CORE OF SOUL is shortly going to release a “Best of” album (middle of March), which is always fun. The best part of this was that fans were given the opportunity to vote on what songs should be included (well, at least, we were given the illusion of being able to vote… I’m always suspicious about these things; I think they’re about as effective as online petitions.)
So because I’m such a fan, I signed up for their (Japanese-only) mailing list, and today, the tracklisting was “released”.
And, as far as I can tell, there will also be a limited edition including acoustic versions of some of their recent songs, and their previously unreleased… demo, I guess? Something before their debut.
(My comments on the selection of songs follows.)
01 Photosynthesis
An absolute shoo-in. I love this song to bits.
02 Angel
One of CORE OF SOUL’s English songs. The English is a little weird in this one, but it’s much better than the random English you get in other J-pop songs….
03 FULL MOON PRAYER
Lovely lovely lovely lovely LOVELY! :love: I love this song even more than “Photosynthesis.” I’m really enjoying the “unplugged” version they released on their latest album, too.
04 クジラ (KUJIRA “Whale”)
There’s also an unplugged version of this, but uh… I don’t know it that well. I know it’s a good song, though. 😛
05 Natural Beauty
The video is weird but the song is great :3 Actually, all the songs from their debut album are great (this is the titular track.)
06 Sweet Dreams
A nice, more subdued track that plays foil to some of the more electronic tracks on the album. It’s a nice respite, and stands up nicely on its own. Plus it’s not a lullaby in the least.
07 Flying People
This song is SO GOOD Joey Yung covered it. Yeah. In Cantonese and in Mandarin. No, no, this is just a fun song. A fun song that talks about boys. XD
08 花環 (Hanawa “Wreath”)
The video is basically Fukko running a lot. I don’t get it, either. This is a decent mainstream pop track. I still really like it, but then again, it’s not exactly… groundbreaking.
09 月で待つ君 (Tsuki de matsu kimi You, Waiting on the Moon)
The companion to 花環 is another mainstream pop track, but with an altogether different feel. If I remember correctly, this video has her walking a lot.
10 Kaleidoscope
This is the best track on OVER THE TIME, TIME IS OVER. And at one point I had translated the whole thing, but alas! I lost it. But, I digress. It seems to be that CORE OF SOUL abandoned their intense pop-rock for something a little less rock and a little more pop after their first album, but this track is a good example of why pop doesn’t suck. Well, not all pop.
11 In your arms
One of my favourites off RAINBOW, their mini-album. I don’t know what genre it belongs to, but it’s just fun to listen to despite its calmness.
12 白い奇跡 (Shiroi Kiseki White Miracle)
… Okay. I just don’t get why people like this song. The lyrics? I’m just not a huge fan of this. Maybe it strays a bit far from the mainstream path. O_o;;
13 Make Me A Woman
I can totally envision this as a female singer-songwriter song. It’s a good one. I like it. I just don’t like it as much as one of the other tracks on the single, “Cinderella Night in New York” (which is, by the way, possibly one of COS’s best English songs.)
14 Purple Sky
Oh, it’s no secret that I love this song. I tend to translate (or try to, haha) songs that I really like. The video’s a bit boring, though.
15 アゲハ (AGEHA Swallowtail [?])
The video is SO MUCH FUN! Happy pop. Just think happy pop, and you’ll have the tone of this song down pat. Of their latest work, it’s one of the better tracks.
16 Hello Hello ～another star～
… Okay, I admit I don’t really know what this one sounds like because I’ve only listened to the new album twice. I didn’t think it particularly stood out, though.
My selections would have been pretty similar except that I would have included “The Spirit of this Place” and “Way of Life” as well. Still! I can’t wait for this album, even though it’s basically just a cash grab ^^;;;