Soundscan Japan has released its rankings for the year 2014. This is for the period covered December 30, 2013 – December 28, 2014. Included in the charts below are the top Artist Total Sales, Japanese albums, Western albums, singles and the ranking of Record Label market shares.
Check out Soundscan’s 2014 charts below.
This is a new weekly feature that we’ll be starting this week. Think of it as a means to reminisce about the Japanese music of the past and also maybe learn something about that past. There are many gems in the history of Japanese music that are sometimes forgotten and this will serve as a means to spotlight some of them. Music tends to be cyclical so looking at the past can sometimes tell us about the current day and the future. We will be doing a flashback to see what was #1 as far as albums and singles go 5, 10, 15, and 20 years ago. The weeks aren’t going to line up perfectly but we will try our best. This week on Oricon is dated 2/9/15 so here we go…
This week’s episode featured performances by Tomomi Kahala and Makihara Noriyuki. The talk guests this week were Kikuchi Ami and Mukai Toshi (Panther).
Tomomi Kahala – Let It Go ~Ari no Mama de~
Makihara Noriyuki – Elderflower Cordial
Silent Siren’s “Te wo Tsunaide” has been chosen as the campaign song of adidas’ NEO Label 2015 spring-summer collection of sports casual. Video of the collaboration between the brand and the group has been published in YouTube.
“Te wo Tsunaide” is a track off the girl band’s 3rd self-titled album “Silent Siren” which will be released on February 25. The members appeared in the music video wearing the latest sporty pastel colored outfits from the brand. In addition, the trailer video of their album has also been released.
Check out their latest music video and album trailer below.
Arashi has released details from their upcoming single “Sakura” to be released on February 25, 2015. “Sakura” is the theme song for the drama series “Ouroboros ~Kono Ai Koso, Seigi” starring Ikuta Toma and Oguri Shun. Arashi’s first single of 2015 is both a tribute to the drama series, and a chance for the group to show a new side of themselves!
“Sakura” song preview, single tracklist and covers have been released. Check them out below.
The first teaser trailer and new image were released for Takashi Miike’s action fantasy yakuza vampire movie “Yakuza Apocalypse: The Great War of the Underworld” (Gokudo Daisenso). Starring Ichihara Hayato and Indonesian martial arts star Yayan Ruhian (The Raid, The Raid 2), the film opens in Japan on June 20, 2015.
Ichihara’s character Kageyama is an oddball low-ranking yakuza who doesn’t get any tattoos due to his sensitive skin. Soon after discovering his boss is actually a vampire, Kageyama is bitten himself and finds himself pitted against a gang of international assassins including Kyoken (Yayan Ruhian). Kyoken is the Japanese word for “mad dog”, Ruhian’s memorable character from The Raid.
Veteran actress Takashima Reiko plays a male character for the first time in her acting career.
It was announced that EXILE will be releasing a new single titled “Jounetsu no Hana” (Passion Flower) on March 3.
Since 2012, EXILE has released EDM style songs. This time, a love ballade will be finally released after 3 years of waiting. ATSUSHI chooses a passionate love ballade full of mature men’s charm as a new way to express EXILE’s ideas. The world-renowned flamenco guitarist Jin Oki composes the music for this song. ATSUSHI himself wrote the lyrics, which depict a forbidden love from a man’s perspective.
In the Music Video, EXILE members show the love between grown-ups in various scenes, as they present fascinating performances! Check out the released preview of the song, tracklist and single details below.
This week’s guests were Shiritsu Ebisu Chugaku, Block B, Leo Ieiri, Sonar Pocket, and Yamazaru.
Shiritsu Ebisu Chugaku – Haitateki!
Block B – Very Good -Japanese Version-
Leo Ieiri – miss you
Sonar Pocket – Modara nai Love Story
Yamazaru – Kajika