If you're looking for some individual songs from this album to sample, look in the post below this one.

As previously mentioned, here's AK's "WOW" album. I'd recommend giving this a try if you're a fan of pop. It's not particularly innovative, but it's well-executed and overall, a solid album. I'm working on another mixtape that I'm planning to review in full which is why I opted out of writing a full review for WOW, although if I have time I may write something up later.

I don't share full albums much, so please be sure to comment if taking.

yesasia: Formed at the end of 2009, Taiwanese idol duo AK consists of popular singer/actor Andy Chen and teen idol Kris Shen (from the boy group "Genki G-Boy"). With their outstandingly good looks and dancing/music talents, the duo has already caught the eyes of many pop fans in Asia through their commercial engagements in Korea and Thailand, as well as success in a talent search competition in Mainland China. The boys' appearance as the opening act at the Asia Pop Festival in Niigata, Japan in February 2010 also cemented their rising star status. AK's anticipated debut album, WOW, has been in the works for a whole year, and the result is a collection of 10 single-worthy songs. From the titular first plug WOW to the ballad HELP and the folk-styled "Bicycle", the album features a mixture of band sound, hip-hop, electronic, and R&B to please different music lovers.

Release Date: May 10, 2010
Genre: Pop/R&B
Language: Mandarin

Tracklist:
01. WOW
02. 一秒钟
03. 长头发
04. 准备好了没
05. 脚踏车
06. HELP
07. 爱我吗
08. 宅急变
09. 恋爱王国
10. 好想再对你说

Download:
4shared

Labels: AK

Sorry I haven't been very active with replying to comments & updating the site, I'm in the middle of exams right now. I should be done everything in about a week and a half.

In the meantime, here's a mini-artist feature for you. I chose three recently debuted artists and chose a couple songs that I really love by them. Hopefully this will prompt you to try out more of their songs. I'll probably be uploading one of these albums (or mini-albums, in the case of Infinite) completely in the near future as well as writing a more detailed review, so if you have any requests as to which one you'd prefer to see, please let me know!

Infinite (인피니트) - First Invasion (EP)
Korean | Pop
This six-song EP is one of the most promising I've heard out of recent Korean boybands. That's not surprising, since Epik High, one of my favourite artists, assisted in its production. Since I probably won't choose to upload this in full (since its only six songs, and out of the three these guys are probably the most well-known) I've uploaded three of their songs.

∞
So this is just an intro, but I love the beat. It really gets your attention and if you're grabbing the next track (which follows this one on the mini-album) I'd take this too, since it leads in very well.

다시 돌아와
This is where you'll see the mixture of synths and guitar riffs in the intro develop. It's a charismatic track that has a lot of colour and flavour. While it's not exactly out-there and is still quite acceptable to mainstream tastes, it's quite unique. I don't know for sure if this sampling was done intentionally (although I think it was), but the transition at 2:00 sounds incredibly like an Earth, Wind & Fire song.

붙박이 별
The hopefulness and sincerity of this ballad, as well as some of the melodies, remind me of Battle's "Icarus", which is one of my favourite ballads. It's not particularly innovative, but it's extremely well executed, and the touches in the accompaniment - sweet harmonies, R&B-style percussion, and lush but light piano chords and guitar riffs, really elevate it. It also shows their vocal strength - while I'm really not familiar with the logistics of this group (how many members, who they are, etc.) they sound great.

The Drifters - 首張同名專輯
Mandarin | Pop-Rock
This duo hailing from Taiwan has also garnered some attention due to the fact that they were created by Jay Chou. Since I've been pretty much completely unimpressed with Jay Chou's latest albums, that didn't really encourage me to try them out. I haven't listened to their album in detail, but for the most part it seems quite laid-back. There are definitely some very pretty tracks, though, and the two below are perfect examples.

你是我的 OK 繃 (Ft. Jay Chou) (You are my Band-Aid)
This song features Jay Chou. The opening rap verse, backed by piano, reminds me so much of a song by a Japanese group ... but I can't think of the name/artist at the moment. I'll edit if I remember. Either way, there's a clean, refreshing quality about their voices that I really like, not quite sure how to describe it but it's most prevalent when they're rapping. It is a bit repetitive, bordering on too repetitive ... I still have mixed feelings about this song, but I have a feeling it might start to grow on me. Either way, it's definitely worth a listen.

想你就寫信
This is the last song on the album, and so far, it's my favourite. It's a lovely ballad with an accompaniment of two of my favourite instruments: piano and acoustic guitar. The arrangement is incredibly delicate and pretty, and the vocal execution is elegant and heartfelt.

AK (Andy + Kris) - WOW
Mandarin | Pop
Another duo from Taiwan, although these guys have a more mainstream pop sound than The Drifters. But don't think they're another sugary idol-type group, they've got some pretty good songs. As with The Drifters, I've only skimmed through their album but I'm liking it so far.

脚踏车
This track is actually in Taiwanese, not Mandarin. I'm usually not a fan of songs in the Taiwanese dialect, but for some reason it suits this track so well. It's a pretty, slightly old-fashioned mid-tempo ballad. It's simple but charming.

好想再对你说
While these guys have some upbeat songs that are quite good as well, what really stood out to me was the ballads which is a surprise since I'm usually quite picky about ballads. The two singers collaborate extremely well here, I really love how the lines overlap slightly in spots or lead off right after one another. It's a piano-based track with some light percussion as well, I really like the percussion, actually - upon first hearing it it sounds really plain, but it has this really unique edge to it that I can't quite place. It's like it has a bit more depth and echo to it. Vocally and compositionally strong.

Labels: AK, Infinite, Jay Chou, The Drifters

If you're looking for some individual songs from this album to sample, look in the post below this one.

As previously mentioned, here's AK's "WOW" album. I'd recommend giving this a try if you're a fan of pop. It's not particularly innovative, but it's well-executed and overall, a solid album. I'm working on another mixtape that I'm planning to review in full which is why I opted out of writing a full review for WOW, although if I have time I may write something up later.

I don't share full albums much, so please be sure to comment if taking.

yesasia: Formed at the end of 2009, Taiwanese idol duo AK consists of popular singer/actor Andy Chen and teen idol Kris Shen (from the boy group "Genki G-Boy"). With their outstandingly good looks and dancing/music talents, the duo has already caught the eyes of many pop fans in Asia through their commercial engagements in Korea and Thailand, as well as success in a talent search competition in Mainland China. The boys' appearance as the opening act at the Asia Pop Festival in Niigata, Japan in February 2010 also cemented their rising star status. AK's anticipated debut album, WOW, has been in the works for a whole year, and the result is a collection of 10 single-worthy songs. From the titular first plug WOW to the ballad HELP and the folk-styled "Bicycle", the album features a mixture of band sound, hip-hop, electronic, and R&B to please different music lovers.

Release Date: May 10, 2010
Genre: Pop/R&B
Language: Mandarin

Tracklist:
01. WOW
02. 一秒钟
03. 长头发
04. 准备好了没
05. 脚踏车
06. HELP
07. 爱我吗
08. 宅急变
09. 恋爱王国
10. 好想再对你说

Download:
4shared

Labels: AK

Sorry I haven't been very active with replying to comments & updating the site, I'm in the middle of exams right now. I should be done everything in about a week and a half.

In the meantime, here's a mini-artist feature for you. I chose three recently debuted artists and chose a couple songs that I really love by them. Hopefully this will prompt you to try out more of their songs. I'll probably be uploading one of these albums (or mini-albums, in the case of Infinite) completely in the near future as well as writing a more detailed review, so if you have any requests as to which one you'd prefer to see, please let me know!

Infinite (인피니트) - First Invasion (EP)
Korean | Pop
This six-song EP is one of the most promising I've heard out of recent Korean boybands. That's not surprising, since Epik High, one of my favourite artists, assisted in its production. Since I probably won't choose to upload this in full (since its only six songs, and out of the three these guys are probably the most well-known) I've uploaded three of their songs.

∞
So this is just an intro, but I love the beat. It really gets your attention and if you're grabbing the next track (which follows this one on the mini-album) I'd take this too, since it leads in very well.

다시 돌아와
This is where you'll see the mixture of synths and guitar riffs in the intro develop. It's a charismatic track that has a lot of colour and flavour. While it's not exactly out-there and is still quite acceptable to mainstream tastes, it's quite unique. I don't know for sure if this sampling was done intentionally (although I think it was), but the transition at 2:00 sounds incredibly like an Earth, Wind & Fire song.

붙박이 별
The hopefulness and sincerity of this ballad, as well as some of the melodies, remind me of Battle's "Icarus", which is one of my favourite ballads. It's not particularly innovative, but it's extremely well executed, and the touches in the accompaniment - sweet harmonies, R&B-style percussion, and lush but light piano chords and guitar riffs, really elevate it. It also shows their vocal strength - while I'm really not familiar with the logistics of this group (how many members, who they are, etc.) they sound great.

The Drifters - 首張同名專輯
Mandarin | Pop-Rock
This duo hailing from Taiwan has also garnered some attention due to the fact that they were created by Jay Chou. Since I've been pretty much completely unimpressed with Jay Chou's latest albums, that didn't really encourage me to try them out. I haven't listened to their album in detail, but for the most part it seems quite laid-back. There are definitely some very pretty tracks, though, and the two below are perfect examples.

你是我的 OK 繃 (Ft. Jay Chou) (You are my Band-Aid)
This song features Jay Chou. The opening rap verse, backed by piano, reminds me so much of a song by a Japanese group ... but I can't think of the name/artist at the moment. I'll edit if I remember. Either way, there's a clean, refreshing quality about their voices that I really like, not quite sure how to describe it but it's most prevalent when they're rapping. It is a bit repetitive, bordering on too repetitive ... I still have mixed feelings about this song, but I have a feeling it might start to grow on me. Either way, it's definitely worth a listen.

想你就寫信
This is the last song on the album, and so far, it's my favourite. It's a lovely ballad with an accompaniment of two of my favourite instruments: piano and acoustic guitar. The arrangement is incredibly delicate and pretty, and the vocal execution is elegant and heartfelt.

AK (Andy + Kris) - WOW
Mandarin | Pop
Another duo from Taiwan, although these guys have a more mainstream pop sound than The Drifters. But don't think they're another sugary idol-type group, they've got some pretty good songs. As with The Drifters, I've only skimmed through their album but I'm liking it so far.

脚踏车
This track is actually in Taiwanese, not Mandarin. I'm usually not a fan of songs in the Taiwanese dialect, but for some reason it suits this track so well. It's a pretty, slightly old-fashioned mid-tempo ballad. It's simple but charming.

好想再对你说
While these guys have some upbeat songs that are quite good as well, what really stood out to me was the ballads which is a surprise since I'm usually quite picky about ballads. The two singers collaborate extremely well here, I really love how the lines overlap slightly in spots or lead off right after one another. It's a piano-based track with some light percussion as well, I really like the percussion, actually - upon first hearing it it sounds really plain, but it has this really unique edge to it that I can't quite place. It's like it has a bit more depth and echo to it. Vocally and compositionally strong.

Labels: AK, Infinite, Jay Chou, The Drifters

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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