Bump of Chicken's seventh album, "Ray," came out today along with the announcement of a Hatsune Miku duet remix of the titular track. It's available now under the artist name "Bump of Chicken Feat. Hatsune Miku" on iTunes and Recochoku and is the first time the band has done a collaboration of this type. Not only that, but Crypton Future Media is producing a video using tons of new tech, including a "14 [ichiyon] model" of their virtual idol. Hatsune Miku will not be edited in later, but perform in real time with the band. Find out more details about the development process in the documentary above.
Babymetal - "Gimme Choco!"
Cuteness has never been this metal. Blending hard rock and idol pop, Babymetal has been recording since 2011, but it was only with the release of their first major album last month that they went viral. "Gimme Chocolate!!" is a tale of chocoholism that cannot be cured even though "I've been worried about my weight lately." If that particular instance of will power isn't the most hardcore, how about this for metal? Trio member Yuimetal fell 2 meters off the stage at their Budokan show earlier this month, but was back up and performing again within minutes.
Kyary Pamyu Pamyu - "Yume no Hajimarinrin"
Kyary's popularity continues to grow, and not only in Japan. Her latest single is used in a commercial for the apartment listings company Chintai. The video, however, remains solidly in the Kyary universe, including plenty of references to her other videos. Toast clapping! How nostalgic.
Bonus: Omodaka, who engineers a quirky harmony between traditional Japanese folksongs and chip-tunes, released a new album today called "Bridge Songs." Wonder when we can expect another amazing music video . . .