an album will always colour how you listen to its songs going forward...
The band has now broken up (my brother took me to their last show), and my high school days have long passed. Time marches on, but the past stays alive in the music of our youth.
(4/4)

Link: www.discogs.com/master/11393...

the first manifesto of someone who will go on to study the humanities. I should mention that I'm not trying to put the album down; I love it! "Long Time Coming", "Had Enough", "Work For It", these are all (pop-)rock bangers! Still, it is a reminder of how your own circumstances of discovering-
(3/4)

very dear to me. The album itself is, funnily enough, a little... juvenile? Not in a bad way mind you, but I cannot help read some of these song as 'by teens, for teens'. Take "I Would", which seems tailor-made for a montage of two teenagers falling in love. Or take "Money", which reads like
(2/4)

I have nothing but love for this record, and the many Japanese composers later inspired by this band who would go on to write video game music. Please give this true classic a listen!!! By the way; The band's initials spell out the album name, how cool!
(4/4)

Link: www.discogs.com/master/28793...

Meanwhile, songs like "Midnight Rendezvous" showcase the tight grooves of Akira Jimbo on drums and Tetsuo Sakurai on bass. Still, Casiopea know when to slow it down; Closer "Swear" starts of quieter featuring nostalgic synth-vox, before building to a climax worthy of the ovation it gets!
(3/4)

80's opening notes of "Take Me", you know you're in for a real treat! Despite being a completely instrumental album, Issei Noro's wonderful guitar work and Minoru Mukaiya's dreamy synth sounds take you on a real journey through, frankly, an overindulgent amount of modulations.
(2/4)

Please do check this album out!
(4/4)

Link: www.discogs.com/master/33598...

partially due to the stellar guest performance by Elizbeth Hull! I'd also like to mention that "The Bird" still makes me tear up, and regularly cry. This album, too, is best experienced all the way through in one sitting, but a lot of these songs are also great on their own!
(3/4)

strongest opening runs I've heard in these genres. Especially "The Raccoon (And The Myth)" is a delight every time I hear it. The interlude-like songs provide a nice connecting tissue between the different character songs, of which I think "The Bear" *bears* special mention for being a banger;
(2/4)

The thing that Tomoo continues to do incredibly well on this record are the slower, ballad-like songs though. Take the piano-driven "Cinderella", which builds to a powerful crescendo near the end. All in all a stellar record I cannot recommend enough!
(3/3)

Link: www.discogs.com/master/40346...

expecting to be greeted by such groovin' syncopated horn lines, but what a pleasant surprise "Super Ball" was as an opener! In that vein: "Honey Boy" is a song so cute and energetic it's actually got me learning to play keys again, which might be the highest compliment I can offer a song.
(2/3)

little dated, even in 2010, but I can't help but adore it for that. "Permanent Tourists" plays one of my favourite tricks; A bunch of different vocal lines at once. Every song on this record just works for me, so please give it a try if you're like me!
(3/3)

Link: www.discogs.com/master/91174...

would've love The Graduate's "Only Every Time", had she heard it at that time. Instead, I learned of this album a decade later. And yet, I love it all the same. I still don't know what tricks they pulled to make opener "Don't Die Digging" sound this massive. "Stuck (Inside My Head)" was a-
(2/3)

Even if you've never heard of this series, and do not intend to watch it, I'd still highly recommend this album! There's many genuinely stellar J-rock on here. That's the best thing about this virtual band resurgence; the music does not suffer for it!
(4/4)

Link: www.discogs.com/master/32388...

is that the voice actress for Kita, the band's lead singer in the series, sings most of these songs! I think we should let more VA's sing; Songs like "Seiza ni Naretara" would not be the same without her excellent vocal performance, and the link between the real and fictional is just great!
(3/4)

behind-the-scenes writing and performing these songs; In this case session musicians like Yuichi Takama, whose incredible bass work can be heard on songs like "Karakara", and Osamu Hidai, whose blazing-fast drums form the heart of songs like "Ano Bando". My favourite touch, however,-
(2/4)

between their influences that leads to this, groovy, light, and incredibly fun mix. Even slower songs like "Everybodyelse" just work for me this time around. Please do give this album, and this band, a try; Maybe they're even your new favourite!
(3/3)

Link: www.discogs.com/master/39552...

their first and second albums had great tracks, but they never came together me. "LOVED" is different. Everything on this album just *works*. There's an unmistakable energy to it, evident in tracks from opener "Tobeloved" to lead single "Leaveyourlove". They've found an incredible balance-
(2/3)