I just wanted to let you guys know that I will not be rotating this week, instead I will be working on uploading songs that were picked for the number lottery which ends on Tuesday. There were quite a few songs picked & I'm trying to review each of them too, so it might take a while to get those up. Sorry in advance about the wait!

On another note, Alistere is having problems with her Internet which is why she didn't rotate last week. =) Also, you might have seen that we have a new contributer to the site, Cate! I am still accepting contributers to the site, so if you are interested in occasionally posting up music or reviews, feel free to contact me at tokyomonochrome@gmail.com for more information.

In the meantime, I've uploaded a couple songs for you guys that have recently been released. There's been quite a few recent releases that I've been excited about (eg. TaeGoon, Lee Seung Gi, Epik High) so I thought I'd share a few . =) Please comment or leave a rating if taking!



❖ 어떻게 니가 - ShinJae (신재)
Korean | Ballad
I wasn't too sure about him at first - seeing the cover image I was expecting upbeat, dance-style songs, but the genre said ballad. Overall, I'm glad I gave him a try - his voice is warm and rich, and has depth without being too husky. Arrangement-wise, it's a classic, uplifting strings-and-piano ballad that makes good use of dynamics, starting out softly and building up to a stronger chorus although it's slightly predictable. Not an exceptional song, but a promising one.

❖ 사랑병 - ShinJae (신재)
Korean | Ballad
사랑병 has stronger pop routes. I really love how the piano arrangement echoes the melody - it ties in with his voice very nicely, although I found it a bit overpowering in some places. A sweet, bright song - my only complaint is, as with the first track, that it was a bit bland. I think he has a lot of potential, but compositionally his songs are a bit lacklustre.



❖ 말해줘 - TaeGoon
Korean | Pop/Dance
TaeGoon is a fairly new artist, but so far I've been quite impressed with his releases. 말해줘 is from his third mini-album, and following in the style of his older releases, it's strongly electronica-influenced. It's very catchy and the rap portions remind me a bit of Big Bang (in fact, I've seen him compared to Big Bang quite a lot), but I think it'll take a few more listens to really grow on me. It just seems a bit flat and two-dimensional, I feel like it isn't as powerful as some of his previous releases.

❖ Finally - TaeGoon
Korean | Pop/Dance
A fast-paced and energetic song. At first I found the synths in this song way too overpowering, but they really suit the atmosphere of the song. The chorus is catchy and overall the song has the power that I felt was missing in 말해줘. This is also one of the few songs where I actually didn't mind/liked the use of autotune.



❖ 愛されたい (Aisaretai) - Hiromi
Japanese | R&B/Pop/Ballad
I first heard Hiromi in a song with Nao'ymt (called Recover), and I really loved her voice. It's smooth, clear, strong, and perfectly suited for R&B. Aisaretai is a pretty R&B ballad. Hiromi's seasoned vocals and powerful harmonies really add a lot of colour to the song. I love the repetitive keyboard melody in the background.



❖ 사랑이 맴돈다 - Lee Seung Gi
Korean | Ballad
I love his voice so much. <3 It's light, clear, and melodic. 사랑이 맴돈다 is a mid-tempo ballad. It seems like a blend of modern elements (as seen in percussion, synths) and the "classic" ballad with the occasional appearance of strings. I'll admit I'm probably more than a little biased towards him, but I really enjoyed this song.

❖ 사랑이란 - Lee Seung Gi (Sa Rang Ee Ran)
Korean | Ballad
Something a little brighter and more sugary from Seung Gi. 사랑이란 is cheery and poppy. Although I still prefer his ballads, it's definitely nice to see a few more upbeat songs in an album dominated by ballads. I really like the ending where he's just singing "La la la" to the melody.



❖ 선물 (ft. 박지윤/Park Ji Yoon) - Epik High
Korean | Hip-Hop
Epik High and Park Ji Yoon? Definitely an exciting collaboration. 선물 is simply lovely arrangement-wise. I love the light, rich piano and Latin-influenced bass/percussion. Ji Yoon's airy, feminine voice contrasts perfectly with the rapping.

Labels: Epik High, Hiromi, Lee Seung Gi, ShinJae, Tae Goon

So we have a new layout, featuring Se7en.

This week's rotation is recent releases. I apologize if it's a bit messy - I have final exams coming up next week, so I haven't had a lot of time to prepare this rotation. Exams are also the reason the rotation is up early; I need to study over the weekend. I promise my next update will have a real theme. T_T

Please remember to comment. Lately the number of comments has been going down again.

~ Haruhi

7 Teen (Single) - May Doni
KOREAN | POP
1. ID (I`m Maydoni)
2. 몰라 Ing (feat. 2AM) (Molla Ing)
3. 처음처럼 (feat. JULY)
4. 몰라 Ing (IS MIX) (Feat. 2AM)
5. 몰라 Ing (M/V Edit) (Feat. 2AM)
6. ID (I`m Maydoni) (Inst.)
7. 몰라 Ing (Inst.)
8. 처음처럼 (Inst.)

I only uploaded the three main tracks. If you would like any of the remixes/edits/instrumentals, just let me know and I'll be happy to upload them. This girl has been hailed as the "female Se7en" - she was formerly under JYP, then moved to YG, and I don't know what label this single was released under. I had high expectations for this single, but it wasn't quite what I expected. She has a very powerful voice, but it comes off almost too roughly in ID (I'm Maydoni). I'm not too fond of her rapping, either. The song is hip-hop influenced, but the beat and accompaniment is quite unattractive and doesn't have much contrast or form. 몰라 Ing is a light-hearted poppy track featuring 2AM. Her voice is a lot less aggressive in this track, although still strong. The chorus is sweet and catchy, but overall I thought the song was a bit boring. 2AM's contribution does add a nice dimension to the song, but for me it just felt lacking. 처음처럼 (feat. JULY) is a ballad. May Doni's voice is clear and melodic. The accompaniment is solid but stays in the background enough to let her vocals shine through. I thought the rap verse was unnecessary and took away some of the stark, stripped down feel of the song. I've never heard of JULY, I'm guessing it's the male singer that contributes to the final verse of the song. Probably my favourite track off this single.

1st Mini Album - Tae Goon
KOREAN | POP/DANCE
1. Intro
2. Call Me
3. One Two Step
4. My Girl
5. I Understand You(feat.H-Eugene)
6. Hands Up

I think JaeJoong (DBSK) appeared in the MV for Call Me, but I could be wrong. The intro is just a short 35-second ... well, introduction, for lack of a better word. His style reminds me of Big Bang, especially Call Me, which is strung with techno influences. One Two Step slows things down at first, but builds. He does have quite a nice voice. A catchy and light-hearted song - I love the echoing in the chorus. My Girl is a smooth, relaxing, R&B-influenced track. As part of the mini-album it's all right, but listening to it on its own it's quite forgettable. I Understand You picks up the pace again. It's bright, upbeat, and straightforward. Hands Up takes a bit of a darker tone, with an aggressive, pulsing beat. I thought it was good, but not outstanding.

Personalize - Vae
MANDARIN | POP/BALLAD
2. 多餘的解釋 (Superfluous Explanation)
3. 有何不可 (Why not)
5. 清明雨上 (Upon the Clear Rain)

Just a few choice songs from Vae's album. He's been compared to Jay Chou - their styles are fairly similar, blending classical Chinese components with modern music. His voice, however, is quite different - clear-cut and melodic. 多餘的解釋 (Superfluous Explanation) leads into a rap verse early on in the song. It's mid-tempo and emotional. 有何不可 (Why not) is sweet and catchy. It's pleasing to listen to, but doesn't have much substance. 清明雨上 (Upon the Clear Rain) has very clear Chinese influences, although in my opinion Vae balances them out better than Jay Chou. Another nice thing, this track doesn't have any of the high-pitched warbled "singing" that is often in Jay Chou's songs. T_T Anyways, a really beautiful song.

D's New Attraction - Danson Tang
MANDARIN | POP
3. 新歌 Xin Ge (New Song)
4. 告訴我 Gao Shu Wo (Tell Me)

Two tracks from Danson Tang's latest album - even if you haven't heard any of his songs, you'll probably have watched dramas that he's in. Sorry, I don't have any translations/romanizations for the song names yet. If I find them, I'll be sure to add them - or, let me know if you have them. 新歌 starts out with sampling from Fur Elise, which initially made me think I wouldn't like the song - I'm not really fond of sampling from classical music. But it leads into an original piano solo, and then into the first verse. A hopeful if somewhat typical mid-tempo ballad, the piano solos and instrumental bridge made it stand out to me. 告訴我 is another ballad with a more solemn tone. Danson's voice is clear and lyrical. I really like the chorus. At first listen it didn't really stand out to me, but it's starting to grow on me.

Joanna & Wang Run Lin - Joanna Wang
ENGLISH | JAZZ
Aubrey
lyrics | listen to the original here
This song is a cover of a song of the same title by Bread, I've provided links to the lyrics & the original song on Youtube. Some of you might remember that I uploaded Joanna's first album when it released - I absolutely love her voice. I was so excited when her second album released this month - I enjoyed it, but there was only one track that absolutely stood out to me and that was Aubrey. The lyrics are sweet but sad at the same time - I have learned to lead a life apart from all the rest./If I cant have the one I want, I'll do without the best. Personally, I prefer Joanna's cover to the original. Her signature soft, crooning voice suits the song perfectly. Aubrey is slow and rich with emotion. The first line is my favourite, and was what made the song so memorable to me - And Aubrey was her name. Highly recommended.

Labels: Danson Tang, Joanna Wang, May Doni, Tae Goon, Vae

I just wanted to let you guys know that I will not be rotating this week, instead I will be working on uploading songs that were picked for the number lottery which ends on Tuesday. There were quite a few songs picked & I'm trying to review each of them too, so it might take a while to get those up. Sorry in advance about the wait!

On another note, Alistere is having problems with her Internet which is why she didn't rotate last week. =) Also, you might have seen that we have a new contributer to the site, Cate! I am still accepting contributers to the site, so if you are interested in occasionally posting up music or reviews, feel free to contact me at tokyomonochrome@gmail.com for more information.

In the meantime, I've uploaded a couple songs for you guys that have recently been released. There's been quite a few recent releases that I've been excited about (eg. TaeGoon, Lee Seung Gi, Epik High) so I thought I'd share a few . =) Please comment or leave a rating if taking!



❖ 어떻게 니가 - ShinJae (신재)
Korean | Ballad
I wasn't too sure about him at first - seeing the cover image I was expecting upbeat, dance-style songs, but the genre said ballad. Overall, I'm glad I gave him a try - his voice is warm and rich, and has depth without being too husky. Arrangement-wise, it's a classic, uplifting strings-and-piano ballad that makes good use of dynamics, starting out softly and building up to a stronger chorus although it's slightly predictable. Not an exceptional song, but a promising one.

❖ 사랑병 - ShinJae (신재)
Korean | Ballad
사랑병 has stronger pop routes. I really love how the piano arrangement echoes the melody - it ties in with his voice very nicely, although I found it a bit overpowering in some places. A sweet, bright song - my only complaint is, as with the first track, that it was a bit bland. I think he has a lot of potential, but compositionally his songs are a bit lacklustre.



❖ 말해줘 - TaeGoon
Korean | Pop/Dance
TaeGoon is a fairly new artist, but so far I've been quite impressed with his releases. 말해줘 is from his third mini-album, and following in the style of his older releases, it's strongly electronica-influenced. It's very catchy and the rap portions remind me a bit of Big Bang (in fact, I've seen him compared to Big Bang quite a lot), but I think it'll take a few more listens to really grow on me. It just seems a bit flat and two-dimensional, I feel like it isn't as powerful as some of his previous releases.

❖ Finally - TaeGoon
Korean | Pop/Dance
A fast-paced and energetic song. At first I found the synths in this song way too overpowering, but they really suit the atmosphere of the song. The chorus is catchy and overall the song has the power that I felt was missing in 말해줘. This is also one of the few songs where I actually didn't mind/liked the use of autotune.



❖ 愛されたい (Aisaretai) - Hiromi
Japanese | R&B/Pop/Ballad
I first heard Hiromi in a song with Nao'ymt (called Recover), and I really loved her voice. It's smooth, clear, strong, and perfectly suited for R&B. Aisaretai is a pretty R&B ballad. Hiromi's seasoned vocals and powerful harmonies really add a lot of colour to the song. I love the repetitive keyboard melody in the background.



❖ 사랑이 맴돈다 - Lee Seung Gi
Korean | Ballad
I love his voice so much. <3 It's light, clear, and melodic. 사랑이 맴돈다 is a mid-tempo ballad. It seems like a blend of modern elements (as seen in percussion, synths) and the "classic" ballad with the occasional appearance of strings. I'll admit I'm probably more than a little biased towards him, but I really enjoyed this song.

❖ 사랑이란 - Lee Seung Gi (Sa Rang Ee Ran)
Korean | Ballad
Something a little brighter and more sugary from Seung Gi. 사랑이란 is cheery and poppy. Although I still prefer his ballads, it's definitely nice to see a few more upbeat songs in an album dominated by ballads. I really like the ending where he's just singing "La la la" to the melody.



❖ 선물 (ft. 박지윤/Park Ji Yoon) - Epik High
Korean | Hip-Hop
Epik High and Park Ji Yoon? Definitely an exciting collaboration. 선물 is simply lovely arrangement-wise. I love the light, rich piano and Latin-influenced bass/percussion. Ji Yoon's airy, feminine voice contrasts perfectly with the rapping.

Labels: Epik High, Hiromi, Lee Seung Gi, ShinJae, Tae Goon

So we have a new layout, featuring Se7en.

This week's rotation is recent releases. I apologize if it's a bit messy - I have final exams coming up next week, so I haven't had a lot of time to prepare this rotation. Exams are also the reason the rotation is up early; I need to study over the weekend. I promise my next update will have a real theme. T_T

Please remember to comment. Lately the number of comments has been going down again.

~ Haruhi

7 Teen (Single) - May Doni
KOREAN | POP
1. ID (I`m Maydoni)
2. 몰라 Ing (feat. 2AM) (Molla Ing)
3. 처음처럼 (feat. JULY)
4. 몰라 Ing (IS MIX) (Feat. 2AM)
5. 몰라 Ing (M/V Edit) (Feat. 2AM)
6. ID (I`m Maydoni) (Inst.)
7. 몰라 Ing (Inst.)
8. 처음처럼 (Inst.)

I only uploaded the three main tracks. If you would like any of the remixes/edits/instrumentals, just let me know and I'll be happy to upload them. This girl has been hailed as the "female Se7en" - she was formerly under JYP, then moved to YG, and I don't know what label this single was released under. I had high expectations for this single, but it wasn't quite what I expected. She has a very powerful voice, but it comes off almost too roughly in ID (I'm Maydoni). I'm not too fond of her rapping, either. The song is hip-hop influenced, but the beat and accompaniment is quite unattractive and doesn't have much contrast or form. 몰라 Ing is a light-hearted poppy track featuring 2AM. Her voice is a lot less aggressive in this track, although still strong. The chorus is sweet and catchy, but overall I thought the song was a bit boring. 2AM's contribution does add a nice dimension to the song, but for me it just felt lacking. 처음처럼 (feat. JULY) is a ballad. May Doni's voice is clear and melodic. The accompaniment is solid but stays in the background enough to let her vocals shine through. I thought the rap verse was unnecessary and took away some of the stark, stripped down feel of the song. I've never heard of JULY, I'm guessing it's the male singer that contributes to the final verse of the song. Probably my favourite track off this single.

1st Mini Album - Tae Goon
KOREAN | POP/DANCE
1. Intro
2. Call Me
3. One Two Step
4. My Girl
5. I Understand You(feat.H-Eugene)
6. Hands Up

I think JaeJoong (DBSK) appeared in the MV for Call Me, but I could be wrong. The intro is just a short 35-second ... well, introduction, for lack of a better word. His style reminds me of Big Bang, especially Call Me, which is strung with techno influences. One Two Step slows things down at first, but builds. He does have quite a nice voice. A catchy and light-hearted song - I love the echoing in the chorus. My Girl is a smooth, relaxing, R&B-influenced track. As part of the mini-album it's all right, but listening to it on its own it's quite forgettable. I Understand You picks up the pace again. It's bright, upbeat, and straightforward. Hands Up takes a bit of a darker tone, with an aggressive, pulsing beat. I thought it was good, but not outstanding.

Personalize - Vae
MANDARIN | POP/BALLAD
2. 多餘的解釋 (Superfluous Explanation)
3. 有何不可 (Why not)
5. 清明雨上 (Upon the Clear Rain)

Just a few choice songs from Vae's album. He's been compared to Jay Chou - their styles are fairly similar, blending classical Chinese components with modern music. His voice, however, is quite different - clear-cut and melodic. 多餘的解釋 (Superfluous Explanation) leads into a rap verse early on in the song. It's mid-tempo and emotional. 有何不可 (Why not) is sweet and catchy. It's pleasing to listen to, but doesn't have much substance. 清明雨上 (Upon the Clear Rain) has very clear Chinese influences, although in my opinion Vae balances them out better than Jay Chou. Another nice thing, this track doesn't have any of the high-pitched warbled "singing" that is often in Jay Chou's songs. T_T Anyways, a really beautiful song.

D's New Attraction - Danson Tang
MANDARIN | POP
3. 新歌 Xin Ge (New Song)
4. 告訴我 Gao Shu Wo (Tell Me)

Two tracks from Danson Tang's latest album - even if you haven't heard any of his songs, you'll probably have watched dramas that he's in. Sorry, I don't have any translations/romanizations for the song names yet. If I find them, I'll be sure to add them - or, let me know if you have them. 新歌 starts out with sampling from Fur Elise, which initially made me think I wouldn't like the song - I'm not really fond of sampling from classical music. But it leads into an original piano solo, and then into the first verse. A hopeful if somewhat typical mid-tempo ballad, the piano solos and instrumental bridge made it stand out to me. 告訴我 is another ballad with a more solemn tone. Danson's voice is clear and lyrical. I really like the chorus. At first listen it didn't really stand out to me, but it's starting to grow on me.

Joanna & Wang Run Lin - Joanna Wang
ENGLISH | JAZZ
Aubrey
lyrics | listen to the original here
This song is a cover of a song of the same title by Bread, I've provided links to the lyrics & the original song on Youtube. Some of you might remember that I uploaded Joanna's first album when it released - I absolutely love her voice. I was so excited when her second album released this month - I enjoyed it, but there was only one track that absolutely stood out to me and that was Aubrey. The lyrics are sweet but sad at the same time - I have learned to lead a life apart from all the rest./If I cant have the one I want, I'll do without the best. Personally, I prefer Joanna's cover to the original. Her signature soft, crooning voice suits the song perfectly. Aubrey is slow and rich with emotion. The first line is my favourite, and was what made the song so memorable to me - And Aubrey was her name. Highly recommended.

Labels: Danson Tang, Joanna Wang, May Doni, Tae Goon, Vae

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.

phase down | aqueous transmission | quietus | SnakeRoot | Dong Bang World | you start it | Ongoing Melody


If you would like to be affiliates, send me an e-mail at ungathering@hotmail.com.

link in: