Mod Intro Post: Eriolgal
Hi, T3! My name's Laura, and I'm a music addict. ("Hiiiii, Lauraaaaaa." XD) Anyway, I've compiled a list of some of my favorite songs and artist for you. Wander in, pull up a chair, and enjoy!
Perfume - Perfect Star Perfect Style
5 MB || 4:18
J-pop/Techno
Okay, so I'm apparently not alone in my love for Perfume, as tsuyogari posted them in her picks too. OH WELL, YOU GET A SECOND HELPING OF PERFUME-Y GOODNESS.
Perfume has been around since 2001, though they didn't get a mainstream label until 2005. The three girls (Nocchi, Kashiyuka, and A~chan), are still SUPER young, as they're still only about 16 or 17 (I think? They were 11/12 when they formed the band in 2001). Man, I feel old and unaccomplished. XD;;
Anyway, "Perfect Star Perfect Style" is a catchy, sweet pop song, laced with a little bit of a techno edge. Perhaps because they are all so young, the vocals are really crisp and innocent. Their voices really meld well, and while you can pick out individuals if you listen closely, you mostly hear them as a seamless perfect unison. Under it all, you can hear the blips and boops, and a danceable techno beat. It's sweet and sleek and modern and hella fun. What can I say, Perfume just has a "perfect style"! (ahaha, *is shot*)
Taiyou no Uta - From Sunset to Sunrise
10 MB|| 5:44
Instrumental
Taiyou no Uta (Song of the Sun) is a Japanese drama about a girl who is allergic to sunlight. She's only allowed to go outside during the nighttime, from sunset to sunrise.
That idea, in essence, is where this song comes from. It's the ballad of someone at night, pining for the sun. As such, it's very melancholy, but very very pretty.
The song is the aural equivalent of walking alone on a beach at night, watching the moon shine on the water. It's beautiful, but lonely, and you wish you had someone to watch the waves with you.
Augh, what can I say, this is just so wonderfully crafted, get this NOW. XD;;
Hikaru Utada - Keep Tryin' (Acoustic Morning Remix)
4 MB || 4:06
J-pop/Acoustic
Unsurprisingly, I'm a HUGE Hikaru Utada fan. Something about her just meshes really well with my music preferences. I'm not quite sure what it is, to be honest. I admire her so much for being such an accomplished musician, as well as a beautiful, mature woman. She's a very strong person in a lot of ways, and it seems to give her music a certain strength and character.
This remix was done by Crescent, the same guy who did "Light Drops" (you might recognize it from one of Pearl's posts a while back). As much as I love his nikoichi versions of Hikki's songs, I think he does an amazing job of simply remixing tracks as well. Take, for example, this mix of "Keep Tryin'".
I was kind of so-so about the original "Keep Tryin'". I was never sure whether to feel happy or depressed after listening to it. The lyrics reflected a sort of resigned hopefulness, but the backing track was too sad to be truly optimistic. Crescent solved this by removing the original (largely synth-filled) accompaniment and replacing it with a warm, lovely acoustic guitar. The results are amazing. It becomes such a poem of hope and perseverence that it's impossible to feel sad while listening to it.
This is just a beautiful, perfect song, and it's one of my absolute favorites. Highly, highly recommended!
Heartsdales feat. SOUL'd OUT - Candy Pop
5 MB || 5:06
Hip-hop
I don't usually consider myself much of a hip-hop fan, but there's just something so catchy about this song. Listening to "Candy Pop" makes me dance like a stupid white girl. XD;;
The girls of Heartsdales and the guys of SOUL'd OUT rap back and forth playfully, sometimes interjecting into each other's verses ("SAY WHAT?"). XD It sounds like a double-date where both parties just like poking fun at each other. The lines from each mesh so well that it feels like a match made in heaven, too.
Instrumentally, there isn't much to listen to. As you might expect, there's a lot of backbeat, with a a little bit of synth and brass to emphasize certain lines. That's the way it should be though; this song's all about the guys and girls having a little fun together.
This is a great song, perfect for a first date in the summertime. :D
Kaela Kimura - Rirura Riruha (Real Life, Real Heart)
3 MB || 3:49
J-pop/Rock
Mmmm, Kimura Kaela. I just discovered her music earlier this year, but I've become a huge fan of her work.
She's the child of a British man and a Japanese woman, so her sound is a fusion of the two styles. Her music lands somewhere in between Hikaru Utada and the Beatles. XD;; It sounds so strange, I know! But really, Kaela has a fantastic ear for music, and she's one of my favorite artists. So trust me on this one, she's worth a listen.
"Rirura Riruha" is her best-selling single to date, off her second CD Circle. It's pretty easy to see why: her guitar work is strong, and the lyrics certainly play to her vocal skills. It's a quirky mix of funky British guitar and classic j-pop vocals...much like Kaela herself.
Morning Musume - Go Girl! Koi no Victory
5 MB || 4:12
J-pop
Ahhhh......MoMusu. Totally my J-pop guilty pleasure. It's not necessarily that they have outstanding performance skills or amazing singing, but they have a great energy that leaks through into the mind of the listener.
"Go Girl! Koi no Victory" is the group's 20th single. It almost sounds Christmas-y to me, since it has some sleigh bells sounds in the background, and the synth beats kind of remind me of snow. No, I don't know why either. It just strikes me like that.
A random bit of silliness: I always laugh at the "I'M IN LOVE, YOU GO BOY" part, since it's sung by male background singers. I totally expected the girls to sing it, but no. It's the guys. XD
Either way, MoMusu is cute, and this song always makes me laugh. It's a love song like any other, but sometimes it's fun to revel at the victory of falling in love.
Origa - Date of Rebirth
5 MB || 4:40
Origa is a Russian-born singer who moved to Japan in adulthood. She already has my respect for that, simply because she's fluent in two very different (and very difficult!) languages. She's a very accomplished musician, as she's been taking singing lessons and the like since the age of 5. I can't get enough of her voice.
Anyone familiar with the Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex anime will recognize Origa. She sings a bunch of the show's songs, including the intro theme "Rise". This song is the ending theme to Stand Alone Complex: Solid State Society, and I simply love it.
What's amazing about the GitS songs is the perfect unison of perfect opposites. Origa's classically trained and she has a very traditional, almost operatic, voice. Yet Yoko Kanno made the choice to layer her lyrics over very cutting-edge techno beats. It's a sexy and stylish blend of classic and innovative. Ahhh, I just love it!
IF YOU DOWNLOAD ANYTHING FROM THIS ROTATION, PLEASE LET IT BE THIS! PLEASEPLEASEPLEASE! :DDDDDDDDDD *totally not excited AT ALL*
Maaya Sakamoto - Tell Me What the Rain Knows
2 MB || 1:41
J-pop
Maaya Sakamoto. I'm not so sure she needs much of an introduction; after all, she's one of the most prolific and popular j-pop singers/actresses in Japan today.
Aww, this song always makes me feel so sad. It's just so haunting and beautiful. The harp emphasizes the purity of Maaya's voice, and makes the sorrow all the more palpable. There are echoes of water in this song, with the harp mimicking raindrops and swell of strings in the background washing the listener away on a vast, lonely sea.
Like all of my favorite Maaya songs, this one was written and composed by Yoko Kanno. You can hear some of her signature musical flourishes too, but they just so perfectly compliment Maaya.
Halcali - HALCALISM "Candy Hearts"
6 MB || 4:48
J-pop/Hip-hop
Ahhh, Halcali. :D I'm sort of so-so about their more recent stuff, but GOD am I addicted to Bacon, their debut CD. It reminds me a lot of just hanging out with my friends and being dorky.
"Candy Hearts" is like the theme song for Halcali. They're all about "Peace...Love...Unity...and Having Fun!"
And man, it IS fun, even to listen to. That's pretty much what Halcali's all about...two Japanese girls dancing around and doing silly stuff. With cowbells in the background. Because every good hip-hop song needs a cowbell or two.
Metamorphosis Jazz Band - Naruhodou Ryuuichi-Objection!
8 MB || 5:31
Jazz/Instrumental
Time to finish up with something REALLY obscure. Okay, I must confess a closet addiction: a video game series called Gyakuten Saiban, or Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney! in English. Yup, it's a video game about lawyers. XD;; But that's neither here nor there! The point I'm tying to make is that PW has AWESOME music.
In addition to the soundtracks of all of the games, the music producers have released two other CDs: Gyakuten Meets Orchestra and Gyakuten Meets Jazz/Soul, providing rearranged versions of the music. This song, taken from the Jazz/Soul CD, is a variation of the main character's theme song.
Sound a little obtuse? Maybe. But the beautiful thing is that you don't really need to have any knowledge of the games to enjoy the compositions of the songs.
The original "Objection" theme is fun and catchy, and the energy is definately recreated in this version. Individual instrument solos abound, but that just adds to the fun. It's pretty swinging, but mellow enough to relax to.
Anyway, I just wanted to share this criminally-obscure music (no pun intended -- since it's a video game about lawyers >.>). I hope you guys enjoy it as much as I do!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Thanks so much for reading, guys! :D I'd love to hear any comments or feedback you guys might have, and I look forward to seeing you soon!
Perfume - Perfect Star Perfect Style
5 MB || 4:18
J-pop/Techno
Okay, so I'm apparently not alone in my love for Perfume, as tsuyogari posted them in her picks too. OH WELL, YOU GET A SECOND HELPING OF PERFUME-Y GOODNESS.
Perfume has been around since 2001, though they didn't get a mainstream label until 2005. The three girls (Nocchi, Kashiyuka, and A~chan), are still SUPER young, as they're still only about 16 or 17 (I think? They were 11/12 when they formed the band in 2001). Man, I feel old and unaccomplished. XD;;
Anyway, "Perfect Star Perfect Style" is a catchy, sweet pop song, laced with a little bit of a techno edge. Perhaps because they are all so young, the vocals are really crisp and innocent. Their voices really meld well, and while you can pick out individuals if you listen closely, you mostly hear them as a seamless perfect unison. Under it all, you can hear the blips and boops, and a danceable techno beat. It's sweet and sleek and modern and hella fun. What can I say, Perfume just has a "perfect style"! (ahaha, *is shot*)
Taiyou no Uta - From Sunset to Sunrise
10 MB|| 5:44
Instrumental
Taiyou no Uta (Song of the Sun) is a Japanese drama about a girl who is allergic to sunlight. She's only allowed to go outside during the nighttime, from sunset to sunrise.
That idea, in essence, is where this song comes from. It's the ballad of someone at night, pining for the sun. As such, it's very melancholy, but very very pretty.
The song is the aural equivalent of walking alone on a beach at night, watching the moon shine on the water. It's beautiful, but lonely, and you wish you had someone to watch the waves with you.
Augh, what can I say, this is just so wonderfully crafted, get this NOW. XD;;
Hikaru Utada - Keep Tryin' (Acoustic Morning Remix)
4 MB || 4:06
J-pop/Acoustic
Unsurprisingly, I'm a HUGE Hikaru Utada fan. Something about her just meshes really well with my music preferences. I'm not quite sure what it is, to be honest. I admire her so much for being such an accomplished musician, as well as a beautiful, mature woman. She's a very strong person in a lot of ways, and it seems to give her music a certain strength and character.
This remix was done by Crescent, the same guy who did "Light Drops" (you might recognize it from one of Pearl's posts a while back). As much as I love his nikoichi versions of Hikki's songs, I think he does an amazing job of simply remixing tracks as well. Take, for example, this mix of "Keep Tryin'".
I was kind of so-so about the original "Keep Tryin'". I was never sure whether to feel happy or depressed after listening to it. The lyrics reflected a sort of resigned hopefulness, but the backing track was too sad to be truly optimistic. Crescent solved this by removing the original (largely synth-filled) accompaniment and replacing it with a warm, lovely acoustic guitar. The results are amazing. It becomes such a poem of hope and perseverence that it's impossible to feel sad while listening to it.
This is just a beautiful, perfect song, and it's one of my absolute favorites. Highly, highly recommended!
Heartsdales feat. SOUL'd OUT - Candy Pop
5 MB || 5:06
Hip-hop
I don't usually consider myself much of a hip-hop fan, but there's just something so catchy about this song. Listening to "Candy Pop" makes me dance like a stupid white girl. XD;;
The girls of Heartsdales and the guys of SOUL'd OUT rap back and forth playfully, sometimes interjecting into each other's verses ("SAY WHAT?"). XD It sounds like a double-date where both parties just like poking fun at each other. The lines from each mesh so well that it feels like a match made in heaven, too.
Instrumentally, there isn't much to listen to. As you might expect, there's a lot of backbeat, with a a little bit of synth and brass to emphasize certain lines. That's the way it should be though; this song's all about the guys and girls having a little fun together.
This is a great song, perfect for a first date in the summertime. :D
Kaela Kimura - Rirura Riruha (Real Life, Real Heart)
3 MB || 3:49
J-pop/Rock
Mmmm, Kimura Kaela. I just discovered her music earlier this year, but I've become a huge fan of her work.
She's the child of a British man and a Japanese woman, so her sound is a fusion of the two styles. Her music lands somewhere in between Hikaru Utada and the Beatles. XD;; It sounds so strange, I know! But really, Kaela has a fantastic ear for music, and she's one of my favorite artists. So trust me on this one, she's worth a listen.
"Rirura Riruha" is her best-selling single to date, off her second CD Circle. It's pretty easy to see why: her guitar work is strong, and the lyrics certainly play to her vocal skills. It's a quirky mix of funky British guitar and classic j-pop vocals...much like Kaela herself.
Morning Musume - Go Girl! Koi no Victory
5 MB || 4:12
J-pop
Ahhhh......MoMusu. Totally my J-pop guilty pleasure. It's not necessarily that they have outstanding performance skills or amazing singing, but they have a great energy that leaks through into the mind of the listener.
"Go Girl! Koi no Victory" is the group's 20th single. It almost sounds Christmas-y to me, since it has some sleigh bells sounds in the background, and the synth beats kind of remind me of snow. No, I don't know why either. It just strikes me like that.
A random bit of silliness: I always laugh at the "I'M IN LOVE, YOU GO BOY" part, since it's sung by male background singers. I totally expected the girls to sing it, but no. It's the guys. XD
Either way, MoMusu is cute, and this song always makes me laugh. It's a love song like any other, but sometimes it's fun to revel at the victory of falling in love.
Origa - Date of Rebirth
5 MB || 4:40
Origa is a Russian-born singer who moved to Japan in adulthood. She already has my respect for that, simply because she's fluent in two very different (and very difficult!) languages. She's a very accomplished musician, as she's been taking singing lessons and the like since the age of 5. I can't get enough of her voice.
Anyone familiar with the Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex anime will recognize Origa. She sings a bunch of the show's songs, including the intro theme "Rise". This song is the ending theme to Stand Alone Complex: Solid State Society, and I simply love it.
What's amazing about the GitS songs is the perfect unison of perfect opposites. Origa's classically trained and she has a very traditional, almost operatic, voice. Yet Yoko Kanno made the choice to layer her lyrics over very cutting-edge techno beats. It's a sexy and stylish blend of classic and innovative. Ahhh, I just love it!
IF YOU DOWNLOAD ANYTHING FROM THIS ROTATION, PLEASE LET IT BE THIS! PLEASEPLEASEPLEASE! :DDDDDDDDDD *totally not excited AT ALL*
Maaya Sakamoto - Tell Me What the Rain Knows
2 MB || 1:41
J-pop
Maaya Sakamoto. I'm not so sure she needs much of an introduction; after all, she's one of the most prolific and popular j-pop singers/actresses in Japan today.
Aww, this song always makes me feel so sad. It's just so haunting and beautiful. The harp emphasizes the purity of Maaya's voice, and makes the sorrow all the more palpable. There are echoes of water in this song, with the harp mimicking raindrops and swell of strings in the background washing the listener away on a vast, lonely sea.
Like all of my favorite Maaya songs, this one was written and composed by Yoko Kanno. You can hear some of her signature musical flourishes too, but they just so perfectly compliment Maaya.
Halcali - HALCALISM "Candy Hearts"
6 MB || 4:48
J-pop/Hip-hop
Ahhh, Halcali. :D I'm sort of so-so about their more recent stuff, but GOD am I addicted to Bacon, their debut CD. It reminds me a lot of just hanging out with my friends and being dorky.
"Candy Hearts" is like the theme song for Halcali. They're all about "Peace...Love...Unity...and Having Fun!"
And man, it IS fun, even to listen to. That's pretty much what Halcali's all about...two Japanese girls dancing around and doing silly stuff. With cowbells in the background. Because every good hip-hop song needs a cowbell or two.
Metamorphosis Jazz Band - Naruhodou Ryuuichi-Objection!
8 MB || 5:31
Jazz/Instrumental
Time to finish up with something REALLY obscure. Okay, I must confess a closet addiction: a video game series called Gyakuten Saiban, or Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney! in English. Yup, it's a video game about lawyers. XD;; But that's neither here nor there! The point I'm tying to make is that PW has AWESOME music.
In addition to the soundtracks of all of the games, the music producers have released two other CDs: Gyakuten Meets Orchestra and Gyakuten Meets Jazz/Soul, providing rearranged versions of the music. This song, taken from the Jazz/Soul CD, is a variation of the main character's theme song.
Sound a little obtuse? Maybe. But the beautiful thing is that you don't really need to have any knowledge of the games to enjoy the compositions of the songs.
The original "Objection" theme is fun and catchy, and the energy is definately recreated in this version. Individual instrument solos abound, but that just adds to the fun. It's pretty swinging, but mellow enough to relax to.
Anyway, I just wanted to share this criminally-obscure music (no pun intended -- since it's a video game about lawyers >.>). I hope you guys enjoy it as much as I do!
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Thanks so much for reading, guys! :D I'd love to hear any comments or feedback you guys might have, and I look forward to seeing you soon!