Satsuki – FATE/INSIDE March 8, 2012

Track Listing

1. FATE
2. INSIDE

1. FATE

Kicking the single off, FATE is quite explosive and a bit darker than normal Satsuki songs for sure and hearing synths is also a bit of a surprise.  Add that Satuski sings the verses under a filter and you got this interesting song.  It kind of goes back to his RENTRER EN SOI days where their music was hard and darker.  It’s a nice song to hear after the happier “ROMANCE” that’s for sure.

2. INSIDE

INSIDE also seems to follow the more darker songs but a lot slower as well which is a nice opposite to “FATE”.  It’s definitely a dramatic song for sure but handled very well because of the flow and dramatics involved.  It’s definitely his most powerful song since “UPPER REGION” that’s for sure!

 

 

4th single eh?  Well FATE/INSIDE is a lot better than both his previous singles since this has a lot of powerful vibes in it and definitely is what makes me enjoy Satsuki’s music a lot!  I do prefer INSIDE more but that’s because it was all kinds of awesomeness!  Now we need an album!

Satsuki – ROMANCE March 8, 2012

Track Listing

1. ROMANCE

1. ROMANCE

Satsuki must’ve took notes since ROMANCE isn’t as boring as “SYMPATHY” was that’s for sure and I’m loving the upbeat nature of the song and kind of goes back to his last era minus the depressing songs.  I am getting the sense that it was tied to some anime because it has that feel to it as well.  Then it gets weird with the disc spinning in the middle of the song…what was that about?  I kind of enjoyed this!

 

 

I’m a little surprised that Satsuki would make this single only one track but I’m guessing he couldn’t think of a B-side in time (plus “SYMPATHY” failed on that aspect as well).  ROMANCE isn’t bad of a song but I still kind of like “INNOCENT” the best in the era.

Satsuki – SYMPATHY September 6, 2011

Track Listing

1. SYMPATHY
2. AWAKE (UPPER REGION ver.)

1. SYMPATHY

For being the second A-side this era, SYMPATHY, like “INNOCENT” is more mainstream of a sound than anything in the past era and that kind of saddens me a little but I like the synth usage in the song and Satsuki himself sounds quite good.  Sadly, it does feel much like his last release which is what makes me slightly dislike the tune.  A bit too basic I guess…just doesn’t do much like “INNOCENT” slightly did.

2. AWAKE (UPPER REGION ver.)

Why did Satsuki had to reuse AWAKE again?  It’s just the same version of the song off his mini-album, “UPPER REGION”.  Like I said on that review, the changes on this version compared to the original is pretty obvious from the start when strings open the song up instead of Satsuki immediatly singing the opening chorus.  I didn’t really appreciate this on this single since it’s the OTHER SONG…but c’mon an original not a recut? 

 

 

Ok, after the quite good “INNOCENT”, it comes as a hard knowledge to find that SYMPATHY kind of sucks as a whole.  I mean SYMPATHY is pretty plain and just one-dimensional of a J-rock song even for him while reusing AWAKE was just a poor ass idea even though I like the song…it shouldn’t be here AT ALL.  C’mon Satsuki, a little more effort next time!

Satsuki – INNOCENT July 6, 2011

Track Listing

1. INNOCENT
2. STRAWBERRY SUMMER

1. INNOCENT

It’s been a while but I feel like INNOCENT sounds a lot more mainstream sounding than his previous era but I don’t mind this because the song is actually quite good.  Satsuki’s vocals are a bit lighter, but they’re also a bit more refined so it made the song sound a bit stronger than past works.  It might not be all that and a bag of chips, but this is a good start.

2. STRAWBERRY SUMMER

I’m leaning more towards the B-side for sure because its inclusion of synths in the song is a nice change of style (even though Satsuki is no stranger to this).  Since this is a summer song, I did feel like he pulled it off better and it’s quite catchy too.  Definitely hope to see this on an album from him.

 

 

Satsuki returns for his sophomore era with INNOCENT and I must say, it’s not a bad single but does feel short (then again all of Satsuki’s singles have had 4 tracks).  I did like STRAWBERRY SUMMER a lot more than INNOCENT but it’s not to say it’s a single worth checking out if you’re a J-rock fan or a fan of RENTRER EN SOI.

Satsuki – UPPER REGION September 6, 2010

Track Listing

1. AWAKE (UPPER REGION Ver.)
2. Ryuushi ni Tokete Nagareru Namida to Memai no Sou ni Ranhansha Suru Saisei no Koe
3. MOON SPIRAL (ENGLISH Ensemble)
4. Veil of MARIA (UPPER REGION Ver.)
5. Horizon
6. CRYSTAL (UPPER REGION Ver.)

1. AWAKE (UPPER REGION Ver.)

All of the songs that were previously released before the mini-album has had changes added so don’t expect to hear what you initially liked through Satsuki’s singles.  Instead of the single version where it instantly begins with Satsuki and the full arrangement, the UR version has a strings opening before getting into it’s mid-tempo rock sound.  Besides that, there weren’t a lot of extreme changes and that’s good for sure and I still hold the same feelings as I had then.  Which was that it’s a good tune that began his solo career.

2. Ryuushi ni Tokete Nagareru Namida to Memai no Sou ni Ranhansha Suru Saisei no Koe

My goodness Satsuki…could you have any longer of a title?  One of two new tracks, Ryuushi ni Tokete… begins with a lonely sounding piano and Satsuki singing in his higher pitches and he does go lower, but quickly returns to it.  His higher vocals sound so light and pretty because he’s hitting the right notes too.  After a while a light R&B-ish sound come in and Satsuki lowers his pitch a bit too.  For being a bit experimental, I thought it was a nice enough song.  It does drag after a while, but still good.

3. MOON SPIRAL (ENGLISH Ensemble)

I remember MOON SPIRAL starting off with acoustic guitar and Satsuki singing, but the mini-album’s take is a bit different with more strings here and there and the verses having more guitar and bass lines present.  I thought it added a but more funk to the song.  MOON SPIRAL is still the best song of the era.  I mean having an acoustic-only part was so cool here too.  Yeah it’s that good.

4. Veil of MARIA (UPPER REGION Ver.)

Being the only B-side represented, Veil of MARIA had the most obvious changes of the new versions.  Instead of the synthy feel of the original, this sounds more like something you’d hear in a cave since Satsuki is using both his deep and high vocals and since nothing of guitars are really present, it’s definitely an easier listen too.  I much prefer to listen to this version than the original.

5. Horizon

I was wondering what the other new song was going to sound like and it’s actually a tad lighter than “AWAKE”.  I mean they are both guitar-based songs, but I liked the more lighthearted sound from this one a bit more.  Satsuki’s vocals are at his normal range and after the amount of style he’s been using on this mini-album, it’s nice to hear just something normal from him.

6. CRYSTAL (UPPER REGION Ver.)

Being the middle A-side and all, CRYSTAL wasn’t so bad of a song.  Out of the redone tracks, CRYSTAL has a bit, but it doesn’t really affect the song on a large scale.  It’s still basically the same thing and I liked the fact they didn’t touch much of it.  It still does seem like it’s just an “AWAKE” continuation, but it’s not too bad.

 

 

Being Satsuki’s first mini-album, I would’ve much preferred new tracks over the singles, but for what it’s worth, they were given touchups that did good for most of them.  Even the new songs weren’t that bad (well the one with the long title got boring after a while).  Still not too bad from Satsuki!

Satsuki – CRYSTAL September 3, 2010

Track Listing

1. CRYSTAL
2. RAIN DROP
3. HEART
4. DAZZLE

1. CRYSTAL

Being Satsuki’s 2nd single, CRYSTAL sounds like something that’s lighter than stuff from Rentrer en Soi.  I actually like the change for this song since it’s not symphonic in anyway shape or form which is good.  His vocals also sound straightforward and doesn’t really stray into anything that’s weird.  It’s your J-rock song and done very well.

2. RAIN DROP

Being the shortest song off the single, RAIN DROP begins with a pretty interesting piano-laced intro.  Sounds like it was performed in a pretty large room haha.  RAIN DROP does become another rock tune from Satsuki, but I liked the arrangement and riffs throughout.  It’s of course an edgier song than “CRYSTAL”, but it’s short and sweet.

3. HEART

HEART though brings in the strings now which Satsuki has been using for most of his songs released.  At least it’s still not fully a symphonic V-kei tune.  I like that HEART actually uses acoustic guitar and Satsuki has help in singing as well which is pretty nifty.  Compared to the last two songs, this is slower but it showed off more of Satsuki’s vocals and it’s actually not that bad.

4. DAZZLE

Ending the single, DAZZLE very different compared to the rest of the single because of the song’s mysterious-sounding arrangement and with Satsuki’s higher-pitched vocals it really does stand out on the single.  It kind of reminds me of his vocals in “Veil of MARIA” on his last single.  Not sure to really classify it, but it ends the single on a weird note…but I like the piano’s melody.

 

 

Since “CRYSTAL” is Satsuki’s 2nd single for the “UPPER REGION” era, I though this was better than his debut, but I still think “MOON SPIRAL” beats it.  At least Satsuki stuck with rock for this single and for the most part he did well with the first three.  DAZZLE is a bit of the more symphonically driven songs like a few songs from “AWAKE”.  Good single though.

Satsuki – MOON SPIRAL February 24, 2010

Track Listing

1. MOON SPIRAL
2. PRAY FOR THE SUN
3. YOU
4. CLOSS OF YELLOW

1. MOON SPIRAL

For something that’s called MOON SPIRAL, I was definitely expecting something kickass from him and we kind of did!  While my initial response was that it wasn’t strong enough to be on its own, but Satsuki doesn’t do too bad here and the riffs and him in the song really sounded cool.  There’s some really cool parts when his vocals are echoed or growling to fit the mood.  Let’s just say it’s pretty good.

2. PRAY FOR THE SUN

PRAY FOR THE SUN comes in after “MOON SPIRAL” on a more faster note and with small electronic references throughout the song but keeping Satsuki’s J-rock tone going on.  While there’s a few songs from Rentrer en Soi that could be compared to with this song, this isn’t too bad and continues to show vocal growth for Satsuki.  Good job!

3. YOU

I can’t really explain how weird it is that YOU is a piano-based tune which sounds more like a waltz with Satsuki singing it.  The piano chords also feel rather clumsy since they’re being played at such rhythms and accents are placed oddly.  It’s kind of nice though for Satsuki since he sounds really good.  After a while it seems the an orchestra is performing too which adds more flavor and makes it stand out better.  I just didn’t think he’d pull off a waltz like this.

4. CLOSS OF YELLOW

Ending off the single, CLOSS OF YELLOW (whatever that means) is definitely the darkest off the single because of it’s v-kei styled flow and while I guess is pretty wrong to classify that it’s dark rock.  I also can tell Satsuki is speaking English in the song which is pretty cool, but he has troubles pronouncing but it’s not terrible.  Pretty wicked tune to end a single off.

 

 

Satsuki’s 3rd single is so far better than “AWAKE” since it was consistent and was pretty good.  Problem is that if he does release an album what songs besides the A-sides will be featured.  Still, I’m liking more of his solo work now so that’s a plus.

Satsuki – AWAKE December 4, 2009

Track Listing

1. La Lune
2. Veil of MARIA
3. AWAKE
4. In a Lucid Dream

1. La Lune

Beginning Satsuki’s first release, La Lune is actually quite slow and has a good flow with the instruments.  I really like Satsuki’s voice when he was with RENTRER EN SOI, so I was naturally intrigued by his voice in this song.  Sadly, the song doesn’t have a strong hook to it and feels a little like a random idea thrown together to make a song.  It’s ok, just not the best he’s done since his solo career started.

2. Veil of MARIA

That’s why we have Veil of MARIA.  It’s so abstract of Satsuki’s vocal and there’s also a female vocalist, or it could be him.  The arrangement feels so different from what I’m used to and I love the mysterious flow, especially once Satsuki starts to use auto-tune.  I have to say, he’s got a chilling upper tone and it’s great. 

3. AWAKE

Back down to Earth, AWAKE is back to somewhat of a normal sounding song, but it has this strings part that sounds great with his vocals.  It’s definitely the closest thing to being like RES stuff so it’s a good nod back, but it also shows he’s trying to make a name for himself and AWAKE is a good bridge to show that.

4. In a Lucid Dream

Ending off the single is well…iono.  In a Lucid Dream has a mix of Satsuki ad-libbing and him saying things behind the piano-led music.  It’s a little strange, but it sounds like “Veil of MARIA” playing a little in the background and makes a good ending song leaving the drums playing alone before it ends.

 

 

Who knew Satsuki was actually going to go solo?  AWAKE shows big difference to him and it sounds refreshing after all the RENTRER stuff.  I have to say though that Veil of MARIA was just amazing.  I wonder if “CRYSTAL” was be even better