October/November J-Music Releases (part 2)

Second part of the entry about the music releases of October and November that interested me. First part can be found here.

HIMEKA – Hatenaki Michi

I think most of the nanatards know by now that HIMEKA is a huge fan of Mizuki Nana. Himeka is a Quebécois anison artist. I don’t know about her though, and discovering that she was a fan of Goddess made me want to see if she was a good singer or not. She promoted her new single, 果てなき道 (Hatenaki Michi), on Mizuki Nana’s radio show Mの世界 (M no sekai), and released it four days ago.

First track, 果てなき道, is a slow song, somewhat like a ballad. It’s a good song to get an idea about Himeka’s voice, because there aren’t much instruments, but they are those I like the more : violin, harp, piano. She has a really particular voice, or should I say, a particular Japanese accent. Well, being Quebécoise isn’t surprising (Quebécois speaking French is SO funny XD). But I can’t say her voice is bad, because it’s so damn good ! >.< Second track, 空を教えてくれる (Sora wo Oshiete kureru), is faster, but still has the same feeling than the first one. Of course the singing is a bit different, and somewhat gives the feeling of an “epic” song, as we usually see in anime.

To conclude, it’s an excellent single to start discovering HIMEKA. She’s really a good singer, and this single is really something you have to listen if you are curious about her ! I think I’ll follow up her works starting from now ! And hey, she’s a Mizuki Nana fan !

Rating : 4.5/5

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MONKEY MAJIK – Nijiiro no Sanaka / Open Happiness / MONSTER

I’m a huge fan of MONKEY MAJIK : their music versatility totally fits my tastes : sometimes lounge, sometimes pop-rock, sometimes blues/hip-hop. This single features three totally different tracks : first one, 虹色の魚 (Nijiiro no Sakana), has a good vibe with electric guitars and drums : simple song with simple singing and good lyrics (though I didn’t understand everything ;D). I really love how MONKEY MAJIK are able to mix Japanese and English, thanks to their Canadian singers. Open Happiness is not really original, being alike a lot of their past songs. Here again it’s a simple song, very peaceful, acoustic… Classic, but it’s what I like. It only lacks a bit of originality. As opposed to that, MONSTER is really particular. Not a song I really like, but maybe I should spend more time listening to it. It’s darker, more synthetic, and voices are reworked a lot.

To conclude, the single is a bit disappointing. I thought that with 3 tracks, it would be worth the deal : only Open Happiness really catches me. But it is so alike their past songs… Nijiiro no Sanaka is just alright, not that catching.

Rating : 3/5

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Okay, that’s it all for October/November. I’m way too tired to continue writing about others songs, and I don’t have much time anymore ! Hope you enjoyed the reading !