supercell – Sayonara Memories February 9, 2010

Track Listing

1. Sayonara Memories
2. Oshiete Ageru
3. Yakusoku wo Shiyou
4. Sayonara Memorie -Instrumental-
5. Oshiete Ageru -Instrumental-

1. Sayonara Memories

While I guess, ryo has found a permanent singer to carry on after the ”supercell” era, I think this new gal, nagi is a pretty good singer and with the help of ryo’s pop/rock arrangements it works because I’m liking this song quite a bit more than “Kimi no Shiranai Monogatari”.  I’m surprised that it’s a pretty long song stretching past 6 minutes, but it’s really good and sounds great for both members.

2. Oshiete Ageru

The first B-side, was definitely a chaotic one.  Oshiete Ageru starts off with this strange minor opening that sounded kind of odd.  However, despite the strange chords that filter in the song, it’s more upbeat and nagi is nice, albeit weaker in this song.   I’m not foreign to know that ryo likes his upbeat songs…case in point “supercell”.  It’s so fun to listen and raises my spirits nicely.

3. Yakusoku wo Shiyou

The final B-side and one without an instrumental, Yakusoku wo Shiyou is basically a soft-spoken song.  All the song really is is nagi and acoustic guitar.  To be honest, it’s prolly the most heartfelt song and nagi really sounded great in the song.  Her vocals were very soothing and I wasn’t bored with this song…actually it’s prolly the best song off the single.

 

 

supercell’s 2nd single in the era definitely the best thing they’ve released so far.  Yakusoku wo Shiyou is definitely the best track here because of its very simplistic arrangement and the way nagi just sounded all-around.  Sayonara Memories is also pretty good, but maybe a little too long to get its point across.  Last but not least, Oshiete Ageru is very experimental and it came off alright, but I didn’t enjoy that opening much hahah.

xTRiPx – Innovation[re]isM February 9, 2010

Track Listing

1. Innovation[∞]isM
2. glitter
3. Free☆Style☆Anthem
4. I miss U

1. Innovation[∞]isM

I find it weird that the main titled song off the single is a mere short opening to the rest of the single itself.  It’s kind of muddled in its sound but I think it was done on purpose.  Doesn’t make much sense to me, but whatever it’s there.

2. glitter

The main song off the single, glitter sounds really alive and energetic from the group.  Yoshito sounds really nice singing along this rather upbeat sounding rock track and they aren’t really pushing boundaries like the last single.  There’s parts where the songs goes darker, but their shortlived because the rest of the band turns the mood back around.  Not a bad song for sure.

3. Free☆Style☆Anthem

I always find myself more interested in the songs where they play around and shockingly, Free☆Style☆Anthem definitely does not have the same feel or sound that “glitter” had.  Instead of the normal J-rock arrangement, xTRiPx decided to get edgier and throw hard driving synths and make Yoshito scream the lyrics out. 

4. I miss U

Ending the single off, I miss U, is unsurprisingly sounding like a ballad from the group and that doesn’t surprise me at all.  What did surprise me, was that it delved even farther away from what I’ve grown to know from xTRiPx.  Honestly, it sounds like a song Tohoshinki did because of the rather boyband sound that’s going on here.  I just had to laugh when I listen to this, but it’s not bad and shows that Yoshito is a pretty good vocalist. 

 

 

Wow, if “Digital’a Nature” didn’t convince my they were strange, well then Innovation[re]isM definitely proved it straight up.  I was expecting rock songs and I did get that with both glitter and Free☆Style☆Anthem.  What got me was that final track that took a V-kei band to a very strange place, and I kind of liked it….XD  strange single for sure!

BoA – IDENTITY February 8, 2010

Track Listing

1. This Is Who I Am
2. EASY
3. BUMP BUMP! feat. VERBAL (m-flo)
4. LAZER
5. interlude#1
6. is this love
7. Mamoritai ~White Wishes~
8. interlude#2
9. Neko Love
10. THE END Soshite and… (album ver.)
11. Possibility duet with Daichi Miura
12. fallin’
13. my all

1. This Is Who I Am

Does anyone else besides me instantly thought that we were getting a JPN version of “Girls On Top” since the title was prominently used in the English version of the song?  At least it wasn’t like that at all and it’s its own original tune with piano and strings opening the album up to this.  It’s kind of different from what we’ve grown to know from BoA, and even the English is pretty good here as well.  Jazzy, but melancholic.

2. EASY

I guess taking a page from her American debut, EASY would’ve easily fit on that album, given a English makeover.  The arrangement has a very energetic flow to it and has a lot of electronica appendages sticking out of it.  That whole descending line of ~la la la~ also reminds me of a past tune as well.  I kind of like the attitude BoA is showing off but at the same time it feels rather caked on for the song.  Not bad of a song.

3. BUMP BUMP! feat. VERBAL (m-flo)

What began the era off, BUMP BUMP! is definitely the strongest A-side released here and it’s still got its fair share of problems like VERBAL being in the song.  I just feel that he doesn’t really bring anything to the table and left it wide open for BoA to take over.  When I first listened, I was loving the fact it was so urban and filled with saxes.  I still enjoy the song, but it’s definitely not to where it was with “Eien”.

4. LAZER

I kind of was impressed with LAZER for some reason.  It’s probably because of all the synth elements that make up the song.  However, that’s where it ends because it doesn’t fully go anywhere for me.  Though I do like the La Roux feel BoA gave for the song.  It might actually turn out to be a song I really enjoy.

5. interlude#1

Pointless would be the term I’d use for both interludes of the album and really what was the point of even having them on here when we could’ve had more new tracks or even “Eien”?  All of the first one is is footsteps and a door closing…WTF is that all about anyways?

6. is this love

Then we’re led into our next new track and it seems pretty lifeless.  I know BoA is known for her many R&B tracks, but when it comes to this song in particular, it kind of makes you wonder where her spark went.  It’s nice and smooth yeah, but at the same time it’s boring and repetitive as well.  It’s hard to form a judgement when the song pulls you in two different directions.  For right now, it’s OK, but that’s all it’ll ever be.

7. Mamoritai ~White Wishes~

The other A-side released in the era, Mamoritai isn’t a bad song and it kind of stands out as the better mid-tempo song.  It’s kind of that typical video game theme, but I kind of liked how it went and BoA’s vocals were pretty nice as well.  It may not be her best pop song, but it’s pretty good to me.

8. interlude#2

The other interlude that plagues the album is what I think are cameras taking pictures.  I guess it makes sense on the album since it’s about looks and all that.  Still…only 5 seconds?  Talk about a waste of space.

9. Neko Love

I thought by just the title, we were going to get a very cutesy song, but what we got was another edgy dance track.  I kind of like how the synths play this line where it sounds like a cat meowing.  I thought that was pretty impressive.  Then I get into the song and notice they’re saying ~b.o.a~ one too many times.  It’s not a bad song really, but the arrangement feels pretty empty IMO. 

10. THE END Soshite and… (album ver.)

The album version of the B-side found on “Mamoritai ~White Wishes~” gets longer (past 7 minutes).  I kind of like how the album version opens up with a muffled kind of feeling going on before BoA comes in with the main track and original arrangement.  To me, it still doesn’t make a full impression on me, but it’s nicer than most of the new songs on the album, so that should tell you something.

11. Possibility duet with Daichi Miura

It seems we always have BoA collaborations nowadays and it’s not surprising she did another one but this time with Daichi Miura who’s also an R&B artist.  Being the promotional track and all, Possibility is probably the best new track off the album because it’s slower and they both sound better on ballads.  To be honest, Daichi sounded stronger when compared to BoA, which is surprising huh?  Still I like this song quite a bit.

12. fallin’

fallin’ had the potential to be really awesome right from the beginning with the cool synth arrangement and such, but it seem that they just killed BoA with various auto-tune splicing and it just bothers me in a song like this, but I love the fact that they made it sound like it’s in space so I give credit to that.  Ok, so I might in the end like this song a lot.

13. my all

Ending the album off, my all reminds me of the opening song quite strangely, but it’s of course an actual ballad ending IDENTITY.  That being said, it’s kind of boring and drags on too much for it to be somewhat good.  It does sound jazzy while the chorus is happening, but once again…still boring me to death.

Tracks Recommended

• Possibility duet with Daichi Miura
• fallin’
• LAZER
• BUMP BUMP! feat. VERBAL (m-flo)
• Mamoritai ~White Wishes~

Song of Avoidance

• my all

Where did things go wrong?  IDENTITY is definitely an identity crisis.  Yes, while it was mostly herself that did the work for the album, it felt so watered-down and lacking the excitement that her last JPN album, “THE FACE” actually had.  I’m sorry but this era was a total mess and with the lack of “Eien” it reallly put this album into a slump.  I just can’t deem any of the songs truly memorable here.  Really, the first tragic album disappointment of the year.

Morning Musume – Onna ga Medatte Naze Ikenai February 8, 2010

Track Listing

1. Onna ga Medatte Naze Ikenai
2. Nakidasu Kamo Shiranai yo
3. Onna ga Medatte Naze Ikenai (Instrumental)

1. Onna ga Medatte Naze Ikenai

Our first Koharu-less A-side, Onna ga Medatte Naze Ikenai sounds like a really messy song at first because of everything that’s present in the song right from the start.  I do like that it’s back to them singing normally again and the music is a little different from past singles but more emphasis on the acoustic guitar.  Sadly, the synth arrangement oddly enough reminds me of the ones found in Buono!’s “MY BOY” song which is disappointing that Tsunku’s is scratching the bottom of the barrel.  The good thing, is that I like the otherwise slight latin feel to the song.  It might not be the best A-side they’ve released, but it’s leagues better than “Kimagure Princess”.

2. Nakidasu Kamo Shiranai yo

The first thing I noticed about the song was how close the title looked to their past single “Naichau Kamo”.  However, listening to the song it’s anything but the old single.  It’s definitely got more of a hip-hop flow going and while they’ve been dabbling with that idea for a long time, it always came out strange.  Here, it’s no surprise that I reacted the same way.  It feels generic and lazy to listen to besides the amount of effort coming from Ai.

 

 

I rank this single maybe almost equal to “Kimagure Princess” maybe even lower.  While the previous singles had a really good song and a really bad song, this single seemed to have missed its mark on where it was supposed to be going.  I really didn’t like how otherwise generic both these songs sounded and even then, there has been better similar songs from them in the past.  Sorry, just not my cup of tea this time.

Nana Mizuki – Silent Bible February 7, 2010

Track Listing

1. Silent Bible
2. Polaris
3. UNCHAIN∞WORLD
4. undercover

1. Silent Bible

I think Nana is getting back to normal after that borefest with “Mugen” because Silent Bible is definitely more of what I was expecting.  I kind of like the anime-like feel to it this time and with the hidden synth beats underlying the strings and piano, I was getting some feeling that it was like a more serious “Astrogation”.  I have to say this song is definitely worth listening to more than once.  Better than “PHANTOM MINDS” as well!

2. Polaris

Ahhhh, why did the song with the cool title have to be the weird one?  Polaris is strange coming from Nana because it sounds like a mix of what she does best and R&B.  I’m not sure if I really agree with this pairing, but it’s just not for her despite the song being actually quite strong vocally.  I mean BoA could pull this off as well…that’s how unusual it is for me to hear a song like this.

3. UNCHAIN∞WORLD

The song that really piqued my interest when it was first announced, UNCHAIN∞WORLD is definitely an edgier song from Nana in the era and I kind of like this.  After such an epic opening, Nana comes in starting out quiet before starting to mix it up with the various strings and guitars as well.  It’s been a while since we’ve seen a pretty epic song all-around and Nana definitely won me over with this song.

4. undercover

However, we end the single off with a pretty meh song.  undercover sounded like it would’ve been a darker tinged song, but what we got is basically why I didn’t enjoy “Mugen” at all.  It’s string pop and it really doesn’t do much for me besides bore me to death.  I might be cynical, but doesn’t she have enough of these kind of songs to begin with?

 

 

Ok, Silent Bible is definitely the eras best single so far.  Besides undercover, the other three songs are definitely worth listening to and I hope she picks one of the B-sides from this single for her next album.   

Buono! – We are Buono! February 7, 2010

Track Listing

1. One Way = My Way
2. Our Songs
3. Independent Girl ~ Dokuritsu Joshi de Aru Tame ni
4. MY BOY
5. Urahara
6. Take it Easy!
7. Bravo☆Bravo
8. Kataomoi.
9. Blue-Sky-Blue
10. Koucha no Oishii Mise
11. Tabidachi no Uta
12. We are Buono! ~ Buono! no Theme

1. One Way = My Way

I’m kind of happy that we begin the album with a Buono! full track with One Way = My Way.  Sadly, the song really does remind me of their debut single “Honto no Jibun” since both are quite energetic but retains that same idol feel through it.  To be honest, I’m getting more used to Momoko’s vocals since she’s clearly getting better with time and when she does the bridge, it makes me smile.  Great opening track.

2. Our Songs

Released a week earlier before the album, Our Songs might not’ve been the best A-side released in the era, but I do like how this song is more serious than the previous track and it gives a bit more flavor to the album.  Still pretty good song though.

3. Independent Girl ~ Dokuritsu Joshi de Aru Tame ni

I love the opening to Independent Girl because of the cooler guitar riffs here.  It also doesn’t sound like anything they released beforehand, but at the same time I feel there’s something missing in the song.  It could be the more guitar-driven arrangement, but it doesn’t sound right to me…Though I do love the singing here.

4. MY BOY

What began this era off, MY BOY is still an electryfying from Buono!  After “Buono!2″, I wasn’t sure where they would go next, but they went back to releasing some that kicks so much ass that it blew my pants off.  I love Airi, Miyabi, and Momoko in the song because they were having fun with the song and the upbeat nature of the song helped out greatly. 

5. Urahara

Our next new song, Urahara is the first non-rock influenced song off the album.  I mean it’s still there, don’t get me wrong, but it’s not the most focal point of the song.  It starts out innocently enough with just some synths and acoustic guitar before the chorus where the rock sounds starts to appear.  So far from the new songs, this one has impressed me the most.  I guess it’s because of Momoko again!  Why is she doing better?

6. Take It Easy!

I continue to dislike Take It Easy! for some odd reason and it’s probably because of the Westerness of the song altogether.  Then again, this was one of the songs that made me cry because of Momoko’s nasally vocals.  Even then this Buono! meets country shtick really sucks as well.  I don’t want them getting near a banjo ever EVER AGAIN!

7. Bravo☆Bravo

I found that sticking the 3rd A-side after the 2nd was quite abrasive to the album, I still can’t help but enjoy this song still.  It really is the “Rottara Rottara” of the era because there’s just so much of Buono!’s amazing energy and sound that I’ve grown to like for sure.  Even then, it’s just amazingly catchy with whatever they say at the beginning.  One pretty awesome tune!

8. Kataomoi.

Luckily, the last five tracks are brand spanking new so that gives me hope.  We begin we Kataomoi. and to be honest, I don’t feel anything for this song.  There’s just no enough energy to go around and the arrangement seems somewhat plain…especially since this song is after “Bravo☆Bravo”.  I guess it’s alright, but definitely disappointing on its placement on the album.

9. Blue-Sky-Blue

At least this song picks up the slack where “Kataomoi.” couldn’t.  Once again, I’m loving the fact they are straying further from their pure rock songs to try some experimental stuff and with Blue-Sky-Blue, they achieved that pretty nicely.  Though the verses once again outshine the chorus, this isn’t a bad song at all…actually another great song.

10. Koucha no Oishii Mise

You remember how random Buono! are with some of their songs like “Internet Cupid” back on their debut album?  Well we sort of get it with this song because it’s the slowest song off the album.  To be honest, there’s nothing about the song that sounds Buono!-like except for the fact that the girls are singing along.  At least it’s nice to see a ballad from the group and they sound really nice together in slower songs as well.

11. Tabidachi no Uta

Hmmm, two ballads on a Buono! album?  I guess I could’ve guessed it from the title because well who would makes an upbeat song with a title like that?  It’s a little more like a pop/rock balald which is nice since we get to hear more acoustic guitars.  For having a melancholic feel, it wasn’t too bad of a song. 

12. We are Buono! ~ Buono! no Theme

Hold the phone!, it took 3 full albums just to get to Buono!’s theme?  Wow, shows how much laziness is passed around H!P.  I still find it funny that after we calm down, we get a blast of excitement with the final track.  I do love the lines ~we love music, we are Buono!~ that fills the chorus up!  I’m surprised that the final song ended up so well done and makes a pretty epic closing to their 3rd effort.

Tracks Recommended

• MY BOY
• We are Buono! ~ Buono! no Theme
• Bravo☆Bravo
• Urahara
• One Way = My Way

Song of Avoidance

• Take It Easy!

Buono!’s 3rd album to me is their best one yet.  Most of the songs were actually pretty great with the exception of one or two, but at least the experimental songs were pulled off a little better.  Now even then I’m noticing the 3 members getting so much better and with Momoko finally getting the lower notes down pat, she might become my favorite…I just don’t want her to pull off something nasty in the future!  Still, great album!

misono – misono Cover ALBUM 2 February 5, 2010

Track Listing

1. TOMORROW
2. misono ga Koibito ni Utatte Hoshii! Ulfuls Medley
3. Amagigoe
4. Watashi ga Obasan ni Natte mo
5. misono no Seishun Song! Medley
6. Zurui Onna
7. Aa Mujou
8. Ki no Kikanai Cake de Tanjoubi
9. Momen no Handkercheif

1. TOMORROW

No this is not the same TOMORROW from the last “misono Cover ALBUM”.  This time, misono decided to cover one of the bigger songs from the ANNIE musical/movie/w/e.  Of course, if you know misono she changed it so it fits her style and even changed it to a JPN cover of it.  I’m not sure if I remember enough of the original to make a full judgement of it, but misono’s is different.  Like I know misono is capable of making great songs, but it seemed that she let herself go in this song and she was wailing through the loud parts and not in a good way.  Maybe she was trying to be as dramatic as the original, but just didn’t work with me.

2. misono ga Koibito ni Utatte Hoshii! Ulfuls Medley

• Samurai Soul
• Eenen
• Banzai ~Suki de Yokatta~

So just like the previous cover album, misono included two medleys but instead of them being anime covers, misono decided to get down and dirty with specific groups.  The first is a medley of Ulfuls songs (to be honest, I’ve never heard of them).  I love how she just energizes through Samurai Soul like it was one of her songs because she sounds like she’s having fun being edgy.  I just love her flying through the chorus like it’s nothing and just sounds amazing.  Though, some of those lines she goes through are weird to me, but it could’ve been like that in the original.  Eenen to me is rather repetitive because misono says ~eenen~ like everywhere like it’s the only word she knows.  I do like the arrangement and it’s punk and pop at the same time but everytime I start straying into the music I get pulled back by misono repeating ~eenen~ again.  At least she calms her jets for Banzai ~Suki de Yokatta~.  It is the slowest song of the three, but it also has the most control and doesn’t piss me off to no end.  misono sounds good here and since it’s the final song, I think she saved the best for last.  Overall, not a bad medley, but I think she could’ve chose something better than “Eenen”…

3. Amagigoe

I really like the fierceness of Amagigoe because we’re seeing misono is a much harder light, kind of like “Zasetsu Chiten” hard but even better because misono is singing between a sexy way to a more rocking chick.  If this is the enka song she covered then she really pulled the strings for this one.  I just think she really pulled it off.  Amazing song!

4. Watashi ga Obasan ni Natte mo

Now on the flipside of the coin, Watashi ga Obasan ni Natte mo goes back to the more poppier sounds from her debut era and that’s not a bad thing either because this is kind of catchy.  There’s just something that sounds nice about it and sounds quite retro.  There’s something different in the sound of misono vocals, like some kind of filter, but I like it. 

5. misono no Seishun Song! Medley

• motto
• Music Fighter
• Jesus! Jesus!
• Lovely Baby
• motto

The other medley featured on the cover album is a collection of JUDY AND MARY songs.  At least I know this band because of TAKUYA and YUKI.  This medley begins with motto and it’s an energetic little tune because there’s just a lot of misono and instruments abound.  It’s not as long because we get into Music Fighter pretty quickly and I love the wacky piano lines that fill in the song even though most of the time misono is ad-libbing before coming in with a surf-like muffled sound, then I notice this was actually Jesus! Jesus!.  I was surprised they didn’t give that last track a longer time.  Lovely Baby though is pretty sweet because it’s energetic, awesome, and has great riffs through it.  Even better is that misono is just as relentless.  I think it couldn’t get better than this part of the medley.  Ending off this medley, we actually go straight back to motto which isn’t necessary a bad thing, but I love the transition into it because it forces Lovely Baby to slow itself down.  I don’t mind it ending it the way did, but I would’ve just ended with the last track.  THOUGH, she ends the medley by saying ~meh, MEH~ it’s like wow I <3 you misono!

6. Zurui Onna

When I saw misono actually covering a Sharam Q song I was floored because of the fact that this is a song that H!P’s Tsunku was involved in.  I think misono wanted to channel a little bit of Tsunku because her vocals are somewhat deeper and trying to convey some kind of sexyness to it, but doing that, it seems kind of strange.  It’s alright for right now, but I think this song should’ve been left alone.

7. Aa Mujou

I was thinking that Aa Mujou would be pretty awesome because it’s different from the other songs.  First off the tune opens up with some synths and then gets into a darker, but still somewhat upbeat arrangement with misono being filtered through the verses.  I like misono better when there’s no filter because she’s actually singing well in the song.  It’s kind of reminescent of some of the “Sei ~say~” stuff, but better here. 

8. Ki no Kikanai Cake de Tanjoubi

OMG, what it is misono doing in the opening? XD  Guessing from the title, it’s supposed to be a wacky song and by how giddy it sounds, I’ve found myself enjoying this.  It’s a bit short though barely passing 3 minutes, but it feels like it goes by even faster.  I think it’s alright, but nothing I’d really listen to alot.

9. Momen no Handkercheif

The final song off the cover album, Momen no Handkercheif is the probably the most calmest song here, with a little more than just acoustics going on, it’s kind of nice.  I mean it’s not like just acoustic like “Tenbin” or even “Last Song”, but it’s kind of more fuller like “Me”.  It definitely gave this album a nice finish.  Though I do laugh when the song picks up speed towards the end and then ends on a quiet note.  Strange, but really cool.

 

 

To me, misono’s 2nd cover album pwns the first one quite nicely.  It shows that she can fly around different genres and make them her own and sound just as she did back in the dat days.  While, she still does have times where her vocals go everywhere on the map, she didn’t do too bad here and I liked this alot. 

Masami Okui – i-magination February 5, 2010

Track Listing

1. Starting Over
2. Wagamama no Chou
3. Pure DIAMOND
4. Jounetsu no Counter
5. TO DIE FOR ×××
6. Regret
7. Good-bye Good luck
8. Sono Toki Daremo ga Megami Tonaru
9. PHASE
10. Niji’iro Shooter
11. Flower
12. Miracle.Upper WL

1. Starting Over

Beginning the album with the era’s first A-side, Starting Over is still one of those songs that passes over my head because it seems to just a typical anime song, but I do like the synths in the song more than anything else.  It’s strange that whenever I hear the guitars used here, I hear Stereopony…it’s probably because of the grittyness of it all.  It’s not a bad song to open the album up though.

2. Wagamama no Chou

Our first new song, Wagamama no Chou doesn’t even remotely sound interesting in the beginning.  It seems too plain and not as energetic as it should be.  At least when Masami enters with the first verse, things sound great and pretty cool.  Unfortuately that’s the only memorable thing about the song.  I’m disappointed with this song.

3. Pure DIAMOND

Now, this is better.  Pure DIAMOND starts off simply enough with strings and piano before unleashing this pretty epic rock arrangement on us, with some light synths.  To be more precise, the song actually goes int between the ballad-like beginning and the more rockier sound.  I don’t know why, but Masami actually pulled this off. 

4. Jounetsu no Counter

Then again, I’m ending up liking Jounetsu no Counter a lot more than the last song because it’s a mix of latin and pop.  It’s kind of nice to hear a female BKGD singer rather than a male since it’s more appropriate in this song.  It’s lighthearted and pretty nice to listen to, but I feel there’s something missing that makes it amazing.  Still pretty good.

5. TO DIE FOR ×××

As the B-side from “Miracle. Upper WL”, I was happy to see this song make the albums tracklist.  When compared to the previous songs, this song is by far the most energetic track so far.  I’m honestly loving rocker Makkun more than anything else she’s pulled off.  Makkun is definitely showing a lot more of herself and sounding stronger as well.  Great song!

6. Regret

I guess it’s no surprise that the B-side from “Starting Over” would be a part of the album as well.  Regret is a song to relax to because of it’s slower flow and more organic arrangement.  While it doesn’t beat the last track for best B-side, it’s still pretty damn good. 

7. Good-bye Good luck

I guess it was a nice segway for getting into Good-bye Good luck because it starts out in the same slow way “Regret” overall sounded.  I think the song is still on the edge of being somewhat stale, but Makkun’s vocals are at least interesting.  Definitely a filler track, but a good one nonetheless.

8. Sono Toki Daremo ga Megami Tonaru

Hahahah, I love how Makkun yells ~ALL RIGHT!~ when the song opens.  Unfortunately, that’s all that really stands out on this tune.  The song just doesn’t excite me and it doesn’t really go nowhere, but at least it’s somewhat cute. 

9. PHASE

I’m definitely finding myself lost when the album keeps going back from pop songs to rock songs.  PHASE is definitely throwing back images to “INSANITY” off her last studio album.  Likewise, I still like this energetic side to Makkun and comes off as more epic than some of the previous songs.  Ahhhh, what a good song.

10. Niji’iro Shooter

Of all the new tracks on the album, Niji’iro Shooter is probably my favorite because while it sounds like something off of “Akasha”, this song has the most variety because it isn’t like the poppier song nor is it hard rock.  It’s just a simple dance track with fastly sung lyrics from Makkun.  While it is my favorite new, there’s still something missing to make it that amazing.

11. Flower

See what I mean?  I mean jeeze, edgy to slow and back and forth….this album just doesn’t flow good.  Flower is what it is, a ballad with a more organic arrangement.  Piano, drums and guitar.  For being close to the end of the album, it passes because it does sound like a song that would end things off on a good note. 

12. Miracle. Upper WL

Ending off the album, Masami collaborated with fellow anison single, May’n for the other A-side released in the era.  I’m still on the fence with this song because while it has been quite a while since Makkun actually collaborated, the song just doesn’t feel right.  Makkun and May’n sound great, but I don’t think having a rock arrangement for both to sing on was a great idea.  Not too bad of a song, just wanted something different.

Tracks Recommended

• Niji’iro Shooter
• TO DIE FOR ×××
• PHASE
• Regret
• Pure DIAMOND

Song of Avoidance

• Wagamama no Chou

So for Makkun’s 3rd album under Lantis, i-magination is a small step up than “Self Satisfaction” and “Akasha”.  There’s still some problems to attend to like, making her songs stand out more and not feeling so mundane and boring.  Though at least she isn’t playing safe like the last two, that’s a positive thing.  Not bad, but not really that great either.

Haruka Shimotsuki – Negai no Shirushi February 4, 2010

Track Listing

1. Negai no Shirushi
2. Negai no Shirushi -Inst ver.-

1. Negai no Shirushi

Negai no Shirushi definitely throws me back to the “Griotte no Nemuri Hime” album because it’s got that effervescent kind of sound for it.  You know what I mean, string chords up the woozy with a rather light folkish sound as well.  I do like the plucked strings that appear throughout the song.  Haruka sounds so much better when she isn’t trying to be highly cutesy.  Very surprising indeed and I ended up liking this ballad.

 

 

I was surprised that there was a single announced for her this release week.  I guess it doesn’t help that the single was an indies release unlike “Kimi to no Tabiji” which was a major release.  Negai no Shirushi is a very pretty song to listen to and while it’s simple, its intricicies make up a whole lot.  Though, I kind wanted a B-side, but I’ll live.

capsule – FLASH BACK February 2, 2010

Track Listing

1. construction
2. FLASH BACK
3. Eternity
4. You are the reason
5. Love Me
6. I’m Feeling You
7. MUSiXXX
8. Get down
9. Electric light Moon light

1. construction

Probably one of their longest opening tracks, construction opens the album kind of like how “Haikara Girl” did with the 8bit arrangement, but this time there’s some heavily vocodered vocals added as well giving it a strange feel…not bad, but it does lead awesomely into…

2. FLASH BACK

Our title track, FLASH BACK.  While I’m very disappointed that this is an instrumental more than anything, the edgier arrangement is a welcome change indeed and goes back to some of the songs back on “Sugarless GiRL”.  I really love how it flows and it just is so gritty and dark for Nakata that it actually kind of surprised me.

3. Eternity

While, I’m pretty excited that Toshiko finally makes her first appearance in the album and Eternity seems to be moving capsule towards the Perfume electro-pop we’ve come to love.  It’s quite cool and catchy, but Toshiko doesn’t sound as lively as she usually is…and I’m hearing ~flash back~ which I guess ties in nicely from the previous song. 

4. You are the reason

What’s up with the weird stock vocals that skipped on the lyrics?  It’s kind of goofy, but I don’t mind it because the arrangement is quite cool and I’m liking the English vocals here, even though they aren’t Toshiko’s.  Then they started to throw that skipping again and adding a double echo which gave it a chaotic feel.  Once the chorus comes in, there’s just way too much going on and I spaced out just to listen to Nakata’s arrangement which is pretty awesome.  Nice enough track and gets me moving so that’s a plus.

5. Love Me

Ugh, the opening to Love Me is one of Nakata’s worst endeavors yet because it’s just so abstract and hits these amazingly bad synth chords.  At least when that’s over the song picks up with a dark synth melody and even more stock vocals.  About them, it’s kind of like a ghost is saying them because it’s so airy and ethereal.  I also find it very ironic in a song whose lyrics base around ~Do you love me?~ when the next album’s track “e.d.i.t” has the main line ~Do you think you can love me?~.  Very strange but at the same time it seems like this song was a prototype for the later song.

6. I’m Feeling You

Released as the lone B-side to the album, I’m Feeling You continues this ethereal mood and FINALLY we hear more Toshiko!  It’s definitely got a awesome flow going for it.  It does remind me of a Perfume song, but at the same time Toshiko really made it her own with the way she sung the song and it’s kind of different from the rest of the album.  I think so far, this is the best song off the album.

7. MUSiXXX

Like I’ve said in my previous reviews, MUSiXXX definitely reminds me of “GAME” with the way that beginning goes.  It is the leading A-side off the album and to me, I’m not really thinking much of the song because it’s like “FLASH BACK” where it’s mostly instrumental.  At least in this song, someone says ~MUSiXXX~ and some other heavily vocodered stuff.  Not the best, but it’s far from being bad.

8. Get down

Starting with a steady beat, Get down has the right idea going because there’s such a cool beat.  I’m liking that Toshiko is back, but her vocals are pretty wacky with some echoing and some layering as well.  It’s kind of freaky listening to it because it’s so vocally odd.  Sadly, the song never fully goes anywhere and I’m not enjoying the repeated ~get down, get down~ lines either.

9. Electric light Moon light

Ending off the album, Electric light Moon light is the slowest and most chillest song off the album which definitely made me scratch my head in confusion.  It’s kind of just one of those songs you don’t exactly expect on an album.  Even then it reminds me of a Sonic Adventure 2 song…I’m not sure why, but I like it, and is that strings and harp I hear? WHOA!

Tracks Recommended

• I’m Feeling You
• Love Me
• Electric light Moon light
• You are the reason

Song of Avoidance

• Get down

People always bag on FLASH BACK when they look at the 4 heavily electro albums: FRUITS CLiPPER, Sugarless GiRL, this album, and “MORE! MORE! MORE!”.  While I do agree that SG and M!M!M! are the better ones, I kind of liked FLASH BACK.  I mean yes, there’s even less Toshiko on the album, but Nakata’s productions were steady to stand alone with stock vocals.  Not a bad album!