Tag: music

  • [The Jukebox] #66 – Kazuhiro Hara – real Emotion

    [The Jukebox] #66 – Kazuhiro Hara – real Emotion

    Every few months on YouTube, I am recommended music which I listened to years ago. One of those songs, I am featuring today.

    ‘real Emotion‘ is the opening song for the 2003 Playstation 2 title, Final Fantasy X-2. It’s composed by Kazuhiro Hara and arranged by ‘h-wonder‘

    The song’s English vocalist is Jade Villalon. Villalon is a member of the German pop group Sweetbox who has had success in Japan and Korea. She also sang the English version of 1000 Words also used in Final Fantasy X-2. Villalon left the group in 2007 before rejoining in 2020 and releasing a new album.

    The Japanese version of the song was sung by Kumi Koda. Koda is a solo singer in Japan who gained fame from real Emotion and 1000 Words and has been releasing new music since her breakthrough. Koda also voiced Lenne in the Japanese version of the game.

    Outside of the game, Kumi released her 6th album in December 2020 called “Angel + Monster” which was recorded in her home studio during the COVID-19 Pandemic.  

    There has only been 1 version of the English dub of the song released, It’s credited as being sung by: “Jade from sweetbox” – No full names here.

    Credits from Final Fantasy X-2
    Final Fantasy X-2 Official OST – real Emotion (English)
    Opening of Final Fantasy X-2 (English)

    The Japanese dub, sung by Koda however, had 2 versions:

    The first being the OST version:

    Final Fantasy X-2 Official OST – real Emotion (Japanese)

    And then an official music video featuring Kumi Koda. The dance was motion captured and used for when “the singer” performs the song at the start of the game. The song got to number 3 on the Oricon singles charts making it Koda’s first song in the Top 10. The song was ranked the 24th best single of 2003 in Oricon’s Top 100 Singles.

    Koda Kumi – real Emotion

    real Emotion by 倖田來未
    Song · 3:59 · 2003
    Apple Music

  • [The Jukebox] #65 – Masayoshi Soken – A Long Fall

    [The Jukebox] #65 – Masayoshi Soken – A Long Fall

    Earlier this week, Square-Enix finally released the Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers OST onto streaming platforms such as Spotify and Apple Music.

    This gives me the perfect excuse to highlight one of the biggest memes in Final Fantasy XIV in the last couple of years: A Long Fall.

    ‘A Long Fall’ is the accompanying score to the Level 80 dungeon, “The Twinning”. The song is a remix of two older themes, “Out of the Labyrinth” (From the Syrcus Tower raid in Patch 2.3) and “eScape” (From the Omega raid in Patch 4.4)

    Syrcus Tower theme
    Omega theme

    The lyrics for eScape were sung by the composer for Final Fantasy XIV, Masayoshi Soken and the lead English translator, Co-lead of the World and Lore Developer, Michael-Christopher Koji Fox.

    When Shadowbringers was released in July 2019, ‘The Twinning’ was one of the dungeons that was included with the initial patch which contained the very catchy tune.

    A Long Fall

    The song became an underrated masterpiece and considered one of Soken’s best works (Of which there are many)

    On August 27th 2019, YouTube user kcat729 uploaded a video titled ‘twinning.mp4’ which contained the song but super imposed with 4 copies of John Jacobson from the Double Dream Feet video from 2011.

    twinning.mp4
    Double Dream Feet from John Jacobson

    Word about twinning.mp4 made its way around the various websites such as Twitter, Reddit, the Final Fantasy XIV Official Forums and eventually the developers of the game.

    At the Final Fantasy Fan Festival 2021 (Which took place in a closed theatre in Japan due to COVID-19), Square-Enix held a concert at the end of Night 2 of their event featuring their in-house band “The PRIMALS” which is comprised of the aforementioned Soken, Koji Fox and 3 other band members.

    They traditionally cover in-game music made by Soken in a more heavy-metal direction but in recent times, their music has created for the game.

    During their performance, they had community team members recreate the dance from the twinning.mp4 meme video.

    You can see that the team members are wearing red, blue and green shirts. This is to depict the ‘roles’ that you can play in Final Fantasy XIV. Red for Damage Dealers (DPS), Green for Healers and Blue for Tanks.

    To promote the upcoming album “FINAL FANTASY XIV: Scions & Sinners”, The Primals created a music video for A Long Fall which shows the members performing the song while Koji Fox is dressed up as a Ascian (whom are the antagonists in Final Fantasy XIV) performing the Double Dream Feet dance and also some in-game dances such as the ‘Manderville’ and the ‘Ball Dance’

    You can tell that throughout the official music video and the video from the Fan Fest that they really enjoyed performing this song. Hopefully at the next Final Fantasy Fan Festival in 2023, we’ll be able to hear the song in person.

    The official soundtrack for Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers is now available on Spotify and Apple Music.

    SHADOWBRINGERS: FINAL FANTASY XIV Original Soundtrack by Masayoshi Soken
    Album · 2019 · 88 Songs
    Apple Music

  • [The Jukebox] #64 – The GazettE – Ganjisuni Akai Bara

    [The Jukebox] #64 – The GazettE – Ganjisuni Akai Bara

    Over the last 10 or more years, I discovered a Japanese band that I fell in love with, and something that I have never highlighted ever on The Jukebox and while I will doing a featured special about them one day, today, I wish to introduce to you all, my 2nd favourite Japanese band.

    Background

    The GazettE were formed in 2002 featuring the band members: Ruki, Uruha, Aoi, Reita and Kai. I have a hard enough time trying to keep track as to who is who in the Japanese Visual Kei and Rock genre.

    The band members of The GazettE with one of the members sitting on the bonnet of a car which has partial damage to the front of it.
    The GazettE band members

    STACKED RUBBISH is the bands 3rd studio album which released in 2007 which reached 3rd in the Oricon album charts (Oricon is similar to the Billboard in the US or IMRO in Ireland)  

    On May 26th 2021, the band released their 10th studio album titled: “Mass”

    While this album has some greats tracks, the first one that I want to highlight is their 5th track, Ganjisuni Akai Bara.

    YouTube & Spotify

    Lyrics

    When speaking figuratively you seem to be
    A crow that wanted to dive on the water’s surface with spread wings
    What are the eyes seeing that pretend to be innocent?

    Please give ease to the girl who’s thin hands are pointing to the sky…

    A rosary made of brass hangs around your neck
    And was replaced by a light brown leather rope
    The hymn mixed with a smile is interrupted and at the same time you lose your footing

    While watching the trembling shadow, rationality is mutilated
    Understanding has no meaning in this scattered cult like the tone of a bell that’s ringing coldly

    February is decorated in taciturnity, palms put together in a deep prayer
    To God, unable to save, please answer me…

    Experiencing life’s value in death, this death lets the flowers of life bloom
    A colorless God and a sleeping withered rose
    I hold onto the drowning you, let’s face the beautiful darkness

    In order for wax to melt, it’s shape was taken
    When tomorrow is left without shadows, what is there more than reality?

    I want to aknowledge you, please don’t be sad, even if there’s nothing reflected in these eyes anymore

    February is decorated in taciturnity, palms put together in a deep prayer

    To God, unable to save, please answer me…
    Experiencing life’s value in death, this death lets the flowers of life bloom
    I’m singing those deserted words

    Your birthday is decorated in taciturnity, no matter how many times the celebrating of this day was continued
    You were born and raised here, at the place you loved

    Weakly it continues trembling and flowing, this eternal sleep in beauty.
    Your journey was decorated by red roses.

    What I asked peacefully is to never entrust the language of emotions
    Can you laugh from your heart, I wonder if there is any happiness?

  • [The Jukebox] #63 – Masayoshi Soken – What Angel Wakes Me

    [The Jukebox] #63 – Masayoshi Soken – What Angel Wakes Me

    This is the 4th song from Final Fantasy XIV that I have written. The other 3 can be viewed here.

    At the start of Final Fantasy XIV’s 3rd expansion, ShadowBringers, it brought a truck load of new content including dungeons and trials.

    One of the first trials that you encounter is at Level 73, Titania. Titania is not a name, but rather the title of “The King of Pixies” – The pixies are small fairies who fly around and play with their friends and enemies.

    Did I say play? I mean, play tricks on them because they are evil little things!

    READ MORE (STORY SPOILER AHEAD)

  • [The Jukebox] #62 – Dress Down – Kaoru Akimoto

    [The Jukebox] #62 – Dress Down – Kaoru Akimoto

    In March of 1986, Akimoto released her one and only album Cologne under the Victor record label but went under the radar when it was initially released.

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  • [The Jukebox] #60 – Masayoshi Soken – The Reach of Darkness

    [The Jukebox] #60 – Masayoshi Soken – The Reach of Darkness

    Staying with Final Fantasy XIV and back in 2015, which was about a year and a half after the game re-launched, Square Enix launched the final major patch for the A Realm Reborn expansion titled Before The Fall.

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