Nana Mizuki – ROCKBOUND NEIGHBORS December 9, 2012

Track Listing

1. Avalon no Oukan
2. Naked Soldier
3. Get my drift?
4. Lovely Fruit
5. Darling Plastic
6. BRIGHT STREAM
7. Hoshikuzu Symphony
8. LINKAGE
9. STAR ROAD
10. Synchrogazer -Aufwachen Form-
11. Crescent Child
12. Kiseki no Melodia
13. METRO BAROQUE
14. Happy☆Go-Round!
15. Sacred Force -Extended Mix-
16. Yakusoku

1. Avalon no Oukan

I guess Nana is playing up her strengths right from the start because the first song, Avalon no Oukan is a very grandiose opening for the album with all that fanfare-ness.  As the song goes on, it sounds like something that would’ve been epic to open Final Fantasy XII because it has that medieval, but also powerful setting.  The interesting thing though is that Nana sounds like she’s singing in a cathedral (you know, all the echoing that’s present).  It’s definitely a VERY impressive way to open the album for sure…such production and effort went into this one!

2. Naked Soldier

I was curious to what she’d put after such an epic song and Naked Soldier comes in next and has a much more heavier sound for Nana.  I kind of like the gritty rock feel out of this song and she tackles the vocals so effortlessly that it’s just impressive.  Some of the song might be a little too loud, but this was a good rock track (not one of her bests but still quite good).

3. Get my drift?

Third track in and we get the shortest track with Get my drift? which follows suit after “Naked Soldier” by being a bit more rock-oriented but with a little more from the electronic side of her as well.  It’s an energetic piece and I actually enjoyed this a bit more than the previous track as well…It’s a lot less in your face and louuuud.

4. Lovely Fruit

As the album’s promotional track, Lovely Fruit caters to more of the cute side of Nana’s sound and in a way it reminds me of “DISCOTHEQUE” with the amount of brass and lively energy coming from Nana’s performance of the song.  It might bother some people being more of a high-pitched fest, but I like its charm, plus Nana is cute in the song lol.

5. Darling Plastic

I feel like Darling Plastic is kind of the throwaway song on the album for me so far since it feels like a bunch of her previous tracks but done again here.  It feels like it’s supposed to be a mix of the previous two tracks, but it didn’t seem to work and I was slightly annoyed with the synths here.  Plus, I don’t think Nana sounded very interested in the song either >.>  She just sounded like she phoned this one in.

6. BRIGHT STREAM

Moving onto the first of the A-sides on the album, BRIGHT STREAM was the last to come out and while I still feel like it’s you’re normal Nana A-side with strings and an overall anison feel, it is a bit brighter of a song and Nana’s vocals are on spot with this song.  The guitar solo though was definitely something that impressed me however…it’s all right, but nothing too special.

7. Hoshikuzu Symphony

I honestly feel that because this album came out on December, Nana wanted to do a track for the holidays and Hoshikuzu Symphony really has that tone about it because there’s a lot of jingle bells and other sparkly wintry sounds present.  I’m not against it though because the song is a really pretty song, but I feel as if there was more instruments, it would’ve been just a plain anison Nana track. It’s a pleasant song though, I can’t deny that.

8. LINKAGE

Which is why LINKAGE probably came after because it has a lot of synths and guitars present (weird that it didn’t come after “BRIGHT STREAM” to be honest.  I will say that I really liked it because it’s got a lot of punch about it and Nana is really pushing herself in this song (almost similar to how wild she was singing in “Synchrogazer”).  It’s a very busy song in the arrangement and I still can’t really tell what’s going there, I’m just enjoying Nana’s epic performance!

9. STAR ROAD

It’s so strange that Nana would follow up something so high-energy with something like STAR ROAD which is the first ballad of the album.  I really liked Nana’s vocals as she gives a lot of emotional value to the song but the arrangement is once again a tad bland for me (minus the strings melodies).  I do like how later in the song, tries to be somewhat folkish…this actually might grow on me a lot since it’s a lot better in the later half ^_^

10. Synchrogazer -Aufwachen Form-

I was sooo worried that Synchrogazer was going to be changed entirely, but it didn’t!!!  All that happened was that Synchrogazer got a extra minute-long intro which was actually kind of awesome and it led into the main track which is mostly unchanged (if there was, it’s really small).  As the single that started the era (sorry “MUSEUM II” singles), Synchrogazer just blew me away with how edgy and epic and how so much synths were present and add Nana’s awesome performance…it’s just a song that really made me 2012 and it was one of the earliest releases as well!  SUCH A BADASS SONG!…though the intro could’ve been left off, but it was a nice inclusion, I suppose XD. 

11. Crescent Child

After all that awesomeness, we calm back down again with Crescent Child which is kind of like what-if “STAR ROAD” was upbeat.  It does slightly remind me of a school food punishment song (“futuristic imagination” is the closest for me”).  Though a lot of this song has a lot of piano, it’s still really cool.  I’d say it’s in the middle of where I love it and like it.  It’s not that bad of a song and Nana sounds great here as well.

12. Kiseki no Melodia

Ooooh, pipe organ in an upbeat track?  At first I wasn’t sure how to take the song because it’s so different and kind of clashes because the pipe organ is a dark instrument and it’s in a upbeat track…kind of a strange paradox.  One the chorus comes in, it’s like “BRIGHT STREAM” 2 which is a bit disappointing for me.  At least I know the song as the pipe organ track.

13. METRO BAROQUE

As the only song added to the album from her “TIME SPACE EP”, METRO BAROQUE impressed me initially because it had a more broader sound and combined the good things in Nana’s music.  On the album, it’s slightly grown more because it’s different from the other anison tracks here and I felt like Nana made the song work because otherwise this would’ve been a bore.  So props here!

14. Happy☆Go-Round!

With a title like that, I was wondering if we were getting another cute song but Happy☆Go-Round! actually sounds like a mix of “Lovely Fruit” and the rock tracks in the first half of the album.  The song can be catchy.  It’s a bit loud and busy as well, so if you don’t mind the banging of the drums then this song might be something to listen to!

15. Sacred Force -Extended Mix-

Adding about an extra minute and a half to the track, the B-side from “BRIGHT STREAM” gets added to the album as the only B-side as well (something Nana always does).  Though unlike “Synchrogazer” the song goes through a lot of changes like the arrangement is a bit more busy and louder and Nana (I think, resung the song?).  Add in that the solo section is stretched out a lot longer as well and you get our new Sacred Force.  I kind of like this version more since it’s more energetic and less of a clone anison track, made this song a lot more unique ^_^

16. Yakusoku

Closing the album out, Yakusoku (like “7-gatsu 7-oka” from her last album) is the ballad that wraps things up.  It has a bit more going on in the arrangement, but at the same time, if it wasn’t Nana singing the song, the arrangement would be a TOTAL bore because it’s rather uniform and typical for a piano/strings ballad.  With Nana added, it managed to pull it out of boredom, but it’s still not quite as good as other songs are.

Tracks Recommended

• Synchrogazer -Aufwachen Form-
• Avalon no Oukan
• LINKAGE
• Sacred Force -Extended Mix-
• STAR ROAD

Song of Avoidance

• Darling Plastic

It’s been quite a while since Nana released her last studio album with “IMPACT EXCITER” and that album was good but had problems in it.  6 singles and a best-album later, we finally get ROCKBOUND NEIGHBORS and I have to say, this might be her best album yet.  It felt a lot more cohesive and Nana worked her strengths in majority of the songs, yeah some were a bit meh, but it didn’t very like Nana was trying to be more experimentive…she was just doing what she did well in and in the end, it worked!  A lot of great tracks here, *RECOMMENDED*

Nana Mizuki – BRIGHT STREAM July 28, 2012

Track Listing

1. BRIGHT STREAM
2. FEARLESS HERO
3. Sacred Force

1. BRIGHT STREAM

Maybe it’s just me but I’m kind of finding myself picking apart Nana’s A-sides unless they’re extremely unique.  BRIGHT STREAM ranks up there with her strings/anime songs which isn’t good because there’s a LOT of those.  The good thing is that I like the guitar riffs in it and Nana sounds really good in this song which isn’t surprising.  I don’t know but it doesn’t seem to really stand out like “Synchrogazer” and “Junketsu Paradox” did.

2. FEARLESS HERO

Which bothers me when we get into FEARLESS HERO which also suffers a little bit from the staleness factor.  I do like the beats of the song but it’s kind of just like “BRIGHT STREAM” and “Mugen” fused together which just doesn’t impress me one bit.  I like how soaring Nana’s vocals are here though (makes me think she took more risks in this song).

3. Sacred Force

Then we get into Sacred Force and I’m already enjoying the song because unlike the previous two, this has more of a synth-driven arrangement and I REALLY liked the addition of the guitars as well.  It kind of reminds me of a toned down and controlled “Synchrogazer” so that’s always a good sign for me.  Yeah, it’s actually the best off the single!

 

 

Since there’s an album coming next for Nana, I think BRIGHT STREAM is actually quite weak of a single to be honest.  BRIGHT STREAM and FEARLESS HERO kind of weren’t new or even unique in the way that some of the other singles have been and normally I wouldn’t be having a problem but I just couldn’t remember how these two go…it really does sound like a lot of “IMPACT EXCITER’s” singles have been.  Sacred Force even though it does remind me of a toned down “Synchrogazer” is actually the best of the single…a lot of great moments to be found in this song ^_^

Nana Mizuki – TIME SPACE EP June 8, 2012

Track Listing

1. METRO BAROQUE
2. PARTY! PARTY!
3. Jikuu Sapphire
4. ONE

1. METRO BAROQUE

Now if you’ve missed Nana doing stuff like “Mugen”, “PHANTOM MINDS” and the like, METRO BAROQUE is definitely your answer back into her stuff.  There’s a lot of strings and piano and of course Nana’s VERY expressive vocals which stand out in a good way here because it keeps the song dramatic and fresh.  I don’t know if I would consider this better than “Synchrogazer” but this song is going back to what she does very well!  I think the only thing that would make me worried is that it’s like stuff from before so it might not impress many…but it’s an orchestral wonder!

2. PARTY! PARTY!

Our next song is a bit more synth-friendly but more towards the “DISCOTHEQUE” and “COSMIC LOVE” kind of way.  It’s a lot more poppier that’s for one thing and she keeps her voice from going over dramatic like in “METRO BAROQUE”.  I’m surprised the song is kind of safe sounding, but that’s not bad once in a while from her because despite taking a safer route, it comes off as classy and cool.  I actually kind of enjoyed this more than the leading track TBQH.

3. Jikuu Sapphire

On the flipside of her synth songs, Jikuu Sapphire is more focused on it’s anime movements (kind of like “METRO BAROQUE”) since the strings and piano return once again.  I kind of liked this more than it as well since it didn’t seem so busy plus the arrangement was a little more controlled here as well.  However, I feel like this could’ve been on any of the previous singles (minus “Synchrogazer”) and feel like it was a weak song because its stuff she’s utitlized MANY times before.

4. ONE

The last track on the single (a title that’s way too used), ONE is the weakest of the bunch to me but it’s not really much of a surprise but at the same time, I’m intrigued because it’s plain and soft and doesn’t seem to be a thing Nana would ever really do.  It’s considered a ballad but an upbeat one and positive.  It’s like they slowed the song down because there’s still a lot of piano and strings to be had (and a lil of trumpet) in the tune.  Also, Nana’s vocals aren’t doing as many aerials as she’s used to doing…just kind of plain here XD.

 

 

While none of the songs brought the power that “Synchrogazer” did, TIME SPACE EP did include some nice songs but typical Nana music this time around.  I mean both METRO BAROQUE and Jikuu Sapphire aren’t that differen’t from stuff like “Junketsu Paradox” and “SCARLET KNIGHT” which kind of slightly made me happy and slightly disappointed.  ONE was just oddly plain for me,  Strange enough, PARTY! PARTY! was the best from the single.  It was fun and catchy as crazy!  I wonder what her next album will be like xD

Nana Mizuki – Synchrogazer January 7, 2012

Track Listing

1. Synchrogazer
2. Love Brick
3. Risouron

1. Synchrogazer

It’s been a long while since we’ve seen Nana pull something with this much synth usage (last I can actually think of is “Astrogation”).  However, this is probably her tranciest song yet because it’s fast and there’s just a lot of synths abound.  I’m loving Nana’s singing here because it frantic and the parts with English are really epic.  Finally a song that really left a heavy mark!  What a great way to kick 2012 off with this song!

2. Love Brick

So I guess we ended up with another “Trickster” it seems with the first B-side in Love Brick.  I’m liking that it’s straightforward and doesn’t move like “Synchrogazer” but I kind of wished she left her heavy vibrato out of this one.  The chorus kind of sounds weird when she does it so much.  It does kind of grow on you after a while since the chorus is a bit catchy minus the over-use.  Hmmmmm…

3. Risouron

Oh?, another synth track fills the single out?  Since it was produced by the same person (or group…don’t know what Elements Garden is), Risouron tones down the energy from “Synchrogazer” and gives us a little more of an easier listen with even more strings to show off.  I much preferred this over “Love Brick” to be honest!

 

 

Nana really kicked 2012 with a bang with Synchrogazer!  It’s just all kinds of amazingness with it’s powerful tones and just great sound that I missed (even though she’s had a couple of album songs in the same field).  Risouron counts as well and turned out pretty well even though they share the same producers.  Love Brick though was a bit much like “Trickster” but it’s growing on me which is good…Great single overall ^_^

Nana Mizuki – Junketsu Paradox August 2, 2011

Track Listing

1. Junketsu Paradox
2. 7COLORS
3. Stay Gold

1. Junketsu Paradox

I wasn’t expecting Nana to release another strong orchestral animu track for her next A-side, but I felt she took a safer route for this song than she did with songs like “SCARLET KNIGHT” but that’s ok because this track sounds clear and straightforward and doesn’t have Nana doing aerial vocal flips like she sometimes does in her songs.  So I’m essentially happy with this song and I feel like it’s one of her better A-sides she’s had in a while.

2. 7COLORS

It has been a while since we’ve had a quote on quote “cute” song from Nana and 7COLORS fills that role pretty smoothly but like I said about “Junketsu Paradox” it felt she took it safe as well and didn’t overflow it with her seiyuu style like she’s done in previous attempts.  It’s simple, cute and breezy of a B-side from Nana, not bad, but nothing that screams repeat it.

3. Stay Gold

Is it odd enough that I think the only song she didn’t play safe was the second B-side?  No it’s not a cover of either Nami’s or Hikki’s tune of the same name so don’t question that either lol.  It’s kind of like the stuff I would’ve expected to hear on “IMPACT EXCITER”…yeah it’s one of those anime strings/pop tracks but at the same time I love the movement of the song, fluid and smooth.  But yeah it fits with “Silent Bible” and PHANTOM MINDS” and the like.  Not bad though.

 

 

Nana might have taken the safe route for Junketsu Paradox as a whole, but it’s definitely nothing to frown about because all three songs sounded pretty nice overall and left a good impression on me (a little better than both “SCARLET KNIGHT” and “POP MASTER”).  I wonder what’s next for our epic seiyuu?

Nana Mizuki – POP MASTER April 11, 2011

Track Listing

1. POP MASTER
2. UNBREAKABLE

1. POP MASTER

If you were hoping for a song that kind of reminded ya of “COSMIC LOVE” minus the crazy amounts of synths…so think of more of “Trickster”.  POP MASTER seems to be on the dislike list of most people, but for me the song isn’t too bad, but after “SCARLET KNIGHT” and “PHANTOM MINDS”, this is quite a downgrade since Nana’s vocals are kind of all over the place and her vibrato is taking over the song.  I will say the guitar solo was impressive…but right now the song is kind of on a love/hate relationship with me right now.

2. UNBREAKABLE

If “Dancing in the velvet moon” had to replicate into something cool, UNBREAKABLE would definitely take that role since it reminds me of that song and a bit of “SCARLET KNIGHT” as well which might be great for people who enjoyed the latter here recently.  It’s quite epic of a song, but it still doesn’t surpass some other songs she’s done here recently.

As the second single released simultaneously released, POP MASTER is slightly under “SCARLET KNIGHT’s” single since the A-side is a kind of hit-or-miss kind of song for me since it’s got an interesting arrangement but the vocals kind of turned me away.  UNBREAKABLE however is definitely in the veins of her good songs so that’s always a good thing….why couldn’t she just made it one single with the four tracks, like she has been doing the last few singles.

Nana Mizuki – SCARLET KNIGHT

Track Listing

1. SCARLET KNIGHT
2. HIGH-STEPPER

1. SCARLET KNIGHT

Since we can’t simply get enough of Nana’s anime-esque strings based music, SCARLET KNIGHT actually sounds good despite all the refute I had for her singles in the “IMPACT EXCITER” era.  I think it’s maybe the darker vibes with the bells and such.  Her vocals sound so damn impressive and the music was grandiose and just as powerful.  I must say, she’s on her way to something good if she keeps this up…hopefully it won’t be another “Mugen”.

2. HIGH-STEPPER

As the single’s B-side, HIGH-STEPPER sounds kind of unusual with the guitars and synths mixed together…kind of like “SCOOP SCOPE” off her last album, but with a stronger melody and more focus with the guitars.  It’s kind of catchy and has some fun parts strewn throughout…it’s a great B-side!

Nana begins the new era with a simultaneous release of two seperate singles.  Since I’m reviewing the one that was was revealed first first, SCARLET KNIGHT is actually not a bad single as all.  While both songs have elements that Nana has been comfortable in for quite a while, she definitely pulled off another set of great songs…now let’s see what “POP MASTER” has in store…

Nana Mizuki – IMPACT EXCITER July 5, 2010

Track Listing

1. TIME TO IMPACT EXCITER
2. NEXT ARCADIA
3. Mysterion
4. Silent Bible
5. Young Alive!
6. SCOOP SCOPE
7. DRAGONIA
8. Mugen
9. Natsu Koi Moyou
10. Koi no Yokushiryoku -type EXCITER-
11. PHANTOM MINDS
12. Strobe Cinema
13. Toraware no Babel
14. Albireo
15. Don’t be long
16. 7-gatsu 7-ka

1. TIME TO IMPACT EXCITER

OMG, I love the creepy synth style that opens up the album.  I am a little sad it wasn’t a full song but this is kind of an epic album opening and would make it uber better hearing this on tour or something. 

2. NEXT ARCADIA

As it leads into our first song off the album, NEXT ARCADIA has a pretty cool piano melody going and it sort of does remind me of “COSMIC LOVE” from the “STARCAMP EP” single.  It’s upbeat and has a cool spark to it that I love from Nana.  Yes, her vocals are filtered a little bit here but the chorus clears that up and she sounds great.  I love the twists to the chorus as well and the middle interlude was pretty awesome as well.  Great first vocal track.

3. Mysterion

While we only touched the rock side to Nana with last album’s, “Etsuraku Camelia”, Mysterion is a pretty hot mess for me.  For once her vocals sound dramatically different to whatever I’ve heard before from her and I’m not sure I enjoy it.  I love the verses because she really throws it out there, but that chorus just killed the song for what it’s worth for me.  For the most part though it’s passable, but when she enters the main focus of the song, it just falls flat for me with those ugly notes that she hits.

4. Silent Bible

As the 3rd and final A-side released in the era, Silent Bible is kind of equal to “PHANTOM MINDS” in how both songs are just great songs from her even though I’d bet that she has many songs like this under her belt.  After hearing a different vocal style back on “Mysterion”, it was nice to return to this.  Yes, the era was way too full of synth/strings songs, but I think Nana’s vocals sound heavenly in particular in the song. 

5. Young Alive!

“Silent Bible” makes a nice transition to the opening of our next new song before it turns into a pop/rock tune.  Even though it’s not as gritty as like “Trickster” it still sounds pretty rockin’, but it does sound like an anime opening for some reason, but I don’t mind that at all.  At least it’s catchy and has a bit of life in it.

6. SCOOP SCOPE

Beginning the album’s entrance to synth, SCOOP SCOPE is a whole lot better than the last album’s synth superior “Gimmick Game”.  I mean yes, it does sound like something Perfume would’ve used at one point or another but Nana kind of sounds pretty good and adds the right amount of cute to the song.  Maybe a little more energy would’ve been nice, but I’m content with this tune.

7. DRAGONIA

Maybe that’s why we have DRAGONIA because this song is pretty damn epic for a Mizuki song.  It seems to mix Nana’s style of music with rock and traditional sounding stuff to make it sound almost ethnic in a way.  She does sound like she’s pushing herself pretty hard for this song, but I think this kind of hectic singing makes it so much more energetic and cool.  So I’m actually enjoying this a lot!

8. Mugen

While I still don’t like Mugen that much, at least it isn’t followed by those bland B-sides that followed it on the single so I’m happy to hear that this can leave a somewhat nice impression on me.  It still is my least favorite of the A-sides, but it’s not as bad as before since I can appreciate by itself, but I swear I’ve heard it somewhere in her catalog.

9. Natsu Koi Moyou

As the nearest thing to a ballad so far on the album, Natsu Koi Moyou is a very light tune from Nana, but a nice change from the songs we’ve heard so far so it does have a place.  I love the bridge where it sounded like Cafe music, pretty clever there.  Still it’s a nice song from Nana and definitely left an impression on me.

10. Koi no Yokushiryoku -type EXCITER-

As used in one of the Metal Gear Solid games as an image song, Koi no Yokushiryoku was definitely one of the songs I’ve enjoyed from Nana that wasn’t a part of her main discography.  I was wondering what -type EXCITER-’s version would actually sound like but most of it stays rather faithful which is a good thing, but there seems to be more focus on the synths and some of the better parts of the song are now slathered with the vocal distortion which is a bit meh, but it’s still a great song to listen to.

11. PHANTOM MINDS

Which is great since PHANTOM MINDS is just as good as “Koi no Yokushiryoku” if not better at some points.  It built upon what initially made “Mugen” kind of boring for me and that really added something amazing to this song.  I still remember its PV quite fondly, especially with Nana blowing up that snow globe hahaha.  One of the album’s best songs.

12. Strobe Cinema

Out of the new songs, I think this song disappointed me the most because this fits with what was wrong with the B-sides off of “Mugen” since there’s strings and the usual instruments and feels less memorable especially after two amazing songs.  It just kind of seems to be the throwaway song off the album, but I’ll say it’s pretty cute.

13. Toraware no Babel

Wow, I didn’t expect Toraware no Babel to be almost eurotrance in arrangement at all, but besides the rock songs here, this is one of the energetic songs off the album.  Nana to me doesn’t fully sound comfortable singing in this style and it shows quite a lot.  Otherwise it’s pretty awesome and it shows a good amount of experimentation.

14. Albireo

It seems that Albireo had a lot of Nana written all of it since she did work with this song, but does break the flow of the album pretty harshly.  I mean eurotrance to a slower almost folkish song is a bit outrageous, but I was impressed with Nana’s vocals and how powerful she got with this tune.  Another epic song on the album?  I think so!

15. Don’t be long

I will admit that I enjoyed the song when I first heard it off the “PHANTOM MINDS” single, but she could’ve chose better since she’s had way better B-sides…minus the “Mugen” B-sides.  Talking about “Mugen” that’s what this song reminds me a lot of and that’s not so good IMO.  Maybe it’s a little more edgier, but otherwise they’re similar in a lot of ways.

16. 7-gatsu 7-ka

Finally ending the long album, July 7th (when translated) is a very pretty song to finish the album with because this is a pure ballad from Nana.  I love the fact that harp is used in the song the most and Nana sounds really pretty singing here.  After a long while we do hear strings eventually being added.  It’s a song that builds to its climax and I loved it…nice and slow is amazing to finish the album.

Tracks Recommended

• Koi no Yokushiryoku -type EXCITER-
• PHANTOM MINDS
• NEXT ARCADIA
• 7-gatsu 7-ka
• DRAGONIA

Song of Avoidance

• Strobe Cinema

To me, I think IMPACT EXCITER definitely is a step higher than what she did with “ULTIMATE DIAMOND” since all the songs were all memorable and interesting in their own ways, even the filler track which was my least favorite but it did sound different than anything else.  Yeah, her use of synths were dealt much more here as well.  You know what’s missing though…”Astrogation”. >.> Oh wait….LMFAO

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.   

Nana Mizuki – PHANTOM MINDS January 10, 2010

Track Listing

1. PHANTOM MINDS
2. Don’t be long
3. Song Communication
4. Juujika no Spread

1. PHANTOM MINDS

Nana really picked herself off the floor after that disappointing single in “Mugen”.  Even though PHANTOM MINDS has basically the same set of instruments, the arrangement was more exciting and the strings were more profound in the song.  Definitely feeling this a lot more, but still isn’t as strong as most of her last era.

2. Don’t be long

To me, Don’t be long seems to be something refreshing at least to me because it has more of a band sound to it.  I actually kind of warmed up to the song pretty quickly.  Not much to really compare it to, but it’s still a pretty cool song.  Good job Nana!

3. Song Communication

If there was something that made go wtf, Song Communication would definitely be that song.  I’m not sure what happened here but it feels H!P threw up on the song and gave us this song.  It’s got that idol feel to it and the cutesy pop/rock arrangement is definitely not helping the cause.  I’m on the fence with this song.  It is pretty new to Nana, but I’d rather not have her go in this direction.

4. Juujika no Spread

Originally, Juujika no Spread was supposed to be on “Mugen” but for some saving grace, it wasn’t and placed on this single.  Yeah, it’s a bit like “Don’t be long” and “PHANTOM MINDS”, but this at least was different enough to get by in the single so I don’t mind hearing this because it’s also catchy and energetic.

 

 

PHANTOM MINDS definitely improved over “Mugen” basically since the songs weren’t carbon copies with each other and that’s a plus.  PHANTOM MINDS to me belongs with her other string/piano anime tracks (which there’s a lot of), Don’t be long and Juujika no Spread were more energetic like “Astrogation” and that’s pretty good.  However, Song Communication is a bit sketchy for a Nana song…still good single.