Channel-Ai Community Blog - JPop reviews, articles

Fujii Takashi is a celebrated icon who has spent years in Japan’s entertainment industry brandishing new acts, running gags and even making appearances in hit movies. It certainly gave a shock to Japan when Fujii made his debut as a singer in early 2000 with the single [Nanda Kanda], which was considerably successful in its own part. Later that same year, he would once again step down from his television performances to invest time releasing his second single [Ai mo Kawarazu].

It’s been about a year and a half since Kanon’s [Primary Flowers], the first full Sony album which failed to chart. Since this fundamental display in 2005, Kanon completed work on a mini-album and three singles, all of which contains elements that eventually made their way into her most recent album to date [Sanctuary]. Did this second album attempt make up for the dismal performance shown to us through [Primary Flowers]? Well, let’s just say it depends on how you look at it.

Almost a year after signing the contract with Sony Music Japan International in 2004, Kanon released her first full album [Primary Flowers] which, under various circumstances, failed to bring her true potential to light in the industrious year of 2005. Despite the dismal performance presented in the charts, Kanon remained true to her ‘New Age’ style and consequently gave an honest introduction of herself through the classical music offered in [Primary Flowers].

Kanon is a singer-songwriter born in the Tokyo Metropolitan Area in Japan. Her musical education overseas led her to develop a more western taste in music, which is evidently reflected in her music and composition style. Her debut in July of 2002 marked the beginning of what still is a colorful career and the revelation of an exceptionally unconventional genre in Japan - ‘New Age’.

In the summer of 2005, BUMP OF CHICKEN released their 10th single [planetarium] which dazzled veteran fans and attracted many new ones. Just how astonishing is the band’s performance this time around? Now we take a deep, long look at the night sky - in BOC-style.