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花より男子FINAL trailer

Oh , it’s up , it’s up! Not much to it , but still gets me excited. 6.28 cannot get here any faster. Some of the shots look just like S2 , but what the heck. THE cruise scene and the shooting. Ahhh , cannot wait for this to come out. I hope it’s alot better then the Nodame Cantabile SP I waited so long for.

AKFG – WORLD WORLD WORLD 3/5/08

History

The band was first formed in 1996 by Kensuke Kita, Takahiro Yamada, and Masafumi Gotō who met in a musical circle of Kanto Gakuin University, with Kiyoshi Ijichi joining the band shortly after. They played in many small venues until they released their first indie EP in 2000, a six-song EP of songs sung in English. In the following year, the band tried to get their first Japanese single, “Kona Yuki” (粉雪, “Kona Yuki”^?), onto indie radio shows. The song was eventually picked up by a popular radio DJ and put into heavy rotation due to the demand of listeners. The band released their second indie CD containing songs with Japanese lyrics later in 2001. In 2003, the band would release their first mini-album Hōkai Amplifier (崩壊アンプリファー, Hōkai Amplifier^?), which received immense critical acclaim with the sales of the album reaching 35 on the Oricon charts.

In 2003, the band released the singles “Mirai no Kakera” (未来の破片, “Mirai no Kakera“^?) and “Kimi to iu Hana” (君という花, “Kimi to iu Hana“^?), which would catapult them to fame. Their first full album, Kimi Tsunagi Five M (君繋ファイブエム, Kimi Tsunagi Five M^?), sold over 250,000 copies and landed in the number 5 spot on the Oricon charts in its first week. As their fame grew, fans began calling them simply Ajikan (アジカン, Ajikan^?) or AKG, shortened versions of their full name.

When 2004 came around, the band won the award for Best New Artist; their video “Kimi to iu Hana” also won the award for Best Music Video. Over the course of the year, the band would release four more singles: “Siren” (サイレン, “Siren”^?), “Loop & Loop” (ループ＆ループ, “Loop & Loop”^?), “Rewrite” (リライト, “Rewrite”^?), which is the fourth opening song for the anime Fullmetal Alchemist and “Kimi no Machi Made” (君の街まで, “Kimi no Machi Made“^?). Their song “Haruka Kanata” is the second opening of the anime Naruto. The band also released their second album, Sol-fa (ソルファ, Sol-fa^?), in 2004. The album would go on to sell more than 600,000 copies and reach number one on the Oricon charts for two weeks straight.

In 2005, they released a DVD that stayed at number one on the Oricon DVD charts for an entire month, and played at sold out venues during their Re:Re: tour. The band also held the Nano-Mugen Festival 2005, where eight different bands played to a sold out crowd. Later that year, the band released another single “Blue Train” (ブルートレイン, “Blue Train”^?) (which managed to obtain a #5 spot on the charts), and held a short tour in the winter.

The band released two albums in 2006: Fanclub (ファンクラブ, Fanclub^?) and a B-side compilation called Feedback File. Fanclub stayed in the Oricon top five for nearly two months while Feedback File entered the charts at number two. In July, the band held a sequel to their Nano-Mugen Festival known as Nano-Mugen Festival 2 which featured 12 different artists and sold out for all of its performances. The band then went on to release two singles in 2006, “World Apart” and “Aru Machi no Gunjo”, which was featured in the anime film Tekkon Kinkreet. World Apart went on to become the band’s first number one single.

Their song After Dark is currently the new opening theme for the anime Bleach.

Asian Kung-Fu Generation’s single and album covers are designed and created by Yusuke Nakamura. ( via wiki )

アジアン・カンフー・ジェネレーション
World World
World….
ワールド ワールド ワールド
発売日: 2008/03/05

2007 saw virtually no sound from AKIJIN , up until now that is. Then they release this well mixed album. As always AKFG always start the cd off with a bang leading right into fantastic guitars and wonderful pretty lyrics. This album was no less then what I expected from AKFG.

The band’s three singles since the 2006 album Feedbackfile can be found on this release, including the late 2006 single Arumachi no Gunjou (Track 12), last year’s Bleach theme and Oricon #6 hit After Dark (Track 2), and, of course, their most recent Korogaru Iwa, Kimi ni Asa ga Furu (“Rolling Stone, Morning Falls Upon You” – Track 10), which was released just a month prior to the album.

1. ワールド ワールド ワールド 1:17 ( World World World )
The intro , really makes you feel like they are playing to the world.

2. アフターダーク 3:12 ( After Dark )
Catchy right off the bat , reminded me alot of SanakaAction for some reason mixed with the pillows. The guitars are driving but laidback , it’s a good driving song , if I had to describe it. The vocals are strong and works well with the lyrics and the guitars . Sounds alot like a summer driving song , it’s really the best way to describe it. The break with the distortion is awesome , this is one of my favorite tracks on the album.

3. 旅立つ君へ 2:49 ( To you who starts thier journey / Start your JOURNEY )
Another driving song , I love the fast paced everything about this song. It’s fun and catchy. Just like track two it makes you want to get out and just do something. It’s a song that made me feel good , esp lyric-wise. I love the break too , it slows the song down in just the right way , and it’s really pretty. Yet another top song on the album. Too bad it’s so short.

4. ネオテニー 4:43 ( Neoteny )
I love the intro of this , reminds me of older foo fighters. I hate to keep saying when music reminds me of other stuff , but lets face it , it happnes. It’s not a bad thing to sound like another artist as long as it’s not a complete rip off. Now back to the song , I thing this is a nice slow song to slow down the pace of the cd which has been booming from track one. The backing vocals give this cd a really nice touch as well. It has a grand scale to it , like it would be great for an arena show the vibe it gives.

5. トラベログ 4:07 ( Travelog )
This song is amazing….I just don’t know what to say about it. It’s so pretty , the lyrics for this one are my favorite for the entire cd . It has alot in common with Neoteny , but it’s all it’s own with the way the song breaks into sections telling a story. I’ve listened to this one alot more on the cd then any other song because it is just a must listen song. The break in the song is perfect. I can see this song being on a soundtrack , it has that kind of universal appeal.

6. NO.9 3:33
I have to admit that this song is alright , of the entire album , I think it’s the most lacking , I still love it , but it reminds me of songs they have done before on other albums . Too many songs to list , it also reminds me of about 5 pillows songs , 2 beat crusaders songs and a bunch of Anatikikou and Fujifabric songs right off the bat. It ’s a really nice song , it’s just too common. I know alot of people will like it for it’s catchiness , and no doubt it’s a well produced song , it’s just very commonplace on the cd.

7. ナイトダイビング 3:02 ( Night Driving )
This by far is the most catchy , it’s not because of the lyrics , it’s just the music and the pace of the song. It’s got a basic rock appeal with being slightly dancey. On top of that they do alot of vocal ranges and alot good guitar work in this song. Technically speaking this is the most advanced song on the cd. If you skip over any of the songs on the cd , do not skip this one as it’s just amazing.

8. ライカ 3:52 ( Leica )
This song should of followed World world world in my opinion in track ordering , mainly for the intro and how it does a complete 360 from the intro of the song into a catchy rock song. It has alot of stops that change up the song alot being held together by the chorus and lyrics. It’s a really inventive song with some really neat vocals and mixed in guitars. The break is very nice as well as it’s also done in the same stop go style of the song.

9. 惑星 4:01 ( Wakusei )
The song lives up to the name by all means. Strong and leads into a song full driving beats. The only thing I didn’t like about this song is the similarities between wakusei , start your journey and After Dark. I have to admit they all sound very similar but aren’t. I’m quite impressed with this song , but it just doesn’t have enough definition for it to be on it’s own.

10. 転がる岩、君に朝が降る 4:38 ( Rock n’ Roll in the Morning? )
I have to admit this sentence escapes me , I don’t think I read it right , or I just need to practice more. At any rate , an amazing song , it’s allllmost a ballad , almost. Keep that in mind when you listen to it. Sounds as if there is an acoustic guitar in the background , but I can’t tell , my headphones are really shot. This song crosses into the area of being a radio play song , it’s just that listenable. Not saying AKFG is getting more radio sounding , but I can see this being a hit on the radio. It’s Mellow but easy to listen to and you can really relax to it overall.

11. ワールド ワールド 1:21 ( World World )
Yet another break to take you into a cd transition.

12. 或る街の群青 4:16
Time for the lead out songs , this song does a good job of breaking down the cd and start to slow it down. The steady driving sound of this song wants to push you into the last track. The more I listen to this cd , how it sounds like a story. This is another top song of mine , I just was in awe the first Time I heard it , and I’m still amazed by it. It too is another arena song where you can see it filling up a whole room or area. This is also a song not to skip.

13. 新しい世界 3:18 ( A new World )
So this is the fastest song on the cd , what a great way to end a cd , it’s so fast paced it feels like your really leaving the earth and flying around. I’m so glad they picked a fast song to lead out on compared to the rest of the cd. It’s a fantastic way to end this cd , and it’s amazingly catchy.

Overall Opinion:
This cd is amazing. They have done it again with another solid release and I have listed to this cd alot since I got my first listen to it and it’s such an amazing album. It shows you were AKFG is heading musically , like a taste of things to come. I hope future releases can build on what this cd started. It’s a fresh look at thier style and I’m just generally impressed with it. Long time AKFG fans will love the freshness of this cd , even with all the singles that are on it. It’s not to be missed.

Wasalu Muhammad Jaco / Lupe Fiasco

Lupe Fiasco – THE COOL

Wasalu Muhammad Jaco (born February 17, 1982), better known by his stage name Lupe Fiasco (or just shortened to “Lu”), is an American Hip-hop artist. He rose to fame in 2006 following the success of his critically acclaimed debut album, Lupe Fiasco’s Food & Liquor. Prominent hip hop mogul Jay-Z describes him as a “breath of fresh air” in a new hip-hop world characterized by mainstream pop and glamour, a sharp contrast with the widespread lyricism-focused rap of the 1990s, and critics have called him the “Hip-Hop Generation’s Next Vanguard.”^[1] His second album, Lupe Fiasco’s the Cool, was released on December 18, 2007.

I came across Lupe today while channel surfing looking for something other then this horrible Tom Cruise movie to watch. ( I didn’t IMDB the movie either as I had nooooo idea what was going on and I really don’t like Mr. Cruise all that much )

I have to admit after watching “Superstar” which got me the moment I saw it. I love it when Hip-Hop artists take on various vocal styles in thier songs. ( The song superstar features Matthew Santos Billboard article ) So obviously I headed over to the Itunes store and immediately purchased the album “THE COOL”.

Impressed.

There seems to still be some good lyric writers left in the rap game , and he seems to have done it. Overall it’s a good album with alot of nice mixing and I really enjoy his lyrics. I can’t really name a song that I like more then the others. It’s all pretty solid. I do really really enjoy “Go Go Gadget Flow”

He reminds me alot of Kanye ( I hate to say it but… I get that vibe. ) West. It’s something about the way he raps , and the way his songs are mixed. It’s alot better by all means , and we know that Kanye has alot of “Questionable” lyrics that make most people do a double take.

He also reminds me alot of Gnarles Barkley in the way he does alot of the songs ( A really good example is “Go Baby” ) with a bit of dance/funk/house vibe with the song mixing.

It’s really a unique record worth picking up , it’s got some really good tracks , there were really no songs I thought were bad , I listened to them all and enjoyed the whole cd. I’m currently planning to purchase his previous release “Food & Liquor”.

Listen to Lupe songs on Amazon , also purchase the albums via amazon digital or itunes.

Track listing

#	Title	Songwriter(s)	Producer(s)	Featured guest(s)	Length
1	“Baba Says Cool for Thought”	Jaco, Ayesha	Iesha Jaco	Iesha Jaco	0:46
2	“Free Chilly”		Soundtrakk	Sarah Green & GemStones	1:02
3	“Go Go Gadget Flow”	Lupe Fiasco/Soundtrakk	Soundtrakk		4:10
4	“The Coolest”	Paultre, Chris/Braxton, Derrick/Lupe Fiasco	Chris & Drop		5:12
5	“Superstar“	Lupe Fiasco/Soundtrakk	Soundtrakk	Matthew Santos	4:48
6	“Paris, Tokyo”	Deodato, Eumir/Lupe Fiasco/Soundtrakk	Soundtrakk		4:30
7	“Hi-Definition”	Broadus, Cordozor Calvin/Shuckburgh, Alexander/Pooh Bear/Lupe Fiasco	Alshux	Snoop Dogg & Pooh Bear	3:51
8	“Gold Watch”	Paultre, Chris/Braxton, Derrick/Lupe Fiasco	Chris & Drop		4:12
9	“Hip Hop Saved My Life“	Lupe Fiasco/Jean, Nikki/Soundtrakk	Soundtrakk	Nikki Jean	4:03
10	“Intruder Alert”	Lupe Fiasco/Soundtrakk	Soundtrakk		4:00
11	“Streets on Fire”	Paultre, Chris/Braxton, Derrick/Lupe Fiasco	Chris & Drop		4:40
12	“Little Weapon”	Stump, Patrick/Lupe Fiasco/Bishop G	Patrick Stump	Bishop G & Nikki Jean	4:05
13	“Gotta Eat”	Lupe Fiasco/Soundtrakk	Soundtrakk		3:24
14	“Dumb It Down“	Lupe Fiasco/Soundtrakk	Soundtrakk		4:03
15	“Hello/Goodbye (Uncool)”	File, C./Goss, J./Homme, J./Lavelle, J./Lupe Fiasco	Lupe Fiasco & Chris Goss with Unkle	Uncle	4:26
16	“The Die”	GemStones/Lupe Fiasco/Soundtrakk	Soundtrakk	GemStones	3:23
17	“Put You on Game”	Simonsayz/Lupe Fiasco	Simonsayz		3:02
18	“Fighters”	Messie/Lupe Fiasco	Le Messie	Matthew Santos	3:33
19	“Go Baby”	GemStones/Lupe Fiasco/Soundtrakk	Soundtrakk	GemStones	3:36
20	“Blackout” (Circuit City bonus track)	Lupe Fiasco/Soundtrakk	Soundtrakk		4:00

I high

꽃보다 남자 [KOREAN VERSION ]

“Third times a charm?”

A Korean version of HanDan. I’m not overally appalled by the idea. In fact , since I have a biased leaning twoards Korean Dramas , I’m really looking forward to it. I loved the Anime , Enjoyed reading the Manga , I really really really loved the Japanese version , and I liked the TW Meteor Rain. So a Korean version of it will not hurt me.

Meteor Garden had fallen to Poor planning in the end.

What can hurt is poor planning , since I’ve heard that the episodes will be 70+ mins long and that there will be 24 of them. I think that’s a bit long , but considering the Manga , I think in some odd way that it will work.
Casting can also make this a really horrible show. I’ve already posted who I wanted for the roles , but my personal ideas are a bit far-fetched , and somewhat older actors won’t cut it. ( Unless they do the college version , then some of my choices will work ).

Speculated Cast @ Daum Cafe.

Lee Min Ki would make the perfect domyouji , in my opinion. Alas he’s not listed. I don’t think he’s poplar enough to get voted. At any rate , I think Eun Hye would be perfect , shes always played a touch tomboyish woman in movies and shows. =o

Jang Hyuk would not be too bad as Domyouji , but .. Yeah , I wish it was Lee Min Ki.

As for Rui , It should be Kang Ji Hwan or Kim Jae Wook.
Akira , he looked like he was 40 in the JP version , so I’d vote for so many people to play him , but I’d like Ryu Soo Young to do Akira.
For Teaboy and Yuki , I’m not sure.

At any rate , I would look forward to a korean version , as I watch Korean dramas more then JP ones. HYD is still the godsend of dramas for me , it’s in close runnings with GoonG as best drama ever in my little world.

Soompi is the place to be to keep track of this. =o

It will be interesting to see how this will play or navigate away from the HanDan Final set to air 6.28. I’m so very much looking forward to the Final. I’m mainly looking for one last good Makino / Tsukushi / F4 / Everyone even the crazy bitches Sakurarabo and Umi.

The more I think about it , the more I love the idea of a KR version of Handan , esp for who they cast in the parts.

「花より男子」の監督＆脚本家が初映画

　人気ドラマ「花より男子」（ＴＢＳ系）を手掛けた監督と脚本家が、再びタッグを組み映画界に初進出することが７日、分かった。「花より－」や「木更津キャッツアイ」を演出してきた片山修監督（４２）と、俳優宅間孝行の顔も持つ脚本家サタケミキオ氏（３６）がコンビを組んで製作するのは映画「ヒートアイランド」（今秋全国公開）。

　映画化には５年の歳月を費やした。数人の脚本家に依頼したが、片山監督のＯＫが出なかったためだ。映画化断念の話も出始めた昨年１月、片山監督がドラマ「タイガー＆ドラゴン」では俳優、「花より－」では脚本家として仕事をしたサタケ氏に脚本を依頼。「花より男子と同じく、サタケ氏の脚本はキャラクターが立って、セリフのテンポの良さも完ぺき」（同監督）とついにゴーサインが出た。

　片山監督は「木更津－」で岡田准一、「花より－」で松本潤や井上真央と、若手俳優を抜てきし、独り立ちさせてきた実績を持つ。今回は、主演に二枚目若手俳優城田優（２１）、ヒロインにはハリウッド映画にも出演した北川景子（２０）を抜てきした。

　城田は、３月まで日本テレビ系「ハケンの品格」に、現在はテレビ朝日系「生徒諸君！」と連続ドラマに立て続けに出演。主演映画「荒くれＫＮＩＧＨＴ」も公開中の新進気鋭の若手俳優だ。片山監督は「城田君は、役柄同様にカリスマ性を発揮してくれた。かっこよさに迫力まで加えて演じてくれた」と評価。城田も「今作品で芝居に対する考え方が少し変わった。日々成長を感じ取れた」と手応えを感じている。

［2007年5月8日8時10分　紙面から］

@ Nikkan Sports ( Of all places , brought to my attention by arashi.vox )

• 瀬戸口プロデューサー、三城プロデューサーからのメッセージはこちら
• 出演者5人からのメッセージはこちら
• キャスト・スタッフはこちら

TBS 金曜ドラマ枠にて2シリーズ放送し、
大ブームを呼んだ連続ドラマ『花より男子』シリーズの映画化が決定 !!
2008年夏、全国東宝系にてロードショーされます。

満を持して製作される映画版は、まさに『花より男子～ファイナル～』と銘打つにふさわしくスケールアップ！場所はまだ未定ですが、海外ロケも予定しており、ドラマの世界観よりさらに飛躍した花男ワールドが展開されます。 ( → 続く )

2007.08.18 (土) Update @ Handan 2 OHP

MOVIE UPDATES @ HANDAN OHP ON TBS

First off , it’s the complete original cast , and on top of that , out of country filming. HYD again.

Honestly , i really don’t need more reasons to be obsessed with HYD do I?

Archives are done

Well , I transfered all the entries from both sites , and organized some of them. I didn’t change the date stamp , as I didn’t think it was needed right now. I did post them in the order I posted them in the original Blogs.

I plan to in the future.
- Keep this updated at least twice a week.
- Add in samples via imeem streaming.
- Hopefully review new stuff as it comes out.
- Try and get more Hindi/Middle Eastern Music. As well as Music and Media from Europe and Africa.
- Merge this with my graphics blog.

At any rate, I hope this will prove to be a good source of entertainment for e-readers a bit out of the norm. Mainly directed at people who want to experience something new to them?

宇多田ヒカル/Utada Hikaru

Someone on tonberry ( still the second worse jmusic forum on the net ) asked for the Kingdom Hearts Singles. There are no KH singles. it’s just her regular singles. I don’t have the single for “Simple and Clean” as for some reason I can’t stand that song. I never bought it. These are my rips , and yes go buy her cds because they are what 18.00 for one. which is like Half of a regular JP cd. So thank goodness she has international fame somewhat. So I added the passion single , and sanctuary is on her last album. That should be all of them. already uploaded the KH rar thing . So I’m just adding to it. Plus another user on tonberry asked for some of her stuff too. I don’t mind sharing decent music.

LINKS

• Hikki’s Website — official EMI Music Japan site (Japanese)
• Hikki’s Website — official EMI Music Taiwan site (Chinese)
• Utada.com — official U.S. Island Records/Universal Music Group site (English)
• Utada.com — official Japanese Island Records/Universal Music Group site (Japanese)
• U3Music Inc — official Utada Hikaru/Utada Message/Blog site (Japanese)/(English)
• Yesasia Article – Utada Hikaru career overview (English)
• Utada Discography Gallery – Picture gallery of Utada’s CDs and DVDs (English)

BIOGRAPHY ( WIKI )

Utada Hikaru (宇多田ヒカル, Utada Hikaru^? born January 19, 1983), also known by her fan-nickname of Hikki (ヒッキー, Hikkī^?), is a third culture Japanese pop singer-songwriter, arranger and record producer.

She has been hailed as one of the most successful, influential andacclaimed musicians in Japanese music history. With the release of herseven studio albums, including one compilation and two all-English, 24 solo singles (18 Japaneseand 6 English) and several VHS/DVD releases, she has sold a combinedestimated total of some 36,000,000 records in Japan as of 2007, makingher the 9th most successful musical act ever in Japan.^[1][2]Her worldwide total sales of albums, singles and VHS/DVDs to date iswell past 40,000,000 units. Her unusual success has been, in largepart, because of her fluent bilingual skills in English and Japanese,having been raised in New York City and Tokyo.

Utada became an unprecedented musical icon in Japan after her debut, First Love,began shattering a number of records in 1999, and has shown extremelyconsistent and strong sales of albums, singles and chart presencesince. She has won the Nihon Golden Disk (Japan’s most-esteemed musicalaward) “Song of the Year” award for thirteen of her singlessince 2000, a record for a solo or group artist. In addition, she haswon the Golden Disc “Pop/Rock Album of the Year” award for all four ofher Japanese studio albums.^[3]Utada is also the only solo or group artist in Japanese, and possiblyworld, music history to hold the #1 position five times on a Year-Endchart in a territory (four albums and one single from 1999-2004)^{[citation needed]}.

In 2003, HMV Japan announced that Utada Hikaru is the #24 Japanesepop artist in its survey of “Top 100 Japanese pop artists” of all time,making her the youngest artist with the highest rank in that survey.^[4] In 2006, Utada Hikaru also ranked #10 in HMV’s “Top 30 Best Japanese Singers of All Time”.^[5] And in July 2007, it was announced by her label EMI records that Utada’s 18th Japanese-language (23rd overall) single Flavor of Life had sold the most digital units to date of any song release worldwide

ALBUMS & TRACKLIST 1998 Precious

( NOT INCLUDED ) 1999 First Love

DOWNLOAD 2001 Distance

DOWNLOAD 2002 Deep River

DOWNLOAD 2004 Exodus

DOWNLOAD 2006 Ultra Blue

DOWNLOAD

SINGLE
I don’t download singles , unless it has nice remixs. All her singles are worth it , as they all come with really nice remixs. For todays sake I’m uploading only one of them. That Kingdom Hearts II game used some of her songs . Simple and clean , and sanctuary are the most notable ones.

PASSION

• CD Version

1. Passion ~single version~ – 4:36
2. Passion ~after the battle~ – 5:57

I added in the OST only versions as well.
DOWNLOAD

REVIEW
As I like HIKKI , I rarely listen to her anymore. She does have some really really nice songs like Kremilin dusk , colors , devil inside , kettobase , final distance , etc… I prefer her to Ayumi , who she gets compared to alot. I don’t see why though , she’s closer to Koda Kumi somewhat. Koda Kumi is really really really annoying though. At any rate , she covers alot of styles like techno , rave , rap , rnb and general pop. I like her voice alot , she’s got a nice clear voice. You can hear her improvement in english from her early work to where she is now. It’s a major improvement , because sadly alot of Japanese pop stars have THE MOST HORRIBLE ENGLISH imagineable. Makes Aiba Masaki look like a pro.

BYJ/환웅

BYJ/환웅 태왕사신기. 30 mins. OC4.

Damdeok

Originally posted on archaenon.vox.com

布袋寅泰 – AMBIVALENT

At long last , 布袋寅泰/Tomoyasu Hotei’s new album. AMBIVALENT , which is a fitting title for this release once you hear it. He’s been putting out albums alot in the last few years , but it hasn’t stopped any of them from being unique and stand out on their own. He’s one of the few japanese guitarists that come up with fresh material each album this late in the game. It’s rather impressive , and this latest installment is no stray from the usual for HOTEI.

Release date : 2007-10-29

Tomoyasu Bio:
Tomoyasu Hotei (布袋寅泰 Hotei Tomoyasu, born on February 1, 1962 in Takasaki, Gunma Prefecture) is a Japanese musician, guitarist and actor.

At 190 cm (6 foot, 3 inches), Tomoyasu Hotei is one of the most intimidating people in the Japanese music world. This image has also been put to good use when casting him as the villain in movies and TV commercials, most notably as the sinister man in black chasing Masatoshi Nagase in the Bosscoffee ads. Over a long musical career as a guitarist with one ofJapan’s legendary rock bands, guest artist and solo performer, he hasdeveloped a worldwide reputation as Japan’s premier axeman and has soldover 25 million albums. Possessing strong skills as both a guitaristand songwriter, he has played in various configurations and styles, buthas always been a rocker at heart.

Hotei first began playing the guitar in junior high school. In high school, his band “Blue Film” finished runners up in a school contest to “Death Penalty“, a band led by Kyosuke Himuro. Hotei was expelled shortly before graduation. The reason was that, when warned about his long hair he replied “Jesus had long hair!” Shortly after, he went to Tokyowhere one day he received a phone call from Himuro. The two had neverreally known each other but hit it off and went on to hold auditionsfor a new band, which in 1981 became the six-member Boøwy. The band became major stars in Japan, in 1985 played the Marquee in London, and in 1986 had their first million seller, “Beat Emotion”

When the band broke up in 1988, Hotei established himself as a solo star, as did Boøwy singer Kyosuke Himuro. Hotei also made two albums with Koji Kikkawa as Complex,both of which went to number one in the national charts. Hoteifrequently records overseas, and has collaborated with many foreignmusicians, including playing on the Stranglers Hugh Cornwell’s 1993 solo album, on stage with David Bowie at Nippon Budokan in 1996, and at the Closing Ceremony of the Atlanta 1996 Centennial Olympic Games with Michael Kamen.

He later recorded “Guitar Concerto” with Kamen. He has also worked with Andy Mackay of Roxy Music, guitarist Chris Spedding and Mike Edwards of Jesus Jones. Hotei also sometimes plays in Europe, and performances include a number of major festival dates. His regular drummer in recent years, Zachary Alford, has previously played with Bruce Springsteen and David Bowie. His album of 1998 “Supersonic Generation“, recorded in part with Apollo 440 and Ofra Haza, was released in 14 European countries.

In addition to releasing many best-selling solo albums, Hotei composed & performed the score for Hiroyuki Nakano’s Samurai Fiction, as well as starring in the film. Tomoyasu Hotei’s songs have also appeared on the soundtrack to 1998’s Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, and the song “Battle Without Honor or Humanity” was used in the Quentin Tarantino’s film Kill Bill, the PlayStation 2 version of Dance Dance Revolution SuperNOVA, and Michael Bay’s film Transformers. Hotei recorded a cover of John Lennon’s“Happy Xmas (War Is Over)” for Merry Axemas, an instrumental guitarChristmas album featuring tracks from guitarists including Jeff Beck, Joe Perry and Steve Vai.

Tomoyasu Hotei’s wife, Miki Imai is also a popular singer and actress.

Links:
OHP: http://www.hotei.com
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0396231/
BUY : http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/list_from_code_banner.html?key=246991
SAMPLE : Comment below to hear

Tracklist :

1 Sparkling Guitar
A really laid back intro for the cd. It’s mellow and catchy , and doesn’t attack you right off the bat like most of his albums intro tracks. I.E Doberman + King&Queen. I love the guitar work in this , for it to be so simple it’s just lovely.

2 Peek-a-boo
Picks up alot like Battle and most of Supersonic generation. It also reminds me of Circus and Let’s go!. I love the beat , it’s got a kodo-esque drum feel about it. Whats funny is it comes off as a surfing song , which isn’t a bad thing. It’s a fast paced catchy song with simple lyrics. Easily enough to dance to , which is also a bit weird. The drum solo is pretty decent , as well as the guitar solo midway. It builds up into a climax and mellows out as fast as it rose. I’m not sure who is doing the female parts , the listing on the cd says that Miki , Hotei’s wife is present on some songs , so I can only assume it’s her.

3 日々是上々
It reminds me of Galaxy era Crazy Ken Band. Like really really reminds me , which is awesome because I LOVE CKB. It’s another summery song with a disco dance feel. The guitar work for this pretty simple , and it’s pretty laid back , I’m assuming that this song is the middle album mellow down time. You’ll love the solo if you love classic rockin’ out style solos with lots of soul. It’s a really catchy song in more ways than one.

4 ﾌﾞﾗｯｸｶﾒﾚｵﾝ
Classic rock , the small riff at the beginning is a nice touch as well. It’s alot like the above song , but has a more driving beat to it. Still laid back and is just a Jam , lay back and chill sort of song which is really catchy to sing to. It breaks midway to just the baseline and the vocals and leads into a nice solo very 70’s / late 60s . Not much else to say other than really catchy and one of the better songs on the album.

5 Yesterday No More
Lounge style song , complete with maraccas. Another laid back jamming sort of song. Note a trend here , not typical rockin’ Hotei. It’s a really mellowed out song with some nice mixed in elements. The claps added in give it a nice touch as well. This is another one of the songs on the album you can get up and dance to. The limited guitar adds to it , and mixs in nicely with the absence of lyrics for the most part.

6 Wanderers
My favorite song on the album. It reminds me of the CKB vesion of Jingi from Electric Samurai. I loved everything about the song , the offbeat base , the small mixed in noises , the mixed backing vocals and the almost acoustic guitar. It’s just such an awesome song , sadly It makes me want to get up and run or something that involves alot of energy.

7 ﾚﾌﾟﾘｶﾝﾄ
Lots of cymbals for this song. The chorus background makes me snicker. It’s so cheesy in some respects , but it’s an ammusing song , mainly for the chorus and the mixing. It’s just a plain fun song. There isn’t much else to talk about with this song , other than it’s yet another catchy song to not miss on this album.

8 Forest Chant
Exactly as it sounds , a chant. It’s sooooooooo diffent from pretty much every album he has released. It’s a really nice track if you like elevator music. Not knocking it at all. It really did try to put me to sleep as I was listening to it. Just wait for it. Listening to the whole song is sooo worth it.

9 Nightmares
Now back to typical Hotei. Rockin’ track that almost flings you into the 80s with the electronic claps and the way the guitar is done in the intro.It reminds me alot of dephece mode. I know that sounds weird , but I can see them , violator era , doing a song that sounds like this. Hotei really does cover it all. This is another one of my tops on the album. Also the lyrics are pretty awesome if you listen to them. I like the eerie female voice , and the chorus , the chorus is really nice. It’s just an overall awesome song.

10 Minimal Beauty
I can honestly say this is a nice song. I just didn’t care for it as much as the rest of the album. I’m not sure why I didn’t care for it. I think it reminds me of too many songs from the 80s along that same pop/dreamy sounding where all the lyrics are stretched and it sounds really dreamy and calm. I know alot of people will like it , but I think it’s the weakest track on the album. Not a bad song , just not for me I guess. It will make you really tired , just like Forest Chant. It’s kinda cute when he starts to howl like a wolf…heh.

11 ×××kiss×××
This song will bring a smile to your face. it’s sooo dance floor disco , you will love it. It channels alot of 80s pop as well. I really love this song , and it’s so damn catchy. I’m not going to talk much about this one , as you need to hear it yourself. It really does make you want to dance , plus the guitar is just awesome…plain awesome.

12 Funky Punky
What his current tour is named , and with reason. This song defines the album , it’s so vibrant and strong , and so unique. I have listened to this one more than any other song on the album. I love the mix of funk/disco and rock with this one. It’s like lounge pop with a rock edge. I didn’t think those two sounds would mix well together , but it so works. The female vocalist is back , and the fact that most of this song is lyric-less just makes it even better. It reminds me of EASY ACTION and a few other Boom Boom Satellites songs. I wish it was longer. =x

13 人生はﾊﾟｰﾃｨｰだ
Ok , so he’s channeling Kome Kome Club / CKB / Rick James and Al Green all in the same go. How…you may ask. It’s just…wow , he’s pretty damn good at Disco , funk and soul. This song reminds me so much of CKB , and if you like this song , you should check out CKB , whom I’ve seemed to mention more than Hotei in this review , but wow , he’s being really similar to them in such a good way. It’s a catchy and awesome song. The guitar solo is short but sweet.

14 幸せな日々
It was so quiet at the beginning , that I didn’t think there was a song. It’s very old school spanish guitar playing. It’s slow and a very pretty song. Take the time to check out the lyrics , because it makes the song more beautiful. It’s just a wow kind of song , where you can listen to it and imagine open skies and it makes your mind wander. It’s another track you have to listen to foryourself to really appreciate it. I like how low octave his voice is in this , it just adds that pop to it. Great song.

15 夢中遊泳
Another simple laid back song. The hollow drum adds to it , it seems to be an add on to track 14. It really makes you want to go to sleep again , it’s very pretty if you love music that makes you feel like you are drifting. I have listened to this one alot as well because it helps me relax alot. It’s a nice chill out song.

16 狂った時計
The weirdest outro for an album…just let it run , it gets so weird. Haha , not bad , but it’s so…wtf when you compare it to the rest of the album.

Overall Thoughts.
I was amazed by this album , there is a track I really didn’t care for , but for the most part , I love his recent change from rock to swing , to lounge and disco. It’s such a nice change up many artists cannot do. He pulls off Funk Rock so well , If you enjoy bands such as Kome Kome , Southern All Stars , theatre brook , Crazy Ken Band , Asia Engineer , then this album is for you. It’s really good , and it’s nice switch up from all his previous work.

Rating : 5/5 ( yes it is that good )
As always buy the cd , and don’t be lame. It was pretty cheap , even for a pre-order. 29.00 USD.

SEX MACHINEGUNS – JACKY

Links :
http://www.sexmachineguns.com/
http://blog.goo.ne.jp/sm-hmt/

Band Info:
Current Lineup:
ANCHANG (Leader)
Vocal, Guitar
　本　名：安藤 弘司
　出　身：愛媛県
　血液型：A型

Guitar
　本　名：桑江　良竜
　出　身：沖縄県
　血液型：B型

Drums
　本　名：今井　賢一
　出　身：愛媛県
　血液型：B型

The Sex Machineguns started in 1996 as a low-popularity Indie group, touring live houses and clubs. Their name is intentionally similar to that of the Sex Pistols and, according to the band, “implying that [we] machineguns are more radical than [the] pistols”. They gained a large fanbase quickly, and sold out their shows. They went on tour, and spread their popularity all over Japan. Once they got back home to release their first video and live CD in Spring of 1997, they had developed such a fanbase that the first press of the video sold out instantly, to all parts of Japan from Okinawa to Hokkaidō.

In 1998, the Sex Machineguns made their commercial debut with the release of their first single on Toshiba-EMI Records. the single sold out all over Japan instantly, and it was decided they would go on a debut tour (which sold out completely in every location). Magazines began to run articles, and the single sold steadily, skyrocketing the band’s popularity. In September they released their first album, which was another huge hit. They went on many tours, all selling out, and topped the singles charts all over Japan. As 1998 came to a close, the Sex Machineguns had topped the charts, and played 62 concerts (all sold out).

The bands frontman announced that the band would be taking a ‘activity pause’ on the 20th March 2006 All members except for Anchang have left the band (whether or not this is permanent is not mentioned) and formed a new band/side-project called Elleguns, which released a 6-track instrumental.

As of December 2006, Circuit. V.Panther, Samurai. W.Kenjilaw, and Speed Star Sypan Joe have started a new band known as “Cycle”.

Anchang released his second solo album, entitled “Memphis” on February 21, 2007. This album is the follow up to his first solo album entitled “The Maintenance” (released January 28, 2004), which was released under the name “Sex Machinegun”. This short section requires expansion.

Previous Members
Sussy – Lead / Rhythm Guitar (1996-2001)
Noisy – Bass Guitar, back Vocals (1996-2003)
Clutch. J.Himawari – Drums (1999-2003)
Circuit. V.Panther (Yoshikazu Yahiro) – Lead / Rhythm Guitar, Back Vocals (2001-2006/9/7)
Samurai. W.Kenjilaw (Kenjirou Murai) – Bass Guitar, Back Vocals (2004-2006/9/7)
Speed Star Sypan Joe (Koji Ueno) – Drums, (1997-1999, 2004-2006/9/7)

Jacky ( 10.31.2007 )

Tracklisting :
1. JACKY – 5:31 ( 7 mb mp3 )

Thoughts:
Ok , so it starts off with a mild Chinese feel to it. At first I was like “oh boy Anchangs humor is still around”. I knew this song was going to be awesome to begin with , but I didn’t know how awesome. It’s great. It has the drving ryhthm of Aijin 28 , JUNK FOOD and OPERATION TIGER. I’m so glad the new members seem to be doing well. Anchang does pick really good members each time SMG has been reformed ( This is the 5th SMG to date ). I always miss the last members , but the new ones have their own qualities I like about them too. This single shows that SMG is back and ready to rock. I can’t wait.

This single is avaible to buy only on the JP itunes store , JP.LISTEN , and ANCHANGS personal website. Hope you enjoy it. As always leave a comment below and I will reply with the password to download the track and you can judge for yourself.

Also uploaded the PV
Ripped from Online by
SEX MACHINEGUNS – JACKY

If you can guess what they are spoofing , it makes the video 3xs more funny.

Oh yeah , you can thank GEWALT for being a general troll on tonberry for the link being removed before the 24 hours I normally let a post sit on there.