O_O Kawada's cover. omg. I hope it sounds as amazing! I still really only love Linkage from her.

^Right?! I'm dying for some previews for the album and praying they will be good. Because I seriously want to buy this if only for the AMAZING covers but that won't be happening if the music doesn't please me.

Oh, and apparently the previous cover was for the limited edition. This picture will be on the regular edition cover:

http://ec2.images-amazon.com/images/I/51c3emEIANL.jpg

Equally stunning. I need those previews yesterday. The tracklist, featuring unusual song titles for her, was also revealed recently.

1. SQUARE THE CIRCLE
2. No buts!
3. my buddy
4. Don't stop me now!
5. Clap!Clap!Clap!
6. Usual…
7. See visonS
8. live a lie
9. Midnight trip // memories of childhood
10. らせん階段 (Rasen Kaidan)
11. F
12. Going back to square one
13. Serment

You know, the funny thing is that I got an iTunes gift card recently AND I do want to listen to a completely new artist XD
I may have to listen and buy it.

Ah, that's great! I hope you'll enjoy Onkalo and maybe come to like Eiko's stuff in general. ^^ I still love the single (even though the 20-year-old b-side os kind of... ugh).

Anyone heard SQUARE THE CIRCLE yet? If not, go get it here: http://www.j-mp3.info/2012/08/square...re-circle.html

Opinions? :)

I kind of liked it but it felt like a lot less experimentation happened unlike in LINKAGE IMO

Well, it certainly had a smaller set of genres than LINKAGE but I actually enjoyed the fact that it had a really consistent sound unlike the slightly messy LINKAGE. Actually, this might be the most consistent-sounding I've Sound album, though I guess some stuff could be argued to be even more so.

That said, I think this might be Mami's best album. The trance-rock sound is awesome, I think I've Sound has finally discovered their perfect hybrid of these genres and it sounds so good. I love almost every track, the exceptions would be live a lie (which I can tolerate) and midnight trip//memories of childhood (which I actively loathe because good GOD Takase what possessed you to make this horrible unmelodic piece of garbage you go to your room now and no chocolate for you). And my buddy is my absolute favorite song. It is perfect. It is GOLD. This is what I mean when I say they've created a perfect hybrid of trance and rock. One of the best songs of 2012 right here.

I also liked it enough to order the fancy CD+blu ray edition of the album so I better not stop liking it anytime soon. :P

EDIT: Bonus treats! I found a review of SQUARE THE CIRCLE, if anyone feels like reading one: http://otaku.collectiondx.com/musicr...-square-circle

I do like how positive it is. ;)

Also, remember LEVEL OCTAVE? Well, recall it now: the 8th entry in the I've GIRL's COMPILATION series is coming in the very end of this August and in addition to the cover (posted earlier), we now have a complete tracklist!

1. KOTOKO - U make 愛 dream (U make Ai dream)
2. Lia - Light Colors
3. Larval Stage Planning - Rolling Star☆彡
4. KOTOKO - 原罪のレクイエム -Album Mix- (Genzai no Requiem)
5. Rin Asami - lead to the smile
6. Mami Kawada - INITIATIVE
7. Kaori Utatsuki - 永遠 ～小さな光～ (Eien ~Chiisana Hikari~)
8. Kaori Utatsuki - Hold on me ～恋の魔法～ (Koi no Mahou)
9. Airi Kirishima - IN MY WORLD
10. Kaori Utatsuki - ☆虹色ロックンロール♪ (Niji-iro Rock'n'Roll)
11. KOTOKO - *bloom*
12. KOTOKO - Presto
13. Nami Maisaki - piece of my heart
14. MAKO - LEVEL OCTAVE

You know it wouldn't be a true I've Compilation if it had less than a fourth of KOTOKO, never mind that she's graduated the group. :P

And I'm as surprised as anyone about the-long-gone-surprisinly-returned-last-year MAKO singing the title track! Here's hoping it's not going to be a boring Takase ballad like the last compilation title track.

*throws self at thread* Oooh! A 8th I've Girls compilation? I'll have to check it out when it's released (even though I've already heard some of those songs). I'm excited to hear MAKO's track. I've always liked her. c:

Listening to Mami's new album now. : D

Soo, not sure if everyone's heard LEVEL OCTAVE already, but here's the download link in case some people haven't: http://www.mediafire.com/?p3kud461ecqiw7o (thanks to hahnzitow2@I've Sound Forum)

And more news from Eiko Shimamiya: she's going to release another single called "Yellow" at music event M3 on October 28th!

Mami's Square the Circle is pretty good. Very well produced (as usual). The song that sticks out the most to me is my buddy. (Same as you lol!) The grungy opening is just great.

LEVEL OCTAVE is nice. Nice to hear the tracks I haven't heard. And while LEVEL OCTAVE (the song) isn't the greatest I've Sound song, I'm happy to hear something new from MAKO. : D

Yay for new Eiko songs!

And is anyone else worried about MELL? I read on the I've Sound forum that she's been gone for so long because of a "illness". :( (I actually had a freaking creepy dream a few days ago where I was looking for MELL and couldn't find her. Yes, I dream about the I've Sound girls sometimes lol.)

Yes regarding MELL where is she and whats going on with her
She released MIRAGE two years ago and one single after it and she just vanished
I was hoping for a new single in 2012 but there is no trace of her
Even her web page doesn't have that that much info on the matter

And her twitter is dead as well. :( It bugs me that I've Sound can't just say what's wrong...

Pretty much no one in the fanbase knows what's up with MELL. I think people have even tried asking LSP girls why we haven't heard of her in forever but no real answer has been provided. It's really worrying that we haven't heard anything in almost two years now. I can only hope she doesn't just vanish into thin air with no explanation from anyone like many I've vocalists have in the past. :(

A special site for Eiko's M3 appearance has surfaced, featuring a preview of Yellow! (or to be precise, Yellow -1st chapter-) Go check it out here: http://negativecamisolegirl.com/adir/Shimamiya4/ (click the "show detail" button)

I don't know if it's just me being an incurable Eiko stan, but I LOVE this preview. The melody and arrangement are bliss to my ears. However, I think my uneducated ears pick up some notable auto-tuning (do correct me if I'm spouting crap) and I think that might rub people the wrong way - personally, I don't mind it, since I think it goes well with the arrangement. In any case, I'm really excited about this single now. I was kinda fearing yellow would turn out to be a boring-ass ballad (something like Unison. I think that song scarred me a little) when news of the single first came out, but that fear's been thrown out the window. Can't wait to hear this song - and 2nd chapter - in full (assuming there will be some sort of more large-scale release, like with Onkalo, of course...)!

Yeah like AKI...

The new Eiko song sounds great! I agree - I'm happy it's upbeat and not a ballad. And yeah, there's definitely auto-tune up in there. Because it sounds like it's done on purpose, I don't think people will mind. It actually reminds me of Q;indivi's remixes. He uses auto-tune for effect.

It's news time! Featured today: KOTOKO and Mami Kawada (what a surprise)!

KOTOKO's new (and her 19th) kinda-I've single Restart (リスタート) is going to be released on December 19th! I say kinda-I've because it's KOTOKO working with I've producers (Maiko Iuchi on the A-side and C.G Mix on the b-side called "Largo"), but it seems like a one-off special thing. I've singers are just ignoring all the fuss about labels, what with Mami randomly releasing a single under Warner and then returning to Geneon, and now KOTOKO first migrating to WHV for a few releases and then popping back to Geneon to release this single. ANYWAY, previews for both Restart (sounds nice) and Largo (sounds like a more boring Kikoeru, but I wasn't really expecting anything more from C.G Mix), as well as the single's pretty cover, are available on KOTOKO's Geneon site!

Then for the Mami news. Mami Kawada is gonna get busy in February, what with her releasing a Best-of album AND a single in consecutive weeks! I don't really get why they're releasing them like this but eh! The best-of album, titled MAMI KAWADA BEST -BIRTH-, will be released on February 13th, comes in a regular version and a limited edition with an extra blu-ray disc containing the live recording from Mami's 2012 Live Tour SQUARE THE CIRCLE. The tracklist contains her Geneon singles (so no Serment, it seems) and her debut song Kaze to Kimi wo Daite and more for 16 songs in total. Now, warning, the following statement contains some good, strong bias: this album already seems waaay better than KOTOKO's compilation. More songs, BETTER songs, way better extras - I'm extremely tempted to preorder this right away just for the live recording - and a better title (okay, that was petty, but I actively despise KOTOKO's compilation's name). I'm really excited for the final tracklist and covers - we only know 12 out of 16 tracks that will be on the album, so we have four wild cards and no idea what they will be (prayer circle for Koubou getting put on this album anyone?)!

Oh yeah, I think I mentioned the new single too. Mami's 13th single will be released on the week following her Best-of album, exact date Februare 20th 2013. No title yet, but the song will be the theme song for To Aru Majutsu no Index the Movie (or whatever the title of that thing is). Also, for some reason, the song is also on the best album released one week before the single and I don't really get why but okay?? Seems like there will be no PV, since only one version is listed on Mami's Geneon site.

For more info on Mami's new releases (like the unfinished tracklist for the Best-of), visit her Geneon site.

And finally, not news but I'll just now officially acknowledge that there seems to be no sign of Eiko's single Yellow ever gracing our lives in any form. Oh why couldn't it get the Onkalo treatment. :'C

EDIT: I Google Translate'd stuff and I got the impression that out of the four unknown songs on MAMI KAWADA BEST -BIRTH-, at least one will be new and some will be "songs from popular tie-up games", meaning eroge songs. Still hoping Koubou will somehow end up there.

Also, I just now noticed, where's Prophecy? What, was that single not succesful enough to be included? Seems weird that it's not there at all. Serment too.

That's interesting... A new single and a BEST album coming up in 2013...

I miss MELL :( *tears*


I'm always so late with news about these girls lol.

Also, thanks for the updates :)

This whole swapping back and forth between labels is confusing!

But awww I love KOTOKO's new covers! She looks adorable!

Yeah, seriously, why are they not sticking to one label. @_@ I really thought KOTOKO's Geneon contract had already expired.

In other news...

OH MY GOD THERE'S GOING TO BE A SECOND VOLUME OF 5 TEARS. I LOVED THE FIRST ONE SO SO SO MUCH I AM SO READY FOR THIS RELEASE OMG I THINK I NEED TO GET IT RIGHT NOW

OH YEAH COVER EXISTS

http://services.2012nov.akibablog.ne.../29/va/108.jpg

This thing's gonna be released in Comiket 83 (29.-31.12.2012) and it's probably going to be a mini album again, but I'm not sure about that (just what I gathered from Google Translating her blog post). What I AM sure about, however, is that once again, there are five singers involved. We don't yet know who, though.

But I am so stoked for this release like seriously. I wonder how I could order this asap...