[Album Review] ayumi hamasaki - A ONE

When you can't sell records, titties are always a solution! ;)

"While I was living overseas, I guess I realised that I really craved the subtleties and detail of the Japanese language. That feeling of 'I want to express it in Japanese' built up inside me and I started to write lyric after lyric. To be perfectly honest, it wasn't that I purposely sought out to make an album that sounded like the old me. It just happened."

ayumi hotmesssaki has somewhat admitted that she really is some kind of a mess. Secondly, I think we all wish Namie Amuro would "crave the subtleties and detail of the Japanese language" too, no?

A ONE is more or less yet another safe, #throwback #throwahoetotheback album as per her pattern since 2010's Love songs, followed by 2013's horrendous LOVE again. But thank god the use of the word "love" isn't in the pattern.

It's like ayumi hotmesssaki stirs a little shit up (Party Queen, Colours) before cowering back into her little corner to create something more subdued, more classic J-Pop. And this is why to many fans, A ONE comes across as a familiar record with little surprises.

What is a DREAMS COME TRUE?

The world, or maybe only Ayumi Hamasaki Sekai, is on fire. Because at a time when ayumi hotmesssaki would be able to finally scrape a #1 and not let shit hit the fan, duo DREAMS COME TRUE "robbed" her of that position literally on the last day of the Oricon week, earning their best album a 4th week at #1. Oh well! Shit happens, can't please everyone.

So while everyone is cursing and swearing at DCT over in the hellhole that is AHS, in which someone even thought they were a boyband, I thought I could take this as an opportune moment to introduce to you guys about this awesome group. Might as well, right?

I'm not exactly sure why DREAMS COME TRUE isn't so popular outside of Japan, because I personally find the vocalist, Miwa Yoshida, so charismatic and can still put on a killer show even after 26 years, and being 50 years old. That bitch doesn't even look her age. Damn these Japanese genes.

Unfortunately for me I was born too late because I've always wanted to catch them live since I first discovered them in 2007. I especially have always wanted to watch their WONDERLAND tour in person, because it's a dome / stadium tour that they only put up once every 4 years!!! Dude, they arrived sitting on horses at the 1995 one. I wasn't even a year old yet?!?!?1

Anyways, I've handpicked one song from each of their 17 studio albums (which may or may not be in their latest best album) so you can take a listen if you've not heard of them. You can pretty much hear how much they've evolved their sound from the '80s till now. They're pretty damn impressive. And I'll stick a live performance of the same song beside it cos I think they're pretty fun to watch live. Woosh!

[Album Review] Koda Kumi - WALK OF MY LIFE

"Fuck me now."

A new ramen restaurant just opened in town. There is massive hype for it, because it's been around in Japan for the past 10 years and is still going strong. There are long queues almost every day. Naturally, you try it for yourself one day in your hometown. Unfortunately, the soup was awfully bland. The pork slices were tough and overcooked. The noodles tasted rubbery. The bottom of the bowl didn't seem remotely near in sight even though it felt like you spent an hour trying to painfully finish it.

Now let's change the setting.

It's Koda Kumi's 15th anniversary. An autobiographical-titled album, WALK OF MY LIFE, is released. Pussies will be popped. Weaves will be snatched. Confetti will be scattered around Tokyo. The ramen will, however, still suck. But the ramen's not alone in this, because the album also sucked.

Alas, life isn't always fair like this.

All you need to know about Namie Slaymuro's _genic

I think that day in the early, second week of April was a pretty good day, because I had finally taken a thorough listen to ayumi hotmesssaki's A ONE and was quite impressed.

Of course, unbeknownst to me, it was but one of Namie Slaymuro's sly tactics to drop this bomb on us, completely shading the attention on Ayu. Well-played, Namie. If this is the kind of strategic team you've gotten over at whatever Stella88 place you're at now, you have my FULL SUPPORT.

I Wanna Das Das In De Rain!!!!11!111!!

So I watched the music video for Koda Cum-i's Dance in the Rain and... oh wait... is that who I think it is...?