This Is Japanese Music Too

Miwa - FRiDAY-MA-MAGiC

Miwa is a fairly new artist.  She did a few self-published singles in high-school, and officially debuted under Sony in 2010.  She has gotten off to a great start with her first album reaching number one on Oricon.  I really love her style, and this song from last year is the one that hooked me on her when I saw it on Rina93’s Oricon vids.  (Seriously, if you aren’t subscribed to her, you should be.  I have found so much new music to love by watching them every week.)

This song is so infectious in a good way.  It instantly cheers me up every time!

Here is a live clip of her playing her song Haru ni Nattara.

Today one of my favorite groups ever is releasing this new single, Hatsukoi Cider (the vid), double A sided with DEEP MIND.

Buono! is a group made up of three idols from the Hello!Project groups Berryz Koubou and C-ute.  Idols may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but Buono! breaks the mold.  Their concerts are split up into a traditional idol portion, and a portion when the band Dolce joins them onstage.  Even as a huge idol fan, it is so refreshing to see three awesome girls sing live, backed by actual instruments instead of a backing track.

And hello ashdinosaur!  Thank you for following!

Continuing on with the ska theme, here is Hana no Ska Dance by Ore Ska Band (オレスカバンド)! 

The all girl ska band formed in 2003 from a group of friends who were still in middle school, and got signed to Sony three years later while in high school.  They have done several anime themes for popular shows such as Bleach and Naruto, and they came to the US to participate in the Vans Warped Tour in 2007 and 2008.

Here is a live clip of their 2010 song ‘Jitensha’.

Today we jump into the world of J-Ska!  Yum!Yum!Orange formed in 1999 and from what I can tell is still together and occasionally putting out new releases.  This song is a 2006 single called Precious Days.  It’s a great song even if the pv is a bit… bright.  Here is a live video of a different song on their 2006 tour, which has one of the best tour names I’ve ever heard: The Jelly Beans Tour.

Also hello to my first three followers: laertena (I did a double take when I saw you were my first follower, thank you so much!), and my friends blueparkaboy, and quillian!

First up!  Yasashiku Naritai (やさしくなりたい) by Saito Kazuyoshi (斉藤和義).

I have been addicted to this song since it first showed up in the Oricon chart videos done by the wonderful Rina93 over on youtube.  I had never heard of the artist before, but that wasn’t surprising seeing as my knowledge of anyone who debuted before 2000 is woefully lacking.  He has definitely gained a new fan in me though. 

The song has claimed a spot on Oricon for the last 10 weeks and sits at number 12 this week, a fantastic spot for 10 weeks even with the annual end of the year music show bump.  The pv isn’t up in full that I could find, but it’s a great Beatles homage. 

Here are links to the pv preview and a live version.

Since this is my first post, please make your way over to my intro post to learn more about this blog!