There was no way I wasn’t trying my hand at this (XD)

Not to say I wouldn’t have done any other tag, but this one’s special. Why is special you may ask? Because this the Me and Music Tag and if you’ve been around the ol’ blog for some amount of time you’d know music is just about all I talk about nowadays 😀

This (kind of) tag was created by Sophie over at Me & Ink Blog as a means for her to both talk about music, as well as get some music recommendations coming her way through those subsequently tagged who wanted to play along, such as myself right here and now (XD). Our tag, of which I’m very grateful to be receiving, comes by way of Rise over at Phoenix Talks Pop Culture Japan. I said as much when was first made aware of the tag, but all the same, glad to be on the list of people you thought would be down for something like this 😀

The “rules” are as follows:

1. Link back to the original so she can see your answers and listen to the tunes.
2. For every prompt you choose to do, name 1-5 songs (you can use Sophie’s graphics).
3. Have fun and play your music LOUD!

Now I’ve only ever exclusively talked about Japanese Music for the better part of what would be three years now since I first started doing my Monthly Roundup, so as such, I’m actually gonna be doing the tag with some self-imposed challenges of my own. Them being: (1) I will only be naming Japanese songs or songs by Japanese artists, and (2) I won’t be naming songs I’ve already featured before in previous Roundups.

This list is gonna be a bit of a doozy but I promise to keep it brief with each prompt 😛

Let’s get started!

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• Home Town Glory (songs that remind you of home)
  HOMETOWN
  by Lucie,Too

Pretty on the nose here, but I’d be lying if I didn’t say that hearing Lucie,Too talk about all the wonderful things their hometown has to offer here in HOMETOWN didn’t get me thinking about my own whenever I hear it.

• It’s a Love Story  (your favorite songs about love)
  冬夜のマジック/fuyuyo no magic
  by indigo la End

I still believe to this day that Fuyuyo no Magic is the best song indigo la End has made, and will ever make (loljk), mostly for just the emotional rollercoaster of a love story it’s able to weave in the span of a single song.

• Shut Up and Dance (songs you have to dance to)
  Step! ZERO to ONE
  by Aqours

Okay, I’m not dancing it like these girls from Chocolat’s are, but Aqours’ Step! ZERO to ONE is just a song that makes me want to move my body whenever it starts playing in my head (which does happen fairly often).

• If This Was a Movie (songs from movies/tv/broadway)
  On My Own
  by 上白石萌音 (kamishiraishi mone)

Probably the only song off the top off my head that would qualify, given the amount of restrictions I placed on myself (lol), but that doesn’t make Kamishiraishi Mone’s rendition of the Les Miserables classic On My Own any less awesome.

• Comfort Crowd (songs that make you feel calm)
  こわかった/kowakatta
  by JYOCHO

JYOCHO’s Kowakatta was just so… healing, the first time I heard it, and this acoustic rendition doubles down on the calming atmosphere it creates thanks in large part to Nekota Netako’s soothing vocals.

• Always Remember Us This Way (songs that remind you of your childhood)
  スウィート・ソウル・レヴュー/sweet soul revue
  by PIZZICATO FIVE

Believe me when I say that every Filipino who grew up in the Philippines in the early 90’s would know PIZZICATO FIVE’s Sweet Soul Revue, or at least know of it as just a matter of happenstance.

• Let’s Get Down To Business (songs that motivate you)
  フロントメモリー/front memory
  by 鈴木瑛美子(suzuki emiko) x 亀田誠治 (kameda seiji)
  

Now, my usual answer to this would be NakamuraEmi’s YAMABIKO hands down, but since I already featured that in an earlier Roundup, I’m going with the equally riveting rendition of Front Memory by Suzuki Emiko as a song that just makes you run (lol)

• • Old Town Road (songs from the past)
    Kittenish Love
    by ACO

• Cry With You (songs to make you cry and cry)
  グッドバイ/goodbye
  by toe feat. 土岐麻子 (toki asako)

I honestly do feel kinda sad (or at least get in my own head) whenever toe’s Goodbye comes up in my queue of songs to listen to, with how it talks about stuff like being alienated and detached from the people around you.

• I Think I’m in Love (your latest musical obsessions)
  素直になりたい子の話。/sunao ni naritai ko no hanashi
  by りりあ。(riria)

The turnaround of this for me is relatively fast considering what I do for the Roundup, but right now at least, I’m most definitely very much excited to hear more from riria after having listened to Sunao ni Naritai-ko no Hanashi.

• Writer in the Dark (favorite lyrics from songs)
  冷たい神さま/tsumetai kami-sama
  by 黒子首 (hockrockb)

sekaiichi dare ga nanto ioutomo (you’re the best, no matter what they say) kimi wa sekaiichi sa kono kotoba shinjiteī yo (believe me when I say you’re the best) darekaga kimi o kizutsukerunara boku ga keshite ageru (if anyone were to hurt you, then I’ll wipe ’em out for you)

• Sign of the Times (songs in the charts that you love)
  正しくられない/tadashikurarenai
  by ZUTOMAYO

ZUTOMAYO’s fame has been on an upward trajectory ever since they debuted just two years ago, so I have no doubt in my mind they’re topping the charts, more so now after appearing in the veritable stage of the stars that is THE FIRST TAKE.

• More Than a Memory (songs you have specific memories attached to)
  First Love
  by 宇多田ヒカル (utada hikaru)

To cut a long story short, Utada Hikaru’s First Love will always have a special place in my heart, being a song that I sang as a duet with someone I liked back in college during a karaoke session we had as a class.

• Sing to Me Instead (those songs you have to sing to)
  Shoujo S
  by SCANDAL

I’d be hardpressed not to sing along to SCANDAL’s Shoujo S whenever I hear it playing somewhere, as I pretty much know the song by heart (it’s one of the songs I sang for that karaoke session I mentioned too, lol)

• I wasn’t expecting that (songs you didn’t expect to love, but you do)
  あたしの心臓あげる/atashi no shinzo ageru
  by 黒木渚 (kuroki nagisa)

When I first started seeing Kuroki Nagisa’s songs in my YouTube recommendations (Atashi no Shinzo Ageru being chief among them), I thought her songs would just be a little too edgy for me, and now she’s one of my all-time favorite artists.

• Favorite Record (albums you can’t live without)
  formula
  by CICADA

I have quite a few albums I absolutely must have on me (Al and I actually cover this very topic in one of our J-Music Exchange/Rate’s), but if I had to say, CICADA’s formula is an album that I won’t ever take out of my heavy rotation.

• Video Games (name your favorite music videos)
  Japanication
  by SPYAIR

I’m only gonna name one (as we’ve already gone through quite a bit, lol), but I’ll never get tired seeing SPYAIR performing Japanication guerrila-style in the streets of South Korea, that then culminates in them being shooed off by local security.

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And there you have it! Now, traditionally I don’t usually tag people myself, but I thought I’d give that a go this time 🙂 (no pressure, of course XD)

Moya (The Moyatorium)

Rose (Wretched and Divine)

Sam (NerdyPerspective)

Happy Listening everyone, and see y’all in the next post!