Track Listing
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Joujaku: Yappa Dame ka
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Emi’iro Refrain
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Kimi ni Aitakute
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Rankaku Parallel
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Tengoku
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Syndrome
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Piko Piko★Night of Galaxy
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Yume Hana
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Unlimited Dream Walkers
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Maker÷Breaker
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ONLINE
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Acid soul -Kanzen ni Chuuni Byou-jan-
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☆Piko Piko★Legend of the Night of Galaxy (Limited only)
1. Joujaku: Yappa Dame ka
Opening up Piko’s sophomore album, Joujaku opens with a synth-based melody and I already was impressed hahah. I’m seeing that Piko’s vocals are getting a bit stronger and he doesn’t depend on his higher register here which is a plus. It’s a fast song and it’s full of interesting chords and sounds. Great opening for the album!
2. Emi’iro Refrain
I’m happy that Piko changed up styles in his A-sides because it was starting to get REALLY bland for me. Emi’iro Refrain sound a lot lighter than “Joujaku” so that was good and this song actually sounds really pleasant. I still do think he sounds very unenthusiastic doing the chorus. Otherwise, it’s not a bad song and is a lot better than “Yume Hana”.
3. Kimi ni Aitakute
o.0 at the way Piko opens up this song because it was loud and his vocals were high there. It gives off a very anime opening kind of feel which is different for him but he’s done it before on his last album. Otherwise, this song isn’t very memorable for me. It just needed a little more oomph towards the arrangement and vocals.
4. Rankaku Parallel
At least the problem goes away somewhat with Rankaku Parallel but brings us into a new problem. Despite being more energetic and fun to listen to, Piko is singing in his high pitch…actually the highest I’ve probably heard him since his SONY debut. I’m not a fan of his girlish tones and it’s a bit bothersome here. Funny enough, the song is really catchy and kind of works with his odd tone…I’m surprised it worked so well!
5. Tengoku
Our next track opens with a cool drum and bass solo before going into this loud and wild arrangement with the guitar blaring out. I have to say that I liked Piko in this song for some reason but then again, he’s pushing his vocals to the limit here because he’s shouting all over the place and such. It’s a high velocity kind of song and it’s nice to see Piko push himself like he did. After a while though, it does become a little annoying and it kind of gives me a headache but it’s not too bad if a sibg but just a little too much on Piko’s part.
6. Syndrome
We move from screaming into Syndrome which kind of sounds like something from Final Fantasy X with it’s relaxed and calm nature. It’s a rather nice tune from him since it doesn’t really have any faults and I seem to be enjoying the arrangement just as much. It’s chill and relaxing and this is what he needs more of.
7. Piko Piko★Night of Galaxy
When I saw the Piko Piko in the title, I knew the song was going to be once again the most energetic track on the album because it really is. I mean it’s euro-trance and I love that stuff and adding that I loved what he did in the last “Piko Piko” track off his first album, I was more than excited to hear it and was happy with it! I mean the arrangement is just a tad different but it’s still synth-happy and full of Piko’s strong vocals! Probably my favorite song on the album!
8. Yume Hana
My thoughts haven’t really changed about Yume Hana very much. I still don’t really enjoy the song because it was a lot like her first three singles and I just didn’t think it brought anything respective to the table. Plus his vocals are kind of annoying in the song since he switches between high and medium notes. Too blah for me…at least it’s kind of unique on the album since there’s not much that sounds similar to this.
9. Unlimited Dream Walkers
Our next song, Unlimited Dream Walkers sounds pretty cool of a title right? Well it goes with a rather a pretty good song but it suffers the same with “Emi’iro Refrain” and that some of the song doesn’t feel like he put much effort to it. After a while I do feel better about the song…sounds a bit like Amrican rock for some reason but I liked it nonetheless.
10. Maker÷Breaker
Next up, we get another anime-esque song but an odd one at that (have you heard the piano melody in the beginning?). Maker÷Breaker actually isn’t a bad song to be honest because it’s fast-paced and Piko uses his vocals in a rather strong way here. Does sound good overall and probably the best of the anime-ish songs on this album.
11. ONLINE
I kind of thought, ONLINE would’ve been a lot more electro than what we got but this is interesting. Piko is back to using his girly tones here but once again, I found myself kind of interested in it because it wasn’t terrible or anything just something I’m still not used to. Besides the Piko Piko songs this is about as electro we get with him. The only thing I would frown upon is how he closes the chorus out with that EXTREMELY hugh note….that was a bad choice. It’s like a ballad but a danceable ballad…interesting song!
12. Acid soul -Kanzen ni Chuuni Byou-jan-
The final song on the Regular editions of the album, Acid soul is kind of a weird title and the song itself is a bit strange as it opens up with spoken dialogue from Piko (really that’s his normal voice, or his seiyuu-y shtick?). It lasts about a 1:30 until Piko screams the intro of the song out and it turns into this classic rock-styled kind of track. I’m surprised at his deeper vocals because they’re like Mao’s from SID. Edgy and something I wasn’t expecting from him but cool stuff and closes the album with a bang! Though why the fade-out? Ir just seemed odd to have that to close the song (and album)…
13. ☆Piko Piko★Legend of the Night of Galaxy
However, the limited editions came with a bonus track and it’s a GOOD ONE!! It combines both Piko Piko songs together for this glorious mash-up. The first half deals with “Legend of the Night” while the second half goes through “Night of Galaxy” and both tracks do sound similar to one another so that it could work together. It’s a fun bonus and they flow seamlessly into each other (you might not even realize the change between the two!).
Tracks Recommended
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☆Piko Piko★Legend of the Night of Galaxy
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Piko Piko★Night of Galaxy
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Rankaku Parallel
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Joujaku: Yappa Dame ka
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Syndrome
Song of Avoidance
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Yume Hana
Piko’s sophomore major label album is a lot more memorable than “1PIKO” for sure. A lot of the song fixed what I wasn’t a big fan of in the first and Piko drifted away from the animu-like songs for more of a unique approach. I know I’m kind of odd for loving the Piko Piko songs but they are his best tunes IMHO. The rest brough a new side to him and he’s using his high tones for better. A couple of songs were a little disappointing but that was to be expected. Overall, it’s a good solid release!
