Stereo Worxxx | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by | ||||
Released | March 7, 2012 | |||
Recorded | 2011 | |||
Genre | EDM, house | |||
Length | 43:58 | |||
Language | English, with some Japanese | |||
Label | Yamaha | |||
Producer | Yasutaka Nakata | |||
Capsule chronology | ||||
| ||||
Singles from Stereo Worxxx | ||||
Stereo Worxxx (sometimes titled as Stereo Works) is the thirteenth studio album by electronica band Capsule. It was released on March 7, 2012, by Yamaha. Produced, composed and written by Capsule member Yasutaka Nakata, Stereo Worxxx was the duo's last album with their label Yamaha until transferring with Warner Music Japan and Nakata's own label, Unborde. Musically, Stereo Worxxx focuses on electronic dance music and house music with Capsule member Toshiko Koshijima singing on all tracks apart from "Motor Force".
Stereo Worxxx received generally favourable reviews from contemporary music, with many praising the quality and sound, while some criticized Nakata's lack of innovation production-wise and musical comparisons with their previous albums. The album spawned two digital singles: "Feelin' Alright" and "Step on the Floor". The album sold 15,308 copies on its first week of release, debuting and peaking at number five on the Japanese Oricon Albums Chart. The group went on a promotional tour for the album, all throughout Japan.
Capsule member, Yasutaka Nakata, began producing music for Japanese recording artist Kyary Pamyu Pamyu in 2011, after the release of the duo's twelfth studio album, World of Fantasy (2011) and at the beginnings of making Stereo Worxxx. [2] He concentrated on producing Pamyu Pamyu's debut album in mid-late 2011, but came to a halt in order to start work with Capsule member Toshiko Koshijima. While producing the album, he wanted to be influenced by "different things" and cited Pamyu Pamyu as an influence to the album. [3] On December 11, 2011, they confirmed the release of Stereo Worxxx for March 2012, nine months after the release of World of Fantasy. [4]
Nakata stated that throughout the process of the album, he fussed over his professionalism as a producer; "as a professional musician, I want to make music where I fuss over every little sound. The music that would result if I stopped would be very much in the convience[sic] industry, so I want to hold it back. So with Stereo Worxxx, I fused[sic] over everything, including the title. We can't decrease the amount of music people want to hear over great speakers." [3] Despite this, he never had an initial concept for the album and made music "based on whatever I feel every time, and the concept just comes up with it." [5] Koshijima commented about the production and her input to the album; "The basic has never changed; however, I deliberately tried to sing the best I could as if creating the best sound of me." [5]
Stereo Worxxx features nine tracks is their second English language studio album after World of Fantasy. [6] [7] Apart from the track "Motor Force", Koshijima sings in all the tracks on the album. [6] Unlike their previous albums, acoustic instruments such as guitars and drums are used in the album. [8] The album opener is "Feelin' Alright", an electronic and rock song. [3] Featuring instrumentation of live guitars and synthesizers, the song only mentions the title phrase through its chorus. [6] The second track, "Never Let Me Go", is a dance song that features Koshijima whispering and singing "Never let me go" in the chorus; Ian Martin from The Japan Times compared the song to the work of Japanese girl group Perfume. [9] The third track, "In the Rain", is an electronic song with influences of "spacey" ambient music. [10] The fourth track, "Dee J", features vocals from Koshijima and samples baby laughs, but was criticized by critics for its comparisons to their songs "STRIKER" and "I JUST WANT TO XXX YOU" from World of Fantasy. [9]
The fifth track, "Step on the Floor", is an uptempo pop and electropop track that was highlighted by several critics as an album stand out; Martin labelled it Capsule's "most complete pop song" to date. [9] [10] Both "Tapping Beats" and "All the Way" are dance tracks that have been compared to the work from World of Fantasy, while the latter was directly compared to its title track. [9] The eighth track, "Motor Force", is an instrumental dance piece that was compared to the work of World of Fantasy. [11] The ninth and final track, "Transparent", is a slow "intelligent pop song" that was hailed by critics as one of their best and emotionally delivered tracks to date; Nakata commented on the track;
"At first I wanted to do an album of nothing but songs like this one. This became a song where I took care to copy it by ear. Even I thought I was doing something interesting. But it was hard to find its place in the album, and it eventually became the 9th and final song. I'm not saying that I'd like to have the opportunity to do mainly this kind of music in the future. Instead, I think I would have made the album more "Japanese" if I'd been able to extend the deadline by two months and focus only on 'Transparent.'" [3]
Stereo Worxxx was released on March 7, 2012 through Yamaha. [6] There are two formats for Stereo Worxxx; a regular edition with one disc, and a limited edition with one standard disc, and a second disc with extended mixes of selected tracks from the album. [12] The album sleeve was released on February 1, featuring Koshijima sitting down while holding a speaker, in front of a black backdrop. The Capsule logo was used in the top-left corner. [13] To promote the album, Capsule went on a promotional tour throughout Japan. They toured for six dates, starting at Ishikawa Prefecture on April 7, 2012 and finished in Fukuoka Prefecture on July 16, 2012. [14] The original date for Fukuoka was postponed from May 3 to July 16 because the concert venue was not opened at the time. [15] [16]
"Feelin' Alright" and "Step on the Floor" were chosen to be the album's lead promotional tracks. "Feelin' Alright" featured two accompanying music videos: one with Koshijima in a doll house, produced in collaboration with Japanese app Cotto; it was published on Yamaha's YouTube channel. The other version was a simple computer-generated graphic animation. [17] [18] "Step on the Floor" was released on February 1, 2012 through iTunes. [1] An original, instrumental version of "Tapping Beats" was used in the soundtrack Liar Game. [8]
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Earmilk | (Positive) [19] |
The Japan Times | (Fairly favourable) [9] |
Make Believe Melodies | (Fairly favourable) [11] |
Mind Equals Blown | 9/10 [10] |
Wake Side Division | (Positive) [20] |
Stereo Worxxx received generally favourable reviews from music critics. Ian Martin commented that while most of the track were catchy, he felt "The wild party of 2011’s World of Fantasy still seems to be raging on into 2012, with Nakata continuing to integrate tribal and Japanese festival rhythms into his music...", citing "Tapping Beats" and "All the Way" as examples. He concluded "There’s certainly a lot to take away from Stereo Worxxx, but it’s definitely a transitional album with no clear sense of direction or identity. It has material to tantalize fans of both its predecessor and Nakata’s work with Perfume, but probably not enough to satisfy either. Importantly though, it makes clear that these two poles are not irreconcilable, which could augur very well for the future." [9] Patrick St. Michel from Make Believe Melodies also felt that the music from Stereo Worxxx was comparable to World of Fantasy, and felt that songs like "In the Rain" and "Tapping Beats" ruined the albums sonic flow. However, he concluded it as a "good, uncomplicated album". [11]
Chris P from Wake Side Division was positive in his review, stating "Stereo Worxxx is kind of "happy music." The experience overall with the release is positive and that makes it fun to listen to." [20] Sebastian Fonseca from Mind Equals Blown said "At the end of the day Stereo Worxxx isn’t capsule’s best album, and fans will continue to hail More! More! More! as their magnum opus. However don’t let that discourage you from listening to this record as it has some of the best tracks the duo has ever recorded. It may be a representation of a different capsule, but a genius one nonetheless." [19] Jeff Lourenço from Earmilk was positive towards the production by Nakata, saying "The unique sound these two put together is truly something you’ve never heard before... This album carries many different tracks such as my favorite of the LP, "Transparent," which is softer, but gives you that blissful slow dance feel." [19]
Stereo Worxxx sold 15,308 units on its first week of release, debuting and peaking at number five on the Japanese Oricon Albums Chart. [21] The album stayed in the charts for eight weeks, their fifth longest spanning album in the regions chart. [22] With over 24,000 units sold in Japan, Stereo Worxxx is Capsule's sixth best selling album according to Oricon, and their second best selling album inside the 2010s decade, just behind Player (2010). [23]
All tracks are written by Yasutaka Nakata
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Feelin' Alright" | 4:00 |
2. | "Never Let Me Go" | 4:45 |
3. | "In the Rain" | 6:00 |
4. | "Dee J" | 4:20 |
5. | "Step on The Floor" | 5:12 |
6. | "Tapping Beats" | 3:17 |
7. | "All The Way" | 5:14 |
8. | "Motor Force" | 5:36 |
9. | "Transparent" | 4:00 |
Total length: | 43:58 |
All tracks are written by Yasutaka Nakata
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Feelin' Alright" (extended mix) | 5:02 |
2. | "Never Let Me Go" (extended mix) | 6:06 |
3. | "In the Rain" (extended mix) | 6:48 |
4. | "Dee J" (extended mix) | 5:53 |
5. | "All the Way" (extended mix) | 5:43 |
6. | "Motor Force" (extended mix) | 7:19 |
Total length: | 36:51 |
Capsule is a Japanese electronica band consisting of producer Yasutaka Nakata and vocalist Toshiko Koshijima.
"Free Free" is a song by Japanese recording artist Ami Suzuki and producer Yasutaka Nakata, taken from her sixth studio album Dolce (2008). It was released on August 22, 2007 through Avex Trax and was distributed into three physical formats and for digital consumption. Additionally, the track appeared as a double A-side to "Super Music Maker", another recording by Suzuki and Nakata. Suzuki first started working with the producer in late 2006 after her staff at Avex noticed the singers engagement with dance-oriented music whilst performing at night clubs, and wanted to pair her with a musician that dealt with electronic dance music.
Perfume: Complete Best is the first greatest hits album by Japanese girl group Perfume. It was released on August 2, 2006 by Tokuma Japan Communications. The greatest hits album includes work released from their previous record label Bee-hive Records, and previous work with Tokuma Japan Communications. The album also included b-side and one newly recorded track. It was released in three different formats; a CD and DVD bundle, a digital release, and a double 12-inch vinyl LP. The LP was released through Perfume's February 2016 box set Perfume Complete LP Box, and a singular limited release.
"One" is a song recorded by Japanese recording artist Ami Suzuki for her seventh studio album, Supreme Show (2008). It was written and produced by Japanese producer and Capsule member Yasutaka Nakata. The track is Suzuki's third single with Nakata after her August 2007 single's "Free Free" and "Super Music Maker". "One" premiered on June 18, 2008, as the lead single from the album.
"Can't Stop the Disco" is a song recorded by Japanese recording artist Ami Suzuki for her seventh studio album, Supreme Show (2008). It was written and produced by Japanese producer and Capsule member Yasutaka Nakata. The track is Suzuki's third single with Nakata after her June 2008 single "One". "Can't Stop the Disco" premiered on September 24, 2008, as the second single from the album.
Yasutaka Nakata is a Japanese music producer and DJ. He formed the group capsule in 1997 with vocalist Toshiko Koshijima and himself as composer and record producer. The group debuted in 2001 with the song "Sakura".
World of Fantasy is the twelfth studio album by the Japanese electronica band Capsule, released on May 25, 2011, in Japan. The album was originally due for release with the title of Killer Wave. After the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake occurred on March 11, 2011, Yasutaka Nakata announced that the album's release was postponed and due for release at an unknown date for cover art rework and renaming. "Killer Wave" was then considered a "working title". This is the first album of the duo with all songs sung by the vocalist Toshiko Koshijima. It is also their first completely English-language album.
"Spice" is a song recorded by Japanese girl group Perfume for their third studio album, JPN (2011). It premiered on November 2, 2011 as the fifth and final single from the album in Japan. It was written, composed, arranged, and produced by Japanese musician and Capsule member Yasutaka Nakata. The single also included the B-side track "Glitter", which appeared on the parent album. It was also released on June 19, 2013 through European and Oceanic regions, and June 25 in North America. Musically, "Spice" is a house song.
Moshi Moshi Harajuku is the first extended play by Japanese pop singer Kyary Pamyu Pamyu. All of the tracks were produced by Nakata Yasutaka of Capsule. It was released on August 17, 2011, in two editions: a limited edition with a photobook and a regular edition. The lead single "PonPonPon" was released digitally on July 20, 2011. A second single, "Jelly", was released on August 3 and is a cover of the Capsule song of the same name.
"Tsukematsukeru" is a song by Japanese recording artist Kyary Pamyu Pamyu, from her debut studio album Pamyu Pamyu Revolution. The lyrics are about a girl putting on her false eyelashes. The song is described as "an ambitious track" that is "bursting with Kyary's individuality". The single was digitally released on December 7, 2011, and then physically on January 11, 2012. The physical single was released in two editions: a limited edition containing a photobook and a CD-only regular edition. A limited edition 7" single was released exclusively to DJs on 17 July 2013 with the extended mix of "Tsukematsukeru" as the A-side and the extended mix of "Mina No Uta" as the B-side.
Pamyu Pamyu Revolution is the debut studio album by Japanese singer Kyary Pamyu Pamyu, released on May 23, 2012.
"Kimi ni 100 Percent" is a song by Japanese pop singer Kyary Pamyu Pamyu. Used as the fifteenth opening theme song for the anime Crayon Shin-chan, it was released as a double A-side single alongside "Furisodation" on January 30, 2013. This also appears on Nanda Collection
Rewind Best is a series of two greatest hits albums by the Japanese electronica band Capsule, simultaneously released on March 6, 2013. The releases contain fifteen songs each. The first album, Rewind Best-1 (2012→2006), spans music from their seventh album Fruits Clipper (2006) to their thirteenth album Stereo Worxxx (2012). The second album, Rewind Best-2 (2005→2001), contains music from Capsule's first album High Collar Girl (2001) to their sixth, L.D.K. Lounge Designers Killer (2005).
Nanda Collection is the second full-length studio album by Japanese recording artist Kyary Pamyu Pamyu, release on June 26, 2013, by Warner Music Japan. The album debuted at number one in the Oricon Weekly Albums Chart, becoming the first chart topper release of Kyary's career as well as the first Yasutaka Nakata-produced album to do so since Perfume's JPN in 2011.
"Computer City" is a song recorded by Japanese girl group Perfume for their first greatest hits compilation, Perfume: Complete Best (2006). It was written, composed, arranged, and produced by Japanese musician and Capsule member Yasutaka Nakata. The single also included the B-side track "Perfume", which appeared on the parent album. It premiered on January 11, 2006 as the second single from the album in Japan. It was also released on June 19, 2013 through European and Oceanic regions, and June 25 in North America. Musically, "Computer City" is a technopop song, influenced by electronic music.
Caps Lock is the fourteenth studio album by the Japanese electronica band Capsule, released on October 23, 2013, by Warner Music Japan's sublabel Unborde as their first album release under the label. It was released digitally by iTunes on October 16, 2013. Caps Lock debuted at number seven and thirteen of the Oricon Daily and Weekly Albums Chart, respectively, with 11,805 copies sold in its first week of release.
Wave Runner is the fifteenth studio album by Japanese electronica band Capsule, released on February 18, 2015, by Warner Music Japan sublabel Unborde. The album debuted at the fifth spot on the Oricon Weekly Albums chart with 11,395 copies.
"Super Music Maker" is a song recorded by Japanese recording artist and songwriter Ami Suzuki, for her sixth studio album Dolce (2008) and a re-recorded version for her seventh album Supreme Show (2008). Featuring Japanese record producer and Capsule member Yasutaka Nakata, the song was released as the lead single and double a-side single with "Free Free" from Dolce on August 22, 2007 through Avex Trax. Nakata had written, produced and arranged both tracks and is her first single to be handled by Nakata following later singles from her album Supreme Show (2008). Backed by synthesizers and keyboards, "Free Free" incorporates a new genre called "Eropop" with influences of electronic dance, house and disco music. The lyrical interpretation was based on the theme of erotica and freedom.
Digital Native is the debut studio album by Japanese electronica musician Yasutaka Nakata, released on February 7, 2018 by Warner Music Japan sublabel Unborde. The album features vocal contributions from session singer Rosii, British singer Charli XCX, Japanese rock singer-musician Yonezu Kenshi, Japanese model-singers Kyary Pamyu Pamyu and Momo Mashiro, and Japanese hip-hop duo chelmico's Mamiko, as well as additional music production from Japanese dubstep musician Banvox.
Candy Racer is the fifth studio album by Japanese singer Kyary Pamyu Pamyu, released on October 27, 2021, by Nippon Columbia and its imprint KRK Lab as her first album release on the label.
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: year (link){{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: year (link){{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: year (link)