sakanaction to appear on Kouhaku Utagassen for the first time!!

5-member mixed rock band sakanaction will be appearing on New Year's Eve music show Kouhaku Utagassen for the very first time.

sakanaction was formed 2005 and major debuted in 2007. With their unique sound which mixes rock, pop, techno, dance music and other genres together well, and being the representative of a new era rock band, they've gathered up popularity, especially among those in their 20s. The lyrics written by vocalist Yamaguchi Ichiro (33) are also creative, leading to him also writing for SMAP and getting high praise within the music industry. It is also known that there are many firmly-rooted fans who are celebrities, such as actor Tsumabuki Satoshi who has been listening to the band even before their break came.

As their popularity continues to permeate, the number of big-scale tie-ups with CMs and dramas have also increased. "Boku to Hana" which was released last year in May was used as the theme song for Kusanagi Tsuyoshi's drama "37sai de Isha ni Natta Boku ~Kenshuui Junjou Monogatari", and "Music" which was released January this year was used as the theme song for Eguchi Yousuke's drama "dinner".

One of the conditions which led to the Kouhaku participation is their big contribution to television broadcaster NHK (the station that produces Kouhaku). "Aoi" which was included in the self-titled album "sakanaction", released this year in March, was appointed as the theme of NHK's soccer broadcasts. There may be a high possibility that they will perform "Aoi" at Kouhaku.

"sakanaction", released March this year, achieved 1st place on the Oricon charts, the first release from the band to do so. With the Kouhaku appearance included now, the band looks to round out their 2013 activities with a bang.

news source

**For those who may not get why Kouhaku is a big deal - it's the most watched music television show of the year in Japan, every year. Artists have to be invited to appear on the show, and many long to perform on it. 
The artists are separated into White (male) and Red (female) teams to compete for viewers' votes. For sakanaction, they will be in the White team as they have more males than females (general Kouhaku rule).

New song titled "Eureka" is a movie theme song tie-up!

It has been revealed that sakanaction will be doing both the theme song and ending theme of the movie, "Judge!" (ジャッジ！) which will open in cinemas on 11th January 2014.

The theme song of the movie will be the fan favourite "Identity", which was previously released as a single in August 2010. The ending theme song will be a new song, titled "Eureka" (ユリイカ yuriika). The release for this song has not been decided.

"Judge!" is a movie starring Tsumabuki Satoshi, and directed by Nagai Satoshi who is also known for his work on commercials. Besides Tsumabuki, the movie cast also includes Kitagawa Keiko, Hamano Kenta, Agata Morio which are all very individualistic actors. The luxurious cast is also attracting attention.

Billboard Japan First Half of Year Charts 2013

Billboard Japan has released its First Half of Year Charts, which counts from 19 November 2012 to 26 May 2013.

sakanaction showed impressive results on the charts, ranking in 4 categories. Each category only shows the top 20 charters.

At a glance...

Billboard Japan Hot 100 Overall Singles Chart
#6 - Music / sakanaction
(#1 - Sayonara Crawl / AKB48, #2 - Calling / Arashi, #3 - So long! / AKB48)

Top Albums
#14 - sakanaction / sakanaction
(#1 - [an imitation)blood orange] / Mr.Children, #2 - Nihon no Koi to, Yuumin to. / Matsutoya Yumi, #3 - EXILE BEST HITS -LOVE SIDE/SOUL SIDE- / EXILE)

Hot Top Airplay
#3 - Music / sakanaction
(#1 - Suit and Tie / Justin Timberlake, #2 - Spectrum / Zedd)
**sakanaction were the only Japanese artist in the Top 5.

Adult Contemporary Airplay
#2 - Music / sakanaction
(#1 - Suit and Tie / Justin Timberlake, #3 - Because We Can / Bon Jovi)
**sakanaction were the only Japanese artist in the Top 9.

You may view the full charts here.

Voting for Billboard Japan Top Pop Artist 2013

sakanaction has been nominated for Billboard JAPAN's Top Pop Artist 2013 award!

There are a total of 83 artists nominated, and the winner is awarded based on votes. The full list can be seen here, and among the list there are many idols like Johnnys boybands and the AKB48 groups. This means that the odds are pretty low that sakanaction will actually take home the award, but it still means that they have enough mainstream recognition. 

Even though they might not win, we can always give voting a shot. At the very least it might show Billboard Japan that they deserved that nomination and be considered again next year. So here I've written out the instructions on how to vote. 

SAKANAQUARIUM 2013 sakanaction DVD/BD details revealed

The contents of the "SAKANAQUARIUM 2013 sakanaction -LIVE at MAKUHARI MESSE 2013.5.19-" DVD and Blu-ray Disc(BD), set to be released on 13 November 2013, have been revealed.

As previously reported, the performance of 19 May at Makuhari Messe will include Dolby 5.1ch surround sound on the BD version. However, for those who do not have a viewing environment for the 5.1ch surround sound, both the DVD and BD will contain the option of watching with binaural audio. Various methods have been attempted in order to let viewers fully enjoy the sounds as if they were at the live performance.

In addition, the BD version will also contain a video of the live performance of "Bach no Senritsu wo Yoru ni Kiita Sei desu. -SAKANAQUARIUM 2013 version-" at Osaka-jo Hall on 22 May. The performance was captured from many different angles in full high-definition and is "remixed" by the videography unit LAPTHOD. Another special addition for the BD version is the sound recording of the full concert at Osaka-jo Hall in binaural audio.

Furthermore, the first press limited edition of both the DVD and BD contains ticket balloting information for "SAKANAQUARIUM 2014 'SAKANATRIBE'. For those who would like to quickly secure the tickets, don't miss this chance.

Tracklist and more details below.

sakanaction's new song tied up with Toshin High School!

sakanaction has provided a brand new song for Toshin High School commercials!

This is the fourth time sakanaction has provided songs for Toshin High School. The previous songs that were used in their commercials were Identity, Rookie and Bach no Senritsu wo Yoru ni Kiita Sei desu.

It's also the first new song since their 6th album released in March this year. The song starts from the phrase "sayonara wa emotion" (emotions are goodbye). The impressive number has a strong melody and majestic chorus work.

Details about the release and title has not been announced at this time. You can hear the new song in the background in the commercials here.

[Blog] Yamaguchi Ichiro 6/9/13

Friday 6th September 2013, 5:42am

Apartment Words.

It's already become empty.
I could say that of my apartment.*

But I will persuade the room with a light rearranging.
Please keep me company for just one more song.



When the music and words collide,
I start wanting to drink Pepsi.


In the midst of working hard with lyrics.


Ichiro.


--------

*He's previously implied in tweets that he's drained the apartment of creativity by creating a whole album in it, and he wants to move.

I may be translating more of his blog posts when I have the time.