WEAVER – Egao no Aizu December 27, 2011

Track Listing

1. Egao no Aizu
2. 66 Banme no Kisha ni Notte
3. Nakitai Kurai Shiawase ni Nareru yo
4. Egao no Aizu Yuji Sugimoto (Piano Instrumental Ver.)
5. Egao no Aizu (Instrumental Ver.)

1. Egao no Aizu

Coming off from “Jubilation” with a tired feeling from it, Egao no Aizu is kind of a refreshing kind of song since it’s positive and has a nice bright feeling that comes from Yuji’s vocals and piano feel mixed with the brass lines that are found within.  I don’t know why though but whenever Yuji’s singing, it sounds tired and weak for some reason or another.  This is kind of random like NICO’s “Te wo Tatake” but not as hook-worthy.

2. 66 Banme no Kisha ni Notte

The first B-side though is a little more of what I was expecting to hear from WEAVER and it’s actually kind of nice despite being 6 minutes long hahah.  It’s relaxing of a song to be honest and it fits the piano melody even more than the rest of the things that are going on!  It is weird that it kind of ends suddenly and goes into this instrumental part that goes to the end.  It’s easily the best of the three songs though.

3. Nakitai Kurai Shiawase ni Nareru yo

The second B-side is a bit more slower and piano-based (moreso than “66 Banme”.  I will say that I enjoy hearing a lighter song from the band since it showcases Yuji a little better as a singer here.  It’s a bit basic to my ears and sounds like some of the songs from “Jubilation” but this is pretty sweet of a song.

 

 

I’m surprised this is only WEAVER’s second single released (they’re more known for digital releases and mini-albums.  Egao no Aizu is an alright single for the most part.  The only song that really stood out was 66 Banme no Kisha ni Notte but that was because it was a little different than their normal.  Egao no Aizu follows it with it’s rather happy-go-lucky mood and the usage of a lot of brass.  As for Nakitai Kurai Shiawase ni Nareru yo, it’s a bit tame and just a little too reminescent of past songs for me.  All in all this single is going to take a while to get used to but it’s not terrible.

WEAVER – Jubilation August 24, 2011

Track Listing

1. Shine
2. Haruiro Graffiti
3. Kimi no Tomodachi
4. Letter
5. “A” “I” wo Atsumete
6. Kibou no Tomoshibi
7. Maken na! (bonus track)
8. Shine (Piano instrumental version)
9. Haruiro Graffiti (Piano instrumental version)
10. Kimi no Tomodachi (Piano instrumental version)
11. Letter (Piano instrumental version)
12. “A” “I” wo Atsumete (Piano instrumental version)
13. Kibou no Tomoshibi (Piano instrumental version)

1. Shine

I love the art cover for Jubilation and Shine fits the cover perfectly because it’s upbeat and free-flowing and I love the fact WEAVER includes strings and piano along with their pop/rock style.  Yuji sounds really nice I must  say and the fact there’s no member that plays guitar intrigues me a lot even from the first song.  I’d say this is a great way to begin the mini-album.

2. Haruiro Graffiti

Being a slightly more lighter song than “Shine”, Haruiro Graffiti comes next and I found myself enjoying this quite a bit simply because Yuji and everyone else is taking is a bit lighter.  After a little bit the song gains some momentum and it’s like a happier “Shine” which is a good sign for me.  I noticed the other two members sing in the chorus but it seems they do this a lot.  Not as memorable as the first track but it’s still nice!

3. Kimi no Tomodachi

Released as the first digital single of this era, Kimi no Tomodachi is pretty much a ballad in style and that’s a good thing because I was curious to how Yuji would sound in such a setting.  Let’s just say that his soft vocals sound great and even as it grows into the chorus, it’s strong and he doesn’t overpower the spring-like atmosphere of the tune. 

4. Letter

Letter is definitely their quickest and most upbeat of the 7 songs and that’s pretty good because I was hoping they would pull something out like this, not saying the previous songs are bad but I wanted to hear this.  There is a lot of drums though in the song which does take over the song after a while but I really like the bright feel of the song and Yuji did great keeping up.  This is probably my favorite song off the mini…or is it “Shine”?

5. “A” “I” wo Atsumete

Yep the other digital single released is also on the mini and is also a ballad even moreso than “Kimi no Tomodachi”.  It’s a sweet song to listen to and once again Yuji’s soft vocals sound great and it grows into the chorus…hmmmm does that sound rather familiar?  It’s alright but sounds rather much like the other digital single just a bit slower.

6. Kibou no Tomoshibi

After all that, I think Kibou no Tomoshibi sounds nice and stands out from the other songs by actually having a different mood placed in it.  Unlike the bright songs on the album this sounds like a song for the night and it sounds really nice all around.  I mean even the bells were a nice addition to the song and gave a stronger glow.  I’d say it made a great closing…but…

7. Maken na!

I didn’t really expect a bonus track to be on the mini more or less the only track that doesn’t have a “piano instrumental version” as well.  Then again I don’t think it needed it because the song was essentially Yuji all over with the other members providing backup vocals.  The song with the least going on, but it’s vocally quite comforting.

 

 

It’s kind of interesting that I thought WEAVER was gonna be more hardcore than I thought before listening to Jubilation but they’re actually more light and reserved than that thought.  The only thing I might come across as a negative is that their music might become sameish but if they keep doing songs like Maken na! and Kibou no Tomoshibi they’ll be alright.