OMG thank you for the link! KOTOKO looks adorable on her new album covers! I love it! I listened to all the previews they had up as well and LOVED them! I'm so excited for this album! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE upload it here when/if you can!!!

I agree, the album covers are awesome, some of her best ever!! I haven't listened to any previews for once, I think I'll just save myself for the full album now. :P But great to hear that you like them, I hope the same will happen here. :D I'll definitely post it as soon as I find it! I've been anxious for a link since Sunday, I remember when Hiraku Uchuu Pocket leaked on the Sunday preceding the release and I was hoping the same would happen now. Well, maybe tomorrow...!

OMG OMG THANK YOU!

So what did everyone think? I quite liked it. My favorite songs ended up being My-Les, SHOOT, Fushi-Gino-Ana, Polygon, and Loop-the-Loop. While it was a nice sentiment, I do feel like the English version of unfinished was unnecessary.

I liked the album... but if I had to make a KOTOKO albums ranking (which I will proceed to do), it would be pretty low. Some of the new songs on the album were pretty meh (I can't remember a single thing about Fushi-Gino-Ana or Rock☆DE Fruits Basket♪), and all A-side tracks but Light My Fire fell into the same category. Overall, I just found the album very unbalanced, half of the songs being stuff I liked and the rest being stuff I didn't care about. My favorite songs are Light My Fire (awesome!), Damare yo Peter (fun!), SHOOT! (energetic!); I also liked My-Les, the title track, Sakura no Ame Moegi no yo, and, to my own surprise, frozen fir tree (turns out sat can do different sounds!)

The aforementioned album ranking! Where does Kuuchuu Puzzle fall in your opinion?
1. Garasu no Kaze
2. Hiraku Uchuu Pocket
3. UZU-MAKI
4. hane
5. Kuuchuu Puzzle
6. Epsilon no Fune

KOTOKO has been pretty quiet since the release of her album (probably because of touring), but I've and Eiko have not! Comiket came and went, Eiko and I've released their stuff; here's what seems to be available from those releases.

All the tracks from 5TEARSvol.3 here. Ripped by fierycrimson on I've Sound Forum, all the glory to him! Personally, I didn't like this album very much. :( Sweet Dragon and new song are pretty great, but I have problems with all the other songs. However, I'm waaay in the minority with my opinion: I have literally seen no one else say anything bad about this album, most people are saying it's their favorite 5TEARS release!

I've released a lot in Comiket: two mini-albums and a piano instrumental album! I have seen no rips of any of these albums (which is just sad :(), but at least the mini-album songs can be found on Youtube, on this channel! They also have many videos of the I've performances in the Visual Art's anniversary concert uploaded, and I intend to check the hell out of those ASAP.

And finally, Mami Kawada is releasing a new single next Wednesday (26.02.2014), and it's already leaked! Break a spell, here you go. I haven't had time to check out this single either, need to do that now.

Hi everyone! Long time no I've news. There hasn't been much good happening: LSP has disbanded and Nami and Rin have apparently left I've. Now I've basically has only three full-time singers with them (Mami, Airi Kirishima, and the new girl Yuzuno) along with some frequent guests (MAKO, Ray, Maon Kurosaki).

But I'd like to focus on the good news! First off: I've will be celebrating their 15th anniversary with a special concert at Tokyo Dome City Hall. This concert is called "IVE RADICAL ENSENBLE OF 15th ANNIVERSARY". I know it's a long time away, but I wanted to bring this up because who's ready for lots of guest appearances by former I've singers?? I know I am, so I hope they will get Eiko, KOTOKO, Kaorin, and others to participate (I dare not even think about MOMO or SHIHO popping up, that would be the greatest thing but seems kinda wishful thinking...).

In other interesting news: I've will be collaborating with Maon Kurosaki for a tribute album to anime Tokyo Ravens. The album is to be released in July, no further info on the matter yet. I'm curious to see how this turns out.

Also, something definitely worth checking out: I've recently did a live concert with a wide ensemble of guest performers, including their own singers Mami Kawada, Yuzuno, Airi Kirishima, and C.G. mix, guest collaborators Ray and Maon Kurosaki, former I've diva Eiko Shimamiya, and surprise guest Aoi Eir! It was a great watch, so if you have an hour to kill, I wholeheartedly recommend this! Here come the link and setlist.

http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm23421814



Finally, some Eiko news: she will be at M3 once again, this time with a mini album called Exchange in collaboration with ASUKA, one of her young protégés. All info you might need, and previews and stuff, here: http://eiko-shimamiya.com/m3/

KOTOKO news! New single, TOUGH INTENTION, out on July 23rd!

Covers:

http://www.whv-amusic.com/kotoko/cor...n_00000011.jpg
Regular Edition

http://www.whv-amusic.com/kotoko/cor...n_00000010.jpg
Limited Edition

Credits:
Tough Intention (Preview available on KOTOKO's WHV site.)
Lyrics - KOTOKO
Composition & Arrangement - Miyata Ryou (宮田リョウ)

ARCH
Lyrics & Composition - KOTOKO
Arrangement - Nakazawa Tomoyuki

I'm really excited for this single: the covers are fantastic, the title track sounds really good (very Light My Fire-esque, just listen to that chanting!), and a Nakazawa b-side is rarely a bad thing!

The covers are really nice! Not sure how much I'm liking the new track yet though.

I totally miss MELL, SHIHO, and MOMO....and Lia too

I'm sure Eiko will pop up during the anniversary live, which is best, because she will always be my favorite.

I especially miss MELL, her first album is one of the best albums I´ve ever heard in japanese music :(

MELL's "mirage" album is nice! I love the title track!

Seriously

I've been listening to it all week. It so fits my mood right now.

I wonder what mood are you in?
angry? depressed?

Yeah, you get it. Though less angry. More anxious and depressed and contemplative. Just dark.

I'm good though. Listening to that album just kind of creates a musical world for darker moods to dwell in and kind of uplifts you in the end. Somehow. It's like having a soundtrack to your life lol

I've GIRL'S COMPILATION vol. 9 announced! The title is "Evidence nine" and the release date is September 26th, just two months away! No cover or tracklist yet, but I'm sure it won't take too long 'till we get them. (Source)

Also, KOTOKO's new single is out! I like TOUGH INTENTION, the a-side is really good and the b-side isn't bad either (though it's kinda strange). I think it's her most solid single since... SCREW in 2009. It's been a while since I liked both songs on a KOTOKO single this much!

EDIT: Well, it really didn't take long with the tracklist! Amazon JP already pretty much revealed the whole thing already, here it is:

- WING OF ZERO (KOTOKO)
- Reboot oN/↓0 (KOTOKO)
- Ashiato ~a Happiness Marker~ (Mami Kawada)
- Dual Force (Pixy Lab.)
- My Love,Honey. (Nami Maisaki)
- soupir d'ange (KOTOKO)
- Eternal song (Airi Kirishima)
- Timeless time -Album mix- (Mami Kawada)
- Love mission!! ~Nanda. Tada no Koi gaw~ (KOTOKO)
- Kibou ~NOZOMI Ashita e no Kakehashi~ (Rin Asami)
- Steadily (Airi Kirishima)
- find a piece (Larval Stage Planning)
- Subliminal Agenda -Album mix- (Yuzuno)
- New song

Three years after KOTOKO "left" I've Sound, and she still has more tracks on the album than anyone else. Ridiculous. I wonder who's gonna sing the new track.

Also, something I forgot about yesterday: Maon Kurosaki's new I've produced album REINCARNATION was released earlier this week! Here's one download possibility among many others. I have yet to hear the album myself but I'm relatively excited, she's a nice singer and I liked X-encounter. :)

Small news: I've 15th anniversary concert will feature appearances by MOMO, SHIHO, KOTOKO, Eiko Shimamiya and Kaori Utatsuki, in addition to I've's current line-up. Now I definitely need a recording of the concert! So many songs I wish to hear. ♡

Also, it's been confirmed that Yuzuno will sing the new title song of the upcoming GIRL's COMPILATION, Evidence nine. :)

After a month, the new I've GIRL's COMPILATION has finally leaked! Here's where I got it, though it's probably all over the internet by now. :P

Also, some Eiko news: she will collaborate with Kazuya Takase for a new major single, her first since 2009! The single is titled Kurochou no Psychedelica (黒蝶のサイケデリカ), it will feature as the ending theme to a PS Vita game of the same name, the b-side will be survivors note from the latest 5TEARS mini-album, the single will be released on January 28th, 2015! I'm excited to hear the song, it's nice to see Eiko collaborating with I've again. :heart

Loving this thread! :D

Was reading through the posts and saw someone mentioning that LSP had disbanded. LSP are still active, apparently they are in their second larvae stage (wut o.0) and they originally had plans for changes after the two girls left. Apparently LSP is now only Kirishima, who'll release a single on the 29th of October entitled "Stargazer".

Kacku, to answer your question from forever ago, my Kotoko album ranking looks like this:

1. Epsilon no Fune
2. Garasu no Kaze
3. Hane
4. UZU-MAKI
5. Kuuchuu Puzzle
6. Hiraku Uchuu Pocket

c:::

Also, I watched that concert you linked to and it was pretty neat to see I've songs performed by singers different from the originals! Was the 15th anniversary concert posted anywhere? Also, I dig Evidence nine quite a bit. I like it a lot more than the previous compilation with WING OF ZERO, Evidence nine, My Love,Honey., Ashiato ~a Happiness Marker~, Timeless time, and Reboot oN/↓0 being my favorite songs. : )) And can't wait for Eiko's new single! Kurochou no Psychedelica is such a cool title!

@denadel-I've seen the Stargazer single floating around but haven't listened to it yet. U_U