This is the April release digest from Melody Cafe, highlighting new CDs that I’ll be watching out for this month.
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Contents:
> BABYMETAL – Metal Resistance [album] April 1
> Rie fu – O [album] April 6
> ONE OK ROCK – 2015 “35xxxv” TOUR LIVE & DOCUMENTARY [DVD] April 6
> Nothing’s Carved In Stone – In Future [single] April 6
> Hakobune – apsidal [album] April 13
> Hirahara Ayaka – Love [album] April 27
> Aoyama Thelma – PINK TEARS [single], SMOKE & TEARS [compilation album], and LOVE! ~SPECIAL~[compilation album] April 27
[April 1] BABYMETAL – Metal Resistance [album]
BABYMETAL, a concept that could only have been created in Japan (wedding cutesy teenage girl idols to head-banging metal music), released their second album Metal Resistance on April Fools’ Day. Metal Resistance contains 12 tracks, including singles “Road of Resistance” and “KARATE.” The album is being released in two versions: a limited edition with a DVD of live clips, and a regular edition. The live clips on the limited edition are taken from the Tokyo Metropolitan Rock Festival in May last year.
More info:
> Melody Cafe post
> BABYMETAL official site
[April 6] Rie fu – O [album]
Singer-songwriter Rie fu is commemorating her 10th year of major label music with a two part series of albums. I was released back in November 2014. According to the release notes, O, the second part of the series, was created with the theme of “Outside” in mind, after Rie fu toured in Asian countries including Indonesia and Singapore. O will be released on April 6, 2016 and contains 10 original tracks.
More info:
> Melody Cafe post
> Rie fu official site
[April 6] ONE OK ROCK – 2015 “35xxxv” JAPAN TOUR LIVE & DOCUMENTARY [DVD]
Rock band ONE OK ROCK is releasing their 2015 “35xxxv” tour DVD on April 6th! This film is coming out almost exactly one year after their DVD of their 2014 tour “Mighty Long Fall.” The DVD contains 21 live clips and a second disc with documentary footage. A Blu-ray version is also available.
More info:
> Melody Cafe post
> ONE OK ROCK official site
[April 6] Nothing’s Carved In Stone – In Future [single]
Rock band Nothing’s Carved in Stone is releasing their new single In Future on April 6th. The single will contain 4 total tracks, including original song “Ignorance” and live recordings of “YOUTH City” and “Perfect Sound.”
NCIS is also releasing an analog version (in vinyl) of their previous album MAZE on the same date.
More info:
> Melody Cafe post
> In Future release info (in Japanese)
> NCIS official site
> NCIS official Youtube channel
[April 13] Hakobune – apsidal [album]
Indie ambient/performance art project Hakobune, the one-man project by guitarist Takahiro Yorifuji, is releasing new album apsidal on April 13th, 2016. Hakobune is prolific, having released 50 albums since 2007. Yorifuji uses his guitar to create layers of sound in what the artist terms “sonic landscapes.”
More info:
> Melody Cafe post
> Hakobune official site
> Hakobune Bandcamp site
[April 27] Hirahara Ayaka – Love [album]
Singer Hirahara Ayaka is releasing her 9th original album, titled Love, on April 27th. Love will contain 10 tracks, many penned by notable veteran artists including: Nakajima Miyuki, Tamaki Kouji, Tokunaga Hideaki, and Okamoto Mayo. Ayaka writes the lyrics for two tracks and the music for one song. Ayaka’s website explains that the album is about “songs of love and passion.”
More info:
> Melody Cafe post
> Album release info (in Japanese)
> Hirahara Ayaka official site
[April 27] Aoyama Thelma – PINK TEARS [single], SMOKE & TEARS [compilation album], LOVE! ~SPECIAL~ [compilation album]
Pop singer Aoyama Thelma is releasing three discs in one day! PINK TEARS is Thelma’s new EP, containing 6 original tracks and featuring collaborations with other artists including LiLy and MAPPY. SMOKE & TEARS is a compilation album containing all the songs from PINK TEARS and GRAY SMOKE, Thelma’s previous EP which was released last fall, for a total of 12 tracks. LOVE! ~SPECIAL~ is a compilation of compilations–-it will contain 15 tracks selected from Thelma’s previous compilations LOVE! and LOVE! 2, in ultimate high quality CD format.
More info:
> Melody Cafe post
> PINK TEARS special page on Universal Music (in Japanese)
> Aoyama Thelma official site
Tableau Blanc 