Plastic Tree have revealed various pieces of information regarding their activity in the upcoming months, starting with a new single, titled Sanatorium, which is to be released on October 28th. This will be followed by the release of a live DVD on November 18th, titled Tent, featuring their August 30th Budokan performance. They will then move on to two winter concerts at CC Lemon Hall on December 27th and 28th, which will be followed by a winter tour. Further details are expected to be announced soon.
RENTRER EN SOI's Mika is currently working on the release of his first mini-album for his current project, forbidden days rhapsody. The mini-album will be titled canticum-canticum and though there is currently no release date, it is expected to go on sale in the winter.
The mini-album will contain seven tracks, of which five will be instrumental, and previews of some of the songs can be heard on forbidden days rhapsody's official website. More details are expected to be revealed soon.
Six months after the release of their latest single PUNKY ❤ HEART, visual kei duo LM.C have planned the release of a new single, GHOST†HEART, for November 4th.
The single will only include the title track and a b-side, which is still untitled, and will be available in three different editions: a limited version, which will come with a DVD containing the PV for GHOST†HEART, a regular 2-track CD version and another regular type, this time including official goods of the band and a special book called Hone Charm.
In the next month, LM.C will also kick off a new winter tour. Spanning ten dates in December only, it will start at Sendai darwin on the 9th, ending with a concert at Nagano Kenkenmin Bunka Kaikan Dai Hall on Christmas eve. No Tokyo dates have been announced so far.
Popular band An Cafe has announced that they will be suspending their activities. The following announcement has been published on their homepage:
August 31, 2009 - To all the fans and everyone supporting An Cafe,
We regretfully announce that after 6 years since the band was formed in 2003, we have decided to suspend our activities from January 4th, 2010, with a live show at Nippon Budokan.
Without your sincere support for the band till today, we would never have been able to be where we are now. We are so grateful to all of you for your support.
In making this decision, there were numerous discussions made between the band members and the staff. In order for An Cafe to step up to the next level, we have came to the conclusion that it is important for each member to charge up by seeing themselves objectively. The decision is made with a forward-looking vision.
We apologize for conveying this important news to all of you this way, and hope to gain your kind understanding.
After the Budokan show, each member will concentrate on their own activities to prepare for the band to restart in the future.
Again, this is our deepest gratitude for everyone who has supported us.
Following their first one-man tour, which ended with a sold-out concert at LIQUIDROOM ebisu, Tokyo, on August 28th, rising visual kei band DaizyStripper revealed plans to release their first mini-album this year.
DaizyStripper have been attracting a lot of attention since their debut single, Dandelion, which reached the number one spot in the Oricon indies chart with the release of its second press. With three other single releases, a strong performance in the hide Memorial Summit event in 2008 and several sold-out one-man concerts, the band has been succesfully making an impression in the scene.
Although not many details are currently available for the mini-album, it is known that it will be titled THE BEAUTY and that it will will feature six songs. Other details will be revealed at a later date via the group's official website. The band also has a DVD scheduled to come out on September 9th, as well as a new one-man, their biggest so far, to be held at Akasaka BLITZ on December 13th under the title Akasaka CIRCUS ~kimi no namida ni kakeru niji~.
Singer and songwriter Sakai Yu has announced the release of his major debut single for October 7th. He has now signed with Office Augusta, the same label as various well-known artists, such as Suga Shikao, Hata Motohiro and folk duo Sukima Switch.
Sakai Yu, besides being a singer, is also a keyboardist, mixing soul, jazz, R&B and hip-hop in his music. He has so far released two albums, ZAMMANA (2006) and YU,SAKAI (2008), and collaborated with hip-hop singer KREVA and duo Maboroshi.
His debut single, Story, will contain the title track, its instrumental counterpart, the b-side Lullaby and a piano version of How Beautiful, all composed and arranged by Sakai himself. A live performance of How Beautiful, which features lyrics written by singers Toki Asako (ex-Cymbals) and Kawaguchi Daisuke, during the event YouTube LIVE TOKYO 2008, can be seen in the video below.
Rock trio nil will release a new album on September 16th. SCOTOMA will contain 11 tracks plus a DVD with documentary footage. A preview of the songs HEAVY MENTAL, Zombino and MAYDAY are available on nil's official MySpace. The band will also embark on a promotion tour called NIL TOUR 09 "SCOTOMA" in September.
Veteran rock/experimental band THE BOOM will release their newest album Shijuusou on October 7th. It will be their first original album in over five years.
The band, who is celebrating their 20th anniversary this year, has been busy most of the year with summer festivals and a special commemorative tour, currently taking place at various loactions around Japan and set to end at Music Town Oto-ichiba, in Okinawa, on October 23rd. Besides live performances, the group has also released two new singles this year and has also been honored with a tribute album, which featured artists such as ayaka, MCU, Okuda Tamio and others.
Shijuusou will include seven brand new songs, as well as the band's most recent singles, My Sweet Home, All of Everything and Yume kara samete. It will also be available in a CD+DVD edition, featuring six songs played during their 20th anniversary concert held at Hibiya Yagaidai Ongakudou on May 30th, including their first two singles, Kimi wa TV-kko and Hoshi no Love Letter, released back in 1989.
The Underneath, previously known as Transtic Nerve, will release a new album in Japan on November 11th. The album will be called us. and it will include twelve previously unreleased tracks. It will be their first release in over a year, following the first album, Moon Flower, released in both United States and Japan in 2008, and also their second release as The Underneath overall.
The "New York Anime Festival" is scheduled to take place between September 25th and 27th at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, Manhattan. The event, which showcases several aspects of Japanese popular culture including manga, cosplay and anime screenings, has recently unveiled a more detailed schedule of the musical guests who will be appearing at the convention. The artists and musicians expected to participate at the event include: AKB48, echostream, Gelatine, ichiP!, Kokusyoku Sumire, Reni Mimura and Swinging Popsicle.
During their live at Nippon Budokan today, Nightmare announced that they would be releasing a new album. The album will come out on January 1st 2010, which will be a little over half a year since the release of their newest album majestical parade. No further details regarding the release have been announced yet, but the band did announce they would play a new one-man concert on January 9th at the Saitama Super Arena. The main arena capacity is between 19,000 and 22,500, far exceeding that of Nippon Budokan.
Singer Suzuki Ami will release her upcoming, currently untitled, single on October 7th. The release will be produced by Tanaka Tomoyuki, who is best known for his work as Fantastic Plastic Machine.
The single will reportedly feature the song Kiss Kiss Kiss, which appeared earlier this month on HOUSE NATION's latest compilation album Aquamarine, and will include an English and Japanese version of the track. Further details regarding the full content of the CD and CD+DVD version have yet to be announced, but are expected shortly.
Major band kannivalism went on a long hiatus in early 2008 due to vocalist Ryo being hospitalized for depression. Their full-length album, which was to be released that year, was postponed until further notice. During this period of inactivity for kannivalism, guitarist kei went on to have a solo career as he didn't want to stop making music while kannivalism was on hiatus.
With a series of many new announcements on their OHP, kannivalism is ready to begin their activities again, now with new drummer mitsuya, previously from BLACK JACK. A new song, life is will be available for download at the mu-mo digital store starting on September 9th, limited to Japan only. A new single, currently untitled, is scheduled for release on November 18th, with no other details available, and a new album, also currently untitled, will be released next year.
In addition to all of these music releases, international publisher Random House will publish a work written by Ryo in which he talks in depth about his illness. Their comeback live will be on December 26th at Zepp Tokyo.
LISA, former member of duo m-flo, will be featured in a new song set to be included on their upcoming 10th anniversary commemorative compilation. The singer, who left the group in 2002, will take part in a 6-minute track called SOUND BOY THRILLER feeeeeeeeeeat. LISA.
Following the end of a voting period, during which fans had the chance to vote for their favorite songs to be included on the album, m-flo have also revealed that the collection will be called MF10 -10th ANNIVERSARY BEST- and will be released on October 7th. The compilation will consist of a double-disc set, including songs selected from 1999 to 2002 on one disc and songs from their "Loves" series (collaborations with several artists) on the other. A different version of the release will also come with a special DVD, featuring a biographical mix made by VJ team ENLIGHTENMENT with live scenes and music videos from the group to display their entire history.
On a side note, samples for m-flo's upcoming tribute album m-flo TRIBUTE ～maison de m-flo～, set to come out on September 16th have now been made available. Original PVs and audio samples for both new and old versions of the songs included on the CD can all be found on the page created especially for their 10th anniversary, here.
Along with a new tour around smaller livehouses all across Japan, 12012 have revealed plans to release a new single in October 7th.
Usubeni no ame, like their previous singles, will be sold in three editions, each including a different content: the limited type A will come with a DVD including the PV for the title track, while the other two versions will come with a different bonus track, namely THE GOVERNMENT STOMPING GUM with the limited type B and the instrumental counterpart of Usubeni to ame with the regular edition.
source: Official Website, GemCEREY Official Website
Kawamura Ryuichi, who is renowned for his work with LUNA SEA, has unveiled further details of his latest solo single. Brilliant Stars will be released on September 30th and the title track will be used in the latest "GemCEREY" commercial, which will also showcase his collaboration with the jewellery company in the form of a silver flute pendant. Brilliant Stars is also stated to be Kawamura's first popular music orientated track since signing to avex entertainment. Both versions of the single will include three tracks, and the CD will also contain the bonus track Song for you. The CD+DVD will include the music video for Brilliant Stars.
Currently touring Japan to promote their newest album hikari, SID have announced the release of a new single, titled one way, for November 11th.
The single will include the title track, composed by bassist Aki, and will come with the b-side Kaitou Neon, with melodies composed by guitarist Shinji, and a live version of Doyoubi no onna, recorded during their current tour. one way will be available in a regular edition and two limited CD+DVD versions, which will both include tour scenes.
Alternative-rock band serial TV drama will release their second full-length album, called SPACE OPERA, on October 21st. However, those who expected it to contain the song Loop, a single sold exclusively at their concerts, will be a little disappointed.
SPACE OPERA will contain 12 songs, including their second single Mabayui, released in April this year. The CD will also come with the title track and a two-part song titled SEVEN SEAS of SHY.
To promote the album, the band will embark on a new nationwide tour curing the last few months of 2009. Kicking off at Yokohama BAYSIS on November 14th, the tour will include 19 dates, ending two days before Christmas at Sapporo BESSIE HALL.
Afro-American enka singer Jero has announced the release the second edition of his cover album series on September 23rd, simply titled Covers 2.
Covers 2, available in both CD and cassete tape formats, will feature seven tracks, each with several new elements to create a fresh feel to the melodies. Reggae rhythms, classical sounds, electric guitars and more are expected to be heard in the songs, among them Matteiru onna, by Itsuki Hiroshi, Aijin, by Chinese pop singer Teresa Teng, and Yukiguni, by enka singer-songwriter Yoshi Ikuzou. A bonus track, currently unknown, will also be included on the album.
After restarting their activities on January 1st this year following a 16-year break, legendary rock band UNICORN have scheduled the release of a new single, titled Hanseiki shounen, for October 7th.
Hyped up by their sold-out comeback tour and by the high sales of their newest releases, the band will release Hanseiki shounen to celebrate the 50th birthday of drummer Kawanishi Kouichi. The CD's title can be translated as "Half-Century Boy".
Hanseiki shounen will be available in three different formats: CD+DVD and CD-only, plus an analog LP, which will not come out until October 14th. Further information, such as details about the b-side and the band's cosplay clothes, will be unveiled soon.
Live Nation/House of Blues Sunset Strip announces a special one (1) day deal starting today for J-rock fans to obtain GLAY tickets for either of their two (2) Southern California shows, Sept. 11 and 12, 2009, for $10.00 each while supplies last. Get your tickets now! More information can be found at Live Nation.
GLAY tour dates and performance locations are as follows:
* Wednesday, September 9, 2009; 8:00 PM: San Francisco CA, The Fillmore
* Friday, September 11, 2009; 9:00 PM: Hollywood CA, House of Blues Sunset Strip
* Saturday, September 12, 2009; 9:00 PM: Hollywood CA: House of Blues Sunset Strip
Tickets are available now onsite at the concert venue or online via Ticketmaster or Live Nation. San Francisco tickets available starting at $45.00/each and Hollywood shows available starting at $37.50/each with special group rates.
While touring last April, FACT's drummer Eiji broke his left arm and the band decided to cancel the rest of the tour. Now they are now ready to come back to promote their new self-titled album, FACT, which has been available in UK since the 3rd of August on the VAGRANT website. The band plans to tour the UK, including a date at the SONISPHERE FESTIVAL, and have also planned a US tour, titled FACT US TOUR Revenge 2009 Autumn, where they will perform with the band Senses Fail.
For full dates and details of the UK tour, click here. For full dates and details of the US tour, click here.
Following their recent European tour, pop-punk girl band, Shonen Knife have announced a massive tour in the US and Canada with more than thirty concerts between October and November. Before this tour, they have also planned a few concerts around Australia, taking place at the end of September.
For further details, please see the band's tour schedule.
Veteran visual kei rock band Inugami Circus-dan will celebrate their 15th anniversary with the release of a new compilation album, titled Kago no tori, tenkuu no shirazu, on October 7th.
The band has a collection of 9 albums, 3 mini-albums, 11 singles, 1 best-of collection and several songs included in omnibus releases. From this collection, they have selected 32 songs to document their history in a two-disc album. In addition to these older songs, which were re-recorded for the release, the compilation will also feature a new song titled Kago no tori.
At the end of October, the band will also embark on a new nationwide one-man tour, under the same name as the compilation, to promote the release. The eight-date tour will start at Sapporo BESSIE HALL on the 31st, and end at Shibuya O-WEST in Tokyo on December 4th.
Pop singer Otsuka Ai has planned the release of a compilation of love songs for November 11th. LOVE is BEST will feature a total of 15 songs, including a currently untitled new track and re-recordings of the older songs Pocket, One × Time, Futatsu boshi kinenbi and Amaenbo.
The album will be available in both CD and CD+DVD editions, the latter also containing six music videos, including one for the album's new song, a remade version One × Time, featuring the re-recorded version of the song, and also the regular videos of Amaenbo, Sakuranbo, Daisuki da yo. and HEART.
Singer Maaya Sakamoto has announced the release of a new single for November 11th. Composed and arranged by Kitagawa Katsutoshi, from duo ROUND TABLE, the single will be called Magic Number. This single will be used as the opening theme song for the anime "Kobato", which will begin airing in October on the NHK channel.
The single will also come with the b-side Private Sky, a rock tune supported by a three-piece back-up band formed by Nakamura Taichi and rock group 100s members Tamada Tomu and Yamaguchi Hiroo.
Additionally, the CD will also contain two live songs, Kaza midori and Pocket wo sora ni shite, both recorded during Sakamoto's concert at Tokyo Kokusai Forum Hall A in January of this year. This concert was part of her latest tour WE ARE KAZEYOMI! which was released as a live DVD in May 20th.
Alternative rock band UNCHAIN, whose popularity has grown after the release of their January album, Music is the key, will release a new single on October 14th.
The single will be called Gravity and will consist of an emotional number. The b-side, titled Music, was released digitally as an acoustic demo version, but in the new single it will feature a more elaborate sound.
In addition to these songs, the single will include a cover of Train in Vain / Stand by Me, from British punk band The Clash, recorded to show a part of UNCHAIN's true roots. The limited edition of the single will also feature five live songs, among them the indies track The age stream and the dynamic tune Quarter, all taken from their concert at Osaka BIG CAT on June 5th. The regular edition of the single will come with the instrumental counterparts of Gravity and Music.
Rapper Dohzi-T, known for his successful songs featuring artists such as BENI, Aoyama Thelma and YU-A, has set the release of a new single for October 14th. Though currently untitled, this release will feature vocals from CHEMISTRY and will be a love song. Further information about the single is expected to be unveiled soon.
In midst of her 10th anniversary as a major artist, Queen of Japanese Reggae PUSHIM has announced the release of her newest single, My Endless Love, for September 23rd. The single has a positive vibe and will be produced in collaboration with TANCO, from reggae band Home Grown, and Mori Shunya.
The single will include My Endless Love, its instrumental counterpart and a remix called My Endless Love (Chillin' In The Shade Mix). The b-side, titled Dancehall Dynasty, will consist of a mix between rock and reggae featuring musician RUDEBWOY FACE.
In addition to the single, PUSHIM will also release a selection of some of her favorite reggae songs in a compilation album to celebrate her 10th anniversary. Titled My Town Top Rankin'～Pushim's Favorite Reggae Classics～, the disc will contain 16 tracks picked from VP Records, one of the biggest labels responsible for spreading Jamaican music to the world.
Kanjani∞ will release footage from their concerts at Tokyo Dome, part of the promotional tour for their newest album PUZZLE, on September 23rd. Titled Kanjani∞ TOUR 2∞9 PUZZLE, the DVD will contain scenes from the concerts held on June 1st and 2nd this year over two discs, and will be available in two different editions.
The first type of the release, "∞show Documentary Edition", will come with a third disc including the introduction and live performance of Hitotsu no uta at Kyocera Dome Osaka and also music and documentary videos of the song Puzzle. The other version, called "∞show Dokkiri Edition", will come with a 24-page photobooklet and a different third disc, this time including the program "Gachi de yarimashita shingo murakami no yume kanaechaimasu Dokkiri Special". Lastly, the ending credits of each version of the release will feature a different song, namely Rolling Coaster for the "Documentary" version and Wahaha for the "Dokkiri" one.
Mika Nakashima will team up with clothing brand SLY to release her new single CANDY GIRL on September 30th. The release, which will include the title track, the b-side SMILEY and both songs' instrumental counterparts, will be released in four different editions, three of them including a T-shirt designed in collaboration with the brand.
SLY, who specialize in street fashion clothing, will be involved with all three limited editions of the single, with each featuring a T-shirt with different colors: white with a black print, black with a white print and white with a purple print. The regular edition of the release will only come with the 4-track CD. All four editions are already available to purchase via CDJapan.
After releasing the succesful album HOCUS POCUS on June 24th, Kimura Kaela has announced the release of a new live DVD and Blu-ray for November 4th. GO!5!KAELAND will include footage from her first free event, which took place at Yokohama Akarenga Park Yagai Tokusetsu Stage. This concert, held to celebrate her fifth anniversary, attracted 22,000 people and consisted of 26 tracks over approximately three hours.
SPITZ have announced the release of a new live DVD for November 4th. Titled JAMBOREE TOUR 2009 ~Sazanami OTR Custom at Saitama Super Arena~, the DVD will include, as the title suggests, footage from the group's performance at Saitama Super Arena held on January 18th. The release will be available in both regular and limited editions, though further details are currently unknown and expected to be revealed soon.
Shounannokaze are set to release their second live DVD on October 14th. Kaze densetsu ~nureta manma de icchatte TOUR'09~ will feature footage from their concert held at Yokohama Arena on May 23rd, which was attended by approximately 40,000 people. Consisting of a double-disc set, the DVD will also feature the encore from the concert and extra scenes, including interviews with the members and footage from their performance at Ginowan Seaside Park held on June 6th this year.
Following the last concert of their most recent tour, which took place at Tokyo Kokusai Forum Hall A on August 23rd, Alice Nine have announced the release of a live DVD including footage from the same concert, titled UNTITLED VANDAL（ism）#Finale [Graced The Beautiful Day]. Due to come out on November 11th, the DVD set will feature two discs of live scenes, and its limited edition will come various extras: a bonus disc contaning studio recordings of three songs, a 56-page booklet and a special package.
Mix Speaker’s,Inc. have announced the release of a US version of their first full-length album ～pocket no naka ni wa JUNK STORY～. The US domestic version of the eleven-track album is titled MONSTERS ~JUNK STORY in my pocket~ and comes with a DVD featuring the videos for Innocent World and IF. The album can be ordered through Maru Music.
Young singer and songwriter Yumiki Erino will release her debut single on October 21st. LφST will be used as the theme song for the movie "Keitai Kareshi" and will feature four tracks: the title track, a movie version of the same song, the b-side Pride, which will be used as the ending theme song for the BeeTV drama "Kamiju Yuusuke no Genki no Deru no Koi" starting on September 1st, and a cover of The Beatles' song Something. A sample of LφST can already be heard on Yumiki's official MySpace.
THE ALFEE are set to release their newest single, the second part of their 35th anniversary commemorations, on October 7th. Yoake wo motomete will be used as the theme song for the Fuji TV drama "Arashi ga kureta mono" and will be available in three types, each including a different b-side and jacket cover. All three editions are already up for pre-order at CDJapan.
Singer Nana Mizuki announced the release of her 20th single for October 28th. Though currently untitled, the single will feature four tracks and will be released as a double A-side CD. Both of the main songs will be used as tie-ins. One will serve as the opening theme for the anime "WHITE ALBUM" and as the CM song for Animelo Mix, while the other will be used as the opening theme for the OVA "Tales of Symphonia THE ANIMATION Teseara hen".
Dir en grey will release their latest music video collection AVERAGE BLASPHEMY on October 27th. The DVD will include the promotional videos for the previously released singles GLASS SKIN, CLEVER SLEAZOID, RYOUJOKU NO AME and DOZING GREEN (which was voted best video on Headbangers Ball 2008). The release will also include the music video for VINUSHKA, which is expected to have a duration of roughly 10 minutes, and various other material.
There will be an additional vigil for Jasmine You in Seattle, Washington on August 22nd. The vigil will begin at Kinokuniya Bookstore at 7:30pm, then relocate to Kobe Terrace Park. Fans are encouraged to wear purple and/or black formal/elegant clothing, and to bring roses and photos of Jasmine. The address for Kinokuniya is 525 S Weller St. Seattle, WA 98104-3899.
UnsraW announced the release of their first single after restarting their activities this month. REBORN, their first original release since the mini-albums Abel and Kein, both released in September 2007, will hit the stores on September 23rd including three songs: Nightmare, REBORN and SWITCH.
Morning Musume。 will release a collection of their singles' coupling songs on October 7th. Morning Musume。 Zen Single Coupling Collection will feature the b-sides released since their major debut single, Morning Coffe (in 1999), to their newest and 40th single Nanchatte renai. Although there are no other details available as of now, it is known that the compilation will be available in both regular and limited editions, the latter coming in a special package and also including a photobook. Both versions of the release are already up for pre-order at CDJapan.
Ken Hirai announced the release of his 30th single for September 23rd. CANDY, his first single in over a year, will include four tracks: the title song, Fursa saeeda, Do it!! and the instrumental counterpart of CANDY.
It has also been revealed that one of his new songs, Hitori janai, will be used as the ending theme of an animated recreation of "The Return of the Musketeers", called "Shin Sanjuushi", which will air on the NHK channel starting in October.
Following their one-man concert at Shibuya O-WEST on the 20th, THE KIDDIE have announced three new releases for the upcoming months. First, the band will release a new single, titled soar, on October 7th. It will feature two songs, the title track and Honto hane., and will be available in two versions. The limited edition will come with a DVD contaning the PV for soar, while the regular version will include a third track called Beaming.
Two other releases, titled BLACK SIDE and Poplar, are scheduled to come out on November 4th and December 2nd, respectively. Lastly, also on December 2nd, the band will perform a new one-man concert, this time at Akasaka BLITZ under the title KIDDIE WONDERLAND.
Crystal Kay revealed more information about her first best-of album BEST of CRYSTAL KAY, set to hit the stores on September 2nd. Featuring two discs with 31 tracks, among them collaborations with m-flo and CHEMISTRY, the album will now come with a premium extra disc in its limited edition. It will consist of a 4-track CD including Over and Over (produced by ☆Taku Takahashi from m-flo), Step by Step (a collaboration with Yasutaka Nakata from capsule), Helpless Night (featuring Jin Akanishi) and Private Dancers, a track with the collaboration of rappers Mummy-D (from RHYMESTER and Maboroshi) and KREVA.
JAM Project announced the release of a new live DVD for September 25th. JAM Project Hurricane Tour 2009 Gate of the Future will include footage from their first ever concert at Nippon Budokan, held on June 12th this year, and further details are expected to be unveiled soon. A Blu-ray edition of the same concert will go on sale on December 9th.
An Cafe unveiled more details regarding their upcoming album due to come out on September 9th. BB Parallel World will contain 11 songs, including the singles Natsukoi★Natsu GAME, AROMA and also MY HEART LEAPS FOR "C", included on their EP Koakuma USAGI no koibumi to machine gun e.p.. The limited edition of the album will also come with a DVD featuring four music videos and will be packaged in a sleevecase.
At their summer one-man live Don't Let Me Down, Doremidan announced their first major release. The full-length album titled Don't Let Me Down will be released on November 25th. Further details are yet to be revealed. In addition, a winter one-man tour is said to follow, starting on December 4th.
Lolita23 have announced on their official website that vocalist Sou will leave the band after their concert at SHIBUYA-AX on October 27th.
The vocalist states that his decision to leave the band came after discussions between the group members and the staff. The reason for his departure is stated as a difference of opinion regarding the direction of the band. He also wishes to keep singing in the future and apologizes for the abrupt announcement. The band hope that the fans will continue to support them until their last show with the current five members and also in the future.
Prior to Sou's departure, the band will release a new best-of album on October 7th. Titled ;BeSt, it will feature songs released from 2007 to 2009 with a total of 13 tracks, plus a DVD contaning the music videos for all of the singles released during the period.
KinKi Kids have announced the release of a new live DVD for September 30th. KinKi you DVD will feature three discs contaning footage from most of their live activities since July last year, including their full concert at Tokyo Dome on July 22nd, a documentary of their tour held throughout July and November and their 2008-2009 countdown concert at Kyocera Dome, in Osaka, with a total of 33 tracks.
Available in both limited and regular editions, the DVD will also come with a different fourth disc in each version. The limited type will come with scenes from the same concert at Kyocera Dome, but with the songs played after the countdown (on January 1st), while the regular type will come with digest footage from their concerts held at Toki Messe Niigata Convention Center (on September 28th), Hiroshima Green Arena (on October 22nd) and Kagoshima Arena (on November 23rd). The limited edition, which will come in a digipak case, will also include a special tour towel and a poster.
Aqua Timez, who will celebrate their 5th anniversary on August 24th, will mark the occasion with the release of their first best-of album on October 14th. Simply titled The BEST of Aqua Timez, the compilation will feature a total of 26 tracks, including all of their major singles, from Ketsui no asa ni to Plumeria ~hana uta~, plus many album tracks and a new song titled Saigo made. The limited edition of the best-of will also come with a third disc consisting of all their music videos, with a total of 21 songs.
DREAMS COME TRUE have announced the release of a new live DVD for October 1st. 20th Anniversary DREAMS COME TRUE CONCERT TOUR 2009 "Dorishitemasu?" will feature footage from their concert at Saitama Super Arena on May 16th, as a part of their 20th commemorative tour.
The DVD will be split into two discs and will contain 41 tracks, among them three medleys including songs from 1989 to 1992, 1993 to 1997 and 1999 to 2006,. Its limited edition will also come with an additional DVD contaning extra live scenes, a live photobooklet and the music videos of MERRY-LIFE-GOES-ROUND, Tsuretette Tsuretette, MIDDLE OF NOWHERE and GOOD BYE MY SCHOOL DAYS, all packed in a digipak case. A regular edition and a Blu-ray version, both including only the first two discs, will be released on the same day.
monobright announced the release of a new single for October 7th. JOYJOY Experience will feature the title track and the b-side STEREO FREAKS and will be available in both regular and limited editions. The limited version will include live recordings of Odoru nou, Kamo boku to mousou and Hero Young, plus a sticker.
Koda Kumi will release her newest live DVD, KODA KUMI LIVE TOUR 2009 ～TRICK～, on October 21st. The DVD will feature footage from her concert held at Makuhari Marin Messe on June 14th with a total of 22 tracks. The release is also scheduled to come with a second disc, contaning approximately 60 minutes of making-of footage from the tour and scenes with guest artists. The DVD is already available for pre-orders at CDJapan.
O-PARTS, a band formed by sho-ka (ex-VOGUS IMAGE) and JUN (GaGaalinG) are to release their first maxi single, HIMAWARI, on August 20th. The four-track maxi single will also be released on the same day by JapanFiles, and can be downloaded here. The site also features sho-ka's solo album, portable rain, which is downloable via this link.
Hana Shounen Baddies, formed by all of the members of Billy, announced the release of their second single for October 21st. BOOK will come with the b-side Sakotsu ni nemure and will be available in two different editions: type A, which will come with a DVD contaning the PV for the title track, and type B, including a new edition of Hikari no Gunman, originally released by Billy.
The group's first single, Blue Bad Boy, is set to come out on August 19th. A preview of the title song's PV can already be watched here. They have also planned their first one-man tour, Boys get Book -Shuraba nara bakuguri makuri-. It will consist of three dates, starting at Takabanobaba AREA on November 7th and ending at Nagoya MUSIC FARM on November 14th.
Barely three months after the release of his latest album Rockin' the Door, Kiyokiba Shunsuke has already announced the release of another album. Titled FLYING JET, the album will come out on September 30th and will include his upcoming single JET and eleven brand new songs. The limited edition of the album will also come with a DVD including the PV for JET.
Kiyokiba has also revealed the track list for JET. The single will include the title song, the b-side Hey！Mr.John ～Are you Happy?～ and JET's instrumental counterpart. A thirty-second preview of JET can be heard on his official label website.
Girl rock group SCANDAL have announced the release of a new single for October 14th. Yumemiru tsubasa will feature, in addition to the title track, the songs BEAUTeen!!, used as the theme song for "Bukatsu no tenshi", and a cover of JUDY AND MARY's DAYDREAM, which was included on their tribute album released earlier this year.
Rock band The Birthday will release their seventh single, Ai wo nuritsubuse, on October 14th. The single will come with the b-side Hikari and will be available in both regular and limited editions, the latter coming with a DVD including the PV for Ai wo nuritsubuse and also live footage.
Following their 20th anniversary celebrations, the pillows announced the release of a new original album for October 21st, titled OOPARTS. Although there is currently not much information available about the release, it will come in both CD and CD+DVD editions and is expected to include their upcoming single Ameagari ni mita maboroshi.
girugamesh announced the title and tracklist for their upcoming single, due to come out on October 7th. crying rain will come with the b-side S.T.F.U. and will be released in two editions: a limited CD+DVD type, including the PV for the title track, and a regular version, featuring the third track NITORO’09.
ViViD have revealed plans to release their first mini-album on October 21st. THE ViViD COLOR will feature five brand new songs: 69-II, butterfly, Chronikuru, Hamon and Hoshi no ame. It will be available in both regular and limited editions: the regular one will include two bonus tracks, Kimi Koi and Trail of Tears, while the limited one will come with a DVD contaning the PV and making-of for 69-II.
Singer AI announced the release of a new best-of compilation album for September 16th. Simply titled BEST A.I., the album will feature 17 tracks, including her collaboration with ATSUSHI (from EXILE) called So Special, a short movie version of All For You and Story [Re-born, both limited to this release only. The limited edition of the compilation will also come with a DVD including the music videos for Saishuu senkoku, Thank U, My Friend, Story, Believe, I Wanna Know and 365 feat. DELI.
EXILE will release their newest live DVD on October 28th. EXILE LIVE TOUR 2009 "THE MONSTER" is scheduled to feature footage from their concerts held at Yokohama Arena throughout the 3rd and 7th of June this year, with a total of 20 tracks and approximately 155 minutes. These concerts were a part of their latest tour, also titled EXILE LIVE TOUR 2009 "THE MONSTER", which covered 34 dates all around Japan and attracted 450,000 people.
L'Arc~en~Ciel guitarist Ken announced his first solo live DVD to be released on November 18th. Ken TOUR 2009 “LIVE IN PHYSICAL” will feature two discs, including footage from his concert held at Shinkiba STUDIO COAST on July 16th and also off-shot scenes, among them rehearsal and tour footage, plus a photo gallery displaying live pictures.
The release will also come with a 12-page photobooklet and will be available in both regular and limited editions, the latter also coming with a special goods box including three sets of postcards, a 40-page livephotos collection and a mini rag doll. This same edition will also come with two lottery tickets: one for the chance to have a dinner with Ken and the other to join an application to receive an invitation to his upcoming concert, set to take place at Tokyo JCB Hall on December 9th.
DJ Krush will be a guest at "Method Of Defiance" created by Bill Laswell on September 11th at Music Hall of Williamsburg. The next day, he will be a guest at the same event, but this time at Bowery Ballroom.
In October, he will also be a guest at San Francisco's Treasure Island Music Festival taking place on October 17th.
The youngest professional guitarist according to Guinness Book of World Records,Yuto Miyazawa, will be performing at the Los Angeles Knitting Factory on August 20th. He has appeared on the Ellen DeGeneres Show and around several famous locations in New York City, but this will be his Los Angeles debut.
According to PMX flyers, Takuya Angel has been announced as a special guest at PMX between November 6th and 8th at the LAX Hilton. More details have yet to be released.
abingdon boys school have announced their first ever European tour, which is to take place this November. The eight-date tour will kick off in Finland on November 4th and will take the band to Sweden, France, Germany and the UK. Tickets are due to go on sale on August 24th. For further details, check the band's tour schedule.
Bassist yukino has announced that he is to leave the studs due to differences of opinion with the other members about the future direction of the band. After careful consideration, yukino has decided that the best option for him is to leave the band. He apologises for the sudden announcement and thanks everyone who has supported him and the studs over the years.
exist†trace have announced the release of a new mini-album for October 21st. Titled Ambivalent Symphony, the album will feature six brand-new songs and will also include two music videos. Furthermore, a new one-man concert, called Ambivalent Symphony ~piece of the answer~, will take place at Meguro Rockmaykan on November 22nd.
Singer Cocco has announced the release of her first CD in almost two years for September 16th. Titled Cocco-san no daidokoro CD, it will include four brand-new songs: Kinuzure, the end of Summer, Bye Bye Pumpkin Bye and Ai ni tsuite.
At this year's Jack in the Box summer festival, a surprising act named karasu was introduced. The band is made up of ayabie's Kenzo on drums, jealkb's dunch on bass, Sadie's Mizuki and Alice Nine's Hiroto on guitar and MUCC's Tatsuro as the vocalist. At the festival, they performed cover versions of the Kuroyume classic Like @ Angel and Creature Creature'sRed, as well as an original song called LASTICA, which was announced to be recorded in the near future.
Pop singer MiChi will release her fourth single on September 9th. YOU will include four tracks: YOU, YOY, YOU (version 3.1) and the title song's instrumental counterpart. A new one-man tour, covering the main CLUB QUATTRO livehouses, will be held two months after the single release. It will kick off at Nagoya on November 18th and end at Shibuya, Tokyo, on the 27th.
It has also been announced that MiChi's song RaIN, currently unreleased, will be used as the ending theme song for the second season of American drama series "Damages", starring Glenn Close, broadcast via NHK.
Singer Onitsuka Chihiro has set the release of a new album, her first in two years, for October 28th. DOROTHY will be produced by Sakamoto Masayuki and will feature 11 songs, including her latest singles X, Hotaru, Kaerimichi wo nakushite and Kagerou.
The album will be accompanied by the release of a new PV collection DVD on the same day. HARD RED FANTASIA will include all four aforementioned singles, plus everyhome and Bokura barairo no hibi.
GLAY announced the release of the second volume of their 15th anniversary commemorative best-of album "THE GREAT VACATION". Simply titled THE GREAT VACATION VOL.2, the album is set to be released on October 21st.
The release will feature three discs, the first two including 31 songs, from their major debut single RAIN (1994) to the double A-side single Tomadoi/SPECIAL THANKS (2000), plus new recordings of five songs, including Goran, sekai wa kurushimi ni michite iru yo, a song from their side-project NEVER MIND. The third disc, as with THE GREAT VACATION VOL.1, will consist of a brand new 11-track studio album.
The compilation will be split into three different editions: a regular 3CD-only version, a limited type A, which will come with two DVDs including 23 music videos, and also a limited type B, which will come with a DVD featuring live songs chosen by their fans. To vote, please follow this link. Voting will close on August 22nd at 10PM (Japan time).
On Saturday August 22nd, an unofficial memorial event for the recently deceased musician Jasmine You will be held in NYC. The event will take place at Kinokuniya Bookstore at the Avenue of the Americas, New York (second floor by the cafe).
The event's organization, Alone Together NYC, is requesting attendees to wear black and purple. You may bring roses, photos, and of course your memories to share. Please spread the word to other Versailles fans and those who attended their lives.
There will be another event in Los Angeles, California at Weller Park at 7pm. Fans are once again encouraged to dress elegantly, and bring roses and photos, and can also bring candles to light for Jasmine. The address for Weller Court is 123 Astronaut E S Onizuka St Los Angeles, CA 90012. The vigil will be held at the northeast corner near Los Angeles St. and 1st St.
If fans have any letters, notes, fan art and other gifts, either for the band in condolences, or things in memory of Jasmine, the organizers will be collecting them to send to Japan. In Los Angeles, the organizers will be collecting mementos to make a part of a banner which everyone will also be able to sign.
misono's cover album, previously scheduled to be released as a mini-album on August 12th, will now hit the stores on September 23rd, along with her upcoming single Urusei yatsura no Theme -Lam no Love Song-. Simply titled Cover ALBUM, the CD will feature nine covers, including the song gradually from her former group day after tomorrow, Avril Lavigne's hit Complicated and two anime song medley tracks.
Hata Motohiro has unveiled more details regarding his upcoming live DVD, set to come out on September 16th. Simply titled LIVE IN BUDOKAN, the DVD will feature uncut footage from his concert held at Nippon Budokan on March 6th, with a total of 21 tracks. The first press of the release will come in a special package, also including a photobook.
Ex-Ruvie vocalist Temari, ex-Sugar bassist koto and ex-gossip guitarist kaname have joined forces to create a new and promising band in the visual kei scene.
amber gris, also consisting of guitarist wayne and drummer Yuuma, formed officially in February this year and are scheduled to perform their first official live at Takadanobaba AREA on October 17th, where they will also sell their first single. The CD, currently untitled, will include three songs and will also be sold via mail order through their official online shop, set to be open in September.
Instrumental rock band LITE announced their first release under their new label I Want The Moon for October 7th. Recorded with J Robbins (Jawbox, Faraquet) in Baltimore during their first US tour in May, the CD will be titled Turns Red EP, and will feature three songs: The Sun Sank, Tomato and Vermillion. The EP will also be released in Europe on the same day under the TRANSDUCTION RECORDS label.
Sendai Kamotsu announced the release of another live DVD for October 28th. Zekkoumon will feature footage from their one-man performance at Ryougoku Kokugigan on November 8th 2008, with a total of 14 tracks.
Three days later, the group will also have a one-man performance at Sendai Izumity 21, which will be followed by their first ever Budokan performance, set to take place on November 5th. These concerts are being held as a tour, titled Tour 2009 Fukyou no kaze ~○○○~.
Ska-rock band GOLLBETTY will release their newest album SCRAMBLE on October 7th. The album will feature 12 songs, including their latest single Secret Word, and will be produced by akkin (ex-JET-KI), who has worked with artists like Kimura Kaela and ONE OK ROCK. SCRAMBLE will be released in two versions: a limited edition, which will come with a PV, live footage and an interview with the members of the group, and a regular version.
Megamasso have announced the release of a new single for October 7th. Though currently untitled, the single will mark their first release as a major band, now under the avex trax label, and is scheduled to feature the work of a famous producer.
The single will be available in three types: two limited CD+DVD, with one including a PV and the other including making-of footage from the same PV, plus digest scenes from their TV program "Megamasso Channel". It will also be released in a regular CD-only type, and all three editions will come with a random trading card selected from four different kinds. All versions of the single can already be pre-ordered via CDJapan.
BREAKERZ has announced a bunch of news for the last months of 2009. First, the band will release their first live DVD on October 14. Titled BREAKERZ LIVE 2009 “WISH” in Nippon Budokan, the DVD will feature full footage from their first concert at the Budokan, which was held on July 24th and had all the tickets sold out in pre-orders. As for the content, the release will come with 22 tracks total, plus a documentary called Go to Budokan Document.
In November and December respectively, the band will release a new single and another full album, though any other details are yet to be announced. Also in December, the trio will embark on a new live house tour: kicking off with two consecutive concerts at Zepp Tokyo on the 17th and 18th, the tour will span for another 12 dates, ending at Zepp Sendai on February 12nd, 2010.
Visual kei band Canzel will celebrate their second anniversary with the release of a self-produced new single on November 18th. L OVERS E.P., their sixth single total, will be released in two different editions: a nationwide regular version, including the songs Aoiiro LOVERS LINE, Eigoukaiki Element and Umbrella. The second version will be exclusive to Like an Edison stores and includes two different songs in addition to Aoiiro LOVERS LINE: Multi and Mugeniro metro.
Waive, a band that broke up in 2005, will release a new best-of album on September 30th. WAVES will be available in two editions, each featuring exclusive tracks: limited type A, featuring 13 songs total, will come with Wagamama Romeo, Girlish Mind (2000ver.), and unpublished versions of TRUExxx and PLACE, while the regular type B will come include Sad, Dear, Girlish Mind, Kimi no hitomi koishiteru, unforgettable memories, BABY I LOVE YOU, PEACE and Sekai ga subete shizumu instead, with a total of 17 tracks.
Both editions are already up for pre-orders on CDJapan.
Sukima Switch will release a new single on October 14th to be used as the upcoming opening theme song for the anime "FULL METAL ALCHEMIST: Brotherhood". Titled Golden Time Lover, the single will also contain the songs Tameiki, B Angle, and the intrumental counterpart of the title track.
Lastly, it will be split into three different editions, all coming with a Blu-spec CD format: a regular CD-only edition and two limited: the first one, available in stores until December 31st, will come with the opening of the anime as an extra, while the other version, packed in a sleeve case, will feature a DVD including a PV and special contents.
Singer Aoyama Thelma announced the release of her second original album for September 9th. Emotions, successor of her 2008 album DIARY, will feature her newest single Wasurenaiyo, Futari no yakusoku no hi (the continuation of the digital single Yakusoku no hi, released in collaboration with rapper Dohzi-T), and the tie-up songs Happiness and Cinderella Story, both used as the CM song for "Seesaa Haircure", plus more. The limited edition of the album will also come with a DVD including off-shot and making-of footage from the PV and album photoshoot.
On the same day, the singer will also release her first music video collection. Though an exact tracklist has not been unveiled so far, the DVD will be titled Motions -Thelma Clips Vol.1- and will feature the PVs for ONE WAY, her debut single, and My dear friend(Original Version), among others.
JapanFiles.com has digitally released HIGH and MIGHTY COLOR's upcoming album swamp man, a few weeks before the new CD goes on sale in Japan on September 2.
HIGH and MIGHTY COLOR has returned to their original label Spice Records to start over with a heavier sound and new vocalist HALCA. swamp man will be their fifth original full-length album.
The Gospellers will continue their 15th anniversary celebrations with the release of a new single on October 14th. Love Notes will contain the title track, a live version of Touhikou recorded during their live tour The Gospellers Zaka Tour 2009 "15 Shuunen Hyouryuuki Haru Natsu", and a cover of Ishikawa Sayuri's song Whiskey ga, osuki deshou, originally released in 1991.
chariots are to launch a new three-month consecutive release campaign for the upcoming months. Consisting of a conceptual single each month, the band will release Hikari on October 7th, Hai on November 4th, and Yami on December 9th. All singles will feature three brand new tracks and will be limited to 5,000 copies each.
Hip-hop group ET-KING announced the release of their third album for September 2nd. U will feature 13 songs, including their latest singles Ima, Kimi omou hana and Shin renai, and the limited edition of the release will also come with a special collection album of trading cards.
TOKYO SKA PARADISE ORCHESTRA are to release a new single on October 7th. KinouKyouAshita will feature four songs: the title track, Give Me Back My Ball, a cover of French chanson song Ai no sanka and a medley track titled Tokyo Ska Medley, recorded during the group's concert at ZEPP TOKYO on May 9th, the last stop from their most recent nationwide tour Paradise Blue Tour.
BUTCHER ABC, one of the most famous Japanese grind bands in the west, are to go on a mini-tour in Germany with local band DEAD. The two bands made a record together in 2007 and DEAD toured in Japan during the Asakusa Extreme festival, organised by BUTCHER ABC. So far, only three concerts have been announced for this tour, which is titled Baptized in Shochu Tour 2009, and a third band will play with them, Satan's Revenge On Mankind, who also come from Germany.
Morning Musume。's single Nanchatte Renai will go on sale on JapanFiles later this week. The digital single will inclue the b-sides from both the normal and 40th Single Commemorative versions of the release, at a cost of 99 cents per track. To download Nanchatte Renai, as well as other Morning Musume。 releases, click here.
SuG unveiled more details regarding their upcoming single Life❤2Die, due to come out on October 14th. The single will feature two main songs, the title track and the b-side heavy+electro+dance+punk, and will be available in three different versions: two limited, the type A coming with a 24-page colored photobook and the type B with a DVD including the PV for Life❤2Die, and a regular edition, which will contain an additional third track titled 16bit HERO.
HALATION, the solo project of ex-Laputa bassist and C4 member Junji, will release its second single on October 21st. there is currently no tracklist available, the single will be called Go into Spark and will also come with a DVD including a PV. This will be HALATION's first release since the mini-album R.I.P, which was released in January 2007.
KOME KOME CLUB have announced two new singles and a new original album for the upcoming months. Although most of the details about the releases are still unknown, the singles, titled Furimukanaide and Koi no Gamble, will be available in stores on September 30th and October 7th respectively, while the album, called SUNRICE, will be released on October 14th.
The group has also revealed plans to embark on their firstnational tour in approximately 17 years. More details about the concerts and the releases will be available soon on their official website.
SOUL'd OUT member Diggy-MO' will release his first live DVD on October 7th. Diggy-MO' Live Tour 2009 "WHO THE Fxxx IS JUVE?"＋Remixies will feature footage from the final stop on his first tour, which took place at Shinkiba STUDIO COAST on July 18th. The release will also come with a second disc, featuring remixed versions of the main songs from Diggy-MO's first album, Diggyism.
Versailles announced on their official website that their bassist Jasmine You has passed away today, August 9th. The bassist had previously announced that he would take some time off the band to take care of his health, and furthermore the group would continuing recording their upcoming album without him.
The band states that further details about Jasmine You's death will be revealed to fans as soon as they receive permission from his family. With the members still trying to absorb the news, the group has also said that all their upcoming activities will be postponed indefinitely.
rice announced the release of their first original album in almost five years for October 21st. Rikkyoku Sympathy will feature the brand new songs Hello, Crunch, Fractal, Katawa no hana, Yoin and Kage okuri, plus a PV and off-shot footage. Samples of four of the CD's tracks can already be heard via their official website.
Young singer Mano Erina announced the release of her fourth single for September 30th. Kono mune no tokimeki wo, which will also include the b-side Happy Birthday. Mama and the instrumental counterpart of the title track, will be available in four different versions: three limited, two of which will come with a DVD, and one regular edition.
Girl group ºC-ute will release a new single on September 16th. EVERYDAY Zekkouchou!! will feature three tracks: the title song, the b-side Amai wana and the instrumental counterpart of EVERYDAY Zekkouchou!!. The limited edition of the release will also come with a DVD, though details of its contents are currently unknown.
Singer MINMI has planned the release of a new compilation album, titled SUMMER COLLECTION WITH MUSIC CLIPS, for August 19th. As the title suggests, the album will consist of a collection of summer songs, including all of her singles released until Sha na na☆, which came out in July 2007, for a total of 13 tracks.
The release will also come with a DVD,containing 13 music videos. Among these, the clip of Sha na na☆ will differ from the others, as it will feature footage from MINMI's performance during the Trinidad & Tobago 2007 carnival, which was attended by over 100,000 people, and is by now considered to be the third biggest carnival in the world. Samples for most of the songs from the album can be heard via Victor Entertainment's official site.
the studs announced the release of their first live DVD for October 21st. the studs 20090807 LIQUIDRROM, as the title suggests, will feature footage from their concert held at Tokyo's LIQUIDROOM ebisu on August 7th, which also marked their last live before going on hiatus.
Electric Eel Shock's new album will come out in October under the name Sugoi Indeed. Produced by the public record label Sellaband, the album will be released on several continents, after which the band is planning to tour overseas. Unlike their latest releases, Sugoi Indeed has been recorded in Japan, and its sound has been described as a return to a more garage rock style.
X JAPAN vocalist TOSHI's latest project TOSHI with T-TEARTH has announced two new members. Guitarist RYO, aged 24, and bassist KAIN, aged 17, will be joining TOSHI and twelve-year-old drummer RIKU, who joined in March.
Continuing with his busy schedule, ex-DefTech member Micro announced the release of a new mini-album for September 2nd. SPACE RHYTHM 2.0 will feature six songs, including Piece Of Africa, a sample of which can already be heard on his official website.
Suneohair announced the release of his first best-of compilation album, to be released on September 30th. Simply titled Best, the album will come with two discs spanning his entire career, from his major debut single Ivory, released in 2002, to his upcoming single Rodeo, set to come out on September 16th, plus a new recording of his indies song Narrow Curve. With a total of thirty songs, the release will also be available in a limited edition, which will come with a third disc.
RIP SLYME will release the fourth volume of their CUT DVD series, titled Quick Cut, on September 23rd. The DVD is set to be packed with a lot of material spanning their latest activities, including live footage from their performance at Zepp Tokyo as a part of the 2008 tour DANCE FLOOR MASSIVE III and also from their concert at Aichi Kengeiju Tsugekijou Dai Hall, held on July 12th as a part of their most recent tour JOURNEY TOUR 2009.
The DVD will also come with the music videos of Nettaiya, Speed King, Taiyou to Bikini, STAIRS and Good Day, plus the PV of Good Day adidas original remix by DJ FUMIYA, created for the 60th anniversary campaign of Adidas. Off-shot scenes from the shooting of the music videos and a special movie are also expected to be included on the release.
Mr.Children have set the release of a new live DVD, focusing on songs from their most recent album SUPERMARKET FANTASY. Set to hit the stores on November 11th, Mr.Children Tour 2009 ～Shuumatsu no Confidence Songs～ will contain 22 songs selected from their concerts held at Nippon Budokan on the 14th and 15th of May, including GIFT, HANABI, Fake, Hana no nioi, Shounen, innocent world, youthful days and others.
cocklobin have announced two new additions to their lineup, namely bassist HISAKI and drummer kiri. The band's first single with this new lineup, titled black, which will be released in November. Also, a nationwide press of their first mini-album, DARK DESIGN CATALOG, is scheduled to be available in stores around Japan on September 9th.
Takizawa Hideaki, most commonly known as Tackey from the duo Tackey & Tsubasa, will release his third solo single on September 23rd. Hikari hitotsu has been used as the theme song for the TBS drama "Orthros no Inu", starring Takizawa himself, alongside Nishikido Ryou (NEWS/Kanjani∞), Yaotome Hikaru (Hey!Say!JUMP), and others.
The single will also include the b-side Warui otoko and will be available to purchase in three different editions: a "music clip" limited edition, which will come with a DVD including the PV and making-of for Hikari hitotsu, a "drama clip" limited edition, which will also come with a DVD, this time including both drama and anime versions of the same PV, and lastly a regular edition, featuring an additional third song titled Ai no senshi TAKI Ranger and also the instrumental counterparts to all tracks from the single. There will also be another version, limited to his official store only, which will feature the songs Hikari hitotsu, Warui otoko and Boku ga iru and will also come with three sets of postcards.
UVERworld have announced the release of a new live DVD for September 30th. UVERworld AwakEVE TOUR '09 LIVE will feature footage from their concerts held at Kokuritsu Yoyogi Kyougijou Daiichi Taiikukan on April 5th and YOKOHAMA BLITZ on May 4th, with 17 songs from the first concert and 8 from the second. The limited edition of the release will also come with a CD, though further details about it are yet to be unveiled.
Sel'm announced the release of a new single for September 30th. VOICE, their first release since the mini-album DIVE, will contian three songs: Ukigumo, JOKER and VOICE.
m-flo have revealed more details regarding their upcoming tribute album, due to come out on September 16th. Now titled m-flo TRIBUTE ～maison de m-flo～, the disc will feature 10 songs, including recordings from artists like Shota Shimizu, JEJUNG & YUCHUN (from the Korean boyband Tohoshinki), and misono, who will cover the song Simple & Lovely, released as a collaboration between m-flo and her sister, Koda Kumi. The complete list of artists and songs, in alphabetical order, is as follows:
been so long - JEJUNG & YUCHUN (from Tohoshinki) come again - Aoyama Thelma Come Back To Me - Marie L.O.T. (Love or Truth) - BENI let go - Shota Shimizu miss you - May J. & JONTE Planet Shining - COMA-CHI Simple & Lovely - misono the Love Bug - YU-A Yours only, - Nishino Kana
Four months since the release of their latest album majestical parade, Nightmare will release a new single on September 22nd. Rem_ will feature the b-side love addict and will be available in three versions: two limited, with one including the PV for Rem_ and the other including the PV for love addict, and a regular CD-only edition.
Hit-making duo Spontania will release a cover of Story, a song by R&B diva AI, as a single on September 9th. Titled Another Story ~AI [Story] Spontania Version~, the single will feature the collaboration of EЯY and will include four songs: the title track, the b-side Awakening feat. Vivid Neon and both songs' instrumental counterparts.
HEAD PHONES PRESIDENT announced the release of a new mini-album for October 7th. Marking their first release under the SPIRITUAL BEAST label, PRODIGIUM will feature eight brand new songs. A preview of Nowhere, a new song to be included on the release, can already be watched here or through their official YouTube account or official MySpace page.
PRODIGIUM will be the band's first release since the album folie a deux, which came out in December 2007. They have also booked a new one-man concert, to take place at Shibuya O-WEST on December 23rd.
Rock band Base Ball Bear will release their third album on September 2nd. (WHAT IS THE) LOVE & POP? will feature 13 tracks, including their latest singles changes, Kamigami LOOKS YOU, LOVE MATHEMATICS, BREEEEZE GIRL and Stairway Generation. This will be their first album since Juunana sai, which was released in December 2007.
The release will also be followed by a Zepp tour titled Zeppyramid Tour, which will cover all Zepp livehouses except for Tokyo's, leading to their first ever one-man at Nippon Budokan on January 3rd under the name (THIS IS THE) Base Ball Bear..
Singer Shibata Jun will release a new single on October 7th. Love Letter, her first single since Ai wo suru hito - Orochi's Theme, which came out in August last year, will feature the title track and the b-side Anata to tomo ni.
girugamesh announced the release of their third single this year for October 7th. Though currently untitled, the single will feature two songs and will be available in two versions. The limited version will also come with a DVD including a music video and its making-of, and the regular edition will contain a third track.
Additionally, girugamesh's latest single, BORDER, is now available for download via JapanFiles at a cost of 99 cents per track. The US releases of their albums MUSIC and girugamesh can also be bought through JapanFiles' online CD store, with sales of girugamesh's CDs reaching the 4,000 mark. Please visit JapanFiles for further information.
As a model for the clothing brand Black Peace Now, HAKUEI will be doing an autograph session at San Francisco's Nihonmachi Street Fair on August 9th from 3pm to 4pm . HAKUEI will be promoting the grand opening of Black Peace Now's new store in San Francisco.
US-based internet radio show Tainted Reality is hosting programs dedicated to BLAM HONEY throughout the entire week. On Thursday August 6th at 8pm US EST, BLAM HONEY's Ryonai will appear on Tainted Reality for the first time to answer questions about the band's revival, his fashion lines, and the passing of their former vocalist, Tatsuya.
Simultaneously, the band's newest release will go on sale through the Tainted Reality Online Store. A portion of the proceeds will go to benefit bone marrow donors who help patients with leukemia, the disease that took the life of Tatsuya. The following evening, both BLAM HONEY and GPKISM's full sets from the BLAM HONEY revival evening will be broadcast.
Additionally, Tainted Reality has announced that GPKISM's Kiwamu will begin hosting his own talk and music show on the Tainted Reality internet radio network. The show, titled "Darkest Labyrinth Radio", will begin airing on August 15th at 9pm US EST.
For more information, visit Tainted Reality's Official Site
Punk visual kei band SEX-ANDROID will release their second album on September 30th. Heisei. Koto nakare shugi! will feature ten songs, including their latest singles Good Morning Subculture, Himegoto and Togeo, and will be split into three different versions: a limited type A, which will also come with a DVD contaning a new PV, making-of and more, a limited type B, which will feature an additional CD contaning audio recording from the radio program "N-WAVE Tokubetsuban", including acoustic versions of three songs, and a regular edition, which will include a cover of Itoshi no Maria, originally released by the band SALLY as a bonus track.
In addition to ther upcoming single Senritsu no kodomotachi, due to come out on August 19th, ALI PROJECT will also release a new album in the same month. Poison will hit stores on August 26th including eleven brand-new songs, with none from their most recent single, as usual.
Alternative rock band People In The Box will release their third mini-album, titled Ghost Apple, on October 14th. Including seven tracks, the album will be a conceptual release and each song will start with the kanji for a day of the week. The release will be followed by a new national tour, currently with 18 dates revealed, starting at Koriyama CLUB#9 on November 11th and ending at Takamatsu DIME on December 17th.
SPINALCORD announced the release of their first full-length album for September 23rd. Although most of the details are currently unknown, the album will be titled REMEMBER ME 'TILL YOUR DYING DAY and its style is described as 'FUTURHYTHMETAL'. The band's first national tour to promote the album will follow soon afterwards.
After eleven years together, rock band SPARTA LOCALS announced that they will disband following their one-man concert Last Dance wa anata ni, set to take place at SHIBUYA-AX on September 23rd. Though the reason for the disbandment is still unclear, the four members state that they will keep pursuing their activities in the future.
SPARTA LOCALS was formed in Fukuoka in 1999, releasing their debut album Kanashii miminari in April 2002. Their major debut, the album Second Fanfare, was released through Universal Music on the next year. Their latest releases include a single titled Mizu no you da, an album called Leecher and their first live DVD, Collage, sold at their concerts from April this year.
Kariyushi 58 are set to release their first ever live DVD on October 14th. Tentatively titled as Kariyushi TV Sono 1, the DVD will feature footage from the last leg of their most recent tour Haisai Road '09 ~47 todoufuken 58 kashou meguri~, which took place at Akasaka BLITZ on July 22nd, plus a documentary with scenes from the same tour.
A video featuring a comment from the band and also short digest footage from the documentary can be found on a page created especially for the release, here.
Due to his poor physical condition, Versailles' bassist Jasmine You is to take a break from all of the band's activities, including the current recording. Versailles are due to perform at Scuber Dive’s Shibuya ga Taihen on August 3rd and have stated that they will be doing so as a four-piece band. For the moment, Jasmine You's participation in other upcoming concerts is unknown and will depend on his health.
The newly-created Cure Media U.S.A has announced visual kei artists ALSDEAD and Satsuki as guests of the convention Anime Vegas. It will be ALSDEAD's second time to perform in the USA, and soloist Satsuki's third. The convention takes place in Las Vegas between September 5th and 7th, though the exact dates and times of the aforementioned artists' performances and possible appearances are yet to be announced.
Shortly after releasing the single Hotaru no hikari in July, Ikimono-gakari have already announced the release of their next single for September 23rd. YELL/Joyful, a double A-side single, will feature YELL, the theme song for NHK's 76th nationwide school music competition (NHK's 76th Zenkoku Gakkou Ongaku Concours), and also the upbeat tune Joyful. The band will also collaborate with Matsutoya Masataka for the production of the CD.
Takui Nakajima announced the release of two new albums for September and October. Although most of the details about both releases are still unknown, they will be titled ULTRA SLACKER and ULTRA SLACKER 2 and will come out on September 16th and October 7th respectively, both featuring the production of Imamichi Tomotaka.
Acoustic duo DEPAPEPE will release a new live DVD on September 30th. DEPAPEPE Debut Gonen Kinen Live [Merry 5 round] Hibiya Yagaidai Ongakudou 2009.5.6, as the title suggests, will feature footage from their one-man performance at Hibiya Yaon on May 6th, which marked the fifth anniversary since the release of their first CD. The concert included their most famous songs, as well as two unreleased tracks, but it is still unclear if all songs will be used in the DVD. However, it is known that the release will also include digest footage from the group's activities from 2005 to 2009.
Hip-hop group FUNKY MONKEY BABYS will release their first ever concerts at Nippon Budokan as a live DVD on September 23rd. Titled FUNKY MONKEY BABYS Nippon Budokan '09 ~Omaetachi to no natsu~ will feature a total of 22 tracks, including hit songs Sakura, Kibou no uta and Lovin' Life. The DVD will blend performances from both days, June 18th and 19th, which featured the same setlist. Released as a double-disc set, the DVDs are also set to come with a documentary including off-shot scenes and more.
gadget. have announced that their new mini-album Lube is now on sale at their concerts and via their official website. The mini-album is produced by Nobutaka Watanabe, known for his work with Tomoyasu Hotei, Tei Towa, Judy and Mary, Ryoko Hirosue and others, and is currently not distributed or available for download outside Japan. However, the full versions of all the songs can be heard on their official MySpace.
Sugar announced the release of a new DVD including footage from their last live, held at Shibuya O-EAST on July 4th. Titled [epilogue], the DVD will be released on October 7th and will be available in two editions: a regular version, which will be available in stores, and a mail-order limited edition. The former will include 20 tracks from the concert, while the latter will come with all 36 songs, plus the three members' solos, for a total of 39 tracks.
Following an announcement via Hello! Project's official website on August 1st, °C-ute member Umeda Erika will graduate from the group following her performance on October 25th at the NHK Osaka Hall. The announcement also stated that Umeda is hoping to pursue a career as a fashion model. This statement comes shortly after details regarding fellow member Arihana Kanna's departure from °C-ute and Hello! Project asks for fans to continue in their support of the group.
Folk duo Yuzu have announced another single, set to be released on September 2nd. Niji, which has been used as the CM song for "Nihon Seimei" (or "Nippon Life Insurance Company") since July, will also come with the b-side Re:Start.
The group also have a new album coming out late this year titled FURUSATO. However, no further details about the release have been revealed so far.
Asai Kenichi announced the release of his newest solo album for September 30th. Sphinx Rose, his first original album in two years, will feature his latest singles Mad Surfer, FRIENDLY and the "Crows ZERO II" movie theme song SPRING SNOW, with a total of 13 tracks. The limited edition of the album will come with a Blu-spec CD and a DVD with its own jacket, distinctive from the CD.
A few days later, he will also embark on a new national tour, titled Asai Kenichi 2009-2010 LIVE HOUSE TOUR [GOD MOTEL]. Kicking off in November with concerts at three CLUB QUATTRO livehouses - Nagoya on the 7th, Osaka on the 8th and Tokyo on the 15th - the tour will cover 18 other places, ending at Fukuoka DRUM LOGOS on January 17th 2010.
Pop-punk group GLORY HILL will release their third indies album on September 2nd. Titled Signs, the album will feature their smash hit single DAYS, released on April 22nd, and also the killer single Cosmic Fly, which came out on July 1st this year.
Additionally, the band has also booked a long tour around all Japan titled GLORY HILL 2009-2010 TOUR. Consisting of 38 dates, the tour will kick off at Chiba LOOK on October 16th, ending with three one-man concerts at Osaka BIG CAT on January 9th, Nagoya Diamond Hall on January 23rd and Tokyo Akasaka BLITZ February 5th.
Mai Kuraki has quite a different plan to release her newest best-of collection album. ALL MY BEST, as it will be titled, will be released in seven different formats and will serve as a celebration of her tenth anniversary. Due to come out on September 9th, the double-disc album will span her entire career, from her debut single Love, Day After Tomorrow, released in 1999, to her newest single Beautiful, which came out in June this year, with a total of 32 songs.
The release will, first, be available in standard limited CD+DVD and regular CD-only editions, the former also including around 80 minutes of selected live footage and special interview with Mai Kuraki and the director. The other formats, all limited, will consist of: a microST memory card, which will also come with an unpublished music video and a special picture; USB memory stick, including an unpublished PV and also an original desktop; a double mini-disc, which will also contain the CM edition of Watashi no, shiranai, watashi.; a cassete tape, also including the instrumental editions of Watashi no, shiranai, watashi., Love, Day After Tomorrow, touch Me! and Ashita e kakeru hashi; and, lastly, a 4-disc analog LP edition, which will also include remix versions of always, Season of love, Baby I Like and touch Me!.
Rap unit Hilcrhyme announced the release of their next single for September 30th. Although most of the details are still unknown, the release will be called Shunkashuutou and will consist of a love song.
Made up of MC TOC and DJ KATSU, the duo made their debut with the indies single Mou Byebye on July 2008. Their first major single, Junya to manami, was released on July 15th this year by Universal Music.
Even though both Ito Ichiro and Kaori Mochida have releases planned for the upcoming months, Every Little Thing will release a new original single on September 23rd. DREAM GOES ON, which will feature production, arrangements and melodies by sound producer Igarashi Mitsuru, will be used as the theme song for the NHK drama "Haken no Oscar~[Shoujo Manga]" and will be available in both CD and CD+DVD formats.
YUI announced the release of a new single, her second this year, for October 14th. The double A-side single is titled It's all too much/Never say die, and both songs will be featured in the movie "Kaiji". Released in both CD and CD+DVD editions, the single can already be purchased via CDJapan.
DELUHI have announced their plans for the rest of the year, as well for the beginning of 2010. First of all, the band will release their second mini-album on November 14th. Nothing else is known about the release so far, but other details are expected to be revealed at a later date.
On the same day, the band will also embark on a national two-man tour with Matenrou Opera, kicking off at Sapporo MESSE HALL. The tour will consist of eight dates all around Japan, ending at Kawasaki CLUB CITTA' on November 28th. Lastly, the group has also planned a new one-man concert to celebrate their second anniversary, set to take place at Shibuya O-EAST on January 9th, 2010.
Singer ayaka will release her first best-of collection album on September 23rd. Simply titled as ayaka's History 2006-2009, the double-disc album will feature 16 songs on its first disc, including her hit singles I believe, Mikazuki, Real voice and also Anata to and WINDING ROAD, both released as singles in collaboration with duo Kobukuro. The second disc will consist of ten songs chosen by fans via her official website. The voting page can be found here, where fans can vote for their favorite songs from her entire back catalog. Voting is open until August 11th.
The album will be split into three different versions: a limited edition featuring both discs and a special photobook, another limited edition, this time including a DVD featuring all of her music videos and also documentary footage, and lastly a regular edition, which will only come with the main CD.
Techno duo RYUKYUDISKO announced the release of a new 15-track album titled pleasure for September 23rd. The album will include their latest singles OK Sampler and Top of the World, and will also feature guest vocal performances by MEG, iLL, Emi Tawata, SAWA, Kizuki Minami, Shiori and Sokabe Keiichi, full-band participations by BLACK BOTTOM BRASS BAND, Dochambo and Rinken Band and also a song including guitars by NAOTO from ORANGE RANGE and vocals by Joe Inoue.
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