Music Corner Week 105: EINSHTEIN

EINSHTEIN is a male singer-songwriter and rapper from Osaka. He got his start in the industry at the young age of 14 when he found an interest in RAP music and in 2013 participated in the “4th High School RAP Championship”. He was the youngest participant for the championship as he shined and garnished much attention. In 2017, his digital EP “19’s MAP” attracted attention with the inclusion of the music video for “1210 - I Need You”, which hit over 500 million views on YouTube and became nominated for several awards. EINSHTEIN released his debut full length album, Letter in 2020 and has continued to gain support with his live performances, writing, and catchy modern music.

“Still in Love” is the first track I heard by EINSHTEIN and immediately went to look for it. I love the composition as it has the modern R&B fusion to it plus the lyrics are relatable and easy to sing-a-long too. The chorus is very catchy. “1210 - I Need You” is the song that was nominated him for several awards and its such an interesting track as is carries more of a hip-hop and reggae style. You can tell he is still trying to find his vocals, but the lyrics are quite good and the composition is very befitting. EINSHTEIN has some great slower tracks, such as “LIKE” and Ano hi no Kimi e” which show off his vocal range and make you want to hear more like it. His latest release, “Lucky” is a more mid tempo song that reminds me of “Still in Love” with its melody. I also love the cute lyrics, how his rap flows with his vocals. Despite the slight use of auto-tune in “Lucky”, EINSTEIN has the perfect composition that makes this track flow so well.

EINSHTEIN has one album, Letter (2020), one EP “19’s MAP”(2017), and fourteen digital singles. Check out EINSHTEIN’s official website, Twitter, Instagram, and his latest music video “Lucky” below!

Music Corner Week 104: Ryukku to Soine Gohan

Ryukku to Soine Gohan is a three-piece pop-rock band that formed in November of 2017 in Tokyo. This young next-generation band is making a ton of waves by making the nostalgic sound very adaptable towards new audiences. The mellow but catchy composition grabs the listener and entices them to keep on listening. While they might not be changing the game so much for older listeners, it’s very important that bands like this spring up to continue building that foundation in pop-rock.

Vocalist Yuu Matsumoto's calming vocals mesh so well with the overall melody that I don’t think their style would pop to me as much as it would without him. Songs like “Home”, ”Umi wo Koete” really show off their foundation of their style that really shines. They aren’t a one-trick pony either, as their more high-paced composition tunes such as “Seikatsu” and “Normal” show off their range. 

Ryukku to Soine Gohan released five singles in 2020 and 2021 and one EP in 2020, with their first album Neo Neo in December of 2020. Be sure to check out their official website, Twitter, and Instagram along with the music video of “Home” below!

Ryukku to Soine Gohan Stars 

Akari Miyazawa- Drums

Hidetaka Doumen- Bass

Yuu Matsumoto- Vocal/Guitar

Music Corner Week 103: THE BEAT GARDEN

THE BEAT GARDEN is a three-member boy group that formed in 2012. The founding members of the group were U, REI, and MASATO, who were all attending a music college in Osaka. After meeting they decided to move to Tokyo and started performing live in the suburbs of Tokyo. The group officially claimed the name THE BEAT GARDEN in 2014, and they dropped their first album WILL in 2015. At the end of 2015, the group picked up their fourth member, DJ SATORU. On July of 2016, THE BEAT GARDEN made its major-label debut with Universal-Sigma when they released their “Never End” single. Since going major, the group has released nine singles and three albums, with their latest physical release being their album Afterglow. On August of 2021, DJ SATORU left the group, leaving the three founding members. On November of that year they released their digital single, “ROMANCE”.

THE BEAT GARDEN is a powerhouse of vocal talent, with amazing vocal performances from each member. I became familiar with this group when their song “Snow White Girl” charted back in 2019. I fell in love with this track, which, to this day, is still my favorite of theirs. This song has everything I’m looking for in my boy groups, great vocal performance with great harmonization. Their latest release, “ROMANCE” is a pretty fun track with some light jazz elements that have been thrown in. Even though they are now a three-man group they show they aren’t missing a beat. Over the course of their career, they’ve also shown how much range they have, being able to tackle songs in various styles. 

THE BEAT GARDEN is active on their official website along with their Twitter page. Lastly, be sure to check out their song “Snow White Girl” in the video below.

Music Corner Week 102: Anna Takeuchi

Anna Takeuchi is a pop singer-songwriter who made her major debut under Sony Music Japan in 2018. Anna is a Japanese-American, born in Los Angeles and raised in Kyoto, Japan. She began playing the acoustic guitar at a young age as she was inspired by music from the 70s and 80s that her parents always listed too. In June 2017, Anna won an audition held by Sony Music Artists (under the Sony Music Management Teichiku Entertainment), which had 10,000+ applicants. From there, Anna made her major debut in 2018 with the the single, “ALRIGHT”. She has a distinct singing voice and combines Japanese and English in her lyrics flawlessly. Her unique playing style on the acoustic guitar, distinct vocals, and relatable lyrics tend to draw in fans from all generations.

Anna’s major debut single, “ALRIGHT” stands out with its use of the acoustic guitar, clear vocals, lyrics, and catchy melody. The guitar solo in the middle is a nice fit and Anna’s vocals make this a perfect debut track. “TOKYO NITE” opens of with a saxophone, pulling you into the track; from there the acoustic guitar takes the main stage with a mixture of the saxophone giving it a unique feel. “TOKYO NITE” is a nice chill track that keeps you interested and enjoying the melody along with Anna’s befitting vocals and nice rap. “Ice Cream” is a cutesy pop track that gives you the feeling of summer romance with its love obsessed lyrics. “Ice Cream” is a track that you cannot stop listening too; the melody is perfect and Anna’s vocals and rap have the perfect transition. Anna knows how to switch between English and Japanese flawlessly and the guitar placed in this track gives it a nicely soothing yet cute feeling that fits with the lyrics. Anna’s latest single “Now For Ever with AFRO PARKER” is a nice duet with a chill beat and gives off the fusion feel mixing pop with hip-hop. AFRO PARKER’s rap meshes well with Anna’s vocals and the beat makes it an easy listening track.

Anna Takeuchi currently has one studio album: MATOUSIC (2020), however she will be releasing her second studio album, TICKETS on March 2nd (2022); four EPs: at ONE, at TWO, at THREE, and at FOUR; and eight singles (physical and digital). You can follow Anna Takeuchi on her Official Website, Twitter, and Instagram. Check out the music video for her single “Ice Cream” below!

Music Corner Week 101: LITTLE BLACK DRESS

LITTLE BLACK DRESS is a singer/songwriter from Okayama Prefecture that got her start back in 2016. Strongly influenced by songs that she listen to, this unique guitarist established a brand new style dubbed “Kayo Rock” with the theme of “Hidden Happiness  within Kayokyoku (modern J-pop). She also wanted to convey that "Kayokyoku is Japanese culture" as a kick-off and would like to expect the" Reiwa / New Era Music "spun by LITTLE BLACK DRESS born in Heisei, which was influenced by Showa music. Having moved in 2016, she had then met creative director Mitsuo Shindo and this the solo project LITTLE BLACK DRESS was born. 

One of the things that I absolutely love about this project is that she is everything I really wanted Sayaka Yamamoto to be, in which strong rock background and absolutely amazing vocalist that could blend genres. Something that really stands out about her is that she brakes the mold of what it means to be the girl with the guitar that a lot of artist do fall into. Either it be the poppy feel of “Ame to Koigokoro”, “Aishu no Melancholie” or the more cool blues styling of “Shiawase ni Naritaino”, “Natsu Darake no Glider”,  LITTLE BLACK DRESS shows that there is no range she can’t reach and isn’t afraid of experimenting if necessary. 

LITTLE BLACK DRESS has six singles, from 2020 and 2021 along with one album titled Ukiyouta in 2021. Be sure to check her official website, Twitter, and Instagram along with her latest music video “Ame to Koigokoro” below!