J-Pop Girls Mix (Vol. 1)

Odd title for many to read I'm sure lol. I'm finally able to post again after over a week of a self imposed hiatus. It's very likely that I will be able to start posting regularly again and hopefully I don't get crazy overwhelmed like I was this past week. But back to the title. As I've been free today, I was messing around on a site called 8Tracks and decided to make a playlist. This playlist is full of Japanese idol group songs & is a fun listen! I tried to do a mix of unrelated artists & I hope everyone enjoys!

J-Pop Girls Mix (Vol. 1) from danceordie9173 on 8tracks Radio.

The tracklist is....

#1: Coco Decoru - Kiss Me Kiss Me

#2: Dianna Sweet - The Twin Tail!

#3: P.IDL - Sansan Aibo

#4: Predia - Utsukushiki Kodokutachi

#5: Aither - Kimi no Namida Boku no Kanashimi no Yume wa Boku no Kibou

#6: Morning Musume - Watashi wa Watashi Nanda

#7: AKB48 - Mizu no Naka no Dendouritsu

#8: Prizmmy - My Transform

#9: Cupitron - Battery

#10: Galette - Air Summer

Enjoy!!

Notice

Hi everyone! I'm just posting this to let everyone know that I won't be posting this week's New Music Thursday & it's looking like I won't be able to do the next Music Discovery Monday either. I'm in the middle of midterm season with classes and with working two jobs I don't have the time to post for about the next week. I'm hoping that I'll be able to do next week's NMT, but even that's a little iffy. With this note, I'll also say that there will likely be a few more weeks I won't be posting regularly. With midterm season fully in swing and more papers than I want to do looming on the horizon I don't have much time for anything. I'm hoping that I'll at least be able to keep up with by bi weekly posting for the most part and once I hit December I'm hoping that I can start doing regular posts again too.

So, TL;DR: no NMT or MDM for the next week and a half because I'm busy lol. To everyone else out there in midterm seasons/overwhelmed with papers: Good luck!

Music Discovery Mondays (October 19, 2015)

I like to call this edition, "I'm running out of good unknown songs to posts so time for a mishmash of older songs!" I think that's really how MDMs are going to run from now on because I've run out of songs I would consider "unknown" that I know of to share. However, I still think this new approach stays true to what my original intention of this corner was: to showcase songs that I personally enjoy so people can perhaps find something new to love or be reminded of a song they may have forgotten about.

Track #1: Paula Abdul - Straight Up

So this song has been stuck in my head all week. There's a trolley system at my university and the drivers always choose their own radio stations to listen to. Unlike the other drivers who play country stations, there's one that plays the local 80s to now station and this song was playing on my way to work last week and has been stuck with me ever since lol. It was a megahit and for good reason.

Track #2: Marina & The Diamonds - Froot

I really wish Marina was more popular than she is. I get that her music is more niche than someone like Katy Perry, but she has such a lovely voice and a great catalog of catchy tracks. This song was her lead single from her latest album, Froot. Unlike the lead single from her last album, this song is more laid back but it's still such an earworm.

Track #3: Rainbow - Mach

I can't believe this never had a video! I thought it did but I guess I was thinking of the Japanese version. Rainbow was so great at their debut. It's too bad that they were mismanaged so much because they could have been big like their labelmates KARA. This song in particular seems like it could've been a megasmash. It's got the same sound as other popular 2010 K-pop songs.

Enjoy!

New Music Thursdays (October 15, 2015)

Track #1: Oh My Girl - Closer

Oh My Girl is an 8 member Korean girl group that just debuted this year. This is only their second title track. I honestly have no words to describe this song. It's so catchy and beautiful and awesome and original for K-pop. I would have never expected something like this to come from a K-pop girl group. It sounds like something off of Ellie Goulding's Halcyon except better. It's probably too early to name this one of K-pop's best ever isn't it? Their second mini album, Closer, released on October 8th.

Track #2: Veridia - Crazy In A Good Way

There's nothing better then when I find a good Christian rock song. With so many of the groups I used to love on hiatus or disbanding or only touring, it's rare for me to come across something great. Veridia is a Christian rock group that is fronted by a female vocalist. Their style is mainly rock but also mixes in some electronic elements as well. I also really appreciate that instead of just side stepping everything Christian while calling themselves a Christian group (like too many groups that call themselves "Christian" groups), their lyrics seem more like Skillet's, where they have Christian lyrics and songs in a way that is accessible for non-Christian listeners. I'm very much looking forward to their future as I'm always looking out for Christian groups that don't compromise themselves just to fit in. Veridia's second EP, Pretty Lies, released September 25th.

Track #3: Taeyeon - I (ft. Verbal Jint)

It's too bad this song has a token rapper on it because it'd be really good if it didn't. Ignoring the unneeded rapper, this song is really not the direction I was expecting Taeyeon to take. I was expecting a full on ballad but this is something unique. It actually reminds me of a mellower version of something Swedish pop group Timoteij would do, but since I'm certain that there won't be many people who know who they are, I guess I would call it a mellow pop track with great vocals and just a hint of American country music influence. Just as a side note, it is very amusing to me that SM Entertainment is now releasing unique songs where a few years ago they were as generic as possible. Taeyeon's first mini album, I, released on October 7th.

Enjoy!

Music Discovery Mondays (October 12, 2014)

To everyone in the States: Happy Indigenous Peoples' Day! Enjoy the day off if you have it :)

Track #1: Clique Girlz - Never Gonna Fly

So this is something completely different than what I've put up before. The Clique Girlz were a three member preteen girl group that released only one album (and only in Japan) before disbanding. Some people may have heard of Destinee & Paris, a spinoff group from this featuring the sisters. I was obsessed with this group when I was younger and even today a lot of their songs have held up really well despite being very "teenybopper" Disney stuff. This song in particular is my absolute favorite of theirs. Imagine something Hannah Montana would have sung and that's really what you can expect from the song, but don't let that turn you off. Hannah Montana had some great songs lol.

Track #2: Dalmatian - Lost In Love

Dalmatian is currently DTMN (if they still exist because idk lol). They were known as Dalmatian before switching companies. Of all of their songs, I consider this their best track. It's also one of the best K-pop songs ever released by a male group. It's such a tragedy that it was doomed to be an album track on something that would go out of print. It's a sweet midtempo track with great vocals and catchy beats.

Track #3: David Cook - Bar-Ba-Sol

Much like the Clique Girlz song, this is a bit different than what I usually post here. Some might know David Cook as one of the winners of American Idol. I've said many times before that I don't care for rock music much so it might be surprising that this is a rock song. Or, well, the most rock song there is on a pop rock album by an American Idol alum.

Enjoy!

New Music Thursdays (October 8, 2015)

I almost completely forgot today was Thursday until 9:30 at night lol. Luckily I had most of this typed up earlier haha.

Track #1: Ellie Goulding - On My Mind

I don't care what anyone else says I adore this new mainstream pop Ellie. This song is just so catchy and it's been stuck in my head for days. Out of her more "mainstream" tracks I'd say this is my favorite so far and a really nice change from Love Me Like You Do which I didn't care for at all. Ellie's new album, Delirium, releases November 6th.

Track #2: NMB48 - Kuufuku de Renai wo Suru na

Unfortunately, I don't see the full MV uploaded anywhere yet so this is just the short version from YouTube. It's honestly rare for me to have two songs on a 48G single that I can actually really enjoy. It's not full blown EDM like the title track, but it does have some catchy electro beats and gets stuck in your head easily. NMB48's new single, must be now, released on October 7th.

Track #3: Pentatonix - Where Are You Now

So beyond excited for the new Pentatonix album! They're probably the most talented group I've ever heard. Seriously, if they're ever in concert near where you are, go. It is an incredible experience. Unfortunately, I didn't care much for Can't Sleep Love, but that's okay. Usually there's one or two songs on their albums I don't care much for. This though is incredible. I've never much cared for cover songs, but they just make everything so much better. For those who don't know who PTX is, they're a group of five who do all of their music completely acapella, from the vocals to the "instruments" it's all done by voice. They are truly talented and I urge you to check them out! Pentatonix's new album, Pentatonix, releases on October 16th.

Enjoy!

Music Discovery Mondays (October 5, 2015)

Track #1: Hello Pro Kenshuusei - Koi Shitai Shinto

Unfortunately I can't find the studio version on YT, but this is enough to give an idea of the track. The verses remind me of early 2010s K-pop while the chorus goes into a catchy yet sweet J-pop track.

Track #2: Jurina Matsui - Akai Pin Heel to Professor

Performance Link

It's funny to me that this is my favorite song on AKB's Koko ga Rhodes album. Jurina's voice is....not so great. Even in the song it's a little grating; however, the song's composition makes it one of the best 48G tracks of the year. It's a funky disco-esque pop track and I think it fits Jurina perfectly. Sorry it's not embedded. I'm unfamiliar with the site and I'm not even sure it can be embedded.

Track #3: Eden XO - Too Cool To Dance

I think this is a fun track to end with. I'm disappointed that this didn't receive as much attention as I was hoping. I've been listening to her since she was known as Jessie Malakouti. It's unfortunate that nothing she seems to do has gotten any attention because her music is quite fantastic. This song is just a fun dance party track and a nice way to lift of a Monday.

Enjoy!

New Music Thursdays (Oct. 1, 2015)

We're in October already?! What happened to this year we can't be in October. I also believe my happiness from last week about new releases happening often again was too soon. This week was pretty slow. Also, sorry this week's descriptions aren't the best. It hasn't been a good week for me but when I get the time to do up better descriptions I'll be sure to do that!

Track #1: Predianna - Destroy

Predianna is the little sister group of Dianna Sweet. They've previously released some digital only singles but this is their first CD release. Their style is much like Dianna Sweet's style, but I think they're distinct enough to shine alongside of the main group. Predianna's first single, Destroy, releases October 28th.

Track #2: Ailee - Mind Your Own Business

I adore Ailee's voice. She's one of the few K-pop artists that I still check up on immediately when they release something. This song doesn't deviate from the brassy pop sound that she's done in the past, but it's still a catchy attitude laced track. Ailee's first album, Vivid, released on September 30th.

Enjoy!