“GLAY delivers a Spanish-influenced rock tune and a grand ballad in this double-A-side single”

GROUP: GLAY

CD SINGLE: 紅と黒のMATADORA / I LOVE YOU をさがしてる
(Aka to kuro no MATADORA / I LOVE YOU wo sagashiteru)

LABEL: EMI Music Japan

CATALOG #:  TOCT-40230, TOCT-40231

DURATION: 12:52

RELEASE DATE: September 10, 2008

OFFICIAL WEBSITE

1. 紅と黒のMATADORA (Aka to kuro no MATADORA)
2. I LOVE YOU をさがしてる (I LOVE YOU wo sagashiteru)
3. SUFFRAGETTE CITY

The 4-member veteran rock band, GLAY, packed a variety of styles in their double-A-side 43rd single “Aka to kuro no MATADORA / I LOVE YOU wo sagashiteru”.

To summarize GLAY’s music style into a few words is difficult, because they have made so many great songs throughout their 20 years of formation, or 14 years since their major debut.  But generally speaking, their rock numbers are what one might considered “pop rock”, often with a steady 8-beat backbone, and their slower songs are more of a “power ballad” that still contain electrifying guitar solos.

And when you least expect them to do something different is when they come out with a new song that would blow the audience away.

Such is the first track of the single, “Aka to kuro no MATADORA”.   It starts out with a few measures of a quiet Spanish style guitar solo, then the full rock sound blasts right in with the main instrumental theme, alongside a string orchestra.  And when it’s time for the vocalist to enter, everything turns quiet except for a steady bass line and occasion guitar distortions in the background, but gradually churning into its full strings plus rock band mode, all the while keeping the refreshing Spanish dance style in the background.  What stands out for me in this track is the bass line, because it’s one of the more melodious bass lines I’ve ever heard from GLAY’s collection.  It echos the main vocal melody.  The strings also add a classical element to this very energetic, danceable rock tune.  “Aka to kuro no MATADORA” is the theme song of the Korean film “Shukumei” (Destiny), in theaters in October 2008 in Japan.

The second track is an immediate change of pace, a grand ballad that once again features strings accompaniment.  “I LOVE YOU wo sagashiteru” starts out low on the vocals, but eventually climbs to really high notes after a very appealing and memorable chorus section, showcasing vocalist TERU’s singing skills and emotions.  It’s a slam dunk for GLAY to those of you who dig slow love songs. This song is the theme song of the TV Asahi drama series “Dageki Tenshi Ruri”.

The last track on the single features a cover of David Bowie’s number “SUFFRAGETTE CITY”, a 1972 release.  This song shows yet another side of GLAY that is completely different than the first 2 tracks.  For a cover song, GLAY definitely arranged it in their very own funky rock mode, filled with interweaving guitars, lively beat, and a catchy chorus.  It might be hard to beat their previous cover song “WITH OR WITHOUT YOU” in the “VERB” single, but GLAY’s character definitely shines through.

The limited edition CD features a special packaging that folds out, with TERU and TAKURO on the front, and HISASHI and JIRO on the back side.  The regular edition shows the same picture of all four members, but all on the front side.  The beautiful photos on the cover, the inner cover, and the lyrics booklet, were all taken in Prague by famed British photographer Kevin Westenberg (MySpace), who has been photographing GLAY for many years.

As a fan of their music, obviously I have to say it’s awesome and you should go buy it.  But as someone who has enjoyed their music for 8 years, I must stress that the first track “Aka to kuro no MATADORA” is really a gem, even looking back various singles in their recent years.  So for that alone, I’d say definitely go check it out.

Find more of our reviews at J!-ENT’s World Groove

Buy this CD Single:
Aka to kuro no MATADORA / I LOVE YOU wo sagashiteru [CD]
GLAY

Regular edition

Limited edition (back)

Limited edition (front)

The new single is also available on iTunes but you can only purchase it if you have a Japanese account.  It even comes free with a “Music Video Shooting” video that is 11:25 minutes long.  If you don’t have a Japanese account, you can enjoy a 30-second preview when you load iTunes using the link above.

It’s new release Wednesday. Which artist or band took the #1 spot on the Oricon CD Single Daily Charts?

Aka to Kuro to Matadora / I Love You wo Sagashiteru [Regular Edition]

GLAY

NOTE: GLAY takes the #1 spot with their latest CD single, while last week’s #1, Mr. Children drops to #5.  Good showing for UVERworld at #2.  Otsuka Ai at #3 and Hello! Project soccer team Ongaku Gatas at #8.

1. GLAY - Aka to Kuro no MATADORA/I LOVE YOU wo Sagashiteru
2. UVERworld - Koishikute
3. Otsuka Ai - Kurage, Nagareboshi
4. DIR EN GREY - GLASS SKIN
5. Mr. Children - Hanabi
6. Nakagawa Shoko - Tsuzuku Sekai
7. Kimura Kaera -Mustache/Memories (original version)
8. Ongaku Gatas - Come Together
9. Superfly - How Do I Survive?
10. Arashi - truth/Kaze no mukou e

As for the #1 Indies release on the Oricon Indies Daily Charts, it goes to SATSUGAI for “甘い恋人”.

For Oricon Weekly Chart Rankings, please click here.

SOURCE: Data was translated from Oricon CD Single Daily Charts

For rankings comparison, please compare to Oricon’s NINKI Poll predictions for

Greetings everyone!  Our J!-ENT GLAY VERB TOUR USA CONCERT REPORT by J!-ENT’s Wynne Ip is now available for download!

You can download this article right now!

Also, check out Wynne’s MySpace at http://www.myspace.com/caferabi

Japantoday.com reported, “Rock band GLAY on Sunday finished its US tour in Los Angeles. 3,100 fans attended the three concerts on the tour, organizers said.”

GLAY started the tour in San Francisco on August 12 and also held concerts in LA on the 15th and 16th. Vocalist TERU, 37, said to fans at the end of Saturday’s concert, “We’ll be back.”

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GLAY completed its final US performance at the House of Blues in Los Angeles on Saturday.

The concert has brought in over a thousand fans and GLAY performed a total of 20 songs and the band promised the crowd that they would make a return back to America.

In the three combined performances in San Francisco and Los Angeles, the band has performed in front of an audience of 3,100.

J!-ENT’s Wynne Ip will have a report on the GLAY tour coming soon!

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Japanese megagroup GLAY kickstart their Verb Tour 2008 in U.S. in San Francisco on August 12, treating hundreds of fans to a night they would never forget.

This is the first time the veteran rock band of 20 years performed a public live in the U.S. The moment the individual members stepped onto the stage, the crowd immediately whipped into a frenzy, sending the warmest welcome to the band.

Fans from all over the country came to see GLAY. Some even crossed border from Canada to see them play here in California.

The set lasted over 2 hours, which included 19 songs (unconfirmed), consisting mostly of power rock, among them classics like Yuuwaku and Glorious. Before the encore started, GLAY even posed with the audience for a photo to commemorate this historic performance.

Teru told the crowd he’ll see them again. He also thanked the crowd in Japanese, which subsequently was translated by a bilingual fan, that it was because of everyone who supported them that made it possible for them to perform on a stage like tonight.

With two more shows to go in Los Angeles this week, GLAY will certainly continue to bring their A-game to Southern California for those who have supported them all these years outside of Japan.

J!-ENT will be covering the August 15th show with a full-color live report. Stay tuned!

-Wynne Ip

With so much speculation, it has now been confirmed that GLAY will be performing in the US courtesy of GLAY band member Takuro on their official website:

8/12（tue）The Fillmore（San Francisco）

8/15（fri） House of Blues Sunset Strip（LA）

8/16（sat）House of Blues Sunset Strip（LA）

Which artist or group took the #1 position on the Oricon top 10 CD single daily charts on new release Wednesday?

NOTE: GLAY takes the #1 position with “VERB”, UVERWORLD at #2 and Koda Kumi’s latest CD single debuts at #3.  T.M. Revolutions has a good showing at #4 and GReeeeN staying strong on the charts.

1. GLAY - VERB
2. UVERWORLD - Gekido/Just break the limit!
3. Koda Kumi - MOON
4. T.M. Revolution - resonance
5. GReeeeN - Kiseki
6. Dohzi T - Mou Ichido - feat BENI
7. Ohashi Takuya - SKY
8. High-King - C\C (Cinderella\Complex)
9. Angelo - CHAOTIC BELL
10. Aishiteru - Shimizu Shota

JapanToday.com reported, “Nippon Television Network (NTV) has signed up popular rock band group GLAY to sing the theme song for all its soccer programs. NTV will broadcast World Cup preliminary matches on June 2 and 14. GLAY vocalist TAKURO said, “I hope our song can lift the players’ spirits so they can play exciting games.”

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Mainichi Daily News reported, “A member of the popular rock band GLAY faces negligence charges over a traffic accident that slightly injured a cyclist, police said.”"Police have sent an investigation report to prosecutors, accusing Teru, 36, whose real name is Teruhiko Kobashi, of negligent driving resulting in injury. Prosecutors will decide whether to indict him after investigating the case.”

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