Koda Kumi – COME WITH ME October 3, 2008

Track Listing

1. COME WITH ME
2. real Emotion (English Version)
3. 1000 no Kotoba (English Version)
4. real Emotion (DJ MSK Remix)
5. 1000 no Kotoba (DJ 19 Remix)
6. COME WITH ME (Instrumental)

1. COME WITH ME

Lots of brass are taking over this funky pop track.  Luckily it’s doesn’t bore me much because Kumi sounds really good and the chorus really shows off her voice.  Though the only thing I really dislike is how this song sounds like her other happy-go-lucky tracks.  She uses English frequently and she doesn’t mess up a lot.  Which is a good thing.

2. real Emotion (English Version)

Yep, it’s true they recorded an English version of her most popular hit.  I can actually think she sounds pretty damn good for being a full-on English.  Though I hate how she says ~Dizzy spells~ because i keep thinking she’s saying ~Ditsy spills~.   She’s still keeps the energy found on the original and in fact I prefer this than to her JPN version. 

3. 1000 no Kotoba (English Version)

Why don’t you just call it by it’s English name “1000 Words”?  This is where her English fails badly.  Like her accent is really apparant and total fail.  That’s why I like Jade’s version so much more.  Her vocals retain the same power, but her English was what really killed the track and probably shouldn’t have been recorded. 

 

 

Yea, COME WITH ME began the era on a good note.  Though it is the only new track, it wasn’t that bad, but later on the discography she copies the formula and then this becomes like poor.  Then she has the two English tracks and actually there must have been something going on because real Emotion was the cleanest and more easier to understand than 1000 Words…Alright single…

BTW…the sluttiest art cover I ever encountered.

Yousei Teikoku – Schwarzer Sarg

Track Listing

1. Schwarzer Sarg
2. Wisdom
3. Schwarzer Sarg (Instrumental)
4. Wisdom (Instrumental)

1. Schwarzer Sarg

A chorale starts up this goth rock track and to be honest it’s like the opposite of Aural Vampire who uses synth basically and Yousei Teikoku uses mostly rock.  It’s got a great sense of speed and Yui has a pretty cool voice for being a seiyuu as well.  Her long notes really puts fear into you and it’s wow.  It’s a great combination of the goth appeal that they are going for.

2. Wisdom

Some pretty interesting piano chords start up Wisdom then the ever so useful choral group comes in.  The song is a little more hardcore and Yui is sounding pretty angry and full of flair.  Then the chorus slows for a bit, before coming back in and getting into the fast pace.  The choral group though does get annoying and the speed does kind of put the song in an awkward place.  I rather take the previous.

 

 

Yousei Teikoku for me is definitly something new.  I mean they are like the more edgier sister to Aural Vampire or even m.o.v.e from the Deep Calm era  which is I know sounds wrong but they both have a female singer and a male partner or two.  Then again Yousei has been in the business for a long time.  Luckily, they’ll get some needed attention.  Schwarzer Sarg is a great place to start if you never heard of them.  The b-side you might want to watch out for.

Ai Otsuka – LOVE COOK

Track Listing

1. 5:09am
2. Haneari Tamago
3. Biidama
4. SMILY
5. U-Boat
6. Neko ni Fuusen
7. Cherish
8. Ramen 3-bun Cooking
9. Tokyo Midnight
10. Planetarium
11. Birthday Song
12. LOVE MUSiC

1. 5:09am

We start off her album with a quiet note.  Which sounds pretty ethereal for a track.  Then the drums kick in, but they seem to be awkward because they are powerful hits.  Then the chorus runs in and it’s very rockish and loud which to me is a little too loud but, whatever.  The verses do have some sense of tension which is nice, but is it me or this song would have been a NANA song?  I just think it because it’s so rockish.  Odd that it ends before 3 minutes too…

2. Haneari Tamago

Egg with Wings?  Yeah, her titles are always weird, but in the end the song that accompanies the weird titles are usually some of her best work and this isn’t an exception to the rule.  It’s acoustically driven and it sounds pretty.  It isn’t better than the other known ballads and even some of the B-side ballads are better.  Though she performs this a lot for some reason.  It’s an alright song.

3. Biidama

Maybe turning the cute factor was a good idea.  Oddly this time Biidama comes before “SMILY”.  Though I was harsh on it in the review of the single.  I still think her vocals took a backseat because they are really pinched for some reason.  The verses sound a little on the monotone as well which didn’t really help the happy feeling it was supposed to convey.  Though I do like this more than the next track…

4. SMILY

Only Ai would do this kind of track.  It her signature summer track and to be honest I wonder why this song is so liked.  It just screams of Hello!Project and it was just wrong in so many ways.  Ai’s vocals once again take a backseat because she’s trying to provide cute but comes out awkward and very flat even for her.  As well her English is poor here which I guess doesn’t come as a surprise?  The PV didn’t help this song out much and how she was pushed out of the way from the semi truck was downright hilarious XD

5. U-Boat

~Norikonde U-Boatoo~  Seriously?  I love how the track starts and speeds up and gets into the song.  I guess she needed another summer track, but this one actually doesn’t sound so wrong.  I think of “Happy Days” whenever I hear this because it’s just as loud and full of fun.  The same drawback happens here but not as much and that’s her voice.  It’s sometimes in tune, but other times she’s struggling to keep it in tune.  Still it’s practically a “Happy Days” pt. 2

6. Neko ni Fuusen

Odd transition into the 2nd single in the era.  At least her voice has calmed down a little bit.  Though I still don’t think fondly of this track much it is a pretty good ballad combining strings, a band, and some synths.  Other than that this song would just sound pretty filler in the album to me. 

7. Cherish

Wait, she did a track for NANA and it’s one of the WTF moments on the album.  Starts with a very ghostly entrance and it’s eerie as well.  Then some percussion and other stuff that make it sound mystical and yet dark at the same time.  Ai’s actually sounds beautiful with this and the whole abandoned sound.  Then the chorus becomes very rock-like.  The after-chrous sounds like something Ayu would actually do and then it returns to the wondrous sounds.  For being a NANA tribute track, I actually think this is one of her best tracks in her career. 

8. Ramen 3-bun Cooking

Yep, and here we are with the biggest WTF moment of the album.  Everytime I hear this I have to make ramen and put the microwave at 3 min. just for this song.  The song is a safest of the wacky songs because this won’t annoy to no end unlike a the other album joker tracks.  The song has a bouncy piano line and such and Ai is like being silly yet keeping some seriousness into it.  Though the beginning threw me off with the sheep baa of ~Ra-a-aa-a men~…Though the transitioning from “Cherish” and the transition into “Tokyo Midnight” does create an awkward moment with this song.

9. Tokyo Midnight

I never expected a jazz-like track, but then it starts up and it sounds like something PUFFY would do.  A very persistant beat and lots o’ brass.  I’m not sure what to think, but I wasn’t fully sure with the track.  I mean it didn’t sound right being sung by Ai-Chan.  Though I do love the sax solos.  Sadly, this song just failed for me.

10. Planetarium

Still, one of her trademark songs.  Planetarium is a beautiful ballad which we knew Ai was capable of creating.  Ai sounds perfect with this track.  Imagery makes me want to think that this song would be perfect to be performed at night.  The whole shakuhachi being featured with the guitar and drums was one of the smartest ideas and it worked it well. 

11. Birthday Song

A birthday song with some harmonica?  Right, anyways this song has a pretty obscure clapping rhythms and Ai actually using a lot of English and she sounds fine saying it during the chorus.  It’s another one of those tracks that make you think, “Why? Ai, Why?”  It’s not that it’s bad, it’s just one of the out of left field tracks.  Strange.

12. LOVE MUSiC

We finish off the album with another ballad?  I do love the dreaminess this song has and really sounds pretty.  Though I wish the drums weren’t present for this song because it was in the way.  The bassoon and oboe that are in the song gave the song some interesting sounds.  My favorite of the album’s new tracks

Tracks Recommended

• Cherish
• Planetarium
• LOVE MUSiC
• Ramen 3-bun Cooking

Song of Avoidance

• Tokyo Midnight

Out of all her albums this was my least favorite of the albums.  I know she’s also trying some new styles, but the only one where she fared well in was the rock side of things.  Sadly, also the single weren’t really that stellar and the ones that were are like perfect oddly.  Ai however excels at ballads, which is a blessing and yet it could be her downfall because she has too many of them, which can get very similar to one another.

Ami Suzuki – FOREVER LOVE

Track Listing

1. FOREVER LOVE
2. CHAIN LOVE
3. FOREVER LOVE (Back Track)
4. CHAIN LOVE (Back Track)

1. FOREVER LOVE

FOREVER LOVE is an interesting 2nd indies A-side because it actually is surprisingly good.  I mean it was a better feel-good track that I didn’t expect her to come out with.  The song is also in the vein of her early works, but this one combined with the synths that’ll eventually take over her music which is a nice bridge to her AVEX debut.  Ami doesn’t sound bad but she’s yelling in the chorus but overall the song is a nice, upbeat pop track.

2. CHAIN LOVE

I thought this would have been a ballad like “Cinderella Story” of last single.  It’s in fact the opposite and is little more aggressive than “FOREVER LOVE”.  I actually prefer this track because she sounds more lively and the music was more suited to her.  Then again I did have a chuckle when she says the title like ~Chin Love~…Weird right?  A better pop track overall.

 

 

So, her last indies single actually was an awesome single and surprisingly took 21 on the Oricon charts and No.1 on the independent charts which is fantastic for Ami.  Sadly this would be the last A-side in a while that’ll contain such a nice pop flavor.  Since, the upcoming single’s are mostly trance.