Gray's Ongaku Go For May 2023

Picking up after Ken and Luna, we’re down another month in 2023 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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“topaz” by M!LK

I fell in love with this song the first time I heard it. It’s really what I’ve been searching for from them, something that focuses a bit more on their vocals, and this nails it. I love the melody of this track, but most importantly their vocals here are near perfect and I’m here for it. This has quickly become my favorite song by them and I’m excited about what they have in store for fans next.

Check out “topaz” here and in the video below!

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“Maybe In Love” by FANTASTICS from EXILE TRIBE

I’ve been a huge fan of these guys since they debuted, but “Maybe In Love” might just be their best song to date. I love what they have done with this track. Their vocals are just on point, and the melody is very moving. There is no maybe when it comes to my love for this number, and I can’t wait to see what they do next.

Check out “Maybe In Love” here and in the video below!

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“Lady” by Kenshi Yonezu

Kenshi Yonezu is such a wild card in the Japanese music industry, and predicting what he does next is beyond impossible. My personal history with Yonezu is pretty well documented on the podcast, but I’ve always given him the credit of being an amazing composer, and with “Lady” it really just shines through. There are very few people who could put together a song like this, plus the trumpets give it that extra flair to put it over the top. The piano is also one of the stars of this track. Only a genius could picture all the moving parts of this song and make them come together in such a great way. Yonezu may be hit-and-miss with me, but, when he does hit, he scores a critical blow.

Check out “Lady” here and in the video below!

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"Hito wa Yume wo Nido Miru" by Nogizaka46

I feel like Nogizaka46 is really starting to make a good comeback. Personally, I’ve enjoyed the past few releases that Nogizaka46 has put out. When I first heard this song, I felt like it overstays its welcome, which is still true, but I’m starting to soften on that criticism the more I listen to this track. The beats per minute on this song keep up this nice pace that is like going for a jog on a sunny afternoon, even if this release is almost six minutes long. I’m enjoying this good streak they are on and I’m getting excited to see what they do next.

Check out “Hito wa Yume wo Nido Miru” here and in the video below!

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“Dandelion” by Da-iCE

I wanted to finish my list on a song that for me when I heard it felt like a pallet cleanser. “Dandelion” is an excellent mid-tempo song by Da-iCE that leans on their vocals, which is what I live for. I’ve had so much fun with “Dandelion”. It reminded me of why I fell in love with Da-iCE in the first place. Their latest album is fantastic and this is probably the first of many off that album.

Check out “Dandelion” here and in the video below!

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Luna's Ongaku Go for May 2023!

With Spring coming to an end and Summer heating up fast, it's that time of the month for May’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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“CANDY CANDY (Moe Shop Remix)” by Kyary Pamyu Pamyu

I have had the KPP’s “CANDY CANDY" (Moe Shop Remix)” stuck in my head since its release and was lucky enough to be able to see Moe Shop do this remix live AND see Kyary Pamyu Pamyu sing “CANDY CANDY” live, all in one day. This track oozes with energy both from Kyary’s sweet vocals and adds Moe Shop’s EDM flare to it. The high energy this track brings makes me want to get up and dance to it - that jump around, fun type of dance. This has one of the catchiest chorus’ making it easy to sing-a-long to.

Check out “CANDY CANDY (Moe Shop) Remix” here and the video below!

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“Sunflower” by CHANMINA

With the release of CHANMINA’s new album Naked, immediately upon hearing “Sunflower”, I fell in love with this track. CHANMINA’s vocals are perfect for it showcasing the power and emotion behind the lyrics of “Sunflower”. The composition gives easy listening vibes, but it could always be easily remixed and played in a club to jam out to. The chorus is catchy and flows perfectly with each versus, also making it an easy track to sing along to. If the composition doesn’t pull you in, the lyrics absolutely will.

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

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“Game Over” by CREAM

CREAM is back with their third digital single of 2023 and I couldn’t be happier. “Game Over” starts out with a more poppy tune and Minami’s vocals are as smooth as ever. The chorus and composition are very catchy, making you want to dance and sing with CREAM. The lyrics are about a break-up; I like this take on a break-up song giving it an up beat sound makes it a break-up song to make you feel better than those sappy ballad ones. Staxx-T’s rap is more minimal in this track but fits perfectly with ‘Game Over”. CREAM really slapped with this one, making it such a memorable track when it comes to the lyrics and composition.

Check out “Game Over” here and the video below!

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“WORK” by millenium parade & Shiina Ringo

I rarely watch any new anime while it airs, but a friend convinced me to watch Hell’s Paradise (Jigokuraku) and I heard the opening track “WORK” and became instantly hooked. The opening of this song pulls you in immediately. Shiina’s vocals match the composition and the rap millennium parade provides just flows together with ease. The guitar riff in the midst of “WORK” is odd yet works with the style this track represents. I love the use of Shiina’s vocals in “WORK” more than anything as that is what originally pulled me in.

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

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“Like a Tattoo” by BONNIE PINK

I’ve been a BONNIE PINK fan for a long time, hearing her begin to release new music again has made my heart happy. “Like a Tattoo” is a fantastic way for BONNIE PINK to start off 2023 with. BONNIE PINK’s vocals are still as great as ever and the composition has a modern flare that sounds different from BONNIE PINK’s music I grew up listening to. She makes it fit by bringing her own style to it. The lyrics, vocals, composition just pull you in, making it an easy listening track that you take in and enjoy. I just love the ending lyrics as they stick with you like a tattoo.

Check out “Like a Tattoo” here and the music video below!

Ken's Ongaku Go for May 2023!

With summer of June heating up that means it’s this months 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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“Saihate - With ensemble” by SennaRin

The ‘With ensemble’ remaster of popular songs has been really getting to me as of late. This includes the masterful rendition of “Orion” from a couple months back and now with “Saihate”, a low key my favorite anime opening from 2022 in Bleach: Thousand Year Blood War Part 1. While I do miss the electronica portion of the song the original had, the ensemble version is something that has to be heard. While I know I have a ‘anti Anisong’ mentality for some songs, this ended up being something that drew myself back to it day after day.

Be sure to check out the performance video for “Saihate- With ensemble” below along with the song here!

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“Houseki” by LILAS IKUTA

LILAS IKUTA is a singer that I’ve been keeping my eye on for a bit as she is a vocalist that really draws me in with her strong vocals and interesting use of composition that I don’t usually see in a standard solo-female act. “Houseki”, while very simplistic overall, draws me in upon every listen. While I do think her entire Sketch album on the whole is a must listen, it is this track that overall does it for me. While I might just wait a bit to do her as a Music Corner, her presence is undeniable and has to be an artist to look forward to in the near future.

Be sure to check out the song here!

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“Summer Ghost Feat. KIRINJI” by Tomita Lab

This is a collaboration that I never thought I see in my lifetime. Tomita Lab currently has to be one of the most interesting and creative composers that I know the general public has no knowledge of. You pair that up with the juggernaut of musical experience that is KIRINJI which is the revamp project from Takaki Horigome and you get a collaboration that is once in a lifetime. While I could listen to this song beat by beat to pick up the nuances of which each artist contributed in, it is better to listen with no prior knowledge. I’m sure both will release even more songs throughout the year, but “Summer Ghost” is an instant classic and is somewhere on my top 5 for the year already.

Check out the music video “Summer Ghost” below with the track here!

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“Senko -From CrosSing” by Aina Aiba

Aina Aiba’s first release in over a year as her own persona? Yeah, this is going on my list for Ongaku Go! While Aiba has released several tracks for her Seiyuu work, this collaboration is the first since her SiGN album back in 2020. Hearing her being able to sing in her own voice is something that I absolutely love and miss hearing. While overall it is very basic anisong style of composition, sue me as I’ll be a bit bias toward this, it is refreshing for someone who usually avoids this drama like the plague. I don’t know if this will be the only song that Aina Aiba does this year in her own persona, I’m just happy we got it.

Be sure to check out the live video record for “Senko” below along with the song here!

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“Hirune no Kuni” by chilldspot

chilldspot is a band that I have been keeping my eye on, as it has been awhile since I’ve been moved by a female vocal rock band like them in a long time. They give off this swagger that wants to have fun and just make music. “Hirune No Kuni” really shows just how unique they are with an amazing vocalist Hiyune in the forefront just oozing energy. While their popularity is just beginning, I can’t wait to hear more done by them.

Be sure to check out the music video for “Hire No Kuni” below along with track here!

Music Corner Week 133: Touya Kobayashi

Touya Kobayashi is a singer and songwriter who started as an independent artist but, in November of 2021, he signed on to Univeral J to make his debut. The very first single Kobayashi released was his song “Dryer” in August of 2020 and went on to release four more singles, “Happy End No Maesetsu”, “Otona ni Naru Mae ni”, “Chairo no Sweater”, and “Arifureta Love Song”. While he was independent he released his mini-album Otona no Kaidan, which was after he had released his song “Chairo no Sweater”. “Kimi no Inai Hajimete no Fuyu” would go on to be his debut song with Univeral J, and he has since released four more digital singles, an EP, plus he dropped his first album, Hiragi, in February of this year.

“Chairo no Sweater” was the very first song I heard by Kobayashi and it has left an amazing impact on me. “Chairo no Sweater” does an excellent job of showing off his amazing vocals and the piano work is equally amazing. The whole piece comes together really well and is an amazing song. “Hafimari” is the first track in his album Hiragi and, while there are no lyrics to this number, the composition is so well done that it is a shame how short this track is. “Aiganakya” is the second track on his album and I really like this song too, since it’s a more upbeat track. “Chairo no Sweater” is still my favorite song of his, but I’ve had a blast checking out everything he has to offer.

Touya Kobayashi is very active on his official Twitter and his official website stays up to date on all the latest news. Lastly, be sure to check out his song “Chairo no Sweater” in the video below.

Two Tracks from the Soundtrack to ‘Sacrificial Princess and the King of Beasts’ composed by KOHTA YAMAMOTO, Commence Advanced Streaming!

©友藤 結・白泉社／「贄姫と獣の王」製作委員会

From Sacrificial Princess and the King of Beasts, which has been streaming since April internationally on Crunchyroll and other streaming platforms, the first two of the BGM tracks that are used on episode 5 of the anime are now released on music streaming services!

The titles of these tracks are Sacrifical Princess’ and ‘Kind of Beasts, and just as you would expect from their names, they thematically examine the main character of Princess Sairphi, and Leonhart, the King of Beasts.

This soundtrack has been created by KOHTA YAMAMOTO, who won the Best Anime Score award at The Anime Awards 2023 for his collaboration on Attack on Titan - The Final Season Part 2. In addition to his work on Sacrificial Princess and the King of Beasts, just this year he has also created music for the popular series Kaina of the Great Snow Sea (January) and Dark Gathering (due to commence broadcasting from July), making him a musician who continues to garner increasing attention internationally.  

The soundtrack to Sacrificial Princess and the King of Beasts’ features recordings that include live music such as strings, with the wide range of music adding a depth of color to the world created in the anime. KOHTA, who created a wide range of different music for the anime commented, “[Just like the theme of the anime that explores love for different races] the music leveraged in it is equally diverse”.

The soundtrack to Sacrificial Princess and the King of Beasts is scheduled to be released on September 27th. In addition to the Standard Edition, which will feature the same 25 tracks that can be found on the domestic Japanese release of the CD version of the soundtrack, an Expanded Edition will also be available to stream, which features all 65 tracks created for the production. The illustration used on the jacket of the album was designed by Yu Tomofuji, the creator of the original Sacrificial Princess and the King of Beasts manga.  

[Musicians]
Strings: Koichiro Muroya Strings
Violin Solo: Koichiro Muroya
Flute, Tin Whistle: Hideyo Takakuwa
Horns: Otohiko Fujita / Yu Suzuki / Kenta Yano / Yu Kumai
Piano: Keiko Osaki
Guitar, Cello: Harutoshi Ito
Bass, Double Bass: Toshino Tanabe
Drums: Makoto Fujisaki
Vocals: Ai Inoue
Arrangement & Programming: KOHTA YAMAMOTO

[Comments from KOHTA YAMAMOTO]
　When I approached the creation of music for ‘Sacrificial Princess and the King of Beasts’, I decided to read the original manga on which the anime is based. What I felt when I did so was that despite the fact that it is a work of fantasy that deals with love between humans and magical beasts, in actuality, it is an emotive and touching work that directly examines how we interact with others in this reality.  
　How we engage with others and whether or not we accept them are very relevant and current problems across the world. This work afforded me the opportunity to re-examine how I behave in my own daily life. I think this is the reason that there are so many fans of this work and why I felt so happy to be involved with it.
　In creating the music, I was conscious of invoking personal feelings as much as possible in songs that have such themes.  
　Of course, not all the songs deal with isolation and trauma, there are also songs about intimacy and closeness. I created a wide range of songs, everything from gentle songs to funny songs and even battle songs, pouring everything I had into producing songs that match the particular scene and clearly evoke the worldview. I think that in this way the range of songs in the anime matches the diversity of the work itself.
　I hope that you will enjoy the music in tandem with the images on screen.