Gray's Ongaku Go For November 2023

As the autumn leaves of November have passed us by, that means it’s time for this month’s Ongaku Go! We at OTY would like our readers to know what has been filling our ears for the past month. Each track is available across all digital music streaming platforms, with Apple Music featured on this site, along with our Spotify playlist here!

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“Sundadokei” by White Jam

This is the latest single by White Jam, and it is not only really good but also made me realize how much I’ve missed these guys’ songs. This has been a pretty quiet year for White Jam, but this song shows they are still working very hard in the industry.

Check out “Sundadokei” here and in the video below!

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“WHITE SNOW” by IVVY

A winter song by a boy group is going to be pretty much what you expect from them. Even though this is pretty standard fair for this time of year, I enjoyed hearing these guys belt it out in this track. The whole thing comes together well. This is another group that has been pretty quiet this year, so it was nice to hear something from them.

Check out “WHITE SNOW” here and in the video below!

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“snow love” by tonun

This is a lovely seasonal track with a tonun magic touch. “snow love” has a nice upbeat rhythm to it with a nice hook. It’s quite the ditty and I’ve been really enjoying this one.

Check out “snow love” here and in the video below!

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“chiguhagulove” by lol

Gray liking an lol song is certainly nothing new, but still, I’ve got to be true to myself and put this song on the list. I enjoy the composition work on this, and it just has this lovely charm about it.

Check out “chiguhagulove” here and in the video below!

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“Better With You” by GENERATIONS from EXILE TRIBE (Ryuto Kazuhara)

While this was released on the latest GENERATIONS’ single, this is a solo track for Ryuto Kazuhara, and it features the best vocal performance I’ve heard all year. Falsetto on men is a bit trickier to hit, and a lot of male vocalists can’t do it well, but Kazuhara nails it here and has completely captivated me. This is easily one of the best songs I’ve heard all year, and I will be talking about it again at the end of the year.

Check out “Better With You” here and in the video below!

Luna's Ongaku Go for November 2023!

As the autumn leaves of November has passed us by, that means it’s time for this months Ongaku Go! We at OTY would like our readers to know what was filling our ears for the past month. Each track is available across all digital music streaming platforms, with Apple Music featured on this site, along with our Spotify playlist here!

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“Celebrate” by TWICE

When in Japan, I picked up TWICE’s Merry&Happy album and it re-sparked my interest in TWICE and got me to dive down the rabbit hole of listening to all of TWICE’s music. Upon listening to TWICE’s album, Celebrate, which released last year, I became obsessed with the title track ‘Celebrate’, which made it into my rotation instantly. ‘Celebrate’ is a fun song that can work for the holiday season or feel good for your love and happiness. For me, it hit around my anniversary and just seemed to fit with its up beat composition, smooth vocals and harmonies, and its relatable lyrics. ‘Celebrate’ just puts me in a good mood, bringing a smile to my face, especially the chorus as it is super catchy - leaving you singing to it even after the song is over.

Check out ‘Celebrate’ here and the music video below!

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To The Stars by FAKY

FAKY recently announced that they will be disbanding and going their seperate ways in January 2024, which is disappointing but I wish them the best. FAKY is nonetheless disbanding with a bang as it’s been a good year musically for them. They just dropped their newest and probably last release, Departure, on November 10th, which contains one of my favorite tracks by them called ‘To The Stars’. Despite ‘To The Stars’ having a more up beat, dance like composition that gives off a reminesence of J Soul Brothers, the emotion I can hear in their vocals resonated with me. Upon listening to ‘To The Stars’, I can hear the power in their voices deliver a meaningful and emotional message that hits on all levels for me. ‘To The Stars’ instantly made it in my top 5 favorite FAKY tracks and is slowly moving its way up to the top.

Check out ‘To The Stars’ here and the audio video below.

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Our Way by Sincere

Sincere just released her newest EP titled When was that at the end of September, which was highly anticipated by myself and it did not disappoint. The track ‘Our Way’ easily pushed its way into my usual rotation. ‘Our Way’ is a soulful yet playful track as you can easily hear Sincere’s soulful voice, but the composition is more on the poppy side giving that a fun easily listening song. The lyrics are easily relatable, its easy to sing-a-long too, and gives you a good feeling. It’s a song that really makes you want to celebrate what you have to be grateful for.

Check out ‘Our Way’ here and the music video below!

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What’s going on? by I Don’t Like Mondays & Celina Sharma

IDLMs. just dropped ‘What’s going on?’, a collaboration with Celina Sharma halfway through November and I am already obsessed. This track is the perfect easy listening song with a chill composition that oozes that old school R&B vibe with the perfect combination of vocals to accompany it. IDLMs. leader, Yu shows off his vocal prowess with smooth mellow vocals that match the composition and play to Celina Sharma’s style. The lyrics alone draw you in as anyone can relate to this track and feel it in their soul. ‘What’s going on?’ hits on a major level and gives you those feels you’ve been wanting.

Check out ‘Whats’s going on?’ here and the audio video below!

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NIGHTINGALE by NAQT VANE

When I was in Japan, I was lucky enough to get to see NAQT VANE perform live (and get to meet them). They are absolutely amazing live, with HARUKAZE’s beautiful vocals and Hiroyuki Sawano’s composition that works in tandem with HARUKAZE’s vocals, its the perfect match. ‘NIGHTINGALE’ is a alluring ballad that contains so much power musically, lyrically, and vocally that you feel it on every level. NAQT VANE is an artist that knows how to create a track that will stick with you and ‘NIGHTINGALE’ is another one of those. The other reason I believe ‘NIGHTINGALE’ really got me, it is stands out from all the other tracks they’ve done. NAQT VANE has done slower tracks, but not a ballad like this and it shows how well composed and sung this was.

Check out 'NIGHTINGALE’ here and the music video below!

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Ken's Ongaku Go for November 2023!

As the autumn leaves of November has passed us by, that means it’s time for this months Ongaku Go! We at OTY would like our readers to know what was filling our ears for the past month. Each track is available across all digital music streaming platforms, with Apple Music featured on this site, along with our Spotify playlist here!

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Godzilla -1.0 Godzilla Suite II by Naoki Sato

With the anticipation of the international release of Godzilla -1.0, I have been listening to the its entire soundtrack. While at the time I didn’t know in what context the songs were being played in, there was one thing for sure that was going to played, the iconic Godzilla theme song. Being titled “Godzilla Suite II’, the updated theme for this Godzilla was the most hype that I ever heard in a while. Naoki Sato’s spin on this version is a perfect example that even though a composer is doing an iconic theme that the public knows, they can still make it unique in their own way. While I can’t wait to see what Godzilla -1.0 has to offer, I hope that Sato will continue to be with the franchise  in the foreseeable future.

Check out Godzilla -1.0 Godzilla Suite II here and the music clip below.

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Tenchu (Shizuku Solo Ver.) by Polkadot Stingray

Now I was quite surprised by this release as Shizuku is an amazing vocalist in it of herself, her vocal mixed with the band as a whole is what makes it special. So when a ‘Solo’ version of the song ‘Tenchu’ was released, I urge to listen to it as soon as possible. While it is very good version of the track, Shizuku’s vocals really encapsulated me to put this in my rotation more then anything. While I do hope this doesn’t signify that Shizuku will be breaking off on her own, I know that she will do ok if she does.

Check out Tenchu (Shizuku Solo ver.) here and the music clip below!

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Encore by Yoasobi

After finding out from Apple Music that my number 1 Japanese song that I listened to was ‘Idol’, it had led me down a rabbit hole of listening to Yoasobi songs. Without a doubt, my favorite song that they have done was ‘Encore’, as it a very simplistic song in which Ikura’s vocals just take the front stage. While ‘Encore’ might not have a lot of their isms that they do as an artist, honestly, I think this is one type of songs that they should do more of. Although ‘Encore’ is an outlier for their discography, I’m hoping that they will once again do something similar in the future.

Check out “Encore” here and the music video below!

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The Wind is Permanent by Sho Kurashina

Kurashina is an artist that only came up from the past month or so and been absolutely loving, ‘The Wind is Permanent’ is one of there perfect reasons why I had fell in love with him. His very slow beat and laid back style is one of the things that I love about him and you can hear that it is the front and center with this release. While I do think the track ‘Kaze no Manako’ is a better showcase of his talents, I cannot deny my first addiction to Kurashina was this release.

Check out “The Wind is Permanent” here and the music clip below.

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Rouge feat. Taichi Mukai by LUCKY TAPES

To be honest if you were to asking me if I’d be loving tracks done by Mukai when we had first been introduced to him by Gray a couple years back, I’d be saying you are crazy. But here we are on having another track within that last couple of months that features Mukai. His vocals tied with LUCKY TAPES’ composition is just absolutely amazing and honestly couldn’t wait to listen to it again upon my rotations.

Check out “Rouge” feat. Taichi Miura here and the music video below.

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Gray's Ongaku Go For October 2023

As the chilly months of autumn and October pass us by, it’s time for this month’s Ongaku Go! We at OTY would like our readers to know what has been filling our ears for the past month. Each track is available across all digital music streaming platforms, with Apple Music featured on this site, along with our Spotify playlist here!

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“Sin” by MADKID

It has been a while since I listened to MADKID and this past month Apple Music recommended that I check out their latest song “Sin”. It is currently being used for the third season opening of Rising of the Shield Hero, which I am way behind on, still, I decided to check this song out and I was reminded of why I like this group. It’s a song that really only MADKID could do with the fast and intense vocals along with a great rapping. It led me to check out their latest album as well which was a ton of fun.

Be sure to check out “Sin” here and in the video below.

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“Todome No Ichigeki(feat. Cory Wong)” by VAUNDY

VAUNDY has once again dropped an amazing song with “Todome No Ichigeki”. While I don’t know about Cory Wong, I feel this collaboration really comes together with a great melody and strong vocals. VAUNDY is really starting to become one of my favorite names in the industry and I’m always excited to see what he does next.

Be sure to check out “Todome No Ichigeki (feat. Cory Wong)” here and in the video below.

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“Temperature (Prod. JP THE WAVY)” by PSYCHIC FEVER from EXILE TRIBE

JP THE WAVY has once again teamed up with an Exile group and this time it’s PSYCHIC FEVER. I have enjoyed my time with “Temperature” even though this isn’t my favorite song by them. Still, PSYCHIC FEVER has proven that they are a really solid group already even though they haven’t been around that long. I’m excited to see where they will be in a few years.

Be sure to check out “Temperature (Prod. JP THE WAVY)” here and in the video below.

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“It’s all good” by FANTASTICS from EXILE TRIBE

“It’s all good” dropped at the end of September and it carried me through the first few weeks of October. This slightly more laid-back feel is a bit different for FANTASTICS and I liked hearing a different side of these guys. Also, the vocal performance in this song is way better than it has any right to be. Per usual, these guys live up to their name and I’m all here for it.

Be sure to check our “It’s all good” here and in the video below.

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“Soul Galaxy” by Bradio

This is easily my favorite song of the month and this song has really grown to have some special meaning with me. I am an old Yu-Gi-Oh! fan but I haven’t really kept up with it until recently. Well, “Soul Galaxy” was used as the opening for the latest Yu-Gi-Oh! series Yu-Gi-Oh! Go Rush and I just happened to stumble upon this song. Bradio is one of my all-time favorite bands but as with Yu-Gi-Oh! I had not really kept up with them and by discovering this track I was able to fall back in love with BRADIO which amazingly had just dropped their Dance Hall Magic album. The month of October has been like catching up with an old friend and I’m so happy to have BRADIO back in my life.

Be sure to check our “Soul Galaxy” here and in the video below.

Luna's Ongaku Go for October 2023!

As the leaves fall and Halloween has come, a brand new Ongaku Go has arrived. We at OTY would like our readers to know what was filling our ears for the past month. Each track is available across all digital music streaming platforms with Apple Music featured on this site, along with our Spotify playlist here!

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“Ruby Eyes” by tommy heavenly6

With Halloween upon us, the month of October has been filled with thrills and chills. “Ruby Eyes” fit perfectly in my Halloween playlist with its fun lyrics and opening just screams scary movie opening music. tommy heavenly6 knows how to get into the spirit of Halloween and imbue it in her music; from the composition that consists of punk and pop rock style mixed with spooky sounds. “Ruby Eyes” talks about vampires and creatures that go bump in the night - what most people think of on Halloween and puts it into a memorable musical number that you can ‘scare-a-oke’ too all October long.

Check out “Ruby Eyes” here and the music video below!

“F*ck You 2 My Ex” by MAY’S

MAY’S just released their newest album Unlocking at the end of September and it did not disappoint. It was difficult to choose a favorite song, however, seeing that “F*ck You 2 My Ex” was put on this album made me so happy. I loved this song on its initial release three years ago and never thought it’d get put on an album. Hearing it again solidified my love for this track with its straightforward and relatable lyrics, upbeat composition, and Maiko’s vocals. Despite the name, it’s a song that gives you power from within.

Check out “F*ck You 2 My Ex” by MAY’S here and the music video below.

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“Spin Big” by BONNIE PINK

BONNIE PINK released her first studio album in 11 years, titled Infinity, and it’s been a treat to listen too. She starts it off right with uplifting track ‘Spin Big’. This song brings so much positivity in the lyrics with a feel good composition to match its endearing lyrics. The lyrics alone deliver a powerful message that hit your heart strings in a good way. BONNIE PINK utilizes both English and Japanese languages, switching between both flawlessly while still delivering a clear message. BONNIE PINK is an artist who knows her craft well and with tracks like ‘Spin Big’ you hear exactly that.

Check out ‘Spin Big’ here and the music video below!

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“Swimming Pool” by Schuwa Schuwa

‘Swimming Pool’ caught my ear due to its unique composition and Teruko’s vocals. I love the electro pop sound this track brings, not to mention Schuwa Schuwa’s new mini album michikake has unique sounds in general. But Swimming Pool’s heavier beats in certain areas of the song bring out Teruko’s vocals. Kohei and Teruko make a great unit as you can hear many unique sounds in “Swimming Pool” that makes it an ear catching listen plus the lyrics also have a good message to it. “Swimming Pool” has the feel of a good end of summer track as it gives off a feeling of summer ending.

Check out “Swimming Pool” here and the music video below.

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“Mirror Mirror” by Lisa Yamaguchi

Lisa Yamaguchi is back with a new digital single, “Mirror Mirror” and it is full of the R&B flavor that I adore. Lisa’s vocals are as smooth as ever laying her sultry vocals on this track with a catchy chorus and deep lyrics. The composition gives off that late 90s vibe that I love hearing, add Lisa’s sweet vocals on as the cherry on top and you have a silky smooth creation of a song. “Mirror Mirror” brings you back to the days of when R&B was all over the place and leaves you wanting more.

Check out “Mirror Mirror” here and the music video below!

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