Rotation 13 is unthemed. Sorry it's a few days late. Since I uploaded a few complete singles and most of the releases are fairly mainstream and therefore easier to find album covers for, I posted the album covers as well. =) Enjoy, and please remember to comment.
JUNE * mini-album [ I.L.X ]
Japanese * Pop
01. I.L.X
02. SCREAM
03. The Light
04. Lift Me Up
05. GAME
06. beautiful days
JUNE has released two singles before this mini-album, he's Korean but sings in Japanese. He's been compared to Se7en, and I liked his first two singles. He seems to have changed his approach in I.L.X, which is heavier and not as "innocent" as his previous releases. I.L.X is a catchy, upbeat dance track with a good beat. But, I liked SCREAM more - some interesting guitar work and smooth, melting vocal work. It's a little darker in sound. The Light is very laid-back and more R&B influenced, though not outstanding. The light-hearted Lift Me Up is probably closer to the feel of his previous two singles. GAME is pretty good, mid-tempo and showing some impressive vocal work. beautiful days is one of the "cuter" songs on this mini-album, with faint disco influences. Overall, I really liked this mini-album. JUNE has a lot of potential, definitely try him out.
Dragon Ash * single [ Velvet Touch ]
Japanese * Latin rock
01. Velvet Touch
02. La Bamba
I love these guys. Velvet Touch features an awesome bass line and some nice guitar work. It's bright and summer-y. La Bamba doesn't disappoint either - sweet acoustic guitars set a nice tropical feel. I thoroughly enjoyed this single.
Step By Step * Battle
Korean * Pop
I loved Battle's first two singles, I was a bit surprised by how much their style had changed in their third. Step by Step is the title track of their third single. You've probably heard that KiHyun left the group. T_T Step By Step reminds me of Big Bang. Electronica-influenced and consistent, it's catchy and worth a listen, but I liked them better before.
Chun Young Jin * 1st album [ All In One ]
Korean * Pop/R&B/Dance
11. STOP
13. 행복 찾기
14.COUNTDOWN
15. WITH LOVE
This album released in August 2007, but I absolutely love it. Unfortunately, I don't think he's released anything since. His songs have a kind of retro quality, and he has a rich voice. I'll probably be uploading more songs from this album soon. STOP, COUNTDOWN and 행복 찾기 are on the more upbeat side. 행복 찾기 shows the higher range of Chun Young Jin's voice. STOP is catchy and fun. COUNTDOWN has a nice arrangement but doesn't show his voice as well. The heartfelt ballad WITH LOVE seems a bit out of place amongst all the dance tracks, but it's beautiful if a bit generic. Accompanied solely by a piano, his vocals really shine out.
통화 연결음/Ring Back Tone * SunnyHill
Korean * Pop
JangHyun, who was originally chosen to be a member of Battle, is the male vocalist of this group. This mid-tempo ballad is memorable for the vocals - their female vocalist has a sweet, flowing voice. There's actually two female vocalists, but I can't tell them apart. JangHyun's soft vocals compliment them beautifully. Accompanied by acoustic guitars and a steady bass, Ring Back Tone is definitely worth a listen.
LIFE - Kimaguren
Japanese * Rock
This song is simply beautiful. Driven by acoustic guitars and with Latin influences, I love the lyrics (translated lyrics) which are partially in English. I don't know how to describe this song, you kind of have to hear it. Highly recommended.
검은 하늘 (By 투지, Poet, LuK2) - Orifeeling
Korean * Hip-Hop
The arrangement, especially the piano, reminds me a little of Epik High's darker stuff. I'm not a huge hip-hop/rap fan, I only grabbed this because of LuK2. I thought it was decent, but not outstanding.
Labels: Battle, Chun Young Jin, Dragon Ash, JUNE, Kimaguren, Orifeeling, SunnyHill
