Kana Nishino - Distance

Distance is Kana Nishino's (西野カナ) 13th single. It was released on February 9, 2011.

Tracklist:
01. Distance
02. beloved
03. Call Me Up

Pretty cover! Love the colors.

☆★☆

Distance is such a pretty song. It combines piano with strings and awesome beats. The chorus is really catchy too. Kana uses more low vocals in the verses rather than her usual more high pitched voice. I thought her vocals were really nice and this was a great a-side!

beloved also uses strings with piano, but this song has a more cute and bubbly feel compared to Distance. It's really nice to listen to and has a relaxing feel, but it definitely isn't as good as Distance and the next song on this single.

While Distance and beloved were more relaxing songs, Call Me Up has a more fun and upbeat feel. The beats were so cute and again an addicting chorus! The 'ring ding dong' parts were very addictive too. This song also has more heavy strings compared to the first 2 songs.

Because I didn't find her last single that great, I wasn't getting my hopes up for this single, but this is definitely an upgrade from her last single! I can't wait for her next single that she's releasing on May 18! I hope it will be as good as this one.

☆★☆

Rating:

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MBLAQ - Y

Y is MBLAQ's second single. It was released on 17 May, 2010.

Tracklist:
01. 4 Ya' Stereo - Intro (Feat.Taewan a.k.a C-Luv)
02. Y
03. One Better Day
04. What U Want
05. Last Luv
*The tracks in blue are my favs of this release.

☆★☆

MBLAQ's second single opens up with 4 Ya' Stereo - Intro (Feat. Taewan a.k.a C-Luv). It's an upbeat intro that has a sexy vibe. I really liked the beats and the bass and also the synths that are in the background. Most of their singing was heavily autotuned, but I think it fitted with the song.

I really liked how the intro fits with Y, the title track of this single. Again, their voices are autotuned for the most parts, but it fits here too. Y also has those agressive beats like the first track and the whole song also has a sexy feel. The 'beeping' synths in the back kinda reminded me of those in 2PM's Again & Again, but it was a good add. I think Rain also made a small appearance since the person who sings the 'it's over' parts at the end really sound like him.

One Better Day really has an uplifting feel. I really liked how the song was very upbeat, but still managed to have a calm vibe by adding the pretty piano in some parts and the uplifting strings. This really is a song I would imagine myself listening to on rainy days.

What U Want is quite different and probably the most unique MBLAQ song till now. It has more 'band instruments' like a guitar, a piano and drums. Because of this, the song is more jazzy and I think it was a really nice combination with their voices. I especially liked the chorus, because the 'tell me what u want' parts were really addictive.

Their second ballad, Last Luv, since My Dream from the JUST BLAQ single is really pretty. I really liked the instrumental and the chorusses were also really pretty. I really like the instrumentals because it also has a bit of that jazzy feel (not much though) like What U Want. I especially liked the guitar, piano and drums. There are also some strings added. Their vocals quite impressed me too.

MBLAQ really impressed me with this single, every song on here was really good. Especially What U Want. I hope they'll make more of those songs in the future. 

☆★☆

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Girls' Generation & 2PM - Cabi Song

Cabi Song is Girls' Generation & 2PM's (소녀시대 & 2PM) first collaboration digital single. It was used as theme song for the Caribbean Bay waterpark CM. It was released on 20 May, 2010.

Tracklist:

01. Cabi Song

☆★☆

Cabi Song kinda reminds me of SEOUL (a collab single by Girls' Generation & Super Junior), but this is kinda like the 'dance version' and also because of those 'C A B I' lines probably. xD I personally really love this song because it is so catchy. I also love the beats and synths. The whole song also has a 'mysterious' atmosphere and that's what made me love it immediately the first time i heard it. 

Their voices also really fit together and I hope they will release more catchy and cool collabs like this in the future!

☆★☆

Rating:

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Kana Nishino - Aitakute Aitakute

Aitakute Aitakute (会いたくて 会いたくて) is Kana Nishino's (西野カナ) 10th single. It was released on May 19, 2010.

Tracklist:

01. Aitakute Aitakute {会いたくて 会いたくて}

02. LOVE IS BLIND

03. Grab Bag

☆★☆

Aitakute Aitakute has a vibe I can't explain that makes me love this song. It is much more dramatic than her previous singles. Especially the strings in the chorus give it a more dramatic and 'grand' feel. There's a lot of variety in the song too. While the chorus are more fast paced, the parts after the choruses are suddenly very calm and the verses are slower paced too. The drums in the instrumentation were kinda unique too. I liked her previous a-side Best Friend more, but this song is also of high quality.

I really like LOVE IS BLIND. The song has a 'dance' feel to it and it's way more upbeat than the a-side. I especially liked a part of the synths that you hear throughout the song (except for the bridge). It makes the song have a funky atmosphere. The song is also pretty catchy.

I seriously don't get Grab Bag. It's such a weird song and there's just no structure in the song at all. Maybe it's just not my style, but I thought it was awfull. I could stand the verses, but when the chorus began I just couldn't stand it anymore. Seriously, this song is NOT worth a listen, try to avoid it when you listen to this single. 

The a-side and first b-side are both very good. But Grab Bag just ruins it for me. I would have given this single 5 stars if Grab Bag wasn't on here, lolol xD. But Kana Nishino really knows how to give some good a-sides. All her a-sides have been extremely good till now and I already can't wait for her next release!

☆★☆

Rating:

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BENI - Yura Yura / Gimme Gimme♥

Tracklist:

1. Yura Yura {ユラユラ}

2. Gimme Gimme♥ {ギミギミ♥}

3. bye bye DJ HASEBE REMIX

4. Yura Yura (Instrumental)

5. Gimme Gimme♥ (Instrumental)

Release date: May 5, 2010

I think the cover is really pretty! I like how colorful it is.

☆★☆

Yura Yura is a really upbeat song with a catchy chorus. I really liked instrumental, it has a nice clap/fingersnap beat and some piano. In the chorus you can also hear some strings. I think BENI's vocals are also very good. She really shows of the strength of her voice in the chorus and I think she is improving more and more.

The 2nd a-side is a bit slower and calmer than Yura Yura, but still upbeat. Gimme Gimme♥ also has a catchy chorus and I really liked the sweet and cute vibe that the song has. I thought the instrumental was very pretty.

BENI's first double a-side also has an remix of her previous single bye bye called bye bye DJ HASEBE REMIX. The remix is a bit more relaxing than the original and has more beats. It gives of a more R&B feel. The synths of the original have been removed and I liked the effect that it gave by adding those beats. I think I even prefer this remix over the original!

Both of the a-sides are really catchy! I think all her latest singles have been really catchy, she's really good lately. I still don't know if I prefer Yura Yura or Gimme Gimme♥ since both are great. I think I like Gimme Gimme♥ just a tiny bit more, but it's not much. Check this single out everyone!

☆★☆

Rating:

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DIA - 이젠 안녕

Tracklist:

1. 이젠 안녕

Release date: 29 April, 2010

I like the cover, but I'm not getting the random light things she's been using for some of her covers and promo pics. xD Oh well, it gives a nice light effect anyway.

☆★☆

DIA participated in writing the lyrics of 이젠 안녕 and I think she did a great job. It's a ballad that she wrote for the victims of the 'Cheonan tragedy'. If you don't know what happened and are curious, you can read in short what happened here. 

I thought the song was really beautiful. The instrumental is quite simple with just a piano and some synths, but it makes the song more emotional. DIA also displays strong and emotional vocals and I really liked the way she added a short high note after a few long notes in the chorusses. 

I'm really looking forward to hearing more from Dia, she's been giving some really good and consistent stuff. She really has amazing talent for someone of her age!

☆★☆

Rating:

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2PM - Don't Stop Can't Stop

Tracklist:

1. Don't Stop Can't Stop | 2. Without U | 3. 마자 | 4. 목숨을 건다 | 5. Without U (Explorer Mix)
6. Space 마자

Release date: 19 April, 2010

Hmm, the cover is ok, kinda cool. It's just stupid that Chansung and Taec just aren't fully on it. They could have put those little arm parts on it. lol

☆★☆

The first track Don't Stop Can't Stop is FIERCE. I love the hard beats and synths in the background. I thought the track was kinda addictive in a way too. Actually, the whole song was fierce, including the lyrics. At first I didn't really liked it, but after a couple of listens I started liking it. This is the best song on the single imo.

Without U starts with a simple piano and rain in the background as a simple beat is being added with Taecyeon starting to rap too. Overall the song is just okay and kind of addictive, but for some reason it's pretty similar to Heartbeat for me, especially the structure. The difference is that heartbeat was way better, lol. I think they would be better off with Don't Stop Can't Stop as the promotion track. But they started performing that one live too anyway, lol.

마자 has a mysterious synth you keep hearing almost throughout the whole track. I thought the verses were pretty nice, it has a cool feeling to it by adding that piano as a sort of beat, but in the chorus it's just the typical '2pm sound' again and that makes it kind of boring.

The next track is pretty similar to 마자, it's like a slower version. 목숨을 건다 has a similar beat to the previous track, but with an other instrumental. Atleast the arrangement is pretty, it features piano and  some pretty synths. This song is pretty boring to me and my least fav of this single.

The next 2 tracks are remixes of Without U and 마자. In Without U (Explorer Mix) the piano that you hear a lot in the original is completely gone and this song has a faster and more agressive beat also. I prefer the original since it's much more fit to the lyrics. Space 마자 has (like the title says) a more 'space-like' feel to it. The piano that was in the original is gone here also and it now has a bas in it back that gives a cool effect. I think I prefer this one over the original, since it has more variety.

Overall, the single is pretty okay, it's just typical '2PM sound', so it's all just nothing new. I hope they will do something more new and varied next time. Atleast their vocals are improving more and more and they give consistency in their singles & albums.

☆★☆

Rating:

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Lee Ji Ah - The Vampire Romance

Tracklist:

1. The Vampire ROMANCE

Release date: February 7, 2010

☆★☆

I really really love this song! I think the arrangement is really pretty. It features a piano and guitars and in the instrumental break there's a guitar solo that really fits this song. Lee Ji Ah's voice is very unique and her voice fits perfectly with this kind of calm songs. She manages to capture the feeling of the song perfectly by keeping her vocals really calm and she only puts more strength in her voice in the bridge. I think the lyrics of the bridge are especially pretty:

Tropical dreams of you, tragic faith, destroyed my heart.

Tropical dreams have gone, tragic faith, destroyed my hopes.

I really recommend this song to everyone! ^^

So basically, I hope to hear more soon in the singing career off this actress-turned-singer! 

☆★☆

Rating:

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alan - Diamond / Over the clouds

Tracklist:

1. Diamond | 2. Over the clouds | 3. Diamond (Instrumental) | 4. Over the clouds (Instrumental)

Release date: February 3, 2010

☆★☆

Despite all the critism on Diamond, I really enjoy listening to this song. The song starts kinda calm, but that all changes after about 1,5 minutes as the song turns into a more upbeat song while they start singing 'la la la' in the back. Although it becomes more upbeat, the song still manages to have a calm feeling to it. I thought the arrangement off this song was especially pretty and there's a nice guitar solo in the instrumental break. The song is almost 5 minutes long, but I didn't really notice it, because it was easy to listen to (atleast, for me).

The second song on the single is Over the Clouds. With the title I was expecting a really slow or calm song, but this song is really upbeat, way more upbeat than Diamond. I don't complain though, normally I always like the slower songs, but I like this one more than Diamond. It features heavy beats with strings and synths and Alan's voice is autotuned in the verses which really works well with the vibe of the song.

Although I really enjoyed this single, the reason why I got into Alan was because she did music that had a traditional feeling to it. This single didn't do much to show her vocal abilities and I know she can do much more than this. This was nice for a change, but go back to your old style soon, alan!

☆★☆

Rating:

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