SuG – Koakuma Sparkling February 24, 2011

Track Listing

1. Koakuma Sparkling
2. Five Starz ~Gomaime Haiyuu~
3. kanon (Regular Edition only)

1. Koakuma Sparkling

SuG, has so beyond have been surprising with each single and it’s no surprise that Koakuma Sparkling is any different to be honest.  I love the brass-like energy that’s coming from the song mixed in with the band’s guitar-laced riffs.  To me it’s like J-rock meets Idol-pop and Takeru does a great job at being cute in the song and yet keep an edge to the song.  It’s wild and silly and I liked it!

2. Five Starz ~Gomaime Haiyuu~

For the first B-side, Five Starz continues this almost cutesy style but instead of brass at the front, there’s a lot of synths.  I also found it pretty cool that there’s another singer in the song…but I don’t know who it is…after his part, Takeru comes in with a slightly slower part, but jumps back up in the chorus.  It’s even more of an absurd song when compared to the A-side, but it’s not bad at all…just a little different.

3. kanon

Only found on one edition of the single, kanon actually feels like a normal kind of J-rock song and strangely enough, it’s odd for SuG XD.  I do think the keyboards sound really pretty in the song and I love the more serious tone in Takeru’s voice a lot more.  Is it weird that I prefer this song over the rest of the single?

While this is the first single released in the “Thrill Ride Pirates” era, Koakuma Sparkling is just a wacky and strange as the other two singles that came after it.  The almost silly feeling I get with both the A-side and Five Starz is hard to ignore, but it shows personality and I liked that.  However, kanon really popped out of nowhere and impressed me even more when they get serious with the music.  I hope there’s gonna be a few on the album!!!

SID – sleep

Track Listing

1. sleep
2. Utahime
3. Aikagi (Live from SID TOUR 2009 hikari)

1. sleep

To me, sleep actually reminds me of “Rain” which is oddly enough the single right after this single.  Both are more along the lines of a rock ballad, but for some reason this one has a bit more of a stronger ballad sense.  However, because I came in listening to “Rain” first, this is a little odd to say, but I feel like a bit torn, between which of the two A-sides is better. 

2. Utahime

So of course with the B-side, we get a new side to the band that I haven’t seen on other reviewed singles.  I mean SID doing a sort of discotheque kind of song?  It’s strange on paper, but seeing them execute the song and give it such a fun atmosphere worked for me since it’s quick and peppy. 

3. Aikagi (Live from SID TOUR 2009 hikari)

From the same tour that they performed “Doyoubi no Onna” off their last single, Aikagi appears on this one and since it’s the B-side from their second indies single “paint pops”, I was interested in hearing this and I was surprised it was another rock ballad from SID.  However, unlike “sleep”, Aikagi actually gets a bit more oomph out from the band than sad song so it’s not a typical full ballad.  It’s great and Mao sounds pretty smooth as he usually does in lives…I do question the beginning with the guitar…but…it’s alright otherwise.

sleep to me does feel a lot like “Rain” in the main song they’re both ballads.  However, I loved Utahime’s danceish atmosphere and the live version of Aikagi was nice as well.  Still, it doesn’t feel as strong as I thought it’d be and to be frank, even “one way” was slightly better.  Thank god they brought it for the rest of the era.

SID – one way

Track Listing

1. one way
2. Kaitou Neon
3. Doyoubi no Onna (Live from SID TOUR 2009 hikari)

1. one way

Since this was their first A-side of the “dead stock” era, I guess I had to come back and review the single eh?  Sadly it’s a bit depressing that I chose to not review this first because one way feels so very unmemorable when compared to the later singles (with the exception of “sleep” since I haven’t reviewed it yet).  To me, it feels quite like the basic kind of song to be expected from SID, but Mao’s vocals have energy and the rather quick tempo of the song works for me, but it feels iono…like nothing else really stood out.

2. Kaitou Neon

SID’s B-sides are always interesting, sometimes even more than the A-side.  Kaitou Neon is a pretty interesting sound to it that almost wants to touch the genre of big band almost with the groovy rhythms and Mao’s sweet tone for the song.  I love Shinji’s playing in the song and really made me wanna get up and dance along.  Good B-side

3. Doyoubi no Onna (Live from SID TOUR 2009 hikari)

Seeing as that ever since SID became a major label group they’ve had live versions of songs on each single, it’s no surprise that the first of the era continues to do em.  Doyoubi no Onna (a song off their debut indies album “Ren’ai”) surprised me since it’s so light and kind of mysterious in its own way.  I love Mao’s sly and kind of sexy vocals in the song…it gave it a whole lot to go by for sure.  Good live cut here.

Beginning the “dead stock” era, one way might have been a slight stepping stone after “hikari” (then again I wouldn’t know, since I’ve never listened to “hikari”).  It just seems that since I started listening to SID through the third of the era, it just seems this was just the beginning of what was to come and it clearly has gotten better.  Of course I wasn’t disappointed in either Kaitou Neon nor the live version of Doyoubi no Onna.  It’s a good start ^_^