I bought this album for a week and a half and really love the motown-meets-rock-bottom hybrid. I’m a little behind in the game, but this week’s Song of the Week is the song that embodies the most what the Back to Black album is. Inspired by the classic “Ain’t No Mountain,” it’s Amy Winehouse’s “Tears Dry On Their Own.”

My interest in this week’s song was re-ignited when I found out the theme song for the animated film Byosoku 5 Centimeters per Second (also known as A Chain of Short Stories About Their Distance) happens to be this song. Since it came out 10 years ago, there was no way that it was chosen as some type of promotional tie-in. Then I found the MTV specifically created for the film by director Makoto Shinkai, and I fell in love with this song all over again. It can be found on the compilation album Blue Period, and it’s even on a single re-released specifically for the film. However, I cannot seem to find the Ronald Cheng cover anywhere on Youtube. It’s Masayoshi Yamazaki’s “One More Time One More Chance”.

Here’s the video created specifically for Byosoku 5 Centimeters Per Second. It made me bought the DVD without having seen the film.

Here’s the original MTV

This week’s song of the week was originally heard on Khalil Fong’s excellent live album. He called this song “a rare touching but simple” English song. From the 1996 album Urban Hang Suite, it’s Maxwell’s Whenever Wherever Whatever.

This week’s Song of the Week is again not picked because it’s any good, but because the video is so damn out there. From the man who introduced naked boob suits to the yearly New Year Kohaku show, it’s DJ Ozma’s Spiderman, courtesy of TV In Japan.

Seriously, the song is no good, and the video may not even be work-safe. Watch at your own risk.

The Golden Rock should be back from its break tomorrow. Until then, it’ll slowly get back onto schedule.

This week’s artist was almost completely forgotten by this blogger until he started listening to their last album on MD. It’s kind of commercial, and I expect choosing it would make my credibility as a music critic go down further, but I’ll risk it. From A Rush of Blood to the Head, it’s Coldplay’s The Scientist.

This week’s song is more for the album than the song itself. A month ago, I bought a compilation named Tokyo Cafe Vol. 2, which I guess plays songs that would recreate the feeling of being in a cafe in Tokyo. Even though it opens with a Lisa Ono song, the rest of the album isn’t quite like that. It combines R&B, acoustic guitar pieces, and even old pop songs like today’s song. You can find it on the Tokyo Cafe compilation as track 3, or find it on a compilation by the group, it’s Original Love’s “Kiss.”

I know it’s late by two days, but here it is anyway. It’s a little funky, and it was a drama theme. From Crazy Ken Band’s latest album Soul Dempa, it’s “Tenyawaya Desu Yo” (It’s So Topsy-Turvy).

The first song of the week came to mind when I wrote the review for the soundtrack to the Jay Chou film Secret. Chou said that the film’s theme song is supposed to be influenced by Brit rock. However, I wrote that the song is “more Mayday than Keane”, which I wonder riled up anyone.

……ok, no one cared. So this week’s song is what the theme song to Secret should’ve been - from the album Hopes and Fears, it’s “Somewhere Only We Know”