Every Little Thing – Every Best Single -Complete- (a J!-ENT World Groove Album Review)

If you are a fan of Every Little Thing, “Every Best Single – Complete-” is an awesome collection featuring 50 songs, 39 music videos and a documentary for a pretty good price.  Overall, a solid release!

GROUP: Every Little Thing

ALBUM: Every Best Single – Complete

LABEL: Avex Trax

CATALOG #: AVCD-38000~3/B~C

RELEASE DATE: December 23, 2009

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Every Little Thing – Dream Goes On (a J!-ENT World Groove CD Single Review)

The 37th CD single from Every Little Thing.  An average at best single for the duo but a main title track that didn’t hold my interest all that long.  In fact, I enjoyed the coupling track much more.

GROUP: Every Little Thing

CD SINGLE: Dream Goes On

LABEL: avex trax

CATALOG #: AVCD-31711/B

DURATION: 18:09

RELEASE DATE: September 23, 2009

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Every Little Thing – サクラビト (Sakurabito) (a J!-ENT CD Single Review)

“A dreamy, mesmerizing single by Japanese music duo Every Little Thing.  For those who enjoy the group’s ballads, ‘Sakurabito’ is a pretty solid single.”

GROUP:  Every Little Thing

CD SINGLE: サクラビト (Sakurabito)

LABEL: avex trax

CATALOG #: AVCD-31356/B

DURATION: 17:23

RELEASE DATE:  February 13, 2008

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1. サクラビト (Sakurabit0)
2. オフェリア_act 1 (Ophelia_act 1)
3. サクラビト (Instrumental)
4. オフェリア_act 1 (Instrumental)

DVD: Region 2, LB, Duration: 5:47 minutes

1. サクラビト (Music Video)

The musical unit Every Little Thing released their 34th CD single and ballad “Sakurabito” just in time for the Spring Cherry blossoms in Japan.

I have been a fan of ELT since their debut and of course, back then they were a trio until Mitsuru Igarashi left the group in 2000 and that synth-pop sound was then brought to Igarashi’s latest project known as the group day after tomorrow.

With vocalist Kaori Mochida and guitarist Ichiro Ito continuing the ELT fame, the group has since changed their music from those synth-pop years to be more rock-based, still incorporating the synth but more for arrangements.

In the past, the group have been known for their ballads and in this case, “Sakurabito” is another fine example of the group’s beautiful melodies and whimsical sound.   Featuring lyrics by Kaori Mochida and music by Kunio Tago, the arrangement is just beautiful as Tomoji Sogawa and Every Little Thing come up with a dreamy ballad.

The coupling song “Ophelia_act 1″ is courtesy of Takashi Iioka and featuring a French chanson style of music by Ysunari “Nam-Nam” Nakamura and Every Little Thing.  In an accordion style of Parisian flair, the song is simple as Mochida hums along to the tune.

The remaining tracks are the instrumental versions of the first two tracks.

As for the DVD, the music video for “Sakurabito” is included and features cherry blossoms and petals falling with various shots of Mochida who is posing in front of a camera to show two versions of her via happiness and sadness, while Ichiro Ito plays the guitar.

As for the CD insert, the insert is a standard bi-fold with lyrics while a flier promoting the group’s 8th album is included.

For Every Little Thing fans, “Sakurabito” is a simple CD single with the main ballad as the primary tack and the coupling track more or less an instrumental with Mochida humming her “la-la-la’s”.

The DVD features a single video that is simple compared to their past ballads such as “Fragile” or “Time Goes By” and personally, I think that those who are budget-mind will not be missing much if they go with the standard normal CD single version of “Sakurabito”, while diehard fans will want the DVD no matter what.

Overall, the single is a solid CD single with two enjoyable tracks.  For Every Little Thing fans, definitely a single worth having in your music collection.

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Every Little Thing – Door (a J!-ENT World Groove Album Review)

“Japanese pop group Every Little Thing’s eighth album ‘Door’ showcases the group’s confidence with their style of music on this album according to lead vocalist Kaori Mochida.  I have to agree.  I have to admit that this album has brought me back to enjoying the group’s music once again and almost a return to those late 90s-early 2000 years of when I truly loved their music.”

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BAND: Every Little Thing

ALBUM: Door

LABEL: avex trax

CATALOG #: AVCD-23478/B

DURATION: 54:22

RELEASE DATE: March 5, 2008

OFFICIAL WEBSITE

1. GATE #8 (Instrumental)
2. まさかのTelepathy
3. キラメキアワー (Door version)
4. パリの娘
5. サクラビト
6. WONDER LAND
7. 冬がはじまるよ
8. B.L.V.D. (Instrumental)
9. NEROLI
10. カラカラ
11. 恋をしている
12. gladiolus
13. オフェリア_act2

DVD – Region 2, 4:3, Duration: 52 minutes

1. Kirameki Hour – Video Clip
2. Koi wo Shiteiru – Video Clip
3. Kirameki Hour, Koi wo Shiteiru, Sakura Beat & Door – Video Clip, Photo Shoot and recording off-shot
4. Koi wo Shiteiru – from X-Mas Live at IKSPIARI
5. Sakura Beat – Video Clip – Mochida Solo Version
6. Sakura Beat – Video Clip – Ito Solo Version
7. Channel A feat. Every Little Thing

Every Little Thing returned in the Spring 2008 with their eight full-length album “Door” which features the duo’s 33rd CD single “Kirameki Hour” and their 34th double-A side CD single “Koi wo Shiteiru” and “Fuyu ga Hajimaruyo”.

During an interview with an English-based publication in Japan, Kaori Mochida spoke about how with this album, the duo started to feel more confident with their music since Mitsuru Igarishi left and the group started experimenting with certain styles of music but not until this year, did both feel confident about their own personal sound.

But I have to admit that their releases in 2008 have been quite solid.  With the release of this album “Door”, I see a return to the basics.  Not simple in terms of sound but the return of good music and passionate singing by Kaori Mochida.

From upbeat pop tracks such as “Masaka no Telepathy”, “Kirameki Hour” to “Fuyu ga Hajimaruyo” (a collaboration with popular vocalist and producer Noriyuki Makihara).  And you get really beautiful vocals and music with songs such as “Koi wo Shiteiru”, “Gladiolus”, “Ophelia_act 2″ and “Sakura Beat”.

But the other songs that make up the album are also just as enjoyable and you do get a little something different with songs such as “WONDER LAND” which is a happy pop song but almost an 80s vibe to it.  And then there is “NEROLI” featuring a rock song that has an interesting experimental vibe to it.  And then you have a song such as “Karakara” which has a tropical Carribean vibe.

The CD+DVD version comes with a booklet with photos Kaori Mochida and Ichiro Ito.  And inside are the lyrics printed in a very thin sheet of brown paper.

The DVD features a total of seven videos and you really get your money’s worth as the DVD features 52 minutes of content including music videos of “Kirameki Hour”, “Koi Wo Shiteiru” and solo Mochida and Ito versions of “Sakura Beat”.  You also get live concert performances, behind-the-scenes footage of the recording, photo session and off shot of the group.

Also, cool to find on this DVD is a special “Channel A” episode featuring Every Little Thing which features Kaori Mochida visiting an herbal shop and trying a variety of blended beverages and then making pottery.  As for Ichiro Ito, you watch him traveling through the forest and talking about his experience visiting what looks to be a monastery, learning to meditate and also learning to feed a deer.  But it’s good to see non-music related footage of the group also included on the DVD.

But overall, at 52-minutes long, you get quite a bit of content with the DVD and so I can easily recommend the CD+DVD version.

So, all in all, “Door” is a well-balanced album that I did enjoy.  In my personal opinion, this album is actually much better than a lot of the material the band has released in the past five years.  I have to admit that my interest and passion for the music of Every Little Thing waned during 2001-2006, so to listen to “Door” and really enjoy the majority of the songs on the album was great.  I really dig the music this time around as the album does feature a good number of musicians and everything comes together with Kaori Mochida’s vocals.

If you are a fan of Every Little Thing, you really can’t go wrong with this album which has plenty of cool music and a packed DVD.  Check it out!

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Every Little Thing – “fragile-Graceful World” (a J!-ENT Music DVD Review)

“This Every Little Thing music DVD was released during those experimental years of music DVD releases from avex before the CD+DVD releases.  But it does feature one of the most ambitious, artsy drama (based on a song) that captures the soul of ELT’s hit ballad ‘fragile’.  If you had problems understanding the music video to ‘fragile’, fortunately this DVD will have answers.”

DVD INFORMATION:

DVD TITLE: Every Little Thing – “fragile-Graceful World”

DURATION: Approx. 27 minutes

DVD INFORMATION: 4:3, Region 2, Rel. March 28, 2001

CATALOG #: AVBD-91050

COMPANY: avex trax

OFFICIAL WEBSITE

Every Little Thing is an interesting band as it was an electronic band known for its dance tunes in the mid-90′s and in 1998 made it big with their ballad “Time Goes By” (their 8th CD single) which sold over a million copies.

The group has changed since their initial debut, now there are two members and the group is more rock oriented.

There second largest selling CD single came on New Year’s Day 2001 with their 18th CD single “fragile” which would be another ballad and would feature a music video that was condensed from a drama and thus before avex started focusing on the CD+DVD releases, which are commonplace now, they would release these music videos with other content as separate DVD’s that would sell under $20.

“fragile” is a well-written song by ELT’s Mochida Kaori and Ito Ichiro.  In a way, the lyrics are very in-depth of feelings one would have to someone they really love, especially during a breakup or a split and just realizing the feelings that you have the person is quite strong.   And reading various Japanese threads of how the song meant so much to them, it’s a powerful ballad and definitely one of the reasons why the song was another hit for the band.

This DVD features both music videos for their 18th CD single “fragile” and their 19th CD single “Graceful World” plus the TV commercials and the full length drama for “fragile”.  Both videos for “fragile” and “Graceful World” are somewhat tied together but to fully understand what is going on, you really need to watch the 15+ minute drama.

The storyline is a bit fragmented as you see parts that actually is hard to make sense.  In the beginning, you see a woman who missed a taxi and an older woman getting in, then it flashes to a moment where the younger woman gets into a taxi and the older woman missing its chance.  (confusing, I know…so just forget this scene).

You start to realize that what you are watching are bits and pieces of the past and the present.

Sounds confusing and the drama is a bit confusing but to tell the story, the young woman riding in the taxi is suddenly having to help someone after a car accident takes place in front of the taxi and a guy is injured.  She ends up helping the guy injured by using her scarf to help him.

Then you see scenes at the airport where she gives the man money and he goes on his way to leave the airport.  Flash forward to another time in the future and the young woman realizes that the man she gives money to is not leaving for a flight but messing around with another woman.

She slaps the man and the relationship is over but she can’t stop loving him and constantly looks at their picture together.

Flash forward three months later and she meets the guy who she help in the accident, who comes back to return her scarf and say thank you.  The guy asks her out for a date and the two get closer.

Flash forward a month later, the woman and the guy she helped are dating.  They eat at a restaurant and then the scene goes back into the past with the young woman and when her ex-boyfriend were together, eating at a restaurant.  And then you get flash forwards, flash back to the past during the dinner segment.  And then you realize that during the flash back to the past, the current guy she is dating (from the present) was sitting next to her and her ex (during the past flashback).

Flashforward to a scene where she almost walks through a redlight and nearly gets hit by car but a ghost helps her.  Throughout the drama so far, you see this kid.  An angel or a ghost who seems to be by her side.  Not too sure what this boy represents so far in the drama.  A guardian angel?

In the present time, she takes the old frame of her and her ex and replaces the photo with a purikura of her and her current boyfriend.

You then see a scene for a bus going to Narita airport.  You see the woman twice.  In actuality, you are seeing the woman in two timelines.

Then you are taken to the Narita Airport where she meets with her current boyfriend and given a ring.  They drive off in his Mercedes Benz and while in love and driving back home, they are hit by a big rig.

Flash forward to another scene at the airport now during present time and the ghost/kid is running while the woman is walking one way from the airport and the guy (who plays her current boyfriend) is walking in another direction and suddenly the two people see each other and stop and look at each other and the drama ends with a message.

You can view this last scene as either a) the couple are ghosts and they see each other at the airport  b) another group of people (who are the same actress and actor) discovering each other at the airport  c) the future where the two survived the crash and haven’t seen each other for years and just discovered each other at the airport.

So, I suppose you can have your own ending.  Something tragic, something supernatural or something positive.  Depending on how you interpret that final scene.

When you watch the “fragile” music video, you get pieces from that drama to show a woman who survives a big breakup and ends up in a accident helping another guy and then of course, ELT’s Mochida Kaori singing and Ichiro Ito playing his guitar.

For “Graceful World”, the music video is nicely done and features ELT singing but then you get pieces from that drama with short pieces from the drama during the opening, guitar solo and at the end which I’m not sure if anyone can really piece anything together from those scenes.

So, you have to drama to get the full story and the drama is only on this DVD release.

This is an older DVD release and I wish that the drama or even the music videos made sense but it almost has this “Final Destination” type of feel to it.  Perhaps someone that was meant to die, didn’t.  And thus he gets in a second car accident and is killed.   But I think that the storyline was pretty much about how life is “fragile”.

The drama is actually a bit artsy but at the same time, I can see people getting confused bu there is an interesting storyline behind the two music videos by watching the full drama.  The drama can be viewed in multiple ways and I think the director did a good job with that.

Again, this is an older avex-released music DVD.  These days, these music videos and dramas are included on the CD single releases.  Back then, during the experimentation of Japanese music DVD’s and how they would be marketed, they were marketed outside the CD singles and sold separately.  Fortunately, that has changed as now you can buy both the CD+DVD for a great price compared to how things were in 2001.

As for the DVD,  this DVD is about eight years old, I’m sure you can find it cheaper online these days but all in all, it was great to revisit this DVD again.

Every Little Thing – Atarashii Hibi / Ogon no Tsuki (a J!-ENT World Groove CD Single Review)

“Every Little Thing returns with their 36th CD single to commemorate the duo’s 12th year anniversary with two lively and enjoyable tracks.”

GROUP: Every Little Thing

CD SINGLE: Atarashii Hibi / Ogon no Tsuki

LABEL: avex trax

CATALOG #: AVCD-31463/B

DURATION: 18:28

RELEASE DATE: August 27, 2008

OFFICIAL WEBSITE

1. あたらしい日々
2. 黄金の月
3. あたらしい日々 (Instrumental)
4. 黄金の月 (Instrumental

DVD: Region 2, 4:3, DURATION: 4 minutes

1. あたらしい日々 Video Clip

The musical unit Every Little Thing is back with their 36th CD single and also a CD single to commemorate the duo’s 12th year anniversary.

I have been a fan of ELT since their debut and of course, back then they were a trio until Igarashi Mitsuru left the group in 2000 and that synth-pop sound was then brought to Igarashi’s latest project known as the group day after tomorrow.

With vocalist Mochida Kaori and guitarist Ito Ichiro continuing the ELT fame, the group has since changed their music from those synth-pop years to be more rock-based, still incorporating the synth but more for arrangements.

And here we are with the duo’s latest double A-side CD single “Atarashii Hibi” and “Ogon no Tsuki”.

“Atarashii Hibi” is the theme song for the FUJI TV drama “Shibatora” and features a rock-based track with a string arrangement courtesy of Nakamura “Nam-Nam” Yasunari and a pretty cool electric guitar solo from Ito. And Mochida Kaori has her unique style of vocals which of course, fans or those who are familiar with ELT can distinguish quite easily. A very happy, enjoyable song from Every Little Thing.

The coupling track “Ogon no Tsuki” features another lively, rock diddly and similar to the first track features a string arrangement but this time courtesy of Kameda Seiji. Another enjoyable track nonetheless.

And the other remaining two tracks are the instrumentals of the first two tracks.

The DVD features the music video for “Atarashii Hibi”, a somewhat comedic music video which Mochida goes on with life but has these men in black (or servants) assisting her in everyday life to get things done.

The CD insert features a dual fold with a matted paper and featuring lyrics on one side and pictures of Mochida on the other side.

In a recent Japan Times interview that I read about Every Little Thing, the duo has talked about life post-Igarashi and how the duo needed to find a new direction with their music and since things happened to quickly, the group for the first two years after Igarashi’s departure had to focus on an acoustic sound.

But now have had more confidence to experiment with various styles and with the release of their 8th full length album “DOOR” back in March, Mochida expressed greater satisfaction with their work and for me, listening to the latest CD single, you can obviously feel the enjoyment within this CD single and definitely look forward to the next CD single.

Check out more of our reviews at J!-ENT’s World Groove

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