Here are the first batch of songs uploaded for the number lottery! Whew, there was more than I thought. My reviews will be quite brief because of the number of songs, sorry about that. Enjoy, and remember to comment or leave a rating!

The rest of the songs will hopefully be up sometime this weekend, thanks for being patient!

Lena:

#458. Love Song _ Andy
Korean | Pop
A sugar-sweet song from Shinhwa's Andy. It's not amazing (I have to say that I've always thought of him as a rapper, and his singing is passable but not fantastic), but it's a cute, warm song with lots of brassy riffs and the occasional synth.

#10984. Billy _ Romeo
Japanese | Rock
A slightly predictable rock song that nonetheless is quite good - tough and gritty and reminiscent of classic rock.

#9458. You Gotta Be (Des'Ree) _ Nature Living
English | Rock
This is a cover, Des'Ree is the name of the original singer. I've only heard the original version if this song on the radio a few times so I can't say I'm too familiar with it, but Nature Living's cover is impressive. I really love the harmonies between the female and male vocalists and the rock spin they put on the song, keeping the bright atmosphere but really putting their own take on the song.

#888. 今夜も星に抱かれて (Konya mo Hoshi ni Dakarete) _ ayaka Link has been fixed, sorry about that!
Japanese | Pop/Ballad
I love ayaka. Her voice is so powerful and rich, and she absolutely shines against the warm, full piano arrangement that is the sole accompaniment of this song up to around the halfway point where some light strings are thrown into the mix. Recommended.

Stephy:

#922. B Love (So Baby) _ The b
Korean | Ballad
I'll admit, I had no recollection of who these guys were or sounded like. According to a quick google search they are a girl group from Goodberry Entertainment that debuted sometime in the summer of 2008. The song is a dramatic string-lead ballad. Their vocals are quite good, almost reminiscent of Seeya or Black Pearl. Why is it that it's the girl groups who sound like they might have some potential that drop off the radar and never get really popular. T_T

#1024. enter _ the band apart
Um ... apparently this is just a minute-long intro of sparse rustling sounds. Whoops. To compensate because this isn't really an actual song, I uploaded the next track too:
#1025. Falling _ the band apart
Japanese | Alt. Rock
I really love this group's style. Falling has some watered-down jazz influences, which really give the song a unique touch. Try them out!

#777. トラベログ _ ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION
Japanese | Alt. Rock
I love them. <3 トラベログ is a mid-tempo song with lots of bright guitar chords and a summery atmosphere. It's not one of my favourite songs by them, but it's certainly good.

melody 84, 10487, 17244, 999

#84. 旅ダチノウタ (Tabidachi no Uta) [TW Departure Mix] _ AAA
Japanese | Pop
I really love the soft opening of the song, leading into a synth-filled, cute remix of Tabidachi no Uta. I really like the ambient, warm arrangement and smooth, electronica-laced vocals.

#10487. beauty delusions garden _ POITRINE
Japanese | Rock
A gritty rock song by POITRINE. Although I'm not a big fan of their vocalist's slightly guttural voice, I really like the melody & especially the chorus of the song, as well as the tightly-knit guitar work. Worth a listen.

#17244. shower _ 12012
Japanese | Rock
12012 was one of the first Japanese artists I listened to, and although I'm no longer a follower of J-rock, I still enjoy listening to them. The bass line in shower really holds the whole song together, although it's fairly simple and mostly fades into the background. The opening verses are quite soft, leading into the more powerful chorus.

#999. Hikarisasuhou _ BACK-ON
Japanese | Alt. Rock
I love BACK-ON's style: a mix of rock, hip-hop, and electronica reminscient of groups like FLOW and UVERworld (although not as poppy). Hikarisasuhou definitely leans more towards rock, but the short rapped segments show their hip-hop influences. Recommended.

Labels: 12012, AAA, andy, Asian Kung-Fu Generation, Ayaka, BACK-ON, nature living, number lottery, POITRINE, romeo, the b, the band apart

Sorry this rotation got backtracked so much. Hopefully it’s worth the wait, I’ve tried to upload as many runners-up as possible. This theme does not include any pop-rock, alternative rock, soft rock, etc. - but it does include rock ballads. Like with all the top ten/twenty themes, these are only the top songs in my opinion. Unfortunately, ruling out alt rock, soft rock, and “rock-influenced” groups/songs also ruled out many Korean or Chinese/Taiwanese groups. This rotation is extremely Japanese-dominated, but since pop songs were mainly Korean/Chinese and ballads were mostly Korean, I think overall it’s pretty fair. I haven’t been following rock music as much lately, so most of these songs will be a little older.

This rotation took a tiring amount of time to prepare, especially my comments (which get progressively worse), so please take the time to comment/leave a rating. Anyways, on to the music. =)
- Haruhi

#10. DOLLS - Janne da Arc
I really like Janne da Arc. Dolls is a mid-tempo track - the opening verses are a bit of a bore featuring a sweet if somewhat repetitive melody, but the chorus is great. It’s a slightly formulaic track, which kept it from moving up on the chart.

#9. Black Cherry - acid black cherry
I just realized I’d uploaded this before, way back in my tenth rotation, so there’s two links for you. A seamless blend of rock and jazz - Black Cherry starts out slow and ambient with light guitar and percussion, putting Yasu’s unique voice into the spotlight. Wailing electric guitars kick in and the percussion steps it up into a fast-paced fusion track, complete with trumpet riffs. A fantastic song from a great group.

#8. Orange Dream - Antic Cafe
This song was uploaded in rotation 19. Since most of their songs are upbeat and happy (after all, they are an oshare kei group), I was surprised at the richness and maturity of this ballad. I love the piano part - I think it adds a lot of colour to the song. The opening is heartbreakingly sad, but as the song builds it grows more and more hopeful and optimistic. A beautiful rock ballad.

#7. Et cetera - ONE OK ROCK
An angsty rock song, leaning more towards the style of American rock than Japanese. I absolutely love the chorus and the contrast in volume between the chorus and other verses. The arrangement might not be the most original or innovative, but it all fits together perfectly to make a unique and memorable song.

#6. yozora ni saku hana - Clavier
Returning to ballads, yozora ni saku hana opens with a sad piano intro. The whole song just has a certain flavor that’s unique to Japanese music, I can’t explain it - you’ll know it when you hear it. Toshi, their lead singer, has an expressively vulnerable but steady voice that suits the song perfectly. This group is technically oshare kei, but even in their other songs they don’t have a really sugary, sweet sound - their material is just generally brighter than visual kei stuff.

#5. Kimi ni Negai wo - Miyavi
Being the first Japanese artist I listened to, Miyavi had to show up somewhere on this rotation. This was also one of the first songs I heard by him. It’s a fairly bright, midtempo track driven by piano and guitars - and later, strings. Miyavi’s voice is soft and crooning pretty much everywhere but the chorus, but can still be heard over the relatively light accompaniment.

#4. Close - Mot
The sole Korean band to make the list (actually the only non-Japanese band), Close definitely deserves its position. Some people call them alt rock, but whatever. It’s such a unique song, filled with dazed, dreamy synths. Overall the song has a very sad, longing atmosphere, but its emotional value is what makes it good. It can get a little repetitive, which actually kind of adds to the atmosphere of the song - definitely try them out.

#3. Isshunfuran - B'z
A polar opposite of the sad, longing atmosphere in Close, Isshunfuran is upbeat, bright, and irresistably catchy. You can’t help but move along to it - it’s confident and assured. Not convinced? This duo has been around since 1988, and are considered the most popular rock group in Japan. They were also the first artists from Asia to have their handprints and signatures put in in Hollywood’s Rock Walk, placing them right alongside American rock legends like Black Sabbath, AC/DC, Iron Maiden, Les Paul, and Jimi Hendrix.

#2. Libra - MUCC
MUCC is one of my favourite j-rock groups. I still follow their releases despite losing interest in heavier rock (I posted a recent single of theirs not long ago). Libra is definitely my favourite song by them - it’s dark and gritty, but then it leads into the chorus, which is just stunningly beautiful and pure. I absolutely love the PV and lyrics, too.

#1. over - 12012
I knew this song would be in the top two when I started this rotation. 12012 is one of the first j-rock bands I listened to, and one of the first Japanese bands in general. “Over” is a simple but gorgeous ballad. The haunting melody always gets stuck in my head and I never forget it, even if I haven’t listened to the song in a long time.

Runners-up:

Carnation - Janne da Arc
A simple but beautiful relaxing acoustic ballad. If it was a little more of a rock song, it definitely would have made the list.

ブランコ - kannivalism
I love these guys, but unfortunately I think they’ve disbanded. A fairly slow, relaxing song with refreshing clear vocals and a dreamy arrangement. I prefer their upbeat songs, but couldn’t find any on my computer.

Lost Reason - abingdon boys school
I love this song. It was definitely close to making the list. It transitions from gritty and aggressive to softer, melodic portions. I absolutely love the chorus. A great song.

風の鳥 - Matenrou Opera
I really like this band in general; I wasn’t sure what song to upload by them. In the end, I chose a piano-based ballad, which shows their impressive vocalist. The piano is just gorgeous.

My Heart Draws a Dream - L’arc~en~Ciel
I’m sure most of you know this song, I’ve followed Laruku for a while but have never really picked out any real “favourites” by them. My Heart Draws a Dream would definitely come close - a fresh, mid-tempo track with a great melody. Of course, Hyde’s voice is wonderful.

JEALOUS -Reverse- - Dir en grey
There’s quite a few ballads in this rotation, huh? JEALOUS -Reverse- is another one, also piano-based, but Kyo’s unique voice sets it apart. I’ve kind of grown apart from their harder material where he screams more than he sings, but he has quite a nice voice when he’s actually singing, although he sounds a bit strained at times. It’s sad but hopeful, and very emotional.

Aribai - SID
A light-hearted, jazzy track that doesn’t take itself too seriously. It’s a breath of fresh air after listening to all these heavier rock songs or emotional ballads.

The Love From A Dead Orchestra - Versailles
This band’s whole image reflects splendor, royalty, etc. Their music, too, is extravagent - deep, thick vocals, a densely packed arrangement, many transitions. I love the slower, melodic verses of the song (eg. the one starting at 1:22), but unfortunately found the song to be on a whole too overdone. The slower portions where the different parts can actually be separated and viewed individually are the best. The transition about halfway through between the piano solo and the next, heavier portion of the song is roughly done - I would have thought it was going into a whole other track. A lot of great ideas and themes that got cramped together into one big song - personally, I think they could have been better and more fully explored, which kept this song from ranking higher.

Snow Flower - Plastic Tree
Ghost - Plastic Tree
Two great songs from another j-rock band that’s been around for a while: since 1993, to be exact. One of the first j-rock bands I really got into and one of few that I still loosely follow.

Night - Kazoku
I absolutely love the intro of this song. The transition into the actual song is brilliant and seamless. Faint jazz influences, a dark-ish, mysterious feel.

너 없인 행복할 수 없잖아 - Mary Story (I Can't Be Happy Without You)
I had to stick another Korean band in here somewhere. These guys are awesome, they were very close to making the list. A pretty light rock song that might even be considered soft-rock or pop-rock or whatever, but I love it. The melody is just extremely memorable to me, and even when I haven’t listened to this song for ages I can still recall it without any difficulty. Try them out if you haven’t, k-rock needs more attention - and these guys definitely deserve it.

Note: I ran out of tag characters, so I took the tag for Kazoku off because the song "Night" is already uploaded in a previous rotation, and they're tagged in that post.

I likely messed up at least one link, so if there's any mistakes with the links or anything else, please let me know!

Labels: 12012, abingdon boys school, acid black cherry, Antic Cafe, B'z, Clavier, Dir en grey, Janne da Arc, kannivalism, L'arc~en~Ciel, Mary Story, Matenrou Opera, miyavi, Mot, MUCC, ONE OK ROCK, Plastic Tree, SID, Versailles

Here are the first batch of songs uploaded for the number lottery! Whew, there was more than I thought. My reviews will be quite brief because of the number of songs, sorry about that. Enjoy, and remember to comment or leave a rating!

The rest of the songs will hopefully be up sometime this weekend, thanks for being patient!

Lena:

#458. Love Song _ Andy
Korean | Pop
A sugar-sweet song from Shinhwa's Andy. It's not amazing (I have to say that I've always thought of him as a rapper, and his singing is passable but not fantastic), but it's a cute, warm song with lots of brassy riffs and the occasional synth.

#10984. Billy _ Romeo
Japanese | Rock
A slightly predictable rock song that nonetheless is quite good - tough and gritty and reminiscent of classic rock.

#9458. You Gotta Be (Des'Ree) _ Nature Living
English | Rock
This is a cover, Des'Ree is the name of the original singer. I've only heard the original version if this song on the radio a few times so I can't say I'm too familiar with it, but Nature Living's cover is impressive. I really love the harmonies between the female and male vocalists and the rock spin they put on the song, keeping the bright atmosphere but really putting their own take on the song.

#888. 今夜も星に抱かれて (Konya mo Hoshi ni Dakarete) _ ayaka Link has been fixed, sorry about that!
Japanese | Pop/Ballad
I love ayaka. Her voice is so powerful and rich, and she absolutely shines against the warm, full piano arrangement that is the sole accompaniment of this song up to around the halfway point where some light strings are thrown into the mix. Recommended.

Stephy:

#922. B Love (So Baby) _ The b
Korean | Ballad
I'll admit, I had no recollection of who these guys were or sounded like. According to a quick google search they are a girl group from Goodberry Entertainment that debuted sometime in the summer of 2008. The song is a dramatic string-lead ballad. Their vocals are quite good, almost reminiscent of Seeya or Black Pearl. Why is it that it's the girl groups who sound like they might have some potential that drop off the radar and never get really popular. T_T

#1024. enter _ the band apart
Um ... apparently this is just a minute-long intro of sparse rustling sounds. Whoops. To compensate because this isn't really an actual song, I uploaded the next track too:
#1025. Falling _ the band apart
Japanese | Alt. Rock
I really love this group's style. Falling has some watered-down jazz influences, which really give the song a unique touch. Try them out!

#777. トラベログ _ ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION
Japanese | Alt. Rock
I love them. <3 トラベログ is a mid-tempo song with lots of bright guitar chords and a summery atmosphere. It's not one of my favourite songs by them, but it's certainly good.

melody 84, 10487, 17244, 999

#84. 旅ダチノウタ (Tabidachi no Uta) [TW Departure Mix] _ AAA
Japanese | Pop
I really love the soft opening of the song, leading into a synth-filled, cute remix of Tabidachi no Uta. I really like the ambient, warm arrangement and smooth, electronica-laced vocals.

#10487. beauty delusions garden _ POITRINE
Japanese | Rock
A gritty rock song by POITRINE. Although I'm not a big fan of their vocalist's slightly guttural voice, I really like the melody & especially the chorus of the song, as well as the tightly-knit guitar work. Worth a listen.

#17244. shower _ 12012
Japanese | Rock
12012 was one of the first Japanese artists I listened to, and although I'm no longer a follower of J-rock, I still enjoy listening to them. The bass line in shower really holds the whole song together, although it's fairly simple and mostly fades into the background. The opening verses are quite soft, leading into the more powerful chorus.

#999. Hikarisasuhou _ BACK-ON
Japanese | Alt. Rock
I love BACK-ON's style: a mix of rock, hip-hop, and electronica reminscient of groups like FLOW and UVERworld (although not as poppy). Hikarisasuhou definitely leans more towards rock, but the short rapped segments show their hip-hop influences. Recommended.

Labels: 12012, AAA, andy, Asian Kung-Fu Generation, Ayaka, BACK-ON, nature living, number lottery, POITRINE, romeo, the b, the band apart

Sorry this rotation got backtracked so much. Hopefully it’s worth the wait, I’ve tried to upload as many runners-up as possible. This theme does not include any pop-rock, alternative rock, soft rock, etc. - but it does include rock ballads. Like with all the top ten/twenty themes, these are only the top songs in my opinion. Unfortunately, ruling out alt rock, soft rock, and “rock-influenced” groups/songs also ruled out many Korean or Chinese/Taiwanese groups. This rotation is extremely Japanese-dominated, but since pop songs were mainly Korean/Chinese and ballads were mostly Korean, I think overall it’s pretty fair. I haven’t been following rock music as much lately, so most of these songs will be a little older.

This rotation took a tiring amount of time to prepare, especially my comments (which get progressively worse), so please take the time to comment/leave a rating. Anyways, on to the music. =)
- Haruhi

#10. DOLLS - Janne da Arc
I really like Janne da Arc. Dolls is a mid-tempo track - the opening verses are a bit of a bore featuring a sweet if somewhat repetitive melody, but the chorus is great. It’s a slightly formulaic track, which kept it from moving up on the chart.

#9. Black Cherry - acid black cherry
I just realized I’d uploaded this before, way back in my tenth rotation, so there’s two links for you. A seamless blend of rock and jazz - Black Cherry starts out slow and ambient with light guitar and percussion, putting Yasu’s unique voice into the spotlight. Wailing electric guitars kick in and the percussion steps it up into a fast-paced fusion track, complete with trumpet riffs. A fantastic song from a great group.

#8. Orange Dream - Antic Cafe
This song was uploaded in rotation 19. Since most of their songs are upbeat and happy (after all, they are an oshare kei group), I was surprised at the richness and maturity of this ballad. I love the piano part - I think it adds a lot of colour to the song. The opening is heartbreakingly sad, but as the song builds it grows more and more hopeful and optimistic. A beautiful rock ballad.

#7. Et cetera - ONE OK ROCK
An angsty rock song, leaning more towards the style of American rock than Japanese. I absolutely love the chorus and the contrast in volume between the chorus and other verses. The arrangement might not be the most original or innovative, but it all fits together perfectly to make a unique and memorable song.

#6. yozora ni saku hana - Clavier
Returning to ballads, yozora ni saku hana opens with a sad piano intro. The whole song just has a certain flavor that’s unique to Japanese music, I can’t explain it - you’ll know it when you hear it. Toshi, their lead singer, has an expressively vulnerable but steady voice that suits the song perfectly. This group is technically oshare kei, but even in their other songs they don’t have a really sugary, sweet sound - their material is just generally brighter than visual kei stuff.

#5. Kimi ni Negai wo - Miyavi
Being the first Japanese artist I listened to, Miyavi had to show up somewhere on this rotation. This was also one of the first songs I heard by him. It’s a fairly bright, midtempo track driven by piano and guitars - and later, strings. Miyavi’s voice is soft and crooning pretty much everywhere but the chorus, but can still be heard over the relatively light accompaniment.

#4. Close - Mot
The sole Korean band to make the list (actually the only non-Japanese band), Close definitely deserves its position. Some people call them alt rock, but whatever. It’s such a unique song, filled with dazed, dreamy synths. Overall the song has a very sad, longing atmosphere, but its emotional value is what makes it good. It can get a little repetitive, which actually kind of adds to the atmosphere of the song - definitely try them out.

#3. Isshunfuran - B'z
A polar opposite of the sad, longing atmosphere in Close, Isshunfuran is upbeat, bright, and irresistably catchy. You can’t help but move along to it - it’s confident and assured. Not convinced? This duo has been around since 1988, and are considered the most popular rock group in Japan. They were also the first artists from Asia to have their handprints and signatures put in in Hollywood’s Rock Walk, placing them right alongside American rock legends like Black Sabbath, AC/DC, Iron Maiden, Les Paul, and Jimi Hendrix.

#2. Libra - MUCC
MUCC is one of my favourite j-rock groups. I still follow their releases despite losing interest in heavier rock (I posted a recent single of theirs not long ago). Libra is definitely my favourite song by them - it’s dark and gritty, but then it leads into the chorus, which is just stunningly beautiful and pure. I absolutely love the PV and lyrics, too.

#1. over - 12012
I knew this song would be in the top two when I started this rotation. 12012 is one of the first j-rock bands I listened to, and one of the first Japanese bands in general. “Over” is a simple but gorgeous ballad. The haunting melody always gets stuck in my head and I never forget it, even if I haven’t listened to the song in a long time.

Runners-up:

Carnation - Janne da Arc
A simple but beautiful relaxing acoustic ballad. If it was a little more of a rock song, it definitely would have made the list.

ブランコ - kannivalism
I love these guys, but unfortunately I think they’ve disbanded. A fairly slow, relaxing song with refreshing clear vocals and a dreamy arrangement. I prefer their upbeat songs, but couldn’t find any on my computer.

Lost Reason - abingdon boys school
I love this song. It was definitely close to making the list. It transitions from gritty and aggressive to softer, melodic portions. I absolutely love the chorus. A great song.

風の鳥 - Matenrou Opera
I really like this band in general; I wasn’t sure what song to upload by them. In the end, I chose a piano-based ballad, which shows their impressive vocalist. The piano is just gorgeous.

My Heart Draws a Dream - L’arc~en~Ciel
I’m sure most of you know this song, I’ve followed Laruku for a while but have never really picked out any real “favourites” by them. My Heart Draws a Dream would definitely come close - a fresh, mid-tempo track with a great melody. Of course, Hyde’s voice is wonderful.

JEALOUS -Reverse- - Dir en grey
There’s quite a few ballads in this rotation, huh? JEALOUS -Reverse- is another one, also piano-based, but Kyo’s unique voice sets it apart. I’ve kind of grown apart from their harder material where he screams more than he sings, but he has quite a nice voice when he’s actually singing, although he sounds a bit strained at times. It’s sad but hopeful, and very emotional.

Aribai - SID
A light-hearted, jazzy track that doesn’t take itself too seriously. It’s a breath of fresh air after listening to all these heavier rock songs or emotional ballads.

The Love From A Dead Orchestra - Versailles
This band’s whole image reflects splendor, royalty, etc. Their music, too, is extravagent - deep, thick vocals, a densely packed arrangement, many transitions. I love the slower, melodic verses of the song (eg. the one starting at 1:22), but unfortunately found the song to be on a whole too overdone. The slower portions where the different parts can actually be separated and viewed individually are the best. The transition about halfway through between the piano solo and the next, heavier portion of the song is roughly done - I would have thought it was going into a whole other track. A lot of great ideas and themes that got cramped together into one big song - personally, I think they could have been better and more fully explored, which kept this song from ranking higher.

Snow Flower - Plastic Tree
Ghost - Plastic Tree
Two great songs from another j-rock band that’s been around for a while: since 1993, to be exact. One of the first j-rock bands I really got into and one of few that I still loosely follow.

Night - Kazoku
I absolutely love the intro of this song. The transition into the actual song is brilliant and seamless. Faint jazz influences, a dark-ish, mysterious feel.

너 없인 행복할 수 없잖아 - Mary Story (I Can't Be Happy Without You)
I had to stick another Korean band in here somewhere. These guys are awesome, they were very close to making the list. A pretty light rock song that might even be considered soft-rock or pop-rock or whatever, but I love it. The melody is just extremely memorable to me, and even when I haven’t listened to this song for ages I can still recall it without any difficulty. Try them out if you haven’t, k-rock needs more attention - and these guys definitely deserve it.

Note: I ran out of tag characters, so I took the tag for Kazoku off because the song "Night" is already uploaded in a previous rotation, and they're tagged in that post.

I likely messed up at least one link, so if there's any mistakes with the links or anything else, please let me know!

Labels: 12012, abingdon boys school, acid black cherry, Antic Cafe, B'z, Clavier, Dir en grey, Janne da Arc, kannivalism, L'arc~en~Ciel, Mary Story, Matenrou Opera, miyavi, Mot, MUCC, ONE OK ROCK, Plastic Tree, SID, Versailles

Welcome to Fashion Scans, an mp3 rotation that features Korean, Japanese, and Chinese music as well as the occasional English song. Fashion Scans was created in October 2007 and is run by Haruhi with contributions from Carmi.

Please send all affiliate requests to Haruhi. Carmi is currently open to requests.

Files are for sampling purposes only, I am not responsible if you keep them for longer than the 24-48 hours permitted. Please support the artists by purchasing their CDs.

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