VOLA & THE ORIENTAL MACHINE, led by ex-NUMBER GIRL/ZAZEN BOYS drummer Ahito Inzawa, releases its major label debut on Oct. 8, reports Bounce.com. Titled Halan’na-ca Darkside, the album will include a DVD of promo clips for its first edition limited pressing. VOLA performed at the Great Escape Festival in the UK, which raised the profile of the band, the article says. A tour to support the album starts in November. The band is signed to Universal Music Japan.
Some release news items I’ve been neglectful in mentioning this past few days. I’ve been exploring the world of digital video these past few weeks, nothing of which has to deal with this site. So, yes, distracted. All items mentioned in Bounce.
CHARA releases a mini-album titled Kiss on Sept. 24. Hot on the heels of her new studio album honey, the five-song EP contains a cover of Cyndi Lauper’s "Time After Time", a collaboration with Hanaregumi for a Lauper tribute album. Other tracks include "Kieru", the theme song for the movie Hebi no Pierce, and "Tomorrow", a song used in a commercial for Astellas Pharma.
Also coming out Sept. 24 is the new studio album by Spangle call Lilli Line, titled Isolation. Bounce has a very interesting description of the band’s current sound: "Gothic classical meets Spangle call Lilli line". The band has been producing more "salon music" (I guess that’s the Japanese term for chamber music?) since their last album or, and the new album has been likened to black & white European films. That should be interesting.
Former SEAGULL SCREAMING KISS HER KISS HER mastermind Higurashi Aiha recently changed the name of her new band to Higurashi Aiha and LOVES! (Yes, the exclamation point is part of the name.) She also launched her own label, change! change! records!, to release the second LOVES album, NOW is the Time! Higurashi is really loving those exclamation points. SLOTH LOVE CHUNKS/ex-NUMBER GIRL bassist Nakao Kentaro lends a hand, as does saxophone player Nakamura Hiroshi. NOW is the Time! hits stores Sept. 10.
THE PREDATORS, which includes members of the pillows, Glay and STRAIGHTENER, releases a 7-track mini-album and DVD on Oct. 15 titled Kiba wo Miseru. The DVD includes three promo clips.
Bounce.com reports TOKIO will release on Sept. 3 a new single with a track written by Shiina Ringo, titled "Amagasa/Akireru Kurai Bokura wa Negaou". "Amagasa" can be heard on the TV drama Yasuko to Kenji. The limited edition first pressings come in two versions containing only the double A-side tracks, but each version includes a video clip for one of the tracks. The normal edition contains extra coupling tracks, including "Kachuu no Otoko", which was written by Shiina and arranged by Tokyo Jihen. "Akireru Kurai Bokura wa Negaou" was written by Hiro Izumu.
Man, it’s tough work keeping track of upcoming releases. I was far more diligent back in 2002, when I would scour HMV and CD Japan for release dates, when I read just about every single item in ICE magazine for interesting tips.
Now it’s a game of cross referencing and chance. With more artists using alternate means of distributions — bypassing labels and traditional distributors all together — lists with even a great track record won’t necessarily intersect with things in which I’m interested.
If I were scouring web sites the way I used to in 2002, I probably would have been hip to the following recently-released items.
First, Sasagawa Miwa, who left Avex Trax after the release of her fourth album Mayoi Naku, has released a 7-track mini album on independent label April Records titled miwaBLUE. It’s available from the label’s web site, but it’s pretty obvious international sales aren’t supported. A listing at Amazon is already sold out, and I see no signs of it at HMV. It was released June 6, 2008.
Also released on the same day is a new album by BLEACH, Kien. At least this one has distribution. Even YesAsia carries it. I’m probably going to order it when I get the Hajime Chitose album. Now there’s a contrast. Of course, I could just wait for Australian Cattle God to release it stateside and save a few bucks. Hell, the label is based in Austin! But I’ve gotten all their other albums from Highwave, so I may as well be consistent.
I’m spending more on gas than on Japanese import CDs anyway.
Billboard reports … And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead has started its own label, Richter Scale Records, and is recording a new album scheduled for a January 2009 release.
Conrad Keely says the move back to an independent label allows … Trail of Dead "to seek the creative freedom envisioned by the founding fathers of our great nation, immune from the tyranny of the corporate ogre." These guys are so quotable.
The band left Interscope after the release of 2006’s So Divided, and while they’re no longer beholden to Universal Music Group’s bottom line, they aren’t entirely shut out of the conglomerate’s resources. Richter Scale is being formed in association with Justice Records, which is distributed by Universal.
ZAZEN BOYS releases its fourth album, aptly titled ZAZEN BOYS 4, on Sept. 17, reports Bounce.com. Details about the album have yet to be announced, although the band did record with NUMBER GIRL producer Dave Fridmann. It’s been 2 years and 8 months since the release of ZAZEN BOYS’ previous album, ZAZEN BOYS III.
[UPDATE, 07/29/2008] The track listing of the new album has now been posted. The new album has nine tracks:
Hajime Chitose’s upcoming single, "Hotaruboshi", includes a cover of the Irish song, "Siúil A Rún", says Bounce.com. The single also includes a second coupling track, "Yasashii Uta".
"Siúil A Rún" was recorded to commemorate the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Japan and Ireland. "Yasashii Uta" serves as the theme for J-WAVE’s Nijuusai no Uta.
I’m very curious to hear Hajime’s version of "Siúil A Rún", a song recorded by Clannad in the ’70s on the album Dúlamán. Hajime’s covers tend to suffer musically, despite her usual excellent singing. (Whoever thought it was a good idea to turn the Sugarcubes’ "Birthday" into a folk song?) Clannad’s version is mostly in English, but the chorus is in Irish. Will Hajime tackle the Irish chorus? I guess we’ll find out.
And just to sate your curiosity, here’s Clannad’s version of "Siúil A Rún". It will self-destruct in two weeks.
As reported previously, Onitsuka Chihiro contributes a new song, "Hotaru", to the film Last Game Saigo no Soukeisen. Bounce.com now reports the song will be released as a single on Aug. 6. A live DVD, NINE DIRTS AND SNOW WHITE FLICKERS, comes out on the same day.
"Hotaru" was produced by Sakamoto Masayuki, who has previously worked with Hirahara Ayaka on the hit single "Jupiter". The single also includes the coupling track HIDE AND SCREAM.
The live DVD was recorded during an April 26 performance in front of limited audience of 2,000 people, and it marks her first such release in 4 years and 8 months. Onitsuka is scheduled to perform at a number of summer festivals this year.
Ex-Supercar member Nakamura Koji is releasing his third album as iLL on Aug. 6, Bounce.com reports. Yes, iLL had released its second album back in March, and yes, it’s only been fifth months between releases. The title of the new album is ROCK ALBUM, and the track listing of the album is already available on iLL’s official site. The Bounce article hints the album is something of a return to previous sound for Nakako, and it comments on how iLL drastically changes with each release.
I haven’t yet listened to Dead Wonderland, and I’m probably going to hold off till ROCK ALBUM comes out.