I can't believe school's almost starting again (& we're almost on our 40th rotation)! Today's theme is actors turned singers and singers turned actors. I rarely ever watch dramas (I think I've watched ... 2 1/2 in total? Haha) so I can't say much for how well these artists act, but hopefully you'll enjoy their songs. ^_^ I don't know why there ended up being so many Korean songs.

Comment or leave a rating if taking!


Lee Jun Ki - J STYLE
Korean | Pop/Ballad/Dance

01. J STYLE
02. 혼잣말 (One Word)
03. I'm Ready
04. 아낌없이 주는나무
05. 한마디만...
06. 사랑을 몰라
07. 바보사랑 (Foolish Love)

Lee Jun Ki is one of my favourite Korean actors, so I was really looking forward to listening to this. J STYLE is slick and provocative, a perfect club song that shows another side of Jun Ki. It's energetic and smooth, a perfect start to this mini-album. There are English lines/verses sprinkled throughout the song. 혼잣말 is a refreshing mid-tempo track. I really love the repetitive keyboard line in the background, and Jun Ki's light, smooth voice suits this electronica-laced song perfectly. I'm Ready is a feel-good pop-rock number. It's a bubbly but mediocre track that's a little too predictable. Also, I would have liked his voice to be a little stronger - for some reason, the harmonizing in the chorus puts me off. I feel like the harmonies are stronger than the melody, and it's a little disconcerting. 아낌없이 주는나무 is a slow, smooth ballad. I have mixed feelings about it - sometimes it feels a little too downtempo and a little boring, at others I like it. I guess Jun Ki's voice needs a little more power and emotion for a ballad that's so simplistic and rely relies on the singer to boost it up. I love the delicate opening of 한마디만..., leading into a gorgeous ballad where, unlike in the previous track, Jun Ki's soft, gentle voice proves an asset against the rich string accompaniment, really shining through in the powerful chorus. Lovely. 사랑을 몰라 is another ballad with a string-and-piano base. It suffers from a formulaic arrangement, but I did like the strong chorus. 바보사랑 is upbeat and dance-influenced, taken from his first single released in 2006 or so. It's catchy, but sounds a little outdated.


◆ 아나요 (Ah Na Yo) - Lee Ji Hoon
Korean | Ballad
This song starts out with what sounds like a child singing, before turning over to Lee Ji Hoon's creamy vocals. This nameless child also sings various portions throughout the song, which I find really makes the song a lot more interesting - otherwise, it's a fairly typical string-based ballad - rich and warm.











◆ 久遠 (Kuon) - Mamoru Miyano
Japanese | Pop
Some of you may recognize Mamoru Miyano as the actor who played Light in Death Note. Kuon has some traditional Japanese influences, but it's also has a lot of modern appeal at the same time. Mamoru's voice is average, but I really liked the song compositionally.








◆ 바람의 노래 - Kim Dong Wan
Korean | Pop
A soft-rock number from Kim Dong Wan. Although I found the opening verses a bit weak, the chorus is much stronger. It's hopeful and soaring, but a little forgettable.










◆ 그대 생각하며 한번 웃고 - Lim Chang Jung
Korean | Ballad
Famous for his ballads, Lim Chang Jung delivers a relaxed, acoustic-influenced number that's very airy and warm. I really like his crisp, clear voice and light harmonies.









◆ Get Ya - Lee Hyori
Korean | Pop
Get Ya features heavy beats and a smooth, infectious melody. I didn't really like the first verse which was kind of a droning rap, but it definitely got better - it's a bit too dense and monotonous for my liking, but it definitely finds its mark: a repetitive and catchy song that is an easy if somewhat mindless listen.









◆ 눈에 밟혀서 (In Your Eyes) - Kim Jeong Hoon
Korean | Pop/Ballad
From his latest mini-album, Kim Jeong Hoon brings us a soothing, piano-based ballad with lots of acoustic guitar and later a rich string accompaniment. I love the way it builds up, but it's not really a favourite of mine.









◆ 고맙다 - Kim Hyun Joong
Korean | Ballad
A soft ballad by SS501's Kim Hyun Joong. It's very delicate and heartfelt, and I love how genuine he sounds. However, it's a fairly formulaic song.









◆ 體驗 (OT:Goodbye) - F4
Mandarin | Ballad
I love the piano intro of this song, leading into a smooth R&B ballad. It is a bit predictable, but for some reason I really liked it. Something about their warm, genuine vocals just appeals to me. It's sad and almost bittersweet.









◆ 完美偶像 - Vic Chou
Mandarin | Ballad
I'm not a big fan of Vic Chou, but I really like this ballad. In the opening, Vic Chou sings accompanied only by a piano arrangement, and he sounds absolutely fantastic - his voice is rich and has depth yet at the same time is delicate and smooth. It's a yearning, tender song.

Labels: F4, Kim Dong Wan, Kim Hyung Joong, Kim Jeong Hoon, Lee Hyori, Lee Ji Hoon, Lee Jun Ki, Lim Chang Jung, Mamoru Miyano, Vic Chou

I think I changed the theme of this rotation 3 times in total. Cate suggested a rock theme, which I was going to do for the next rotation and do a J-pop themed rotation this week. I started uploading songs for it, but just felt really uninterested in completing the rotation, so I thought I would do a "surf & turf" theme - half pop, half heavy rock, to incorporate the rock theme. Then I realized I really didn't feel like doing that rotation right now, since I planned it to be fairly large (I will likely save it for the next rotation) ... and so ended up doing a totally unrelated theme.

Anyways. After seeing the songs titled Boyfriend and Girlfriend on SNSD's Genie mini album, even though I don't really like SNSD, I got the idea for a rotation with songs with the word "girlfriend" or "boyfriend" in the title. There will probably be less recommended () tracks, since songs were chosen based on title rather than whether I liked them or not. Excuse my crappy comments this week, I promise the next rotation will be better. Please comment/leave a rating if taking.

My Girlfriend - Micky Yoochun
Korean | Pop
A sugary R&B-influenced pop song by DBSK's Micky Yoochun. I've always admired DBSK for their vocals, and while Yoochun's voice is very sweet and warm, the song itself is just so. boring. It doesn't build or lead anywhere, and just sound somewhat lifeless. I guess it's an okay song to just relax to, but I didn't find it engaging at all.

Girlfriend ~piano mix version~ - Lee Min Woo
Korean | Pop Ballad
I love the original version of this song, but since I figured most of you would already have heard it, I chose this piano mix instead. Minwoo is by far my favourite Shinhwa member, and songs like this are why. This song is even more heartfelt and sorrowful with just a simple, rich piano accompaniment. Minwoo sounds fantastic - his powerful and unique voice adds colour and depth to the song.

Boyfriend/Girlfriend - Tanaka Roma ft. Melody
Japanese | Pop
A sweet pop duet. Melody's soft, delicate voice fits well with Tanaka Roma's warm, strong vocals. Like the title suggests, it's a feel-good song with bright synths and lovely harmonies.

Girlfriend - SNSD
Korean | Pop
While SNSD's previous releases have all failed to catch my attention, I think their Genie mini-album was a slight improvement. Girlfriend is a fairly typical sugary pop song, but I really like the chorus. It's an upbeat song touched with bright synths and sweet vocals.

Boyfriend - SNSD
Korean | Pop
An R&B/hip-hop influenced song. I found it repetitive and quite bland. The girls sound incredibly unconvincing and bored at the beginning of the song - So many boys wanna give it to me, but I want you, boy, give it to me, cause I'm so ready boy, give it to me. The starting lyrics and beat seem to suggest a more mature, sexy feel to the song - yet the vocals throughout the song are cute and childish. The repetitive beat and weak melody, coupled with the annoying siren sounds in the background, just completely ruined the song for me.

To Your X-Boyfriend - Lim Chang Jung
Korean | Pop
Lim Chang Jung is most famous for his ballads, but his powerful, rich voice suits more uptempo songs equally well. An aggressive, strong track with Latin-influenced guitar work.

Boyfriend Part II - Crystal Kay
Japanese | Pop/R&B
I love Crystal Kay. While I really liked the semi-a cappella opening of this song, the rest of the song didn't do much for me. Crystal Kay's voice disappears beneath the heavy beat and electronica-based accompaniment, only coming out in the chorus. The song lacks any real direction and the arrangement comes off as a little jarring and uncoordinated.

Dao Shu Di Er Ge Nan Peng You (Count To The No.2 Boyfriend) - Milk Yeh
Mandarin | Pop
A really interesting mid-tempo track - there's just something about the percussion that catches your attention, as well as Milk Yeh's light, feathery voice. I thought the song was a little bland upon first listen, but it's starting to grow on me.

After Love -First Boyfriend- - Crystal Kay ft. KANAME (Chemistry)
Japanese | Pop/R&B
Crystal Kay's latest release also sparked this rotation's theme - this song and the "Girlfriend" ft. BoA are all from her newest single. Like many of Crystal Kay's songs, After Love has strong R&B routes. A mid-tempo song, Crystal Kay's strong voice leads the melody with Chemistry's KANAME mostly providing soft harmonies and backing vocals. Personally, I would have liked to hear more of him. While this song was quite good, I didn't find any aspect of it particularly outstanding.

Girlfriend - Crystal Kay ft. BoA
Japanese | Pop/R&B
BoA and Crystal Kay sound fantastic together. BoA's softer, creamier voice suits Crystal Kay's powerful vocals perfectly. However, BoA sounds slightly nasal in this song, something that I never really noticed in other songs. A strong, memorable song.

& some of my favourite Nell songs, as requested by Ayumi. I didn't individually comment on each song, but all are highly recommended, especially Moonlight Punch Romance. And 기억을 걷는 시간. And Fisheye Lens. I always forget how much I love these songs until I hear them again.

기억을 걷는 시간 - Nell
Fisheye Lens - Nell
Moonlight Punch Romance - Nell
1분만 닥쳐줄래요 - Nell

Labels: Crystal Kay, Lee Min Woo, Lim Chang Jung, Micky Yoochun, Milk Yeh, Nell, So Nyeo Shi Dae, Tanaka Roma

I can't believe school's almost starting again (& we're almost on our 40th rotation)! Today's theme is actors turned singers and singers turned actors. I rarely ever watch dramas (I think I've watched ... 2 1/2 in total? Haha) so I can't say much for how well these artists act, but hopefully you'll enjoy their songs. ^_^ I don't know why there ended up being so many Korean songs.

Comment or leave a rating if taking!


Lee Jun Ki - J STYLE
Korean | Pop/Ballad/Dance

01. J STYLE
02. 혼잣말 (One Word)
03. I'm Ready
04. 아낌없이 주는나무
05. 한마디만...
06. 사랑을 몰라
07. 바보사랑 (Foolish Love)

Lee Jun Ki is one of my favourite Korean actors, so I was really looking forward to listening to this. J STYLE is slick and provocative, a perfect club song that shows another side of Jun Ki. It's energetic and smooth, a perfect start to this mini-album. There are English lines/verses sprinkled throughout the song. 혼잣말 is a refreshing mid-tempo track. I really love the repetitive keyboard line in the background, and Jun Ki's light, smooth voice suits this electronica-laced song perfectly. I'm Ready is a feel-good pop-rock number. It's a bubbly but mediocre track that's a little too predictable. Also, I would have liked his voice to be a little stronger - for some reason, the harmonizing in the chorus puts me off. I feel like the harmonies are stronger than the melody, and it's a little disconcerting. 아낌없이 주는나무 is a slow, smooth ballad. I have mixed feelings about it - sometimes it feels a little too downtempo and a little boring, at others I like it. I guess Jun Ki's voice needs a little more power and emotion for a ballad that's so simplistic and rely relies on the singer to boost it up. I love the delicate opening of 한마디만..., leading into a gorgeous ballad where, unlike in the previous track, Jun Ki's soft, gentle voice proves an asset against the rich string accompaniment, really shining through in the powerful chorus. Lovely. 사랑을 몰라 is another ballad with a string-and-piano base. It suffers from a formulaic arrangement, but I did like the strong chorus. 바보사랑 is upbeat and dance-influenced, taken from his first single released in 2006 or so. It's catchy, but sounds a little outdated.


◆ 아나요 (Ah Na Yo) - Lee Ji Hoon
Korean | Ballad
This song starts out with what sounds like a child singing, before turning over to Lee Ji Hoon's creamy vocals. This nameless child also sings various portions throughout the song, which I find really makes the song a lot more interesting - otherwise, it's a fairly typical string-based ballad - rich and warm.











◆ 久遠 (Kuon) - Mamoru Miyano
Japanese | Pop
Some of you may recognize Mamoru Miyano as the actor who played Light in Death Note. Kuon has some traditional Japanese influences, but it's also has a lot of modern appeal at the same time. Mamoru's voice is average, but I really liked the song compositionally.








◆ 바람의 노래 - Kim Dong Wan
Korean | Pop
A soft-rock number from Kim Dong Wan. Although I found the opening verses a bit weak, the chorus is much stronger. It's hopeful and soaring, but a little forgettable.










◆ 그대 생각하며 한번 웃고 - Lim Chang Jung
Korean | Ballad
Famous for his ballads, Lim Chang Jung delivers a relaxed, acoustic-influenced number that's very airy and warm. I really like his crisp, clear voice and light harmonies.









◆ Get Ya - Lee Hyori
Korean | Pop
Get Ya features heavy beats and a smooth, infectious melody. I didn't really like the first verse which was kind of a droning rap, but it definitely got better - it's a bit too dense and monotonous for my liking, but it definitely finds its mark: a repetitive and catchy song that is an easy if somewhat mindless listen.









◆ 눈에 밟혀서 (In Your Eyes) - Kim Jeong Hoon
Korean | Pop/Ballad
From his latest mini-album, Kim Jeong Hoon brings us a soothing, piano-based ballad with lots of acoustic guitar and later a rich string accompaniment. I love the way it builds up, but it's not really a favourite of mine.









◆ 고맙다 - Kim Hyun Joong
Korean | Ballad
A soft ballad by SS501's Kim Hyun Joong. It's very delicate and heartfelt, and I love how genuine he sounds. However, it's a fairly formulaic song.









◆ 體驗 (OT:Goodbye) - F4
Mandarin | Ballad
I love the piano intro of this song, leading into a smooth R&B ballad. It is a bit predictable, but for some reason I really liked it. Something about their warm, genuine vocals just appeals to me. It's sad and almost bittersweet.









◆ 完美偶像 - Vic Chou
Mandarin | Ballad
I'm not a big fan of Vic Chou, but I really like this ballad. In the opening, Vic Chou sings accompanied only by a piano arrangement, and he sounds absolutely fantastic - his voice is rich and has depth yet at the same time is delicate and smooth. It's a yearning, tender song.

Labels: F4, Kim Dong Wan, Kim Hyung Joong, Kim Jeong Hoon, Lee Hyori, Lee Ji Hoon, Lee Jun Ki, Lim Chang Jung, Mamoru Miyano, Vic Chou

I think I changed the theme of this rotation 3 times in total. Cate suggested a rock theme, which I was going to do for the next rotation and do a J-pop themed rotation this week. I started uploading songs for it, but just felt really uninterested in completing the rotation, so I thought I would do a "surf & turf" theme - half pop, half heavy rock, to incorporate the rock theme. Then I realized I really didn't feel like doing that rotation right now, since I planned it to be fairly large (I will likely save it for the next rotation) ... and so ended up doing a totally unrelated theme.

Anyways. After seeing the songs titled Boyfriend and Girlfriend on SNSD's Genie mini album, even though I don't really like SNSD, I got the idea for a rotation with songs with the word "girlfriend" or "boyfriend" in the title. There will probably be less recommended () tracks, since songs were chosen based on title rather than whether I liked them or not. Excuse my crappy comments this week, I promise the next rotation will be better. Please comment/leave a rating if taking.

My Girlfriend - Micky Yoochun
Korean | Pop
A sugary R&B-influenced pop song by DBSK's Micky Yoochun. I've always admired DBSK for their vocals, and while Yoochun's voice is very sweet and warm, the song itself is just so. boring. It doesn't build or lead anywhere, and just sound somewhat lifeless. I guess it's an okay song to just relax to, but I didn't find it engaging at all.

Girlfriend ~piano mix version~ - Lee Min Woo
Korean | Pop Ballad
I love the original version of this song, but since I figured most of you would already have heard it, I chose this piano mix instead. Minwoo is by far my favourite Shinhwa member, and songs like this are why. This song is even more heartfelt and sorrowful with just a simple, rich piano accompaniment. Minwoo sounds fantastic - his powerful and unique voice adds colour and depth to the song.

Boyfriend/Girlfriend - Tanaka Roma ft. Melody
Japanese | Pop
A sweet pop duet. Melody's soft, delicate voice fits well with Tanaka Roma's warm, strong vocals. Like the title suggests, it's a feel-good song with bright synths and lovely harmonies.

Girlfriend - SNSD
Korean | Pop
While SNSD's previous releases have all failed to catch my attention, I think their Genie mini-album was a slight improvement. Girlfriend is a fairly typical sugary pop song, but I really like the chorus. It's an upbeat song touched with bright synths and sweet vocals.

Boyfriend - SNSD
Korean | Pop
An R&B/hip-hop influenced song. I found it repetitive and quite bland. The girls sound incredibly unconvincing and bored at the beginning of the song - So many boys wanna give it to me, but I want you, boy, give it to me, cause I'm so ready boy, give it to me. The starting lyrics and beat seem to suggest a more mature, sexy feel to the song - yet the vocals throughout the song are cute and childish. The repetitive beat and weak melody, coupled with the annoying siren sounds in the background, just completely ruined the song for me.

To Your X-Boyfriend - Lim Chang Jung
Korean | Pop
Lim Chang Jung is most famous for his ballads, but his powerful, rich voice suits more uptempo songs equally well. An aggressive, strong track with Latin-influenced guitar work.

Boyfriend Part II - Crystal Kay
Japanese | Pop/R&B
I love Crystal Kay. While I really liked the semi-a cappella opening of this song, the rest of the song didn't do much for me. Crystal Kay's voice disappears beneath the heavy beat and electronica-based accompaniment, only coming out in the chorus. The song lacks any real direction and the arrangement comes off as a little jarring and uncoordinated.

Dao Shu Di Er Ge Nan Peng You (Count To The No.2 Boyfriend) - Milk Yeh
Mandarin | Pop
A really interesting mid-tempo track - there's just something about the percussion that catches your attention, as well as Milk Yeh's light, feathery voice. I thought the song was a little bland upon first listen, but it's starting to grow on me.

After Love -First Boyfriend- - Crystal Kay ft. KANAME (Chemistry)
Japanese | Pop/R&B
Crystal Kay's latest release also sparked this rotation's theme - this song and the "Girlfriend" ft. BoA are all from her newest single. Like many of Crystal Kay's songs, After Love has strong R&B routes. A mid-tempo song, Crystal Kay's strong voice leads the melody with Chemistry's KANAME mostly providing soft harmonies and backing vocals. Personally, I would have liked to hear more of him. While this song was quite good, I didn't find any aspect of it particularly outstanding.

Girlfriend - Crystal Kay ft. BoA
Japanese | Pop/R&B
BoA and Crystal Kay sound fantastic together. BoA's softer, creamier voice suits Crystal Kay's powerful vocals perfectly. However, BoA sounds slightly nasal in this song, something that I never really noticed in other songs. A strong, memorable song.

& some of my favourite Nell songs, as requested by Ayumi. I didn't individually comment on each song, but all are highly recommended, especially Moonlight Punch Romance. And 기억을 걷는 시간. And Fisheye Lens. I always forget how much I love these songs until I hear them again.

기억을 걷는 시간 - Nell
Fisheye Lens - Nell
Moonlight Punch Romance - Nell
1분만 닥쳐줄래요 - Nell

Labels: Crystal Kay, Lee Min Woo, Lim Chang Jung, Micky Yoochun, Milk Yeh, Nell, So Nyeo Shi Dae, Tanaka Roma

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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