MAN WITH A MISSION is Thunderstruck in Latest Music Video!

Break and Cross the Walls I, the brand new album from the Japanese superstars MAN WITH A MISSION, is out internationally on CD from our friends at JPU Records, along with video on demand content. Marking the release the band have revealed the video for their take on the AC/DC classic “Thunderstruck”.

MAN WITH A MISSION put their half man, half wolf arena-rock spin on the iconic track with DJ Santa Monica providing frenzied record scratching among an intoxicating electronic bongo rhythm from Spear Rib, while Kamikaze Boy, Jean-Ken Johnny and Tokyo Tanaka take on the vocals and riffs of the original. The video was recorded at the band’s recent headline show at the Yokohama Arena and available to watch here.

Regarding the track Johnny says, “The reason why we decided to cover this song is because it's simply such a cool song. It has the organic power that rock music holds. It's not overboard, but it doesn't underplay. It's a song that's straight rock and is such a strong, powerful song that it might even sound foolish. Maybe it's a song that we, in our generation, just needed.”

Break and Cross the Walls I is the band’s sixth studio album. The collection was originally conceived as an ambitious two-disc set but recording sessions became affected by the prolonged world Covid situation and, so as not to disappoint fans with a longer wait, it was decided to release the set as two consecutive albums, with the second half due to be released in Spring this year. 

Break and Cross the Walls I includes tracks such as the recently released “Merry-Go-Round”, opening theme of the popular TV anime My Hero Academia, Godzilla vs Kong (Japanese edition) movie theme song “INTO THE DEEP”, 2020 NHK soccer theme song “Change the World” and “Remember Me”, the main theme for Japanese TV drama Radiation House II. In addition to many other hit songs including the likes of “86 Missed Calls feat. Patrick Stump”.

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Break and Cross the Walls I Jacket Cover

MAN WITH A MISSION「Break and Cross the Walls I」
01. yoake
02. Thunderstruck
03. Merry-Go-Round
04. Change the World
05. Break and Cross the Walls
06. Telescope
07. Between fiction and friction Ⅰ
08. Klaxon Mark
09. INTO THE DEEP
10. Subliminal
11. 86 Missed Calls feat. Patrick Stump
12. Remember Me
13. evergreen
14. Anonymous

CD Includes:
English lyric & liner note translations edited by Jean-Ken Johnny
Romaji transliterations

Video on Demand Content:
MAN WITH A MISSION presents “INTO THE DEEP” LIVE HOUSE VIEWING TOUR 2021

01. INTO THE DEEP
02. 2045
03. Seven Deadly Sins
04. Perfect Clarity
05. Focus Light
06. Take Me Under
07. FLY AGAIN -Hero’s Anthem-

Gray's Ongaku Go For January 2022

Picking up after Ken and Luna, we’re down our first month in 2022, and we at Ongaku to You would like our readers to know what has been 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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“Boyfriend” by Shirose

My boy Shirose is on one hell of a streak with his latest releases. “Romeo & Juliet &” dominated my playlists at the end of the year and “Boyfriend” has taken its place. This is a fun song that I really enjoy. I will warn you the music video is a bit suggestive, but that is just Shirose at this point. Still, this is a fantastic song.

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

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“liveDevil” by Da-ICE

I waited with bated breath for this song to drop at the end of the year. I’ve been a fan of it since I first heard it back in September. So the wait for it was rough, but with glee, it finally dropped at the end of the year and I play this song constantly. Da-ICE just kill this song and this is quickly becoming one of my favorite openings for Kamen Rider.

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

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“Make Me Better” by Generation from EXILE TRIBE

This track has been on repeat since I heard it at the Kohaku. My word, I just love everything about this song. Really, their whole Up & Down album is fantastic, but I always start with “Make Me Better” which I’m not changing anytime soon.

Check out “Make Me Better” here and the music video below!

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“Snow White Girl” by The Beat Garden

The Beat Garden just dropped their album Afterglow and I was reminded of how good their song “Snow White Girl” is. I loved this song when it originally dropped and to be reminded of it was a nice way to kick off the new year. Their whole album is fantastic but “Snow White Girl” still stands out above the rest for me.

Check out “Snow White Girl” here and the music video below!

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“We Just Don’t Care” by ONE N’ ONLY

ONE N’ ONLY can be a really talented vocal group when they want to be and “We Just Don’t Care” really shows off their amazing vocals. This is a fantastic track and one I just can’t stop listening to. 

Check out “We Just Don’t Care” here and the music video below!

SCANDAL Release New Album, New Music Video and Add Further North American Tour Dates!

Four-member pop-rock heroines SCANDAL continue their global conquest with the release of a new album, a new music video, and further dates added to their world tour.

The band, loved around the world for their catchy songs (several used in Japan’s biggest anime franchises), sense of style and for empowering women, released their tenth studio album MIRROR today digitally, ahead of its physical international release in February. The release includes their singles “eternal”, “Ivory” and “one more time” along with seven new songs. The album, which includes songs written and composed by each member, as well as songs that feature each member as main vocalist, reflects the sensitive feelings the members experienced after facing themselves more than ever before.

Today also marks the release of the music video to new song “Ai ni Naranakatta no Sa”. The song was written and composed by guitarist MAMI, and is an honest love song about the feelings of a woman who realises that her feelings for her boyfriend are not love. The music video is directed by マザーファッ子, who has previously worked on SCANDAL’s videos for “Fuzzy”, “Saishuheiki Kimi” and “one more time”, each of which has been watched over one million times on YouTube. It features the fresh acting talents of Miyu Nakamura and Sashiru Morozumi to visually tell the song’s story.

MIRROR is available as a regular edition album overseas on CD from our friends at JPU Records, that includes English lyric translations and romaji lyric transliterations. The international limited edition includes video on demand content that features newly recorded interviews with the members as they look back on the 15th anniversary of the band. The 50-minute video also includes unreleased footage from SCANDAL’s monthly documentary series ‘“her” Diary 2021 on YouTube’. This edition of the album also includes the third edition of “her” magazine printed exclusively in English for the first time. It offers a further glimpse into MIRROR’s production and SCANDAL’s story so far through exclusive interviews and photos.

SCANDAL also announced today that their 2022 world tour has had further dates added due to demand. ‘SCANDAL WORLD TOUR 2022 “MIRROR”’ will begin in March with a national hall tour of Japan, followed by North America July and Europe in September. It will be their first world tour in four years and will include songs from MIRROR as well as popular songs from the band’s first 15 years.

Be sure to check out the music video for “Ai ni Naranakatta” along with the pre-order links for MIRROR here and the North America Tour days below!

SCANDAL WORLD TOUR 2022 "MIRROR" Dates:

North America tour dates:
July 09 2022: Queen Elizabeth Hall (Toronto)
July 11 2022: Sony Hall (New York City)
July 13 2022: Big Night Live (Boston) NEW
July 15 2022: The Masquerade (Atlanta)
July 16 2022: House of Blues (Chicago) NEW
July 18 2022: The Imperial (Vancouver) NEW
July 20 2022: The Neptune (Seattle) NEW
July 22 2022: House of Blues (Anaheim)
July 26 2022: Legacy Hall (Dallas)

Europe tour dates:
September 22 2022: LIDO (Berlin)
September 24 2022: 02 Academy Islington (London)
September 27 2022: Yoyo (Paris)

MIRROR Jacket Cover

Tracklist:
01. MIRROR
02. eternal
03. Ai ni Naranakatta no Sa (愛にならなかったのさ)
04. Kanojo wa Wave (彼女はWave)
05. Ai no Shotai (愛の正体)
06. Ivory (アイボリー)
07. Yugure, Tokeru (夕暮れ、溶ける)
08. Ao no Naru Yoru no Sukimade (蒼の鳴る夜の隙間で)
09. Prism (プリズム)
10. one more time
11. Living in the city [CD bonus track]
12. SPICE [CD bonus track]

CD Includes:
- English lyric translations
- Romaji lyric transliterations
- Full booklet with Japanese lyrics and artwork
- Bonus tracks 'Living in the city' and 'SPICE'

CD + Magazine + Video on Demand edition includes:
- Everything from the CD edition
- "her" magazine volume 3 printed entirely in English
- Video on demand content SCANDAL DOCUMENTARY “her” Diary 2021 SPECIAL EDITION with English subtitles

Luna's Ongaku Go for January 2022!

Picking up after Ken, we’re down our first month in 2022 and we at Ongaku to You would like our readers to know what has been 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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“Come & Talk 2 Me” feat. B.I.G.JOE by JASMINE

JASMINE released her new album Re:Me on January 15th, which I had been anticipating since it was first announced and it did not disappoint. Out of all the fantastic tracks “Come & Talk 2 Me” feat. B.I.GJOE has had my ear the most. The beats are catchy and pull you in from the moment the song starts with its 90s R&B style. “Come & Talk 2 Me” reminds me of a fusion track between old school & current R&B. JASMINE’s vocals fit perfectly with this track, letting it flow together. B.I.GJOE lends his rap to this song making for a fluid collaboration with JASMINE. This is the type of song you could either kick back and chill to or have a nice slow club dance too.

Check out “Come & Talk 2 Me” here and the music video below!

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“Bushido” by Good Gas & JP THE WAVY

I have got into JP THE WAVY’s music as of lately, especially with all the releases he has dropped lately. “Bushido”, which was featured on the F9 soundtrack and in the movie, caught me off guard with how much I love this track. “Bushido” is a great track to introduce a Western audience to current Japanese Hip-hop as it features JP THE WAVY’s western style rap, with a combination of Eastern and Western beats. It delivers the chill style I enjoy in my rap with a good rhythm and flow. My only issue is the autotune in the rap that comes in waves, however, that is one of JP THE WAVY’s signatures and he makes it work.

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

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“BESTIE” by CREAM

“BESTIE” released in November of last year and has been on my playlist since release. It did not make my best of the year list but I have been continuously listening to it throughout the month. “BESTIE” is a personal song for CREAM and that is one of the reasons I love it so much. The lyrics are specific to Minami and Staxx-T and talking about each other, their “besties”. You can hear in the lyrics that they created this track together. The beats work perfect making it a fun Hip-hop style track, the chorus is overly catchying and easy to sing-a-long too. “BESTIE” is the type of track that inspires you to create a song or poem about your bestie.

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

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“23” by eill

“23” is the perfect follow up to the track “20” by eill that came out on her indie debut album SPOTLIGHT. This is the perfect time for eill to release “23” as she is releasing her first major debut album PALETTE on February 3rd. This track is more pop-rock based then her previous track “20” and shows how eill has grown as an artist an a person. I love the change in style, her vocals are on point, the lyrics speak to you. This is a perfect display of an artist growing with her music (or her music growing with her). “23” is one of my favorite releases by eill of 2021 and has me looking forward to her major debut more than ever.

Check out “23” here and the music video below!

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“Shutter” by Yuuri

With the relase of Yuuri’s debut album Ichi, I have immersed myself in Yuuri’s music this month. I remember when “Shutter” released and I enjoyed the track, however, going back and listening to it again made me fall head over heels for it. “Shutter” has easily moved up in my favorite tracks by Yuuri. His vocals are on point to a tee, the composition is beautiful, and the lyrics are relatable. “Shutter” is also an easy track to sing-a-long too as well. Yuuri utilizes his vocals to his full potiential, showcasing the talent he has as an artist and what he has developed over the years.

Check out “Shutter” here and the music 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!