Saturday, 11 July 2015

My Favorite Songs from CAPSULE's Albums

Hey there... it's been awhile since my last post. Anyways, somehow at the moment I'm more in the mood to post stuff about my favorite musics rather than stories/poets. Well, if you've read my previous post, you may know that I'm a fan of Perfume & CAPSULE. But for now, I'm gonna share about my favorite songs from CAPSULE's albums cause I finally listened to all of their albums. I don't just intend to listen, but I'll soon buy some of their albums if I have enough money.

Here are my favorite songs from CAPSULE's albums so far:
A. High Collar Girl (ハイカラ・ガール) - 2001

1. Mayonaka no Denwa (真夜中の電話; Midnight Phone Call) - track no. 4
2. Aishiteru Aishitenai (愛してる愛してない; I Love You, I Love You Not) - track no. 7
3. Utsutsu (うつつ; Reality) - track no. 8
4. Kakurenbo (カクレンボ; Hide-and-Seek) - track no. 10
5. Tokyo Kissa (東京喫茶; Tokyo Teahouse) - track no. 12
6. Shashin (写真; Photograph) - track no. 13

This album is their 1st album, & this album's genre is more Shibuya-kei sound which is different from their current genre, which is electronic music.
Points: 6/15 total tracks = 2/5 or 40%

B. phony phonic - 2003

idol fancy (feat. Hazel Nuts Chocolate) - track no. 9

I must capsule's early albums doesn't really stand out well. This is actually their 3rd album & I only like 1 song from this album.
Points: 1/10 total tracks = 1/10 or 10%

C. NEXUS-2060 - 2005

1. beautiful hour - track no. 7
2. tokyo smiling - track no. 10

Also skip an album, this is capsule's 5th album. Slightly better than phony phonic, cause I really like the tune of "beautiful hour", although Koshijima-san does sing but this song doesn't contain any lyrics. While in "tokyo smiling", Koshijima-san's voice is more kawaii-ish since this song is quite fun.
Points: 2/10 total tracks = 1/5 or 20%

D. L.D.K. Lounge Designers Killer - 2005

1. Soratobu Toshikeikaku (空飛ぶ都市計画; Flying Urban Planning) - track no. 1

Another album which I only like a song from it... But honestly, that song is quite catchy...
Points: 1/11 total tracks = 1/11 or 9,1%

E. FRUITS CLiPPER - 2006

1. FRUITS CLiPPER - track no. 2
2. CrazEEE Skyhopper - track no. 4
3. 5iVE STAR - track no. 5
4. Robot Disco - track no. 7
5. super speeder Judy Jedy - track no. 8
6. megalopolis - track no. 9
7. dreamin dreamin - track no. 10

Now this is where capsule's music got even better!!! And it really showed that capsule is more into techno-pop/electronic music. I also love Koshijima's voice in this album.
Points: 7/12 total tracks = 7/12 or 58,4%

F. Sugarless GiRL - 2007

1. Starry Sky - track no. 2
2. REALiTy - track no. 3
3. Sugarless GiRL - track no. 4
4. Spider - track no. 6
5. Sound of Silence - track no. 9
6. Secret Paradise - track no. 10
7. Star Sniper - track no. 11

You might be wondering why I didn't insert the album cover of this album. Well, you may see it by yourself cause I don't post that kind of thing. But, the music matters more than the album cover. This is another album which I have 7 favorite songs from it, & this album have more electronic sound in it. Sugarless GiRL is really catchy, upbeat, & soft song with an acoustic guitar sound in it. While Spider has more electric guitar sound in it, & Koshijima-san totally nailed the vocals. Starry Sky also has some electric guitar but also electro sound in it. While the rest have only electronic sound.
Points: 7/11 total tracks = 7/11 or 63,5%

G. FLASH BACK - 2007

1. Eternity - track no. 3
2. I'm Feeling You - track no. 6
3. Get down - track no. 8
4. Electric light Moon light - track no. 9

This album has a strong 80's sound in it, but still has electronic sound in it (perhaps cause both of them were born in the 80's?). I must say, above all of those songs, my favorite song would definitely be "I'm Feeling You". Nice vocal from Koshijima-san, and I love the tune in this song.
Points: 4/9 total tracks = 4/9 or 44,5%

H. MORE! MORE! MORE! - 2008

1. MORE! MORE! MORE! - track no. 2
2. the Time is Now - track no. 3
3. Phantom - track no. 5
4. Pleasure ground - track no. 7
5. e.d.i.t. - track no. 9

I totally love the album cover, it's really cool!!! The songs are cool too. MORE! MORE! MORE! sounds a bit like a disco tune. While "the Time is Now" has quite a heavy beat in it. Phantom is a really cool techno music. I always have a peace of mind when I'm listening to "Pleasure ground", cause the melody is really smooth, & again, Koshijima-san's vocals didn't disappoint. Last but not least, "e.d.i.t." is a catchy tune. Koshijima's voice when she sang "do you think you can love me" sounded really flirty.
Points: 5/10 total tracks = 1/2 or 50%

I. PLAYER - 2010

1. Stay with You - track no. 1
2. I wish You - track no. 3
3. The Music - track no. 4
4. Can I Have A Word - track no. 7
5. Love or Lies - track no. 10

Another 2 albums in a row that I have the same amount of favorite tracks in the album. What's interesting from this album is "The Music". It consist of quite a long instruments but also has Koshijima's voice in it, singing in English. I think that Koshijima's voice showed a lot of technique in this album. I love her voice in this album, but overall her voice is really perfect in all my favorite songs but "The Music" since that song is more instrumental-focused.
Points: 5/11 total tracks = 5/11 or 45,5%

J. WORLD OF FANTASY - 2011

1. WORLD OF FANTASY - track no.2
2. I JUST WANNA XXX YOU - track no. 3
3. STRIKER - track no. 4
4. PRIME TIME - track no. 9

This album was supposed to be titled "Killer Wave". But after a real killer wave came in 2011 with an earthquake, this album was postponed & renamed. The theme of this album is quite darker, well, it's a little obvious since Koshijima-san wore spiky head piece, heels, and belt in the album cover. WORLD OF FANTASY really sound like a tune to enter a world of fantasy, in electronic sound of course. I also love the PV, it's really cool. The title of I JUST WANNA XXX YOU should have an extra "X" to show the exact point from this song (if you know what I mean ;) ). STRIKER is a pretty catchy song although it has a little too much noise in it. PRIME TIME also has a noisy intro but then it progressed into a really nice dark-themed electronic tune (based on the instruments), & again, Koshijima-san nailed the vocals.
Points: 4/10 total tracks = 2/5 or 40%

K. STEREO WORXXX - 2012

1. Feelin' Alright - track no. 1
2. In The Rain - track no. 3
3. Dee J - track no. 4
4. Motor Force - track no. 8

This album, is like telling the listeners how capsule's "Stereo Worxxx"!!! Out of the dark themed music, most of the tunes are electronic & perfect for a party song (especially Dee J). However, I didn't hear plenty of Koshijima-san's vocal. Even among all of my 4 favorite songs, I only hear a bit of Koshijima's voice in "In The Rain". Despite enjoying Nakata-san's compositions, I do think that it's even better to include Koshijima-san's vocals in it.
Points: 4/9 total tracks = 4/9 or 44,5%

L. WAVE RUNNER - 2015

1. Wave Runner - track no. 1
2. Dreamin’ Boy - track no. 3
3. Hero - track no. 4
4. Dancing Planet - track no. 5
5. Depth (vocal dub mix) - track no. 6
6. Unrequited Love - track no. 8

This is their latest & 15th album, 2nd album after their stylization from capsule to CAPSULE. The album cover is simple, but slightly better than their previous album "CAPS LOCK". The music are really nice, & it consist of more Koshijima-san's vocals in it. Of course, her vocals never disappoint me. The deluxe version of this album will be released this September.
Points: 6/10 total tracks = 3/5 or 60%

Sunday, 21 June 2015

J-pop Fandom

Well, it's been a while since my last post. Since now I'm still on my vacant days, I fill most of my days by downloading songs, PVs, & live videos. But let's put that aside now, cause now I wanna talk about my new fandom.
My encounter with J-pop fandom was first introduced by AKB48, where I first saw them when I watched the live showcase of MTV VMAJ 2011, which they hosted the show, & they also performed 3 songs (Beginner, Everyday Kachuusha, Heavy Rotation). Their songs were really catchy, so I'm still a fan of them since 2012, although sometimes the team shuffle could irritates me.
Then, when I've downloaded a live version of AKB48's "Ai no Sonzai", I saw a trio named Perfume as the MC. And, one of my fellow AKB fandom actually listens to Perfume, so I became curious. I saw their Generasia wiki page, & became interested in them since most of their recent promo pics look really cool. So I started to listen to their songs. Their first singles were not really at my interest, but when they have progressed into a techno-pop group, they amazed me.
Perfume's Promotional Picture for "Polyrhythm"
After I listened to their songs, I finally can understand the difference between J-pop & K-pop besides the language & the regions. Because Japan is like the base of Asia's technology. With music like that, and also nicely done dance coreography, they've reached international fame in Europe & Asia. BUT, as their Indonesian fans, why are only a few fellow Indonesian have became a fan of them? Well, since there's an Indonesian based sister group of AKB called JKT, perhaps that's why the 48 group have more fans here than any other Japanese artist. Besides,my friends only known Japanese artist from anime opening/ending.
If I have to choose one favorite member of Perfume, I must say that this is my choice:
Oomoto Ayano
It's funny that my favorite member is the replacement. But honestly, I have to admit that (to me) she stands out more than Kashino Yuka & Nishiwaki Ayaka. She's really good at dancing, and to me she has the best voice among Perfume members.I love her voice, especially when I heard her solo verse on "Magic of Love".
Then, when I read the biography section of Perfume, I noticed that the producer of Perfume is someone named Nakata Yasutaka. Then I found out that he's a member of a duo named CAPSULE, along with a female singer named Koshijima Toshiko.
CAPSULE's Promotional Picture for "WAVE RUNNER"
So I ended up reading this duo's Generasia page. I looked over their albums, singles, and their album cover. There's one album cover that interest me:
CAPSULE's Album Cover for "MORE! MORE! MORE!"
It looks pretty modern. And what interested me is her outfit! The black leather jacket looks so cool, & I love her white & printed mini skirt. Although, that skirt was super short so no wonder Koshijima-san wore somewhat a black legging to an event along with CAPSULE's other half, Nakata Yasutaka.
-I honestly don't know what kind of event is this.-
So far, I've listened to their albums 'till "MORE! MORE! MORE!", plus some singles from their next album like "Love or Lies" & "Stay With You" from "PLAYER" & "WORLD OF FANTASY" from the album with the exact same name. To my surprise, right now I have more CAPSULE songs than Perfume's, even though I haven't heard all of CAPSULE's songs.
I must say, what got me interested in CAPSULE is not only the favorable techno-pop/electronic music of Nakata-san,but also Koshijima-san's amazing vocal. In my opinion, with a voice like that, she could go solo but I don't really want CAPSULE to extinct, since I've heard that Nakata-san truly realized that Koshijima-san's role in CAPSULE is very crucial, since CAPSULE is a duo all along. Koshijima-san's voice is a total Diva, and she loves cat too! How sweet~
So this fandom make me have a new plan if I could go to Japan. If I could go to Japan (especially Tokyo), I wanna meet Koshijima-san!!! Perhaps an autograph & a picture with her could be nice? I also wanna meet Nakata-san but he seems busy, with Perfume, Kyari, MEG, this duo, & his own gig. Perhaps, after meeting Koshijima-san, I would like to meet Perfume, especially Nocchi (Oomoto Ayano).
So, that's all for now. Thanks for reading my post! ^_^

Saturday, 18 April 2015

Recent

Honestly, the condition of the world recently is... a bit positive & negative. I wonder how can some things still happen recently. World war have ended years ago, yet there are still some people who wake up to the sound of bombing and shooting. I thought to myself, if that condition still exist, then why is the world being called in a condition that people call "peace"? People searching for freedom and justice yet these people are still being blocked out by the enemy of justice.
But then, beyond the darkness of the recent wicked world, I still can see a beaming light. That light, isn't it called hope? A hope, that someday in the future, the recent light will turn the world to become brighter. A hope that someday the recent will be the past, and the brighter world will be the recent. The light, that being protected by the people who believe in the brighter tomorrow.
Recently, everyone also have different conditions. And of course, different problems. The recent people have, may be the result of the past. The recent can also determine the future that will replace the recent soon after. Some people always say that there's always tomorrow to fix things. Always? I don't think so. Who knows when is our last day of life besides God? That's why, I think that people shouldn't waste their recent easily.
So, where do you stand in your recent? Does your recent live up to whatever you want in your life? Or it doesn't but it live up to your need? Or perhaps, you don't know where you stand in the recent? Wherever you are, you must acknowledge your position in your recent, to secure your future. The saying,"Regret always comes in the end" is true. But don't let that regret consume you, turn the regret into life lesson and then you can make your future to be your recent.