alan – Ashita e no Sanka « Beyond the Sea ~ The Style. Edition

alan – Ashita e no Sanka

August 15, 2008 at 3:53 pm | In alan | 17 Comments
Tags: singles

Tracklisting
1. Ashita e no Sanka (明日への讃歌)
2. Sakura Modern (桜モダン)
3. Ashita e no Sanka (Instrumental)
4. Sakura Modern (Instrumental)

This is alan’s debut single and it was released on November 21, 2007. The single reached #69 on the Oricon Weekly Charts and sold 4,729 copies.

Wow, what a strong debut single from this up and coming artist! Ashita e no Sanka was the perfect way for alan to begin her music career because it displays her unique style of music and vocals. It’s a traditional ballad that borrows elements from Tibetan folk songs, which provide a nice twist. Right when the song starts, I noticed the impeccable tone of alan’s voice as she calmly sang the first verse. The chorus completely caught me off guard at first too. I definitely didn’t expect to hear such powerful vocals and I was amazed with her high notes which characterize the vocal style heard in Tibetan folk songs.

The B-side is also quite good. Sakura Modern is a little more upbeat but also has a strong folkish influence with its prevalent use of traditional guitars. The song has a modern twist as well and I liked addition of strings, light beats, and even some synth that appears during the bridge sequence. alan’s vocals stay controlled throughout the entire song so she didn’t incorporate the Tibetan vocal style. She uses it in future A-sides but I think it’s good that she doesn’t do it in every song. To me, this proves that she doesn’t completely rely on it when she sings.

Overall Rating

5 stars

17 Comments »

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when I first heard this song, I was completely blown away. I had never heard anything like it! Such a strong voice for someone so young.

Comment by radiantdawn — August 15, 2008 #
I love ashita e no sanka. It took some getting used to at first but now i can really appreciate alan and her voice. The adlibing she does is just so amazing

Comment by a_chan — August 16, 2008 #
I was blown away too. It’s not everyday you hear a voice like hers. =)

Comment by taelin — August 16, 2008 #
I am now an Alan fan. Last time I felt like this about a newcomer was with Ayaka. So I hope that Alan will become super famous and make great songs too like Ayaka.

Comment by Newtype — August 16, 2008 #
…I was WONDERING when you’d do Alan. She’s just too good to miss.

I’m so glad you gave her the VERY rare, but very much deserved 5 stars.

Keep on reviewing!

Comment by mariko — August 16, 2008 #
actually by right Ashita e no Sanka was the 1st PV of sorts that I saw of alan . MTV Taiwan was playing snippets of it a while back & at that time I wasn’t that impressed with Ashita e no Sanka but I do admit it’s growing on me now

Comment by Karen — August 17, 2008 #
I really like Ashita E no Sanka too.
The only part I can’t stand is the verses, because of how horrid she sounds.
Everything else is pretty awesome.

Comment by blackmager — August 17, 2008 #
Well, I was curious about this after reading this review, so I went to DL it. And all I can say is WOW! I was blown away, as well. Even during the chorus I was waiting and knowing to expect something when it started, but it still caught me off guard. Such an amazing song! Thanks for letting me know about her, fanatastic and totally spot on review!

Comment by Keoni — August 18, 2008 #
This song is so breathtaking. The Tibetan influence is also beautiful. Stunning voice and song.

Comment by Tom — August 18, 2008 #
Amazing and truly unexpected. Ashita e no Sanka is so different from other Jpop songs. She has such a unique voice too.

Comment by Rainbow — August 19, 2008 #
The song is amazing. I’m still having trouble with the chorus as her vocals are so strong/powerful. If you haven’t taken a listen to this, no doubt you will be surprised by her extraordinary vocals.

Comment by Sanosuke — August 19, 2008 #
Ooh! Yay, you’re reviewing alan’s stuff! :D I’m excited! I discovered her recently too and her music, especially this single, is refreshing to me. I thought I’d be scared off by her high vocals in Ashita, but I love it. :3

Comment by Camille — August 19, 2008 #
I’m glad everyone is now reviewing alan :)
Ashita e no Sanka is absolutely FANTASTIC!!! I think it’s her best song and the vocals blew me away!
She is SUCH a star!
Good review :)

Comment by amaiyume — August 20, 2008 #
One of my favorite things about alan is that all of her covers are amazing. That and she has an incredible voice. Great review. Looking forward to the rest~

Comment by Nick — August 21, 2008 #
OMG. because of you i have fallen in love with another artists! OMG, she’s SO DIFFERENT!!!
i’ve been waiting for something like this! i’ve been waiting a VERY VERY LONG TIME =]

thank you for introducing me to greatness again.

Comment by trisha =D — August 24, 2008 #
Wow! That’s a lot of talk. It seems I can no longer ignore alan…

Comment by Ty_Sylicus — August 29, 2008 #
hehe. Not that I would want to. ;)

Comment by Ty_Sylicus — August 29, 2008 #