Sábado 19 Dez 2009, 16h:40

Below are the eleven (because I couldn't just settle on ten) albums that came out this year and really made an impression on me. They're listed alphabetically. Not sure why the romanji didn't automatically change to kanji. Going to go flag all of the artists.

Akino Arai- Sora no Sphere
A beautiful, ambient album filled with tracks both delicate and strong. My favorite songs from this album are Monday, Tuesday, mizu, Orient Line, and Wings of Blue.

Bonnie Pink- ONE
A bold, extroverted album filled with a wide variety of tracks that both draws from Bonnie's old music and creates something new. Favorite tracks would be Won't Let You Go, Joy, mousou LOVER, PLAY & PAUSE, and Get on the Bus.

Chara- CAROL
An album that came out of nowhere and contains some of Chara's most beautiful songs in years. My favorites would be Kataomoi, Mister Lonely, I miss you, and Nagametai.

Chihiro Onitsuka- DOROTHY
A polished album of sweeping ballads, powerful rock tracks and beautiful arrangements that brings Chihiro back to the level of quality found in her older music. My favorite tracks are Kagerou, X, Kaerimichi wo Nakushite, Last Melody, and Hotaru.

Kimura Kaela- HOCUS POCUS
A fun album filled with quirky rock, pop, and electro music. My favorite songs would be Butterfly, season, BANZAI, and Super girl.

Kokia- KOKIA∞AKIKO ~balance~
Although this is only one half of a two album project, it's the strongest of the duo. As always, Kokia delivers well written music with absolutely stunning vocals. My favorite tracks of this album include Hana Utage, Yoake~rebirth, Gematria, and INFINITY.

Maaya Sakamoto- Kazeyomi
Maaya's newest album gives us great pop music with crystal clear vocals. The best material we've seen from her in a long time. My favorite songs- Get No Satisfaction!, SONIC BOOM, Peanuts, and Kazamidori.

Namie Amuro- PAST< FUTURE
Namie's new album is slick, catchy, and expertly produced. One of my favorite albums from the Queen of Hip-Pop. Favorite Songs, FAST CAR, LOVE GAME, Wild, Shut Up, The Meaning Of Us, and Defend Love.

Rie Fu- Urban Romantic
Rie Fu successfully tests new waters with this electronic filled pop album that eventually settles back into the acoustic music that we know and love her best for. Favorite tracks on this one are romantic, drummy, Money Will Love You(English version) , PRESENT, and Romantic(Strings version)

Rurutia- Seirios
Rurutia's latest album is completely filler-free. Filled with powerful and beautiful electronic tracks, it's sure to become a favorite of rurutia fans. Here are my favorites- Seirios, Opus, Ryuukou, LAST DAY, and Hoshi to Hane.

Superfly- Box Emotions
An artist I've discovered very recently. Superfly's second album is filled with powerful rock tracks and impressive vocals. Here's what I like the best: Alright!, Searching, My Best Of My Life, and Koisuru Hitomi wa Utsukushii

And here's a list of the singles that really caught my attention this year:
alan- Gunjou no Tani
ayaka- Minna Sora no Shita
Ayumi Hamasaki- Rule/Sparkle
Bonnie Pink- Joy / Happy Ending
Chihiro Onitsuka- X / Last Melody
Chihiro Onistuka- Kaerimichi wo Nakushite
Chihiro Onitsuka- Kagerou
Do as Infinity- ∞1
Kimura Kaela- Banzai
Kokia- KARMA
Kokia- Transparent
Mika Nakashima- Over Load
Mika Nakashima- Candy Girl
Olivia- Sailing Free
school food punishment- futuristic imagination
school food punishment- butterfly swimmer
YUI- Again

Thanks for taking the time to read. Looking forward to seeing lists from everyone else :)