Music in my veins

This here is a song from one of my all time favorite japanese rock bands, The Pillows. It is one of their beloved songs and I think was featured in an anime. Oh how this song encourages me in strange unknown ways. Even though it is a song repeating on the idea of the "Little Busters" which I don't know what it is, the song is just so mesmerizing. I can listen to it over and over again without getting tired of it, which doesn't happen very often... Anyway The Pillows singing in English is just so cute!!! Little Buster

This is never-heard-before ever since the creation of this blog! Why are you introducing a non-Japanese band? some unknown voice asks out of the blue. Well, I just stumbled upon them randomly and they sounded nice. Hey I usually don't listen to non-Japanese music (which I should) so this discovery was a nice little surprise for me. Oh I know... Asian rock/pop is inspired/copied from "western" "American" rock/pop. Yes,maybe, but that doesn't have to matter...To me lyrics/words of a song are as important, if not more so, than the music/composition/chord progressions that allegedly copied the Beatles. People of all genres have been copying other people for a while now.... Soutaiseiriron doesn't sound like the beatles! Ok that was a random conclusion that doesn't make sense. But anyway. The Strokes. This band is nice and mellow. The Strokes- Under Cover of Darkness

Plastic tree is a japanese rock band that to me they are famous for the song "Fujunbutsu". It was a good song, but I felt it was a little sad and desperate. So it is nice to find this little delightful song they have sang called The rain of June or "Rokugatsu no Ame". I was slightly surprised that the vocal was able to pull this off and sing it less garage-nirvana style and more alternative-remioromen style. Nicely done Plastic Tree! you are not plastic at all.

Recently I can't stop listening to this song. It is a song called Ashburn by Yano Maki. Her voice is just enchanting! Especially this song, the song seems to capture some sort of magical moment in it. I love it. I don't know what it is about this song that catches me. The singer's other songs are slower and not as.. aesthetically beautiful as this song to my ears. Is she just a pop singer? Where did this song come from? Her powerful soulful voice just mesmerizes me. Is it just me? Yano Maki- Ashburn

This is a bit more indies than rock. It is a song called tobenai tsubasa (wings that can't fly) by Salyu. I categorize it as indies because this song came from a movie that was totally wicked. I mean totally indies and experimental and a little too deep for the average mass-media audiences. I think it is called "All About Lily Chou-Chou". Check it out if you want. According to some comments on youtube, they said this song moved them to tears. It is a very delicate song, I agree. A little deep and mysterious too, just like the movie. Tobenai Tsubasa (wings that can't fly) by Salyu

Recently I have been listening to the band High and Mighty Color because my band member let me borrow his high and mighty color CD. The band has this one hit single called Ichirin no Hana. It was just okay at first, but when I have the CD playing in my car for a couple of times, it became a nice song that would got stuck in my head. The only thing is, I am not into shouting vocals. To me that's not singing not really my thing. And they do quite a lot of angry desperate shouts in between the feminine female vocals. Shouts that sound like "AAAHHHHH", like someone is trying to imitate a dinasour howl. I know it is a genre in itself, but to me that's just not music not very pleasant to my sensitive ears. But I like her last phrase "Ichirin! no! Hana!" It is very powerful. And that's the only phrase that got stuck to my head and repeated. Ichirin no hana- High and Mighty Color

I remembered that I blogged once about the band Soutaiseiriron . They have this mysterious and unique sound. When I listened to their album, every single song seemed a different genre from the next song. So it was surprise after surprise even within an album. But I think I also mentioned that I did not like all of their songs. Some are just too indies for me... But I like how mellow and light Soutaiseiriron sounds. It's as if she is singing "whatever, whatever, whatever....." Yes to non-Japanese speakers, let's just translate it that way and it would not be too far from the original intended meaning, I think. :) Soutaiseiriron - Sikaku Kakumei

When I first heard it, I did not like this song. It was an anime song or something so it was really popular. But I didn't like it. Don't know why but just didn't. But then I grew to like it. I had to sing it for my cover band, so I learned it. And it grew on me like a plant. Like a thorny rose-y plant. Half of the lyrics is in English. Like "I need your love/I am a broken rose" or "oh baby help me from frozen pain/with your smile, your eyes/sing me just for me". Yeahhh for Japanese-English funny lyrics~!! "I'm a broken rose..." she whispers emo-lly in the middle of the song, which my band member calls the climax of the song which I just don't get. I think it is merely mumble . Therefore I mumble when I sing that part. Rose

Since nobody knows about this, I guess I would have to blog about it. The story was as follows, one night, a few weeks after the great earthquake in Japan in March 2011, my friend Glenn sent me a song he composed. Just the background, without the melody. I heard it, and something about the song clicked with me. I don't know what it was, but I guess some would call it the godsend moment or the moment when one gets a chance to take a quick glimpse into the mysterious and infinitely flowing world of MUSIC . The melody just poured out of me like that without forcing anything. I finished the melody in 5 minutes and lyrics in 10 minutes or so, while thinking about the Japan disaster victims. I had never finished a song so quickly. Glenn later told me that his song was inspired by the disaster as well. And so was I! It was a very special experience. So I recorded it. And I know this is the other thing I can do to help besides donating money. Therefore, I want to share it and hope ...

This song I co-wrote with my bandmates. It is just a demo. Half of the song is in English and the other half in Japanese. I am humbled to put my own creation in the same blog space as these other great jrock artists... but I am running out of songs to write about... haha just kidding. well kind of not. Please forgive the primitive mix/mastering of the song. I did it. That's why. I can't really comment on it since I wrote the melody and lyrics, but I can say that the guitar solo was great! (heard it took him 45 tries to make it perfect!) And bass, drums, everyone did wonderful job to make the backbone of the song. Please don't try to understand the English part of the lyrics... They are... they are... secret codes you will never decipher. ever. Shine

Do this song already? I don't care. This song is so good I will write about it again! and again! The band name is Uplift Spice. The song name is Kanojo (She). Why oh why is this song so enchanting to me?? I have NO idea what the song wants to convey, even after examining the lyrics closely as if I were doing a critical analysis in writing class. But still, I don't know what it means. Some Da Vinci Code dude please decipher it for me!! I know the song mentions machine gun, caterpillars, rockets, radar, and aliens. I am serious. I just don't see the connection between them....hmmm. Maybe I don't possess enough wisdom to decipher the message. After all, it is such a great song, and great songs are always deep . Anyways, I can sing this all day. And I can tell you secretly I sound kinda like the vocalist. With my sharp, ear heart-piercing voice...

Oh don't we all need some sunshine every now and then? As summer steadily approaches, I don't know about you, but I can't wait to wear short skirts and eat ice cream and go swimming! So as a preview, let's listen to Orange Sunshine~by Judy and Mary. It's such a cute song. Reminds me of, you guessed it. Orange sunshine. and orange juice too for some reason. Summer please come already!! just kidding this is "Overdrive" by judy and mary. Well kind of the same summer thing. get it?

Today I want to introduce the band AKB48 , they are a prominent group in the j-rock scene...........?!!?!! OK Never mind. Just thought to spice up for the occasion today. That ponytail song..... is not my thing. Anyway. This song called Snow Magic by the Japanese punk/ska band Witchery Skank is such an energetic song! Lovely melody and so nigiyaka or lively having all the brass instruments in the back and all. This song gives me so much energy. Listening to it for me is like eating spinach if I were Popeye~! Yay for girly Japanese Ska music!!!

175r is a really cool band. They were pretty popular at around the same time that Shakalabbits was popular. (in the 90s). (all the good j music was from the 90s hehe) The band 175r is basically the male equivalent of Shakalabbits..? Can I say that? well only the singer in the band is female so.... Yeah anyway they have a very energetic sound. I find myself energized after listening to their songs. Especially this one. It sounds like the singer is putting all his life into this song. And that always attracts other people, attracting other music-loving souls. makes me want to sing to the sky too. 175r sora ni utaeba ( if you sing to the sky )

There had been an 8.9 earthquake in Japan. I pray that it will be ok for those people affected. As sad as it sounds, this is a good time to appreciate what we have and what is really important in our lives. Usually we don't realize what is most important until we don't own it anymore- Family, friends, loved ones, people who support us in our lives. Earthquake is terrible, but it also brings out and highlights for us what we HAVE. I hope it is not too late for most people to find out this, but being safe, having your loved ones around you, and knowing that they love you back too, is all that it takes for one to be happy. If we love this world, the world will love us back. I am thankful that I am still living, healthy, and able to enjoy what this world and everyone has worked so hard for. Including music that touches my heart and flows in my veins. SHAKALABBITS- MONSTER TREE

Did I introduce this band already? Or I might have avoided it because of the complicated name... Anyway, written in the right way the band name should look like this - 相対性理論　- but yeah to people who don't understand kanji it probably just looks like a cool tattoo or something. Anyway, this song, called "sanzenmannen" or Three Million Years, is such a great song! I love the guitar riff and everything about this song. The somehow-making-sense-but-not-really lyrics like "I was in love since 3 millions years ago" or "I'll just stuff 3 million $$ into my backpack" (in preparation of the long weekend?!)..Things like that. Oh how I love meaningful/meaningless lyrics like that!! However I have to say I am not into ALL their music. Some of this band's songs are too "experimental" for me. Although it is more than fabulous that they were voted #1 with the most recommended CD by all the CD shop staff in Japan. (but some stuff I just couldn...

Update on the broken ipod: still not fixed... is that why I have been feeling so blue recently? Another song I really like from the band Shakalabbits is called Hoshizora no shita de. It is one of their best, in my opinion. It is just so engaging and cuts into a deep part of me. So. I decided to make a cover version of it. In English, it means "Under the starry sky", and the song Hoshizora no shita de talks about two people in love, I assume, and who, I imagine, talk their hearts out under the starry sky! How romantic would that be?? "If we could only disappear together at that moment" However, it is implied that the two people are not together anymore. "You would have cried at the same moment if you were watching this movie with me" "We will never be able to connect the same way we did before" "I believe, there will be a day when we will meet each other again and smile, under the starry sky/And I sing" I dig you Uki...

Sad :( my ipod broke. My life is black and white now.... until i get it fixed! So, the latest addition to my musical life is... One Piece music! Or, just this song~ Actually I don't know much about this band. But this song sounds nice. Does this song cross the line to become J-pop? ぎりぎりだね。 almost? But pop with drum beats and guitar and bass is fine with me. This song sounds so hopeful. Like Luffy from One Piece. I like that. A dose of positive thinking is always good for you. Yes let's all aspire to be pirate kings or something! At least the Japanese pirates don't go about saying "aye" or something. Which is so not cool. One Day-The Rootless