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| Music Moments | |
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3.09.2008
7:20 AM | Link |
 Ready for some quick comments on ancient CDs that everyone else has already reviewed? Great, here we go! Way back at my first A-Kon I was lucky enough to see Dream in concert, so I decided to get their 7th Anniversary Best album, especially since it came with a DVD of all of their videos, which I only recently watched all the way through, loving every minute. I really enjoyed their voices and harmonies, so it's too bad they aren't around anymore. Speaking of not being around, I also bought Biyuden's Single Best 9 Vol 1 Omaktsuki with no idea their demise was right around the corner, mainly because I can't resist greatest hits albums. Rika is so cute and sexy that she's alternately attractive and appalling, but it's just fun to listen to someone sing about hamidasu bubun every now and then! Next up is Matsuura Aya's Double Rainbow album, and I have to say that her transformation to adult contemporary is pretty much complete. She really seems to be playing it safe on this CD, but I can't complain too much since I love sappy ballads, and she really sings some great ones here! Back to older stuff, and sticking with my greatest hits addiction, I got Otsuka Ai's Ai am Best compilation - whenever CDs like this come with a DVD of videos, I almost always buy it! Her videos are all fantastic and lovely, and she really shows a wide range of emotions (when she lets a tear fall it's almost unbearable!). Sure, her voice is unmistakably anime-style, but she can make it sound fantastic, so I was completely impressed! Finally, I departed from Jpop for my fifth CD and got Switchfoot's The Beautiful Letdown after hearing one of their songs in church, and I've really enjoyed listening to their brand of "philosophy rock". It's definitely a great album when you want to feel defiant and positive at the same time!
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| Music Moments | |
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12.19.2007
8:46 AM | Link |
 It's time for five more mini music reviews, featuring a little Disney, a little Christmas, and some Jpop, of course! I'll start with Walt Disney's Alice in Wonderland, which is an amazing soundtrack re-recording that's only available via iTunes. I never realized that Disney made these studio recreations, but the sound quality and arrangements are fantastic compared to the original movie score. I actually prefer Kathryn Beaumont's cute English voice over Darlene Gillespie's, but she did a fine job (I think she was the most talented classic Mouseketeer)!After finishing up every last episode of Sailor Moon recently, I really wanted to have all the cheesy songs in my collection, so I was happy to discover Sailor Moon Super Best, which includes all the themes and other numbers from all seasons of the show. Some of these are actually cool ballads in a retro kind of way, especially if you appreciate the 70's style horns and strings (so different from anime soundtracks today!). But most importantly, I'll always enjoy singing Moonlight Densetsu! Each year I always buy myself a new holiday album, and this year I was persuaded by an iTunes sale to get Mr. Hankey's Christmas Classics, featuring all of the South Park characters butchering classic Christmas carols as well as other songs that simply set a new standard for holiday irreverence! This CD is totally hilarious if you have an extremely open-minded sense of humor, and I have to admit that I love singing along with everyone's favorite magical Christmas poo! Now on to Jpop! I had to buy Morning Musume's All Singles Complete collection, even though I already had all of these songs on other albums, just because the concept and packaging was so cool, and it's worth it to me to have all of these songs in order on a nice CD set (which has been playing in my car for weeks now!). The bonus DVD, where each member chooses their favorite concert performance, has some great older footage that I hadn't seen before, but why did so many of them have to pick Do It Now? Maybe they just like holding the microphones upside down for the rap! Finally, I really like Morning Musume's new single Mikan, even though it's a pretty big jump stylistically from their previous two singles, but I guess it's time for a peppy, anime theme-ish song. I definitely enjoy the lyrics and the cool little piano licks, as well as Reina's lines in the final chorus (I thought it was funny when she mentioned them on Five Stars!). The video is lots of fun, too, but I have to say that I'm not a fan of eye reflection effects, and the little squares on their eyeballs make everyone look like robots! Labels: anime, cds, disney, jpop, morning musume |
| Music Moments | |
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11.19.2007
8:40 PM | Link |
 One of the reasons I like to write WEBmikey is to keep track of the things I watch, read, and hear, but I always seem to forget to write about CDs (or I get too lazy to really say anything interesting). So, I've decided to adopt the same tactic (or cop-out!) that I use in my Manga Mentions series, which means I'll just briefly mention (and slightly review) the previous five CDs that I've been enjoying. So, here's the first Music Moments post! Just to prove how behind I am listening to things, I'll start with GAM's first album Amai Yuwaku (which was released back in May!). Who knows if GAM has a future, but I'm glad they at least got this CD out the door, because I really like it (although I wish the piano-only version of Melodies from the CD single was included). After watching Linda Linda Linda, I did the obvious thing and bought Blue Hearts' Super Best compilation CD, which is fantastic to listen to when I'm in the right mood. They seem so tame compared to what most people call punk, but I love the emotion that pours out through that scratchy voice. Next, after enjoying several Zone videos, I thought I would try out their E - Complete A Side Singles CD, but even though I liked it, I really wanted to hear more tracks like Secret Base, so most of the tracks were too mellow for me. Sticking with Jpop, of course I bought Morning Musume's Onna ni Sachi Are, and I really like it (both the song and the video). Maybe it's because it's easy to sing or because I like melancholy, yet determined lyrics, but I'm definitely a fan of this single! Finally, since I loved the movie, I had to get the Marie Antoinette Soundtrack, which is a fantastic two-CD set. The first CD contains all of the bouncy hits from the film, while the second has the moody, atmospheric pieces (including some opera and other classical selections). This soundtrack has officially become my rainy day music, and it's also done wonders to calm me down on busy days!
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| Nami Tamaki / Graduation Singles : 4 of 5 | |
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4.12.2007
9:59 PM | Link |
 I've been a fan of Nami Tamaki for quite a while, so of course I bought this CD/DVD set months ago when it was first released, but I forgot to write about it! Lately I've been in the mood for high energy "determination" music, so I've been listening to it again in my car and watching some of my favorite videos again, so now it's finally time to say that I really love this CD. It's a pretty amazing thing to release 12 hit singles before you graduate high school, so I think it's definitely appropriate for Nami to release this collection, and I'm thrilled to have each and every one of her great videos on the accompanying DVD, which comes with the limited edition release (but this is the regular edition cover, because it looks cooler!). The DVD also includes her audition when she was only 13 (though she looks more mature), and even though her voice wasn't as trained back then, her confidence and genuine genki-ness are incredible. There are a few songs and videos here that I didn't know before, and one of my new favorites is Heroine, which has a cool driving feel, plus an inspiring video about a young athlete in training. Heart & Soul has a cool video, too, although it's kind of funny to watch her hanging out with a stereotypical American group of kids. Most of Nami's other videos are dancing only, but her moves are so unique that I can watch them over and over. I've really been enjoying the energetic feeling I get from listening to these songs, so I think this CD is going to stay in my car for a few more days at least!
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| BoA / Made in Twenty : 4 of 5 | |
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2.10.2007
6:53 AM | Link |
 As usual, I have stacks of unreviewed CDs to write about, so let's start with BoA's latest full-length album, celebrating her 20th birthday (I can't believe she is only 20, since her musical ability is so much more mature!). The first track on the CD is Lady Galaxy, and when it started pumping, I was worried that BoA had decided to become Koda Kumi - it's definitely an unconventional start, and sounds even more weird when it's immediately followed by Nanairo No Ashita (Brand New Beat), one of the many previously released singles on this album. Besides the singles, BoA really seems to be experimenting with styles and rhythms, but unfortunately these songs don't let her stretch her amazing voice. My favorite new ballad is Our Love (To My Parents), which shows off her range (including some low notes), even though the song is really screaming for a key change at the end! The bonus DVD that comes with the CD has her recent videos (which I already had), but also a full ten tracks from her upcoming Boa the Live concert DVD! These live performances are incredible, and definitely make me want to buy the whole show. Her band is fantastic, the live arrangements are creative (so different than hearing the same old music recordings again and again for Morning Musume concerts), and her voice is spectacular, especially on Moon & Sunrise, which is one of the best live Jpop performances I've ever seen! Even though the album wasn't as memorable as something like Valenti (which can't be beat), Made in Twenty is still an incredible CD from a truly wonderful voice.
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| Morning Musume Sakura Gumi / Hare Ame Nochi Suki : 3 of 5 | |
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12.06.2006
9:40 PM | Link |
 Since I recently enjoyed checking out the second singles from Morning Musume's subgroups of the past, I decided to take a look at the first singles, too. Sakura Gumi definitely was on the mellow side, since Hare Ame Nochi Suki shares a similar tone with Sakura Mankai (though this first single isn't half as good as that magical second single!). The melody is really nice, and I love the super-high notes at the end of the chorus (which means only the best singers get a shot). The video is totally pink-ified and filled with falling cherry blossom petals (I guess it has to be!), and the minimal dance moves aren't very interesting, but the costumes are kind of cool (as long as you ignore the crazy hairdos that some of them had to endure). This single was released while Natsumi Abe was still in the group, so she looks great during the close-up shots. Yossie looks like an entire different person with much softer features - the difference between then and now is really incredible. My favorite shot in the video is the use of rack focus between three girls standing at different distances, so they come into focus just in time to sing "suki suki suki". The DVD also has a close-up version and a really funny making-of segment, which has lots of goofing around scenes (which are always the best part!). I'll be checking out Otome Gumi's first single soon!Labels: cds, dvds, jpop, morning musume |
| BoA / Winter Love : 3 of 5 | |
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12.05.2006
10:21 PM | Link |
 For as long as I've been a BoA fan, I've loved listening to her ballads. I'm sure I've listened to Jewel Song hundreds of times, and the same goes for Everlasting (of course, I've watched the videos for both of these over and over, too). So, it was an easy decision to buy BoA's latest winter-themed single, which came with a DVD. Winter Love is a really pretty song, but I have to put it in third place behind BoA's other ballads. I like the instrumentation, which has just enough bells and other effects to sound like winter, and her singing is fantastic, of course. The video, while not overly impressive, is still beautiful. The whole thing takes place in a kind of igloo with massive ice-block walls and doors, and it really looks cold! Effects have been added so you can see BoA's breath when she sings (I hope they were effects, otherwise it was freezing when they were filming!), and the loose plot has a guy trying to give her gifts or cheer her up who ends up with snow on his face from her refusals (ouch!). BoA looks lovely as usual, and shows some great emotion on the chorus. The end of the video is really cool - BoA blows into the camera to ice up the TV screen. So although it's not spectacular, I'm still glad I got this single while I wait for her new album!
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| Mastuura Aya / X3 : 5 of 5 | |
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11.19.2006
6:29 PM | Link |
 After falling in love with the video for The Last Night on Mastuura Aya's Single V Clips, I absolutely had to buy the song. Rather than getting the CD single, I decided to just buy the whole CD that includes The Last Night, and I've really enjoyed it - I even think it's better overall than her Best 1 CD! So, now I can listen to The Last Night whenever I want, and it's definitely one of my favorite songs now. I just like sad ballads sometimes, and the lyrics and melody are so beautiful - my heart melts everytime I hear "Fuyu ga hajimaru". The rest of the CD includes several other hits like Good Bye Natsuo and Ne-e? (which means now I've bought that song about four times!), but I was also excited to hear a few other familiar tunes that I knew from seeing them performed on shows like Hello Pro Hour. There's something about the way Ayaya sings Kanousei no Michi that I really like - in fact, her voice is becoming one of my favorites more and more each day. Unfortunately, there's a horrific remix of Yeah! Meccha Holiday that is completely out of place, but I can forget about that blunder by looking at the amazing cover photography, featuring three lovely Aya's in various styles. Even though this is kind of an old CD, it's one of my favorite Jpop purchases in quite a while!
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| Nami Tamaki / Specialty : 3 of 5 | |
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9.10.2006
8:52 AM | Link |
 I haven't listened to Nami Tamaki in a while (I missed her last album), but since I enjoyed Greeting so much I decided to get her new album Specialty, especially since it included a special edition DVD. Overall, I really like the CD, but I have to admit that it's hard to take it in all at once - most of the songs have the same feel and tempo (I could really use a ballad in the middle of all this!), but it's definitely true to her anime-theme style (although this album has a little more bite than Greeting). The introduction track is really cool, with it's sudden "electronic takeover", leading into Result, which sets the tone for the whole CD. Nami's voice is pure and always on pitch, even though her melodies often jump large intervals! Almost every track has a cool guitar solo with great harmonies (the solo on New World is my favorite), and most songs are over four minutes, which seems a little long every now and then. The DVD contains live footage from the CD release event (I was hoping for music videos, but it's fun to watch anyway), with Nami singing live to recorded music and groovin' with six dancers on-stage. It's a small crowd, so there's nothing extravagant going on, but it's nice to see that she can hit the notes and steps in a live venue. I'm looking forward to hearing these songs come up randomly on iTunes, but there's not enough variety to listen to this over and over in my car. I'm still a Nami fan, though, and I'm going to check out her new DVD release soon!
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| Kumi Koda / 4 Hot Wave : 3 of 5 | |
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8.30.2006
9:51 PM | Link |
 The latest CD single from Kumi Koda is a really great idea - it's a quadruple single (which is pretty amazing considering all the new material she's released recently) that comes with a DVD of all four videos! The videos are loosely tied together, which makes watching all of them together pretty interesting. The CD has the songs in a different order, but I'll mention each in the order they appear on the DVD. Juicy is a pretty cool R&B track (although it reminds me too much of Candy from Best ~Second Session~) with some cool vocal harmonies on the chorus. The video has Kumi and her pals stealing a treasure map from some guys in a bar, after a totally crazy dance (featuring some nasty beer bottle moves). The map appears in the next video for With Your Smile, where Kumi tracks down pieces of an artifact while being chased. The song is really peppy with lots of horn lines, but it isn't very original (since it sounds a lot like Birthday Eve). After she puts the artifact together, she's kind of transported to a beach setting for the I'll Be There video. This is my favorite song of the bunch, since it's an upbeat ballad with a really live recording sound - the drums are especially good, and the acoustic guitar gives it a genuine feel. The video has lots of scenes of Kumi in a swimsuit against some beautiful scenery. The last transition is a little sketchy - Kumi finds a book floating in the water, which appears in the last video for Ningyo-hime. This song has tons of heavy rock guitar, but it's my least favorite - I like to rock, but it doesn't do much for me. The video has Kumi trying to escape from a weird horror-style doctor. Overall, I think the complete package is great - it's a lot of entertainment for a non-album release!
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| Morning Musume singles | |
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8.29.2006
9:52 PM | Link |
 I've been writing a lot about Jpop DVDs lately, but I've barely talked about all the CDs I've bought over the past few months, too (yikes!). So, it's time to start some quick comments on my growing collection, starting with Morning Musume's past two singles, of course (well, I bought both of these on DVD too, so I guess I'm still talking about DVDs). My recent interest in Morning Musume was just beginning when I first saw the video for Sexy Boy ~Soyokaze ni Yorisotte~, and I was pretty much hooked when Reina fires her finger gun at the camera and winks. As hyper-popish as the song is, I really like it - the minor key and descending melody line are really cool, and the lyrics are actually pretty cool (though for some reason this one is so hard to find a translation for, since even Project Hello doesn't have one!). The DVD is really fun, especially the behind the scenes segment. I pre-ordered the DVD for their 30th single, Ambitious! Yashinteki de Iijan, and I really enjoy it, too. The song took a little while to grow on me, but it definitely has an upbeat, positive feel that I like. The behind the scenes segment isn't very exciting - there's not nearly enough chatting and goofing around that make the Sexy Boy segment so fun. Both of these videos are really simple - pretty much a single set, a semi-complex dance, and plenty of individual close-up shots. But as low budget as they are, they still are well-edited, and I think they showcase the girls' talent really well. As silly as the Jpop industry can sometimes be, I really think it's great entertainment, and I appreciate all the energy (often inspiring to me) that goes into it!Labels: cds, jpop, morning musume |
| Heartsdales / The Legend : 4 of 5 | |
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8.12.2006
6:11 AM | Link |
 On my last trip to Japan I picked up a Heartsdales CD single (plus DVD) that I really enjoyed, so I've been planning on checking out some of their other material someday. Well, it turns out that the band is calling it quits, but to go out with a bang they released an awesome hits compilation CD that includes a DVD with videos for almost every song on the disc! Heartsdales play hip-hop or rap or whatever you want to call it - Rum does most of the complicated rapping and Jewels does the sweet singing on the choruses (gotta love those stage names!). I'm hypnotized by Japanese rapping, because the mixture of Japanese with English is incredible - they even rhyme words between languages! The videos are pretty cool, full of weird sets and high fashion, such as the opening number So Tell Me, which takes place on a submarine, and Rum has a full-size teddy bear hanging off her belt. Candy Poppin' is accented with amazing retro graphics (I really like that kind of stuff), and Angel Eyes has both motorcycles and cheerleaders, which are quite a combination. Foxy Lady has the most outfits - seeing the cool clothes they get away with wearing is half the fun! I'm definitely impressed with CD/DVD combos like this that are overflowing with songs and videos, so I'm really glad I ordered it (but too bad Heartsdales had to break up to get this CD made).
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| Hinoi Team / Super Euro Party : 3 of 5 | |
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7.28.2006
8:02 PM | Link |
 I first heard about Hinoi Team when I downloaded the video of their song Sticky Tricky and Bang (hilarious title!) - it was so funny and peppy that I had to see more! Thankfully the band has had enough releases to put out a kind of greatest hits CD, so that's what I decided to try. Super Euro Party not only has a CD with 15 songs, but also a DVD with 13 videos! Hinoi Team sings super-energetic Eurobeat-style songs, and most of the videos are simply the girls doing Para Para routines. This was my first time to actually watch entire Para Para songs, and I have to say that even though it's goofy, the complex moves can be pretty cool. Each video has the girls decked out in cute outfits and dancing away, often along with Koriki Choshu, who is a Japanese comedian - he's a chunky guy in short shorts who dances along and says funny things during the songs. Yes, it's completely bizarre, but it can be hilarious! He's especially good in Night of Fire, where he's like an angry, fire-breathing monster who the girls battle with magical powers! I really like the band's first video Ike Ike, but I think King Kong is the best, with its tropical setting and dresses made of flowers. The DVD has some bonus material with each band member, doing things like making a scrapbook, cooking and so on. Even though the CD has to be taken in small doses (it's fun to listen to in the car, but you have to be in a hyper mood first!), I still enjoy it. It definitely reminds me of a lot of early DDR music!
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| Kumi Koda / Best (Second Session) : 4 of 5 | |
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5.23.2006
6:29 PM | Link |
 I love buying greatest hits compilations to get familiar with an artist, so I thought I would buy this set since I really enjoyed Kumi Koda's CD single of Butterfly. But truthfully, the main reason I had to buy this CD is that it came with two DVDs - the first one contains 12 music videos, and the second is a complete two hour live concert (I'm totally amazed by the entertainment value of this set)! The videos are great - provocative, to be sure, since Kumi seems to like wearing outlandish costumes and make-up, but it's so much fun seeing what she'll wear next. There's a series of videos that involve three guys sitting around telling girl stories, which are then acted out in the song, and it makes a nice progression. The video for Birthday Eve is hilarious, with Kumi baking a cake for her sweetie, but actually he's a masked wrestler, so it doesn't quite work out. The concert is amazing - Kumi is super-comfortable and full of energy (I actually have no idea how she can keep it going), dancing through each number and sounding great. At the end she even cries after being moved by the audience response! The CD is full of hit songs (of course), and there are plenty of them that I've been listening to a lot lately. The bonus track of her singing A Whole New World from Aladdin is interesting (being a Disney freak), but the tempo is so slow! I think this set is fantastic, and I've already ordered the First Session set, which has even more videos.
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| BoA / Outgrow : 5 of 5 | |
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3.11.2006
3:14 PM | Link |
 I think I can officially declare myself a solid BoA fan, since I've been listening to her music for years now, so I was super-psyched to see she released a new full-length Japanese CD (I even pre-ordered it from YesAsia!). I bought the special edition that comes with a DVD containing four terrific music videos, and I have watched it many, many times - I think it's safe to say that she's one of the most beautiful gals on the planet. The CD has an excellent mix of happy pop, emotional pop, and awesome ballads (where her voice really shines) - her music is nothing like the "anime style" pop that's typical of other Japanese music (even though I love that stuff, too!). The stand-out track is Everlasting, which has amazing key changes from the verse to the chorus, and really makes my heart soar. I really like Make a Secret (which I had already bought as a CD single), and Dakishimeru is totally cool - it's really fun to sing, and definitely makes me want to move. All the different types of music give this CD some serious staying power in my car CD player! Of course, I'm really excited to have the music video DVD, too - the video for Everlasting is especially amazing and beautiful, and the dance numbers in the other songs are awesome to watch. The only sad thing about having this CD is that now it will be years before her next full-length CD is released!
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| Learn in Your Car Japanese / Levels 1-3 : 4 of 5 | |
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1.31.2006
10:28 PM | Link |
 Way back when I was first starting to get interested in Japanese, I used to buy a lot of beginner study aids. One of these was the first volume in this series, and now that I've been studying for a few years, I can definitely see that this series of CDs is pretty good, and actually still really helpful now (which is why I'm glad I got Volume 3 for Christmas from my parents!). Each volume contains three CDs, and each CD is divided into several lessons that generally present a single concept (although there's lots of cross-over vocabulary). The English voice (male) will say a sentence, then there is a long pause for you to respond with the Japanese (if you already know it), then the Japanese voice (female) will say the Japanese phrase, pause, and say it again. So, you have three chances to say each phrase, and it's really nice to see if you can say it correctly before the Japanese voice comes in. The lessons definitely increase in difficulty, and the Japanese voice speaks much more quickly on Volume 3! I've actually learned quite a bit by listening to these, especially when the sentence structure corresponds to something I'm learning with my tutor Kazki. The only negative with these is they introduce a few vocabulary words that are rarely used in actual conversation (according to Kazki) - for example, they like to say jidousha for car, rather than the more common kuruma. Each volume also comes with a book of all the phrases on the CDs, which is great for in-depth study. I definitely recommend this inexpensive series for Japanese language enthusiasts!
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| Chobits Character Song Collection : 2 of 5 | |
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11.19.2005
8:23 PM | Link |
 This is the third CD of music from one of my favorite anime series, but unfortunately it's the worst. Thankfully I found it really cheap online! The idea is that there are new songs here sung by each of the characters of the show, so there are tracks for Chi, Hideki, and even Sumomo (and though you think it might be cute, her track is the absolute worst!). There are a couple more instrumental tracks that I think were used in the show as background music, but for the most part this is all original material that wasn't heard in the show. I like the ballads the best, but there are a few good upbeat tracks, too. But for the most part, these songs just don't really do much for me, or even bring back memories of the show that I enjoyed so much. It definitely didn't last very long in my car CD player, which is my usual measurement of coolness! Anyway, I wouldn't really recommend it unless you're crazy about Chobits or find a good price like I did.Labels: cds |
| More J-Pop singles | |
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11.15.2005
10:38 PM | Link |
 I recently went through my notebook that I kept in Japan, and I decided to order some more CD singles of the songs I enjoyed watching on Matt's cable TV. First, I got Boa's new single Make a Secret, which is a cool song (though pretty different from her other stuff). The CD only has one other song on it, plus instrumental versions of both (which is always the case with Japanese CD singles - they should definitely do this in the US!). Next I got the Kumi Koda single Butterfly, which came with the video on DVD - she's definitely all about "male excitement", so this video includes everything from sexy office clothes dances to soapy car wash antics! Next I got O's single Anata to Naraba, which is just a peaceful and pretty song sung by a cute duet. The extra tracks on the CD are kind of interesting, since they include the regular version, an all instrumental version, then a version with only one girl singing her part, and then a version with the other girl (so you can sing harmony with either one, I guess)! There are three different songs, which means 12 tracks! Finally, I had to get Eien no Natsu by Sasuke, because this video was so great that it made me cry (I wish the video was included, but I'm happy just to hear the song again). I love the acoustic guitar and male vocals (which are too high for me), and the extra songs on this CD are awesome, too (sappy, but cool)! If I only had access to Japanese music videos all the time, I would probably order from YesAsia at least once a month!Labels: cds |
| BoA / Peace B. Remixes : 3 of 5 | |
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11.10.2005
11:03 PM | Link |
 I bought my first BoA CD on one of my earlier Japan trips, and since then I've been a fan and bought several other CDs online. During my last Japan trip, Matt spotted this CD (which was released in 2002) in a bargain bin, so I snatched it up for a cheap price. This is kind of a typical remix CD, with a few of the same songs remixed twice on the same disc. However, these are some really amazing remixes, often giving the song more or less energy, and even making it seem drastically slower in tempo (but I think it's an aural illusion). One of may favorite BoA tracks, Amazing Kiss, is included twice, and both of the versions are great - one has an awesome new guitar riff in the background, and the other includes a gentle keyboard sound that really mellows out the tune. Every Heart, which was originally more of a ballad, seems like a perfect DDR song on this CD, and Share Your Heart sounds kind of tropical with its heavy accent on each second beat. Some of the tracks have additional vocals added, which is generally OK, but sometimes it's just some guy grunting "uh-huh" too many times. I really like the CD, though, and BoA looks so great on the cover (in fact, I took out the cover liner and have it on my fridge)!
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| Halcali / Bacon : 3 of 5 | |
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11.01.2005
9:50 PM | Link |
 Near the end of my last trip to Japan, my pal Matt played me a song called Giri Giri Safuraida (Surfrider) by Halcali. I had never heard of the group, but I was definitely hooked on the song, which combined a cool, singable chorus with awesome rapped verses. So, when we went CD shopping, Matt found this album for me, and I'm really glad I got it! Most of the songs here are really similar in style, and many have a retro feel to them, almost as if the music was sampled from some 60s bands or something. Besides the track Matt played me (which is one of the best), my favorites are Tandemu and Atsukare Summer - that one has some neato horn parts, and the rap is really fast and funny! There are a few so-so tracks, of course, such as Peek-a-Boo, which attempts to put the girl's voices into more of a 30's jazz feel, but it doesn't really work well for me. Sometimes they decide to get away from their usual style, too, especially in Hello, Hello, Alone, which is a wonderful song that doesn't really sound like the same band. I'm definitely happy I got this CD, and I've been listening to it over and over! You can't go wrong with a nice looking fast-food meal on the cover, either.
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| Corpse Bride / Original Soundtrack : 3 of 5 | |
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10.19.2005
11:22 PM | Link |
 I was so excited after I saw Corpse Bride in the theater that I went straight to Best Buy to get the soundtrack, and I've listened to it over and over in my car since then. It definitely gets old after several hearings, but it's still fantastic music in all respects. The vocal numbers are really funny, but I wish there were more than four of them. Of course, Remains of the Day is the best, where Bonejangles (sung by Danny Elfman) tells the story of the bride. He definitely sounds like Jack Skellington when he sings, and actually, the more you listen the more you realize that the entire soundtrack is very close to The Nightmare Before Christmas. That's not really a bad thing, but it is interesting that the "funny" numbers are in the same jazzy style as the Oogie Boogie songs. Anyway, I love the haunting melodies that you can think of as Victor's theme and Emily's theme. I was hoping that a full piano version of Victor's piano solo would be included, because it's absolutely wonderful, but unfortunately it gets interrupted just as it did in the movie. The end of the CD includes several extra versions of Ball & Socket Lounge Music, and they are all really cool background tracks with that quirky Elfman spooky/funny feel to them. I think it's time for me to move on to another CD, but I'm going to enjoy hearing these tracks popping up on iTunes.Labels: cds |
| Japanese CD singles | |
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9.24.2005
9:33 PM | Link |
 I love shopping for music in Japan, because it's somehow fun buying artists that I've barely heard of - everything becomes a surprise! During my latest trip I watched lots of music videos on cable at Matt & Kumiko's apartment, so I decided to buy some of the ones I really enjoyed. The really cool thing is that some CD singles come with a DVD of the music video, which is even better than the song! That's the main reason I bought Heartsdales latest release Hey DJ, because the video is just full of 70s disco fun (complete with roller skates), even though the song is J-Hop rap. I'm actually kind of mesmerized by Japanese rap, because I love trying to decipher it, and it just sounds so cool! I also bought So Wonderful by Bonnie Pink, who is an established artist with tons of CDs. Her CD single also included some other great tracks, definitely in the realm of "mature" J-pop (not so much bubblegum). Finally I picked up a single by Shikao Suga by mistake - I was hoping it was going to be a different song I had heard on TV, but I couldn't read the artists' name because of the kanji! No harm done, though, because I still like the songs I got, since I was in the mood for some moody guitar-strumming guy songs. As a bonus, this single also had a DVD of a video for a song called June, and it's a really fantastic video, with a complete mini heartbreak story. I think I need to order more CD singles from YesAsia, because it's so much fun discovering new Japanese music, and it feels cool to know about the latest hip stuff!
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| Chieco Kawabe / Brilliance : 4 of 5 | |
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8.10.2005
5:38 PM | Link |
 I read about this CD in Newtype USA, and I was intrigued since Chieco played Usagi's school pal Naru in Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon (the live-action series I enjoyed so much). I hardly ever buy a CD without hearing a sample, but I decided to go ahead and order it anyway, since I hadn't ordered from YesAsia in awhile, and she's such a cutie that I couldn't resist. I'm really glad I did, because I love this CD! Her music is really pop, but not so sugary-sweet like a lot of Japanese pop. The stand-out hit track, Be Your Girl, unfortunately is a pretty blatant rip-off of Hilary Duff's So Yesterday, but I still think it's an awesome song. The production and instrumentation is exactly what you would expect for a pop album (it sounds very Radio Disney to me, actually), and Chieco's voice is great - loud when it needs to be, cute and pure (with good pitch, too). Some other favorite tracks are I Can't Wait (with it's funny "bum bum bum" interlude), and Shining, which has some totally bopping dance rhythms. I also love the last track (the title is kanji, so I only know it starts with "Hoshi ni", something about a star), which has beautiful melody and vocals (Chieco sings her own background tracks, too). I'm totally impressed, and her gorgeous face is mesmerizing as a bonus. I don't know what's up with the spelling of her name, since it should be Chieko, but I guess she's just being cool!
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| Utada Hikaru / Exodus : 3 of 5 | |
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7.30.2005
5:09 PM | Link |
 I first heard Utada Hikaru on a mix-MD that my pal Matt sent me years ago, and I was impressed by the "maturity" of her music compared to most J-pop (of course, I love immature J-pop, too!). I only recently discovered that she released an all-English album to try to break into the US music scene, and this is it - there's no Japanese anywhere on the CD, and her English speaking style is simply perfect. It's even more amazing that Utada wrote nearly every song, so her English ability is incredible! The first thing that struck me about this CD is that a lot of the songs have a "nasty" side to them, which is fine, but kind of a surprise! Tippy Toe is about an affair and Let Me Give You My Love is all about mixed-race lovin' (with lines like "Get naughtly multilingual" and "Let's turn this room into a melting pot"). I was also amazed at some of the bizzare self-references to being Japanese, like "I showed him how people in the Far East get down", and the bizarre "You're easy breezy and I'm Japaneesy", which is a ridiculous line in an otherwise awesome song. The music itself is great, with tons of cool beats with high production values, and Utada's voice is very versatile, jumping into her high range with ease. This is a CD that I really enjoy listening to, even if as a whole I don't think it's so spectacular, which is a weird thing to say, but I'm glad I have it for my collection anyway!
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| Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith / Original Soundtrack : 4 of 5 | |
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7.06.2005
8:59 PM | Link |
 I'm a big fan of the Star Wars soundtracks, and I hear pieces of them all the time popping up on iTunes, but I haven't bought any of the prequel CDs until now (actually, I've had this CD for months, but I'm just now reviewing it!). The main reason I had to own this CD is that it comes with a bonus DVD (at no extra cost!) filled with clips from all the Star Wars movies set to various sections of all six soundtracks, kind of like music videos. The DVD is really wonderful - each segment is introduced by Ian McDiarmid, and moves through the whole saga from beginning to end. It was really cool to see several clips from Revenge of the Sith before it hit the theaters, too! The actual soundtrack CD is great - I love the opening action music after the main title. The huge set-piece, Battle of the Heroes, isn't quite as good as Duel of the Fates from The Phantom Menace, but it's still majestic, exciting, and full of that feeling of destiny. I love it when Williams brings back familiar themes from the other films, such as quoting Princess Leia's Theme during her birth, and of course the Imperial March at just the right moments. Some of the tracks are quite brooding, orchestrated by strings or deep organ and eerie choir sounds, which is quite a departure from the typical Williams sound, but it definitely works on pieces like Palpatine's Teachings and Padme's Ruminations. Overall, this is a great score to a fantastic film, and writing this makes me want to go see it again!
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| The Concretes : 3 of 5 | |
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6.03.2005
7:24 AM | Link |
 My pal Dae is my source of cool music recommendations, so when he mentioned this band, I put their self-titled CD on my wish list right away. I've been listening to it for about a week now, and it's definitely a unique sound - right from the moment the old-school organ comes in on the opening track (appropritely named Say Something New), you know this is going to be a different kind of CD. It's hard to describe their sound, but I would say it's really 60's, both in instrumentation (with things like tambourine, horns, and of course the organ) and in production value (much of it sounds live, especially the drums, which sound like a single mic garage set!). There are plenty of great tunes - Seems Fine is my absolute favorite (since it's the most pop), and Warm Night has an infectious melody (and adds a mandolin to the mix). I think most of the tunes would do better individually on a mix CD than they do as a complete collection, but that hasn't stopped me from listening to it over and over in the car! If you love female vocals (as I do) and an authentic retro sound, you will definitely enjoy The Concretes.Labels: cds |
| mc chris / Knowing is Half the Hassle & Eating's Not Cheating : 4 of 5 | |
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5.30.2005
3:51 PM | Link |
 I've had Knowing is Half the Hassle (mc chris' second CD) for well over a year, but I forgot to review it, so here's a combined review with his latest CD, which I bought just before seeing his live show here in Austin. Hassle has five tunes on it, with skits thrown inbetween - the songs are great (in fact, some of his best), but I hate the skits - I know they're supposed to be funny, but they're just too violent for me to enjoy. The songs rock, though - Ten Year Old is probably my favorite, since it's just the right tempo for me to rap along (sometimes mc can rap so fast!). Eating's Not Cheating has 14 awesome tracks - by far his longest CD, and the sound quality and music keeps getting better and better. I tend to like slower raps more, but there are some super-fast ones here that are simply amazing to hear. Stop Time is a great song, with great lyrics about mc instilling pride in the geeks of the world, which is funny and cool at the same time. The whole CD is filled with incredible references, everything from Zam Wessel to Friendster. I think some of the songs on Hassle are better, but since there are so many good ones on Eating, I'd say it's his best CD. Really, you should just get them all and mix 'em all together!Labels: cds |
| The Incredibles / Original Soundtrack : 3 of 5 | |
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5.24.2005
8:00 PM | Link |
 I was so excited about The Incredibles after watching the DVD that I ordered the soundtrack right away, and it's really a great score. The music is so cool because it really feels like it was composed for a 60s spy movie - the full orchestra backing up a more traditional jazz combo (trap set, sax solos, and so on) is a great combination (kind of big band "plus"). I have to say that I love the "main theme" the most by far, and it's best used in the first and last tracks on the CD. The final track over the closing credits is definitely my favorite - it's filled with awesome interwoven themes, and uses the most time signature changes (lots of 5/4, with a 6/8 bridge!). There are a few nice sultry tracks, too (usually when Mirage is on screen). One of the most "incredible" things about the CD is that all of the music was recorded live - it was one gigantic studio session, rather than bringing in the sections or solos individually. So, not only is it 60s style, but it was recorded with a 60s method! If you enjoyed the movie (and how could you not?), you'll love the soundtrack!
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| Ben Folds / Songs for Goldfish : 3 of 5 | |
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5.22.2005
3:43 PM | Link |
 I got this new EP for free when I bought Songs for Silverman direct from Ben Folds' website. It's mostly a live album, so I wasn't sure how jazzed I would be about it, but it turned out to be a fantastic little CD! There's material from his new CD as well as his other recent EPs, along with a couple new numbers I hadn't heard before. My absolute favorite is Hiro's Song, which has first-person lyrics about a 51-year old Japanese businessman who runs away with his 22-year old secretary. The phrases are so funny, and I can totally relate to his hilarious emotions! Another fantastic track is Weather Channel Music, where Ben starts totally improvising and singing along with a piano bass line, then the band kicks in with some awesome smooth jazz when Ben tells them, "Kick out some of that Weather Channel shit!" There are a couple of studio tracks, including a mellow Lucinda Williams cover and some funny jingles that Ben did for a Tokyo radio station (in English, but really funny and catchy all the same). Overall, this is a really fun disc for any Ben Folds fan!Labels: cds |
| Rachael Yamagata / Happenstance : 3 of 5 | |
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5.07.2005
1:22 PM | Link |
 Here's another CD that I was compelled to buy after listening to a free track from the iTunes Music Store for a few weeks. I had downloaded Rachael's awesome song Letter Read, which features great driving bass lines on the piano, cool syncopation, plus a nice minor key verse that switches into a major key chorus, together with her sultry voice. The rest of the CD is very good, but unfortunately, there aren't any other tunes with the same emotion as Letter Read. Rachael is kind of like Nora Jones crossed with Fiona Apple, so there are plenty of piano ballads here - so many that they tip the balance of the CD, making the second half simply too slow (nice for laying on your back on a Sunday afternoon, but terrible for listening to in the car!). There are some fun tunes on the first half, like Be Your Love and Worn Me Down, but neither of them have completely interesting lyrics. The words to Even So are some of the best, but by that point in the CD I'm too busy hoping there will be a more driving tune. If there were just one or two more pumping numbers scattered about, this would be a much better CD. Still, it's nice to own and be introduced to a new cool artist (and the CD cover is pretty darn beautiful, too).Labels: cds |
| Ben Folds / Songs for Silverman : 4 of 5 | |
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5.04.2005
8:08 PM | Link |
 I've been wishing for a new full-length Ben Folds album for a long time, especially since I enjoyed his recent EPs so much. Finally, Songs for Silverman is here, and it's a fantastic CD. After my first listen I was just a little disappointed, only because there weren't as many really jammin' numbers with funny lyrics, but after hearing it another twenty times or so (and I'm still listening to it!), I realized what a brilliant collection of songs it is. Musically, Ben is really a genius, combining all sorts of time signatures and styles out of left field that keep things interesting for your ear. His band is also wonderful - I love it when they break into a jazz feel (I almost wish Ben would do an entire jazz collection). Lyrically, even though he's not as "angry" (which translates to funny, usually) as he has been in the past, there is still some sheer poetry here. His song to his daughter, Gracie, is really cool, without being too sappy (it seems like every artist writes a song to their kid), but You To Thank has my favorite lyrics, so honestly talking about relationship problems (with truthful words like, "Christmas came around, and everything was going to crap"). Landed is also an amazing song - I like it when Ben does his falsetto voice to stretch the melody line. It sounds to me like Ben is just getting better and better, and this CD is a great addition to his catalog.Labels: cds |
| Metric / Old World Underground, Where Are You Now? : 3 of 5 | |
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4.15.2005
9:39 PM | Link |
 I'm a big fan of the iTunes Music Store, and I always take advantage of the free songs that you can download every Tuesday (usually two, sometimes three!). I always give them a listen even if I'm not a fan of the style, and usually I've never heard the band before. There have been a few free cuts that I listened to so much that I had to buy the album, and this is one of them. I don't know much about Metric, except that I loved Combat Baby so much that I wanted to hear more. They have a good sound with guitars and some synth leads, plus great female vocals (pretty much my favorite sound for a pop band). The CD has a good mix of rockers and moody ballads, and it's been standing up to the "how long can I keep it in the car" test! Some of the lyrics seem a little protesting, but I also could just be misunderstanding metaphors. Besides Combat Baby, the other stand out tunes for me are Wet Blanket, which has fantastically creative lyrics with great rhymes (sometimes several in one phrase), and Dead Disco, just because it's so straight ahead and cool (and I like the way she sings "Remodel!"). All in all, this is a very cool CD and a nice expansion of my usual iTunes mix!Labels: cds |
| Chobits / Original Soundtrack 002 : 3 of 5 | |
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3.12.2005
6:56 PM | Link |
 Even though this CD isn't nearly as enjoyable as the first soundtrack for this anime, it was still an absolute "must-buy" since I had to have the closing credits song (for the second half of the series), called Mermaid. The melody is just great and semi-sad, making it a great night driving tune, and I can understand most of the Japanese, too. The track listing says "Short Version", which makes me hopeful for a full-length (or at least more than one minute!) version of the song on the third soundtrack. This CD also includes the original version of the title song, Let Me Be With You, which I like a little better than the remix from the first soundtrack, and there's also a vocal version with actual lyrics (not just "ba ba ba") of Play in the Early Afternoon, which is one of the better melodies from the series. Actually, there's a lot less "ba ba ba" on this CD in general, replaced by more standard instrumentals. There are several more smatterings of dialogue on this soundtrack - a few go on a little too long, I think, but it still really makes me want to buy the series on DVD and watch it again! I guess I'll have to check out the third Chobits soundtrack sometime soon.
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| The Lion King (Special Edition) / Original Soundtrack : 3 of 5 | |
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3.08.2005
6:00 PM | Link |
 This was another impulse buy at the Disney Store that I definitely didn't need, since I already had all of the vocal songs on other CDs! I just couldn't resist the cool lenticular cover, though, showing Simba growing up with Timon and Pumbaa walking across the log (you know the scene). Still, it's nice to have all the tracks together here, along with the film version of The Morning Report (which I only had on the Broadway soundtrack before). There are only four tracks from the musical score, though, which definitely seems weird, but they are great tracks. I love the themes that Hans Zimmer came up with to represent Mufasa, Simba's destiny, and even what I would call a Rafiki theme. I love the use of the African drums and vocals, so it's great to have these tracks. The CD ends up with lots of Elton John cuts, unfortunately - I love his compositions, but I'm not really fond of his singing style. His Circle of Life isn't too bad, but I Just Can't Wait to Be King really sounds ridiculous when he sings it! I have no idea why they included a remix of Can You Feel the Love Tonight, which is practically the original with a simple drum machine added, but I guess they had to fill the disc with something.
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| Aladdin (Special Edition) / Original Soundtrack : 3 of 5 | |
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3.04.2005
7:54 PM | Link |
 I haven't fully decided if I'm officially collecting Disney soundtrack CDs, since I have so many of the more popular songs on compilation CDs, but I picked up this CD at the Disney Store on a whim, since it contained some new material I hadn't heard before. As usual, all of the vocal tracks appear first, followed by the score, but this CD also includes Alan Menken's demos for two songs that were written out of the film. Proud of Your Boy is a fantastic song (through the cheap demo keyboard instrumentation is horrendous), but High Adventure seemed more annoying than enjoyable. All of the vocal songs are great, of course, and listening to them on CD means I can really appreciate all the incredible lyrics and rhymes. For some reason I always crack-up on Prince Ali when the crowd in the background yells, "He's got the monkeys! Let's see the monkeys!" Arabian Nights also includes most of Robin Williams' opening dialogue, which is a total bonus! The score is pretty interesting to listen to, since you can hear details like Menken's quote of When you Wish Upon a Star. I think Marketplace really stands out as a fantastic piece of background music that really evokes the mood and culture - it's definitely my favorite part of the music-only score.
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| Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (Special Edition) / Original Soundtrack : 4 of 5 | |
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2.26.2005
11:19 AM | Link |
 Just before the original Star Wars trilogy was released on DVD, I started buying these CDs to get excited about seeing the movies again, but it's taken me forever to give them a serious listen! Now that I've seen the DVDs a few times, everything is so fresh in my mind that the music is much less of a tease, but really enjoyable regardless. As always, I love the full presentation of John Williams' wonderful character themes (I've always wondered if they appear in the films as presented, though). Yoda's Theme is so playful that it makes me wonder if the whole character had been fleshed out when it was written, and Han Solo and the Princess is truly a fantastic love theme. This movie also contains the introduction of the classic Imperial March, a tune that sticks in humanity's brain as much as the main title theme itself! Another standout for me is The Battle of Hoth with its use of piano pounding in the lower octaves to portray the Imperial Walkers making their way across the snow. In fact, the instrumentation in general is much expanded from the soundtrack for A New Hope. There are also many small themes that evoke Cloud City, for example, and plenty of use of the other familiar themes, such as the beautiful Jedi/Force theme. I haven't bought The Return of the Jedi soundtrack yet, but maybe I should before The Revenge of the Sith comes out!
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| Ragtime at the Magical Kingdoms / Chris Calabrese : 3 of 5 | |
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2.12.2005
11:22 PM | Link |
 I finally bought this CD after seeing it constantly recommended on Amazon (based on my Disney preferences), and it's definitely a unique and welcome addition to my Disney CD collection. These are ragtime piano renditions of tons of Disney tunes, both from the movies and the theme parks, played by a pianist who has worked at several of the parks through the years. There are 21 tracks of music, and many of the selections are medleys, so there's a lot of tunes packed on this CD! His stride piano technique is flawless and super-entertaining (I'm always thinking, "How can his fingers do that?"), though less suited to some songs than others. The first half of the CD is the best, with incredible cuts like the Tiki Room Medley and Yo Ho/Grim Grinning Ghosts Medley, but near the end of the CD, it seems like he's used up all his ideas by the time we hear World Showcase Medley and One Little Spark. The recording quality is great, but almost a little too sharp, making the piano sound a bit synth-ish. But putting my pickiness aside, this is a fantastic CD of music that makes me feel like I'm eating an ice cream sundae on Main Street!
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| Rufus Wainwright / Poses : 4 of 5 | |
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1.31.2005
9:26 PM | Link |
 My pal Dae is a master mix-maker, and usually sends me a great mix-CD every year around Christmas. The CD from 2003 included Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk by Rufus Wainwright, and it's been popping up on iTunes so much lately that I had to buy the whole album to see what Rufus was all about. This is an incredible CD, although the songs are sometimes so tragic that I can't keep it in the car for more than a few days in the row. Rufus writes terribly beautiful lyrics, mostly about lost love, mistakes in life, dealing with inner conflict, and simply surviving as a flawed human. His words are completely poetic, and they are combined with some of the best orchestration I've ever heard on a "pop" album - fantastic string arrangements and woodwinds combine with keyboards and guitar to produce theater-quality music (indeed, most of these songs sound like they could have been in modern Broadway shows). This is one of those rare CDs that I had to take the time to listen to completely in one sitting, following the lyrics in the liner notes. The cuts range from the hauntingly sad title track Poses to the upbeat (but still slightly dark) California. Dae picked out the best cut, of course, but I think The Tower of Learning is a close second. I'm definitely going to check out more of Rufus' work, as soon as I can handle the emotional strain!Labels: cds |
| BoA / Listen to My Heart : 4 of 5 | |
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1.23.2005
2:57 PM | Link |
 It seems like BoA, whom I discovered by almost randomly buying CDs in Japan, doesn't have very many full length albums. This was a 2002 release, but since I enjoyed her more recent CDs so much, I knew would like this one, too. Her music is a little bit different here - much more dance-oriented, I would say, with more use of electronics. Her drum machines are especially cool, though, with some really creative kick phrases! Her voice is wonderful as usual, and she uses a lot more falsetto (very Mariah Carey) in a few songs. The opening track, Listen to My Heart, completely hooked me from the start! There's also an English version of the same song on the CD, but unfortunately the remix on it is pretty boring compared to the Japanese version. My next favorite song is Amazing Kiss, which has a nice melody and is fun to hum along with (since I can't sing all the Japanese). There are more ballads here than on BoA's other CDs, but even though I'm calling them "ballads", they are still pretty busy rhythmically, so they're nothing like the beautiful Jewel Song from Valenti. This CD definitely feels right in the car, and it's a joy to crank it up on the highway - I wish there were more BoA music to buy!
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| Firehouse Five Plus Two / At Disneyland : 4 of 5 | |
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1.16.2005
2:06 PM | Link |
 I've listened to tracks from my Firehouse Five two-CD set hundreds of times now (since iTunes keeps playing them), but this CD has been on my Amazon Wish List since I first heard of the band, mainly because the reviews always made it sound so exciting. Now that I've finally bought it, I can say they were right - it's more fun to hear the band live! (If you don't already know, the Firehouse Five Plus Two was a jazz combo made up of Disney Studio guys, including two of the famous Nine Old Men.) This recording was made in 1962 at the Golden Horseshoe, right there in the middle of Frontierland. It's really fun to hear Ward Kimball announce the tunes and make jokes about being able to ride all the rides during their 15 minute break. Frank Thomas' piano is a little quiet in the mix, but he still sounds fantastic. The rest of the band does a fine job, too - being a drummer, I love listening to this kind of hot jazz and studying the drummer's technique (of course, not every kit includes an anvil!). There are some familiar tunes here, like Muskrat Ramble and Tiger Rag, but also some I hadn't heard like Ja-Da (and now it won't get out of my head)!
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| Chobits / Original Soundtrack 001 : 3 of 5 | |
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1.11.2005
5:34 PM | Link |
 I guess I seem to be buying more anime soundtracks now, because after enjoying a show so much, I tend to miss it after I've watched it all. The Chobits music has been divided into several CDs for some reason, so I decided to start with the first one. There are only two vocal tracks - a remix of the opening song, Let Me Be With You, which is pretty cool (though I hope the original is on one of the other CDs), and the closing song from the first half of the series (the second half's "sad song" is my favorite, but I'm sure I'll get that later). All of the other songs have the following lyrics: "ba ba ba, doo doo doo, bop bop bow". No kidding, each song's melody is carried by male/female tight harmony bopping along together, and it sounds great! I think the music has a kind of 60s or British feel to it - it's just a lot of fun. Some of the tracks are introduced with a few words from Chi herself. Normally dialogue on a soundtrack bugs me, but in this case it's really short and cute, so it's OK (and I love to hear Chi say, "Hideki - atatakai. Chi - ureshii!"). Time to buy the next CD!
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| My Bloody Valentine / Loveless : 4 of 5 | |
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11.12.2004
5:54 PM | Link |
 I've listened to the Lost in Translation soundtrack hundreds of times, and I'm always blown away by the track Sometimes by My Bloody Valentine. I decided to buy the CD with the same song, so I could get some real experience with this "shoegazer" band, and I'm glad I did. This music is so far removed from my usual taste, but for some reason it's beautiful - the songs are filled with heavily distorted guitar, often quite dissonant, and sometimes keyboards. The vocals are treated exactly like any other instrument - they are mixed very low and completely blend in with the music, which means you can't really understand any of the lyrics, yet they convey such emotion just by their presence. At times things get too out of hand, such as the instrumental track Touched, but nearly every other song is amazing. Predictably, the song I already knew is my favorite track - none other has the exact same level of awesome distortion. This CD isn't great for listening to in the car - I had to use my earphones and iPod to really appreciate it. When a certain melancholy mood hits, this is definitely music that I want to wash over me.Labels: cds |
| Morning Musume / Best Vol 2 : 4 of 5 | |
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11.03.2004
6:29 PM | Link |
 I had read that this second CD of Morning Musume hits was even better than Volume 1, so when I discovered that I could get it for relatively cheap from YesAsia, I decided to order it. I was really happy that it came in special packaging - the CD was boxed and included a giant button of all the girls (well, actually just their faces stuck on the top of cartoon elf bodies)! The CD is full of excellent stuff - I haven't decided if it's better than the first volume, but I definitely think it's as good. There's certainly one terrible track, though - I can't bear listening to Mr. Moonlight, an attempt at big-band swing that's simply awful (especially the lead singer!). I think my favorite is As For One Day, because the rhythm of the melody is fantastic! There are twelve tracks in all, with a good mix of completely fun tunes and semi-anthems, such as the 11th track (I can't read the Kanji!), which builds to a wonderful positive-sounding crescendo. There are 17 girls on the cover this time - maybe this includes some who have come and gone over the years. I wish there was a Volume 3 available!Labels: cds, jpop, morning musume |
| Cake / Pressure Chief : 4 of 5 | |
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10.28.2004
5:49 PM | Link |
 Just when I was wondering when Cake would release a new CD, Amazon sent me an email to announce it! I ordered it right away, of course, being a Cake fan from their first CD. On my first listen, I thought that their previous CD was much better - these tunes seemed to be missing something. But as it lingered in my car CD player for several days, I soon found myself enjoying these songs in a whole new way. I think my problem was that Pressure Chief is a particularly sad CD - lots of the songs are about being depressed, it seems. However, they still are fantastically groovy and have a fun attitude if you look for it. Carbon Monoxide really stands out as the lightest song with hilarious lyrics, but I think the opening track Wheels is the most Cake-like. This time the funky cover tune is The Guitar Man, but I'll take I Will Survive any day over this one. If you're in the mood to groove and be dark at the same time, this is the CD for you!Labels: cds |
| Hilary Duff / Hilary Duff : 3 of 5 | |
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10.19.2004
8:04 PM | Link |
 Now that I've seen every episode of Lizzie McGuire at least twice, I don't see Hilary as much anymore, but I enjoyed her first album so much that I bought this one without a second thought. I really have mixed feelings about it - so much of it is full of those "girl growing-up songs" (you don't know the real me, I'm under so much pressure, blah, blah, blah). I'm much more interested in positive sentiments and having fun! So, I would almost give this CD a 2 rating, but it really turns around at the end. This may be because some of the tracks are from her new movie, Raise Your Voice, so they are much more pop-oriented and inspiring - just the kind of stuff I want to hear! The rest of the CD isn't bad - the production is great and it really is a good listen in the car (I gave it the full week to grow on me), but I was just looking for a different attitude. The great tracks are I Am, Jericho, and Someone's Watching Over Me (by far the best - even if she doesn't have a shred of vibrato yet!).Labels: cds |
| Ben Folds / Super D : 4 of 5 | |
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10.15.2004
9:01 PM | Link |
 This is the third in Ben Fold's trilogy of EPs, and I've been anxiously waiting for it to become available at the iTunes Music Store for quite a while! Now that I have it, I've been cranking it in my car for several days, which is pretty impressive considering I'm listening to the same five songs over and over. Once again, Ben proves that he's the coolest piano-banging dude on the planet, and shows off his ability to make dirty words downright poetic. Get Your Hands Off My Woman starts off the CD with an incredible drum track and some great lyrics. The next two songs are much slower and introspective - I like them, but they don't really move me like Ben's other slow tunes (like Brick, for example). Then comes the gem - Rent a Cop, an homage to mall cops (hey, that's a Greatest American Heroes song!), is one of the funniest, funkiest songs I've ever heard! The CD ends with a short Ray Charles tune, Them That Got, and then if you're listening in Mikey's car, it starts all over again. OK, Ben, I'm ready for a full album, but I'll settle for more EPs if you've got some spare time!Labels: cds |
| The Wizard of Oz / Original Soundtrack : 3 of 5 | |
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10.13.2004
5:50 PM | Link |
 This was completely an impulse buy, since the CD was displayed on the way to the checkout and was priced super-cheap. I'm glad I bought it, since I'm definitely a Wizard of Oz fan, and I'm certain that Somewhere Over the Rainbow would have to be one of my most favorite songs of all time (don't ask me to come up with a complete list, though!). This is a condensed version of the soundtrack, but it has all of the tunes I like with plenty of extras, such as a few fun songs they recorded but didn't use in the film. The whole Munchkin sequence is hilarious, including the Lullaby League and the Lollipop Guild, and I also love the Scarecrow and Tin Man's songs - I think it's really clever how they used the same melody with lyrics appropriate to the character. Unfortunately, I can't stand the Cowardly Lion songs, especially If I Were the King of the Forest - yuck! The quality is the best they could muster for such an old recording, but it's really fun to hear Munchkin voices on my iPod every now and then.Labels: cds |
| Star Wars: A New Hope (Special Edition) / Original Soundtrack | |
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10.04.2004
6:02 PM | Link |
 While I was busy getting excited for the release of the original Star Wars Trilogy on DVD (don't worry, a review is on the way!), I decided to finally buy the complete soundtrack CDs. I used to have these on vinyl many, many years ago, and I've probably listened to them hundreds of times when I was younger, so it was a joy hearing them again! Even if you're not a Star Wars fan (and if you're not, you shouldn't be reading WEBmikey), you can't deny that this is some fantastic music - John Williams simply is a brilliant composer. I've always loved Princess Leia's Theme, which is presented here as a full piece (not used in the film) that stands alone and could be heard in any symphony concert. This is a double CD set, so it includes every scrap of music, including the second Cantina Band song - I've always loved that second song (heard during the conversation with Han), but I've never got to hear it in its entirely until now! I love hearing different Star Wars tracks pop-up in my iTunes randomization, whenever the Force flows, of course.
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| Home on the Range / Original Soundtrack : 4 of 5 | |
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9.29.2004
6:54 PM | Link |
 It's a Home on the Range triple-header! Actually, I bought this CD not long after seeing the movie in the theater, because the songs are catchy and the lyrics are hilarious. I'm finally getting around to reviewing it, since I started listening again after watching the DVD. Like most Disney soundtracks, all of the vocal numbers make up the first half of the CD, while the incidental score fills up the rest. I think all of the songs are wonderful - the funniest are the title track (with its manly chorus), and the incredible Yodel-Adle-Eedle-Idle-Oo. The other songs use various country stars like Bonnie Raitt and K.D. Lang, and even though I'm not a country fan, the emotion in these numbers is wonderful (Little Patch of Heaven just makes me smile from ear to ear). The score is pretty entertaining, and I like how sometimes the themes from sad songs appear in happy phrases and vice-versa. The last track is Alan Menken (the composer) singing the original version of Anytime You Need a Friend, which is really heart-felt (quite unlike the pop version!). All in all, this is a great CD that definitely deserves to be in any Disney CD collection.
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| Hercules / Original Soundtrack : 3 of 5 | |
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9.15.2004
10:23 PM | Link |
 It looks like I'm slowing collecting Disney soundtracks now, even though I already have most of the well known songs on various CD collections. I got this soundtrack for practically nothing, and it's fun to listen to since I re-watched the movie fairly recently. The first half of the CD contains the vocal numbers, and the second half is all incidental music. The vocal songs are much cooler, of course, especially the numbers by the Muses - the lyrics are great (especially in Zero to Hero) and those gals can really sing! The worst track by far is Michael Bolton's rendition of Go the Distance - man, it really sucks (he's on a par with Rod Stewart for voices that I can't understand why anyone would like!). I'm kind of tired of listening to Danny DeVito sing One Last Hope, but as long I can jam to those gospel Muses, I'll keep listening to this CD.
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| Mahoromatic: Something More Beautiful / Original Soundtrack : 3 of 5 | |
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9.08.2004
8:37 PM | Link |
 Since I enjoyed the last soundtrack CD so much, I decided to get this CD featuring music from the second season of Mahoromatic. The second season wasn't as charming as the first, and unfortunately the music follows suit. Still, it's an enjoyable CD - the opening and closing songs are fantastic, of course (and karaoke versions are included), which makes the whole soundtrack pretty fun. It's just that the incidental music isn't nearly as cool. A lot of the music just doesn't go anywhere, or simply repeats lots of variations of the main theme (while the first season music is full of original, upbeat melodies). The CD closes with tons of tiny tracks of Minawa (Mahoro's little "sister") saying typical things like "Yoroshiku onegai shimasu" or "Gomen nasai", and then there's a comedy act where Mahoro tries to interview Minawa using these recordings and things get all mixed up. I have to admit there's not much cuter than Minawa saying "Wakarimasen" in her nasal baby voice! Anyway, the first soundtrack is by far the winner, but I'm glad I have both.
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| Step Into Liquid / Original Soundtrack : 4 of 5 | |
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9.03.2004
8:17 PM | Link |
 It's easy to love a great soundtrack when it reminds you of a spectacular movie, and since I enjoyed Step Into Liquid so much (I still need to buy the DVD, though!), I'm really loving the soundtrack. If you watch any surf coverage on TV, you probably know the current typical stuff that gets played as background music - kind of a rough alternative style that's probably a genre called "extreme rock" or something. This CD has a little of that (in the right places), but for the most part, there are tons of tunes that are much more pleasant and simply celebrate the joy of life (much like the movie). I love Only One and Dracula from Houston (yep, that's the title), and Windshield Wipers is such an amazing driving song. My favorite track, though, has got to be Call of the Wave, which has a totally authentic Beach Boys/Jan & Dean sound, with awesome lyrics to go with it. Life is a Miracle is also a wonderful cut - you just have to feel happy listening to this song. I really only have one negative to report, and that's the inclusion of little sound bites from the movie interviews. I just don't really like them breaking up the music, but thankfully they are super-short, so no biggie. I really want to watch this movie again now!Labels: cds |
| Mahoromatic: Automatic Maiden / Original Soundtrack : 3 of 5 | |
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8.28.2004
8:39 AM | Link | |