Wonder Girls - Be My Baby [MV]

So the Wonder Girl's have crawled out from whatever rock they have been hiding the USA and have released a new Korean album and music video for the song "Be My Baby". So I sat down and listened to song and thought it had catchy instrumentals and decent vocal melody. I mean on that basis alone I know I should like this song. I mean it has an upbeat retro style do wop kind of sound to it which is usually something I can get into. I mean hell I've caught myself singing parts of this song every now and then since I've heard it. Though there is one that ruins the song for me.

SNSD - The Boys [MV]

The nine angels of Korea, SNSD, have returned home. With them they bring a new album and new MV for their song "The Boys". Which I have to be honest, on my initial listen of the song, I found it to be quite terrible. Now before you Sones get up in arms about this, hear me out first. If you look at only the verses of the song, the song is actually rather decent. Granted, I feel like parts of the singing sections have a similar melody to Lady Gaga's song "Telephone". Though, I'll that slide for now. But yeah, the vocals are decent. It is comparatively weaker than their previous singles though in my opinion. Also, I'm not sure what they are trying to go with the "cheerleader shouting" sections. Those parts just seem out of place and seem to break up the flow of the song. After School does a similar type of thing in their song "Bang" due it's marching band concept. However the method works a lot better in that song. I mean every time I hear "Girls Generation make you feel the heat", I just want to cringe. Oh and officially this might be the first SNSD song to have a "rap" section. I don't know who's idea it was to have them rap, but I particularly don't like it. The girl's are just not that good at rapping. I mean a lot of Korean girl group rappers tend to be awful, but the rap break in this song is completely abrupt and unnecessary. Although, I will say after multiple listens I have been able to get into a mindset where I can tolerate the song for being what it is. Granted the "cheerleader shouting"/rap or whatever the hell you want to call it chorus and the over repetition of "bring the boys" still bugs the hell out of me. In general, I still think this is currently the worst song on their new album.

Secret - Love Is Move [MV]

The girls of Secret are back with their first official album and have released a music video for their song "Love Is Move". Like their last couple of singles, "Love Is Move" is another song that caries a retro vibe. Though this time they go with a more of a rock and roll/rhythm and blues style song. Which the girls manage to pull off quite well in my opinion. I mean it is a retro style, but they manage to keep it fresh and lively. Not to say retro is bad, but I feel they add enough of their own personal touches that makes the song work for a modern audiences. It's very upbeat and catchy and that's just the way I like it.

Orange Caramel - Shanghai Romance [MV]

Orange Caramel is back and they have released a MV for their new song "Shanghai Romance". The song is part of the group's "Asia Of One" series that started with the song "Bangkok City". Personally I found the song to be at best, pretty decent. To match the Chinese theme it does have tinges of elements from Chinese music, yet the main song itself has a pretty driving dance beat. The vocals for the song seem to go well with the instrumentals and the chorus is "mildly" catchy. Overall it's a decent song to listen to, but it's not really that amazing to be honest.

The Avengers Official Trailer

So earlier today, a new trailer for The Avengers was released. I'm definitely excited to see all the different interactions the heroes will have with each other. Though, part of me is still curious if the rumors of Skrulls being in the film are true. The trailer only really showcases Loki as the villain of this film. Oh well, maybe more light will be shed before this film's May 2012 release.

Mark's Going Away Party

So last night, the members of BAAU and I threw our friend and fellow member Mark a going away party last night. In October, Mark is moving to Japan to be with his girlfriend Sayaka who currently lives and works in Japan. I would like to extend my best wishes to him in Japan. I really appreciate the friendship he he has extended to me in this past year and a half of knowing him. Hopefully this is not the last we see or hear from him. Oh and thanks to Hojo for letting us use his place to hold this party!

Brown Eyed Girls - Sixth Sense [MV]

So after two years, Brown Eyed Girls have finally released a new album and music video for their song "Sixth Sense". The girls waited so long to release new material because they wanted to make sure it was perfect to them. Now for the song the instrumentals have a very cinematic and movie score type feel to it. Which kind of adds an "epicness" to the song. Considering that Brown Eyed Girls is made up of talented vocalists and a skillful rapper, the vocals are well done with a slight jazz feel to them. Though I feel in some points the vocals don't really go with the instrumentals. Though as a whole it kind of works, so I don't know you're just going to have to judge it for yourself. Although I will say I don't think this is a song you can dance to or listen to leisurely. I think this song is only suited for events of a "cinematic" nature.

T-ara - Log In [MV]

T-ara have recently released a new music video for their song "Log In". T-ara, SBS, and sports apparel company JDX teamed up to make this song for a JDX's latest CF/PSA campaign. The song is a bit different from the usual songs by T-ara, but I feel they pull it off well. They toned down a lot of the electronic elements and actually let the girls voices be heard. Also the song is a little more on the cute side than their other songs. In any event, I quite like this song and the style used in it. The video is behind the scenes footage of the CF filming. It's fun and colorful and goes well with the song. Also considering the "super bias" is in this, there's no reason for me to not like it.

Girl's Day - Don't Let Your Eyes Wander [MV]

Surprisingly to me, Girl's Day released a music video for their new single "Don't Let Your Eyes Wander". I am surprised by this release as it was a song the girls were not going going to promote. Though here is a video for it. Originally I didn't quite like this song as much as the other Girl's Day songs. Especially not as much as their song "Hug Me Once".But I guess after a quite a number listens I've warmed up to it a little. Maybe I am just a little tired of Girl's Day and their never ending aegyo or maybe it's something else. I'm not really sure. Though now that I have seen a music video for this song, I think I find that it makes me like the song more

KARA - Step [MV]

So the day is finally here, KARA is back in Korea and they have released an awesome new album and a video for their song "Step". I have to admit, while groups like KARA and SNSD were off promoting themselves in Japan, they kind of fell off my radar. I think it has to do with a combination of limited access to Japanese music shows and preference to actual Japanese artist when it comes to Japan for me. So I was really anxious to see where KARA stood in my K-Pop idol group ranks due to my shift in interests. All I can say is after listening to "Step", I can still say they are the best f***ing five.

Nine Muses - Figaro [MV]

Here is a music video by K-Pop girk group Nine Muses for their song "Figaro". This video isn't really that new as it has been out for a couple weeks now, but I really didn't give in to the song till now. While I know very little about Nine Muses, I do know that two members dropped out of the group. So currently they actually are Seven Muses. The song itself has a very infectious and driving dance beat. It also has a tinge of a retro 80's dance club vibe to the instrumentals and there are even usage of horns here and there. While the vocals aren't really that ground breaking or exceptional, I find that I can not get the parts of the song where the girls sing "by the midnight" out of my head. It's just so freaking catchy and matched with this pulsating beat it traps this song in my head. For reference's sake, I did decided to take a lot at their previous song "No Playboy" but I found that release to be rather lackluster to me. Figaro's instrumentals and the vocal melody are such a winning combination to me.

Davichi - Don't Say Goodbye [MV]

So I finally got around to watching Davichi's music video for their song "Don't Say Goodbye". Usually I'm not really a fan of ballad singers or ballad songs, but I actually like this song. The vocals by the duo of Kang Min Kyung and Lee Hae Ri are excellent and the tempo of the song is at a moderate pace to keep me interested. Actually the vocals and instrumentals in this complement each other very well. You have the sweet and melodical vocals of Davichi and the also melodical and driving medium paced piano, strings, and drum beat accompaniment. The two just seem to click very well together to and I think it does well to evoke the emotions of the songs rather bittersweet message to the song.

J-Pop Summit Festival 2011 - ZANEEDS/DJ Amaya Set

So as mentioned previously, I was at the J-Pop Summit Festival this past Sunday. While there I was part of this dance they had during the ZANEEDS/DJ Amaya set. At the time I was in the artist alley mingling with my artist friends, that's when I heard the in instrumentals for Perfume's "Polyrhythm". That caused me to run towards the stage to see what was going on. Then while I was there, I just spontaneously then and there decided to join in. The rest as the videos below will show is history(yeah, I found that there were video of this on Youtube O___O). With that in mind, watching the videos also makes it rather apparent that I clearly don't know how to dance. In case you're new to the site or have no idea who I am in these videos, look for the guy in the "red shirt with the robot on it".

Kyary Pamyu Pamyu - PONPONPON [PV]

Recently I was introduced to Kyary Pamyu Pamyu and her video for her song "PONPONPON". The song itself was produced by none other than Yasutaka Nakata of the Japanese group Capsule. Aside from Capsule, Yasutaka Nakata also has produced for Perfume and MEG. So as a fan of his work, Kyary's song definitely fall into a similar category to his work with Capsule, Perfume, and MEG. It's got a very electro/techno dance vibe to it as does most of Nakata's work does. Th vocals while not the greatest in the world, really fit well with the instrumentals and she is given a slight vocoder treatment as most acts produced by Nakata are. Though the treatment for her seems to be slightly less, since you can still kind of discern the human element in the songs vocals. I mean I'm not saying she's a bad singer or anything. If I had to say, I would say she's probably average for a J-Pop singer. Though, what I am saying is Nakata could turn any garbage into a catchy hit song. The man is like some kind of genius or something.

Miwa - FRiDAY-MA-MAGIC [PV]

Here is a music video for Miwa's song "FRiDAY-MA-MAGIC". The song currently is the opening theme to the Japanese Drama "Ouran High School Host Club". As usual, it is another great song by Miwa. It has a great rock vibe and the song is very fun and lively. Honestly I can say that this is finally a song about Friday that does not suck. As for the video itself, it's colorful and fun as the song itself. Although, it's got a very basic premise and mostly consists of Miwa playing guitar and singing in various spots with back up dancers here and there. I don't really have much else to add to this, but Miwa definitely doesn't disappoint here.

J-Pop Summit Festival 2011 Photos

So here are the photos I took while I was at the J-Pop Summit Festival this last Sunday. Unfortunately I wasn't tabling there but I went with my friend Bruce to check it out. I met up with a lot of my fellow artist and vendor friends and also met new people as well. Aside from checking out all the vendors, I also was able to check out a performance from the US voice actors for K-On and I also saw a vocaloid dance contest judged by 2 members of Danceroid. I even managed get in the action and joined in some of the dancing on the stage myself. Though that is a story for another day and time. To check out the photos I took while I was at the J-Pop Summit Festival on Sunday click here.

Stereopony - Tatoeba Utaenakunattara [PV]

I guess I haven't keeping good track of Japanese releases lately, but here is a music video for Stereopony's song "Tatoeba Utaenakunattara". This song is a collaboration between Stereopony and Kariyushi 58 creating a song with dual vocals and two lead guitars. The song itself is a pretty straightforward and mellow track. I feel the male and female vocals do well together and the instrumentals have decent energy to them. It's a pretty good song to listen to if anything. The music video is just a simple performance video of them out in the countryside. There's not much to it, but I feel it fits the song perfectly.

G.NA - Top Girl [MV]

Korean Canadian singer G.NA has released a new music video for her song "Top Girl". I find the song to be quite catchy and enjoy the fact there are guitar riffs used in this song. G.NA's singing in the song is also quite good, granted it really doesn't show off the full potential of her vocal ability. Though, I guess the song was meant to be more fun and catchy than a showcase for her vocal talent. So I guess we can let that slide for now, since this song will make you want to be on top. Wait . . . that doesn't sound right . . .

Ultimate Marvel VS Capcom 3: Doctor Strange And Nemesis Trailers

More videos of Ultimate Marvel VS Capcom 3 have been released. This time the videos highlight the new characters Doctor Strange and Nemesis. Doctor Strange or Stephen Strange was once a world renowned neurosurgeon. Though after damaging his hands in an accident, he sought out was to cure his condition. This eventually lead him to the Ancient One who thought him the mystic arts after Strange thwarted Baron Mordo's attempt to kill the Ancient one. How Strange's character will fit into the game is something I'm not sure of, but from the trailers he seems a little similar to Magneto to me. The other character featured in these new trailers is Resident Evil's Nemesis. Nemesis is a bio organic supersoldier created by the Umbrella corporation to kill the members of STARS. It's strange seeing him included into the game as it was earlier said he would not be include due to the mature nature of the character. Yet here he is in full brutally violent glory.

Jack In The Box Jumbo Breakfast Platter

So after seeing a commercial for it last night, I decided to take the opportunity today to try out Jack In The Box's New Jumbo Breakfast Platter. For the most part, it's pretty standard fair for fast food breakfast plates. You got pancakes, eggs, meat, and hash browns. Unlike other breakfast platters though, you do not get a biscuit or english muffin for your troubles. Though I guess it makes sense for the price. My only major gripe about the platter is that instead of giving regular sized pancakes, they give you mini pancakes. I mean they taste alright, but their small size make pouring syrup on them a bit of mess. This is due to the syrup not having much area to run down. Either way, it would have probably have been more effective to have offered pancakes in a regular size. Also, am I the only think that the eggs alone take up a good portion of this platter? Eh, for $2.99 plus tax, I can't really complain that much thought. All in all, I think this platter is passable to someone who wants a good old American style breakfast for dirt cheap at any time of the day. Though if you want a quality breakfast, go to IHOPs, Dennys, Nations or some other restaurant or diner like them.