is attached to the end of the song. I don't feel like editing it out. My laziness, your benefit.

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Posted by Brad at 6:10 PM

Saturday, March 1, 2008

Saving The Best For Last

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It appears as though Namie's been keeping the good shit for the end, as the '80's inspired video for her final single from the Vidal Sassoon campaign, "What A Feeling", has finally been released. THE SONG IS A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. Honestly, listen to this immediately. It's an electro-heavy dance number with a lot of twitchy synthesizers. Just listen to the first few seconds, I promise you'll be hooked. Namie fans will appreciate the over-usage of "Put 'Em Up"-like choreography, and signature long hair. I immediately felt the urge to Herbal. I MEAN VIDAL SASSOON! I felt the urge to Vidal Sassoon.





And now, for a limited time, I present the single in HQ, as well as a remix by...Shinichi Osawa. As if the song couldn't get any better, she's elected one of the hands down HOTTEST remixers in the business right now. So Good. So So Good.

DL: Namie Amuro - What A Feeling (Single and Shinichi Osawa Remix)

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Posted by Brad at 12:39 PM

Sunday, February 3, 2008

Stomp The Yard

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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.

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Posted by Brad at 12:48 PM

Saturday, January 26, 2008

Namie Party

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Looks like the full PV's (promotional videos, as they're often referred to in Japan), have finally been released for Namie's "NEW LOOK" and "Rock Steady."

"New Look" is exactly what I love...it's full of kitschy '60's glamour, hair salons, and conversations with reflections in mirrors.



"Rock Steady" is blue-hued, choreographed fun. Though I feel there's too much English dialogue, no?

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Posted by Brad at 3:24 PM

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Namie Amuro Leaks

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It's always right after I post the news. Well, two of the three singles from Namie Amuro have just leaked. NEW LOOK is so addictive. It's kind of like a marching band. About Twiggy and fashion or something. Namie's clearly been watching Project Runway. Just listen to that breakdown: "What's In, What's Out? / What's In, What's Out?" I can't stop playing it. It's fierce. Listen for the quick "Baby Love" shout out at the end.

DL: Namie Amuro - NEW LOOK

And then there's "ROCK STEADY," which borrows much more heavily from its sampled track. It's faster and stronger. Definitely a signature Namie track. It's like she's fighting Aretha. Unfortunately, I think this must be a music video rip, because there's a bunch of random nonsense in the middle of the track, undoubtedly dialogue from the video.

DL: Namie Amuro - ROCK STEADY


Source: AmuroNamie @ LJ

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Posted by Brad at 10:24 PM

Sampling Music for the Right to Wash Hair

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News from Japan! Here are the details for Namie Amuro's latest release, the triple A-side single "New Look/Rock Steady/What A Feelin."

The tracklist is as follows:

1. NEW LOOK
2. ROCK STEADY
3. What a feelin'

1. NEW LOOK（MUSIC VIDEO）
2. ROCK STEADY（MUSIC VIDEO）
3. What a feelin'（MUSIC VIDEO）

Credits:
"NEW LOOK" (T-KURA & michico)
"ROCK STEADY" (MURO & michico)
"What a feelin'" (Shinichi Osawa & michico)

The single is part of a campaign for a Japanese shampoo, Vidal Sassoon. Before judging, realize that the most popular J-Pop star's releases are usually tied together with cosmetic or food products. This would be one of those. The campaign music is organized to sample the decades ('60's, '70's, and '80's.) "New Look" uses the song "Baby Love" from 1964, while "Rock Steady" takes from Aretha Franklin's "Rock Steady" from 1971. Additionally, "What a feelin" will be sampling the theme from Flashdance.

Here's "Rock Steady" featured in the 60's CM.


Online Videos by Veoh.com

And here's the '70's inspired CM for "New Look."


Online Videos by Veoh.com

"What A Feelin" will be premiering sometime soon. God, I love Japanese music releases. They're so orchestrated and over-the-top!

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Posted by Brad at 1:20 AM
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