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Artist: Gackt
Title: DIABOLOS
Release Date: 2005.09.21
Peak Position: #4
Product Code: CRCP-40120
Label: Nippon Crown |
Gackt’s 8th full solo album was released on the 21st of September. It didn’t top the chart but wandered for some time around #4. After the dissatisfaction that “Love Letter” brought about to many of his fans, because of its long, unvaried love-ballad theme, Gackt returns with a promising album, to restore any doubt growing about his talent at composing and singing. It’s clearly good old Gackt and without any recycling of the past.
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Suite November
Release Date: 2002.11.20
Peak Position: #5
Label: SPROUSE/Dream Machine
Product Code: HDCA-10121
First Press: digipack and picture labeled disc
TETSU69’s Official Web Site |
After L’Arc~en~Ciel’s announced hiatus in 2000, the members started solo projects in 2001. tetsu’s solo project is TETSU69, and according to him, the “69″ stands for his birthyear and the all caps is for aesthetic reasons. His CDs were to be released under “SPROUSE”, which became his new (but now seemingly defunct) record label. His first single was the double a-side “wonderful world/TIGHTROPE” which peaked at spot #5 on the Oricon charts. After the release of this single, he left SONY’s Ki/oon division and was signed under Warner Music Japan’s Dream Machine label. His following singles “shinkirô” (mirage) and “15 1/2″ were a year in waiting, came in special packaging, were limited to 10,000 copies, and both peaked at #3. In November 2002 his first, and to this date only, album was released entitled “Suite November”. Let’s see how L’Arc~en~Ciel’s bassist and leader fares on his own.
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Ayumi on ViVi, January 2006 Issue
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Artist: Ayumi Hamasaki
Product Code: AVCD-17837/8
Release Date: 2006.01.01
Highest Ranking: #1
Genre: Pop
Label: avex trax
Format: CD or CD+DVD
First Press: Photobook
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J-Pop diva, Ayumi Hamasaki has walked into 2006 with a brand new album which has again topped the charts and has sold over 817,162 copies to date. avex trax released two versions of this album which were a CD-only and a CD+DVD version. Both had a different cover. The first press edition came with a coloured photobook for each version. The photobook of the CD Version was titled “off my day” and was based on Ayu’s daily life, while the CD+DVD edition photobook was titled “on my way” and was more artistic.
Unlike her previous albums, (miss)understood boasts of having a variety of genres ranging from eighties pop, techno, R&B and even rock which has shown a colourful side of Ayu. In this album we have definitely seen a bolder and more daring side of this singer who has experimented with different genres and broken down the stereotypes of music making this album sound so unusual and transgressive. This album focuses more onto her career, her take on feminism and life itself.
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Biyuuden (or Viyuden, or V-U-DEN) have released their first album on October 26th, titled Suite Room Number 1. This album contains their 5 singles, plus 8 new tracks (which include 2 dialogues). This album is different though- it is arranged as if the girls are in a hotel, and the songs have to do with their stay there, and the hotel. The songs go from 80’s style, to the regular J-pop, to a Middle Eastern hip-hoppy flare.
Let’s take a look at the songs!!
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heavenly
Release Date: 1995.09.01
Peak Position: #3
Label: Ki/oon \ SONY Records
Product Code: KSC2-114
First Press: Picture Label Disc
Other Formats: Mini Disc (Product Code: KSY2-2037)
L’Arc~en~Ciel Official Web site |
The album “heavenly” by L’Arc~en~Ciel is oft abandoned by new fans. It doesn’t maintain the importance that “Tierra” had as their debut, nor is it distinguished as being a million seller as with the band’s first #1 junior effort “True”. It’s the middle child of the sakura-era albums that’s lacking much needed attention and needs to be recognized. Prior to the release of this album, one single was produced: “Vivid Colors” (peak at #16), as well as a video single: “and She Said”. About a month after the album’s release the single “natsu no yuu-utsu [time to say good-bye]” (peak at #15) was released, which was a reworked ballad version of the seventh track. Let’s see how this much forgotten album fares.
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