Album art + tracklisting: Namie Amuro - Feel

Namie Amuro may have failed us with the singles for upcoming album of hers, but boy did she come through with the album covers. The queen of Okinawa will release her 11th studio album Feel, which will release on July 10th, graced with what are some of her best album covers to date. Beautiful. Classic. Classier than your faves' album covers. This shit even has meaning, with Namie representing the proverbial mantra of 'see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil' on each individual cover. Loving this shit. LOVING IT WITH ALL MY HEART!

The album track listing is still to be finalized with the addition of 2 tracks (which I pray to Yevon are not "Damage" and "Beautiful") and the order may change upon release, but thus far it's as follows...

1. Alive
2. Big boys cry
3. Can you feel this love
4. Contrail
5. Hands on me
6. Heaven
7. La La La
8. Let me let you go
9. Poison
10. Supernatural love

A teaser is also in circulation which features the album track "Alive", which sounds like Madonna's "Jump" meets Daft Punk, meets Kevin Rudolf's "Let it rock".It also gives us a glimpse of what how the scramble crossing in Shibuya will more than likely look when this album drops.

Having seen this teaser and hearing a clip of a new Namie song I actually like, I am now slightly interested in this album. I hope Namie turns this shit out for the album tracks, because ain't nobody got time for "Big boys cly", "Contlail", "Can you feel zis lubu".

Namie Amuro will also be embarking on a tour to support this album, which will visit venues around Japan from August to December. It will be exactly like her last 20th anniversary tour, except with a few new songs. Once you've seen one Namie Amuro tour, you've seen them all. She wears the exact same ruffled skirts, the same tired arse boots, and guaranteed there will be at least one section in the gig where she dances with pom-poms.

Also, something which is a bigger deal than news outlets and blogs are giving it credit for is that Feel will be the first release from Namie's very own record label Dimension point. The name is derived from where Namie throws other bitches wigs. Into another dimension. Ayu best have her home girl sew dem tracks down, because her scalp is now officially NOT safe. All Dimension point releases will be distributed by Avex who also own the label, but Namie will be the manager of it.

Namie had expressed a desire to nurture new talent, but I for one didn't think she would actually set-up a new label as a means to do this. This is great move and goes a way towards shifting societies perception of what women in Japan should have the option to be. Not only has Namie defied odds of having a successful career in the wake of a young pregnancy, a divorce, the loss of a parent and a swift career decline that many thought she would not recover from, but she will now be a handling her own business. LITERALLY. I just hope she does sign new and / or existing artists and really nurture them. It would be a shame for somebody of Namie's iconic stature to have a platform to put artists in di spotligh', but not ever do it.

Album art + tracklisting: Kyary Pamyu Pamyu - Nanda collection

I'm not quite sure how this happened, but Pussy Pamyu's new album is on my list of anticipated albums of 2013.

Pussy Pamyu's second full length LP Nanda collection will be released on July 26th, the album title being a play on words. When the Japanese title is romanized it reads as 'What in the world is this collection?' What is what everybody is going to wonder when they see these albums covers in stores and they hear the songs. A more appropriate title may have been Nanda this shit desu ka.

Peep the full tracklist to Pussy Pamyu's Nanda collection below. I hope "Saigo no ice cream" is an anthem for giving head. There aren't enough J-Pop versions of those.

1. Nandakorekushon
2. Ninjari ban ban
3. Kimi ni 100%
4. Super scooter happy
5. Invader invader
6. Mi
7. Fashion monster
8. Saigo no ice cream
9. Norikotonorio
10. Furisodeshon
11. Kura kura
12. Otona na kodomo

I can't wait to hear this album because it could either turn out to be one of the best produced LP Nakata has crafted or it could be the worst. The singles thus far have all been decent and satisfied me in a way Perfume's singles have failed to post "Spending all my time".

I don't know who that bitch is on Pussy Pamyu's shoulder on the CD version of the album cover, but I fucking love her. Dat gapped out grill is giving me everything and the wig fits right. Ain't no ho snatching that.

Namie names her 11th studio album after the one thing she's unable to do. Feel.

Namie Amuro will be dropping a new album this Summer. This is 150%. Ain't no joke. Home girl is slating that album to drop soon. It will be titled Feel, which sounds like a mess to me, but so did Uncontrolled. Especially when we all know that Namie doesn't look like she can 'feel' anything and is as 'controlled' as they come. But, whatever. No release date has been confirmed at time of writing, but with the Summer window being confirmed, we should have it by August. September the latest.

Namie has shot a PV for her frequent flyer anthem "Contrail" which should hit Space shower within the next few weeks. I imagine the video is going to look like "Only you" part 2, except with a weaker soundtrack - because I straight up have no love for the song. The shot above is taken from the set of the video.

I've not liked any song I've heard from Namie post "Damage". My anticipation for this new album is subterranean. I couldn't care any less about it if I tried. The Namie fan in my is fighting it though and hoping that the album material will be so good and compensate for the shittastic singles. But the pessimist in me who doesn't want his heart broken is not getting his hopes up.

I really do hope that Namie takes my advice and titles her next best album Les Namiserables.

Namiserable single / album reviews: 60s 70s 80s | Play | Past < Future | Sit! Stay! Wait! Down! | Uncontrolled