Top 20 Mixtape 2014

Alright, I disappeared once again. But the year isn't ending without my Top 20 song list! I decided I'd change things up a bit and do the top 20 songs of the year in a mixtape style. The reason is really because I'm too indecisive to truly sort out the best songs in order, so I'll just dump everything in a playlist for you guys to figure it out yourselves.

Essentially, the 20 tracks I've put together are the songs that really made the year for me. Some were plain wow on first listen, some were growers, and some just made me think, "Did I just wet my pants again?" So it may or may not truly represent the best songs of 2014 (as it always have been on this blog anyway), but it's a varied list that will hopefully be an enjoyable one for you guys. Let's go bitches.

p/s. 8tracks playlists of mixtape at the end of the post. Woohoo!

Mid-Year Reality Check: 5 Albums in 2014 to Check Out

2014 so far has been a year that has truly expanded my horizons. Thanks to schoolwork, my eyebags have a total surface area of 50cm² now, a size I previously thought would never become reality. My 64GB iPhone 5s also maxed out its storage space for the first time ever, which has, of course, sent me into an indefinite period of depression.

I also got to hear some pretty good J-music as of recent times, so here are 5 of the most kickass albums I've heard this year that I feel are worth listening, which I hope will help you tide over whichever sort of depression you're experiencing too. And if you thought 2013 was bad, these albums only solidify that fact further.

[CD Packaging] MISIA - Super Best Records -15th Celebration- (3CD+DVD)

Got this in the mail some time last week. Comes in a very sexy packaging oooOoooOOo

[New Release] MISIA - Super Best Records -15th Celebration-

When I first heard that MISIA was releasing a best album, I was like wow bitch cares that it's her 15th anniversary! Top that with the fact that the album will have 45 tracks I immediately preordered that shit.  Obviously this release is her way of saying "After 15 years in the business, I still sing the shit out of ALL of you. ALL. Now come buy my shit." Not to mention this is the first album cover that I actually like since JUST BALLADE in 2009 though her dress looks like a trash bag.

They mixed up her new songs with her old songs in the tracklist to confuse the shit out of everyone. Also, her past 3 singles will also be in there along with HOLIDAY and new versions of Tsutsumikomu you ni..., CATCH THE RAINBOW, INTO THE LIGHT and Ashita e. They will also be remastered by some big shots so that's nice. It's funny how the entire MISIA GREATEST HITS is dumped in there except sweetness.

Although this is the 5th year I'm listening to MISIA I don't actually know most of her discography yet so I guess this would also allow me to check out more of her older songs. I hope this gets #1 and prompt avex to release A BEST 3, and that better not be a half-assed effort.

Super Best Records -15th Celebration- will be released on 20 February 2013.

CD1 Tracklist

1. Tsutsumi Komu You ni... (つつみ込むように...) (15th ver)
2. DEEPNESS
3. Koi wa Owaranai Zutto (恋は終わらないずっと)
4. Aitakute Ima (逢いたくていま)
5. SNOW SONG
6. To Be In Love
7. THIS IS ME
8. BACK BLOCKS
9. Color of Life
10. Royal Chocolate Flush
11. Don't stop music!
12. Back In Love Again (feat. Hotei Tomoyasu)
13. Hi no Ataru Basho (陽のあたる場所)
14. LUV PARADE
15. CATCH THE RAINBOW (15th ver)

CD2 Tracklist

1. Everything
2. Sukoshi Zutsu Taisetsu ni (少しずつ大切に)
3. Wasurenai Hibi (忘れない日々)
4. Nemurenu Yoru wa Kimi no Sei (眠れぬ夜は君のせい)
5. Soba ni Ite... (そばにいて...)
6. Let It Smile
7. It's just love
8. Hoshi no You ni... (星のように…)
9. EDGE OF THIS WORLD
10. BELIEVE
11. Taiyou no Malaika (太陽のマライカ)
12. THE GLORY DAY
13. MAWARE MAWARE
14. Itsumademo (いつまでも)
15. Hatenaku Tsuzuku Story (果てなく続くストーリー)

CD3 Tracklist

1. INTO THE LIGHT (15th ver)
2. HOLIDAY
3. Taiyou no Chizu (太陽の地図)
4. Escape
5. Namae no Nai Sora wo Miagete (名前のない空を見上げて)
6. Chiheisen no Mukou Kawa e (地平線の向こう側へ)
7. Fuyu no Etranger (冬のエトランジェ)
8. Tobikata wo Wasureta Chiisana Tori (飛び方を忘れた小さな鳥)
9. Kokoro Hitotsu (心ひとつ)
10. Kisu Shite Dakishimete (キスして抱きしめて)
11. MELODY
12. We are the music
13. LIFE IN HARMONY
14. Tsutsumi Komu You ni... (つつみ込むように...)
15. Ashita e (明日へ) (15th ver)

Thoughts on NHK's 63rd Kouhaku Utagassen

I apologise for this late post, but I didn't watch the whole of Kouhaku by the way so I'm only talking about the performers I care about. Then again you should know how biased this blog already is by now so here we go!

I was kinda hoping that the Red team would win for the second year in a row because Taylor Swift has an album called Red and that shit sold like an AKB48 release. But alas, the White team won, so that's probably because Taylor Swift's Red is overrated as hell.

Top 20 J-Pop Songs of 2012

By now you should know that I listen to a lot of artists. Lmao who am I trying to kid? But as far as I know, even though the Oricon Top 10 singles this year hit an all-time pathetic, it was still a pretty eventful year, and the songs released in 2012 were pretty good.

So here's my Top 20 J-Pop Songs of 2012 before we welcome 2013, another year of AKB48 ridiculousness and ayumi hamasaki's further efforts to revive her career.

[Singles Review] Go to the top, Force, DEEPNESS

I feel like doing an individual post for one single review would be too short so why not combine them so that it would look like it's very long and make it seem like I did actual hard work?

Today we will be reviewing three singles that are very distinct from one another -- a mother's comeback single, a redundant recut single, and a single that could have revived someone's career but didn't.

Don't worry, this is not a comparison post so keep your pants on.

[New Song] MISIA - DEEPNESS

Ooo I be so mysterious

For the LOOONGEST time ever I've been so BORED by what MISIA has been giving us for the past 2 years. I mean her last 2 studio albums were good, but it doesn't really hit you. And I've just had enough of all the ballads she's been giving us. She's literally had like, what, 7 bloody ballad singles in a row (I don't count digital singles because I am as outdated as Oricon)? Wouldn't even MISIA herself be bored with all that shit? I guess not.

But this time with DEEPNESS I am FINALLY impressed, and I can see this becoming a semi-big hit seeing how it's charting relatively well on the digital charts. I think I just have a really soft spot for those  beats and that it also provides a perfect respite from all the other shit songs she's been giving us, but I really think this is a great song. The single cover looks good too.

I can't wait for her to drop her next album and I hope it'll be really good because I feel like I'm already starting to lose her. With a voice like that she doesn't deserve to end up being like mihimaru GT.