NEWS! August 31, 2009

So yes, I’ve started a new blog “Gravity Desolation“.  Most of you are guessing what the hell it is and well, it’s what most people have hoped I’d do and it’s the English counterpart to this review blog ^)^.  There’s a poll I want you guys to take while I get my first two reviews up and I hope you take it ^_^.  The OST’s will still be done here by the way.

Yui Sakakibara – Yeeeeell! August 30, 2009

Track Listing

1. Yeeeeell!
2. It’s show time
3. Mecha Koi Ranman☆
4. Boku no Sekai
5. ACTION!
6. warmth
7. Eternal Ring
8. Taiyou no Saku Hoshi de
9. Festivity
10. Blue eyes
11. Try Real!
12. selfish
13. Yume no Tsumi -End in childhood-
14. Shinju no Uta
15. Kiseki no Kizuna (2009mix)

1. Yeeeeell!

While it does have a small opening that leads into the track, Yeeeeell! also has the saxes just like the previous title track, “JOKER” had.  Yui’s vocals are as usual the normal fare of high-pitched squeaky sounds that annoyed me alot.  I can see though that it’s supposed to be cute and all that, but I’m not the biggest fan of this, so I can’t say this song is too good.

2. It’s show time

Released as an event single, It’s show time has a louder brass intro and then when Yui sings, it’s terrible.  Take “Yeeeeell!” and make Yui’s vocals more horrendous and the arrangement more big band and you basically get this track.  This is just a terrible song all-around.

3. Mecha Koi Ranman☆

At least we get to leave the heavy brass style into what Yui is more known for and it’s the overly cutesy-synth style of anime-like songs.  I still don’t think Yui’s vocals are that good, but at least it makes better sense with the arrangement.  It it wasn’t for that seiyuu overload, I think this song would’ve been a lot better.

4. Boku no Sekai

However, like I’ve said numerous times beforehand, I love Yui’s more serious sounding songs and while Boku no Sekai isn’t like the songs from “END PROPHECY”, this song showed a better overall vocal performance from her.  The song’s more mid-tempo pop sound is a nice change to her songs so far and so far I’m impressed by this song.

5. ACTION!

Then we get ACTION! which shows an edgier anime-pop/rock sound that I mostly enjoy.  Yui’s vocals are just as good, being deeper and showing a lot more edge to it.  I love the catchy chorus here and the energy the song showed was continual and her high note before yelling ACTION! was awesome.  I hope the rest of the album is a bit more like this.

6. warmth

Our first ballad of the album, warmth starts off pretty nicely with a loud intro before going into Yui and a piano.  After she gets into the chorus, it sounds more like an ending theme to me.  Her vocals are alright and doesn’t stretch into uncomfortable fields where it usually is half the time.  It’s not too impressive, but the song is otherwise nice.

7. Eternal Ring

So much for the rest of the album being seiyuu-less.  Eternal Ring reminded me of one of her other tracks by name “Eternal Destiny”.  Eternal Ring does bring back the synth for this track and luckily it’s not sickingly cute and Yui isn’t on overdrive on her sound.  I can actually stand this track and it can be quite catchy as well…shocking right?

8. Taiyou no Saku Hoshi de

While “Eternal Ring” is pretty good, Taiyou no Saku Hoshi de would be the track I would stray away from.  Yui’s vocals are pretty fail and while the song is catchy, the song is just sugary cute and just doesn’t impress me at all.  Another song to pass up

9. Festivity

Yeesh, three cute songs in a row?  This album is just impossible because of this.  Festivity did tone things on both the cute and vocal factor, but I’m just not feeling this song since it is almost a replicate of the other cutesy tracks on the album and that disappoints me greatly.  Definitely a filler track on the album.

10. Blue eyes

Also released as an event single (released last year BTW), Blue eyes is quite different from the tracks as it begins with Yui singing all by herself with some echoing effects before the acoustic guitar and piano enter in with her.  I want to say this is a ballad, but a rather happy one (at least by the music).  It’s actually a nice ballad once you get past the vocals on Yui here.

11. Try Real!

The only true single to represent the era, Try Real! was a single that was released of October last year and while it’s a pretty old song it does make me wonder why the singles after that aren’t on here because it’s a damn 2009 album and none of them got on?  I blame the slow company she works for.  Back to the song at hand, Try Real! is back up to the synth overload, but thank god Yui is back to her normal set of vocal pipes and the song is strong especially for her.  I do think of ACTION! minus the heavier use of guitars.  OK, this is a pretty good song.

12. selfish

The opening for selfish is all over the place and yet it stands out from the album in a great way.  Unlike the poppish nature of all the songs on the album, selfish shows off a more sexy side to Yui and it worked in this case and crazy arrangement was what this album needed for sure.

13. Yume no Tsumi -End in childhood-

I’m also enjoying Yume no Tsumi as well because it’s more focused on the band style of songs and hearing bass, guitar, and drums are quite nice to hear at least in a Yui album.  It might not be one of those songs that’ll pop out at you first listen, but hearing this at the point of the album is a great change and fits quite nicely.

14. Shinju no Uta

As we near the end of the album, Shinju no Uta does bring things down to a calm state and well it’s strange actually.  Yui is singing with a higher pitch, but it feels like almost like it’s flowing easily across with a more natural arrangement.  Other than that, this song was simple and cute, maybe a little too long, but yeah.

15. Kiseki no Kizuna (2009mix)

I’m not sure where the original came from, so if anyone wants to hit me up with info that’ll be nice.  Now, Kiseki no Kizuna on this album has a cool dance beat to go along with Yui’s vocals and while it works, it doesn’t have the right amount of energy that she could’ve used.  The chords though were cool and the guitar solo was awesome.  Still, 3 minutes?  talk about a short tune.

Tracks Recommended

• ACTION!
• Yume no Tsumi -End in childhood-
• Try Real!
• selfish
• Kiseki no Kizuna (2009mix)

Song of Avoidance

• It’s show time

Yui’s 5th studio album and the fourth album released this year (DAMN GIRL!), Yeeeeell! was definitely a step up from last year’s “JOKER” because there were less tracks that called for the bad vocals and more variation this time around.  I do question her label releasing this because this should’ve been released earlier in the year and not after 4 singles (which didn’t get on here BTW).  I wonder if she’s saving up for those 4 later in the year, but this album is alright.

alan – BALLAD ~Namonaki Koi no Uta~ August 29, 2009

Track Listing

1. BALLAD ~Namonaki Koi no Uta~
2. Shiawase no Kane (2009 ver.)
3. BALLAD ~Namonaki Koi no Uta~ (Instrumental)
4. Shiawase no Kane (2009 ver.) (Instrumental)

1. BALLAD ~Namonaki Koi no Uta~

After the crazyness of her previous single, “Kuon no Kawa”, alan brings out her ballad cards once again to release the aptly titled, BALLAD.  The opening of this song was just grand and alan’s wailing shows she’s still got the ability.  Even though the song is just another ballad from alan, she tries to keep it going and not make it such a bore, but I can’t help but think she needs to not do so many ballads, especially ones that are titled BALLAD…It’s not disappointing, but her flair is starting to wear thin on me.

2. Shiawase no Kane (2009 ver.)

I’m not sure why she had to bring back Shiawase no Kane from the previous era, being as the lone digital single and all.  The new version of the track was resung and it doesn’t have the birds chirping opening up the song.  Besides those two things, this is the same song that was here a year ago.  I would’ve rather heard a new version of “Natsukashii Mirai ~longing future~ instead, but it’s nice that Shiawase no Kane is on a single.

 

 

alan so far in this era has been disappointing me so far with her releases.  I mean if you look at it, we really only got two new tracks so far unlike the previous era where we had new B-sides on each single.  BALLAD of course was digging it’s own grave and sadly shows the lack of interest in her ballads that have been happening since “Megumi no Ame”.  She needs to pick up the slack soon and not release so many ballads one after another.  Shiawase no Kane was a nice touch, but honestly could’ve done without.  Meh, not liking this at all.

Katamari Takeshi CD 2

Track Listing

1. Katamari on the Funk (Senor Coconut’s “Katamambo!” remix)
2. A Crimson Rose and a Gin Tonic (YMCK 8bit Mix)
3. Everlasting Love + You
4. The Royal Academy of Katamari (Kimitaka Matsumae Remix)
5. Everlasting Love (atom™ remix)
6. Sayonara Rolling Star (Yuri’s Mixx)
7. Katamari Spirit
8. Katamari Dancing All Night
9. The Moon and the Prince (and LEOPALDON MIX)
10. Mushroom Parade
11. Do Re Mi Katamari Do (-rh rehabilitation re-arrange-)
12. Katamari on the Swing (SEXY-SYNTHESIZER ALL ABOUT namco Mix)
13. Robotic Vision
14. Cosmic Message
15. Be Gorgeous
16. Nana-nan Damacy (Hardfloor Remix)
17. Nana-nan Damacy (Hardfloor Alternative-Remix)
18. Last Chaotic Ambience

1. Katamari on the Funk (Senor Coconut’s “Katamambo!” remix)

Now onto the energetic side of the OST, we start off with a latin track.  Mixing the horns and funkyness from the original and then give a mambo spin was a nice touch.  I love the brass here as it’s loud and in your face.  I mean there’s even another sax solo of all things and it’s great.  Even though there’s no sight of lyrical sense till the halfway point, it’s rather shortlived but exciting. 

2. A Crimson Rose and a Gin Tonic (YMCK 8bit Mix)

Whenever YMCK is involved in remixing a song, they really get giddy with the music like they did with Ayu’s “Days”.  They took the original lounge style and mixed in their 8bit style and it oddly works in this case especially with Midori singing in place.  Of all the songs though, I didn’t expect YMCK choosing this song and I’m glad they did because it’s just as catchy as their other works for sure.  Sweet rearrangement.

3. Everlasting Love + You

It’s quite cool that this song is a mashup between “You are Smart” & “Everlasting Love”.  It’s an odd combination, but then you get to who’s singing this cover and it’s Leah Dizon…I’m also noticing that the song is also in English which the original didn’t have at all.  Even though she doesn’t have the energy Saki Kabata (the original singer) had, it’s not all that bad.  It’s just lacking the punch the original had. 

4. The Royal Academy of Katamari (Kimitaka Mashimae Remix)

I remember this track being so new and different in the original game.  I love how this instrumental tune was given many synth upgrades, but while it did it lost the orchestral feel which might not be a big loss to listeners.  I have to say though, it would’ve been better if there was lyrics to go with the song.

5. Everlasting Love (atom™ remix)

We get another one?  I can’t complain since Everlasting Love is my favorite Katamari tune out there.  The remix though kind of messes with the original tune just a tad too much for my liking.  Once Saki passes through the verses the bridge sounds ethereal and odd as well, it’s a odd way to do the song, but I’m more used to the original, but I like the effort on the remix.

6. Sayonara Rolling Star (Yuri’s Mixx)

I do remember that Sayonara Rolling Star was an answer track to “Lonely Rolling Star”.  I haven’t heard the original yet to really make an assumption, but this track is quite nice.  The disco sound this track has is quite nice and I love the piano melody that’s going on as well.  Ok, it’s a pretty solid track.

7. Katamari Spirit

Returning to the more 8bit style, Katamari Spirit does have this edgy feel to it even though it’s an instrumental tune.  It’s pretty catchy nonetheless, but I feel like lyrics would’ve been a nicer addition as well.

8. Katamari Dancing All Night

Finally we get to something that interests me right from the start, Katamari Dancing All Night has this 80′s New Wave feel to it and with the heavy use of vocoder and synths all over the song definitely fits this side of the OST completely.  Right now, this song is one of my favorites because it is so different and catchy.

9. The Moon and the Prince (and LEOPALDON MIX)

The Moon and the Prince gets reworked and in the way it’s given a pretty hard dance beat that sounds really good.  The original was pretty boring because of the guy speaking the lyrics rather than singing about it.  Same problem occurs here, but the guy who’s doing this is a lot more interesting and sounds more like rapping which fits moreso than the original’s way. 

10. Mushroom Parade

Our next instrumental track, Mushroom Parade sounds like royalty with it’s harpischord filled melody and the way the synth was working it’s way around the song.  I’m not too fond otherwise of the tune since it is rather short. 

11. Do Re Mi Katamari Do (-rh rehabilitation re-arrange-)

Appearing originall on the 3rd OST, Do Re Mi Katamari Do was originally a slow, ethereal tune, but the rearranged version this time around is a little more interesting since it begins with a cutesy sound that carried throughout.  It isn’t as ethereal as the original, but it’s bouncy and quite cute and changes it’s forms quite a bit.  Nice tune though.

12. Katamari on the Swing (SEXY-SYNTHESIZER ALL ABOUT namco Mix)

Instead of the powerful brass opening of the original, we get a burst of 8bit sounds acting as the loud opening.  Actually, besides the BKGD vocals from the original returning, the song is actually covered by so much 8bit sounds and some coming from “Galaga” and ”Pac-Man” and those older namco games, this song is nostalgia central and I love it and then mixing it with one of the funnest songs of the series, Katamari on the Swing is great!

13. Robotic Vision

Continuing on with the 8bit sounds, Robotic Vision comes in and is pretty short as well…Sadly the problem is that this little tune drags it self along on this slow-tempoed ride.  Could be the worst instrumental of the OST completely.

14. Cosmic Message

Even right from the start, Cosmic Message sounded completely better.  It does have a stronger electro sound and while it does play the “Katamari on the Swing” melody a few times, it got the job done, but c’mon this was a serious tease because as a full song this would’ve been epic.

15. Be Gorgeous

A bit longer than the previous two, Be Gorgeous comes up next and has lyrics somewhat, though they are just stock vocals.  The arrangement is almost like the last one where it has an electro sound to it, but it’s a little lighter.  Though majority of the song is instrumental, there’s nothing too much that can be said.

16. Nana-nan Damacy (Hardfloor Remix)

Of course they would remix the melody that pretty much the series is fond of.  It’s 9 minutes of the ~na-na’s~ which could be damn repetitive for a remix like this and that’s how it doesn’t work for me.  I do like the dance beat, but there’s just not enough depth to the song to make it worthwhile.

17. Nana-nan Damacy (Hardfloor Alternative-Remix)

Being at 8 minute, the alternate remix is more or less like it’s counterpart beforehand.  Give or take a few small differences in the song, but it’s relatively the same track just given minor changers.  It’s still just as repetitive and boring.

18. Last Chaotic Ambience

Ending off the 2nd disc, Chaotic Ambience was originally off the 3rd OST and while that track didn’t have much going on, the new version doesn’t exactly make it stand out more or less.  It does have a freaky dark glow to it and the warbling of the sounds were interesting, but this isn’t exactly musical. 

Tracks Recommended

• Katamari on the Swing (SEXY-SYNTHESIZER ALL ABOUT namco Mix)
• Katamari Dancing All Night
• A Crimson Rose and a Gin Tonic (YMCK 8bit Mix)
• Everlasting Love + You
• Do Re Mi Katamari Do (-rh rehabilitation re-arrange-)

The second disc did start out very strongly with some nice rearrangements of previous tracks, but as the disc moved on the songs kind of became a little boring when compared to the originals…maybe I’m liking the first disc a lot more than this then….It was more energetic, but there’s been ALOT better energetic tracks before this.

The OST itself was a nice “Tribute” to the series as it is for the game that brought back stages and other things from before.  It would’ve been nice if they added new tracks and did a little more from “Katamari Suteki Damacy”.  Still nice OST, could’ve done more but it’s nice.

Katamari Takeshi CD 1

Track Listing

1. Katamari on the Rhodes
2. Katamari on the Wings
3. Katamaresort Song
4. Bluffing Spirit (Refreshed by GUIRO)
5. Katamari on the Rocks (5cm Prince Remix)
6. MONOCHROME
7. Galactic S-O-U-L
8. Campus DAYDREAMER
9. Scorching Savannah
10. Houston (Re-arranged by KIRINJI)
11. Cherry Blossom Color Season (fanfare mix)
12. Lonely Rolling No More
13. You are Smart (RAAGINIA SOFT MIX)
14. Cosmos
15. SHADOW AND LIGHT
16. Green Village
17. Fuga #9998
18. Fuga #9999

1. Katamari on the Rhodes

I’ll say that beginning the first CD of the OST, Katamari on the Rhodes does introduce us into the soundtrack pretty well.  Though I can’t help but think the song is something I heard on Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, especially with how the arrangement is put out here.  It’s a nice opening at least right?

2. Katamari on the Wings

Another Katamari on the ____?  Anyways they brought the lead singer from Sukima Switch to get things going here and the song itself is a cover of “Katamari on the Swing” (nice play Namco).  Anyways the song feels a bit more like 80′s with the use of brass and bass.  It’s funny that the song did lose its excitement along the way, but if this was released as a single from Sukima Switch I’d listen to it since this song is quite nice and c’mon there’s a sax solo here, you can’t go wrong there.

3. Katamaresort Song

I’m pretty sure this is a rearrangement of Katamaresort from the PSP Katamari.  I’m noticing so far that the songs have a rather calm and peaceful sound to it.  Saigenji is the lead vocalist here and his voice oddly reminds me of Yuusama’s, being all deep and stuff.  It’s an interesting mix of lounge, pop, and somewhat house but albeit really really light.  I do though enjoy this song though.

4. Bluffing Spirit (Refreshed by GUIRO)

I do remember this track from the last OST I reviewed and Bluffing Spirit wasn’t at the top because of the odd vocalist.  This time GUIRO did his magic on the song and even though it lost the flute parts, it’s replaced by keyboard and xylophone which is great.  I like this guy’s voice a bit more than the originals and the acoustic sound is quite cool actually.

5. Katamari on the Rocks (8cm Prince Remix)

~Now here’s my plan~ Oh, this song is the oddest track I’ve come across so far on this OST.  Now the original was wild, but this one took a bit longer to get things happening (of course it’s a remix).  The guy is rapping himself along when lyrics finally show up, but it’s odd sounding and then ~Nananan Katamari~ phrase comes in, but it’s not all that well…nahhhh.

6. MONOCHROME

A rather short track, MONOCHROME is oddly cute and plays off the “Katamari on the Rocks” melody a little bit and this clicky sound is happening in the background like a movie is playing.  Like I said, 40 seconds of this track, so it’s nothing too much to gather upon, but it’s a nice interlude.

7. Galactic S-O-U-L

I’m actually not sure which song this is based off of…unless it’s something from “Katamari Suteki Damacy” because I haven’t heard that OST much yet.  Galactic S-O-U-L has a louder overall sound than the previous before it and it’s got it’s fair share of synths and odd vocals (which is the first female vocal track).  Then again seeing Buffalo Daughter again interested me with this track (They collaborated with Ami Suzuki for “O.K. Funky God”).  I can totally hear the similarities between the songs.

8. Campus DAYDREAMER

Campus DAYDREAMER comes up next and has a pretty interesting marching style and continues to show the series use of odd styles and this would be one of those times that makes me go WTF.  I love the overuse of brass and then it’s lead to this synth melody that’s like….Mario Kart?!?  I don’t know but this instrumental is funny.

9. Scorching Savannah

I guess that instrumental does lead itself quite nicely into Scorching Savannah which is based off of the “Sunbaked Savannah” though it sounds more like another “Katamari on the Rocks” cover, the sad thing is that the original was more intuitive because various animal noises are absent here.  Oh, the song is actually played by the Horikoshi High School Band and gives the first disc a more vivid look at how different these songs are.

10. Houston (Re-Arranged by KIRINJI)

Yep, KIRINJI has rearranged the awesome water-logged song from the 2nd game and though it lost that water effect and the use of crazy synth, Houston isn’t the same.  (KIRINJI also worked with Ami on “Soremo Kitto Shiawase”).  It does have that style from them which is relaxed acoustic pop.  No vocoder though did hurt the song though because the lead doesn’t do a great job singing it…

11. Cherry Blossom Color Season (fanfare mix)

Oh no, I remember this track very well and the kids in the song destroyed my liking towards it.  Now since this is a remix, CBCS did get the acoustic touch with some brass (hence the fanfare).  I do love the fact that it isn’t fully flooded with tone-deaf kids, but the singer is like a hop step better.  They should’ve gotten someone else to have done it or something.

12. Lonely Rolling No More

Hey, Yuusama redid Lonely Rolling Star?  Natsukohan is the female singer and Yuusama is the guy and they sang the song together which is good.  The only thing that scared me is that the song’s arrangement is now more chill and laidback and lost it’s uppity-cute poppyness.  I don’t know why but this kind of flew over my head, I mean seriously a song with Yuusama not being well????? oh no.

13. You are Smart (RAAGINIA SOFT MIX)

Dang!  An almost 10 minute mix of You are Smart.  I mean take an already monotonous tune from the original game and stretch that long and you basically get that.  Yeah the music is different, containing sax and all that, there’s nothing really much to say.  OHHH, there’s no vocals here as well…What a meh track.

14. Cosmos

I want to say it’s a reworking of “Big Cosmos Salon” from the last game, but I can’t be totally sure about that.  Anyways, it’s the closest thing on here that sounds like something holiday-like.  Then again, hearing jingle bells and a lot of ~la’s~ doesn’t help much either.  Besides that, it’s short so that’s good.

15. SHADOW AND LIGHT

Another track I don’t know the melody is based off of, but SHADOW AND LIGHT is oddly enough a ballad.  It’s kind of weird to see an actual ballad here and now.  Shigeru Matsuzagi provides vocals here and while he sounds like an older guy, he can actually sing pretty well and holds notes a pretty long time.  It’s rather a simple little track amongst the others and stands out quite nicely.

16. Green Village

Green Village is also a nice surprise since it does sound like BGM music, I mean not the vocal tracks, but I mean like otherwise.  It’s got your fair share of 8-bit sounds and yet it sounds rather refreshing like another “Tron the Grasslands”.  I wonder if this is the game’s Collection tune.  I actually think it’s good music.

17. Fuga #9998

Based on the other fugues of the series, the first one is rather interesting.  Instead of the odd lyrics, this has a more interesting baroque sound and with the pipe organ backing it up and making it sound happier, I kind of enjoyed it and just flows smoothly.

18. Fuga #9999

This fugue though has lyrics, but it’s so computerized that it’s hard to figure what the voice is exactly saying.  I’m also noticing that it sounds rather acappella moreso than the last track.  I’m pretty sure it isn’t though because there’s a little bit of a melody going on, but it’s rather sparse…odd way to end off the first disc.

Tracks Recommended

• Bluffing Spirit (Refreshed by GUIRO)
• SHADOW AND LIGHT
• Katamari on the Wings
• Green Village
• Campus DAYDREAMER

The first disc is the more laidback and regular sounding tracks and I can tell that what they planned for this disc was oddly nice and yet a little tame.  Still, it’s pretty enjoyable since some tracks did get worked on and I liked it while others shouldn’t have been touched.

Ayaka Hirahara – MIO AMORE!

Track Listing

1. MIO AMORE!
2. Moldau
3. MIO AMORE! (Inst.)
4. Moldau (Inst.)

1. MIO AMORE!

Based on the melody of Cartillo’s “Catari”, MIO AMORE! doesn’t sound like what I thought it would be at first.  It starts out very simple with piano and strings playing that melody.  It isn’t anything too special as a track from Ayaka, but since it’s nothing too special, the song just passes by me.  I do think the electric guitar is a bit out there, but ehhh.

2. Moldau

The B-side also borrows a melody, this time from Smetana’s “Vltava”…Moldau actually sounds more down to earth from Ayaka and has a darker tone to it.  There’s changes that make it sound a bit brighter, but I can’t help but think of loneliness in this song and it stands out to me a lot. 

 

 

Ayaka Hirahara’s second on final single for the “my Classics” era, MIO AMORE! is a step down from “Shinsekai” because the title track wasn’t at all special nor did anything to really stand out besides the obvious.  Moldau though was another great ballad from her and since it’s not on the album, it saddens me…

Utada Hikaru (U3) – Kyuusai no Omoide August 28, 2009

Track Listing

1. THANK YOU
2. THANK YOU (Instrumental)
3. Kodomotachi no Uta ga Kikoeru
4. Kodomotachi no Uta ga Kikoeru (Instrumental)

1. THANK YOU

Well, I guess what it is is that U3 is Hikki’s family and such.  I’m surprised that the label decided to rerelease this.  Now since these are really old tracks, it’s surprising Hikki sounded so odd when compared to her solo releases.  The arrangement is quite interesting since it’s like a mix of pop and rock and Hikki is being rather monotone throughout, but I don’t think it’s too bad, just a little uninteresting, but the fact that there’s hard guitar solo’s make me happy.  It makes me wonder, Hikki knows English, so why was she failing hard here?

2. Kodomotachi no Uta ga Kikoeru

However, the other track on this single, Kodomotachi no Uta ga Kikoeru sounds a lot more like something that would be released by Cubic U (Hikki’s first persona as a soloist).  The vocals are done by Hikki and I’m guessing her father (her mother might be here, but w/e).  You can tell this was made in the 90′s and I sometimes thinl the song has a slight reggae feel to it…Don’t forget that this track is doubled the amount of time “THANK YOU”.  It’s quite interesting.  After all that, I thought the 6 minute time was just too long for this track.

 

 

I’m not exactly sure why the company released this as it’s so ancient in Hikki’s discography.  It does show that Hikki wasn’t exactly a good singer then (age probably was the reason).  I was expecting her to actually have resung them, but it’s the original versions.  I”ll say THANK YOU is very interesting while Kodomotachi was more boring.  Strange release if you ask me.

Buono! – Take It Easy! August 26, 2009

Track Listing

1. Take It Easy!
2. Kirai Suki Daikirai
3. Take It Easy! (Instrumental)
4. Kirai Suki Daikirai (Instrumental)

1. Take It Easy!

Buono! has steadily been getting better with their releases especially the last three.  However, Buono! kind of slipped with this release.  It doesn’t sound Buono! at all which is unusual.  I know them as the girls with gritty guitars, catchy lyrics and arrangements, and cutesy vocals from the girls.  This time around that’s all different.  Take It Easy! has a strange acoustic vibe with banjo also in there.  I guess it’s a nice sounding summer tune, but this is probably one of my least favorite A-sides from them.

2. Kirai Suki Daikirai

This is what I mean.  Kirai Suki Daikirai has the edgier sound that the girls are well-known for and I love it.  Though the melody reminds me of “My Sharona” in the most strange way.  The thing that threw me off from the single was that the transition to the chorus was pretty bad and quite awkward with the tempo change.  I think Momoko is also on the right page, vocal-wise since she sounded pretty good with Airi and Miyabi. 

 

 

After the awesome “MY BOY”, Buono! had to take a few steps down for this single.  I just think Tsunku slipped up with this single as neither songs really had the Buono! spark (maybe the B-side).  I don’t know but I didn’t enjoy this single much.

KOTOKO – daily-daily Dream

Track Listing

1. daily-daily Dream
2. Message
3. daily-daily Dream -instrumental-
4. Message -instrumental-

1. daily-daily Dream

I’ll be honest with you guys, I’m surprised that KOTOKO’s A-side this time around is a bit more cutesy than both “snIpe” and “Ao-iconoclast”.  For that, I’m not fully into KOTOKO’s vocals in this song as it sounds oddly seiyuu-ish (but I’m told she’s done songs like this before).  daily-daily Dream is just vocally terrible as the harmonizations are painful to listen to.  Funny that it isn’t on “Epsilon no Fune”.

2. Message

Oddly enough being on the same time limit, 5:08, Message is a bit less cutesy and more along the lines of just feeling good.  The song doesn’t really attract my attention, but use of piano for most of the song made it more interesting of a song to listen to.  Her vocals are easier to swallow as well since they arent’s sickingly cute like that A-side.

 

 

KOTOKO doesn’t exactly get things right with this single IMO.  daily-daily Dream isn’t much to really appreciate about and her vocals saddened me.  Message was better, but the arrangement felt like the song was dragging itself along (and felt longer).  Not too good of a single.

abingdon boys school – Kimi no Uta August 25, 2009

Track Listing

1. Kimi no Uta
2. STEALTH -Reigoushiki JAP-

1. Kimi no Uta

As much I have to say it, Kimi no Uta is actually my least favorite A-side of the era.  At first I thought it was going to be another “Nephilim” especially with that opening of theirs.  That actually ruined the song….since it’s the beginning of the chorus as well and while the song is a mid-tempo rock track, slowing it down immensely does not make it that memorable.  It just feels sloppily made IMO.

2. STEALTH -Reigoushiki JAP-

This is a first for the band, but STEALTH -Reigoushiki JAP-  is an English version of their last A-side “JAP”.  I knew instantly that I would enjoy this and I quite do because it’s just as catchy and relentless like the original and Takanori did a good job trying to keep his English under check.  The breakdown part though was hard to follow though…

 

 

Possibly the final single of the current era, Kimi no Uta wasn’t exactly my cup of tea this time.  I find the strange way of taking the song’s chorus too a slow speed and the rest of the song faster was very awkward transitioning-wise.  The English version of JAP was pretty cool, but I was hoping for another B-side rather than that.  Is it that bad that I’m finally disappointed in an a.b.s. single?