Hitsujibungaku(羊文学) - 12 hugs(like butterflies) Album Thoughts(J-rock)

 

     Hitsujibungaku is a three piece female Japanese rock band that has been active in the underground music scene for some years now. I've checked out there earlier albums for research purposes and love their vibe. Their song More Than Words was used as the ending theme for the popular anime Jujutsu Kaisen, causing the band to surge in popularity currently. 12 Hugs(like butterflies)is their newest album. 

01 Hug
02 more than words
03 Addiction
04 GO!!!
05 永遠のブルー
06 countdown
07 Flower
08 honestly
09 深呼吸
10 人魚
11 つづく
12 FOOL

   

   12 Hugs is a great introduction to the band. While, I did enjoy checking out their older music, their newest release feels like the women are at a new peak musically. All  the tracks are garage pop rock injected with girl power love lyrics underlined in emotion. This is more of a hard hitting album instrumental wise in terms of the band. Most of the choruses come in with a unified boom of guitars and drums. It's good to note that the singer also plays guitar as she sings.  My only real problem with the album is that sometimes the volume levels for the instrumental and vocals need a little tweaking. Sometimes that vocals are overpowered by the band in certain tracks. Maybe I won't notice it as much if I listen to the albums through different speakers.  

    The front women has a great vocal quality. Her vocals on the song More Than Words is gold. I became a fan after seeing the band perform the song live. 

    

   12 Hugs as an album makes me feel warm and fuzzy on the inside. I'm a cave man so I haven't watched the new episodes of Jujutsu Kaisen yet. Even so, I've still loved every note coming from Hitsujibungaku. 

Edward Chen(陳昊森) - Almost Human Album Thoughts (Mandopop)

 

    Edward Chen is a Chinese actor from Taiwan. He first started to become known as a Boys Love actor in web shows such as Red Balloon. His fame grew tremendously when he was casted in the BL blockbuster hit, Your Name Engraved Herein where he also sang the main theme song in the film. This song would go on to win numerous awards causing his version of the song to also be released along side the original soundtrack version sang by another singer. Thus, Edward's music career began..... Almost Human is his debut album. 

01 孤傲
02 太陽色的獅子
03 半透明
04 冬日快樂
05 一起流浪 (feat. 魏如萱)
06 Wanna Be with You
07 貼
08 簡單
09 晚安

    Almost Human is an album for the fans who love Edward and all that he has done. He has released a couple singles before this album was released which I hadn't expected an album. Edward was mostly seen as an actor before this album but I always loved his version of Herein's theme song. If you liked that song then, you will love Almost Human to bits. The tracklist is really a continuation of the same sound that most were introduced when Edward started singing in the mainstream. The album brings pop rock love ballads that you would expect, even the track that brought us here is on the list and everything just feels right. I love the new songs because it's not too adventurous this time around. I'm not a big fan of the duet track since it sound a bit annoying(the female vocal) however, the title tracks on this album are the cherry on top of a pretty solid debut effort. 

    Edward Chen loves that high falsetto. I'm not mad at him though. His voice is pretty when he goes into that high point vocally. His normal low range sounds soft and warm. He sings well for not being an actually professional singer -Well, he is now and i'm here for it. 

 

   Almost Human is an album that will feed the hunger you had as a fan of Edward Chen. He became a singer to give you what you have been craving. Don't let your heart flutter too much. 

Vince(빈센트) - The Drive Mini Album Thoughts(k-hiphop/pop/RnB)

 

     Vince is a songwriter and producer who has worked with famous Korean artists such as G Dragon, Taeyang an other YG Entertainment artists. He's signed to YG Entertainment's sub label known as the BLACK LABEL where he decided to officially debut as a Vince in 2019. After a few single releases, his debut mini album was released. 

1.	Work	3:17
2.	About you	3:05
3.	GET OUT	3:30
4.	Like That	1:29
5.	UUU	3:18
6.	Emergency (feat. Zion.T)	3:28
7.	MENNAL (feat. Okasian)	3:14

     Vince's album is a musically style that would fit will with Jay Park's crew for the most part. The Drive comes to listeners with mostly RnB ballads that slide on Vince's voice like a glove. This is a kind of style that is slowly dying in music. Some people might even say that this sound is overplayed in this day and age. I think that tracks like About you or UUU are a nice addition to the movement. Can these song run together for a slow burn? Yes. However I do believe the overall production is worth the wait. I could tell that GET OUT was a track that created to fit into the dance EDM era that's big in South Korea right now. Emergency and MENNAL are pervious released singles. Emergency is arguably Vince's best song even now. Work and MENNAL are tow sides of the same coin. Booty shaking tracks are still a popular thing. 

   By the vocal tone and technique, Vince is an RnB boy through and through. I want to hear him sing more upbeat music. RnB is perfect for him but it just seems a bit too safe. 

    Vince has been in the background producing for many artists for years.  Now is the time for him to shine himself. I hope that he continues to grow as a singer.  I always try to blog about artists that aren't well known so that you will be put on to more indie East Asian singers.