Three-piece melodic punk band: EVERLONG - YUME

EVERLONG is a Nagoya based three-piece melodic punk band with a fresh sound and a cool style. Signed to "TRUST RECORDS" the group consists of Mituhiro (vocal & Bass), kimu (drums & chorus), Yuta (vocal & guitar). Today the band members, along with their friends share their dreams in the new PV for "Yume," the song is featured in their second full-length album titled "Coin Laundry ni wa", which was also released today.

EVERLONG - YUME
From the album Coin Laundry ni wa

Catchy, upbeat and pleasantly poppy, "Yume" opens to the sound of clashing cymbals, then explodes with the chill tunes of electric guitar, rhythmic bass and hard-hitting drum beats. The fun and exciting accompaniment is joined by the bands strong and expressive vocals, with each members voice adding a uniquely pleasant sound to the piece, that combines wonderfully making for a cool, catchy chorus that's followed up by a fun and invigorating guitar solo.

The stylish and engaging vocal track combines perfectly with the rich, full accompaniment, producing an enjoyable and exhilarating sound. With sharp shifts in dynamic and powerful, captivating lyrics bringing it all together, "Yume" is a cool, upbeat punk song that will get your blood pumping and your head rocking!

For those of you who'd like to check out their song for yourselves, you can find the PV for "Yume" linked above. Enjoy!

Check out EVERLONG's website: http://everlong-nagoya.com/

Follow them on Twitter: @xxxEVERLONGxxx / Mituhiro @michun2388 / kimu @kimu_EVERLONG / Yuta @okuyu_EVERLONG

J-tunes daily: SCANDAL - YOUR SONG

Song of the day 

 SCANDAL - YOUR SONG

Scandal (stylised as SCANDAL) is an all-female Japanese rock band from Osaka. Formed in August 2006 by four high school girls, the band consists of Haruna Ono (lead vocals, secondary guitarist), Mami Sasazaki (lead guitarist, secondary vocals), Tomomi Ogawa (bassist, lead vocals) and Rina Suzuki (drummer, keyboardist, guitarist, secondary vocals). SCANDAL has performed the theme songs a wide variety anime, including "Shōjo S" and "Harukaze" for "Bleach" and "Shunkan Sentimental" for Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. Scandal has built a considerable international fanbase with their numerous overseas performances.

Their song "YOUR SONG" was used as the closing theme to "J-MELO" from June to November 2014. The popular English-speaking Japanese music show asked viewers what words and phrases are most special to them. Their answers then inspired the all-girl rock band SCANDAL to create this song.

Inspired by the special phrases close to the hearts of Japanese music fans from around the world. "YOUR SONG" is a punchy punk rock song with cool sounds and plenty of heart, packed to the brim with tuneful sounds of electric guitar, bold bass and warm drum beats.

The songs lyrics are upbeat and inspirational, carrying with them a powerful and optimistic message. Instrumentally, the rich, full accompaniment matches perfectly alongside the diverse and confident vocal track, whilst each members unique singing styles and vocal melody offers up a wide, varied range of sounds, from the strong and heartfelt to the warm and attractive. Each members vocals combine together beautifully, making for a truly powerful and uplifting chorus, topped off by a hard hitting and punchy guitar solo. With some gripping and diverse shifts in dynamic thrown in for good measure, "YOUR SONG" is a fun loving, feel good rock song bursting to the brim with genuine emotion and pure punk spirit.

Check out "YOUR SONG" in the link above and if you like let us know what you think. You can also find our last Song of the day here; J-tunes daily:  LOST ASH - superNOVA

Check out SCANDALS's website: www.scandal-4.com
Follow them on Facebook: facebook.com/scandalofficial

Follow them on Twitter: @scandal_band / Haruna Ono @scandal_haruna / Mami Sasazaki @scandal_mami / Tomomi Ogawa @scandal_tomomi / Rina Suzuki @scandal_rina

Japanese rock duo: VAMPS - ZERO

Vamps (stylised as VAMPS) is a stylish and daring Japanese rock duo, formed in 2008 by "L'Arc-en-Ciel" member Hyde (vocalist, rhythm guitarist, lyricist and songwriter) and "Oblivion Dust" member K.A.Z (lead guitarist, backing vocalist and songwriter). The band also consists of Ju-ken (support bass, backing vocals) Arimatsu (support drums) and Jin (support keyboards), bringing the total number of band members to five.

Originally signed to Hyde's own record label "Vamprose!", the group is are now signed with "Universal Music Group's Delicious Deli Records" To date they have released 4 albums and 10 singles, with the album "BloodSuckers" released in October 2014 being their most recent output. Since forming, every release by VAMPS has so far reached the top ten on the Oricon music chart.

VAMPS - ZERO
From the album BloodSuckers

Sung entirely in English, "ZERO" is available in the bands latest album "BloodSuckers" and is set to become the new opening theme for the popular English-language Japanese music show, "J-MELO" on April 5th.  

The song opens slowly to the tuneful sounds of keyboard, warm drum beats and ethereal strings, setting the stage for Hyde's strong and expressive sounding vocals. The flowing, rhythmic sounds provided by the instrumentation offer up a powerful, driving beat that grabs ahold of you and carries you along for the ride. Whilst heartfelt ballads envelope in you in a wave of good vibes and soothing sounds.

The strong, melodic vocal track blends harmoniously with the powerful, alt-rock sounds provided by the varied accompaniment. With deep and interesting lyrics carrying with them passion and emotional weight., whilst diverse shifts in dynamic lend an additional engaging layer to the piece. The opening verse is both soothing and driving, whislt the passionate and exhilarating chorus offers up a powerful and emotionally moving sound. As the song comes to a close, the music fades out slowly along with the vocals, capping off the piece wonderfully. Digital sound effects, vocal layering and tuning techniques are used throughout to enhance the sound, but not enough to really take anything away from the song.

All in all, "ZERO" is a superb and thoroughly enjoyable piece, that more than lives up to the high standards many have come to expect from VAMPS. Whether you're a long time fan or new to the bands unique often daring sounds, ZERO" is sure to keep you coming back for more.

If you like you can check out the song for yourself in the link above. Enjoy!

Check out VAMPS website http://www.vampsxxx.com/

Follow them on Twitter @VAMPS_JPN
Follow them on Facebook facebook.com/VAMPS

Tokyo based DJ & singer songwriter: Mi​Hi​RO

Today we're taking a listen to the musical stylings of the lovely, talented DJ and singer songwriter MiHi​RO, from Shinjuku Tokyo. Mi​Hi​RO has performed at various clubs and live venues across Japan, earning herself a modest but loyal fanbase in the process with her impressive mixes, broad range of music genres and beautiful, expressive vocals.

(Click the image or text below to listen to the song)

Soundcloud

ビターバレンタイン

(Bitter Valentine)

Starting off with the punchy pop piece titled, "Bitter Valentine". The song flows to the tuneful sounds of keyboard, drums and cymbals, all joined by MiHiRO's beautiful and expressive sounding vocals. Instrumentally, the song has a poppy, upbeat vibe which contrasts well with the sombre tone provided by the vocal track. The melancholy melody lends a slight sharpness to the overall sound, whilst the cheery tunes provided by the accompaniment produce a catchy and rhythmic beat, resulting in a pleasantly bitter sweet piece.

Soundcloud

 カラーギャング

 (Colour gang)

Moving on to some electric goodness now with the song "Colour gang". MiHi​RO's cute sounding vocals flow harmoniously with the rich, smooth sounding accompaniment, later joined by warm attractive backing vocals that add an extra alluring layer to the piece. The vocal track is heartfelt and appealing, whilst the rich, tuneful instrumentation provide an upbeat, rhythmic sound. "Colour gang" is a simple but well composed piece, with pleasant vibes and catchy tunes that are sure put a smile on your face. 

Soundcloud

君と会ってたらやせた
(If I was skinny when I met you)

Last but not least we have "If I was skinny when I met you". Offering up a unique and sweet sounding rap song, sung to the beat of warm drums, tuneful keyboard and various electronic music. This novel fusion of up-beat, rhythmic tunes and cute, stylish rap vocals is both impressive and refreshing. Instrumentally the song has a rich, full accompaniment that compliments the vocal track nicely, with competent uses of vocal layering and backup vocals that add an extra engaging layer to the piece. "If I was skinny when I met you" puts a surprisingly cute spin on rap, with its refreshingly cheerful tone and warm, upbeat vocals.

While MiHi​RO has yet to break out into the mainstream, she's certainly demonstrated talent and diversity in her music so far. With her beautiful, expressive vocals and  impressive mixes that cover a broad range of music genres, I'm looking forward to hearing more from the talented DJ and singer songwriter MiHi​RO.

Check out more of Mi​Hi​RO's songs on soundcloud.com/mihiro-2 

Follow her on Twitter @Ihagfat

J-tunes daily: LOST ASH - superNOVA

Song of the day 

 LOST ASH - superNOVA

LOST ASH is a Japanese Visual kei rock band from Tokyo. Originally formed under the name "Ocelot" in 2008, the band is comprised of Daiki (Vocals), Show (Guitar), Sai (Bass) and Dye (Drums). To date they have released three albums and five singles, with the 2014 release of the single "Message" being their most recent output"

I first saw LOST ASH back in 2010, at the popular underground live venue "MARZ" located in the Shinjuku district of Tokyo. The band had just released their latest single at the time, "superNOVA" and were eager to share their new title song with the crowd.

"SuperNOVA" is hard hitting, punchy and oozing with hard rock sounds. Right off the bat the songs fast paced and thrilling tunes hook you in, proceeding to permeate the air whilst Daiki's strong and expressive vocals offer up powerful vibes and heartfelt melodies. The guitar solo halfway through is both bold and impressive, leading perfectly into a warm and rhythmic vocal melody, before transitioning to the second verse. From the opening verse to the well timed and competent shifts in dynamic, straight through to the hard close. "superNOVA" is a riveting hard rock song experience that you won't want to miss out on.    

Check out the song "superNOVA" in the link above and if you like let us know what you think in the comments. You can also find yesterdays song of the day here; J-tunes daily: PIKO - Make My Day!

Check out LOST ASH's website http://lostash.com/
Follow them on Twitter @LOST_ASH / Daiki @Daiki__LOST_ASH / Show @Show_LOST_ASH  / Sai @Sai__LOST_ASH  / Dye @Dye_LOST_ASH

J-tunes daily: PIKO - Make My Day!

Song of the day 

PIKO - Make My Day!

Piko is a male Japanese pop singer signed to "Sony Music Entertainment" under the sub-label "Ki/oon Music". Popularly referred to as "Ryouseirui" meaning "both voice types") a fan-made word used to describe his vast vocal range that includes notes both typical of male and female voice types. To date, Piko has released eight singles and five albums, with the album "PIKOllection Best+4" being his mot recent release.

Piko also provided the voice library for "Utatane Piko", the first Vocaloid from Sony Music Distribution which uses the "Vocaloid2 engine" and is currently a Vocaloid Producer going by the name of Chuutoro-P.

Fast paced, fun and pleasantly poppy, "Make My Day!" is all these things and more. Instrumentally, the piece is rich and lively, with punchy, pop sounds blending together wonderfully with Piko's warm and exceptionally diverse vocals. Sharp but competent shifts in dynamic help add an extra layer of fun to the over all sound, with the vocal track changing in tone and pitch to compliment the varied accompaniment. All in All  "Make My Day!" makes for a light-hearted, fun and thoroughly enjoyable pop song that would make just about anybodies day.

If you like you can check out the song in the link above and let us know what you think. You can also find yesterdays song of the day here, J-tunes daily: Girugamesh - INCOMPLETE
 

Check out Piko's website http://www.piko-piko.jp/
Follow him on Twitter @piko_niconico

J-tunes daily: Girugamesh - INCOMPLETE

Song of the day

Girugamesh - INCOMPLETE 

Girugamesh is a Japanese Visual Kei rock & metal band, formed in 2003. The bands name is sometimes stylised with a metal umlaut as "Girugämesh" and is derived from the Final Fantasy character "Gilgamesh", who was also based on the character of the same name in the Sumerian poem, "Epic of Gilgamesh". 

Signed with Japanese record label "Danger Crue" and "Gan-Shin" for European releases, the band is currently comprised of Satoshi (vocals, lyrics), Nii (lead & rhythm guitar), Shuu (bass, leader, backing vocals) and Яyo (drums, primary songwriter) To date, they have released 10 albums (including EPs) as well as a whopping 23 singles, with their most recent single being the sensational "INCOMPLETE" in September 2013.

"INCOMPLETE" leads you in slowly, opening to the punchy, rhythmic sounds of electric guitar, followed Satoshi's distinct and expressive vocals. Then explodes as the instrumentation comes into full force, hitting you like wall of sound with powerful, heavy metal vibes that permeate throughout. The vocal track is raw and edgy, with impressive usage of sfx techniques, complimenting the powerful and exciting sounds provided by the accompaniment. Whilst the various shifts in dynamic add a compelling additional layer, resulting in a thoroughly engaging and exhilarating piece that any metal fan can enjoy.

You can check out the song in the link above and if you like, let us know what you think in the comment section. You can also find yesterdays song of the day here, J-tunes daily: Yoshino Nanjo - Kimi Ga Emu Yuugure

Check out  Girugamesh's website www.girugamesh.jp/en

Follow them on Facebook facebook.com/pages/girugamesh

Follow them on Twitter @real_girugamesh / Satoshi @satoshi_grgm / Shuu @shuu_grgm / Nii & Яyo @brother_grgm