Sands of time, the title track of the single (umm… Sands of time) is also the ED of the Japanese drama ケータイ捜査官7 (Keitai Sousakan 7) and the band did a fantastic PV for the song that you can watch in full on Youtube courtesy of gangangan03, or if you want the subbed version of the PV, check out the release by #TV-Nihon, which was uploaded by Vanalovas.

And the long awaited lyrics are finally here! We have to thank rageguy for posting the romaji version on the Forums, and he kindly allowed us to post them here! The usual kanji, hiragana and karaoke versions are now also available (August 3rd 2008!)

We’re experimenting a little this time, and posting the lyrics (as per the original) without the usual dividing brackets. It would be great if you could let us know what you thought!

As always, if you spot any mistakes, please let me know either by commenting below or via the contact form. If you would like to post these lyrics elsewhere, please link back to this page. :)

JAPANESE (Kanji)

つないでた手を離したんだ I know…わかってる
無口なホームで…

I’m Mr. lover なんて強がる can you feel me?
未だに you’re my 心癒す diva
But I can’t say this word “逢いたいな”
I wanna 時を rewind right now

“逢いたいよ” って今すぐにでも 叫びたいのに
もうYou and I 言えない
意地をはっても つかめない あの頃は腕の中にいたのに
キミはもういない

Baby… come back to here for me
そう隣に… I wanna say it
You and I お互い 言えない 逢えない
あの時から素直になれない 魔法が解けない
I wanna use the sands of time… 君のそばにいたい

“愛してる” って叫んでみたけど 君の元には届かないよ
泣かないでくれよ ツラくなるから
胸の奥に想いを閉じ込めた
キミはもういない

Hey my girl 誰かの “モノ” になるなら
いっそ消えてほしいと願う 心の中
未だ思い出 flash back!
あの時 あの場所で出会わなければ…

“愛してる” って叫んでみたけど
君の元には届かないよ
泣かないでくれよ ツラくなるから
胸の奥に想いを閉じ込めた
“逢いたいよ” って今すぐにでも叫びたいのに
もうYou and I 言えない
意地をはっても つかめない
あの頃は腕の中に

No details of the tracklisting are available as yet (apart from the obvious Sands of Time song, which is the ending theme for ケータイ捜査官7 [Keitai Sousakan 7]) but the release date is set to be May 21st 2008, which is the same date listed for the CD on HMV Japan.

However, no news or information has been released on Back-on‘s official website nor official Myspace yet, so we haven’t been able to confirm the news. Given that Keitai Sousakan 7 premieres on April 2nd 2008, the May release date does give the band sufficient time to do some promotional work for the new single, so I’m almost certain the date must be correct. Of course, it would be even better if it was earlier! ;)

p/s: We’ve updated the band’s Discography to reflect the new information.
p/s2: Our first birthday is coming up in less than 2 weeks!

This breaking news was first spotted by Sesshy on Back-on’s official blog, and it was subsequently posted onto their official Myspace in English. They were both accompanied by a picture of the band with the cast and Hitomi Shimatani at the press conference that was held by the production team of Keitai Sousakan 7 to launch the show.

We will be covering the drama in more depth in another post. For a quick low-down of the facts (info courtesy of August Ragone, The Good, The Bad, and Godzilla 続・夕陽の呉爾羅):

The 51-episode series revolves around Kieta, a high school freshman who joins “Anchor” (the digital-crime-fighting organisation) and is given the transformer-phone, Phonebraver 7, to help thwart the plans of an internet-based crime organisation.

The main role is played by 19 year-old Masataka Kubota, and is supported by actors Mickey Curtis (Agitator), Yuko Ito (Bubble Fiction), Kanji Tsuda (Japan Sink), Natsuki Okamoto (Arch Angels), Satoshi Matsuda (Kamen Rider Ryuki), and Nao Nagasawa (Hurricanger).

From left: Takashi Miike, Nao Nagasawa, Yuko Ito, Masataka Kubota,
Kanji Tsuda, Satoshi Matsuda, Natsuki Okamoto (Source: Nippon Cinema)

Some big names are involved with the project, including:

• Takashi Miike (三池崇史), the supervising director for KS7 who is famous for directing Great Yokai War and the Alive or Dead series.
• Mamoru Oshii (押井守), the director behind Ghost in the Shell.
• Shusuke Kaneko (金子修介), a well known director who most recently worked on the live movie version of Death Note.

In addition to the ‘all-star’ director group, TV Tokyo also recruited Hitomi Shimatani to sing the opening theme song. Apparently the new song is called WAKE YOU UP. There are reports that the singer may even guest-star in the series as well. (Author’s note: Will Back-on guest-star too?)

Alas we can’t see very much of the band from the photo posted on their blogs, but with a big thanks to bebekjelek, we can share some really good closeups of the band from the press conference that you can see below:

As a super-special bonus, we’ve kindly been given permission to post even more photos from the event that were taken by David Michaud of LeJapon.fr, a freelance photographer who hails from France and is based in Japan. The full-sized versions of the thumbnails (and more photos) can all been seen in the BOO Gallery – KS7 Press Conference, and aside from the excellent group photos, there are also individual pictures (closeups!) of Kenji03 and Teeda! I would really encourage everyone to view the photos in full, since thumbnails really don’t do them enough justice!

The commercial ‘tie-in’, or the transformer-robot-phone(s) Phonebraver (the Toshiba 815T PB) is actually receiving a tonne of attention in its own right, as it is probably the first ‘hybrid’ toy transformer and phone. The initial report on Gizmodo Japan was swiftly picked up by the US Gizmodo, before Akihabara News posted their report from the press conference.

With all this promotion going on, it is quite unbelievable that all the blogs and news site (such as Variety Japan, Tokyograph etc.) never actually mentioned that Back-on are singing the ending theme for the drama. I’m guessing that this is because of all the big names that have dominated the headlines, but as a fellow fan, I’m sure you find this rather disappointing as well!

However, (even if I am biased!) I think their music will speak for itself when the drama is premiered on April 2nd 2008. This is the second time that Back-on‘s music will feature as main theme for a J-drama (the first being Shinjuku Swan) but given the wide ranging publicity given to Keitai Sousakan 7 and the fact that it is a prime-time kid-friendly show (contrasting especially with Shinjuku Swan) it is more than likely to be a major breakthrough for Back-on reaching the mainstream. Let’s keep our fingers crossed! :)

Each article/interview offers it’s own unique perspective of the band, and this undoubtedly includes the most recent issue (only its second!) of Five-For magazine, which features a special interview with Back-on, in addition to an exclusive review (including pictures!) of the band’s final concert of 2007 ‘Code 003′, which was the finale of their “Shining Line” tour in Japan!

We’ve included a small preview of one of the Back-on pages below for your reference that can be found on the Five-for website, as well as the cover of this particular issue (2):

And if the interview and concert review (by Sabrina) weren’t enough, Five-For is also giving fans the opportunity to win special Back-on merchandise from their 2007 finale concert, including an autograph board as well as a Back-on towel! The draw takes place on February 21st 2008, so if you are planning to purchase the magazine, please do try and order it before the deadline if you’re interested in participating in the contest!

And for a quick lowdown: Five-For is a new bi-monthly magazine dedicated to Japanese Music. The editor, Sara Crane, mentioned that a major part of the magazine *is* covering the gigs and shows that the bands do at home in Japan. More information can be found on the Five-for website, where it can also be ordered online for $10.95 (US/Mexico/Canada) or $15.95 (Europe/Asia/South America), inclusive of delivery.

In addition to Back-on, the second edition of Five-for also includes interviews/live reports with Hitomi Shimatani, Koda Kumi, the pillows, and Danger Gang amongst others.

As with all articles featuring Back-on, please let us know what you think! :) If you do enter the competition, good luck! We’ll keep our fingers crossed what one of our visitors is the lucky winner!