Let me just start off by saying that I really apologize this rotation took so long, and for not really updating in between other than to change the layout. I guess I've just been having a bit of rough time with school/"friends", and for a period of time I just couldn't find the energy to update the site and finish off this rotation (it's been sitting around nearly-done for a while).

Hope you guys enjoy the songs, and sorry again about the wait! I promise to try and update more often in the future, although for now I think they'll mostly be smaller posts rather than full-scale rotations.

Thanks to the other contributors for keeping the site alive during my absence. =)

- Haruhi

This week’s rotation is themed around songs that changed my opinion of a singer or band - whether for better or worse. Most of the songs are fairly well-known, so those of you looking to try out new artists might be a little disappointed, but hopefully you'll find something that you haven't heard before.

No. 5 - J.ae
Korean | Pop
You may know her simply as J, although she has recently changed her stage name to J.ae. While I have long disliked her soft, whispery vocals, this started to change when she released Say I Love You, a duet with Alex of Clazziquai that really impressed me. I decided it would be worthwhile to at least give her new mini-album (Sentimental) a try, and so far I’m quite impressed. In this opening track, titled No.5, which features Eun Ji Won. It’s a sophisticated, velveteen pop song with a base of muted, harp-like synths, and a light percussion backbeat. My only problem with the drums is that they sound a bit tinny and thin. J’s vocals are still very light and delicate, but they no longer sound weak as they sometimes did to me in her previous releases. Really, it was the elegant arrangement of this song that caught my attention - it’s still engaging and catchy, but has a level of maturity that you won’t hear in less-seasoned artists.

사르르 (I Wanna Be Your Love) (feat. 정엽) - J.ae
Korean | Pop/Ballad
While No. 5 caught my attention, 사르르 was really the highlight of Sentimental. It’s a mid-tempo song with a great jazz/lounge feel. I have no idea who the male singer featured on this is, but his warm, chocolaty voice is a perfect fit with J’s feathery, high vocals.

차라리 때려 (Hit Me) - SHINee
Korean | R&B/Pop
I was kind of on-the-fence about SHINee. I had mixed feelings (but for the most part disliked) their debut song (누난 너무 예뻐(Replay)), but a few other songs on their first mini-album were decent. It was a similar story with Romeo - there were some songs I didn’t like, some I did, and overall my opinions changed from my initial impressions after a few more listens. However, one song that I was really taken with on the first listen - and continued to like - is 차라리 때려. It’s melting smoothness and modern R&B interface really appealed to me. The softness and blend of their voices is lovely paired with the lush synths in the accompaniment. To me, it feels like it’s at another level of refinement compared to their other songs.

Love Story - Jewelry
Korean | Pop/Ballad
After giving Jewelry’s songs a cursory listen, I generally just deleted them. One day I saw their final performance on TV, and it was of this song. Seeing how emotional they were really struck me, and since then Love Story has really grown on me. It’s a powerful mid-tempo pop ballad that showcases their strong voices.

친구의 고백 (Friend’s Confession) - 2AM
Korean | Ballad
While their first “Single album” (이노래/This Song) was quite good, it lacked the power and conviction that is so apparent in Friend’s Confession. Although I probably prefer 죽어도 못 보내 to this song, this was the song that really made me start to look forward to their releases. Friend’s Confession is a heartfelt mid-tempo ballad with gorgeous, warm harmonies. It’s very powerful and emotional without being melodramatic. Their voices, while distinctive and individual, come together perfectly. It’s hopeful and strong. Although their first release left me apprehensive about them, their following songs have all been very impressive and they've become one of my favourite groups.

마비 - Nadia ft. Jace
Korean | Pop/Electronica
I started trying out Nadia’s singles after hearing recommendations and good reviews of them, but many of her songs I found to be average. However, 마비 is one song that I did enjoy. I really like the bubbly bass line paired with echo-y synths, and surprisingly, I think the rap segments really suit this song, setting a more aggressive tone compared with the softer sung verses.

向日葵盛開的夏天 - F.I.R.
Mandarin | Pop
I never had much interest in F.I.R., although they’re a fairly popular group. I thought I would give their latest album, Let’s Smile! a cursory listen. While on a whole the album didn’t really impress me, this is one song that did stand out to me. It’s a simple, acoustic-style ballad with only light guitar, piano, and the occasional bout of strings accompanying Faye’s high-ranged, airy voice. The hope and soothing tone of this song, as well as its graceful simplicity, really stood out to me.

나쁜 여자야 - F.T. Island
Korean | Pop-rock
This is the first song in this rotation where it goes the other way - where a song changed my opinion of an artist negatively, rather than positively. While I was never a real F.T. Island fan and definitely never considered them a “rock” band, I did admire them for taking a different route than most boybands - and being quite successful in doing so. While a few songs on the Jump Up EP had a glimmer of hope, the title track, 나쁜 여자야, was the beginning of their decline in my opinion. Whether this had anything to do with Oh Won Bin being replaced with Song Seung Hyun, I can’t say. 나쁜 여자야 is just incredibly redundant. It’s repetitive, overly-dramatic, and overall just far too heavy. Hong Ki’s voice, which I actually quite like, just sounds incredibly dull and flat-lined in this song. But let me emphasize repetitive, because that’s really what kills this song. There’s absolutely no direction to it, it simply establishes a melody/pattern and follows it over. And over. And over. It doesn’t help that their Japanese releases after this were also completely disposable.

牛仔很忙 - Jay Chou
Mandarin | Pop/Country
Oh god ... it all went downhill from here. While there are some decent songs on this album, this song still completely baffles me. A “country-themed” album is one thing, a country-themed album with only one song that ties into that theme at all is another. I really don’t get how Jay Chou even made such a cheesy, ridiculously stereotypical (yee-haw!) song - if he really had to go country, why not do it with a nice acoustic-guitar ballad or something of the sort? To be fair, I can see why some people would find this song cute or catchy, but after this my opinion of him really started going down. His follow-up album, Capricorn, wasn’t wildly impressive either, although in both albums, there’s always a few gems - oddly enough, they just aren’t the title tracks.

Diamond - alan
Japanese | Pop
A more recent song, and another that left me kind of disappointed in the artist. When Tibetan singer alan debuted, I had mixed feelings about her, although I really liked her distinct style and powerful vocals. I kind of prefer her Mandarin songs to her Japanese ones, but despite seeing some good reviews of Diamond, I didn’t really like it. Her voice sounds uncharacteristically strained and slightly nasal. The dull backdrop of synths sounds very anime-ending-esque, which I suppose is fitting since it’s the theme song for an Inuyasha PSP game or something like that. The song just seemed out of character for her, and overall bland and forgettable.

남자는 그래요 - SeeYa
Korean | Pop
Those of you who’ve been here for a while probably know that I’m quite discerning about girl groups, but I loved SeeYa. After seeing the blindingly colorful retro-inspired photoshoot/album cover accompanying their third album, Brilliant Change, I was already suspecting that I wouldn’t find this change all too brilliant. Now, things get a little strange here, because I don’t actually dislike this song. In fact, there are times where I appreciate it’s soft tone and their still-impressive vocals. However, like every other song on this album (I supposed you could say the whole album changed my opinion of them), this song completely failed to move me. While I always found their ballads to be very powerful emotionally - from their singing as well as the arrangement - this is the first that struck me as simply a very pretty song rather than one that was very touching and heartfelt. There was just something missing in this song that was echoed throughout the whole album, and since then I’ve never really kept up with their releases.

Labels: 2AM, Alan, F.I.R., F.T. Island, J.ae, Jay Chou, Jewelry, Nadia, SeeYa, Shinee

I was intending to make this rotation Top 10 Rock Songs, but I've been really busy this past week and haven't had time to prepare that. So I'm postponing it to my next rotation. On another note, it's my 30th rotation! =D Anyways, enjoy the songs and please remember to comment! Oh, and happy Easter!

- Haruhi



[artist] Joe Inoue/井上ジョー
[album] ME! ME! ME!
[genre] pop/rock
[language] Japanese
[release date] April 8, 2009

[01] CLOSER (Royal Vers.)
[02] 零時 ～TWENTY FOUR～
[03] 幻

I'm not sure if the album art is cute or creepy. O_o The music, however, is more easily judged. CLOSER is a strong start: an uptempo, hopeful rock anthem filled with electric guitars. Although it's not especially original, it's extremely well executed. The conversational lines thrown into the bridge give it a comical note. 零時 ～TWENTY FOUR～ is a little grungier, putting more edge on the guitars. It's confident, fun, and straightforward. 幻 is calmer and slower, replacing electric guitars with acoustic. The whole song just has a warm, tender feel to it. Joe Inoue's vocals transition perfectly from confident and flippant to smooth and heartfelt. Both are a pleasure to listen to. Three very impressive tracks.



[artist] F.T. Island
[single] I believe myself
[genre] pop-rock
[language] Japanese/English/Korean
[release date] April 22, 2009

[01] I believe myself
[02] TV Radio
[03] moonlight angel

Their upcoming single, featuring 3 songs in different languages, which I think has already released on iTunes? I'm not sure though, I just read that somewhere. I generally like their Korean songs better, actually I don't really like them that much at all, so I was hesitant to try this. I believe myself is a fairly typical, generic rock ballad. The guitar work is repetitive and extremely simple. Also, the part where "I believe myself" (I think that's what they meant) is sung sounds more like "I vee mysef". I think more of them take turns singing in this song, and it must be said that Japanese is probably harder for them, but vocally they're not at their strongest. This song hits mediocre. TV Radio is a fun poppy track in English. I can actually mostly tell what they're saying. The beat is summer-y and danceable, if somewhat cheesy and repetitive. Really, their guitar work seems to be limited to repeating a chord over and over. A cute, catchy track that sounds like something one of those Disney pop stars would sing. moonlight angel is their Korean track, sprinkled with English. Another ballad, which I think is better than I believe myself. But not by much. It's more expressive, although at times the vocals disappear beneath the somewhat overpowering guitar. Eh, this single didn't really impress me. I was expecting more.



[artist] David Choi
[album] Only You [Korea Special Edition]
[genre] Acoustic Pop
[language] English
[release date] April 8, 2009

[01] Always Hurt
[08] Our Song
[09] Only You

David Choi is always a breath of fresh air. He reminds me of Jason Mraz, but with less of that playful, quirky edge that Mraz has. Always Hurt is beautifully unadorned. The accompaniment is soft and simple, allowing his warm, melodic voice to shine through. The lyrics are sweet but sad: Can somebody please stop me, from falling for these girls. I don't wanna have to go through love again, cause it always, it always hurts Our Song picks up the pace a little. Personally, I didn't find it as powerful as some of his other songs, especially since his soft voice kind of gets lost beneath the percussion and piano accompaniment. Only You is a favourite of mine. It's melancholic, yearning, and heartfelt. Definitely try him out if you're a fan of acoustic music!



[artist] Jumper
[single] 눈이부셔
[genre] pop
[language] Korean
[release date] April 2, 2009

[01] 눈이부셔 (feat. 카라 강지영 [Kara's Kang Ji Young])
[02] 눈이부셔 (inst.)

So I know pretty much nothing about these guys. I Googled them and found out that they are a new duo produced by Andy of Shinhwa. I liked this song enough to look up their first single. First off, I hate Kara. I mean, I really, really hate them. So it kind of put me off that Kang Ji Young was featured in this song, but luckily she doesn't have a huge part or anything. Vocally, they're pretty good. Their voices are warm, full, and rounded, if a little too similar. There's not much contrast, which personally I think is quite necessary in a duo - for example, look at FTTS. Arrangement wise, a cute, poppy song with a catchy melody. I don't know why I uploaded the instrumental because I usually don't, but it's there if any of you want it.



[artist] Jo Sung Mo
[album] Second Half
[genre] ballad
[language] Korean
[release date] April 9, 2009

[02] 이야기
[04] 너에게로 가는 길 (feat. J)
[07] 행복했었다 (Trumpet feat. 이주한)

This is Jo Sung Mo's seventh album, after three years of absence (partially due to military service). He was one of the first Korean artists I listened to, and he's extremely well known for his ballads. 이야기 doesn't disappoint. His voice is light and smooth, but rich with emotion. It's fairly bland arrangement-wise, but his voice shapes it into something memorable. 너에게로 가는 길 is a duet with J. I'm generally not a fan of her, and her thin, whispery vocals failed to impress me in this song. Her voice constantly sounds like it's wavering and is about to just peter out. Jo Sung Mo's voice, although wonderful, is not especially powerful. J only underscores this lack of power, unfortunately making an otherwise sweet acoustic ballad into a somewhat bland, flat song that never leads anywhere. I thought 행복했었다 might be upbeat since it mentions a trumpet featured, but it's another ballad. The accompaniment is a little overpowering pretty much everywhere but the chorus, which is absolutely stunning. The volume just picks up out of nowhere. The short trumpet solo is all right, but the long notes sounded unshaped. I love the chorus, but other than that this song didn't offer much.

Labels: David Choi, F.T. Island, Jo Sung Mo, Joe Inoue, Jumper

Rotation 17 is the first of a two-part rotation, featuring an artist for each letter of the alphabet. My themes just keep getting worse and worse, huh? XD Anyways, the artists were pretty much chosen at random. Some are songs that I don't even remember listening to before; I tried to upload some more rock since recently I've been uploading a lot of pop music. Because the theme focuses on the artist names, I switched around the order - it goes artist name/song name. =)

A! Analog Fish - Sayonara 90's
Japanese | Alt Rock
This is from Nano-Mugen Compilation 2008. I've heard of most of the groups on this album - AKFG, ELLEGARDEN, ART-SCHOOL, etc. but never heard of these guys. If you're a fan of Asian Kung-Fu Generation you'll probably like them. The remind me a little of Kimaguren, too. (& don't they have an awesome name?)

B! Bonnie Pink - Kane wo Narashite
Japanese | Pop
An energetic, upbeat pop song, IIRC it was for an Xbox 360 game, The Tales of Vesperia. Makes for a fun, light-hearted listen, but not oustanding.

C! Captain Straydum - Pera Pera
Japanese | Rock
I love this band. <3 Upbeat, fun rock that you can't help but tap your feet to. I dunno, I've heard them called pop-rock, alt rock, whatever. They're awesome.

D! doa - RUNAWAY
Japanese | Alt Rock
Melancholic, bittersweet, and extremely heartfelt. I love this song, I don't think I've ever heard a doa song I didn't like. Try this out.

E! E Z Hyoung - In My Eyes
Korean | Soft Rock
Another one of my favourite artists. This is from his second album which recently released. I absolutely love his voice, even if it seems a bit plain at first. Recommended.

F! F.T. Island - 사랑후애 (譃愛/After Love)
Korean | Pop
I don't care if they play instruments, I will never be able to see F.T. Island as "rock". Despite not liking the group very much, I do like some of their songs. After Love is a heartfelt, powerful ballad, despite being somewhat predictable. Hongki's voice has developed a lot.

G! Guyz - You Mean Everything to Me
Korean | Rock
K-rock ftw. <3 Light-hearted and a little poppy, I thought it was decent, but not their best.

H! HeaRt - Sophia
Japanese | Rock
Reminded me kind of something that would be an anime theme song. Love their vocalist, although the song itself is a bit simple.

I! Instant Romantic Floor - Instant Cafe
Korean | Electronica/Lounge
Their music is always so unique. A bit of an acquired taste, but I like them. =)

J! Jason Mraz - I'm Yours
English | Acoustic Pop
I love this song. It's simple, the lyrics are cliched, but it's so sweet. Jason Mraz has such a unique voice and style. Highly recommended.

K! Kim Sarang ft. Yoon Do Hyun - With or Without You
Korean | Soft Rock
A cover of U2's song by the same name. This was ripped from a performance, so it's not crystal-clear. Another favourite of mine, I just love the chord progressions in this song. Their English is flawless, too.

L! Lisa feat. Park Hyo Shin - With You
Korean | Ballad
I uploaded this song because of Park Hyo Shin, who is one of my favourite vocalists. I actually quite liked this song, which is saying quite a bit considering I'm not really a ballad fan. Lisa's voice is sweet but powerful, and very mature. Park Hyo Shin lends his deep, husky vocals in contrast. A great collaboration.

M! My Little Airport - Graduation Means Unemployment
Cantonese | Alt Rock
I've never been a big fan of songs in Cantonese; this is probably the only Cantonese song I've ever uploaded. My Little Airport is just so cute, their song names always make me smile.

There's probably more recommended songs () this week than ones without a recommendation. XP Oh well. Thank you to everyone who took the time to comment. =)

Labels: Analog Fish, Bonnie Pink, Captain Straydum, doa, E Z Hyoung, F.T. Island, Guyz, HeaRt, Instant Romantic Floor, Jazon Mraz, Kim Sarang, Lisa, My Little Airport

VACATION!
I was busy with my exams last week so I couldn’t upload anything..but now I’m done with everything, so you can expect more updates. ^.^

Rotation 14 is, again, summer themed. I also included my picks, which are new releases too.

~Chayenne


SweetS
Lolita Strawberry in Summer
Japanese

SweetS was a girlgroup with 5 members. They disbanded in June 2006
This song is from their first single. Their voices are pretty high-pitched, which makes this song more cute.


WaT
Hava Rava
Japanese

The beginning of the song is kinda slow..so I thought it would stay that way. But it doesn’t. It’s more upbeat and really cute.


Teppei Koike
Sweet Summer
Japanese

More Teppei! I really can’t believe he’s in his twenties already..he sounds like a fiveteen years old ._.
Anyway, this song is from his first solo album pieces and he wrote all the songs himself. He hasn’t got the best voice ever, but it suits this song.


TVXQ
Hi Ya Ya
Summer Dream
Korean/Japanese

Hi Ya Ya was the first TVXQ song I’ve ever heard! This’ll definitely give you a summer feeling! It’s a cover of Perfect Tragedy, a song by Don Kenneth Ramage. I like TVXQ's version better though.


Yuna Ito
Mahaloha
Japanese

Mahaloha is a nice song and it’s got a Hawaiian feeling in it. The male is Mirco (Nishimiya Yuki) from Def Tech. I don’t like his voice much as when he sings alone, but they sound nice together.


Otsuka Ai
Peach
Japanese

Peach was used as the ending theme for the Japanese drama Hanazakari no Kimitachi e. I decided to upload this because I LOVE eating peaches in the summer. The song itself isn’t really great..but I really like Ai-chans’ sweet songs! I always get in a good mood after listening to this.


Yui – Summer Song (single)
01. Summer Song
02. Oh My God
03. Laugh Away ~Yui Acoustic Version~
Japanese

YUI’s got such a sweet, typical Japanese voice, which I really like. Summer Song was aired on the last episode of YUI locks (May 29th). Summer Song and Oh My God are two upbeat songs with nice guitar work as always. This single also includes the acoustic version of Laugh Away, to promote her last album I LOVED YESTERDAY. You can look at Haruhi's past rotation for the normal version.

My picks


F.T. Island - Soyogi (album)
01. Friendship
02. ミライジテンシャ (Mirai Jitensha)
03. Soyogi
04. Stars
05. A song for You
06. F.T. Island
07. Primadonna
08. Always be Mine
Korean/Japanese/English

F.T. Islands’ first Japanese album! Their Japanese sounds really good, better than Big Bangs’ Japanese.
All the songs are really catchy and WonBin sings a lot more in this album, which is good because I like his voice. F.T. Island and Primadonna are sung in Korean and Always be Mine is the English version of 첫키스. HongKi’s English is so cute and so is the lyrics! He keeps saying everting :3


TVXQ
Doushite Kimi wo Suki ni Natte Shimattan Darou
Japanese

I really, really LOVE this song! It has such a beautiful melody and their voices sound so good. Especially JaeJoongs’.. This is highly recommended!
Oh by the way, it’s not the best quality and there’s a silence at the beginning, so I’ll update this one if there’s a better version.

Don't forget to comment please!

Labels: cohost: chayenne, F.T. Island, Otsuka Ai, SweetS, Teppei Koike, Tohoshinki, WaT, YUI, Yuna Ito

Let me just start off by saying that I really apologize this rotation took so long, and for not really updating in between other than to change the layout. I guess I've just been having a bit of rough time with school/"friends", and for a period of time I just couldn't find the energy to update the site and finish off this rotation (it's been sitting around nearly-done for a while).

Hope you guys enjoy the songs, and sorry again about the wait! I promise to try and update more often in the future, although for now I think they'll mostly be smaller posts rather than full-scale rotations.

Thanks to the other contributors for keeping the site alive during my absence. =)

- Haruhi

This week’s rotation is themed around songs that changed my opinion of a singer or band - whether for better or worse. Most of the songs are fairly well-known, so those of you looking to try out new artists might be a little disappointed, but hopefully you'll find something that you haven't heard before.

No. 5 - J.ae
Korean | Pop
You may know her simply as J, although she has recently changed her stage name to J.ae. While I have long disliked her soft, whispery vocals, this started to change when she released Say I Love You, a duet with Alex of Clazziquai that really impressed me. I decided it would be worthwhile to at least give her new mini-album (Sentimental) a try, and so far I’m quite impressed. In this opening track, titled No.5, which features Eun Ji Won. It’s a sophisticated, velveteen pop song with a base of muted, harp-like synths, and a light percussion backbeat. My only problem with the drums is that they sound a bit tinny and thin. J’s vocals are still very light and delicate, but they no longer sound weak as they sometimes did to me in her previous releases. Really, it was the elegant arrangement of this song that caught my attention - it’s still engaging and catchy, but has a level of maturity that you won’t hear in less-seasoned artists.

사르르 (I Wanna Be Your Love) (feat. 정엽) - J.ae
Korean | Pop/Ballad
While No. 5 caught my attention, 사르르 was really the highlight of Sentimental. It’s a mid-tempo song with a great jazz/lounge feel. I have no idea who the male singer featured on this is, but his warm, chocolaty voice is a perfect fit with J’s feathery, high vocals.

차라리 때려 (Hit Me) - SHINee
Korean | R&B/Pop
I was kind of on-the-fence about SHINee. I had mixed feelings (but for the most part disliked) their debut song (누난 너무 예뻐(Replay)), but a few other songs on their first mini-album were decent. It was a similar story with Romeo - there were some songs I didn’t like, some I did, and overall my opinions changed from my initial impressions after a few more listens. However, one song that I was really taken with on the first listen - and continued to like - is 차라리 때려. It’s melting smoothness and modern R&B interface really appealed to me. The softness and blend of their voices is lovely paired with the lush synths in the accompaniment. To me, it feels like it’s at another level of refinement compared to their other songs.

Love Story - Jewelry
Korean | Pop/Ballad
After giving Jewelry’s songs a cursory listen, I generally just deleted them. One day I saw their final performance on TV, and it was of this song. Seeing how emotional they were really struck me, and since then Love Story has really grown on me. It’s a powerful mid-tempo pop ballad that showcases their strong voices.

친구의 고백 (Friend’s Confession) - 2AM
Korean | Ballad
While their first “Single album” (이노래/This Song) was quite good, it lacked the power and conviction that is so apparent in Friend’s Confession. Although I probably prefer 죽어도 못 보내 to this song, this was the song that really made me start to look forward to their releases. Friend’s Confession is a heartfelt mid-tempo ballad with gorgeous, warm harmonies. It’s very powerful and emotional without being melodramatic. Their voices, while distinctive and individual, come together perfectly. It’s hopeful and strong. Although their first release left me apprehensive about them, their following songs have all been very impressive and they've become one of my favourite groups.

마비 - Nadia ft. Jace
Korean | Pop/Electronica
I started trying out Nadia’s singles after hearing recommendations and good reviews of them, but many of her songs I found to be average. However, 마비 is one song that I did enjoy. I really like the bubbly bass line paired with echo-y synths, and surprisingly, I think the rap segments really suit this song, setting a more aggressive tone compared with the softer sung verses.

向日葵盛開的夏天 - F.I.R.
Mandarin | Pop
I never had much interest in F.I.R., although they’re a fairly popular group. I thought I would give their latest album, Let’s Smile! a cursory listen. While on a whole the album didn’t really impress me, this is one song that did stand out to me. It’s a simple, acoustic-style ballad with only light guitar, piano, and the occasional bout of strings accompanying Faye’s high-ranged, airy voice. The hope and soothing tone of this song, as well as its graceful simplicity, really stood out to me.

나쁜 여자야 - F.T. Island
Korean | Pop-rock
This is the first song in this rotation where it goes the other way - where a song changed my opinion of an artist negatively, rather than positively. While I was never a real F.T. Island fan and definitely never considered them a “rock” band, I did admire them for taking a different route than most boybands - and being quite successful in doing so. While a few songs on the Jump Up EP had a glimmer of hope, the title track, 나쁜 여자야, was the beginning of their decline in my opinion. Whether this had anything to do with Oh Won Bin being replaced with Song Seung Hyun, I can’t say. 나쁜 여자야 is just incredibly redundant. It’s repetitive, overly-dramatic, and overall just far too heavy. Hong Ki’s voice, which I actually quite like, just sounds incredibly dull and flat-lined in this song. But let me emphasize repetitive, because that’s really what kills this song. There’s absolutely no direction to it, it simply establishes a melody/pattern and follows it over. And over. And over. It doesn’t help that their Japanese releases after this were also completely disposable.

牛仔很忙 - Jay Chou
Mandarin | Pop/Country
Oh god ... it all went downhill from here. While there are some decent songs on this album, this song still completely baffles me. A “country-themed” album is one thing, a country-themed album with only one song that ties into that theme at all is another. I really don’t get how Jay Chou even made such a cheesy, ridiculously stereotypical (yee-haw!) song - if he really had to go country, why not do it with a nice acoustic-guitar ballad or something of the sort? To be fair, I can see why some people would find this song cute or catchy, but after this my opinion of him really started going down. His follow-up album, Capricorn, wasn’t wildly impressive either, although in both albums, there’s always a few gems - oddly enough, they just aren’t the title tracks.

Diamond - alan
Japanese | Pop
A more recent song, and another that left me kind of disappointed in the artist. When Tibetan singer alan debuted, I had mixed feelings about her, although I really liked her distinct style and powerful vocals. I kind of prefer her Mandarin songs to her Japanese ones, but despite seeing some good reviews of Diamond, I didn’t really like it. Her voice sounds uncharacteristically strained and slightly nasal. The dull backdrop of synths sounds very anime-ending-esque, which I suppose is fitting since it’s the theme song for an Inuyasha PSP game or something like that. The song just seemed out of character for her, and overall bland and forgettable.

남자는 그래요 - SeeYa
Korean | Pop
Those of you who’ve been here for a while probably know that I’m quite discerning about girl groups, but I loved SeeYa. After seeing the blindingly colorful retro-inspired photoshoot/album cover accompanying their third album, Brilliant Change, I was already suspecting that I wouldn’t find this change all too brilliant. Now, things get a little strange here, because I don’t actually dislike this song. In fact, there are times where I appreciate it’s soft tone and their still-impressive vocals. However, like every other song on this album (I supposed you could say the whole album changed my opinion of them), this song completely failed to move me. While I always found their ballads to be very powerful emotionally - from their singing as well as the arrangement - this is the first that struck me as simply a very pretty song rather than one that was very touching and heartfelt. There was just something missing in this song that was echoed throughout the whole album, and since then I’ve never really kept up with their releases.

Labels: 2AM, Alan, F.I.R., F.T. Island, J.ae, Jay Chou, Jewelry, Nadia, SeeYa, Shinee

I was intending to make this rotation Top 10 Rock Songs, but I've been really busy this past week and haven't had time to prepare that. So I'm postponing it to my next rotation. On another note, it's my 30th rotation! =D Anyways, enjoy the songs and please remember to comment! Oh, and happy Easter!

- Haruhi



[artist] Joe Inoue/井上ジョー
[album] ME! ME! ME!
[genre] pop/rock
[language] Japanese
[release date] April 8, 2009

[01] CLOSER (Royal Vers.)
[02] 零時 ～TWENTY FOUR～
[03] 幻

I'm not sure if the album art is cute or creepy. O_o The music, however, is more easily judged. CLOSER is a strong start: an uptempo, hopeful rock anthem filled with electric guitars. Although it's not especially original, it's extremely well executed. The conversational lines thrown into the bridge give it a comical note. 零時 ～TWENTY FOUR～ is a little grungier, putting more edge on the guitars. It's confident, fun, and straightforward. 幻 is calmer and slower, replacing electric guitars with acoustic. The whole song just has a warm, tender feel to it. Joe Inoue's vocals transition perfectly from confident and flippant to smooth and heartfelt. Both are a pleasure to listen to. Three very impressive tracks.



[artist] F.T. Island
[single] I believe myself
[genre] pop-rock
[language] Japanese/English/Korean
[release date] April 22, 2009

[01] I believe myself
[02] TV Radio
[03] moonlight angel

Their upcoming single, featuring 3 songs in different languages, which I think has already released on iTunes? I'm not sure though, I just read that somewhere. I generally like their Korean songs better, actually I don't really like them that much at all, so I was hesitant to try this. I believe myself is a fairly typical, generic rock ballad. The guitar work is repetitive and extremely simple. Also, the part where "I believe myself" (I think that's what they meant) is sung sounds more like "I vee mysef". I think more of them take turns singing in this song, and it must be said that Japanese is probably harder for them, but vocally they're not at their strongest. This song hits mediocre. TV Radio is a fun poppy track in English. I can actually mostly tell what they're saying. The beat is summer-y and danceable, if somewhat cheesy and repetitive. Really, their guitar work seems to be limited to repeating a chord over and over. A cute, catchy track that sounds like something one of those Disney pop stars would sing. moonlight angel is their Korean track, sprinkled with English. Another ballad, which I think is better than I believe myself. But not by much. It's more expressive, although at times the vocals disappear beneath the somewhat overpowering guitar. Eh, this single didn't really impress me. I was expecting more.



[artist] David Choi
[album] Only You [Korea Special Edition]
[genre] Acoustic Pop
[language] English
[release date] April 8, 2009

[01] Always Hurt
[08] Our Song
[09] Only You

David Choi is always a breath of fresh air. He reminds me of Jason Mraz, but with less of that playful, quirky edge that Mraz has. Always Hurt is beautifully unadorned. The accompaniment is soft and simple, allowing his warm, melodic voice to shine through. The lyrics are sweet but sad: Can somebody please stop me, from falling for these girls. I don't wanna have to go through love again, cause it always, it always hurts Our Song picks up the pace a little. Personally, I didn't find it as powerful as some of his other songs, especially since his soft voice kind of gets lost beneath the percussion and piano accompaniment. Only You is a favourite of mine. It's melancholic, yearning, and heartfelt. Definitely try him out if you're a fan of acoustic music!



[artist] Jumper
[single] 눈이부셔
[genre] pop
[language] Korean
[release date] April 2, 2009

[01] 눈이부셔 (feat. 카라 강지영 [Kara's Kang Ji Young])
[02] 눈이부셔 (inst.)

So I know pretty much nothing about these guys. I Googled them and found out that they are a new duo produced by Andy of Shinhwa. I liked this song enough to look up their first single. First off, I hate Kara. I mean, I really, really hate them. So it kind of put me off that Kang Ji Young was featured in this song, but luckily she doesn't have a huge part or anything. Vocally, they're pretty good. Their voices are warm, full, and rounded, if a little too similar. There's not much contrast, which personally I think is quite necessary in a duo - for example, look at FTTS. Arrangement wise, a cute, poppy song with a catchy melody. I don't know why I uploaded the instrumental because I usually don't, but it's there if any of you want it.



[artist] Jo Sung Mo
[album] Second Half
[genre] ballad
[language] Korean
[release date] April 9, 2009

[02] 이야기
[04] 너에게로 가는 길 (feat. J)
[07] 행복했었다 (Trumpet feat. 이주한)

This is Jo Sung Mo's seventh album, after three years of absence (partially due to military service). He was one of the first Korean artists I listened to, and he's extremely well known for his ballads. 이야기 doesn't disappoint. His voice is light and smooth, but rich with emotion. It's fairly bland arrangement-wise, but his voice shapes it into something memorable. 너에게로 가는 길 is a duet with J. I'm generally not a fan of her, and her thin, whispery vocals failed to impress me in this song. Her voice constantly sounds like it's wavering and is about to just peter out. Jo Sung Mo's voice, although wonderful, is not especially powerful. J only underscores this lack of power, unfortunately making an otherwise sweet acoustic ballad into a somewhat bland, flat song that never leads anywhere. I thought 행복했었다 might be upbeat since it mentions a trumpet featured, but it's another ballad. The accompaniment is a little overpowering pretty much everywhere but the chorus, which is absolutely stunning. The volume just picks up out of nowhere. The short trumpet solo is all right, but the long notes sounded unshaped. I love the chorus, but other than that this song didn't offer much.

Labels: David Choi, F.T. Island, Jo Sung Mo, Joe Inoue, Jumper

Rotation 17 is the first of a two-part rotation, featuring an artist for each letter of the alphabet. My themes just keep getting worse and worse, huh? XD Anyways, the artists were pretty much chosen at random. Some are songs that I don't even remember listening to before; I tried to upload some more rock since recently I've been uploading a lot of pop music. Because the theme focuses on the artist names, I switched around the order - it goes artist name/song name. =)

A! Analog Fish - Sayonara 90's
Japanese | Alt Rock
This is from Nano-Mugen Compilation 2008. I've heard of most of the groups on this album - AKFG, ELLEGARDEN, ART-SCHOOL, etc. but never heard of these guys. If you're a fan of Asian Kung-Fu Generation you'll probably like them. The remind me a little of Kimaguren, too. (& don't they have an awesome name?)

B! Bonnie Pink - Kane wo Narashite
Japanese | Pop
An energetic, upbeat pop song, IIRC it was for an Xbox 360 game, The Tales of Vesperia. Makes for a fun, light-hearted listen, but not oustanding.

C! Captain Straydum - Pera Pera
Japanese | Rock
I love this band. <3 Upbeat, fun rock that you can't help but tap your feet to. I dunno, I've heard them called pop-rock, alt rock, whatever. They're awesome.

D! doa - RUNAWAY
Japanese | Alt Rock
Melancholic, bittersweet, and extremely heartfelt. I love this song, I don't think I've ever heard a doa song I didn't like. Try this out.

E! E Z Hyoung - In My Eyes
Korean | Soft Rock
Another one of my favourite artists. This is from his second album which recently released. I absolutely love his voice, even if it seems a bit plain at first. Recommended.

F! F.T. Island - 사랑후애 (譃愛/After Love)
Korean | Pop
I don't care if they play instruments, I will never be able to see F.T. Island as "rock". Despite not liking the group very much, I do like some of their songs. After Love is a heartfelt, powerful ballad, despite being somewhat predictable. Hongki's voice has developed a lot.

G! Guyz - You Mean Everything to Me
Korean | Rock
K-rock ftw. <3 Light-hearted and a little poppy, I thought it was decent, but not their best.

H! HeaRt - Sophia
Japanese | Rock
Reminded me kind of something that would be an anime theme song. Love their vocalist, although the song itself is a bit simple.

I! Instant Romantic Floor - Instant Cafe
Korean | Electronica/Lounge
Their music is always so unique. A bit of an acquired taste, but I like them. =)

J! Jason Mraz - I'm Yours
English | Acoustic Pop
I love this song. It's simple, the lyrics are cliched, but it's so sweet. Jason Mraz has such a unique voice and style. Highly recommended.

K! Kim Sarang ft. Yoon Do Hyun - With or Without You
Korean | Soft Rock
A cover of U2's song by the same name. This was ripped from a performance, so it's not crystal-clear. Another favourite of mine, I just love the chord progressions in this song. Their English is flawless, too.

L! Lisa feat. Park Hyo Shin - With You
Korean | Ballad
I uploaded this song because of Park Hyo Shin, who is one of my favourite vocalists. I actually quite liked this song, which is saying quite a bit considering I'm not really a ballad fan. Lisa's voice is sweet but powerful, and very mature. Park Hyo Shin lends his deep, husky vocals in contrast. A great collaboration.

M! My Little Airport - Graduation Means Unemployment
Cantonese | Alt Rock
I've never been a big fan of songs in Cantonese; this is probably the only Cantonese song I've ever uploaded. My Little Airport is just so cute, their song names always make me smile.

There's probably more recommended songs () this week than ones without a recommendation. XP Oh well. Thank you to everyone who took the time to comment. =)

Labels: Analog Fish, Bonnie Pink, Captain Straydum, doa, E Z Hyoung, F.T. Island, Guyz, HeaRt, Instant Romantic Floor, Jazon Mraz, Kim Sarang, Lisa, My Little Airport

VACATION!
I was busy with my exams last week so I couldn’t upload anything..but now I’m done with everything, so you can expect more updates. ^.^

Rotation 14 is, again, summer themed. I also included my picks, which are new releases too.

~Chayenne


SweetS
Lolita Strawberry in Summer
Japanese

SweetS was a girlgroup with 5 members. They disbanded in June 2006
This song is from their first single. Their voices are pretty high-pitched, which makes this song more cute.


WaT
Hava Rava
Japanese

The beginning of the song is kinda slow..so I thought it would stay that way. But it doesn’t. It’s more upbeat and really cute.


Teppei Koike
Sweet Summer
Japanese

More Teppei! I really can’t believe he’s in his twenties already..he sounds like a fiveteen years old ._.
Anyway, this song is from his first solo album pieces and he wrote all the songs himself. He hasn’t got the best voice ever, but it suits this song.


TVXQ
Hi Ya Ya
Summer Dream
Korean/Japanese

Hi Ya Ya was the first TVXQ song I’ve ever heard! This’ll definitely give you a summer feeling! It’s a cover of Perfect Tragedy, a song by Don Kenneth Ramage. I like TVXQ's version better though.


Yuna Ito
Mahaloha
Japanese

Mahaloha is a nice song and it’s got a Hawaiian feeling in it. The male is Mirco (Nishimiya Yuki) from Def Tech. I don’t like his voice much as when he sings alone, but they sound nice together.


Otsuka Ai
Peach
Japanese

Peach was used as the ending theme for the Japanese drama Hanazakari no Kimitachi e. I decided to upload this because I LOVE eating peaches in the summer. The song itself isn’t really great..but I really like Ai-chans’ sweet songs! I always get in a good mood after listening to this.


Yui – Summer Song (single)
01. Summer Song
02. Oh My God
03. Laugh Away ~Yui Acoustic Version~
Japanese

YUI’s got such a sweet, typical Japanese voice, which I really like. Summer Song was aired on the last episode of YUI locks (May 29th). Summer Song and Oh My God are two upbeat songs with nice guitar work as always. This single also includes the acoustic version of Laugh Away, to promote her last album I LOVED YESTERDAY. You can look at Haruhi's past rotation for the normal version.

My picks


F.T. Island - Soyogi (album)
01. Friendship
02. ミライジテンシャ (Mirai Jitensha)
03. Soyogi
04. Stars
05. A song for You
06. F.T. Island
07. Primadonna
08. Always be Mine
Korean/Japanese/English

F.T. Islands’ first Japanese album! Their Japanese sounds really good, better than Big Bangs’ Japanese.
All the songs are really catchy and WonBin sings a lot more in this album, which is good because I like his voice. F.T. Island and Primadonna are sung in Korean and Always be Mine is the English version of 첫키스. HongKi’s English is so cute and so is the lyrics! He keeps saying everting :3


TVXQ
Doushite Kimi wo Suki ni Natte Shimattan Darou
Japanese

I really, really LOVE this song! It has such a beautiful melody and their voices sound so good. Especially JaeJoongs’.. This is highly recommended!
Oh by the way, it’s not the best quality and there’s a silence at the beginning, so I’ll update this one if there’s a better version.

Don't forget to comment please!

Labels: cohost: chayenne, F.T. Island, Otsuka Ai, SweetS, Teppei Koike, Tohoshinki, WaT, YUI, Yuna Ito

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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