Saturday, May 21, 2016

Jpop Mix: Country Girls - Boogie Woogie Love, Koi wa Magnet, Ran Ra Run


I've had this post in the "drafting" stage since March. Oops. This is coming much later then I originally intended, but Country Girls has not released a new single, so it's not too late right? ;) Well, I've always had this sort of "I'm-not-so-sure" relationship with Country Girls. They were the group where I liked most of the members individually but in terms of the group itself - nah, I didn't care much for them. I did quite like Itooshikutte Gomen Ne, and while I originally thought I would soon tire of it, I still find myself listening to it. Haha, so if I could revise my original review, I would probably give their debut single 4/5, hehe. But! Their follow-up didn't really grab my attention at all and I sort of gave up on the group. 

Well, in the later half of 2015, two new members were added to the line-up, Hello!Project trainees Funaki Musubu and Yanagawa Nanami. This kept my interest only for a bit, but then I saw the new line-up perform their debut single and I was blown away. Like, these new girls had charisma and it's not that the previous line-up was bad, but with the additional two members, I felt like Country Girls as a whole just came alive. I waited patiently for a new single to be released and I was not disappointed. 

A triple A-side, this single is amazing in that it highlights a pair of girls in each song. The main A-side is Boogie Woogie Love which was a song that I immediately loved due to its retro style and jazz undertones. The music video looks like it was filmed in a diner and their outfits are so cute and definitely fit the era of the 50's. I felt like Funakki and Nanami were both featured in a way that wasn't overwhelming and I really liked their little solo dances in the middle. It's a fun song that I listen to often.

Koi wa Magnet or Love is a Magnet is the second A-side of this single and mainly features the duo of  Inaba Manaka and Yamaki Risa. It's a more mature song that has a very classic jpop feel. The music video is simple, emphasizing that classic feel of the song and the song itself speaks about how attractive love is despite the sorrow it can bring. This was my least favorite song of the three. It is definitely different for Country Girls and is a nice song, but it didn't really stand out much to me.

Ran Ra Run outfits! 
The final song, Ran Ra Run ~Crazy about you~, is arguably my favorite, haha. I like it just as much as Boogie Woogie Love and I think part of the reason is that I heard it EVERYWHERE when I was in Akihabara in March. I saw large screens playing the music video at least 3 times and I was only there twice. This song features Morito Chisaki and Ozeki Mai as the centers, lolita fashion, an incredibly catchy hook, and an absolutely adorable music video! I felt like, just as with Boogie Woogie Love, all the elements of this song pulled together and created and amazing final product.

Country Girls definitely have my attention now and I can't wait to hear and see more from them. Their third single is a definitive 5/5 and I hope they continue to release high quality and diverse music like this :) 

p.s. In case you haven't guessed, my favorite member is officially Yanagawa Nanami. When I was at the Hello!Project shop in March, I even got a bonus photo with my purchase that featured her which you can see in my post here

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