I said last week I’d stop putting this off, so even if it isn’t quite the end of the year yet, I’d like to go ahead and do a big Yearly Recommendation Post! I left a lot of stuff out, so these were just the top releases for me. I had a lot more favorites overall, but I couldn’t stick everything on here! It is also a bit heavy on the JPop as that is what I normally listen to, but a few JRock releases are thrown in there as well.

January
mink - Innocent Blue ~Chi Hate Umi Tsukiru Made~
AAA - ALL
YUI - Rolling star
OLIVIA - The Cloudy Dreamer
Ito Yuna - HEART
Hirahara Ayaka - Sora

January started the year off relatively strongly with albums from AAA, Ito Yuna, and Hirahara Ayaka. AAA continuously puts out impressive albums, and Hirahara Ayaka’s was impressive as well. Ito Yuna’s was a good album, but there was so much hype beforehand that I ended up being a little disappointed. It didn’t have her fast-paced ’stuck on you’ on it, and leaned toward ballads which were a bit boring. Nevertheless, her voice is beautiful, and I was glad to have a lot of my favorite songs all on one release, even though I owned the singles already. OLIVIA’s The Cloudy Dreamer gets Rhi’s “Most Awesomely Unexpected” award for this month! I wasn’t a big fan of OLIVIA, but I honestly loved each and every song on this mini-album, and couldn’t wait to get my grubby little hands on it! mink’s Innocent Blue ~Chi Hate Umi ni Tsukiru Made~ makes the list because of the song Aoki Ookami, which was SO pretty. I was a bit annoyed to find that it didn’t make it onto her next album, and therefore bought the single so as to have the song. The other two songs are good as well, but that’s the gem! Finally, YUI’s Rolling star is her most brilliant song to date, featuring an awesome PV full of flying guitars and slo-mo band member’s! This fast-paced rock song was a great opening to the new year!

February
MONKEY MAJIK + m-flo - Picture Perfect
Kagrra, - Shizuku
Otsuka Ai - CHU-LIP
Utada Hikaru - Flavor of Life
ayakaxKOBUKURO - WINDING ROAD
mink - Shalom

February saw a ton of releases, including mink’s new album, mentioned above. Kagrra,’s new album was really nice, but I think overall the spotlight goes on the singles of that month. Picture Perfect was MONKEY MAJIK first collab out of a set of three (four if you count MONKEY MAJIK x MONKEY MAGIC) and this single, along with the fact that it would contain Futari as well, made me resolve to buy their album when it came out! Otsuka Ai’s CHU-LIP took me awhile to like, but once I saw the translation for the song, I was hooked! So true about becoming more like your parents as you get older! Utada’s Flavor of Life, the insert song for Hana Yori Dango 2, and ayakaxKOBUKURO’s amazing half-acapella collab wind up my recs for this month with solid awesomeness.

March
YUI - CHE.R.RY
Angela Aki - Sakurairo
Tommy heavenly6 - Heavy Starry Heavenly6
Hitomi Shimatani - PRIMA ROSA

Despite the amount of releases, most weren’t very strong ones. YUI’s next single after Rolling star was a highlight, as was Angela Aki’s Sakurairo. I didn’t like YUI’s PV for CHE.R.RY, but I did like Angela’s. Tomoko Kawase’s project Tommy heavenly’s Heavy Starry Heavenly was too fun of an album to resist… I loved the holiday-themed songs she did! Finally, Hitomi Shimatani’s PRIMA ROSA was a album filled with good songs, such as Haru Machibito, Camellia, and Destiny ~Taiyou no Hana~.

April
YUI - Can’t Buy My Love
mihimaru GT - Punkish
SID - Smile/Hanabira
Ketsumeishi - TRAIN
MONKEY MAJIK + Yoshida Kyoudai - CHANGE

YUI’s Can’t Buy My Love was the must-have this month, since it featured her previous two awesome singles. mihimaru GT’s PUNKISH was such a fun song, and I also loved Ketsumeishi’s TRAIN, which is my favorite song of theirs next to Sakura. SID’s Smile was another upbeat song, and very different from their last single. Finally, MONKEY MAJIK’s third collab was just amazing… Yoshida Kyoudai are masters of the Shamisen, and this single attests to that!

May
Hinoi Asuka - Ashita he no Hikari
Crystal Kay - Anata no Soba de
abingdon boys school - HOWLING
Rie fu - Tsukiakari
Onitsuka Chihiro - everyhome
UVERworld - endscape

A larger month that April, this month saw the first single from Hinoi Asuka in awhile, as most were focused on HINOI TEAM. Crystal Kay’s Anata no Soba de was next in a string of good singles, and Rie fu’s Tsukiakari was the first song since Life is Like a Boat that I really liked! UVERworld’s endscape makes the list with the most innovative b-side, UNKNOWN ORCHESTRA, that I’ve heard in awhile, and abs’s second single HOWLING was a really fun song to listen to. Finally, Onitsuka Chihiro’s everyhome was a mellow, beautiful song to top the month off.

June
Tainaka Sachi - Itoshii Hito he
Hata Motohiro - Uroko
MUCC - Best of MUCC
Lena Park - Inori~You Raise Me Up~
Amuro Namie - PLAY
Koike Teppei - pieces

Koike Teppei’s pieces was the most surprising release this month, as I wouldn’t have listened to it except in passing. I really fell in love with it though. Namie’s PLAY was my most anticipated album for this month, and Hata’s Uroko (see my previous post for more info on this song) was the most anticipated single. Tainaka Sachi I think took a lot of people by surprise with her release, and Lena Park’s Japanese rendition of You Raise Me Up can STILL bring goosebumps to my arms! Finally, MUCC’s Best album was a good end to the month. They released a “Worst of” album as well, which I found hilarious!

July
melody. - READY TO GO!
SID - Natsukoi
MONKEY MAJIK - Sora wa Marude

Not many releases impressed me in July, despite the sheer number of them. I’d been looking forward to MONKEY MAJIK’s Sora wa Marude of course, and SID’s Natsukoi was a really pretty song. melody.’s album READY TO GO! really got me into her as well.

August
the pillows - Ladybird girl / And Hello!
ZARD - Best Albums
the brilliant green - Stand By Me

August was a bittersweet month, with the release of two ZARD best albums as tribute to the death of their vocalist, Sakai Izumi, who while being treated for cancer fell down the stairs in the hospital. I’d always admired ZARD, and listening to some of their older songs brought back the style of the ’80’s/early 90’s with me (especially “Goodbye my Loneliness”!), so this was really sad news. At the same time, the brilliant green for most everybody had been taken as almost disbanded, so it was awesome to see them back together! This was a strong song, and looks hopeful for their future! Finally, the pillows Ladybird girl was a fun song.

September
ayaka - CLAP&LOVE / Why
Hinouchi Emi - Goodie Memories
Kitade Nana - ANTOINETTE BLUE
Rie fu - 5000 Miles
redballoon - First Story
Hirai Ken - fake star
AAA - Around
BACK-ON - Butterfly & flower
Angela Aki - TODAY
Acid Black Cherry - Black Cherry
ayabie - Yubisaki
Hata Motohiro - CONTRAST
Uemura Kana - Anata no Sono Egao wa Ii HINT ni Naru

WOW September was a good month! Hirai Ken’s and BACK-ON’s singles really surprised me, as did Hinouchi Emi’s. AAA came out with another album which in my opinion is their best so far, and I was SO EXITED for Hata Motohiro’s debut major album CONTRAST! ayabie’s Yubisaki and Acid Black Cherry’s Black Cherry got my JRock on for this month, and redballoon’s First Story and Angela Aki’s second album TODAY were highlights as well. Rie fu’s 5000 Miles is her best song to date for me, and Kitade Nana’s voice in Antoinette Blue was really really good. Fiiinally, ayaka’s Clap and Love was a really strong single as well.

October
L’arc~en~ciel - DAYBREAK’S BELL
abingdon boys school - abingdon boys school
The Gospellers - It Still Matters~Ai wa Nemuranai~ feat.Howie D.
BUMP OF CHICKEN - Hana no Na
Base Ball Bear - Aishiteru

Both BUMP OF CHICKEN and The Gospellers single’s really got my attention for this month. Howie D is from the Backstreet Boys for those who are scratching their heads, and this song is sorta in the boyband vein… except TOTALLY AWESOME in ways which boyband songs normally aren’t. BUMP OF CHICKEN’s Hana no Na is really, really moving. On the other side of the coin, DAYBREAK’S BELL was very anticipated after SEVENTH HEAVEN, and they didn’t disappoint! Base Ball Bear’s Aishiteru was damn catchy as well. Finally, abs’s first album I had pre-ordered as soon as I saw it available, and was definitely worth it!

November
Koda Kumi - LAST ANGEL feat.Tohoshinki
An Cafe - Ryuusei Rocket
Dew - Present
GReeeeN - Hito
ONE OK ROCK - Zeitakubyo
May J. - DO tha DO tha
alan - Ashita he no Sanka
Rie fu - Tobira Album
Cocco - Dugon no Mieru Oka

Okay, another big month! Or maybe I’m including more because they are more recent in my mind, I don’t know. ANYWAY, first off is alan’s first Japanese single, done in Chinese Opera style, and is a single I’ve recced here before. Dew’s single was the first I heard of that group, and was a good intro for them! An Cafe’s second single with the new line-up (I still miss Bou though!) was strong, as was Koda Kumi’s collab with Tohoshinki. Rie fu’s album was a definite hit, of course, and so was ONE OK ROCK’s album. I had just discovered them when this came out! May J’s DO tha DO tha was a great upbeat single, even as Cocco’s beautiful Dugon no Mieru Oka was the mellow one. Ah, and GReeeeN’s Hito was a fun song as well!

December (So far…)
Rin’ - Genji Nostalgy

…and looking forward to:
Dir en grey - Decade 1998-2002
Shimokawa Mikuni - Reprise~Shimokawa Mikuni ANISON BEST~
MAY - KIZUNA / Toki wo Tomete

Finally, December. So far, Rin’s Genji Nostalgy is really the only major release that has blown me away. I see some good things in the future, though, so keep checking for those reccs in the coming weeks!

Liked or disliked any of these reccs? Want to add in some of your own? Feel free to comment and discuss!