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I took a break from the number lottery (there's one more batch to go) to upload a full rotation, it's been a while since I posted one! This is Fashion Scan’s 40th rotation, and this time I’m featuring songs that have the word “super” somewhere in the title. Since many of the songs had similar/the same name, I had some issues with uploading. If there's a problem with any of the links, please let me know! =) Blogspot would only let me use 10 labels in a post, which is why not all the artists are tagged. I decided not to tag a couple artists who I haven't uploaded anything by in the past & am less likely to upload anything by in the future, so not tagging them shouldn't make a big difference. Comment/leave a rating if taking! Superwoman - Gary Cao ![]() Mandarin | Pop/Ballad A rich mid-tempo ballad with English lines/verses interspersed throughout. Gary Cao’s powerful but tender voice is ripe with emotion, and the soft, smooth harmonies throughout the song add texture. I believe this is a cover of a song in English by Karyn White. I’ve never heard the original, but I love Gary Cao’s warm, light take on the song. Superwoman - JAY’ED ![]() Japanese | R&B The song that inspired this rotation. Every element of this song is just so meticulously planned and executed, and it comes together beautifully. Opening with a light, clear piano arrangement that shines throughout the song and crisp conga-style percussion which leads into the R&B-style drums that form the backdrop for the rest of the song. JAY’ED’s voice is fantastic - rich, textured, and unique. I really like the soft, electronica-laced harmonies too. The whole song has a bit of a reggae/island flavour reminiscent of Kimaguren. Super Star - S.H.E Mandarin | Pop/Rock A blend of rock and classical Chinese elements. Although I really like the style and feel of the song, I felt like their voices weren’t strong enough to carry the powerful atmosphere. Superstar - L.Stadt English | Alternative Rock This band is actually Polish, but from what I can tell the lyrics are all in English. It’s a mysterious, ambient song that has a gritty, dark feel. I guess they’re a bit of an acquired taste, but I really like their unique sound. Super Special - Seira Kagami Japanese | Pop A bubbly song with lots of electronica influences. Seira’s vocals aren’t amazing, but they’re light and sweet. A bit of a disposable song, nothing about it really caught my attention. Super Star - Cho Shin Sung/Supernova Korean | Pop/Dance Fans of Cho Shin Sung should be glad to hear they’ve recently released a series of singles in Japan, which seem to be faring pretty well. This is one of their older (Korean) songs. It’s a smooth dance track with lots of synths. Surprisingly, the thing I liked most about this song was the rap verses where the accompaniment seems to slow down a bit. I found the sung verses to be quite forgettable. SUPER SHINE - EXILE ft. VERBAL (m-flo) ![]() Japanese | Pop I was excited to listen to this song as it featured m-flo’s VERBAL, and I wasn’t disappointed. SUPER SHINE is a slick R&B/pop track, and my only complaint is that the segments where VERBAL is rapping and it leads into the chorus sound a bit disjointed, almost like it’s a different song. EXILE’s light, electronica-laced vocals are complete with dense harmonies, and their smoothness provides a nice contrast against VERBAL’s rapping. SUPER-CALIFRAGILISTIC-EXPIARI-DOCIOUS - BOOWY Japanese | Rock I will admit I uploaded this song mostly for it’s title. This song has a light, tropical, reggae-influenced feel, and sounds slightly dated - probably because it is. I’m not sure exactly when this song released since it was off a compilation album, but BOOWY was active/most popular in the 80’s. It’s a bit random at times, but overall an interesting track. Super Honeymoon - Owl City ![]() English | Electronica/Pop I’ve uploaded a song by Owl City in the past, and although they’re a recent find of mine, I really like them. Adam Young’s voice just has this certain soft, pure, slightly dreamy quality to it. I love the light, atmospheric synths. A soothing song. Supernova - ELLEGARDEN Japanese | Punk-Rock Although I’m generally not a fan of punk-rock, I love ELLEGARDEN. Supernova blends melody with active percussion/guitar easily. The harmonies add a lot of contrast, and although this isn’t one of my favourite songs by them, it’s certainly a good one. Unplugged Superstar - SuG Japanese | Rock Although these guys are considered “oshare kei”, their music definitely isn’t as bubbly and bright as say, some of Antic Cafe’s stuff, which is one of the reasons I like them - they balance visual/heavy rock with an atmosphere that’s not as dark and overbearing. Unplugged Superstar’s melody didn’t really appeal to me, but I love the guitar work. Superman’s Dead - Our Lady Peace ![]() English | Alt Rock I love the gritty, dark atmosphere of this song - accentuated by Raine Maida’s unique, slightly growling vocals. It’s a unique song that you won’t quickly forget, although it might not be to everyone’s taste. Super Girl (Korean Version) - Super Junior M Korean | Pop I uploaded the Korean version because I thought most of you would have already heard the original Chinese version. Super Junior has always been hit-or-miss with me, and I’m still undecided on Super Girl. I’ve given the Mandarin version a quick listen, and I have to say they sound much more at ease with Korean. I really love the slick, laid-back hook (although it kind of bugs me how they say “shuper”), but the busy dance atmosphere is a bit too hectic and bland for my liking. It’s so crowded that nothing really pops out, giving the accompaniment a sort of flat, two-dimensional feel. supernova - BUMP OF CHICKEN ![]() Japanese | Alt Rock I love this band (despite their odd name), and songs like supernova are why. The accompaniment is very light, and it really accentuates the clear and genuine vocals. Overall, it’s just a beautiful, warm song. Labels: BOOWY, Cho Shin Sung, ELLEGARDEN, EXILE, Gary Cao, JAY'ED, Owl City, S.H.E, Seira Kagami First off - I apologize for this rotation being late, and for the fact that it's relatively small. I changed up the format a bit too - there are only two songs that I commented fully on, and they're more of a bonus than part of the actual rotation since ... they're not winter/holiday-themed, haha. White X'mas - KAT-TUN ![]() japanese | ballad | emotional, sad, sweet, sincere Only You (Winter Special) - 2PM korean | pop | sweet, driven, energetic Snow Dance winter session - DEPAPEPE instrumental | acoustic | calm, relaxing, soothing The Call - Regina Spektor ![]() english | soundtrack | sincere, bittersweet, hopeful I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus - AAA engrish | pop | happy, light-hearted, cheerful So This Is Christmas (Live) - Luna Sea japanese | rock | uplifting, powerful, energetic Winter - ELLEGARDEN japanese | rock | uplifting, energetic, sincere Yeo Haeng Gi - Dong Bang Shin Ki (Travelling) ![]() korean | pop/ballad | emotional, uplifting, sweet Winter Gold - Stephanie japanese | pop | upbeat, driven, confident Cirque du Soleil - KA I had the opportunity to watch this amazing show when I was in Las Vegas, and immediately searched out the soundtrack when I got home. Even listening to it without watching the show is a wonderful experience. I was intending to share the entire album as another rotation, but I couldn't wait. Here are two songs from the soundtrack of Cirque du Soleil's show, KA. These songs are both highly recommended. Track 1. O Makunde Track 5. Deep Both these songs stayed with me because, like many songs on this soundtrack, they are capable of bringing up so much emotion, no matter what that emotion might be. Their vocal work is simply fantastic and has a quality that you simply cannot find in popular music today. O Makunde starts out with a sad tone, but rises with more and more confidence and hope. Deep is extremely sorrowful, but also exquisitely beautiful. The string accompaniment is just amazing. Labels: 2PM, AAA, Cirque du Soleil, Depapepe, Dong Bang Shin Ki, ELLEGARDEN, KAT-TUN, Luna Sea, Regina Spektor, Stephanie rotation 19 [a touch of colour]
Friday, October 24, 2008 posted at 4:43 PM
Rotation 19 is a touch of colour, featuring song names that contain colours. Along with the new rotation is a new layout, featuring Lee Jun Ki. Also, we have a new cohost, Aranka, who will probably be introducing herself soon. =) 22 songs this rotation, definitely one of the larger rotations I've done. Please remember to leave a comment or rating. Red Soul - AAA Japanese | Pop AAA's style varies so much, I never know what to expect from them. Red Soul is rock-influenced and upbeat. It sounds like something out of a video game or anime. A fun listen, but not exceptional. Red Hot - ELLEGARDEN ![]() English | Alt Rock This is the original version, not the remastered one. I love ELLEGARDEN's unique sound and style, it killed me to hear that they were going on "hiatus". Although they're a Japanese group, this song is in English. Takeshi's voice is raw and powerful. 醉赤壁 (Drunk Red Cliff) - JJ Lin ![]() Mandarin | Ballad This track is from JJ Lin's new album, Sixology. The intro incorporates traditional Chinese instruments, which make small appearances throughout the song. A nice ballad, not overloaded with influences of classical Chinese music yet touching on them all the same. Red Room - Lolita23q Japanese | Rock One of my favourite VK groups. Red Room doesn't waste any time, jumping right into a noisy, fast-paced rock number. It's a little repetitive, but I enjoyed it. Mirage in Blue - Chemistry ![]() Japanese | Pop/R&B A sweet, poppy song, accompanied with acoustic guitar. The sparse accompaniment allows their vocals to shine through. Recommended. BLUE VACATION - BOØWY Japanese | Rock '90's rock just has that ... feel to it. Haha, not really my kind of thing, but it's fun as an occasional listen. Blue & Green Waves - DE DE MOUSE Japanese | Electronica I'm loving the variety of genres this theme allows. DE DE MOUSE has an experimental, fresh sound. It's an acquired taste, but give them a shot if you're a fan of electronica. Blue Doors Ahead - F.I.R. Mandarin & English | Pop This is probably the only time you'll see me upload F.I.R., I'm not a huge fan of them. A downtempo jazz track, Blue Doors Ahead is relaxing and strong vocally, but not overly memorable. Blues - Jam Hsiao Mandarin | Rock An underrated but up and rising star in the C-pop industry, Jam Hsiao's style varies from pop to ballad to, as is the case with Blues, rock. It sounds better when you listen to it with the rest of the album, where it stands out more against the ballad/pop tracks. But, a good song nonetheless. Deep Blue - Vidoll Japanese | Rock Eh, I'm kind of iffy on Vidoll. Some of their songs I love, others, not so much. Deep Blue is kind of in-between, I thought it was decent but not great. The bass-heavy accompaniment kind of drones out the already whisper-y vocals. Green Apple - Ynot? ![]() Korean | Rock This rotation is pretty low on Korean songs, I noticed. A light-hearted rock song reminiscent of summer. I quite like this group. Green Rivers - Pia ![]() Korean | Rock Ballad Pia is probably one of the more well-known K-rock groups. Green Rivers is a strong rock ballad. It sounded a little bland to me at first listen, but it's starting to grow on me. Green Requiem - Joe Hisaishi Instrumental | Piano A relaxing piano piece. If you like Yiruma, you'll probably like Joe Hisaishi. Yellow Beauty - LM.C ![]() Japanese | Rock Typical LM.C, jumps at you right from the start. It dies down a bit, showing impressive changes in tempo and mood. Recommended. Yellow Butterfly - Fly to the Sky Korean | R&B/Ballad I love this duo. Yellow Butterfly varies - at times a sweet acoustic ballad with a sparse guitar accompaniment, at others an almost upbeat R&B song. Beautiful vocal work, as usual. Not my favourite song by them, but it's pretty good. Purple Rain - Shin Hye Sung Korean | Ballad Pretty typical ballad, HyeSung's voice is beautiful and strong in parts but can barely be heard in others. Purple Apple - the pillows Japanese | Alt Rock From the pillows' latest album, PIED PIPER, Purple Apple is typical to the pillows' style - quirky and fresh. I love the bass line and bright guitar chords. Orange Evolution - ALvino Japanese | Rock I don't remember where I first heard of these guys, but I love them. They're a rock group but not VK, their sound is a little more mainstream. The chorus is genuine and memorable, although overall I wouldn't say this is one of their best songs. Orange Dream - Antic Cafe ![]() Japanese | Oshare kei It's been so long since I heard a slower track from anCafe. It does build more and more, but differs from their usual fare in that it's much more serious in tone. Their sound has matured a lot. I love the piano accompaniment in this song. IMO, a very impressive track. Orange - BRIGHT Japanese | Pop I'm not a fan of girl-groups, but I like BRIGHT for their great vocal work. A breezy R&B song, Orange features beautiful harmonizing. The melody and composition of the song itself isn't the most memorable though. Orange Parade - Ichigo69 Japanese | Rock More upbeat, in your face rock. Personally it was a little too messy for me, I found the bass of the song to be lacking - there was no real foundation, although it does even out a little. The slightly off-key vocals and random squeals from the guitar are kind off-putting. Part of the song sound almost ... fast-forwarded. O_o Definitely interesting, but I found it too jarring. ORANGE GRADATION - Imitation PoPs Uchuu Sentai NOIZ Japanese | Rock I love this band. The song has a nice intro and vocals, it's upbeat and energetic but not overwhelming. Note: Ichigo69 and Imitation PoPs Uchuu Sentai NOIZ are not tagged in this entry because Blogspot will only let me add 20 tags per post. Labels: AAA, ALvino, Antic Cafe, BOØWY, BRIGHT, Chemistry, DE DE MOUSE, ELLEGARDEN, F.I.R., Fly to the Sky, Jam Hsiao, JJ Lin, Joe Hisaishi, Lolita23q, Pia, Shin Hye Sung, the pillows, Vidoll, Ynot? |