femme fatale is gearing up for the release of their 2nd single titled “Koudou / Pyuupiru“. The duo is self produced and consists of the sisters Kanano Senritsu and Sakina Tonchiki.

Kanano is a former member Seiko Oomori’s idol group ZOC, while Sakina is also a member of the indie idol group High School Baby. The full MV for one of the a-sides of their upcoming single has made it’s premiere on YouTube.

In the MV for “Kodou” the girls can be seen in a 3D fantasy world where they interact with various bizarre and colorful objects. Check it out below!

There are more problems for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics & Paralympics. On March 18, Chief Executive Creative Director Sasaki Hiroshi said that he will quit due to an idea he had about Naomi Watanabe‘s involvement in the Olympic Opening Ceremony.

On March 17, Shukan Bunshun reported that last March Sasaki sent a LINE message to some of the planning committee members, suggesting that Naomi, who is a plus-size icon, dress as an “Olympig”, in his mind, a play on the Olympics, and descend from the roof of the Olympic stadium.

“I tend to joke often, so I said it just as something that slipped out of my mouth… (the idea of Watanabe) wearing a cute pink costume and sticking her tongue out as an ‘Olympig.’ I thought that would make her look charming, but I was immediately reprimanded by male staff. I feel remorse,” Sasaki was quoted as saying by Shukan Bunshun.

On March 17, KEN THE 390 will release his new album, “en route.” This release serves as the conclusion of his 15th anniversary celebration. This album seems him working with an array of collaborators, including Creepy Nuts‘ R-Shitei, Hannya, TARO SOUL, DJ WATARAI, and Kan Sano.

The album will be released in a CD+DVD regular edition and a 2CD+2DVD limited edition. The DVD that comes with the regular edition and the first DVD of the limited edition contain footage from KEN THE 390’s 15th anniversary tour. The second DVD of the limited edition contains music videos as well as footage from a special acoustic concert he held as part of his 15th anniversary tour. The second CD of the limited edition is the instrumental version of the album.

In conjuction with the release of “en route”, KEN THE 390 has released the music vide for “Beautiful.” The features Mukai Taichi and SKY-HI, with production by BACHLOGIC. The video is shot in a beautiful seaside location, with muted colors to match the laidback vibe of the song. Check it out below, along with more information on the album!

Alternative rock band GRAPEVINE surprised fans with the release of new digital single “Gifted” this week on March 17th. Notably, this marks the trio’s first release of new material since their February 2019 album “ALL THE LIGHT”.

Less than a day after the song’s release, the band have also published an official Lyric Video to their YouTube channel. Directed and animated by Takumi Shiga, the clip attempts to expose the harsh realities that are part and parcel of everyday life.

Read on below to find the full version of this striking animated video.

On March 17, SIRUP will release his second album, “cure.” This album comes nearly two years after his debut album, May 2019’s “FEEL GOOD.”

“cure” sees SIRUP working with a variety of collaborators from Japan (Yaffle, starRO) and abroad (SUMIN & Slom from Korea, Full Crate from The Netherlands, ROMderful from the UK). The album includes the previously released digital singles “HOPELESS ROMANTIC”, “Online”, and “Thinkin about us.”

The DVD / Blu-ray that comes with the limited editions of “cure” features footage from SIRUP’s “SIRUP channel 01” concert that took place at Tokyo’s Zepp DiverCity in December 2019.

Check out more information on SIRUP’s new album below!

Instrumental jazz trio fox capture plan have announced that they will be releasing a new studio album on May 19th. Titled “NEBULA”, this will be the group’s ninth such release together and their first since last November’s “DISCOVERY”.

“NEBULA” will include 15 new songs from the band, the majority of which are inspired by outer space and the many wonders to be found in it. Of particular note is the fact that 9mm Parabellum Bullet’s Yoshimitsu Taki will be providing electric guitar for several of the record’s offerings.

You’ll find the cover and track list for “NEBULA” right after the jump.

Last month we reported that alternative rockers Quruli would be releasing their latest studio album “Tensai no Ai” on April 28th. Now they have chosen to issue the record’s opening song “I Love You” as a digital single and uploaded its PV to their YouTube channel.

This clip, directed by Hanami Yamamoto, features first one, and later a pair of hands as they scribe the song’s title onto a whiteboard in an increasingly elaborate fashion. The track itself has been described as a particularly detailed ensemble of different sounds that nevertheless manage to mesh beautifully.

You’ll find this simple, yet poignant music video right after the cut.

The March 3 episode of “KanJam Kanzen Nen SHOW” centered on a ranking of the best 30 (in reality 50) JPop songs from 2000 – 2020. The group that came up with the ranking was composed of 48 music industry professionals, with a third of them being artists and the remaining portion being producers and composers. The ranking was based on a points system in which the each voter gives the top song 30 points, their second song 29 points, their third song 28 points, and so on.

Official HIGE DANdism‘s “Pretender”, still fresh in the public’s memory, topped the list. It was followed by SMAP‘s “Sekai ni Hitotsu Dake no Hana”, and MISIA‘s “Everything.” For many people, this is accurate.

For some, rankings on TV shows are hard to accept, in part because of entertainment politics, but this ranking was different. For instance, Kanjani8 was not featured in the ranking, even though they host “KanJam Kanzen Nen SHOW.” Ikimonogakari‘s Mizuno Yoshiki was a guest on this episode and none of his band’s songs were inlcuded either.

Because this list was created by music industry professionals, it is by no means in line with general public popularity. Take for instance the #16 song, “Aliens” by Kirinji. Even though it is the band’s signature song, it was not a hit with the public. The inclusion of this song makes it clear that this is a list created by music industry professionals.