JURIAN BEAT CRISIS – JURIAN BEAT CRISIS (a J!-ENT World Groove Album Review)
September 29, 2010 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment
A passing of the torch from Japanese rock band LINDBERG to Juria Kawakami and her band JURIAN BEAT CRISIS. Cool rock music, cool presentation and overall, a cool album but does the band have what it takes to stand out amongst other Japanese rock bands in the market? Time will tell… Otherwise, the debut album is solid and definitely worth buying!
BAND: JURIAN BEAT CRISIS
ALBUM: JURIAN BEAT CRISIS
LABEL: avex trax
CATALOG #: AVCD-38152
DURATION: 1:00:13
RELEASE DATE: September 1, 2010
BUY THIS ALBUM from CDJapan.com:
- サクラ舞う
- BRIGHTEST WAY
- 今すぐKiss Me
- ソーダ味のKiss
- ナミダの中キミをみつけた
- ハリケーン☆ラブ
- もう一度…
- フライング・ラビット
- I believe
- Lonely Flight
- 逢いたいよ、、、love you
- ハートの爆弾 (Album Version)
- Go! Let’s Go!
- 今すぐKiss Me (feat. Watase Maki)
The Japanese rock band LINDBERG were one of the rock highlights of the 1990′s and after being on hiatus for nearly a decade and coming back in 2008, LINDBERG has continued to show us that they can still pump out awesome rock music. But they are also smart to know that although they have dedicated fans, there is a new generation of music fans out there that didn’t grow up with their music.
So, LINDBERG’s lead vocalist Maki Watase and her husband/guitarist Tatsuya Hirakawa have become producers and in someways, the band has passed the torch to a new band to carry on the tradition of LINDBERG and that band is JURIAN BEAT CRISIS.
JURIAN BEAT CRISIS is similar to a band like ZARD in which the primary focus of the band is the vocalist Juria Kawakami but others involved with the band (especially for this album) are guitarist Tatsuya Hirawaka, chorus by Maki Watase and Sotaro Mochizuki, bass by Kenichi Nemoto and drums by Norihide Saji but for the most part, the musicians are revolving and the primary focus is on the vocalist.
The band features the vocals of Julia (Juria) Kawakami and in 2006, she competed in A-Motion, a talent contest run by Avex Trax and in her second try, she won the Grand Prix. Having been in development with Avex Trax for several years, in 2009, JURIAN BEAT CRISIS made their debut by releasing a digital single every month in 2009 and now they are currently up to their 12th digital single and now she will be releasing her first physical self-titled album.
As a big fan of LINDBERG, I found the whole JURIAN BEAT CRISIS quite interesting but also fun and entertaining. Thanks to Tatsuya Hirakawa and Maki Watase’s involvement, the music definitely carries the soul and spirit of LINDBERG into JBC. For the most part, Juria Kawakami does a good job with her vocals, especially covering LINDBERG songs such as “今すぐKiss Me”.
If anything, the music for JURIAN BEAT CRISIS is awesome and JURIAN BEAT CRISIS is an interesting group and the image for Kawakami is a school girl (the music videos showcase her typically in a girl’s school outfit). In another video, she definitely has a punky vibe and if anything, the presentation is pretty cool.
It’s important to note that both a normal CD and a CD+DVD version (which includes all 12 music videos including a bonus offshot video and drama version of “サクラ舞う”.
As for the CD insert, you get pictures of Juria Kawakami and lyrics to the tracks on the album. Also, an insert promoting JURIAN BEAT CRISIS and her mailbag is included.
Overall, this is a pretty awesome album that’s targeted for a new young generation who doesn’t want to listen to their mother or father’s LINDBERG albums but where LINDBERG really burst into the scene and tore up the music charts, not sure if JURIAN BEAT CRISIS will ever reach the same status of LINDBERG, more than likely not, but nevertheless, I enjoyed the music, enjoyed the presentation and it will be interesting to see if Juria Kawakami will continue to focus on rock music ala JURIAN BEAT CRISIS in the near future.
But I dig JURIAN BEAT CRISIS and I look forward to more of their music!
BUY THIS ALBUM from CDJapan.com:
or YesAsia.com
Lindberg – Live your Life (a J!-ENT World Groove CD Single Review)
February 10, 2010 by Dennis Amith · 1 Comment
The rock band Lindberg continues on with their 21st year as a band and their first single release through Avex Trax with their 36th CD single overall, “Live Your Life”.
BAND: Lindberg
CD SINGLE: Live Your Life
LABEL: avex trax
CATALOG #: AVCD-31554/B
DURATION: 8:11
RELEASE DATE: December 9, 2009
BUY THIS CD SINGLE from CDJapan.com:
- Live your Life
- Live your Life (Instrumental)
DVD: Region 2, 16:9LB, Duration: 4 minutes
- Live your Life (Music Video)
I can easily remember when I first discovered the Japanese rock band LINDBERG.
The group was one of the more popular rock bands from Japan that featured an all male band but a female lead vocalist that had her own unique vocal style.
The band which consists of lead vocalist/songwriter (and former idol) Watase Maki, Hirakawa Tatsuya (guitar), Kawazoe Tomahisa (Bass) and “Cherry” Koyanagi (drummer) formed the band back in 1988 and had a string of hits previous to the release of “EXTRA FLIGHT II” which include “Ima sugu Kiss Me” (their second CD single back in 1992) and again a revival in 1996 with hits such as “Every Little Thing Every Precious Thing” and “Green Eyed Monster” before disbanding in 2002.
The group ended their run with a total of 35 CD singles from 1989-2002, a total of 17 albums and 19 videos.
In 2008, there was buzz that the group would reunite for their 20th Anniversary with an album release and a concert tour. On April 2009, LINDBERG released their 18th album titled “LINDBERG XX (the 20th Anniversary)” on their latest label avex trax.
And in December 2009, the band released their 36th CD Single, their first through Avex Trax titled “Live your Life”. The track is a mid-tempo rock track written by vocalist Maki Watase and music by guitarist Tatsuya Hirakawa. The album also features another collaboration with MOTO (of the band GaGaalinG) who worked on the arrangement of the song.
The track has a subtle electric guitar playing through the background and more pronounced drums and piano. Really cool guitar effects during Tatsuya’s brief solo but I have to admit that the first time I heard the song, it had more of a coupling song style of feel than a major track. But overall, the track started to grow on me and started to enjoy it more.
As for the DVD, the “Live your Life” music video is included. Featuring the group performing inside an airport hangar with the airplanes right behind them. And again, the group still has quite a bit of energy twenty one years later. Overall, a fun music video that Lindberg fans will definitely enjoy.
NOTICEABLE CONTENTS:
Bi-fold insert includes lyrics and production credits. Plus a mini flier with information on Lindberg and their live DVD “Lindberg 20th Anniversary Live Special”.
BUY THIS CD SINGLE from CDJapan.com:
or YesAsia.com
LINDBERG – LINDBERG XX (The 20th Anniversary) (a J!-ENT World Groove Album Review)
June 27, 2009 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment
“LINDBERG reunites to celebrate the rock band’s 20th Anniversary with a new album featuring re-recorded versions of their classic hits and giving those songs a more modern, polished sound. Also, three new tracks that shows that LINDBERG still has what it takes to delivery awesome, enjoyable music!”
Purchase this album:
BAND: LINDBERG
ALBUM: LINDBERG XX (The 20th Anniversary)
LABEL: avex trax
CATALOG #: AVCD-23861/B
DURATION: 1:08:57
RELEASE DATE: April 22, 2009
- Re-FLIGHT ～あの日描いていた大人になってるかい?～
- 今すぐKiss Me
- Dream On 抱きしめて
- BELIEVE IN LOVE
- 恋をしようよ Yeah! Yeah!
- Over The Top
- それでも地球はまわるんです
- POWER
- 胸さわぎのAfter School
- GAMBAらなくちゃね
- もっと愛しあいましょ
- every little thing every precious thing
- Green eyed Monster
- 星に願いを
- 行こう!!!!
DVD: Region 2, 4:3, Duration: 20:41 minutes
- 今すぐKiss Me [-20th Music Clip]
- 行こう!!!! [Music Clip]
- Runway Shot -Off Shot Clip-
I can easily remember when I first discovered the Japanese rock band LINDBERG.
The group was one of the more popular rock bands from Japan that featured an all male band but a female lead vocalist that had her own unique vocal style.
The band which consists of lead vocalist/songwriter (and former idol) Watase Maki, Hirakawa Tatsuya (guitar), Kawazoe Tomahisa (Bass) and “Cherry” Koyanagi (drummer) formed the band back in 1988 and had a string of hits previous to the release of “EXTRA FLIGHT II” which include “Ima sugu Kiss Me” (their second CD single back in 1992) and again a revival in 1996 with hits such as “Every Little Thing Every Precious Thing” and “Green Eyed Monster” before disbanding in 2002.
The group ended their run with a total of 35 CD singles from 1989-2002, a total of 17 albums and 19 videos.
In 2008, there was buzz that the group would reunite for their 20th Anniversary with an album release and a concert tour.
On April 22, 2009, LINDBERG released their 18th album titled “LINDBERG XX (the 20th Anniversary)” on their latest label avex trax.
The new album would feature three new songs but also re-recordings of many of their classic hits to highlight their 20th Anniversary.
So, suffice to say, the 90′s rock sound is replaced with a more modern interpretation using newer technology and slightly different arrangement which is not a bad thing, considering that fans can easily obtain their previous released or greatest hits albums if they wanted to own their classic hits. So, needless to say, the newer sound for these classic songs such as “Koisugu Kiss Me”, “Koi wo Shiyoyou Yeah! Yeah!”, “BELIEVE IN LOVE” and many other classic hits with their new sound is another incentive of why fans should pick this new album up.
If one thing that comes to mind when listening to a lot of their latest re-recordings of their classic hits, the songs are much more polished. Many sound more modern, while some have a touch of that early 90′s feel. For many of the songs, the band works with MOTO (from the band GaGaalinG) for arrangement and
Songs such as “Koisugu Kiss Me” (the band’s second single) is more polished and Maki’s vocals are still quite solid now as it was back in 1990. Their fourth CD single “Dream On Dakishimite” sports a deeper bass and also a much more polished sound compared to their original release track. And songs such as the powerful ballad “every little thing every precious ting” sounds impressive with the electric guitar and strings working in balance with each other along with Maki’s beautiful vocals. But then you get really awesome modern tracks such as “POWER”.
The arrangements of the songs are slightly different but it works with its modern interpretation and better production. Maki’s vocals is what keeps the songs consistent from the past. So, overall, I was very pleased with the album. Of course, with over 35 CD singles, there were songs that I wish that made it to the 20th Anniversary album such as their 16th CD Single “だってそうじゃない!?” (Datte Soujyanai!) and actually a few other songs that I have enjoyed from LINDBERG’s two decades. But overall, the songs that were re-recorded were very good selections.
The three newer tracks from the band such as “Ikkou!!!!” and “Re-FLIGHT ～あの日描いていた大人になってるかい?～” are just awesome songs that show the band still has what it takes to create awesome music.
As for the DVD, the DVD comes with a 20th Anniversary version of “Koisugu Kiss Me” and Maki still looks absolutely fabulous and the video shows the band performing in the middle of a raceway.
The second video is from their new song “Ikkou!!!!” which features a group of five friends getting together to say goodbye to one of their female friends who is leaving by train. The music video was created like a short film and has dramatic situations and a higher production.
The third clip features the making of their 20th Anniversary version of “Koisugu Kiss Me” and “Ikkou!!!!”.
The CD insert booklet features the lyrics and production credits and images of the band. A mini-flier is included and is promoting the band’s 20th Anniversary Live concert and how fans can purcahse tickets for the concert at CC Lemon Hall, as the Shibuya concerts have sold out. Also, another mini-flier promoting Avex releases in the month of April ’09.
Overall, I found “LINDBERG XX” to be a fantastic release If anything, some may have wondered how the band would sound seven years after they ended their activity and sure enough, the band still sounds great. Over twent years later and LIDNBERG is still able to create fantastic music and Maki Watase sounds as incredible as ever.
I really enjoyed hearing the modern and polished sound of their classic hits on this album and sure, I wish there were more songs from their past that would have received a re-recording but overall a good balance of new songs and re-recorded songs. Also, if you are a big fan, getting the CD+DVD version is also well-worth it.
If you are a LINDBERG fan, this album is highly recommended!
Purchase this album:
LINDBERG – EXTRA FLIGHT II: Human Aircraft (a J!-ENT World Groove Album Review)
February 15, 2008 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment
BAND: LINDBERG
ALBUM: EXTRA LIGHT II
LABEL: TOKUMA JAPAN COMMUNICATIONS
CATALOG #: TKCP-70190
RELEASE DATE: January 1, 1993
DURATION: 47:00
- Yume de Aetara
- Datte Soujanai!?
- Daikirai!
- Futari Kiri de Ikou yo
- Kairitai Kairinai
- Tsuki
- Tobikiri no Yoru
- Catch Ball
- Okiku natara
- Nagare boshi o sagashite
The year was 1993. Dominating the charts were B’z, Okamoto Mayo, ZARD, DEEN, WANDS but around Fall 1993, a rock band known as LINDBERG started to gain momentum by chart topping hits starting with “Yume de Aetara”, “Datte Soujanai!?” and then “Daikirai!”
The band which consists of lead vocalist/songwriter (and former idol) Watase Maki, Hirakawa Tatsuya (guitar), Kawazoe Tomahisa (Bass) and “Cherry” Koyanagi (drummer) formed the band back in 1988 and had a string of hits previous to the release of “EXTRA FLIGHT II” which include “Ima sugu Kiss Me” (their second CD single back in 1992) and again a revival in 1996 with hits such as “Every Little Thing Every Precious Thing” and “Green Eyed Monster” before disbanding in 2002.
The group ended with a total of 35 CD singles from 1989-2002, a total of 17 albums and 19 videos.
With “EXTRA FLIGHT II”, the album would contain the bands 16th through 18th CD singles and the attraction fans would have with the band was that it was essentially a rock band, with a cute lead vocalist who had a unique vocal style that Watase was known for.
The first track “Yume de Aetara” (their 18th CD single, rel. Dec. 1993) was an example of the band’s happy, rock style with Watase’s vocals and the band’s harmonizing on chorus.
The second track was the song that caught my attention and was one of the reasons why I wanted this album was the song “Datte Soujanai!?” (Their 16th CD single which was released in October 1993) which was used for a commercial for AXIA.
The video which featured the group on tour and just having fun in various locations and the biggest memory of the Nirvana Grunge days were to see the band playing together in flannel and jamming.
The song was just pure fun LINDBERG with Watase’s vocals and a cool guitar solo by Hirakawa but definitely an example of how a music video done well, can influence a purchase of a CD single and an album. For me, the music and the video were just pure enjoyment and having fun, and this song was the hook that caught my attention towards LINDBERG.
The third track “Daikirai!” was the band’s 17th CD single and was the ending theme for TV Asahi’s animated series “The Bough” which was a fun rock song that features a lot of piano and organ playing. A bluesy, fun rock song.
There are some ballads such as “Kairitai Kairinai” and “Nagare boshi o sagashite”. The former which is a rock ballad while the latter which focuses on piano and strings and a very elegant ballad overall.
And actually a lot of the tracks on the album doesn’t stray away from the formula of the other songs. To describe each song on “EXTRA FLIGHT II”, it’s almost like describing the same song over and over but each song is of course different and made unique by Watase’s vocal spin to the music.
If anything, the music of Lindberg showcases Watase’s songwriting, her approach to singing a song with her own style and the music is really not hard hitting. It’s rock music that can be appreciated by listening to it and watching it live. There is not much experimentation and you hear a lot of incorporation of piano, organ and congo drums to their music. It’s enjoyable, mellow rock music enhanced by Watase’s fun vocals.
To put into context during that time period, how Sakai Izumi’s vocals made you know who ZARD is, Watase Maki’s vocals are unique to LINDBERG.
The CD insert features the lyrics to the songs and photos of each individual member of the group.
I will always treasure this album because of “Datte Soujanai” and how the song just really made me call Japanese music stores in the US and actually hit and miss because I didn’t know the title of the track that I ended up buying other LINDBERG albums that Kinokuniya had in stock. But it was alright because it helped me enjoy their older music up to this album and definitely made me a fan of their musical work.
LINDBERG may not be around anymore (although Watase Maki was reported to make a return) and the songs still continue to be played at Japanese baseball games and are fan favorites during intermissions, their music continues to linger on for fans who will remember the band for its songwriting, Watase’s vocals and their fun approach to rock music and be one of the most recognizable rock bands that feature an all male rock band and a female lead singer.
There have been rock bands with female singers that have since emerged but there really hasn’t been the same type of band that manages to capture the enjoyability and style that I enjoyed from LINDBERG (and that goes for ZARD as well). These two bands from the musical style, especially how LINDBERG has transformed fashionably throughout the years, will always stick in my mind.
Overall, LINDBERG’s “EXTRA FLIGHT II” sticks in my mind as one of the cooler albums to get from the band and what they were able to accomplish in 1993 and besting other high profile bands at the time which was very cool to see. But moreso, watching the band at its peak in the early 90′s and showcasing their style of enjoyable rock music.
