Now, are those covers hot or what? And judging by the previews of Namie Amuro’s latest offering (to be released on March 12 2008), I’m pretty sure this single is going to be hot on the Oricon charts too.

60s 70s 80s is a triple A-side single, meaning all three songs have promotional videos. The interesting thing about this is that Namie samples three different American songs from the 60s, 70s and 80s respectively – Baby Love by the Supremes (1964) for NEW LOOK, Rock Steady by Aretha Franklin (1972) for ROCK STEADY and Flashdance…What a Feelin’ by Irene Cara (1983) for WHAT A FEELING. I love the way Namie reinvents these classics with her distinctive urban / hip hop influence. While you can recognise the parts of the original melody in the songs, there’s no mistake about them being truly Namie.

What’s even more special about this single is that the PVs are tied up with Premium Vidal Sasson – the tagline is “The changing of times starts from the change of hairstyles”. Each promotional video features costumes, sets and dancing that is unique to its particular era. Costumes are designed by Patricia Field and the hair and make-up is by Orlando Pita – strengthening the ‘collaborative’ aspects of this single.

It’s hard to explain the charisma of these songs until you listen to the tracks themselves. At first, I thought NEW LOOK was cute but tuneless. I forced myself to give it a few more listens because the PV was just too cute, and fell in love with the ‘pure’ and ‘sweet’ feel of the song. It’s very light on the ears, but the music is there, the tune is surprisingly catchy. However, out of the three songs it seems to sample the original Supremes song the least. The themes are very different, for instance – Baby Love is about breaking up while NEW LOOK is all about fashion and well, getting a ‘new look’. The opening melody of Baby Love is heard very often in NEW LOOK, though. Namie also adds a special mention to the original in a line that’s repeated a lot, “How do I look, Baby tell me”. Sweeet.

ROCK STEADY is a dance track right from the beginning. I hear some similarities between it and one of Namie’s other songs, Can’t Sleep, Can’t Eat, I’m Sick. It’s very very street and urban, and the PV reflects that in it’s storyline – it tracks the meteoric rise of an unknown girl who shows up at a street party with a tape, makes her way into the exclusive dance clubs, gets discovered by a big shot manager, releases a CD, tops the disco charts, and finally, gets hounded by the papparazzi. One of my favourite lines is actually said by a black guy – “Hey sista, whatcha doin’?” when she shows up uninvited on ‘his’ street. The song itself also takes a bit of getting used to (like the original, imo), but once you catch on to the groovy beats it’s so infectious. It makes you wanna dance. )

WHAT A FEELING is probably my favourite track because it’s inspired by Flashdance… What a Feelin! I actually hadn’t heard the original before Namie’s version came along (where have I been, yeah) but when I found the Flashdance music video on youtube I fell in love with it on first listen. The original is wonderful, thus Namie can’t do much wrong in sampling that infectious melody. Of course, she gives it a modern twist with a bit of rap and spicing it up with eurobeats. I love eurobeat so I’m pretty sold. Some people were disappointed by this track because it they thought it lacked something musically, but I think it’s made complete by the other two songs on the single. It is the perfect final track, because it wraps up the musical ‘story’ and takes it to a higher level before ending it off sensationally. Not sure if you know what I’m talking about but trust me and listened to this together with the others.

The PV screams Star Wars with the psychedelic sets and backdancers in droid helmets. Even one of Namie’s outfits seems C3PO-inspired. And don’t forget the signature 80′s perm – since this is a tie-up with Vidal Sassoon. (Don’t worry, it’s a modern take on the perm.) Veryy 80′s. In a good way.

It’s not hard to tell that I love this single. I think Namie’s really outdone herself here, it’s a ‘remake’ but a fresh concept, I’d bet that no other Japanese artist has done this before. All I can say is, WOW.

I haven’t done a proper review… in nearly two years? I suppose that shows up how much I’ve been ignoring this blog. Then again, a lot of things have changed since 2006, Hinoi Team is now a part of entertainment history – they broke up because Keika wanted to focus on her high school entrance exams and Asuka decided to pursue a solo career. I’ve also moved from the w-inds. fandom into Johnny’s Entertainment groups – Arashi, NEWS, Kanjani8 and Hey!Say! JUMP. So the contents of the blog are also slowly shifting to reflect my new loyalties.

Taiyou no Namida is NEWS’ 8th single and the A-side is the theme song for YamaP’s latest film, the hugely anticipated Kurosagi. The song can take a bit of getting used to… the opening melody is slightly strange, it reminds me of gypsy music in the way it seems to jingle. I also thought the verse was slightly tuneless on first listen, perhaps because the notes do not rise and fall like the usual pop melodies. But like all JE songs, it grows on you upon the second and third listen, and by the fourth you are hooked. I actually wouldn’t call it a pop song, because it was quite clearly written as a companion to the Kurosagi movie instead of a singable pop anthem. The song fits the enigmatic, mysterious quality of YamaP’s Kurosagi character and the mood of the movie like a glove.

To elaborate a little more on the lyrics, the theme of the song is ‘rain’. This is hinted by the literal translation of ‘taiyou no namida’ to ‘tears of the sun’. Hence, the PV features our boys dancing in the rain and looking sad. I don’t blame them for the sombre mood – the lyrics are all about the frustration of a troubled love that won’t go anywhere. The persona in the song wonders if he ought to ditch the umbrella and run to look for his love, but the continuous falling of rain or ‘tears of the sun’ seem to act as a deterrent. Eventually, he decides to look for his love. Alas, the song ends there! But not without him indulging in a bit of angst -

” The dazzling sun, somewhereup in the sky
Hiding itself, searching for a heart that won’t burn out
On the ground we act like we don’t notice we have been hiding our desires.
Ah! But the rain continues to fall”

One feels like telling him to get a grip, but well. People who write songs are usually not in the best state of mind.

Moving on to the coupling tracks. I didn’t think very much of them as they don’t stand out very much. Utsukushisugite Beautiful Eyes is a typical pop ballad about the eyes of a lover that are “too beautiful”. It’s a pure and sweet boyband tune that could have come out from any country.

Bambina is a song reputed to have very suggestive lyrics. I have not checked them out personally, but well. The moment the song opened with its synthetic beats, I thought immediately: PARA PARA!! I was pleasantly surprised that this song really starts off with the typical Para-Para sound because it’s been so long since Hinoi Team. Unfortunately, NEWS does not venture into ParaPara though the synthetic beats make a brief reappearance every now and then. Still, I wouldn’t call the song uptempo or upbeat – it isn’t very fast. Yet it also isn’t very danceable because the verses and chorus do not have distinctive beats. I’m quite frankly, confused. I would probably liken this to Akaku Moyuru Taiyou in terms of spirit / mood and maybe Ai no Matador in terms of delivery? I’m really confused by this song.

Lady Spider is another midtempo song that NEWS seems to have done before. It’s slightly like BOOM BOOM POWER in that the chorus and verses sound very different. Then again, NEWS seems to have done this kind of song better, even BOOM BOOM POWER had a more memorable sound. This seems… recycled. The interesting thing about this is that it features a mumbly RAP. NEWS nearly never raps in their songs, so I’m surprised.

Overall, I’m quite in love with the title track, but not impressed by the coupling songs which seem as though they were written hurriedly to fill up space by songwriters who’ve spent all their creative juices.

In fact, after writing this review I’m not sure if I even want to buy this single… Perhaps it might be wiser to wait for an album.

太陽のナミダ
Taiyou no Namida
眠れぬ夜寝返りをうつ つかの間の夢を見ていた
聞こえて来るのは多分雨の音
このまま果たせない夢追うだけ?
それじゃ何も癒せないよ
何が二人起こしたいのなら
今すぐここを飛び出してゆけ
傘も持たず君のいる場所に

Nemurenu yoru nekaeri wo utsu tsukanoma no yume wo mite ita
Kikoete kuru nowa tabun ame no oto
Kono mama hatasenai yume ou dake?
Sore ja nanimo iyasenai yo
Nani ga futari okoshitai no nara
Ima sugu koko wo tobidashite yuke
Kasa mo motazu kimi no iru basho ni

※ギラギラ太陽　この空どこかで
身を潜め探してる燃え切れないハートを
地上で僕ら じりじりしながら
燃え上がる日が来るの待ち続けていた
Ah… まだ止まない雨
太陽のナミダ※

※Giragira taiyou kono sora dokoka de
Mi wo hisome sagashiteru moekirenai haato wo
Chijou de bokura jirijiri shinagara
Moeagaru hi ga kuru no machi tsuzukete ita
Ah… mada yamanai ame
Taiyou no namida※

止まりそうな時計の針寝ぼけ眼で見つめている
聞こえてくるのは多分雨の音
このままここで待ち続けるのかい
それじゃ何も変わらないよ
僕が僕自身になるために
今すぐこの街飛び出してゆこう
傘を捨てて君のいる場所へ

Tomarisou na tokei no hari neboke ma de koko mitsumete iru
Kikoete kuru nowa tabun ame no oto
Kono mama koko de machi tsuzukeru no kai
Sore ja nanimo kawaranai yo
Boku ga boku jishin ni naru tame ni
Ima sugu kono machi tobidashite yukou
Kasa wo sutete kimi no iru basho e

ギラギラ太陽　この世のすべてを
探し出し焼き尽くせと待ちかまえている
地上で僕ら気づかぬふりして
剥き出しの欲望を隠そうとしていた
Ah… 降り続く雨
太陽のナミダ

Giragira taiyou kono yo no subete wo
Sagashidashi yakitsukuse to machikamaete iru
Chijou de bokura kizukanu furishite
Mukidashi no yokubou wo kakusou to shiteta
Ah… furi tsuzuku ame
Taiyou no namida

(Repeat ※)

太陽のナミダ
Taiyou no Namida

Release Date: 2008/01/30

The first DVD includes all the PVs for the CD tracks, the second DVD is the live recording of the KODA KUMI PREMIUM LIMITED LIVE IN HALL IN YOKOHAMA ARENA (2007.06.20). Saw a tiny snippet of it on Kodaku’s mtv show and it looked really. good. I want everything!!

Recently, I watched KOIZORA… without subtitles! This is the first time I was able to understand everything.

Koizora, originally a handphone novel by an anonymous writer, is the typical high school growing up story of true love found and lost and found again. It follows the life of a teenage girl, MIKA (Aragaki Yui) during her high school years. HIRO (Miura Haruma) is Mika’s first love, and a really sweet platinium-blonde punk who makes you cry a lot at the end.

Here is a random screenshot of their sweetness:

Right, I shan’t give away any more spoilers…

… but I want to plug this movie because Aragaki Yui’s in the main role!

Yui has acted in TV dramas Dragon Zakura (2005) with YamaP, My Boss My Hero (2006) with Tegoshi and most recently Papa to Musume no Nanokakan (2007) with Shige, but just got into movies pretty recently. If you didn’t like her in Papa to Musume, she completely redeems herself in Koizora. The acting is believable, natural as she takes the character from age 15 to 22, showing how the character matures through the years.

What’s more… she’s kicking off her singing career! The insert song in Koizora – heavenly days – is sung by Yui and the first track off her debut album, Sora. It’s also an NTT Do.Co.Mo commercial song.

The album was released on 5th December 2007 – TODAY!

01. heavenly days
02. オレンジ (Orange)
03. 陽のかげる丘 (Hi no Kageru Oka)
04. メモリーズ (Memories)
05. ひかり (Hikari)
06. Sign of the moon ～interlude～
07. スターライト (Starlight)
08. ペアリング (Pairing)
09. 愛を知りたくて (Ai wo Shiritakute)
10. そら (Sora)

In fact, I just finished listening to it and it’s great easy listening stuff.

More on the album and heavenly days PV later… XD

The CMs are now UP FOR DOWNLOAD, proudly presented by this humble fanblog!

Pictures of the winter down-jacket line are under the cut:

Hey!Say!JUMP is a 10 member group with older boys (Takaki Yuya, Yaotome Hikaru, Inoo Kei, Kota Yabu, Arioka Daiki) forming Hey!Say!BEST and younger boys (Morimoto Ryutaro, Chinen Yuuri, Nakajima Yuuto, Yamada Ryosuke, Okamoto Keito) forming Hey!Say!7. Hey!Say! is a pun on “Heisei”, the imperial era of the current Japanese Emperor, starting from 1989. All members in JUMP were born in this era. (and so was I!)

JUMP debuts on 14th November with ULTRA MUSIC POWER (theme song for Japan’s Women’s Volleyball World Cup team), and will have a debut concert at the Tokyo Dome 38 days after. As the latest group to debut from the almighty Johnny’s Entertainment boyband empire, their debut is making waves because the members are so young – the average age is 15. The man behind it all, Johnny Kitagawa, ruffled more than a few fans’ feathers when he publicly commented on the new debut – “The gathered members will shine if I polish them. The children of Heisei era are amazing. When the 10 are gathered together, an explosive power is born. All the members are good at singing, and they dance decently too. Children of the Heisei era are growing steadily in in all fields, for example sportsdom. I will not let the entertainment industry to lose, so I’m putting in power to change how it is. Showa is already useless.” (Showa is the previous imperial era, nearly all of the members in the other JE groups are ‘Showa kids’.)

Source: medetaiakaru@lj

So what do I think? After watching the PV, the first thing that struck me – there are TOO MANY PEOPLE! Seriously, with 10 members, you don’t quite know who to focus on.

To me, the one that stands out is the previously-unknown boy Okamoto Keito, who happens to be the son of ex-V6 member Okamoto Kenichi. This makes him the first son of a Johnny to be a Johnny! I enjoy watching him because he seems down to earth, sports a sensible spiky ‘do and does not do pretentious Johnny’s actions when he sings. I take it to mean he hasn’t been corrupted by the Way of The Johnny as yet. It’s nice to have a bit of testosterone around.

The ever-popular Nakajima Yuuto gets the first solo of the song, and a really long solo at that. It’s quite amazing how he’s grown so much in two years, last time we saw him in Nobuta as Shuuji’s little brother he was this utterly cute thing, but now he’s a seasoned performer complete with it-boy hairstyle. It’s easy to forget that you’re looking at a mere 13-year old when you watch him work the audience.

My favourite Yaotome Hikaru gets a nice rap in the middle, which is not too shabby. As always, he shows his friendly and personable side, unlike his fellow Ya-ya-yah alum, Yabu Kota. Yabu is such a huffy prima donna. If I didn’t like him so much when he was a cute kid, I should like to strangle him sometimes. Yamada Ryosuke deserves an honourable mention though he doesn’t get much screentime in this PV. He has a certain X-factor? I feel he’s shiny and kirakira the way YamaP is, somebody to watch indeed.

Oh and I just had to get this off my chest – CHINEN YUURI SCARES ME SHITLESS… I didn’t mind him in the Hey!Say! PV because they had the good sense to dress him up in bulky jackets and scarves but in this one he is:

1) terribly skinny
2) singing in his high, unbroken voice
3) getting a LOT of airtime with said voice
4) smiling radiantly as if to send paedophiles into a frenzy
5) doing his signature ballet twirly moves….

THIS IS NOT CHINEN HATE. I don’t hate him. I just think it’s scary the way the PV seems to showcase his dancing and dazzling smile in a paedophillic way. Maybe this is just Johnny’s. But I’m unnerved all the same… He’s a terribly talented boy, though. I must confess I like him a lot better now after watching him perform live. His clear, choir-boy voice adds a distinctive quality to Hey!Say’s music, giving it a special touch – in Ultra Music Power it’s almost as if he redeems the song from the quagmire of manufactured boyband tunes that Johnny churns out at an alarming rate.