Luna's Ongaku Go For January 2023!

Picking up where Ken left off and spring boarding into 2023, it’s that time of the month for January’s Ongaku Go! We at OTY 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 featured on this site.

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“Chosen One” by aimi

With the release of aimi’s newest digital single “You Are” in December of 2022, I decided to check out more of her music and discovered her song “Chosen One” which is the lead track on her mini album of the same name. “Chosen One” delivers a heavy R&B vibe with strong vocals, lyrics, and catchy beats. “Chosen One” has lyrics that switch between both Japanese and English with a endearing message that sticks with you. aimi’s vocals are smooth and she flawlessly coordinates her vocals from English to Japanese with ease. “Chosen One” is a track that sticks with you and you cannot stop listening to it.

Check out “Chosen One” here and the music video below!

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“Say” by EMI MARIA

I have been following EMI MARIA’s comeback and it has been hit after hit for me. EMI MARIA’s track “Say” is full of R&B chill vibes that gives off the 90s feeling mixed with current beats. EMI MARIA’s vocals are smooth and flow with the beats leading throughout the song. The chorus might not be as catchy as her other tracks but it meshes with versus’ giving off the easy listening vibe. “Say” is a track that makes you want more new music but also makes you want to dive back into EMI MARIA’s musical career thus far.

Check out “Say” by EMI MARIA here and the music video below!

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“GOODIE MEMORIES” by Emi Hinouchi

This is a guilty pleasure track and has come back up on my playlists again due to the fact that Emi Hinouchi has started to release a good amount of digital singles more frequently. “GOODIE MEMORIES” is a track that was always on repeat for me - I also remember when it came out in 2008. This song delivers a fun R&B-pop fusion with Emi’s smooth vocals and catchy lyrics that keep you singing along. This is a song that the lyrics have so much meaning to me and seeing that this was recently added to AppleMusic made me happy (despite me owning it physically). “GOODIE MEMORIES” is always a good showcase of Emi’s vocal range and keeps a flowing vibe with the composition.

Check out “GOODIE MEMORIES” by Emi Hinouchi here and the music video below!

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“Renegades (Japanese version)” by ONE OK ROCK

With the announcement of their upcoming tour with Muse in the US, it got me to go back and check out their latest album Luxury Disease that released in September 2022. “Renegades” stuck with me with its composition giving a cineamtic vibe (it was used as the theme for Rurouni Kenshin: The Final) and I love the vocal work. The chorus is very catchy and it reminds me of the pop rock phase I went through in High School. The lyrics for “Renegades” pulls you in and is easily relatable and draws you to it.

Check out “Renegades (Japanese version)” by ONE OK ROCK here and the music video below!

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“A Revolution” by Love Psychedelico

Every once in a while I listen to artists that I haven’t listened to in a while, Love Psychedlico happened to be one of those and to my surprise, they released a brand new album in October 2022. The lead track, “A Revolution” is fantastic as Love Psychedelico shows that they aren’t over yet and still can rock out. “A Revolution” brings a combination of 80s rock with Kumi’s vocal style and 60s/70s rock with its composition. Kumi’s vocals always make this band so unique to me and their music continues on with its tradition of housing the 60s/70s style which is their inspiration.

Check out “A Revolution” by Love Psychedelico here and the music video below!

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Ken's Ongaku Go For January 2023!

Spring boarding into 2023, it’s that time of the month for January’s Ongaku Go! We at OTY 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 featured on this site.

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“Every Wish Deserves a Dream” by MISIA

I had honestly fell in love with this song upon listening to it during the Kohaku that it was in instant. The wonderment that is placed throughout this song it just amazing and like I had said during the Kohaku episode, that Disney Magic is just there and can is something that just has to be heard. While I don’t like all of MISIA’s discography, when she hits, she hits hard with tracks just like this.

Be sure to check out the track here, and below!

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“Time Capsule” by CRCK/LCKS

Now this is a band I haven’t heard from in a while, but I am so happy to do so as I was worried of disbandment. “Time Capsule” works more as an experience of sound for Math Rock genre more than an actual song as there are little to no lyrics throughout the release itself and the band just has the music speaks. As it is difficult to recommend a song like this to other people, it is something that must be experienced first hand. I for one can’t wait to hear more done by this band and hope more for them in 2023.

Check out the song below and via Apple Music here!

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“You” by Ayumi Hamasaski

This is a guilty pleasure more than anything else, I was recommended to listen to this song by someone close to me (not Luna) and I was just moved to tears upon listening. When we did our Artist spotlight I knew ‘You’ was a great song but context matters this time around and it really spoke to me. It was even great enough to move it to my rotations. While I don’t see Hamasaki’s track getting on here all too often, it will be in my rotation a tad bit more than before.

Be sure to check out the music video for “YOU” below, along with the track here!

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“STARS” by J SOUL BROTHERS

I had really missed J SOUL BROTHERS as they bring a certain style that their younger brother groups can’t really reach yet. With only one release in 2022, I had missed this more ‘general’ style of what LDH does. It hits all of everything for a group like this with just the right amount of vocal exposure that actually matches the composition and isn’t something that is overbearing. While I do hope this EP it was originally on does mean they have more work planned for 2023, if not then ‘STARS’ was just my sweet release.

Check out the music video for “STARS” below, along with the song here!

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“The Price of Freedom” by Takeharu Ishimoto

Due to my brute playthrough of Crisis Core Reunion for Podasarus, this particular song has been on my mind a whole lot. Granted it happened during the most tragic part of that game, I absolutely fell in love with it. In my opinion I would consider it Zack’s theme and I hope that whenever Rebirth comes out we get to hear a more majestic version of it.

Be sure to check out the track here!

Ongaku to You 2022 Songs, Artist and New Artist of the Year!

2022 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 We Discovered in 2022, and lastly our Artist of the Year. We hope that 2023 will bring many surprises to the Japanese music industry like we received in 2022!

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Luna’s Song of the Year

“Itsumademo” by Thelma Aoyama Feat. SoulJa

The melody, Thelma's vocals, SoulJa's rap, the lyrics - everything is perfect and it’s a callback to Koko ni Iru yo/Soba ni Iru ne. Just the idea of Thelma and SoulJa doing a collaboration and a call back to the tracks they did together on Thelma's debut is just fantastic and I fell in love upon first listen.

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Luna’s New Artist of the Year

Grace Ami

Grace Aimi released her debut studio album near the end of 2021 and I discovered her music in early 2022 after my best friend introduced me to her song "Karaoke Queen". Grace Aimi's music took me by surprise in a good way. I love that her music was all English based (as I wasn't expecting that at all) and that it reminded me of a mixture of 00s pop at times creating a funky fresh vibe. Tracks such as Friend Zone had a more western feel, especially lyrically and composite wise. Tracks like "if" and "Karaoke Queen" give off some mixed vibes which I love. She's an artist I have been anticipating releases as I'm curious to see what she will do next.

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Luna’s New Artist of the Year

Koda Kumi

Koda Kumi has had a fantastic year, especially coming off of her 20th anniversary and going into her 21st anniversary. She's released 'heart' in March of this year, which is a fantastic album and has a new digital track titled "WINGS". Her music has matured so much and I love that with each release; she does something different and showcases her talent as an artist. Her versatility in the industry is always needed.

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Gray’s Song of the Year

“Last Dance ni Bye Bye” by Ballistik Boyz From Exile Tribe

“Last Dance ni Bye Bye” is a song that I come back to time and time again. This release just oozes the coolness factor and I love every second of it. The Ballistik Boyz have really grown since they released their first album and they have proven how insanely talented they are. This is a song that I play at work all the time when I want to brighten my day. Such a fun dance number with really great vocals. This was easily my song of the year, and I think the Ballistik Boyz has earned it.

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Gray’s New Artist of the Year

Octpath

Octpath has had a really good year, and I wanted to make them my New Artist of the Year because when we first started coving them I wasn't a huge fan of them. They then released their "Perfect"-EP and that was the real turning point for me. I've enjoyed every release they have had since. I look forward to every release this group puts out and can't wait to see what they do next.

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Gray’s New Artist of the Year

BiSH

So I was thinking about my Artist of the Year and I feel like BiSH has really earned this spot even though they don't have a song in my top 5 songs of the year. But week after week on the show we cover groups that are way past their prime and how sad in many ways it has become. So for a group like BiSH to say hey we are going out on our terms and to finish with such a strong year of releases. This has been some of my favorite music BiSH has done and it's created a bittersweet moment, on one hand I don't want to see them go next June, but I respect them leaving on their terms and I wish everyone in BiSH the best of luck on their future endeavors.

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Ken’s Song of the Year

“Shock!” by Sakanaction

This is a track that upon first listen I had already known was going to be on my list, being top or not would be the only problem. I have loved what Sakanaction has been doing recently by delivering a modern city pop style of music and “Shock” is the bread and butter of that. It’s composition alone would be something to talk about as it just jazzercises a lot that 80’s feels and while the lyrics might not be anything too meaningful, it just adds to that style that Sakanaction has been trying to perfect. The bongos throughout the track had really won me over for my overall enjoyment of this song. I had enjoyed their concept, album Adapt, that was released back in March. I am much looking forward to a more traditional original album in the future.

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Ken’s New Artist of the Year

Nishina

Not to beat a dead horse by having two unique female vocalists as my New artist of the Year back to back, but this year it would have to be Nishina. She has that “it” factor that I look for in a female vocalist. Her music is calm, yet has a hint of mysterious madness hidden throughout which attracts all listeners. One of the things that I absolutely love about Nishina is that she has this really soft but show addictive vocals that just capture anyone which was one of the reasons that I fell for her in the first place. Like I had said in my Music Corner write up about her, she can really mix it up and just take listeners on a ride that never has been heard before. Her latest release (as of this write up) “Hot Milk” was something that I didn’t picture her doing after her album 1999, but it just works cause of her vocal range that she puts into all of her tracks. It was things like this which really had made me thinking there was no one else that I could pick as my new artist aside of Nishina.

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Ken’s Artist of the Year

back number

There isn’t an artist that had filled my ears throughout the year that was 2022 like back number. While it is true their actually 2022 was fairly light in actual releases, it was their whole backlog of releases that really got me. Like I had said with Yellow on my top 5 in 2021, they have this way just to grip the listener into their lyrics about love, unrequited or otherwise. I was even a huge backer of Suiheisen this past year, in which I didn’t see the big appeal of it back in its initial release. Songs like “Happy End”, “Takaneno Hanakosan”, “Shiawase” were constantly in my rotation and it had killed me because they weren’t modern enough that I couldn’t really talk about them in my Ongaku Go’s throughout 2022. These songs and its lyrics had really helped me in this really difficult year. I’m looking forward to HUMOR which will release in January of the 2023 and hope that these boys will keep on having an amazing year.

Gray's Ongaku Go For November 2022

Picking up where Ken and Luna left off lets go over to top five songs I’ve been listening to this past month. All the songs posted here are available on Apple Music.

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“Show Time (Feat. Aklo)” by ALI

I’ve made no bones about my favorite ALI song being “Lost In Paradise” which featured Aklo on that track. “Show Time” Aklo rejoins them in this great number full of trumpets, and sass. This has been a blast to listen to and I’m glad to see ALI back.

Check out “Show Time (Feat. Aklo)” here and the music video below!

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“My Turn (Feat. JP the Wavy)” by GENERATIONS from Exile TRIBE

This is the latest release by GENERATIONS and it’s incredibly good. I’ve heard Luna talking about JP the Wavy but I personally haven’t checked out his work. However, I wound up really enjoying this collaboration. I’m curious if GENERATIONS will do a collaboration like this again in the future.

Check out “My Turn (Feat. JP the Wavy)” here and the music video below!

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“Growing Up” by 7ORDER

This song is really good, and a much better improvement over their last release “Power”.  It’s music like this that draws me to 7ORDER, great vocals, melody, and the energy in this song fills me with so much positive energy. “Growing Up” is quickly becoming one of my favorite songs of the year.

Check out “Growing Up” here and the music video below!

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“Magic Of A Laugh” by lol

lol just dropped their latest album, Amber, and this is the very first track on the album. They released “Magic of A Laugh” as a digital single before they dropped their album so I’ve been listening to this all month and I freaking love it. It has this really cool trumpet that is used in this track and this is really great music to dance to. I missed talking about lol and I’m so glad to be talking about this track. 

Check out “Magic Of A Laugh” here and the music video below!

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“Zettai Inspiration” by SKE48

I’ve been listening to this song a lot more than I thought I would when I first heard it. I think I’m just glad to have a decent track to be released by SKE48. I haven’t liked anything they’ve dropped over the past few years and it’s nice to hear a number like “Zettai Inspiration” again. I’m not hopeful that their next release is going to be on this level so I’m enjoying this as much as I can.

Check out “Zettai Inspiration” here and the music video below!

Luna's Ongaku Go For November 2022!

As the fall leaves have fallen and Halloween has come and gone, a brand new Ongaku Go has arrived. We at OTY 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 featured on this site.

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“Itsumadedemo” feat. SoulJa by Thelma Aoyama

When I saw Thelma Aoyama was releasing a collaboration with SoulJa, it brought me back to her debut track, “Soba ni Iru yo”, which she colloborated with SoulJa on. “Itsumademo” gives you those sentimental feelings as “Soba ni Iru yo” does, but you can hear the growth in Thelma’s voice, lyrics, and composition; which makes for such a memorable track. “itsumademo” is a mid tempo R&B ballad with a great flow between Thelma’s vocals and SoulJa’s rapsy rap and the piano is icing on the cake. I enjoy the modern feel “Itsumademo” displays as it shows how both artists have grown with the music industry and with their style of music.

Check out “Itsumademo” feat. SoulJa here and the music video below!

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“Friend Zone” feat. CIMBA

Its so good to see Hiromi back as she has the most soulful voice in the R&B industry right now. “Friend Zone” shows off what her voice can do and makes me realize how much I’ve missed her music. “Friend Zone” is a mid tempo R&B track that concentrates on both Hiromi and CIMBA’s strong vocal capabilites and strong lyrics. Hiromi and CIMBA have the best collaborations as their vocals mesh perfectly together as they have soulful and colorful voices that showcase the meaning of Rhythm and Blues. “Friend Zone” is a catchy song and its one that you wish was longer than it is, as you get lost in its blissful sounds.

Check out “Friend Zone” feat. CIMBA here and the music video below!

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“Crazy Party Night” by Kyary Pamyu Pamyu

As Halloween is my favorite month and with the release of Kyary Pamyu Pamyu’s latest single “Isshin Doutai”, I went back to Kyary's track “Crazy Party Night” which imbodies Halloween for me. Its fun, cute, Halloween-esque, upbeat, and makes you want to dance. Kyary puts her all into this by invoking the Halloween spirit, not to mention it has a catchy chorus that gets stuck in your head. “Crazy Party Night” also reminds me of a track that be used in Nightmare Before Christmas, just with its composition and lyrics. Its obvious that “Crazy Party Night” was on repeat all month with it oozing of the crazy Halloween spirit it encomposses.

Check out “Crazy Party Night” here and the music video below!

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“LonelyZombieWonderland” by I Don’t Like Mondays.

As its October, I tried to keep most of my playlist Halloween and came across the track “LonelyZombieWonderland” which isn’t very Halloween-eque but nonetheless a fanastic track with a jazzy composition and meaningful lyrics. I love the style I Don’t Like Mondays took in this song as it gives the live jazz band feel with the trumpets, the composition feels different than their usual rock pop feel, and it gives off the live feeling throughout the song. This was such a fun fresh song that easily gets stuck in your head and always make me crave for by I Don’t Like Mondays.

Check out “LonelyZombieWonderland” here and the music video below!

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“My Story” by FAKY

The month of October, FAKY released their studio album F and I have been addicted to it since its release. “My Story” has been one of my most played tracks on the album thus far. The lyrics touch my soul, their vocals fit perfectly with the composition, the chorus is catchy, and its a track I can easily sing-a-long too. “My Story” is a track that has brought me so much joy listening to it and helped uplift my spirit this month. FAKY has shown how much they’ve matured musically over the years and I am in love with the style they are doing.

Check out “My Story” here and the music video below!

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