22 Sunday Aug 2021
Tags
Jpop, Mika Nakashima, Mika Nakashima - Shiritai Koto, music, Musica, Shiritakunai Koto (知りたいこと、知りたくないこと) (Digital Single)
“Shiritai Koto, Shiritakunai Koto (知りたいこと、知りたくないこと)” is the new digital single by the singer Mika Nakashima.
Release Date: 2021.08.20
Tracklist:
1.”Shiritai Koto, Shiritakunai Koto (知りたいこと、知りたくないこと)”
OVERALL RATING: 5 stars
22 Sunday Aug 2021
Posted in Musica
Solar Power is the third studio album by New Zealand singer-songwriter Lorde. It was released on 20 August 2021, by Universal Music. Lorde wrote and produced the album with American musician Jack Antonoff, whom she worked with on her second studio album, Melodrama (2017), as well. She opted against CDs for environmental reasons, releasing Solar Power to digital music platforms, streaming services, and as vinyl LPs only.
The album was preceded by Going South, a June 2021 memoir documenting Lorde’s 2019 visit to Antarctica, which she dubbed as the precursor to the album. She stated the title Solar Power was inspired by the trip, and that she “felt like [she] could just chill out and flex a little bit” while creating the record. Three singles were released before the album: the lead single and title track, “Solar Power”, was released on a solar eclipse and entered the charts in various countries, reaching number two on the New Zealand Singles Chart. It was followed by “Stoned at the Nail Salon” and “Mood Ring”, leading up to the album’s release.
Classified by Lorde as her “weed album”, Solar Power is an indie folk and psychedelic effort, driven by acoustic guitar arrangements. Its lyrics revolve around solipsism and summer escapism, mainly focusing on Lorde’s leisure time in her homeland New Zealand, simultaneously expressing her disdain for fame and celebrity culture. The album polarized music critics, who were mostly favourable towards Lorde’s matured vocals, but divided over its songwriting; some reviews praised the laid back music and perceptive themes, while the rest dubbed its sound unfinished and lyrics dispassionate. To promote the album, Lorde is scheduled to embark on her third concert tour, titled Solar Power Tour, starting in February 2022. It will cover Oceania, North America, and Europe.
Tracklist:
01.The Path
02.Solar Power
03.California
04.Stoned at the Nail Salon
05.Fallen Fruit
06.Secrets from a Girl (Who’s Seen It All)
07.The Man with the Axe
08.Dominoes
09.Big Star
10.Leader of a New Regime
11.Mood Ring
12.Oceanic Feeling
13.Helen of Troy
14.Hold No Grudge
OVERALL RATING: 4 stars
22 Sunday Aug 2021
Posted in Cpop & Mandopop, Musica
“螢” is the EP by the singer 鄭秀文 (Sammi Cheng).
Release Date: 2021-08-12
Tracklist:
01.螢
02.如何忍眼淚
03.萬物有時
04.新造的人(feat. SHIMICA)
05.好好說
OVERALL RATING: 4 stars
22 Sunday Aug 2021
Nebula is the second album released by Ueda Reina.
Release Date: August 18, 2021
Tracklist:
1.Utsukushii Hito (うつくしいひと; Beautiful Person)
2.Hakuchuumu (白昼夢; Daydream)
3.Poème en prose ([Fr]: Prose Poem)
4.scapesheep
5.Ariadne (アリアドネ)
6.Disco Roll (デスコロール)
7.Plankton (プランクトン)
8.anemone
9.Watashi no Mama de (わたしのままで; As I Am)
10.wall
OVERALL RATING: 4 stars
22 Sunday Aug 2021
Posted in Musica
Boston, MA — Singer-songwriter Zola Simone has just released her new album, Now You See Me with an accompanying music video for her single, “Sideways.” The release is a canorous assembly of some of the artist’s finest work to date. Flowing throughout the entire project is a story of maturation and self-acceptance that resonates with listeners long after the last note has been sung. In celebration of the unforgettable new album, Zola Simone will be performing at The Middle East in Boston on August 20th. Now You See Me is currently available on all platforms to stream and download, and you can watch “Sideways” on YouTube. Tickets to the show are available at mideastoffers.com.
Zola Simone takes listeners on a journey from one track to the next as she embeds an enduring theme of self-exploration and growth throughout the record. Tapping into unadulterated vulnerability and vivid storytelling, Simone captivates with each song. “The meaning of Now You See Me lies in the title itself. It’s about me finally maturing, growing up, and putting my whole true self out there for the world to see, and most importantly, not caring about how that’s perceived. It’s about just being,” says Simone. The talented young artist masterfully unites this concept with catchy, mesmerizing tunes and a distinctive voice. Simone displays creative range and an innate ability for songwriting in a variety of ways throughout this project including lyrics that cover her experiences from isolation to her frustration with society’s design flaws. The juxtaposition between songs and their stories adds another level of dimension to the album. From intimate and vulnerable tracks like “Harvard Sq.,” to danceable pop melodies like the one found in “Just Business (ft. Dutch Rebelle),” the songs on Now You See Me paint a mural of lived experience that places Zola Simone among some of indie pop’s most seasoned veterans.
Zola Simone’s musical journey began at a young age, as she wrote her very first song when she was 12 years old. Since that time, she has continued to master her craft in the most cathartic way possible. Music is a healthy outlet for many of us, and this is precisely the case for Simone. For her, making music has been a way to cope with bullying and anxiety. Her inspirational path as an LGBTQ+ artist has already garnered impressive success. Her single “Easy” was featured in the season finale of Netflix original Atypical and Instinct Magazine praised her single “Iridescent,” beaming that it “…captures the 360 degrees of emotion that can flood young love and the wistful, lighter-than-air feeling when vulnerability gives way to ineffable passion.”
Zola Simone uses her personal struggles and immense talent to captivate and inspire listeners with every new release, and her spectacular debut album is no different. Stream Now You See Me on digital music platforms worldwide and watch “Sideways” on YouTube. For more information or to follow her musical journey, be sure to visit Instagram @theofficialzola. Tickets for the release show on August 20th are available at mideastoffers.com.
Tracklist:
1.Easy
2.Old Soul
3.Witness
4.Anxiety
5.Sideways
6.Harvard Sqaure
7.A Year in My Room
8.Not Like Other Girls
9.Just Business
10.Like the Sun
11.Iridescent
12.Love Me Right
OVERALL RATING: 5 stars
22 Sunday Aug 2021
Posted in Cpop & Mandopop, Musica
22 Sunday Aug 2021
Posted in Cpop & Mandopop, Musica
“Present” is the EP by the singer 洪安妮 (Anni Hung).
Release Date: 2021-08-20
Tracklist:
01 一年後的故事
02 也許
03 我的願望
04 你會在我這邊停留多久
05 好好
06 思念的週期
OVERALL RATING: 4 stars
22 Sunday Aug 2021
Posted in Musica
Gearing up for a very special summer, Lissie celebrates a decade of her seminal 2010 full-length debut with the expanded ‘Catching A Tiger (Anniversary Edition)’, which is out on June 25th via The Orchard. The ‘Anniversary Edition’ includes five previously unreleased tracks recorded during the original ‘Catching A Tiger’ sessions in 2009 with producer Jacquire King (Tom Waits, Modest Mouse) and Bill Reynolds (Band of Horses). It is now available to pre-order / pre-save here and will be released on all digital platforms, on CD, and as a limited-edition double-LP vinyl with a gatefold sleeve.
While digging through hard drives, the award-winning and acclaimed Illinois-born and Iowa-based singer, songwriter, and guitarist also assembled ‘Watch Over Me (Early Works 2002-2009)’. A collection of nine unheard formative compositions predating her signing to a major label, the album will be released on July 23rd via Cooking Vinyl and is available to pre-order / pre-save here.
Lissie commented, “‘Catching A Tiger’ was the album that gave me a career. In high school, I dreamed of being a professional musician, and I definitely encountered more doubters than believers. During my early twenties, I was living in Hollywood trying to figure out how to support myself. I really admire the younger version of me who faced a lot of setbacks and personal hardships, but never doubted for one second I was going to make this happen in some way, shape, or form. I think about the resilience I had to make that album in the first place. It means a lot to me.”
Lissie has today previewed the ‘Anniversary Edition’ by sharing the unreleased song ‘It’s Not Me’. Listen HERE. Its palm-muted guitar and piano gives way to a sweeping refrain as she details a doomed, yet vibrant romance from the perspective of a lover ready to leave. “It’s a different perspective for me,” Lissie explains. “The narrator is saying, ‘Don’t pin all of your hopes and dreams on me. I’m going to let you down’. It was interesting to write, because I’m trying to understand the point-of-view of a person I encountered who said, ‘I’m not going to be what you need. It’s safer to walk away.”
Lissie originally planned to mark the 10th anniversary of ‘Catching A Tiger’ with a show at the Oslo Opera House early in 2020. However, we all know what happened next. Instead, she pivoted and combed through her catalogue, earmarking unreleased material for the ‘Anniversary Edition’ and preparing a different kind of celebration. She set the stage for the release with ‘Just Because I Can’, which drew critical acclaim from American Songwriter and PAPER who claimed, “This anniversary provides not only an opportunity for fans to reminisce on the folk classics that once defined their listening habits, but also for Lissie to reflect on her own growth as an artist.”
In 2010, Catching A Tiger unassumingly established Lissie as a global voice. Stateside praise was replicated with acclaim in the UK from the BBC, Evening Standard, Uncut and The Independent, who described it as, “As refreshing a slice of pop as these jaded ears have heard in years.” She was nominated for Best Breakthrough Act at the Q Awards, and the album eventually sold 300,000 copies worldwide – 100,000 of which were in the UK, resulting in it being certified Gold.
Inspired by the process of bringing the ‘Anniversary Edition’ to life, Lissie dove in even deeper and presented ‘Watch Over Me (Early Works 2002-2009)’.
She adds, “When I was listening back last summer, the songs reminded me of the harder chapters of my young adult life. I wanted there to be a handful of real singer-songwriter – just guitar and vocal -tunes, because that’s how I started. There’s a live song. In terms of subject matter, it’s a nice cross-section of upbeat and introspective. I pared it down to nine tracks and whittled it into a good overview of that era.”
After four albums, multiple EPs, and countless gigs, Lissie still derives the strongest connection from music. She manages to consistently connect, whether on tape, on-screen for David Lynch’s ‘Twin Peaks’ and Peter Farrelly’s ‘Loudermilk’, at rallies for Senator Bernie Sanders, or during one of her sold-out shows.
Whether she’s delicately plucking an acoustic melody or summoning a power chord, Lissie’s plainspoken poetry, eloquent songcraft, and bewitching timbre echo every facet of human experience: the wonder, the drama, the sadness, the triumph, the darkness, the light, and the love. And now she continues to make strides forward, telling her story like never before from where it all began.
Tracklist:
1.Record Collector
2.When I’m Alone
3.In Sleep
4.Bully
5.Little Lovin’
6.Stranger
7.Loosen the Knot
8.Cuckoo
9.Everywhere I Go
10.Worried About
11.Look Away
12.Oh Mississippi
13.Just Because I Can
14.I Don’t Know What I’m Doing Anymore
15.A Bird Could Love a Fish
16.It’s Not Me
17.This Much I Know
OVERALL RATING: 4½ stars
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