Polkadot Stingray Spreads Their Wings in Latest Music Video!

Popular four-member pop rock band Polkadot Stingray released the music video for their track “青い” (“Aoi”) on their YouTube channel. Originally released in May on their EP 赤裸々 (Sekirara) back in May, the track was used as the ending theme song for the Tokusatsu anime Godzilla S.P which premiered on Netflix. The track was written with the feeling of supporting someone, delving into the curiosity of the character Mei, who appears in the anime. The music video is a work in which "new angel", dressed as the band member, supports the moment unique people gather at a coffee shop in a certain shopping district, doing their best without losing to everyday happenings. In addition to Polka members, Tomohiro Omura, Hana Amano, Asa Natsukawa, Dayu Koume, and Hikaru Sato also appear in the anime. 

Be sure to check out the music video in question along with the order links for Sekirara below!

Standard edition 

Limited edition 

Polkadot Stingray Writes Their Own Fiction With Latest Music Video!

Four-member rock band Polkadot Stingray released the music video for their track “FICTION” on their YouTube channel. A part of the band’s third album 何者 (Nanimono) which dropped back in December, it brings out the zany sound they are known for. The music video, which was directed by Takuya Kurahashi, takes the one-take approach to focus on lead singer Shizuka with her fellow bandmates. As previously reported, Nanimono dropped with two editions: a CD-only standard edition and a limited edition which included an additional DVD containing the band online that took place in October. Be sure to check out the music video in question along with the order link for Nanimono below!

Standard edition

Limited edition

Ongaku to You's Songs and Artists of the Year for 2020

2020 was a very interesting year for the Japanese music industry and we at Ongaku to You would like to praise the songs and artists that helped us traverse this amazing year. Each member broke down the year in three categories, Song of the Year, New Artist that we discovered in 2020, and lastly our Artist of the Year. We hope that 2021 will bring many surprises to the Japanese music industry like we received in 2020!

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Luna’s Top Song and Artists of 2020!

Song of the Year: “XXKK” by Koda Kumi

“XXKK” felt like a comeback song to me. Koda Kumi always does great songs, but “XXKK stuck out from her more recent songs as it brought you back to her early-middle career mixed with her current music career.  The chorus is catchy, and the lyrics ring true to me as she is my queen. This is the perfect celebratory track of her 20th-anniversary career and it shows who she is now while incorporating her old self as well. 

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New Artist of the Year: Miyuu

Miyuu was an artist that I discovered randomly on Spotify. I remember that from the moment I heard that first track, "Southern Waves," I was hooked. This track moved me to the point I began checking out all her other music and discovered so much by Miyuu. Her voice is beautiful and despite her having the "girl with guitar" theme like many others, Miyuu gives a breath of fresh air to the industry with her light voice and how it matches with all her composition perfectly.

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Artist of the Year: Awich

Awich has had an amazing year - starting off with the release of Kujyaku in January, then releasing her first major label release, Partition in August. Both releases were amazing and I fell in love with how real her music is, her rap style, her lyrics, and just everything about her. Awich brought something new to the Japanese Hip-Hop scene to me and she stuck out in a good way. She caught my ear with so many tracks this year. Her Kujyaku album was a masterpiece in how it was put together and Awich did not disappoint in Partition. She ended the year with a cover of a famous Christmas song and by being featured in the remix of AI's latest single "Not So Different.”  Awich was a "hit" with me all year and has kept me looking forward to anything new from her.

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Gray’s Top Song and Artists of 2020

Song of the Year: “Ayumi” by YU-TA of IVVY

I still remember the day I discovered these guys and I always knew they would be at the top of my list. For the longest time it was "Alice" which was the first song I ever heard by them, but then I heard "Ayumi" and knew immediately that it would be my number one for the year. I absolutely love the piano that is in this song. Played expertly by YU-TA, he also carries the track vocally, with the rest of the group joining him only on the chorus. YU-TA’s vocals are on point for this track. The whole song just comes together and I fall in love with it each time I hear it. IVVY has put out a lot of great songs for the year but this one is their best. Even if you are not into boy groups, this one is a must listen.

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New Artist of the Year: IVVY

I still remember the day I first discovered IVVY and I've been listening to them ever since. I just love their ability to harmonize and they have a bunch of catchy songs. They just dropped their first album and I'm looking to pick it up soon. This past year will be the year of boy groups for me. There have been a few that I've discovered that I've quite enjoyed, but, of all the artists I've heard over the year, these guys are still my favorite. I look forward to hearing more music by them. My number two song is "Alice" which is just a showcase of how you take a generic song and make it memorable with awesome vocal work and fantastic rap at the end. 

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Artist of the Year: Da-ICE

Man, I wasn't expecting to fall in love with Da-iCE the way I did, but I'm glad I took the plunge. It all started with Sota's song he did with Beverly, "Endless Love". I just fell in love with his performance in that song and I was encouraged to go back and check out Da-iCE because I had seen them around but never felt like looking them up. So, I checked out their album Face, which came out in April, and I've had that album on repeat ever since. Sota is my favorite mostly due to how I discovered the group, but all the guys are fantastic. They really bridge the idea of vocals and dance-heavy so well. They have a ton of songs, so it's hard to just sit there and listen to them without getting up to dance your butt off. I've been busted in public dancing to Da-iCE a few times, and this in a year when I'm not getting out as much as normal. I'm so glad I checked these guys out. I'm hoping to pick up Face physically soon and I'm super excited for Six which is due to come out close to my birthday. Da-iCE has really made my 2020, and to me there is no other group I could imagine taking this spot for me.

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Ken’s Top Song and Artist of 2020

Song of the Year: Stinging Spica by Polkadot Stingray 

Honestly, this track was going to be my number one since March or so. I loved this track and it was the small ray of hope that kept me going throughout the year that was 2020. Its simple composition is something that I can get lost in hours on end, and in fact, I’ve done exactly that while doing articles. The guitar work done by both was something that just intices me even more to the track every time. 

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New Artist of the Year: Daichi Yamamoto

Honestly, for New Artist of the Year this was a very easy choice for me to make, as listening to Yamamoto has been a treat for the eyes and ears for a genre that I only listen to once in a while. His various demos on his YouTube channel is what won me over, to be honest. The Tokyo Drift remix is absolute fire and really shows his range and diversity. That one spark of “Blue Berry” ignited a passion for me to dive deep into his discography. 

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Artist of the Year: Polkadot Stingray

Now. for overall Artist of the Year, this was another easy pick as Polkadot Stingray, as a whole, had a very sold year for me with three digital singles, one mini-album and one full album that were, in my opinion, just hit after hit even in this horrible year that was 2020. Polkadot was also one of the first groups to transition to streaming concerts back in June, when the ongoing pandemic was reaching in Japan, and proved that artists with big labels backing them can make this successful. With the release of their album, Nanimono, in December, the band has no plans on backing down for 2021 and I can’t wait to see what they have in store for fans.

Polkadot Stingray Brings their Luggage for Upcoming Album!

Four-member rock band Polkadot Stingray announced that they will be releasing a brand new album, 何者 (Nanimono) on December 16. Announced during their Polkadot Stingray Polfes48 #KyosoBakutan Online concert that happened earlier in October, this will be the latest album done by the band since Uchoten from last year and will their third album overall. The release will drop with thirteen tracks total with a bonus fourteenth track for the physical release, and will also included previously released digital singles “JET”, and “FREE”. The album will drop with two editions, a CD-only standard edition, and a CD + DVD Limited Edition. The DVD includes the entirety of the show PolFes 48 #Kyoso Bakutan Online Nanimono Edition that was filmed after the concert along with a behind the scenes look of the album making it a must-have for fans!

Be sure to check out their latest music video “FREE” along with the pre-order links for Nanimono below!

Standard edition

Limited edition

Polkadot Stingray「Nanimono」

CD

・トゲめくスピカ

・FREE

・SQUEEZE

・バケノカワ

・SHAKE! SHAKE!（雫カリウタ ver.）

・阿吽

・女神

・JET

・化身

・何者

Along With Others Totaling To 13 Tracks.

※Along With A Bonus 14th Track 

Limited Edition DVD

・10/15開催「ポルカドットスティングレイ ポルフェス48 #教祖爆誕 オンライン」何者エディション

・爆誕全力オフショット

Ken’s Ongaku Go for October 2020

Another month down from 2020 and we at Ongaku to You would like our readers to know what was filling our ears for the past month. Each track is available across all digital music streaming platforms with Apple Music being featured on this site.

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“Clover Wish” by ChamJam

With the new season of anime underway in Fall 2020, I brought myself back to anime that I had watched and “Clover Wish” had butted its head in. While a simple and by the number idol track, it brings me that nostalgic feeling that I had when I was obsessed with the genre. With everything going on it was good to have that base to go back to and be able to think of the good memories from the past. Although it was a very late addition to my list, I had gone back to it almost every day. 

Be sure to check out the anime preview for “Clover Wish” along with the track here!

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“Horizontal Oath” by RONDO

Continuing on the anime trend, with the premiere of the D4DJ First Mix this month and with the anticipating release of the upcoming app, I had went back in-depth with Bushiorad’s latest multimedia franchise. Out of all the groups that were available, RONDO had stood out to me the most as it had one of the more rare member line ups by including a guitarist in the mix. While it it might sounds like an overflow of the senses at first, I had fallen in love with it at first listen and while their cover of “Killing Me” from SiM is absolutely amazing, “Horizontal Oath” is their best original track. Riho Kato’s vocals with the mixture of Haurna Momono’s harmonization is something that has to be heard. DJ Tsunko’s composition and Sae Otsuka’s guitar work takes it to eleven. This was something that I was missing as of late and while I’m a fan of Bushiroad’s franchises, D4DJ with the help of RONDO jumped up to my second of all time. 

Check out the live performance for “Horizontal Oath” along with the song here!

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“A Stinging Spica” by Polkadot Stingray

With the announcement of their new album coming out later in the year, I had finally gone back to an earlier release done by the band. Originally released on their Shinseiki EP back in January, at first listen I had instantly fell in love with the track as vocalist Shuzuka made an impact on to me with her amazing vocals. Guitarist Harushi enticed me even more to listen to the track to the point that it was all I would listen to for the day. By summer, “A Stinging Spica” was already in the running for my #1 song of the year and with their album Nanimono on the horizon, it will absolutely be a top lock for the year. 

Check out the music video for “A Stinging Spica” along with the track here!

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“Haruka” by Scandal

With our semi review of Scandal’s latest album Kiss from the darkness, I had the sudden urge to go through my top songs done by the band and “Haruka” instantly came into my rotation again. A soft but simple vocal composition by lead singer Haruna entices me to fall in love with everything about the track, and when the transition to the second verse happens, the alluring range of the bassist Tomomi encapsulates me even more. One thing that also stands out is the usage of a mid-tempo composition throughout the song and while listeners might think that a more ballad style would match the theme of the love much more. Scandal goes above and beyond to make everything work. While the recent singles and album done by the band haven’t met the same heights done by “Haruka”, I highly anticipate the next release. 

Be sure to check out the “Haruka” here!

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“MR. CLEVER” by I Don’t Like Mondays. 

 What’s very interesting about IDLM is the genre changes MR. CLEVER brought going in and out since signing with avex. The track takes on a more R&B style of composition. Vocalist Yu makes an impressive showing by not only proving he can hang with the heavy hitters of the genre but at times goes above and beyond. Living up to their motto on “BE PLAY BOY”, the tune keeps the party going and is one that will be difficult for me to leave my rotation in the future. 

Check out “MR. CLEVER” along with the song here!