This week’s guests were TETSUYA, chay, and Softly.

TETSUYA – I Surrender

chay – Koi no Hajimari wa Itsumo Totsuzen ni

Softly – Pocket no Naka

We’re back with this week’s edition of Oricon Flashback. This is where we look back on what topped Oricon this week 5, 10, 15, and 20 years ago. Think of it as a way to reminisce and learn about the past of Japanese music.

Today marks the graduation and disbandment of Hello!Project girl group C-ute. The concert titled “℃ute Last Concert in Saitama Super Arena ~Thank you team℃-ute~” took place at the legendary Saitama Super Arena venue.

Over 30,000 fans came together to witness the groups last performance as five. Fans started lining up the night before the concert just for the merchandise table, by 8:00am the line had already reached over 1,400 people (doors opened at 4:30 PM). Fans who couldn’t make the show could still enjoy the concert at home if they have a subscription to “SKY PerfecTV!”, where the concert was streamed live.

After starting off the first half of 2017 with two back-to-back singles, Johnny’s group V6 has announced the release of a brand new album!

The group’s forthcoming 13th album “The ONES” was first teased with their 48th single “COLORS/Taiyou to Tsuki no Kodomotachi,” and finally more details have been released. This will be their first album since 2013’s “Oh!My!Goodness!” as well as their first following the group’s 20th anniversary celebrations in 2015.

The album will contain all of their singles since 2016’s “Beautiful World“, as well as 11 new songs. The theme of the album is ‘what V6 wants to try now‘ with each member taking on production of one of the new tracks. The track list, which has been released although not yet finalized, can be seen below.

Perfume has uploaded a special “AWA DANCE edit” clip of their newest song “Everyday”. 

To the surprise if no one this song has a tie-in, Everyday will be the image song for the latest line of Panasonic washing machines. What makes these washing machines so special is that it features an “active foam system” technology that allegedly “makes laundry time happy time!”. In the video the girls are wearing sleek two-tone outfits, and mismatching shoes (one white and one black. The shiny white fabric on the dresses are meant to represent the fluffy foam and bubbles created by the active foam system.

Perfume dance in a set surrounded by giant fluff balls, as the clip progresses it turns out they’re actually performing “inside” one of the new Panasonic washing machines! The dance routine also plays off the bubble theme. Longtime collaborator MIKIKO was responsible for the choreography, wanting the evoke the feeling “floating”. Despite the complicated choreography the girls quickly nailed down the routine making filming a breeze, barely having to do any outtakes or edits.

As usual Nakata Yasutaka created the music & lyrics, the clip was directed by Tanaka Yusuke. No commercial release date, psychically or digitally, has been announced for “Everyday” as of now. Watch the clip below the jump!

Punk-rock outfit MONOEYES have announced that they will be releasing their second studio album on July 5th.  Titled “Dim The Lights”, this will be MONOEYES’ first full-length release since their debut record “A Mirage In The Sun” hit store shelves back in 2015.

“Dim The Lights” will consist of 11 songs in total, including “Get Up” and “Borders & Walls” from their most recent EP.  Following the album’s release, the band will embark on their “Dim The Lights Tour 2017”, which will see them perform at a number of live houses all over Japan.

Read on below to find the cover and track list for MONOEYES’ latest release.

Last week jazz-influenced instrumental band toconoma released their third studio album “NEWTOWN”.  This release contains nine funky new songs from the group, plus a new version of “Evita”, a song from the EP they released last year.

In order to support their latest record, toconoma have also published the music video for its lead track “L.S.L” to their official Youtube channel.  The Takahiro Aoki-directed clip finds the band taking a road trip, picking up various different guests along the way as they try to make the most of the summer season.

You’ll find the PV for “L.S.L”, an album trailer, and the cover and track list for “NEWTOWN” just after the jump.

Alternative Idol unit BiSH (Brand-new Idol Shit) released today a Music Video for “GiANT KiLLERS“, title track of the group’s new mini album released last week.

The video shows the members of the unit trapped in a room inside a big house, with a particular (and a bit disturbing) eye make-up, a core element of the concept represented in this MV. Victims of an old alcoholic man who constantly beats them up, the girls try to break free from the room and get rid of the guy and its servants with guns and swords. The impression is that the whole concept of the video is a metaphor referring to something, probably to the music industry or to the Idol niche itself, a matter that groups like BiS and BiSH themselves faced several times during the course of their careers.