Music Corner Week 26: FREDERIC

FREDERIC is a four-member pop rock band formed by the Mihara twins back in 2007. Flaunting their theme of highly addictive composition and melodies, FREDERIC hopes to be that next hot topic in the music industry that listeners won’t forget. The band breaks the mold on several occasions by having whimsical and repeating rhythms skillfully composed by vocalist and guitarist Kenji. A typical composition of theirs, at first glance, might come off as from just the same old pop rock band fans of the genre are used to hearing; however, it makes their song not something that can be looked at with such a straight-forward approach. Their music videos also take the same approach, as they are both creatively and dynamically shot that they could attract even the strongest of haters of the genre.

FREDERIC’s tracks “odd loop” and “Sukiraism” are perfect examples of the whimsical factor the band exudes. Whether it be Kenji’s higher vocal range or the mesh that drummer Takeru Takahashi and guitarist Ryuji Akagashira have with Kenji and brother bassist Koji, they make it impossible to at least admire the high pace composition they weave together. Their latest track “VISION”, while not as mesmerizingly rhythmic as earlier songs in their discography, still has that allure of said earlier tracks. Even if they decide to make a more dramatic change, they will still reveal the soul that made them great.

FREDERIC had several singles under their belt before they made their major label debut with A-Sketch in 2014: “Only Wonder” (2016) and “かなしいうれしい” (“Kanashi Ureshi”) (2017). The same could be said about their mini-albums, with two released during their indie days and four with A-Sketch from 2014 to 2017. The band also dropped two albums simply titled FREDERHYTHM and FREDERHYTHM 2 in 2016 and 2019 respectively. 

Check out their music video for “VISION” along with the aforementioned single. Also visit FREDERIC’s official website and Twitter!

FREDERIC stars:

Ryuji Akagashira (guitar)

Koji Mihara (bass)

Kenji Mihara  (vocals & guitar)

Takeru Takahashi (drums)

Music Corner Week 25: I Don't Like Mondays.

Four-member rock band I Don’t Like Mondays. got their start in 2012 in Tokyo. Even though the band members don’t like Mondays, they came up with the name as they thought it would sound impressive if it was like a sentence. I Don’t Like Mondays consists of the members: Yu on vocals, Choji on guitar, Kenji on bass, and Shuki on drums. All the members are big on collaboration with each other and compose and write the songs themselves. If one member isn’t satisfied with the production of the music, it doesn’t get made, which shows in their songs that each is unique and stands out.

I Don’t Like Mondays. showcases their range in music production in their songs with Yu’s smooth vocals and the combination of Choji, Kenji, and Shuki all working together. Yu’s vocals are what bring out the songs with his smooth vocals which make for easy listening. Their song “Girlfriend” shows off Yu’s vocal range and Kenji and Choji’s great guitar work and it has a nice mid-tempo beat to it. One of my favorite parts of the song is hearing the whole band sing together. “LEMONADE” is the song that caught my ear with its fun summery beat. Their' newest song “Diamond” has an amazing guitar work and Yu’s vocals shine like a diamond by showcasing his vocal range.

I Don’t Like Mondays. currently has three studio albums: PLAY, TOKYO, and FASHION; one EP: SUMMER; and three physical singles “We Are Young”, “Sorry”, and “TONIGHT”. I Don’t Like Monday just released their fourth studio album on August 21st entitled Future which you can currently pick up on CDJAPAN!

Check out I Don’t Like Mondays Official Website, follow them on Twitter and Instagram as well!

Check out their latest music video Diamond below!

Music Corner Week 24: Burnout Syndromes

Burnout Syndromes is a three-member rock band that got started in 2005 with Kazuumi Kumagai as lead vocalist and guitar, Taiyuu Ishikawa as bassist and back up vocals, and finally, Takuya Hirose as the drummer and also back up vocals. To this day the same three guys are in the band and they show no signs of slowing down the release of a brand new album this year and a single released back in August. 

Burnout Syndromes writes fairly unique compositions that come through in their music. Kazuumi’s vocals are a little different and might take the listener a little bit to adjust to but they really fit their style of music. They also execute their songs with amazing skills making their music fun to listen to. Take for instance Burnout Syndromes’ latest single “Good Morning World” that opens up with Kazuumi singing acapella before being greeted with the powerful guitar and drums that run throughout the song. “Good Morning World” takes a serious turn before the chorus kicks in with this fun and up the melody.

Since forming Burnout Syndromes have released a total of three studio albums with their first major album coming out in November of 2016 that is titled Lemon, Peacock came out in February of 2018, and their latest album Myojo came out in February of this year. Burnout Syndromes have put out a total of four singles since going major with their first single being “FLY HIGH!!” in March of 2016, “Hikarire” in October of 2016, “Hanaichichi” in February of 2018 and “Good Morning World” in August of 2019. Be sure to check out Burnout Syndromes on their official website to keep up with their latest news or follow them on Twitter, and they also post their news on their Facebook page. Burnout Syndromes' latest release “Good Morning World” is posted below for anyone looking to check them out.

Music Corner Week 23: iri

iri is a vocalist that got her start back 2016 who takes her unique spin on the ever-growing R&B-Jazz fusion genre that has taken over Japan music industry as of late. Given with a gift of an acoustic guitar and the interest of going jazz bar time and time again. Combined with all these contributions, iri developed a soulful vocal style mixed in with hip-hop like a lyrical arrangement, which at first listens might throw off some listeners as her vocal style is a fairly mature one for someone of her age.

iri vocal present is almost trance-like as akin to JUJU, iri takes full control of her vocals and mixes it beautiful to whatever arrangement that is thrown to it. Whether it be a slower and dramatic composition like “Shade” or the more energetic fusion style tracks such as ”Wonderland”, or “Only One”, iri brings a present that might have been glossed over several years back but is a perfect fit to what the industry needs now.

Although short iri has several achievements already under her belt such as winning Sony Music’s JAM auditions which immediately propelled her to an artist to keep watch of with the collaboration of several big partners such as Amazon for their 2019 Japan Fashion Week the sky is her ceiling for the reach of her success. Currently, iri released two singles “Watashi”(2017) and “Only One”(2018), with three albums Grove It (2016), Juice (2018) and Shade (2019). iri also has several vinyl releases under her belt due to the genre she’s associated with.

Check out iri official website along with her Twitter. Also check out her latest music video “Wonderland” along with the link to her latest album Shade below!

Music Corner Week 22: milet

milet is a pop vocalist and songwriter under Sony Music Entertainment. She made her debut on March 6th of this year with the EP inside you. The lead track, inside you was used as the opening theme for the Japanese drama QUEEN. milet has an extremely unique voice due to the deepness of her voice and how she projects it. She has a comparable vocal skill to the popular singer Adele.

Even though milet is a newcomer to the industry, she shows off that she has the skills of a veteran with her powerfully deep vocals and lyrics that resonate within your soul. milet’s capability to switch between Japanese and English so fluidly in her songs makes for a perfect transition, which also draws in both Eastern and Western listeners. Again and again, showcases her deep vocals and powerful lyrics with a catchy tune that makes you want to hear more. milet’s latest bop, us, features her wide range of vocal skills that she is capable of, such as her change of voice from the opening of the song into the versus’s to the chorus. Her debut song, inside you, is a bit of a slower song but introduces you to milet’s powerhouse vocals with a relaxing composition.

While milet has just made her debut this year with her first EP inside you, she has surprising churned out two more EPs, Wonderland and us. Not only does she already have three EPs so far, milet has her 4th EP titled Drown/You&I that will be releasing on November 6 and will be featured in the anime Vinland Saga. With three releases and a fourth upcoming, milet shows she has no intention of stopping anytime soon.

Check out milet’s official website along with her official instagram and Twitter as well. You can also pre-order her latest EP here. Check out her latest track “us” below!