MY LONELY TOWN
News Hey folks!
Looks like “MY LONELY TOWN” is finally out of the bag! But, of course, that doesn’t mean the new album is not gonna hit the end of the year. I’m still confident, that it is going to be released in November. If I’m wrong, feel free to stop by, the cold beer’s on my tab.
By the way, is it just me, or does the new single’s release sound a bit rushed? It’s like they’re shelling out new singles just to be on schedule for something else (a new album?). I mean, did you ever see a B’z single come with a music video of the very same? To me, it appears that B’z just doesn’t have the time for promotion, which would explain the announcement made roughly one month after the Ichibu to Zenbu/DIVE release, as well as the upcoming release in only one month’s time.
Now for the Single itself. As you’ve all read the news and checked out B’z Net Party, there’s not much to say about the single, except that there’s going to be a normal version and a limited version(which comes with a DVD that includes the music video). Retail prices are as listed on my page to the right.
Tracklisting:
1. MY LONELY TOWN
2. Kirei na Namida (Beautiful Tears)
3. Ichibu to Zenbu -Ballad Version-
However, there’s one interesting aspect to note about the single: the cover!
The photo taken there, have you ever wondered what it is, or where it was taken? It is actually a real location in Japan. This place is called Hashima Island, also nicknamed “Battleship Island”(軍艦島; “gunkan jima”) due to it’s unique shape that resembles a battleship. It is a small island off the coast of Nagasaki, and was once used for coal mining out in the sea. By the time petroleum replaced coal in Japan in the 1960s, coal mines were shut down one after another, and now it’s just an unmanned island. It is often called a “ghost island” by the Japanese. Here’s another picture of it:
Taken from wikipedia.org
For more information, you might want to check out:
Hashima Island – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Gunkanjima (Warship Island) | Places of Interest | Nagasaki City Tourism Guide
Nagasaki’s Battleship Island | Japan Probe
New Album Coming in November?!
News So yeah, it has been quite a while again. I’m finally done with work, and now I’m just waiting for university to start (Oct. 5). 🙂
Really pumped for it.
There have been some rumors about B’z lately. With “PRAY” officially announced(also available for download as ringtone as of 8/24) as a theme song for a movie, and a new song(the title is “My Lonely Town”, by the way) that has been played at SHOWCASE 2009 and Summer Sonic 2009, fans speculate whether a new album is going to be released in the near future, or not. I’m guessing B’z still has got a few songs up their sleeves they can produce an album with.
The other day, I got some inside info from a friend, who read an interesting post by a B’z fan somewhere on the internet. That fan claimed he was eavesdropping on the SHOWCASE 2009 staff, and apparently heard that the new album is scheduled for November. The LIVE-GYM is to follow early 2010.
I, myself, have been speculating about an album release due end of the year, so this could only confirm my prediction. It would really make sense, since they didn’t announce another single with PRAY(which was the case with “Eien no Tsubasa”, though). On the other hand, the release window could’ve been too tight to release another single shortly after “Ichibu to Zenbu/DIVE” was released, since we’re talking about September. As a single has not been announced, it is highly likely, that the song will hit the movie’s official soundtrack CD.
This is still all rumors and speculation, but what is your take on it? What do you think?
SHOWCASE 2009 -B’z In Your Town- Set List
News First day of the SHOWCASE 2009 tour is over, and here we have the set list for Kurume City after the break. A new song has been performed in the ENCORE part.
B’z SHOWCASE 2009 -B’z IN YOUR TOWN- Schedule
News As of today, the long rumored “B’z SHOWCASE 2009” has finally been announced. This, once again, seems to indicate a release of an album by the end of the year or early next year. B’z will clearly not do a LIVE-GYM this year. Don’t get your hopes up, boys.
B’z SHOWCASE 2009 -B’z IN YOUR TOWN- will start July 20 and will go through until August 5. You’re gonna have to pay 8000 Yen for an “A-Seat” ticket, 9000 Yen for a “S-Seat” ticket and 12000 Yen for a “SS-Seat” ticket. Schedule after the break.
Martin Fougerol Directing “Ichibu to Zenbu” PV (DIVE as well?)
News Digging in a few japanese blogs, I found out that apparently while the PV was aired on Mezamashi TV in the morning, it was mentioned that Martin Fougerol, who is well-known for directing music videos for bands such as U2, is directing the “Ichibu to Zenbu” PV(Promotional Video/Music Video). Martin Fougerol also directed the PV for SUPER LOVE SONG, which was released in 2007.The PV itself is shot in Los Angeles, but we do not know if this is true for “DIVE” also.
Hopefully we will get to see the full version soon. Oh, you can catch a glimpse of both PVs here(It’s the same video shown on the official website):
New Song “PRAY” Announced as Movie Theme
News It was announced on the official site earlier today that B’z will be supplying the theme to a new theatrical release in Japan, with their song “PRAY.” The movie entitled “TAJOMARU” stars Oguri Shun in the lead role and is due out in mid-September.
As you may know, PRAY isn’t scheduled for release on the upcoming single Ichibu to Zenbu/DIVE (due out in August) as even a B-side and wasn’t announced as a single, which has lead Japanese fans to speculate it’s from a forthcoming album. How soon that album will arrive is anyone’s guess, but we can always be hopeful it’ll arrive in time for the holidays. Nonetheless, there’s a small sample of the song and movie after the break.