A-to-J Connections' Favorite Songs of 2018!

1/7/2019

2018 was a good, but rough, year for A-to-J Connections and it shows in our favorite songs of the year article which is now coming out a week into 2019! Late or not though, this is a yearly tradition that we were determined to get out and while 2018 was truly a year where we expanded a lot into new fields, it also proved to be one where things didn't always come out in as timely a manner as we initially hoped! Anyhow, we had a lot of fun listening to all sorts of new Japanese music this year and as always this list represents a wide mix of genres and styles from several active A-to-J staff members! Without further ado let's jump into this look into some of the sounds of 2018!

Manuel: General Manager / Editor-In-Chief

It was hard for me to pick a favorite song for 2018 as there were many great ones but I was hard pressed to find one that rose above the others. I went with amiinA's "Caravan" here for a couple reasons. First, I've told this story many times before but I saw amiinA live late 2017 and was not impressed. I actually ignored them from then on and was surprised when people said that they were fans. Flash forward to the release of "Caravan" and I was intrigued as to what this new song would sound like. Much to my amazement it not only took me by surprise, but it also changed my entire outlook on amiinA themselves. One of the coolest things about this track is their collaboration with Japanese Bluegrass band (What a combination!) The Cherry Cokes. Not only was this one of my go-to songs for the year but it also had a lot to do with my recent plunge back into roots/folk music. Check it out if you haven't already and let's hope that amiinA continues to impress in 2019!

amiinA - Caravan

Kaz: A-to-J Connections Project Leader / Site Owner

Kizu gave us a lot of new content this year, but this song by far stands out the most for me. The video itself is very grotesque and admittedly gave me the chills the first time I watched it. The song on the other hand was a great surprise because of the long and much softer intro compared to the harsh beat the kicks in later to match the video. I'd definitely recommend this song to anyone that wants to get into Kizu!!

Kizu - 0

Alana (Milky Kitty): Idol Project Leader

Hello let me present to you the SONG of 2018. The MUSIC VIDEO of 2018. The song of SUMMER 2018. "Tapioca Milk Tea" by The World Standard is the second track of their first mini album, "Jumping Summer". This song and MV encompasses everything I love about Wasuta. The costumes, summer vibes, MILK TEA, the MV aesthetic. I raved about this song so many times during Ultra Miracle Podcast Z that even months later, the smack dab middle of winter, I put this song on repeat. I may be overhyping this song and MV, but I'm living my best Tapioca Milk Tea life with my IDOL Street babes, Wasuta.

Wasuta - Tapioca Milk Tea

Heidi (Haichan): Representative (Japan)

While most of Ogura Yui’s song are known for being so cute and sweet they could give you diabetes, "Shiroku Saku Hana" has more refined and grown up sound that I really loved. The song talks about graduating and learning to be honest to yourself, your feelings, and what you really want to do. The lyrics really spoke to me and the song came out at a time when I felt I really needed to hear it. Besides the lyrics, and that you get to see a new side of Yui, I also really love the choreography!! It captured my heart with its elegance. All in all, Shiroku Saku Hana captures my heart and took place as best song of the year for me! I hope you check it out too!!

Ogura Yui - Shiroku Saku Hana

Hikaru: Visual Kei Project Leader

2018 was a fine year for Japanese music lovers. Two of Japan's most loved artists combined their strengths to make the year's most memorable song, "Red Swan". HYDE and YOSHIKI came together to make a song for the hit anime "Attack On Titan". The single reached the top of the iTunes Rock Charts in Japan, Finland, Greece, Chile, Argentina, Colombia, Mexico, Peru, Brazil and Hong Kong, making it the best performing anime song in the history of the iTunes Rock Chart. It also reached No. 6 in the US chart and No. 8 in the UK chart. The song reached the top ten in the iTunes Mainstream Charts in 16 countries. This is song is a must listen for anime and JRock fans alike!

YOSHIKI feat. HYDE - Red Swan

Janette (anarchymarie): Manga/Anime Project Leader

"Chikai" by Utada Hikaru might be best known as the original theme for Kingdom Hearts 3, before Skrillex came to the party. The lyrics sound ever so slightly off beat from the rest of the song, making for an interesting audio contrast not often heard. The overlay of a powerful drum loop against soft strings and piano provide a powerful and moving backdrop to her moving vocals. Hikki also did an English version for the impending KH3 release, both widely available on major music platforms.

Utada Hikaru - Chikai

Paloma (alpacqueen): Staff Writer

DIMLIM have been a standout VK band this year. "vanitas" was an amazing introduction to their first album "CHEDOARA" which came out last Summer. "vanitas" showcases a crazy unique mix of funk with metal. Sho’s vocals give the melodies added highs and incredible screams as well. I had the opportunity to see DIMLIM live recently and "vanitas" is as amazing if not better live as it is from the studio version.

DIMLIM - vanitas

Teepu (Bowser05): Gaming Project Leader

"Furari Ginza" is the culmination of everything I love about Jpop and Hello! Project put into a single song. It's bright, colorful, catchy, bold, fun, creatively shot, choreographed in a fun way, performed well, written well and is a ton of fun live. It's one of Morning Musume's best works yet, and honestly is one of my favorite songs period. That's saying a lot, because as far as Hello! Project is concerned, 2018 was a good year.

Morning Musume '18 - Furari Ginza

Tom Kiryu: Correspondent

My personal favorite song of 2018 is 棘 (Toge) by コドモドラゴン (Codomo Dragon). This song starts off with lyrics, 「だから僕は二度刺す」 roughly meaning, “that’s why I stab myself again,” followed by a guttural scream. Toge is fast-paced, energetic, and dark. And those are the qualities that made me fall in love with Visual Kei bands. Even without comprehending the lyrics, you can feel the energy and passion in the vocals from the mixes of the opening scream, clean singing, and the slightly more deeper and raspier vocals for the chorus (where the singer is repeating, 「おかしいなね」, roughly “how strange/sad right?”). Codomo Dragon caught me by surprise this year, as the only previous songs I had heard by them were closer to pop/oshare/upbeat genres. So I will definitely be keeping an eye on them in 2019 to see if they release more songs like this.

Codomo Dragon - Toge

And we've made it to the end of another "Favoite Songs of The Year" article! We hope you enjoyed our individual favorite songs of 2018 amd we hope that everyone had as many amazing music experiences this year too! Here's to an even better 2019 and we look forward to not only more great music, but also the opportunity to bring you even more great content in the coming year!

-Manuel and the rest of the crew at A-To-J Connections!

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