I think I rotated a week earlier than I was supposed to. O_o Oh well.
This was originally going to be an OST-themed rotation. I was picking out songs from k-dramas, anime, etc. and then rediscovered this Miami Vice album, which I haven’t listened to in a while. I just had to share it. I know this album will be a bit out of place with the music that I usually upload, but I hope you’ll enjoy it. For the most part, it’s instrumental.
Tracklist:
01. In The Air Tonight - Nonpoint
02. One Of These Mornings - Moby feat. Patti LaBelle
03. We're No Here - Mogwai
04. Sinnerman (Felix Da Housecat's Heavenly House Mix) - Nina Simone
05. Auto Rock - Mogwai
06. Arranca - Manzanita
07. Ready For Love - India.Arie
08. Strict Machine - Goldfrapp
09. Pennies In My Pocket - Emilio Estefan
10. New World In My View - King Britt
11. Sweep - Blue Foundation
12. Anthem - Moby
13. Blacklight Fantasy - Chakra
14. Mercado Nuevo - John Murphy
15. Who Are You - John Murphy
16. Ramblas - King Britt & Tim Motzer
17. A-500 - Klaus Badelt & Mark Batson
On a whole, this album is just filled with tension and suspense. It has so much tense energy. I guess it’s a pretty clear reflection of the film itself, which for those of you who haven’t watched it is a crime/drama film about two police detectives who are fighting drug trafficking - honestly, I don’t even remember the movie too much, but this soundtrack definitely stayed with me. In The Air Tonight sets the tone with a unique, throbbing percussion and and grungy guitars. The song is a cover of a song by the same title by Phil Collins, with a twist of rock. I love the harmonizing. One of These Mornings, by contrast, is stark and beautiful. The vocals have a bit of echo to them, giving the song an ethereal feel. The bass line lends a steady pulse, without hinging down the song too much. The vocals might be a little annoying to some. We’re No Here (and no, that is not a typo) takes a fair bit of time to establish itself, but I love the simple yet melodious chord progressions and sturdy percussion. It does get a bit repetitive. Sinnerman has such a nice piano part. I’ve never heard the original version of this song, but this remix is filled with electronica influences. The mumbly vocal work didn’t really appeal to me, but it’s quite unique. Auto Rock is a piano solo - it’s relatively simple, but I loved it. It builds slowly but steadily. Arranca is a jazzy, Latin track. Light and fresh, it’s a nice break from the darker material in this album. It’s also in Spanish. Ready For Love takes a more serious route, a gorgeous ballad. If you’re thinking along the lines of the ballads commonly found in Korean/Japanese pop, think again. The vocals are mature and rich, set against a soft and unique string & piano accompaniment. Strict Machine is driven and bold with melodic, confident vocals. Pennies In My Pocket is also uptempo, with Latin influences. New World In My View is hopeful yet the rumbling bass and percussion accompaniment is almost foreboding. It’s a little repetitive, but I enjoyed it. Sweep has such a beautiful string part - thick, deep, and strong. It’s a strong base throughout the song, which is lengthy at almost eleven minutes, yet it never seems repetitive or tedious to me. Probably because the song transitions and adjusts itself often, featuring violins, then a deep gritty guitar solo, whispered passages, a sung verse, etc. Anthem has an active, busy beat and electronica influences but doesn’t offer much else. Blacklight Fantasy is mysterious and pulsating. I liked it, but not enough to recommend it. Mercado Nuevo is gritty, as emphasized by electric guitars, but the occasional string accompaniment gives it a softer side too. It has a lot of intensity and power. Who Are You has a different kind if power - it is absolutely filled with emotion and depth. It’s sorrowful and so beautiful. One of my favourite tracks from this album. Ramblas is led by sparse guitar riffs that sound more like someone noodling around than a real melody. A-500 closes us off, a blend of the many sounds in this album - it has a taut drive and pulse, complete with a sweeping string accompaniment balancing against the rough sound of electric guitars. A great soundtrack.
Uploaded requests:
Shizuka na Hibi no Kaidan Wo - Dragon Ash
Japanese | Hip-Pop/Rock
Listening to this song made me realize how hard it is to put into a genre. Rapped verses set against a rock beat with poppy acoustic guitar chords. I really love Dragon Ash's unique style. This song is laid back and reminds me of a lazy summer day.
Labels: Blue Foundation, Chakra, Dragon Ash, Emilio Estefan, Goldfrapp, India.Arie, John Murphy, King Britt, Klaus Badelt, Manzanita, Mark Batson, Moby, Mogwai, Nina Simone, Nonpoint, soundtrack, Tim Motzer
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
