m-flo: Future is Wow Review/First Listen

The well anticipated m-flo album release just hit the internet as of a couple hours ago and I just now happened to take a first listen. I've always been impressed with Verbal and Taku Takahashi's collaborations with not only popular artists but also relatively unknown ones. They've been well know for their 'Loves' era that featured artists such as BoA, Namie Amuro, Chemistry, Clazziquai, and Crystal Kay. 

For awhile they look a very long hiatus and redebuted with the album "Sqaure One" which was a great album. Cream's Minami as not only a vocalist for the song 'All I Want Is You' but the co-writer for a couple of the songs. 2NE1 was also a huge deal in their re-debut. The album was also followed up by Neven which was also a relatively popular album but not as memorable considering that 'All I Want Is You' was just such a hard song to beat.

And then out came the remix albums 'BonEnkai' and 'AsoBonEnkai' which are so great especially if you liked remixed songs and a good variety of random dance songs in the mix. 

Then out came this new album and I have to say I'm quite impressed. There was a lot of electronica themes in this set and I actually liked it. A lot of the songs you could dance to but they're also smooth enough to actually have to play on a long car ride. Another thing I noticed about this album was that were was a lot of 'English' focus. A lot of is was really great and then other bits (partial rapping of verbal's in 'Fly' stands out the most) wasn't as great. Regardless it's a great album to add to your iPod playlist!

 The biggest collaborations in the album hand down were the Ayumi Hamasaki track and

the TaeYang (Big Bang) track. I have to say both were very fun but TaeYang definitely took the caked with 'Go Crazy'. I almost mistook him as Matt Cab in this if I hadn't already known who this was! Ayu's track 'My Way' was little shocking but it was a decent track. Kinda of a w

eird R&B feel for someone who's always been known as a Pop Princess since her early days as an artist. I actually like the song 'Merry Go Round' that featured Verbal on HER 'Feel the Love' single a lot more honestly. Regardless I think Ayu needed a little bit of collaborative back up since she's (in my honest opinion) lost her crown as the Queen of J-Pop to either Kana Nishino or Namie Amuro who I see not only dominate people's playlists but also take over the Japanese fashion magazines. However this is another story for another blog post. 

Other collaborative tracks feature 'matt cab' who has worked with verbal and m-flo before and was previously well known for covering their song 'Let Go' which is pretty flipping popular. I've seen it covered various times by various artists and Flower and verbal also made a sequel to the song called "Let Go Again". Flower/e-girl's Reina is also featured on the track speaking of her! 

Back to Matt Cab's track 'Show You More' wasn't as impressive as his other collaborations so I actually left that one out. however Reina's track 'd.w.m'  I did keep in which has a great club beat and smooth vocals! 

Other artists in this weren't as known. 'Fly' was the track that got the PV and was entirely in English. The vocalist was 'Engrishy' sounding and Verbal's rap lines weren't as flattering but if you look past that you get an almost American sounding song! 

Young and Restless was a really nice song. It for sure had a J-Poppy feel to it that was classic and felt a little bit more familiar. It almost sounded like something Cream would do. I loved how unique the vocals were for this song! The vocalist wasn't cutesy or smooth sounding. Just gruff and mature and I liked that. The song starts up kind of slow and works it's way up! 

Spark was another good track that features another vocalist I knew nothing about. It's a really good introductory song for the album and sounded like a mix between the new m-flo songs and the old classic stuff that they used to come out with. 

'Own the Sky' was a super American sounding track. I almost felt like it was an 'Ellie Golding' song or something. The vocalist was great and the song really was great. The piano and the electronics blended perfectly and built up the song nicely. This I think was my favorite track out of the whole album honestly! Like holy crap... Why didn't this one get the PV? I wouldn't have guessed that this was an m-flo song until Taku DJ's the segment in it and Verbal starts rapping! Just wow... 

Another great thing that I liked about 'Future is Wow' was how Taku had DJng segment. He's such an amazing DJ alone even without Verbal. Even if I feel like Verbal completes him and his music it's like Clazziquai without DJ Clazzi. You start realizing without the DJ there is no group form that they're the signature to the group. 

In all this is a really great album. I'm super happy with it and glad that I have new music to listen to. I was really looking forward to this release and it finally is out for everyone to enjoy!  I highly recommend this album to everyone. Fashion wise I have to say ti does cater to the club scene fashion wise gyaru? This is all up your alley. Lots of dance tracks and lots of pretty voices to listen to. However like I said before, I think anyone can enjoy this. If you're a J-Pop fan or not, this is a jewel. 

Here are some of the songs from the new album

FLY

MY WAY 

GO CRAZY 

Let's talk J-Pop: Artists Transformations in the last Decade

Perhaps this should be entitled where are they now but as I share a lot of my music finds with friends a lot them get shocked to realize that said artist has returned to the industry. Here are my top picks for the best or most shocking J-Pop returns!

1. Sowelu



A lot of you know this lovely songstress for her ending theme that she contributed to Full  metal alchemist 'I Will' but I've known about her for a little bit before that. Glisten was such a fun poppy song and I loved listening to it back in middle school this and 'No Limit' were so very fun and catchy. So what exactly happened after she disappeared? Sowelu went on a long hiatus and other than her collab with Verbal from m-flo and Clazziquai I hadn't heard of her since.

This is Sowelu now. Unfortunately this is a bit old and right after Sowelu announced get again, another hiatus. She got really sexy and a lot  more 'adult' oriented. Perhaps it's the record label change and going onto Avex or maybe it's the fact she's grown now. While this isn't my favorite video, 'Let me Lead U' was her return video and shocked quite a couple who didn't know exactly what the hell to expect.I'd definitely suggest checking out her collaboration video with Wise under 'I want U To..' which it a lot more interesting of a video.


2. Nana Kitade 

Nana Kitade was also a contributing ED theme for the same series as well as other animes as well but she's also been known for her many face lifts. If it wasn't Kamkaze Girls (Shitsuma monogatari) that perked your interest in lolita fashion or the brand Baby the Stars Shine Bright-Nana Kitade for sure did sporting later on in her music career their cute fashions and carrying around what was the newly crafted image of the BABY Usakumya.

Nana Kitade soon went on hiatus for health reasons and nobody exactly heard of her since. However looking up info she actually was in a band called 'Loveless' for a short time and toured Europe. However recently she's taken a very gothy dark image change with her newest and 'The Teenage Kissers'. Her vocals remain unchanged but a lot more raw this time around and I've been a big fan since the release!

3. Nami Tamaki

By far one of the most shocking transformations of all time for me other than Nana Kitade would have to be Nami Tamaki who really went underwent a huge identity crisis for the last part of her career where she was famous for an era there. She's know yet again to have given a lot of songs for anime series but other than that back in the day she was very young and a great dancer. Her last couple of singles weren't that great before she disappeared. 

In 2011 she came back with a Japanese cover of T-ara's infamous 'Time to Love'. K-Pop had just then hit the Japanese pop culture market tremenously and I suppose Nami Tamaki was trying hard to ride on the wave but didn't quite make it.

However finally a year or so again she collabs with Shinichi Osawa for a track called 'Ladymind' which really hit off. She's always been known for doing really great electronic songs and I felt like her collabing with a well respected DJ really helped her make a proper comeback for focusing on what she was known for. Due to that song doing so well they also released another single called 'Paradise' which was also a very fun song. Each video was interesting to watch and really showed a very outrageous but very grown up Nami. Her current single 'Real' however definitely had an anime feel to it and if you like her 'Brightdown' era you'll really like her newer song!

4.  Crystal Kay 

Crystal Kay has this thing for disappearing and coming back again. Yet again like most (jeeze so many of this artist did things for Full metal alchemist and up and disappeared. was it a sign?! haha) she did a couple of anime and drama related music things. She had this Janet Jackson like feel to her with really fun and funky tracks. Honestly her collaborations with m-flo were by far the best. 

Crystal Kay has done a lot of collaborations in the past with artists like Chemistry and Akanishi Jin but I think seeing her trying to hit or get involved with the US market a year or so back and try to through the Far East Movement (though Koda Kumi tried this tactic too admitted but through the Japanese market-it was a Japanese song) was a little shocking. I didn't know exactly how to feel about it but the people I have showed have dug it. 


5. Akanishi Jin

Bringing up Crystal Kay brings up a good point. Akanashi Jin was a huge deal way back then. Long with Kamenashi Kazuya he was the most popular member of the boyband Kat-tun and known for having a pretty bad ass octave range in songs like GOLD. He was also featured in a lot of dramas one being the second season of the liveaction adaptation of Gokusen. 

A bit back he left Kat-tun to go solo and go on tour and one of the stops was in the US. I think due to that he thought he could also hit that market as well. I was pretty shocked to see an all English release from him. 

6. Kanon Wakeshima

 Last pick for the most shockingly changed artist would have to go to Kanon Wakeshima. She debuted gracefully and was big news considering that Mana himself was supporting her debut. She was a great celloist to boot. But a  lot of lolitas especially admired her style and eventually she did collaborate with Alice and the Pirates/Baby the Stars Shine Bright for a couple of pieces that her featured in her second album release. She was highly popular for contributing songs to the series Vampire Knight and did quite a lovely US concert for her fans as well. 

Other than that Kanon also collabed with An Cafe's Kanon for a song as well. 

Recently Kanon Wakeshima ditched her crazy fashions and went for more of an otome type of style. I suppose the purpose would be to have a more grown up style and also allow her audience focus on her music. 


With that said have you guy found any artists that went on a hiatus for a little bit and came back shockingly? Was it a good comeback or a bad one? Feel free to share!

Spring 2014 Japanese Fashion Trends

Happy March everyone. It's not soon before spring will officially hit us. What does this mean? Sandals, white bags and shoes...and clothes, floral print or anything for that matter, and lots of cute pastels. Japanese fashion is no except for the trends this season. Once this year's color of the year/season was announced a lot of brands up and ran with it. 

So what is the big trend? Orchid! For me? This happened to be a huge deal because I love pretty much any shade of purple so I was right on up this! For those of you who aren't so big on the shades of purple-cool colors this season will be your best friend. This means blues like baby blue, mint, and light white. If you want to go warmer do pinks, yellows, or corals with a cooler undertone! 

For cosmetics this season there are two brands that really impressed me this season and works well internationally for everyone. 

First up is NARS. There's their Final Cut Spring 2014 colors that have been exclusive solely to Nordstrom. For you ladies who love pink or really nice light coral colors- but especially if you like nude or baby pink these colors are for you. These products will really bring out a girly touch! The product I'm the most interested in is their newest illuminator!

Second of all would be both eye shadow duos from NARS in their general Spring 2014 collection. Both feature beautiful cool colors in both duos. I don't think there's anything I dislike about this set at all! 

Second up is  MAC Cosmetics which in my honest opinion; always tends to impress me with their bigger and more over the top collection. Their Fantasy of Flowers collection has been an instant hit this season. By far THE BEST collection so far with the best and most diverse color selection! I purchased two lovely products from this collection that I should be doing a review on soon! So far I am LOVING the gorgeous peach-like and semi-sheer Fleur D'Coral Lipstick and their fluid line (my VERY FIRST fluid line btw) in Sassy Mossy which is a very bold dark mint color! The yellow pigment swatched beautifully as well and the lipsticks were just beautiful colors! I've heard really good things about the Saint Germaine nail polish as well which takes after the lipstick color their also have as well (that I also own!). 

Now onto clothing! For these past couple of seasons even the cutest of clothing in the gyaru fashion scene has been super minimalistic lately! This season Liz Lisa changes up their colorplay by incorporating purple and blues into the mix. The light purple is gorgeous and refreshing but I really hope they release PURPLE FLORALS soon because Liz Lisa by far is the best brand for floral print. They have such lovely florals that I find it difficult to buy floral print anywhere else. 

Other than that, Liz Lisa has gotten a lot more plain persay. I see no lace on the bottom edges of their skirts like they used to and a lot of straight edges. Not sure how I feel about it but I suppose it will grow on me. Ank Rouge is also taking on the lavender to the extreme from their dresses to their cute accessories. However they are keeping on the more traditional note as well! So you have both to float your boat!  

If you're looking for a sexier style. ma*rs has went slightly more minimalist as well following the trend but they do keep the agejyo stuff coming. They have a GORGEOUS model repping their traditional and more flashier pieces. If you're an agejyo gal rock your lashes and FOR SURE purchase pink or purple lenses to stay on trend. Even the ma*rs clothing has a cooler pink feel this season for sure with their mirror print! They have necklaces that double as bag chains this season and I'm just waiting for a crazy bag release which I REALLY hope comes soon. I have high hopes for ma*rs since I adore agejyo fashion!

If you want to be trendy and sexy and even a little bit badass even you for sure want to check out DreamV also known as Yumetenbo on Rakuten. They have a couple color friendly pieces from Diable Biaser that are really sexy but still stay on trend! A couple OL gyaru styles and knits. Even if you're going for the cuter styles they have them there too but a lot of the old style gyaru clothes are there. I still personally think DreamV is by far the best place for shoes!

As for Lolitas on the spring trend they are definately no exception. Lots of brands recently sweeter pastels or chiffon fabrics around this time. If you're a cuter lolita-this season is for sure for you. Classic lolitas can sport light blue and yellows or white. Sweet lolitas you of coursse have your pastels. And then on the gothic front while it can be challenging-sport white this season, you can also try wearing lighter fabrics, or even try to incorporate lighter colors into your blacks for a lighter feel to your gothic clothing . Alice and the Pirates steps it up with cool whites, chiffon, and blues for their current release! I'm not as big on their print release as I am on their most recent beautifully craft accessories and blouses! I'm still a huge suck for detail. However I do like the lace detailing in dress. It almost gives it a corset like feel. The blue color way was by far the most accurate for the spring time.

However on the opposite end, I felt like Baby the Stars Shine Bright did some trend predicting for their recent spring which is Carnival theme. While it's a bit too bright for my tastes honestly it does have a very cool pink and red under tone and there is a light purple color way making this release very spring friendly. Why I say this is a trend prediction is because this will work PERFECTLY with the Mac Cosmetics launch of their collection 'Playland' which is due in April! I think both would pair very well together since both are pretty much carnival themed!

Last but not least is Angelic Pretty's most recently floral themed spring release 'Romantic Rose Letter' which of course like our dear AP brand is known for, comes in season friendly pastel colors. I don't see Angelic Pretty even thinking about backing down from cool pastels this season!

And with that said, that concludes my Gal and Lolita Spring Trend 2014 blog post! Which color trend and brand will you be sporting this season?