Musicwhore.org Great. Another music blog. (2005-2013)

It seemed to have taken a while for announcements about upcoming albums to pop up. Perhaps that’s indicative of a slow build-up to the summer touring season. Maybe it’ll get better the closer we get to June.

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I received an e-mail from CD Japan informing me Hatakeyama Miyuki is releasing a new album, Reflection, on April 5.

I spent a week grabbing a 6GB torrent just to hear her single, "Ai ni Melody". Her last album, Wild and Gentle, didn’t do it for me, but I kind of missed hearing her voice. "Ai ni Melody" is actually a really good single, and it’s gotten me genuinely curious about Hatakeyama’s work again.

I’m glad she’s back.

UPDATE: Bounce.com has a few more details about the new album. Some of the songwriters contributing to the album include Nagadzumi Takahashi (Super Butter Dog/Hanaregumi), Harada Ikuko (Clammbon), Horigomi Yasuyuki (Kirinji) and Nakano Yoshie (EGO WRAPPIN’). A number of the songs were premiered at Hatakeyama’s annual concert at Shinagawa Church.

Reflection will be Hatakeyama’s first album for new label, Rhythm Zone. Her management company, ChorDiary, was previously distributed by Toshiba-EMI.

After posting the last entry, a number of other release dates popped up. These artists have been covered by Musicwhore.org before, but I’m not necessarily interested in them. You may be.

(Except the Cocco release. My feelings on that are quite known.)

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Cocco. New single. Feb. 22.

You can’t imagine the glee I feel by seeing those three words together in a series of sentence fragments.

Bounce.com reports the title of the new single is “Onsoku Punch”, and it contains three tracks. The coupling songs are “Dosha Furi Yozora” and “Ryuuseigun” (no indication if it’s an Onitsuka Chihiro cover, but I very much doubt it). Cocco re-teamed with former producer Takamune Negishi on the new single, and a limited edition pressing includes a DVD.

It’s Cocco’s first new release as a solo artist since announcing her retirement in 2001. Since then, she’s published two picture books, was filmed for a documentary and recorded an album with Quruli’s Kishida Shigeru as part of Singer Songer.

Folks, she’s back.

UPDATE: A reader just e-mailed me about a commercial clip available on the Speedstar web site. Hmm. This comeback should be interesting … (Thanks, Victoria!)

Slowly but surely, I’m starting to get bits and pieces here and there about upcoming releases, so it seemed like a good time to look ahead. Most of what I list are things I’m looking forward to, and many of them have been mentioned before in their own items.

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The good news: ACO is coming out with a new release on Feb. 22. The not-as-great news: it’s 7-track mini-album.

It’s been three years since ACO released her stunning 2003 album, irony, and now she returns with mask, so says Bounce.com. The mini-album includes “Chuukoku”, produced by absolute ego collaborator Sunahara Yoshinori, the commercial song “guilty” and a remix of an old song, “Fuan no Onna”.

As soon as I’m done posting this entry, I’m ordering it. I didn’t even realize it’s been three years since irony. I did, however, feel a twinge an ACO jones a few weeks back and wondered when she would re-emerge.

I wonder if she’s turning into Kate Bush, with all these slow turn-around times.

I haven’t been very vigilant with posting Bounce.com news items as of late, but two stories I saw on the site in recent weeks deserve some belated coverage.

Luminous Orange is the first Japanese artist to be announced for the SXSW music festival in March 2006. Other artists slated to appear at the festival include such alumni as Cat Power, Neko Case and Elbow, seasoned acts Echo & the Bunnymen and Tom Verlaine of Television, plus newcomers the Arctic Monkeys and Talking Heads Clap Your Hands and Say Yeah. (Um, no.)

Dry & Heavy singer Likkle Mai is doing the solo thing, so says Bounce.com. Two weeks ago, she released a single, “Why You In Such a Hurry?” It also looks like Likkle is also about to release of an entire album, Roots Candy.

This past weekend, I played King Tubby Meets Dry & Heavy in the Jaws of the Tiger during a shift at Waterloo Records. A customer really liked what he was hearing but balked at actually purchasing it. I mentioned Dry & Heavy were from Japan, and they’re purists when it comes to dub. The novelty of Japanese reggae band sounding as good as they do wore him down, and he bought the album.

All that to say, I’m really jonesing for some new Dry & Heavy.

Nirgilis is set to release a new single titled “sakura” on March 1, 2006, Bounce.com reports. The title track serves as the theme song for the anime Kookyooshihen Eureka Seven, which begins airing on Japanese television next year.

A visit to the band’s official site reveals its been signed to Sony Music, namely the DefStar label which counts the brilliant green on its roster. Nirgilis is a fun band, no doubt, but I wonder how its music will turn out with founding member Moyo Satake long gone.

I am still interested in the band nonetheless.

(And here you thought the Number Girl song title in the subject line of this post meant another Number Girl-related post …)

I guess this site is becoming a Number Girl blog now, huh?

Quick on the heels of its debut single, SLOTH LOVE CHUNKS announced the release of its debut album, Shikakui Vision, on Feb. 9, 2006, Bounce.com reports. SLOTH LOVE CHUNKS includes Number Girl bassist Nakao Kentaro, Belters singer Kayo, Kiwiroll guitarist og and Laughin’ Nose drummer Kenji. The album is expected to contain 10 songs, including “Loveless Ideal”, the band’s debut single.

On the same day as the release of ZAZEN BOYS’ third album, bandleader Mukai Shuutoku will also release a DVD of his apperanace on the Space Shower TV program, Yuigadokuson. Titled Yuigadokuson presents Kendai no Mukai ~ZAZEN BOYS~, the DVD features Mukai performing six ZAZEN BOYS songs solo, plus some rehearsal footage of his covering Matsutoya Yumi’s “Mamotte Agetai”.

Toshiba-EMI finally released the track listing for Omoide In My Head 4 ~(Chin) NG & Rare Tracks~. The official Number Girl site specifies the origin of each track. I’ve translated as much as I could.

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