until daybreak



overview. songs for the nights you lie in bed, unable to sleep. waiting for the darkness to subside and the dawn to break, because you know you'll be wide awake until then. english, mandarin, korean, japanese, instrumental. ballad, alt rock, indie.

tracklist.

♪ set the fire to the third bar _snow patrol ft. martha wainwright
their words, mostly noises
ghosts with just voices
your words in my memory
are like music to me

♪ down _jason walker
so why do i try,
i know i'm gonna fall down

♪ seeing you off the edges _eluvium

♪ we are mice _azure ray
it's all in the eyes
the reckless way we dream to die
our past is our future
the present lies
somewhere between our hearts and minds

♪ infection _chihiro onitsuka
in the night
i realize this infection

♪ space between _katie noonan & the captains
space between us blue as oceans
gold as sunshine, red as my blood

♪ nicest thing _kate nash
i wish that without me you'd be spending the rest of your nights awake
i wish that without me you couldn't eat
i wish i was the last thing on your mind before you went to sleep

♪ lonely lonely _feist
distance makes the heart grow weak
so that the mouth can barely speak
except to those who hide their needs

♪ still alright _pg. lost

♪ rocks _ben jelen
but now i'm doubting me, i know i shouldn't be but
i've been down, i've been down

♪ diary _kelly chen
loved until it hurt
hurt until i cried
cried until i was tired
the dilemmas in my heart
keep repeating

♪ winter song _sara bareilles ft. ingrid michaelson
is love alive?

♪ cry _kelly clarkson
i'm talking in circles
i'm lying, they know it
why won't this just all go away

♪ apres moi _regina spektor
i must go on standing
you can't break that which isn't yours
i must go on standing
i'm not my own, it's not my choice

♪ 카페인 _mot

♪ 愛我吧 _khalil fong
don't answer me,
don't answer me

♪ breaking my heart again _aqualung
need to know
i don't wanna know
already know
-
you're making me doubt
i thought i knew you
i don't even know myself

♪ teenage dream _the rescues
i can't sleep
let's run away and don't ever look back,
don't ever look back

♪ when my time comes _dawes
and now the only piece of advice that continues to help
is anyone making anything new only breaks something else

♪ moonlight punch romance _nell
i fell in love
with the silence of the night

bonus (not in zip).
♪ why _susie suh
why do i ask myself these questions?

download. [MF]

comments. this mix is a bit of an amalgam. i wanted to include songs that provided some sense of comfort, but that doesn't mean they're calming - sometimes, they're only comforting because you've found something that perfectly reflects your mood. at the same time, i didn't want this to be a mix to help you get to sleep. it's more of a mix for understanding that you won't, if that makes sense. near the end of the mix, there's a few brighter, more hopeful songs - perhaps better suited for when the light is beginning to filter in. standouts include the rescues' harmonic, yearning cover of katy perry's teenage dream, regina spektor's dramatic apres moi, katie noonan's silky, rich voice in space between, and chihiro onitsuka's haunting infection. whatever keeps you up at night - i hope this helps.

Labels: Chihiro Onitsuka, Dawes, eluvium, Feist, Jason Walker, Kelly Chen, Kelly Clarkson, Khalil Fong, mixtape, Mot, Nell, pg.lost, Regina Spektor, Sara Bareilles, Snow Patrol, Susie Suh, The Rescues

Hello!

You may notice we have a new layout. :) And to make up for my long break in updates, I bring you another full rotation. Rotation 45's theme is Whatever happened to ...? and features artists that have been MIA in the music scene for a while. All artists that I'm rather fond of, because if I didn't like them, I probably wouldn't notice that they hadn't released anything in a long time.

- Haruhi


Korean | Pop

Crash (Crazy In Love)
고장난 가슴
Step By Step

Apparently these guys have paused activities because two of their members are doing military service, one has (temporarily?) returned to his studies abroad, etc. - although their agency is adamant they are not disbanding, it's hard to imagine when they'll be reunited as a group, although Jin Tae Hwa, their lead singer did release a solo single a while back (which I posted, if you're curious click the "Battle" tag at the bottom of this post and it should be in that group of posts). For those of you who aren't familiar with Battle, they were meant to be the "next Shinhwa" and their members were chosen by Shinhwa's original members. While it seems like that idea kind of flopped considering they released three sporadic singles and dispersed, I really hope these guys will reunite sometime soon. The time I started getting into k-pop happened to be around the time they released their first single, which was Crash (Crazy in Love). It's a confident pop song with rock routes, and something about its energy and catchiness just stuck with me. 고장난 가슴 is from their second single, and it's a gorgeous piano ballad. Vocally, they're all quite strong, and their voices are distinct but come together nicely. I love the sweetness and warmth of their vocals and their layered harmonies. Step By Step is their most recent single, and shows a change in style as it turns to the electronica trend. It's catchy and I enjoy listening to it, but I've always felt a little disappointed by this single. While I felt like their previous singles were unique and heartfelt, Step By Step seemed a little too cookie-cutter in comparison.


Korean | Rock

마지막 인사
Night Blue

My Aunt Mary, one of Korea's more well-known "rock" bands (while I do consider them rock, those who are familiar with Korean music will know that what's labelled as "k-rock" is usually soft/ballad-rock) has been around since 1999, and these two songs are from their Circle album, released in 2008, which is their last album to date. I don't know what's up with these guys. I've heard no news of them disbanding - which is good - but nothing about any future releases, either. 마지막 인사 is such a gorgeous song. It's melodic, genuine, and basically the perfect mid-tempo rock ballad. My favourite parts are the intro where the melody is introduced in a more isolated fashion than it's heard further in in the song, and the outro where a female singer (no idea who) sings the last verse accompanied by piano. Night Blue is a bit more melancholic in tone. It reminds me of a rainy day - not pouring, since it's fairly downtempo, but raining. Recommended.


Korean | Rock

Close

This duo released their first album in 2004, their second (which Close is off of) in 2007, and I haven't been able to find any information on them since. Which is a shame, because I love them. I would have uploaded more of their songs, but this was the only one that I had on this computer (the rest are on my external HD which I didn't really feel like digging out). And to make it even worse I think I've already uploaded this one before, too. Anyways - Close opens with this delicate synth melody, backed with soft guitar, that I've never been able to forget. It's a bit despairing in tone, but beautifully so. One of my favourite songs, and one that has remained a favourite throughout the years.


Korean | Pop/Ballad

그림자
거짓말도 자꾸 하면 늘어

Beige released an album in 2007, which 그림자 comes from, and a mini-album in 2009, which 거짓말도 자꾸 하면 늘어 was featured on. Yes, she's only been "inactive" for about an year, but it's more the long pause between her releases and the fact that it's hard to find much information on her, partially because her English name is a little hard to search. You may have noticed my bias towards male singers, but Beige's strong, rich voice is perfect for ballads. 그림자 is a great example of this - it's a pretty straightforward piano-and-string ballad, but Beige's powerful but not overpowering voice makes all the difference. I also love the light, feathered harmonies. 거짓말도 자꾸 하면 늘어 is backed only by piano for the first minute or so, allowing Beige's voice to really shine through. Some light percussion is incorporated after that, as well as touches of guitar. It gives the song a sense of dimension and direction. I love how clean and rich her voice is, especially in the chorus.


Japanese | Pop

SAMURAI
Ai Check It

Japanese idol duo Tackey & Tsubasa are signed to Johnny & Associates and debuted in 2002 although they have a long pre-debut history with Johnny's too. Their last single was released in 2008, and I haven't been able to find much information on their activities since then. SAMURAI is an energetic, rock-influenced track. I love the bright brass riffs, but its a bit repetitive. Ai Check It is also rock-influenced, but it's a bit grittier than SAMURAI although these guys are definitely still pop-driven. It's catchy and dynamic. The chorus always gets stuck in my head.


Korean | Ballad

얼굴
뒤돌아봐

Joo is signed to JYP, and is most famous for her song 남자 때문에 (Because of A Man). She debuted in 2008 and has released a few OST songs after her first mini-album, but has been pretty quiet other than that. Okay, so she was featured on the Cinderella's Story OST (with the song 뒤돌아봐 above) just this April, so she hasn't really "disappeared". But I really hope she hasn't been relegated to releasing single songs on OSTs here and there. 얼굴 is a gorgeous mid-tempo ballad, it really showcases her warm, clear voice. A very pretty song with a lovely melody. It's very cleanly executed but doesn't compromise expressiveness. 뒤돌아봐 is from the aforementioned Cinderella's Story OST, her most recent song. It's another ballad, and Joo sounds fantastic as usual. I love how clean and smooth her voice is.


Korean | Rock

바래

So this four-piece Korean band released one album in 2007 and promptly disappeared. Like I mentioned before with My Aunt Mary about k-rock bands not exactly being the heaviest rock bands around, well, Bay is another example of that, so if you're looking for something heavier, this might not be to your liking. 바래 is an understated rock ballad. At first listen it seemed a bit bland to me, but it's grown on me a lot. I love their vocalist, his voice really shines through the accompaniment and carries the melody well.

Labels: Battle, Bay, Beige, Joo, Mot, My Aunt Mary, Tackey and Tsubasa

Sorry this rotation got backtracked so much. Hopefully it’s worth the wait, I’ve tried to upload as many runners-up as possible. This theme does not include any pop-rock, alternative rock, soft rock, etc. - but it does include rock ballads. Like with all the top ten/twenty themes, these are only the top songs in my opinion. Unfortunately, ruling out alt rock, soft rock, and “rock-influenced” groups/songs also ruled out many Korean or Chinese/Taiwanese groups. This rotation is extremely Japanese-dominated, but since pop songs were mainly Korean/Chinese and ballads were mostly Korean, I think overall it’s pretty fair. I haven’t been following rock music as much lately, so most of these songs will be a little older.

This rotation took a tiring amount of time to prepare, especially my comments (which get progressively worse), so please take the time to comment/leave a rating. Anyways, on to the music. =)
- Haruhi

#10. DOLLS - Janne da Arc
I really like Janne da Arc. Dolls is a mid-tempo track - the opening verses are a bit of a bore featuring a sweet if somewhat repetitive melody, but the chorus is great. It’s a slightly formulaic track, which kept it from moving up on the chart.

#9. Black Cherry - acid black cherry
I just realized I’d uploaded this before, way back in my tenth rotation, so there’s two links for you. A seamless blend of rock and jazz - Black Cherry starts out slow and ambient with light guitar and percussion, putting Yasu’s unique voice into the spotlight. Wailing electric guitars kick in and the percussion steps it up into a fast-paced fusion track, complete with trumpet riffs. A fantastic song from a great group.

#8. Orange Dream - Antic Cafe
This song was uploaded in rotation 19. Since most of their songs are upbeat and happy (after all, they are an oshare kei group), I was surprised at the richness and maturity of this ballad. I love the piano part - I think it adds a lot of colour to the song. The opening is heartbreakingly sad, but as the song builds it grows more and more hopeful and optimistic. A beautiful rock ballad.

#7. Et cetera - ONE OK ROCK
An angsty rock song, leaning more towards the style of American rock than Japanese. I absolutely love the chorus and the contrast in volume between the chorus and other verses. The arrangement might not be the most original or innovative, but it all fits together perfectly to make a unique and memorable song.

#6. yozora ni saku hana - Clavier
Returning to ballads, yozora ni saku hana opens with a sad piano intro. The whole song just has a certain flavor that’s unique to Japanese music, I can’t explain it - you’ll know it when you hear it. Toshi, their lead singer, has an expressively vulnerable but steady voice that suits the song perfectly. This group is technically oshare kei, but even in their other songs they don’t have a really sugary, sweet sound - their material is just generally brighter than visual kei stuff.

#5. Kimi ni Negai wo - Miyavi
Being the first Japanese artist I listened to, Miyavi had to show up somewhere on this rotation. This was also one of the first songs I heard by him. It’s a fairly bright, midtempo track driven by piano and guitars - and later, strings. Miyavi’s voice is soft and crooning pretty much everywhere but the chorus, but can still be heard over the relatively light accompaniment.

#4. Close - Mot
The sole Korean band to make the list (actually the only non-Japanese band), Close definitely deserves its position. Some people call them alt rock, but whatever. It’s such a unique song, filled with dazed, dreamy synths. Overall the song has a very sad, longing atmosphere, but its emotional value is what makes it good. It can get a little repetitive, which actually kind of adds to the atmosphere of the song - definitely try them out.

#3. Isshunfuran - B'z
A polar opposite of the sad, longing atmosphere in Close, Isshunfuran is upbeat, bright, and irresistably catchy. You can’t help but move along to it - it’s confident and assured. Not convinced? This duo has been around since 1988, and are considered the most popular rock group in Japan. They were also the first artists from Asia to have their handprints and signatures put in in Hollywood’s Rock Walk, placing them right alongside American rock legends like Black Sabbath, AC/DC, Iron Maiden, Les Paul, and Jimi Hendrix.

#2. Libra - MUCC
MUCC is one of my favourite j-rock groups. I still follow their releases despite losing interest in heavier rock (I posted a recent single of theirs not long ago). Libra is definitely my favourite song by them - it’s dark and gritty, but then it leads into the chorus, which is just stunningly beautiful and pure. I absolutely love the PV and lyrics, too.

#1. over - 12012
I knew this song would be in the top two when I started this rotation. 12012 is one of the first j-rock bands I listened to, and one of the first Japanese bands in general. “Over” is a simple but gorgeous ballad. The haunting melody always gets stuck in my head and I never forget it, even if I haven’t listened to the song in a long time.

Runners-up:

Carnation - Janne da Arc
A simple but beautiful relaxing acoustic ballad. If it was a little more of a rock song, it definitely would have made the list.

ブランコ - kannivalism
I love these guys, but unfortunately I think they’ve disbanded. A fairly slow, relaxing song with refreshing clear vocals and a dreamy arrangement. I prefer their upbeat songs, but couldn’t find any on my computer.

Lost Reason - abingdon boys school
I love this song. It was definitely close to making the list. It transitions from gritty and aggressive to softer, melodic portions. I absolutely love the chorus. A great song.

風の鳥 - Matenrou Opera
I really like this band in general; I wasn’t sure what song to upload by them. In the end, I chose a piano-based ballad, which shows their impressive vocalist. The piano is just gorgeous.

My Heart Draws a Dream - L’arc~en~Ciel
I’m sure most of you know this song, I’ve followed Laruku for a while but have never really picked out any real “favourites” by them. My Heart Draws a Dream would definitely come close - a fresh, mid-tempo track with a great melody. Of course, Hyde’s voice is wonderful.

JEALOUS -Reverse- - Dir en grey
There’s quite a few ballads in this rotation, huh? JEALOUS -Reverse- is another one, also piano-based, but Kyo’s unique voice sets it apart. I’ve kind of grown apart from their harder material where he screams more than he sings, but he has quite a nice voice when he’s actually singing, although he sounds a bit strained at times. It’s sad but hopeful, and very emotional.

Aribai - SID
A light-hearted, jazzy track that doesn’t take itself too seriously. It’s a breath of fresh air after listening to all these heavier rock songs or emotional ballads.

The Love From A Dead Orchestra - Versailles
This band’s whole image reflects splendor, royalty, etc. Their music, too, is extravagent - deep, thick vocals, a densely packed arrangement, many transitions. I love the slower, melodic verses of the song (eg. the one starting at 1:22), but unfortunately found the song to be on a whole too overdone. The slower portions where the different parts can actually be separated and viewed individually are the best. The transition about halfway through between the piano solo and the next, heavier portion of the song is roughly done - I would have thought it was going into a whole other track. A lot of great ideas and themes that got cramped together into one big song - personally, I think they could have been better and more fully explored, which kept this song from ranking higher.

Snow Flower - Plastic Tree
Ghost - Plastic Tree
Two great songs from another j-rock band that’s been around for a while: since 1993, to be exact. One of the first j-rock bands I really got into and one of few that I still loosely follow.

Night - Kazoku
I absolutely love the intro of this song. The transition into the actual song is brilliant and seamless. Faint jazz influences, a dark-ish, mysterious feel.

너 없인 행복할 수 없잖아 - Mary Story (I Can't Be Happy Without You)
I had to stick another Korean band in here somewhere. These guys are awesome, they were very close to making the list. A pretty light rock song that might even be considered soft-rock or pop-rock or whatever, but I love it. The melody is just extremely memorable to me, and even when I haven’t listened to this song for ages I can still recall it without any difficulty. Try them out if you haven’t, k-rock needs more attention - and these guys definitely deserve it.

Note: I ran out of tag characters, so I took the tag for Kazoku off because the song "Night" is already uploaded in a previous rotation, and they're tagged in that post.

I likely messed up at least one link, so if there's any mistakes with the links or anything else, please let me know!

Labels: 12012, abingdon boys school, acid black cherry, Antic Cafe, B'z, Clavier, Dir en grey, Janne da Arc, kannivalism, L'arc~en~Ciel, Mary Story, Matenrou Opera, miyavi, Mot, MUCC, ONE OK ROCK, Plastic Tree, SID, Versailles

until daybreak



overview. songs for the nights you lie in bed, unable to sleep. waiting for the darkness to subside and the dawn to break, because you know you'll be wide awake until then. english, mandarin, korean, japanese, instrumental. ballad, alt rock, indie.

tracklist.

♪ set the fire to the third bar _snow patrol ft. martha wainwright
their words, mostly noises
ghosts with just voices
your words in my memory
are like music to me

♪ down _jason walker
so why do i try,
i know i'm gonna fall down

♪ seeing you off the edges _eluvium

♪ we are mice _azure ray
it's all in the eyes
the reckless way we dream to die
our past is our future
the present lies
somewhere between our hearts and minds

♪ infection _chihiro onitsuka
in the night
i realize this infection

♪ space between _katie noonan & the captains
space between us blue as oceans
gold as sunshine, red as my blood

♪ nicest thing _kate nash
i wish that without me you'd be spending the rest of your nights awake
i wish that without me you couldn't eat
i wish i was the last thing on your mind before you went to sleep

♪ lonely lonely _feist
distance makes the heart grow weak
so that the mouth can barely speak
except to those who hide their needs

♪ still alright _pg. lost

♪ rocks _ben jelen
but now i'm doubting me, i know i shouldn't be but
i've been down, i've been down

♪ diary _kelly chen
loved until it hurt
hurt until i cried
cried until i was tired
the dilemmas in my heart
keep repeating

♪ winter song _sara bareilles ft. ingrid michaelson
is love alive?

♪ cry _kelly clarkson
i'm talking in circles
i'm lying, they know it
why won't this just all go away

♪ apres moi _regina spektor
i must go on standing
you can't break that which isn't yours
i must go on standing
i'm not my own, it's not my choice

♪ 카페인 _mot

♪ 愛我吧 _khalil fong
don't answer me,
don't answer me

♪ breaking my heart again _aqualung
need to know
i don't wanna know
already know
-
you're making me doubt
i thought i knew you
i don't even know myself

♪ teenage dream _the rescues
i can't sleep
let's run away and don't ever look back,
don't ever look back

♪ when my time comes _dawes
and now the only piece of advice that continues to help
is anyone making anything new only breaks something else

♪ moonlight punch romance _nell
i fell in love
with the silence of the night

bonus (not in zip).
♪ why _susie suh
why do i ask myself these questions?

download. [MF]

comments. this mix is a bit of an amalgam. i wanted to include songs that provided some sense of comfort, but that doesn't mean they're calming - sometimes, they're only comforting because you've found something that perfectly reflects your mood. at the same time, i didn't want this to be a mix to help you get to sleep. it's more of a mix for understanding that you won't, if that makes sense. near the end of the mix, there's a few brighter, more hopeful songs - perhaps better suited for when the light is beginning to filter in. standouts include the rescues' harmonic, yearning cover of katy perry's teenage dream, regina spektor's dramatic apres moi, katie noonan's silky, rich voice in space between, and chihiro onitsuka's haunting infection. whatever keeps you up at night - i hope this helps.

Labels: Chihiro Onitsuka, Dawes, eluvium, Feist, Jason Walker, Kelly Chen, Kelly Clarkson, Khalil Fong, mixtape, Mot, Nell, pg.lost, Regina Spektor, Sara Bareilles, Snow Patrol, Susie Suh, The Rescues

Hello!

You may notice we have a new layout. :) And to make up for my long break in updates, I bring you another full rotation. Rotation 45's theme is Whatever happened to ...? and features artists that have been MIA in the music scene for a while. All artists that I'm rather fond of, because if I didn't like them, I probably wouldn't notice that they hadn't released anything in a long time.

- Haruhi


Korean | Pop

Crash (Crazy In Love)
고장난 가슴
Step By Step

Apparently these guys have paused activities because two of their members are doing military service, one has (temporarily?) returned to his studies abroad, etc. - although their agency is adamant they are not disbanding, it's hard to imagine when they'll be reunited as a group, although Jin Tae Hwa, their lead singer did release a solo single a while back (which I posted, if you're curious click the "Battle" tag at the bottom of this post and it should be in that group of posts). For those of you who aren't familiar with Battle, they were meant to be the "next Shinhwa" and their members were chosen by Shinhwa's original members. While it seems like that idea kind of flopped considering they released three sporadic singles and dispersed, I really hope these guys will reunite sometime soon. The time I started getting into k-pop happened to be around the time they released their first single, which was Crash (Crazy in Love). It's a confident pop song with rock routes, and something about its energy and catchiness just stuck with me. 고장난 가슴 is from their second single, and it's a gorgeous piano ballad. Vocally, they're all quite strong, and their voices are distinct but come together nicely. I love the sweetness and warmth of their vocals and their layered harmonies. Step By Step is their most recent single, and shows a change in style as it turns to the electronica trend. It's catchy and I enjoy listening to it, but I've always felt a little disappointed by this single. While I felt like their previous singles were unique and heartfelt, Step By Step seemed a little too cookie-cutter in comparison.


Korean | Rock

마지막 인사
Night Blue

My Aunt Mary, one of Korea's more well-known "rock" bands (while I do consider them rock, those who are familiar with Korean music will know that what's labelled as "k-rock" is usually soft/ballad-rock) has been around since 1999, and these two songs are from their Circle album, released in 2008, which is their last album to date. I don't know what's up with these guys. I've heard no news of them disbanding - which is good - but nothing about any future releases, either. 마지막 인사 is such a gorgeous song. It's melodic, genuine, and basically the perfect mid-tempo rock ballad. My favourite parts are the intro where the melody is introduced in a more isolated fashion than it's heard further in in the song, and the outro where a female singer (no idea who) sings the last verse accompanied by piano. Night Blue is a bit more melancholic in tone. It reminds me of a rainy day - not pouring, since it's fairly downtempo, but raining. Recommended.


Korean | Rock

Close

This duo released their first album in 2004, their second (which Close is off of) in 2007, and I haven't been able to find any information on them since. Which is a shame, because I love them. I would have uploaded more of their songs, but this was the only one that I had on this computer (the rest are on my external HD which I didn't really feel like digging out). And to make it even worse I think I've already uploaded this one before, too. Anyways - Close opens with this delicate synth melody, backed with soft guitar, that I've never been able to forget. It's a bit despairing in tone, but beautifully so. One of my favourite songs, and one that has remained a favourite throughout the years.


Korean | Pop/Ballad

그림자
거짓말도 자꾸 하면 늘어

Beige released an album in 2007, which 그림자 comes from, and a mini-album in 2009, which 거짓말도 자꾸 하면 늘어 was featured on. Yes, she's only been "inactive" for about an year, but it's more the long pause between her releases and the fact that it's hard to find much information on her, partially because her English name is a little hard to search. You may have noticed my bias towards male singers, but Beige's strong, rich voice is perfect for ballads. 그림자 is a great example of this - it's a pretty straightforward piano-and-string ballad, but Beige's powerful but not overpowering voice makes all the difference. I also love the light, feathered harmonies. 거짓말도 자꾸 하면 늘어 is backed only by piano for the first minute or so, allowing Beige's voice to really shine through. Some light percussion is incorporated after that, as well as touches of guitar. It gives the song a sense of dimension and direction. I love how clean and rich her voice is, especially in the chorus.


Japanese | Pop

SAMURAI
Ai Check It

Japanese idol duo Tackey & Tsubasa are signed to Johnny & Associates and debuted in 2002 although they have a long pre-debut history with Johnny's too. Their last single was released in 2008, and I haven't been able to find much information on their activities since then. SAMURAI is an energetic, rock-influenced track. I love the bright brass riffs, but its a bit repetitive. Ai Check It is also rock-influenced, but it's a bit grittier than SAMURAI although these guys are definitely still pop-driven. It's catchy and dynamic. The chorus always gets stuck in my head.


Korean | Ballad

얼굴
뒤돌아봐

Joo is signed to JYP, and is most famous for her song 남자 때문에 (Because of A Man). She debuted in 2008 and has released a few OST songs after her first mini-album, but has been pretty quiet other than that. Okay, so she was featured on the Cinderella's Story OST (with the song 뒤돌아봐 above) just this April, so she hasn't really "disappeared". But I really hope she hasn't been relegated to releasing single songs on OSTs here and there. 얼굴 is a gorgeous mid-tempo ballad, it really showcases her warm, clear voice. A very pretty song with a lovely melody. It's very cleanly executed but doesn't compromise expressiveness. 뒤돌아봐 is from the aforementioned Cinderella's Story OST, her most recent song. It's another ballad, and Joo sounds fantastic as usual. I love how clean and smooth her voice is.


Korean | Rock

바래

So this four-piece Korean band released one album in 2007 and promptly disappeared. Like I mentioned before with My Aunt Mary about k-rock bands not exactly being the heaviest rock bands around, well, Bay is another example of that, so if you're looking for something heavier, this might not be to your liking. 바래 is an understated rock ballad. At first listen it seemed a bit bland to me, but it's grown on me a lot. I love their vocalist, his voice really shines through the accompaniment and carries the melody well.

Labels: Battle, Bay, Beige, Joo, Mot, My Aunt Mary, Tackey and Tsubasa

Sorry this rotation got backtracked so much. Hopefully it’s worth the wait, I’ve tried to upload as many runners-up as possible. This theme does not include any pop-rock, alternative rock, soft rock, etc. - but it does include rock ballads. Like with all the top ten/twenty themes, these are only the top songs in my opinion. Unfortunately, ruling out alt rock, soft rock, and “rock-influenced” groups/songs also ruled out many Korean or Chinese/Taiwanese groups. This rotation is extremely Japanese-dominated, but since pop songs were mainly Korean/Chinese and ballads were mostly Korean, I think overall it’s pretty fair. I haven’t been following rock music as much lately, so most of these songs will be a little older.

This rotation took a tiring amount of time to prepare, especially my comments (which get progressively worse), so please take the time to comment/leave a rating. Anyways, on to the music. =)
- Haruhi

#10. DOLLS - Janne da Arc
I really like Janne da Arc. Dolls is a mid-tempo track - the opening verses are a bit of a bore featuring a sweet if somewhat repetitive melody, but the chorus is great. It’s a slightly formulaic track, which kept it from moving up on the chart.

#9. Black Cherry - acid black cherry
I just realized I’d uploaded this before, way back in my tenth rotation, so there’s two links for you. A seamless blend of rock and jazz - Black Cherry starts out slow and ambient with light guitar and percussion, putting Yasu’s unique voice into the spotlight. Wailing electric guitars kick in and the percussion steps it up into a fast-paced fusion track, complete with trumpet riffs. A fantastic song from a great group.

#8. Orange Dream - Antic Cafe
This song was uploaded in rotation 19. Since most of their songs are upbeat and happy (after all, they are an oshare kei group), I was surprised at the richness and maturity of this ballad. I love the piano part - I think it adds a lot of colour to the song. The opening is heartbreakingly sad, but as the song builds it grows more and more hopeful and optimistic. A beautiful rock ballad.

#7. Et cetera - ONE OK ROCK
An angsty rock song, leaning more towards the style of American rock than Japanese. I absolutely love the chorus and the contrast in volume between the chorus and other verses. The arrangement might not be the most original or innovative, but it all fits together perfectly to make a unique and memorable song.

#6. yozora ni saku hana - Clavier
Returning to ballads, yozora ni saku hana opens with a sad piano intro. The whole song just has a certain flavor that’s unique to Japanese music, I can’t explain it - you’ll know it when you hear it. Toshi, their lead singer, has an expressively vulnerable but steady voice that suits the song perfectly. This group is technically oshare kei, but even in their other songs they don’t have a really sugary, sweet sound - their material is just generally brighter than visual kei stuff.

#5. Kimi ni Negai wo - Miyavi
Being the first Japanese artist I listened to, Miyavi had to show up somewhere on this rotation. This was also one of the first songs I heard by him. It’s a fairly bright, midtempo track driven by piano and guitars - and later, strings. Miyavi’s voice is soft and crooning pretty much everywhere but the chorus, but can still be heard over the relatively light accompaniment.

#4. Close - Mot
The sole Korean band to make the list (actually the only non-Japanese band), Close definitely deserves its position. Some people call them alt rock, but whatever. It’s such a unique song, filled with dazed, dreamy synths. Overall the song has a very sad, longing atmosphere, but its emotional value is what makes it good. It can get a little repetitive, which actually kind of adds to the atmosphere of the song - definitely try them out.

#3. Isshunfuran - B'z
A polar opposite of the sad, longing atmosphere in Close, Isshunfuran is upbeat, bright, and irresistably catchy. You can’t help but move along to it - it’s confident and assured. Not convinced? This duo has been around since 1988, and are considered the most popular rock group in Japan. They were also the first artists from Asia to have their handprints and signatures put in in Hollywood’s Rock Walk, placing them right alongside American rock legends like Black Sabbath, AC/DC, Iron Maiden, Les Paul, and Jimi Hendrix.

#2. Libra - MUCC
MUCC is one of my favourite j-rock groups. I still follow their releases despite losing interest in heavier rock (I posted a recent single of theirs not long ago). Libra is definitely my favourite song by them - it’s dark and gritty, but then it leads into the chorus, which is just stunningly beautiful and pure. I absolutely love the PV and lyrics, too.

#1. over - 12012
I knew this song would be in the top two when I started this rotation. 12012 is one of the first j-rock bands I listened to, and one of the first Japanese bands in general. “Over” is a simple but gorgeous ballad. The haunting melody always gets stuck in my head and I never forget it, even if I haven’t listened to the song in a long time.

Runners-up:

Carnation - Janne da Arc
A simple but beautiful relaxing acoustic ballad. If it was a little more of a rock song, it definitely would have made the list.

ブランコ - kannivalism
I love these guys, but unfortunately I think they’ve disbanded. A fairly slow, relaxing song with refreshing clear vocals and a dreamy arrangement. I prefer their upbeat songs, but couldn’t find any on my computer.

Lost Reason - abingdon boys school
I love this song. It was definitely close to making the list. It transitions from gritty and aggressive to softer, melodic portions. I absolutely love the chorus. A great song.

風の鳥 - Matenrou Opera
I really like this band in general; I wasn’t sure what song to upload by them. In the end, I chose a piano-based ballad, which shows their impressive vocalist. The piano is just gorgeous.

My Heart Draws a Dream - L’arc~en~Ciel
I’m sure most of you know this song, I’ve followed Laruku for a while but have never really picked out any real “favourites” by them. My Heart Draws a Dream would definitely come close - a fresh, mid-tempo track with a great melody. Of course, Hyde’s voice is wonderful.

JEALOUS -Reverse- - Dir en grey
There’s quite a few ballads in this rotation, huh? JEALOUS -Reverse- is another one, also piano-based, but Kyo’s unique voice sets it apart. I’ve kind of grown apart from their harder material where he screams more than he sings, but he has quite a nice voice when he’s actually singing, although he sounds a bit strained at times. It’s sad but hopeful, and very emotional.

Aribai - SID
A light-hearted, jazzy track that doesn’t take itself too seriously. It’s a breath of fresh air after listening to all these heavier rock songs or emotional ballads.

The Love From A Dead Orchestra - Versailles
This band’s whole image reflects splendor, royalty, etc. Their music, too, is extravagent - deep, thick vocals, a densely packed arrangement, many transitions. I love the slower, melodic verses of the song (eg. the one starting at 1:22), but unfortunately found the song to be on a whole too overdone. The slower portions where the different parts can actually be separated and viewed individually are the best. The transition about halfway through between the piano solo and the next, heavier portion of the song is roughly done - I would have thought it was going into a whole other track. A lot of great ideas and themes that got cramped together into one big song - personally, I think they could have been better and more fully explored, which kept this song from ranking higher.

Snow Flower - Plastic Tree
Ghost - Plastic Tree
Two great songs from another j-rock band that’s been around for a while: since 1993, to be exact. One of the first j-rock bands I really got into and one of few that I still loosely follow.

Night - Kazoku
I absolutely love the intro of this song. The transition into the actual song is brilliant and seamless. Faint jazz influences, a dark-ish, mysterious feel.

너 없인 행복할 수 없잖아 - Mary Story (I Can't Be Happy Without You)
I had to stick another Korean band in here somewhere. These guys are awesome, they were very close to making the list. A pretty light rock song that might even be considered soft-rock or pop-rock or whatever, but I love it. The melody is just extremely memorable to me, and even when I haven’t listened to this song for ages I can still recall it without any difficulty. Try them out if you haven’t, k-rock needs more attention - and these guys definitely deserve it.

Note: I ran out of tag characters, so I took the tag for Kazoku off because the song "Night" is already uploaded in a previous rotation, and they're tagged in that post.

I likely messed up at least one link, so if there's any mistakes with the links or anything else, please let me know!

Labels: 12012, abingdon boys school, acid black cherry, Antic Cafe, B'z, Clavier, Dir en grey, Janne da Arc, kannivalism, L'arc~en~Ciel, Mary Story, Matenrou Opera, miyavi, Mot, MUCC, ONE OK ROCK, Plastic Tree, SID, Versailles

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.

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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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