moumoon – On the right (a J!-ENT World Groove CD Single Review)
October 17, 2009 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment
“moumoon experiments with a different style of music with their fifth single ‘On the right’. Featuring a more mellow, happier upbeat pop track, the single also features a solid rock track and an all English track as well. Overall, a solid single from the duo.”
GROUP: moumoon
CD SINGLE: On the Right
LABEL: avex trax
CATALOG #: AVCD-31654/B
DURATION: 21:16
RELEASE DATE: July 22, 2009
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- On the right
- ハレルヤ
- Philia
- On the right ~instrumental
- ハレルヤ – instrumental
DVD: Region 2, Duration: 10:20 minutes, 4:3
- On the right – MUSIC CLIP
- FULL MOON LIVE TOUR 2009 DIGEST
- FULL MOON LIVE TOUR 2009 Special Animation 01
- FULL MOON LIVE TOUR 2009 Special Animation 02
In 2004, singer/songwriter YUKA and musician/composer Kousuke Masaki were introduced by a mutual friend. Eventually, the two appreciated each other’s music and in 2005, the two would form the rock unit, moumoon.
The group based their name from the French world “mou” and the English word “moon” which literally translates to “soft moon”. Two words that would describe the two individuals of the group.
YUKA who was born on Dec. 3, 1985 in Tokyo is a big fan of Michelle Branch and Des’ree. Although, known for her vocals, YUKA is actually an accomplished violinist and played for an orchestra. She learned English while living in America where she lived in Michigan and Illinois. Kousuke Masaki was born on June 22nd, 1977 in the Ishikawa Prefecture and is a big fan of The Neptunes and Alanis Morissette. Kousuke is an accomplished musician who grew up learning the piano and at the age of 13, learned to play guitar and at 15, started playing the synthesizer.
The group has managed to capture my attention with their Japanese and English releases and have felt that this band has a good presence to perform outside of Japan based on the releases and live work they have done thus far.
Their fifth CD single “On the right” is quite interesting because the band sports a different style of sound that moumoon is known for.
The single kicks off with “On the right”, a softly sung pop track that is a happy style of song that really doesn’t showcase the bands rock sound but if anything, shows that the band can utilize different styles. In a way, I find this quite interesting because moumoon kind of reminds me of the 90′s pop group My Little Lover who were known for their rock sound and then wanted to experiment with different style of sounds and it will be interesting to see if the group pursues that style of sound in the near future.
The second track “ハレルヤ” (or “Hallelujah”) is ain inspirational rock track that the band is known for. Featuring string arrangements by Gen ittetsu and I like how the song transitions to this earthly chorus. Pretty cool track!
The third track is an all English track titled Philia, written by YUKA. The song actually features solid English lyrics and showcases YUKA’s talent for songwriting. In this song, YUKA writes about a friend she met in 1985 named Philia who told her to stand up to the crazy world and how that voice and those words stayed with her since.
The remaining two tracks are instrumental tracks for the first two songs.
As for the DVD, the DVD features a music video for “On the right” which features YUKA walking through an artistic world featuirng CG clips of flowers, birds, paper airplanes, animals, buildings and more that sprout around while she moves around from area to area. The video is directed by Keita Takayanagi.
The second track features clips from moumoon’s 2009 FULL MOON tour with clips of her singing songs such as “Do you remember?” and “good night”.
The third and fourth clips are two special animation clips that were shown during the FULL MOON tour.
As for the CD insert, the insert features the lyrics and production credits to the song and music video. A picture of YUKA and Kousuke Masaki and a mini flier for BEE TV.
Overall, another entertaining CD single release from moumoon. “On the right” definitely showcases the group with a different style of music that fans may or may not be comfortable with but personally, I see the track as a way of showing that the group can take on different style of music which isn’t all that bad. For fans of moumoon, definitely get the CD+DVD version, as the DVD does showcase clips from the 2009 FULL MOON LIVE TOUR.
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moumoon – EVERGREEN (a J!-ENT World Groove CD Single Review)
June 8, 2009 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment
“Another wonderful CD single from moumoon featuring three distinct styles from the group. Overall, another solid release!”
GROUP: moumoon
CD SINGLE: EVERGREEN
LABEL: avex trax
CATALOG #: AVCD-31555/B
DURATION: 22:56
RELEASE DATE: February 25, 2009
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- EVERGREEN
- S-cape
- AINOOTO (愛の音 ～English ver.～)
- EVERGREEN ~instrumental~
- S-cape ~instrumental~
DVD: Region 2, 4:3, Duration: 13:45
- EVERGREEN Music Clip – Kafu wo Machiwabite – Another Story>
- A Documentary Film<[moumoon 1st ALBUM release Tour 2008] Off Shot
In 2004, singer/songwriter YUKA and musician/composer Kousuke Masaki were introduced by a mutual friend. Eventually, the two appreciated each other’s music and in 2005, the two would form the rock unit, moumoon.
The group based their name from the French world “mou” and the English word “moon” which literally translates to “soft moon”. Two words that would describe the two individuals of the group.
YUKA who was born on Dec. 3, 1985 in Tokyo is a big fan of Michelle Branch and Des’ree. Although, known for her vocals, YUKA is actually an accomplished violinist and played for an orchestra. She learned English while living in America where she lived in Michigan and Illinois. Kousuke Masaki was born on June 22nd, 1977 in the Ishikawa Prefecture and is a big fan of The Neptunes and Alanis Morissette. Kousuke is an accomplished musician who grew up learning the piano and at the age of 13, learned to play guitar and at 15, started playing the synthesizer.
The group has managed to capture my attention with their Japanese and English releases and have felt that this band has a good presence to perform outside of Japan based on the releases and live work they have done thus far.
In Feb. 2009, the group released their fourth CD single titled EVERGREEN which is used as an ending theme song for Japanese television network, TBS’s “Megadigi” and “Akko ni Omakase!” and also their coupling song “AINOOTO” which is used as the ending theme for the anime “VIPER’S CREED”.
“EVERGREEN” is song written by YUKA and music by K. MASAKI and features a mid-tempo rock ballad. The song starts off slow but once you transition to the chorus, the strings by Gen Ittetsu takes over and you get the moumoon style of vocals that is noticeable with their music in that chorus. A wonderful and touching ballad!
The second track “S-cape” features a half English/half Japanese song written by YUKA which is literally a “sex, drugs, rock n’ roll” revolution track which features English profanity and although Yuka writes “I don’t do drugs”, she does add in her lyrics “I need alcohol”. Overall, a fun and surprising track to find on this CD single.
As with most moumoon CD single releases, she does have an all English track and in this CD single, included is the English version of “AINOOTO” (which means “Sounds of Love). Actually, the lyrics are well-written and poetic. A song about not being with the person you once loved durin gthe Winter. Overall, a solid ballad featuring lyrics by YUKA (and English vocal and lyrical direction by Nashmillion$, a producer at Avex and rhythm zone who lived in East LA) and the song is balanced with elegant piano accompaniment.
The final two instrumental tracks that make up the CD single are instrumentals of the first two songs.
The DVD features a clips from the film “Kafu wo Machiwabite” (based on the novel by Maha Harada which won the 1st Japan Love Story Award in 2005) and moumoon briefly in the video.
The second video featured on the DVD is “A Documentary Film<[moumoon 1st ALBUM release Tour 2008] offshot” features the group performing live and traveling to Osaka in late November 2008. Behind-the-scenes at the music studio and recording their first major full-length album. And then rehearsing and performing in Shibuya at duo MUSIC EXCHANGE in front of a live audience.
The CD insert booklet features the lyrics to the songs, a picture of moumoon and production credits. Also, a flier in regards to “moumoon FULL MOON LIVE TOUR 2009″.
Overall, “EVERGREEN” is another solid CD single from moumoon. Each release has been fantastic to listen to and they are becoming one of my favorites from Japan to listen to. A good balance of vocals, songwriting and music, “EVERGREEN” is definitely worth checking out!
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J!-ENT spotlight feature article: moumoon
Read our J!-ENT spotlight article on the Japanese rock duo moumoon which includes photos from their concert (opening act for the return concert of the band DO AS INFINITY). The article was written by J!-ENT’s Dennis A. Amith. Images courtesy of Avex Entertainment, Inc.
Click here to download the article
moumoon – Tiny Star (a J!-ENT World Groove CD Single Review)
September 2, 2008 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment
“The second CD single from moumoon features a theme for the Nintendo DS Bandai/Namco game ’99 no Namida’ and an English track. Overall, an awesome and solid CD single by the rock duo! This band has just become my 2008 Hot Band Pick of the Summer!”
GROUP: moumoon
CD SINGLE: Tiny Star
LABEL: avex trax
CATALOG #: AVC1-31446
DURATION: 29:32
RELEASE DATE: June 4, 2008
- Tiny Star
- こころのしずく
- Do you remember? – English version
- Sunrise
- Tiny Star (Instrumental)
- こころのしずく (Instrumental)
DVD: Region 2, 4:3, Duration: 12 minutes
- Tiny Star (Music Clip)
- FULL MOON LIVE
In June 2008, moumoon (mou=Soft in French and Moon in English), which consists of lead vocalist YUKA and Masaki Kousuke (guitars, keyboards, piano, programming and chorus) released their second CD single “Tiny Star”.
The duo who has been capturing listeners with their music via the indie scene since 2004 and in 2006 released the lovely single “FLOWERS/pride” and their first mini album “Flowers” made the switch to avex trax in 2007 with their first major label release “Do you remember?” in December.
Their second CD single “Tiny Star” features a mid-tempo rock ballad that really reminded me of music by SIXPENCE NONE THE RICHER. YUKA has beautiful, sweet vocals and I was very impressed with her vocals. I was immediately won over by the unique balance with her vocals and the acoustic guitar and as it transitions to a rock ballad. Well done!
The song is also the CM song and used as a theme for the Nintendo DS Bandai/Namco game “99 no Namida” (99 tears).
The second track Kokoro no Shizuku” (Quiet Heart) is similar to “Tiny Star” which the song features sweet vocals and an acoustic guitar, rock ballad. Again, I was drawn in to the dreamy vocals by YUKA for this second track and another well done song on this CD single.
The third track “Do you remember?” is an English version of their first CD single hit. I have to admit that I was very pleased with the overall track because it had an Avril Lavigne style to it. And I was very please by her vocals. As the first two tracks had a sweet, dreamy style of vocals. YUKA’s vocals sounds very Avril in the English version of the track and it’s done very well. English was pronounced well and overall a solid track.
The fourth track “Sunrise” is a bonus track that is an upbeat rock track featuring a beautiful strings arrangement and again, another solid song on this CD single. Very well done!
The fifth and sixth tracks are the instrumentals of the first two songs.
The DVD portion features the music video of “Tiny Star” which is tied into the commercial for the Nintendo DS tearjerker “99 no Namida” (not sure if you can call it a game or a tear-inducing simulator).
But the music video features the a woman who is moving out of her apartment (or dorm) and remembers the good times she shared with her friends and discovers a photo of her and her friends together and starts tearing. The same woman and scenes are featured in the commercial, while the moumoon portions feature the two going through the room and performing.
The second track of the CD single features live performance clips of the duo and an interview portion.
The CD insert booklet features the lyrics and production credits. Also, a flyer promoting the “99 no Namida” video game and the duo’s website.
I have to admit that I was very surprised by this CD single and to discover a group where I really loved the music and the vocals.
It almost struck me, in a positive way, of how I felt when I first discovered My Little Lover.
Moumoon’s music features dreamy vocals, cool music and well-written lyrics and overall “Tiny Star” is just a solid CD single featuring three awesome songs that I just fell in love with.
And what is more amazing with the DVD portion featuring the live performances, showcases vocalist YUKA performing live and pretty much what you hear on CD is what you hear during a live performance. Her vocals are the real deal and I was very impressed by her English as well.
Masaki Kousuke also definitely gets credit for setting up the atmosphere of the music. The overall ambience is lush and beautiful and that’s created by his imagination of the arrangement and great balance between the acoustic guitars, bass and drums.
After listening to their beautiful music, I’m now wanting more!
Overall this is a solid CD single that I highly recommend purchasing!
Check out more of our reviews at J!-ENT’s World Groove
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