Piko – Make My Day! August 20, 2012

Track Listing

1. Make My Day!
2. Gesshoku
3. Invisible
4. Make My Day! (PikoLess Version)
5. Gesshoku (PikoLess Version)
6. Invisible (PikoLess Version)

1. Make My Day!

I love that cute 8bit opening out of Make My Day!  Actually this is pretty strogn A-side from him since it’s nothing like his previous singles at all.  It’s a lot more energetic and Piko’s vocals ring out in a good way (plus that chorus is increasingly catchy).  It just is a fun rock song to listen to and surpasses a lot of songs from “2PIKO” quite strongly.

2. Gesshoku

The first B-side, Gesshoku is a bit more serious in style and has some cool things going on like a stronger instrumentation and Piko’s vocals sounding even better as well.  It’s like a really cool track and the synths being spun around works too.  I think I like the previous track a bit more but this was actually pretty good overall.

3. Invisible

I like that little ragtime intro for Invisible before it blasts out the door as the single’s most aggressive tune.  Invisible is interesting because it takes Piko out of his comfort zone because he raps and plays in both his deep vocals and high vocals (more of the latter since the chorus is heavily focused on that).  I love the energy of the song, but it’s so bipolar vocally that it’s gonna take a while to get used to.

 

 

Something must’ve happened because this is seriously has best single he’s done since debuting.  Make My Day! is just fun and not bland at all which is surprisingly a good thing.  Gesshoku and Invisible made great B-sides as well being powerful and still having that grear Piko feel…jeeze *RECOMMENDED*

Piko – 2PIKO July 10, 2012

Track Listing

1. Joujaku: Yappa Dame ka
2. Emi’iro Refrain
3. Kimi ni Aitakute
4. Rankaku Parallel
5. Tengoku
6. Syndrome
7. Piko Piko★Night of Galaxy
8. Yume Hana
9. Unlimited Dream Walkers
10. Maker÷Breaker
11. ONLINE
12. Acid soul -Kanzen ni Chuuni Byou-jan-
13. ☆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

• ☆Piko Piko★Legend of the Night of Galaxy
• Piko Piko★Night of Galaxy
• Rankaku Parallel
• Joujaku: Yappa Dame ka
• Syndrome

Song of Avoidance

• 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!

Piko – Emi’iro Refrain April 26, 2012

Track Listing

1. Emi’iro Refrain
2. Hysteric rain
3. Ama no Jaku
4. Emi’iro Refrain (PikoLess Version)
5. Hysteric rain (PikoLess Version)
6. Ama no Jaku (PikoLess Version)

1. Emi’iro Refrain

I’m still trying to find my footing to like Piko’s music but it’s so hard sometimes with his vocals or bland style.  Emi’iro Refrain is unusual to me but at least it’s a change from the previous singles.  It’s light and a bit more anime-like against the others.  It’s interesting not gonna lie, but I’m still kind of on the fence with Piko’s vocals himself.  He doesn’t sound very enthusiastic in places like the chorus…but sounds much better in the verses.  Unusual A-side but nice that he at least stepped out of his confort zone.

2. Hysteric rain

A little more spice thrown in and we get Hysteric rain which is a tad more like his previous works to be honest.  A lot more guitars and dramatics included and also some squeaking from Piko.  Beyond that, this song is kind of plain but at least Piko tries to make the song exciting so it’s not too bad in the long run…good track.

3. Ama no Jaku

The other B-side, Ama no Jaku kind of goes back to his first couple of singles with a bit more of an edgier and funky style.  Piko isn’t doing much in vocal aerials but he’s good and straightforward and the song sounds a lot better than I would’ve expected.  I put it as better than the previous song lol.

 

 

It seems like it’s the final single before Piko releases his major label sophomore album in May.  Emi’iro Refrain is a pretty nice change after the very bland and poorly registered “Yume Hana”.  I love that this A-side doesn’t sound like ANYTHING previous (A-side wise) and it turned out nice.  Hysteric rain was a little bit bleh but it’s not bad and is growing on me as we speak and well Ama no Jaku was pretty good all around…I’m a little curious about the album now…

Piko – Yume Hana October 20, 2011

Track Listing

1. Yume Hana
2. Immoral
3. Kodoku no Hate
4. Yume Hana (PikoLess Version)
5. Immoral (PikoLess Version)
6. Kodoku no Hate (PikoLess Version)

1. Yume Hana

Oh, Piko…why can’t you not sing like a lady for your A-sides.  I came to my conclusion that that doesn’t work for me since I don’t really like any of his A-side in his debut era.  Also, Yume Hana just sounds like his other A-sides as well which makes it tough to enjoy since there’s no growth happening.  At least Piko’s vocals aren’t as stressed as they once were so he slightly did better but once again…not my kind of vocals nor song.  I want something totally different in the next A-side.

2. Immoral

Though I must say the first B-side on the single made up for how boring “Yume Hana” was by being a little experimental by having more synths and an electro beat to it.  I will say that hearing Piko singing in his higher tone mixed with auto-tune is an interesting choice.  I kind of enjoyed the arrangement more than the fact Piko was singing…it just wasn’t my thing and in the end I was just a little bit annoyed with it…what happened to something like the electro song from “1PIKO”.

3. Kodoku no Hate

The other B-side flipped over and comes off as more rock-based than the previous two songs and while his vocals do seem different, he has a little bit of a hard time keeping it together but I like this song quite more then “Yume Hana” and “Immoral”.  It’s the best off the single no doubt, but the vocals are still kind of too weird for me to fully enjoy.

 

 

Piko’s first single for his second major era, Yume Hana really hasn’t shown progree for our Nico Nico Douga star.  I can never seem to enjoy his girlish tones and it was the main reason all three songs kind of failed for me.  Yume Hana also kind of messed up because it sounds like well…his previous three singles!  Immoral had the best arrangement but the auto-tune mixed with Piko’s higher tones sounds immensely weird.  Kodoku no Hate though sounds like it was trying to come off good but it feels light haha.  I hope he steps it up next single!

Piko – 1PIKO May 13, 2011

Track Listing

1. Rebirth
2. Sakurane
3. main dish
4. Shou
5. Wasurenagusa
6. Koishikute
7. Piko Piko☆Legend of the Night
8. Nisshoku Hokou
9. Rollin’ Merry Go Round
10. Story
11. Kodoku no Kanmuri
12. Shooting Star
13. Sakurane -Ballad- (BONUS TRACK)

1. Rebirth

Damn, kicking things off right from the start, Rebirth feels like some kind of Nami Tamaki song with the synths and heavy guitar bursts throughout.  I actually enjoyed this track quite a bit because Piko’s vocals really that harsh sounding and he gives the song that great drive and feel.  Powerful and just all-around rockin’, this is a great start to the album.

2. Sakurane

As the 3rd and final A-side released in the era, Sakurane to me felt quite unique for some reason.  It could be from the shimasen that gives it that traditional feel to the song.  However, after Piko’s pitchy entrance, it kind of left me wondering why it felt so uninteresting.  It’s pretty much anime-ish all-around, but I think I preferred this to both “Story” and “Wasurenagusa”…not much to say A-side-wise eh?

3. main dish

Sweet guitar riffs open up main dish which is our next new song.  Sadly, for a first, Piko is singing like a girl the entire track and while it’s very strange yet unique, I can’t help but think there is a girl involved in the song instead of a guy so it’s some kind of gender-bender vocals.  Otherwise, I loved the arrangement of the song and Piko doesn’t sound too bad which is always a plus for me.

4. Shou

Wow, I didn’t think it’d get hardcore after hearing “Rebirth” but this song takes the cake and runs with it by focusing things more on the guitars and the piano-fronted verses.  It does remind me of something I’ve heard before but it sounds enigmatic and yet powerful.  Piko can really push his limits on his vocals as seen in the chorus and I loved the power he showed off.  Surprising yet awesome tune!

5. Wasurenagusa

Getting into the 2nd A-side of the era, Wasurenagusa felt quite underwhelming for me because Piko’s vocals are kind of mediocre when compared to many of the other tracks on the album.  It’s light in its arrangement and also feels as animeish as the other A-sides, but the thing that was cool was the acoustic guitar solo more than anything else. 

6. Koishikute

As the album’s first ballad, Koishikute sounds lovely with it’s fluttery piano arrangement with backups of piano aiding along the song.  However this song really made me cringe in various places because while it’s one of the better emotional songs on the album, Piko’s vocals are all over the radar and it’s just really painful to fully listen to (especially near the ending).  WAY TO MESS UP.

7. Piko Piko☆Legend of the Night

After a ballad we get something that is surprisingly eurotrance which is a big wrench to the album but it’s actually one of my favorite songs simply because the energy is there and Piko’s vocals aren’t at an outrageous level like it was in “Koishikute”.  It’s a pretty catchy ass song and definitely perked my interest back into the guy ^_^

8. Nisshoku Hokou

After that track of awesomeness, Nisshoku Hokou started off like it was going to be one of the more cuter songs since Piko’s vocals were being filtered a bit at the start.  After the guitars and such enters the song, it turns into something I would’ve expected YUI to cover for something.  It’s not a bad song and there’s one part of the second verse that he switches to a girly tone and it wasn’t too bad…but rather random…like he’s singing under two entities…Pretty interesting of a song and even cooler how it was planned out.

9. Rollin’ Merry Go Round

Taking a bit more of a sillier route with our next song, its bouncy nature is quite enticing and makes me tap my feet along with the quick-paced tempo that was set up.  It’s almost making me want to call it a big band sound, but there’s not a whole lot of brass present (at least not by big band standards).  It’s a pretty fun song to be honest and can be considered quite the song to love hehe.

10. Story

Then we enter his debut major label single and Story was a BUST.  I mean once again I have to admit that the A-sides were just masking the good songs found on the album.  The problem here with Story is his vocals are just unbearable through the choruses and beginning of the song.  The verses and some other parts are more tolerable, but this song makes “Sakurane” look like gold.

11. Kodoku no Kanmuri

Whenever I listen to the opening for Kodoku no Kanmuri, I get a sense of Cirque du Soleil with the odd woodwind opening.  I felt like it was something sweet to listen to and Piko sounds alright.  Even the chorus isn’t as awkward as “Story” was, but there’s still some moments that make me cringe a little.  Not that epic of a song, but it’s alright.

12. Shooting Star

Ohhhh, I like the opening of Shooting Star and it does turn out to be something like what “Sakurane” was without the shimasen.  It also sounds a whole lot better and more cooler of a song to be honest.  There’s still some vocal hiccups here and there, but definitely stands out better than the A-side mentioned.

13. Sakurane -Ballad-

Since “Shooting Star” does end the album, it comes with a bonus track and that’s a revisioned version of Sakurane which is of course his last A-side in the era.  Adding about two extra minutes to the song making it about 6 minutes but not quite…it’s alright but the fact that the shimasen was erased and replaced totally by piano is a bit saddening.  He sounds quite well and better in tune in this song, but piano only is a bit meh…double-edged sword XD

Tracks Recommended

• Piko Piko☆Legend of the Night
• Rollin’ Merry Go Round
• Rebirth
• Shou
• Shooting Star

Song of Avoidance

• Koishikute

So Piko’s major label debut album is quite surprising for sure.  The A-sides really masked the fact that this album does have great songs and it baffles me why he released them in the first place since they aren’t great songs.  1PIKO is quite good and can possibly please fans of him…just no more off-pitch vocals plz!

Piko – Wasurenagusa May 10, 2011

Track Listing

1. Wasurenagusa
2. Shiroi Yuki no Princess wa
3. Stardust
4. Wasurenagusa (Tegamibachi REVERSE 1-bun 29-byou Ver.) (Tegamibachi Version only)
5. Wasurenagusa (PikoLess Version)
6. Shiroi Yuki no Princess wa (PikoLess Version)
7. Stardust (PikoLess Version)

1. Wasurenagusa

Unlike “Story” and “Sakurane”, Wasurenagusa is more of calmer A-side released by him and to be honest his vocals don’t really bother me as much as in other songs oddly enough.  I actually liked it to be honest and while the arrangement isn’t all that amazing, it’s passable and Piko sounds rather fitting for a song like this.

2. Shiroi Yuki no Princess wa

I must say the way the first B-side opens up is quite awesome with the cool guitar riffs and fast tempo spread throughout.  However, it didn’t really last very long since the chorus is really underwhelming and felt weaker than the verses that surround it.  Purely B-side material sadly.

3. Stardust

For the other B-side does take a much faster route than the other two tracks, but I felt this was another meh song for him because he stayed on his higher range more than his lower which saddened me because I really liked the verses of the song.  Ugh another song to just press next XD

Of the three singles released in the era, I was most disappointed with Wasurenagusa even though it’s prolly his best A-side in the era.  Both B-sides really lacked a lot of spark and mixed in with Piko’s rather unique vocal style…yeah it was gonna be that disappointing.  I wonder what the album will turn out to be hmmmm.

Piko – Story

Track Listing

1. Story
2. Sepia
3. Ameka Yume
4. Story (PikoLess Version)
5. Sepia (PikoLess Version)
6. Ameka Yume (PikoLess Version)

1. Story

Ahhh going back to Piko’s major debut.  Story starts with a pretty steady J-rock atmosphere to it and then Piko opens his mouth and it’s like he sings in this very feminine tone which actually bothers me for some reason because it’s kind of sharp and not in tune really…almost whiny to be honest.  I will say the verses outdo the chorus majorly since they aren’t high-pitched. 

2. Sepia

After that rather unpleasing A-side, Sepia opens up quite nicely with Piko and his vocals stay in the male zone of tonality and he really does have the vocals to really work them moreso than his higher tone to be honest.  The arrangement is a little more basic to Piko, but that’s a good thing since it actually sounds clean and pretty catchy overall.

3. Ameka Yume

Against the other two songs on the single, Ameka Yume sounds very weird to me because of the arrangement and Piko’s vocals.  I thought the opening was the quality problem, but it opens into this heavier rock track with some VERY 0.o vocals from Piko especially that set of uberly high notes XD.  I did find his vocals a little more tolerable than “Story”…but it’s still quite sketchy for me.

Wow, as we get super close to Piko’s first major label album, “1PIKO”, I went back to review his previous singles leading up to the release.  Story is an alright single and I do prefer this over “Sakurane” surprisingly.  While Story and Ameka Yume has some vocal oddities on it they both have good qualities to them for being a first time think on Ki/oon.  However, Sepia might be the cleanest song on the single, but it’s the best one IMO…

Piko – Sakurane March 9, 2011

Track Listing

1. Sakurane
2. Kotoba Meteor
3. Last Chime
4. Sakurane (PikoLess Version)
5. Kotoba Meteor (PikoLess Version)
6. Last Chime (PikoLess Version)

1. Sakurane

Hey, starting a song with some shimasen?  OK, while I do know that Piko got big from his stuff that he did from Nico Nico Douga, I would’ve expected something shocking to come from this, but Piko’s vocals kind of skid across being a guys and a chicks and it’s kind of funny hearing both sides from him.  That being said, he does have tone problems in some parts, but the verses are done quite nicely.  The chorus has some eh parts, but otherwise…not bad…but not totally jaw dropping.

2. Kotoba Meteor

At first when I heard the arrangement, I was kind of thinking of D for some reason.  Now Piko doesn’t have such an amazing voice, he stood out in this song because he really tried to hit high notes quite strongly, but it’s definitely not has strong point.  Otherwise, this song is quite hard-hitting and really sounded nice…but once again the chorus asks too much for Piko and he let it out a bit too much.

3. Last Chime

So our other B-side begins with the 8 note bell melody that’s heard everywhere in Japan of course.  After that, the song turns into a pop song with a lot of piano this time around and Piko singing a little more on the higher side.  He sounds actually controlled and quite good to be honest despite the arrangement not really being anything special. 

As this is Piko’s 3rd single under SONY, Sakurane gave me a taste of what his music for the most part will be like.  Even though he’s a solo act, he kind of stands out with his higher tone to his voice and yet at the same time makes me wonder why he sounds close to a girl’s kind of vocals…it’s puzzling, but interesting.  Anyways, Sakurane and Last Chime sounds nice for pop songs and Kotoba Meteor is the more heavy-set kind of song…nice, but to be honest nothing in the music department stood out for me.