[Album] Arashi - Dream-A-Live

Its going to be released 23 April 2008 which is around the time I am not here. Oh the went to the place I am going before... I wonder if their goods are in abundance over there. I'd sure love to get my hands on something good. xD Like the... Time Concert DVD. I'm hungrier than a horse, I wish its lunch already. Sigh.

Anyways, the covers of the Album are as such:

I love it already. I love it. I don't know why. See, anything with a little decoration and a little PS would be better than that "Step and Go" boring cover. Except for that hilarious KAT-TUN "LIPS" cover. That totally looked like botox gone wrong from afar. They look like Meg Ryan and Priscilla Presley's lips. *snicker*

For the limited edition:
Disc 1 consists of 13 songs, Disc 2 has 5 songs.
It costs about ￥3,500. Which is... I don't know how much US$. You know, I don't give a crap about the exchange rate although I so should. Studying what I'm studying. xD

Disc 1 songlist:

1. Theme of Dream "A" live
2. Move Your Body
3. Happiness
4. Niji no Kanata e
5. Do My Best
6. Koe
7. My Answer
8. Life Goes On
9. Step and Go
10. Your Song
    

Disc 2:

1. Hello Goodbye - Aiba "ManCandy" Masaki
   
2. Gimmick Game - Ninomiya "BlackGums" Kazunari
3. Take Me Faraway - Ohno "Artsy" Satoshi
   
4. Naked - Matsumoto "Eyebrows" Jun
   
5. Hip Pop Boogie - Sakurai "McNewscaster" Sho

Regular Edition:

One CD with 14 songs, costs ￥3,000. Why do they release it in such a way that you have to get both editions? Its annoying, really. Money grabbing monkeys. I am sure most of the fangirls won't mind. But its annoying that they are using such transparent tactics to dig your pocket.

Song list is same as the previous on except they threw in a song called "Once Again" as the 14th bonus track.

[Album] Jay Chou - On The Run

[Moved from my old blog.]

That is the title of his 8th album which was released... I don't know when. But yeah, I evaluated it. Jay Chou is like a brand. It has caused me cognitive dissonance. At first I was like... oh since I bought it I shall change my expectations and attitudes to match it to my behaviour (that is the act of purchasing the album). Anyways, that was because the dissatisfaction was mild.

The 7th album has caused great dissatisfaction, so I changed my brand attitudes towards it. (See, apply what you learn into your daily life. xD)

Anyways, the first track of this album is a song called "Cowboys are busy" (Do NOT ask about the weird title). Apart from the odd title, lets just say it is... quite cheerful and jumpy and catchy. But... erh, its mediocre... unlike his "Nocturne" which was so, so good back then... ah...

Track number two is "Rainbow". Ballad. Boring and... too forgettably mediocre. I don't know, but I won't wanna listen to it another time... >.>

Track three, "Green Vase"... this is his one traditional-ish Chinese song in every album thing. It has this traditional feeling to it... I like this... ^^ Calming. It is not the "Common Jasmine Orange" type of goodness. It is just this slow type of song.

"Sunshine Boy" Track four... fast paced. It... is okay. You know? There are a ton of okay songs and a handful of really good ones. (Like that "Snow-like Hair" of the 6th album) The chorus is okay but the verses are crap. >.>

Track five, "The Promise of the Dandelion". Okay, the intro is not bad... piano for the intro. This is not bad... not bad... (I am typing as I am listening... so yeah...xD) Okay, this is good. ^^ Ballad. It has a little "Coral Sea" + "Maple" ring to it. Not bad, not bad at all. Well not as good as the two, but it has a ring to it...

Sixth Track "Incomparable"... sounds a wee bit like "Attack from all sides" from the November's Chopin Album. OMFG, and it has this ghastly odd high pitched sound in the end and I am totally freaked out. >.>

"I'm Not Worthy" is the seventh track. Oh this one has the "Love Before A.D." feel to it. It is sorta like... Chinese RnB la... ya know? It's way diff from the angmoh RnB. >.>

8th - "Pull". Oh this is like one of the songs from the album that I never listen to. "Red Imitation" "Reverse Scale" those types la.

9th - "Sweetness" Ah good good, this is like "Malt Candy" from the 6th album. (xD 6th was my favourite album. Not only because its cover is white, which is very diff from the others which are mostly black, but almost all the songs are good.

Last track, "The Longest Movie". This reminds me of "All the way North" from the Initial D soundtrack. It is... another ballad. I have a thang for ballads and happy songs alike. >.>

So yeah. There you go. End of story.

Jay is... not as good anymore.

I would like to place his peak some where between the 5th Common Jasmine Orange and the 6th November's Chopin. The 4th Ye Hui Mei was also very good.

From Still Fantasy onwards... it was just okay. Just okay is not good enough for it to sell!

There you go. My momentary Cpop whatever. Jay... is not as good and Lee Hom is getting better! Have you heard his "Luo Ye Gui Gen"? It is brilliant. Simply brilliant.

[Album] NewS - Pacific II

Second day of its release, it sold 41,208 on that day alone.

^^

Doing well aren't they?

I have a thing or two to say about their album though...

I don't like it. "TEPPEN", "Sayaendou", "Hadashi no Cinderella Boy" and "Hoshi wo Mezashite" we all know and liked, they are in the album. But the vocals on "Alibi" and "Chirarism" are horrendous! Horrible! Horrijible! The songs, some are sung solo, some sung in pairs, some in trios. Frankly, I think NewS needs more unity, and splitting them up even during recording is bad. IMO.

"Mafuyu no Nagareboshi" is not a new song. >.> Ryo's "Code" and Pi's "Gomenne Juliet" was okay. "Ai Nante" by Ryo, Tegoshi and Shige was okay. That's all if I am not mistaken. "Kimi Omou Yoru" for me was okay, "Change the World" was mediocre, "Ai no Matador" was good though. "Nantoka Naru Sa" by Pi, Koyama and Masuda I haven't heard. Then there is a the one minute acapella piece by Ryo and Pi which was one of the best on the album.

I might, or might not, or might, most probably I might be biased. ^^