YUKI – Watashi no Negaigoto September 5, 2012

Track Listing

1. Watashi no Negaigoto
2. Watashi no Negaigoto -Serph remix-
3. Watashi no Negaigoto -tofubeats remix-

1. Watashi no Negaigoto

Oh so the single comes with one song huh?  Watashi no Negaigoto kind of follows up from her last single in arrangement and sound but I’m OK with this because YUKI does sound nice in the song.  It’s kind of laidback though so it doesn’t reakky strike me as memorable but this is a nice tune,

2. Watashi no Negaigoto -Serph remix-

The first remix gives the leading track more of a playful sound with clapping and some cute xylophone parts.  I like that it takes much more of a lighter route and all but it feels rather too empty for me.  Maybe it’ll grow on me but this is kind of missing things that made the original good.

3. Watashi no Negaigoto -tofubeats remix-

Damn, I’m seeing tofubeats everywhere it seems!  This remix is a little strange even for tofubeats because it’s less electro than I initially thought it would be and it sounds there’s some weird things like synth horns and some clicking of the mouth and all these collided together and it felt MESSY.

 

 

As the final single before YUKI releases her album, “BETWEEN THE TEN”, I think Watashi no Negaigoto is kind of a weak single preceding said album.  The original isn’t very exciting and it kind of sounds too familiar to past singles she’s done but it’s not terrible.  The remixes though weren’t great and didn’t make the song come off any better.  I just hope the album will make up for the meh singles she’s had.

YUKI – Play Ball/Sakamichi no Melody May 2, 2012

Track Listing

1. Play Ball
2. Sakamichi no Melody

1. Play Ball

The first half of the single pertains to Play Ball and goodness is this song is cute and full of charm!  I love the arrangement for sure since it’s more like YUKI is having fun in the song.  I will say her vocals are tough to swallow and the chorus is one of those parts where it really tests your patience as she’s yelling and getting super nasally.  Besides that slip, the song is really pleasant and reminds me of her other pop songs that are similar in a good way.

2. Sakamichi no Melody

The other A-side is a little calmer than “Play Ball” but they have similarities here and there which is nice in ways I guess.  Her voice sounds a lot more pleasureable in this one though so I instantly crooned to this song…plus the trumpet fanfare is really charming for some reason.  The better song I guess!

 

 

After YUKI released her best-of album, “POWERS OF TEN” she returned to begin anew with Play Ball/Sakamichi no Meldoy which is pretty good for the most part like her last couple of singles.  Play Ball is musically quite good but YUKI’s voice in the chorus nearly destroyed the song for me…at least things were quite alright in Sakamichi no Melody.  Good single, but I hope the next one gets better!

YUKI – megaphonic September 6, 2011

Track Listing

1. Hello!
2. Yuukan na Vanilla Ice Cream
3. Yureru Skirt
4. Naiteru Kaijuu
5. Climber Climber
6. My Private Idaho
7. Wild Ladies
8. Himitsu
9. Futari no Story
10. Ano Musume ni Naritai
11. Warai to Base
12. Soushisouai
13. Atsumarou for tomorrow

1. Hello!

Good choice of song to open up the album with.  Though seeing the tracklist, I do find myself curious to why it’s the only song that isn’t cluttered up with the other already released songs of the era.  I’m always a sucker for YUKI’s fun songs and Hello! is definitely one of my favorite A-sides from her for sure.  I love the fact that there’s just natural instruments like acoustics and brass and helps with YUKI’s not so amazing vocals…but it made em sound a lot better for sure!  Good start.

2. Yuukan na Vanilla Ice Cream

Then we get into a song that is the reason that I’m not as big of a fan of YUKI than some other people.  I don’t know why YUKI takes up a nasally tone for this song…but it just sounds different that the way she sounds in “Hello!”.  I will say that the funky arrangement that contains the same elements except brass but replaces with some other things is nice…but this isn’t my kind of song lol.

3. Yureru Skirt

I love that YUKI is up with the times and Yureru Skirt is fitting by being my synth-based and full of filters and vocal distortions.  It’s really one of the few songs that actually surprised that she’d try and for the most part she pulled it off quite nicely but it really depends on YUKI to keep it alive since the song isn’t very explosive.  I will say the chorus is really uhm…ear-piercing since she decides to yell some of the lyrics…and it’s bad.  Still isn’t bad.

4. Naiteru Kaijuu

After that rather interesting twist in the road, we swerve back into normality with Naiteru Kaijuu, meaning that we’re back to pop/rock goodness that YUKI has been known for most of her career.  I mean yeah it might not be something relatively new, but it’s where she stands out the best and while she sounds nasally again, it didn’t bother me much.  Actually it does remind me of some PUFFY songs but that’s just me.  It’s pretty straightforward though so it might not excite people but I thought it’s one of the better tunes on the album.

5. Climber Climber

Back to some experimentation?  I’m clearly seeing that this is a much different mood than her last album and I think it’s a much needed change.  I like YUKI’s vocals a whole lot more than I did in “Yureru Skirt”.  I do find that the arrangement is missing something to it, but this is actually a good song on the album and catches my attention pretty quickly.

6. My Private Idaho

LOL at this song being western almost.  It’s clear they wanted to do that since there’s slide guitar and harmonica present in this song and add in the catchy rhythm and the way YUKI is singing and it’s supposed to come off as classy and cute.  I really don’t know how to feel for the song.  While it doesn’t sound like any other song on the album and has its own identity…it’s just a bit much…

7. Wild Ladies

I do find myself curious to why YUKI decided to bunch old songs in the middle of the album (minus “Hello!”) starting with the B-side from “Himitsu”.  It’s a bit like that other song, “Naiteru Kaijuu” but that’s a good thing because even without the song beforehand I’ve seriously liked all the B-sides she released in the era.  She is shrill in the song, but it doesn’t bother me a lot oddly enough and I got used to it.  Another of my favorites on the album.

8. Himitsu

So the second A-side in the era instead comes after it’s B-side and funny enough seems to be worst coming after “Wild Ladies” since it feels like a slower and forced version of that.  I don’t know why but I found myself once again kind of wincing at YUKI’s vocal performance in the song.  At least she clears up in the chorus…but it’s not as bad as the next song.

9. Futari no Story

I really wished she didn’t release this an A-side because I just can’t get into liking the song…but I enjoy the damn arrangement.   Poor YUKI just sounds boring in the verses and very out of place in the chorus with the shouting.  Still, it’s like a bit pop/rock and a little synth experimentation which might tickle fancies out there.  Yeah stick with the B-sides and “Hello!” for good YUKI.

10. Ano Musume ni Naritai

Which is weird because I enjoyed the single’s B-side a ton more.  The echoing guitar riff mixed in with YUKI’s softer tone vocals and you get a nice track out of it.  The weird thing I wasn’t expecting was her speaking before the second verse since it felt like it was just tacked on for good worth.  I will say I would’ve wanted “Dear.Mama” quite more than this tune but it doesn’t matter since the B-sides were all pretty awesome (so repeating that, I know).

11. Warai to Base

Wow, back into the new songs, Warai to Base surprises me with piano and strings to open up into this rather easy listening / Mediterreanean kind of song and I really loved that she popped this sucker on the album (especially after that long line of pop/rock tracks).  YUKI sounds better than in songs that call for the same style of vocals and it’s a great sign.  Jazzy and cute is the way to go YUKI!!!!

12. Soushisouai

I’ll say that I’m kind of getting tired of the acoustic based pop/rock songs YUKI has on this album and Soushisouai kind of ranks lower for me because it’s like a combination of “Futari no Story” and “Himitsu”.  It just is a bit slower than them but it has the vocals icks that plagued the former track.  I don’t know this just felt like a filler track to me.

13. Atsumarou for tomorrow

If I had known she was going to end the album with another “My Private Idaho” but even more so I would’ve laughed considering the final track on “Ureshikutte Dakiau yo” was just amazing.  Sadly, I was proven because it’s just cute and has a catchy clapping rhythm and friggin banjo in it and I was just frowning with it.  It does leave a bigger impression than said other song on the album, but still…this song closes the album?!?

Tracks Recommended

• Warai to Base
• Hello!
• Wild Ladies
• Climber Climber
• Naiteru Kaijuu

Song of Avoidance

• Futari no Story

I’m just surprised at how different this album is from her last one for sure.  I am a little disappointed that there wasn’t any sort of ballad on here and while I bitched about how many there were on “Ureshikutte Dakiau yo” on here it felt like I was missing them a bit.  Which meant that there was too many pop/rock songs on here even though some I liked…you can’t deny there was a lot of those.  I saw small experimentation in songs like: Warai to Base, Climber Climber, and Yureru Skirt…but otherwise it was a straightforward album and I was kind of wanting more from it.

YUKI – Hello! August 1, 2011

Track Listing

1. Hello!
2. Dear.Mama

1. Hello!

Ahhhh, nothing like the cute YUKI song to be an A-side and sometimes those kind of songs really work for me like Hello! since it’s pretty simple, has a catchy hook to it and YUKI doesn’t sound overly messy which is definitely a plus!  What also caught my attention was the fun-loving arrangement with acoustic guitar, piano, and brass and etc.  I actually wouldn’t mind more of these kind of silly and happy songs from her.

2. Dear.Mama

Which is carried over to the B-side as well which is a bit of a shock!  I would’ve thought this would’ve been a heartfelt piano ballad, but this is an upbeat and what I can make of the English she throws out there, it’s also silly and funny to listen to, but it makes me nod my head back and forth since it’s light and catchy and YUKI actually sounds really good in this song.  The only problem I have with it is the reasoning why it’s not on “megaphonic” but the previous two B-sides are…

 

 

As the 3rd and final single for the “megaphonic” era, Hello! is definitely my favorite of the three.  I seriously have no faults to talk about the single and usually with YUKI there is but her vocals didn’t bother me this time around and both song were happy, upbeat and full of life (especially Dear.Mama, which I’m still annoyed that it isn’t on the album).  I must say this is a *RECOMMENDED*

YUKI – Himitsu April 6, 2011

Track Listing

1. Himitsu
2. Wild Ladies

1. Himitsu

I was wondering what YUKI was going to put out next and Himitsu is a little bit of an oddball.  From the forced arrangement with acoutic guitar, drums, and piano…it’s a little weird to listen to the verses.  At least the chorus is a lot more smoother and evens out a bit.  YUKI is still one for nasally singing and it’s a bit loud here which can make or break a casual listener.  It’s a little better than “Futari no Story”, but it still gonna take time to get used to.

2. Wild Ladies

As for the B-side, Wild Ladies actually caught my attention a bit more with its more rockin’ style and sort of chatmonchy-feel to it with synths added on.  I’ve also noticed that YUKI’s vocals seemed to have gone higher on the scale as well, but she actually doesn’t sound as shrilly as she was in “Himitsu”.  It’s cute and has a catchy melody to it…one of her more spunky B-sides of recent!

YUKI’s 2nd in the era, Himitsu isn’t too bad of a single, but like her previous singles there’s still some problems with me enjoying YUKI’s vocals for the most part as they’re sooo pitchy and whiny (not like Kana’s or Chara’s….but…).  I did think Wild Ladies was the more preferable track since the energy actually did fit YUKI’s vocals.  Interesting single and a bit better than her last one.

YUKI – Futari no Story September 15, 2010

Track Listing

1. Futari no Story
2. Ano Musume ni Naritai
3. Asa ga Kuru ~Tune in to a new world ver.~

1. Futari no Story

I wish I could get myself into YUKI but she makes it so hard like with Futari no Story.  The good thing is that her music has went back to her pop/rock sound that most people familiarize easier.  It’s easy on the ears and is pleasant.  However, the problem lies with YUKI herself because I’ve said before she’s not the best singer out there, but her vocals and way she’s singing is pretty flat-lined and when she gets to the chorus, she’s like yelling and it hurts to be honest. 

2. Ano Musume ni Naritai

Also being a bit pop/rock like and having a cool guitar intro, Ano Musume ni Naritai is a little easier to handle from YUKI even though she still kind of is all over the song, but at least she’s not yelling her song like crazy.  To be honest, it reminds me of “Kisha ni Notte” but this one sounds better.  I found that she spoke before getting into the second verse.  Better than the A-side as well!

3. Asa ga Kuru ~Tune in to the new world ver.~

Remember Asa ga Kuru from her last album, Ureshikute Dakiau yo”?  Yeah, well there seems to be a new version on the single.  Sadly, I kind of think this version kind of pales to the original’s more morning feel.  This one has an acoustic flow towards it and just kind of rubs me the wrong way hearing YUKI’s vocals sounding meh as they already are.

 

 

I’m not a big fan of YUKI (as you can tell) and it’s hard pressed to not find a song that isn’t brandished by nasally vocals (even my favorite song from hers, “JOY” is vocally disturbing).  Futari no Story isn’t that bad otherwise.  I do like Ano Musume ni Naritai though so that should tell ya something.  Asa ga Kuru should’ve just stayed the same IMO

YUKI – Ureshikutte Dakiau yo March 10, 2010

Track Listing

1. Asa ga Kuru
2. Present
3. COSMIC BOX
4. Rendezvous
5. just life! all right!
6. Chinese Girl
7. Ren’ai Moyou
8. Sayonara, Okaeri
9. Ureshikutte Dakiau yo
10. Miss Yesterday
11. Kisha ni Notte
12. Onaji Te
13. Yoru ga Kuru

1. Asa ga Kuru

Opening the album up, Asa ga Kuru is kind of interesting at first because of the strings playing and this disney-like opening.  Then accordion and YUKI ad-libbing enters and it gets pretty smooth and interesting.  YUKI’s vocals aren’t all over the place which is fortunate and she sounds kind of nice with this morning-like sound.  I think it’s a nice opening and while the chorus gets bad, it’s not that bad overall.

2. Present

Kind of speeding up, Present is an upbeat song and like I said before, YUKI excels better on faster songs rather than ballads and Present kind of proves it but then again kind of bad too since she has got her yikes-like vocals going here and it’s not such a good thing.  I like her English outbursts in and out of the song and after a while the vocals just drown out and you just jam out to the pop/rock arrangement.  Ok, so I might like it, kill me!

3. COSMIC BOX

So out next 3 tracks are previously released tunes starting with YUKI’s 3rd A-side of the era.  Like I said from the single review yesterday, COSMIC BOX kind of slides between some good vocals and some horrendous yelling from her.  I don’t know why she had to do that.  After a while it’s kind of a nice jazzy tune from YUKI, but I usually tune out the bad vocal parts for the good ones she has.

4. Rendezvous

As the era’s best A-side, Rendezvous is probably the most stable song vocally out of the old songs.  I love the weird synthy opening before it becomes like a more poppish tune but with a small jazz undertone.  Love the piano parts and I had fun with this song!

5. just life! all right!

As the B-side off of “Kisha ni Notte”, I was really excited to see that this song made the album cut.   I’ve actually grown to enjoy the song a whole lot more, especially with how the other B-sides fared in comparison.  just life! all right! has a more synth-based arrangement than the other songs so far and I liked it alot! 

6. Chinese Girl

Continuing this rather strange synth zone, Chinese Girl features what is to me, some 8bit and some deep synths.  While that to me didn’t come off as Chinese-sounding, I kind of like the mid-tempo flow of the song.  That is once we get into the chorus where she kind of misses harmonizing with the BKGD.  Kind of sounds like a sad song, but hey it’s still nicely done.

7. Ren’ai Moyou

I kind of like the live setting for our next new track which is very jazzy.  Now I’ve never heard a jazz YUKI song, but I think she pulled it off quite nicely even though she’s back to yelling herself dead.  I’m very impressed by whoever was playing the piano though, whoever it is did a very good job keeping the song lively and exciting.  The time changes were also nicely done and didn’t cause too much trouble.

8. Sayonara, Okaeri

I’m noticing YUKI has been experimenting on this album, but Sayonara, Okaeri might be the first mistake of the new tracks.  At first I liked the marching drums in the beginning and through the first verse, but after that things seem to dry up fast and kind of sounds like “COSMIC BOX”.  I guess it’s passable and the strings were a nice addition.

9. Ureshikutte Dakiau yo

As the era’s last A-side and title track, Ureshikutte Dakiau yo is another jazz song from YUKI but it’s kind of more tame and slower.  On the single review, I did say that this song is a bit on the fence because of the vocals which is true because she gets very nasally on the chorus, but the verses, she’s perfectly fine.  Alright song I guess.

10. Miss Yesterday

Ok, the only redeeming fact about Miss Yesterday (the B-side off of “Rendezvous”) is the beginning of the song where it opens with low brass that bounces like some happy Disney tune.  That might be too harsh, but this song doesn’t go anywhere for me and just fills that filler gap well.

11. Kisha ni Notte

Same problem lies with the first A-side of the era.  I do like the train rolling along before the main arrangement starts to roll in.  Besides that it’s another ballad from YUKI, but the whole flow just feels like it should put you to sleep but with YUKI yelling her lyrics is sort of underwhelming and after a while the song itself just kind of becomes white noise…especially this late in the album.

12. Onaji Te

See this is YUKI sounding good.  Even though the song is another ballad, but filled with acoustics, Onaji Te features YUKI actually not yelling her vocals and sounding almost relaxed at various points.  To be honest, I really do enjoy her low vocals more than her pitchy higher notes.  Unfortunately, since the song only has acoustic guitar, it means it really doesn’t go anywhere amazing but it’s simple and nice to listen to.

13. Yoru ga Kuru

Ending off the album, is the similarly opposite to the openings title, Yoru ga Kuru.  Unlike the first song, which sounded like morning, this actually has a nighttime kind of feeling (surprising right?).  Now I know I’ve said a few times that some of the arrangements sound rather Disney-like, but this one takes the cake since it has an orchestra, jazzy feel, and mixed with a cute insert of flute and light synth.  To be honest, it’s the best ballad on this album and I kind of like YUKI here once again.  Great way to end the album.

Tracks Recommended

• Yoru ga Kuru
• just life! all right!
• Ren’ai Moyou
• Onaji Te
• Rendezvous

Song of Avoidance

• Kisha ni Notte

YUKI’s 5th album is actually quite nice once you get past the fact that she’s not a really great singer, but the arrangements for these songs are really nice and adds color.  Though some of the slower songs are dangerous so there’s a warning to you, still Ureshikutte Dakiau yo isn’t a really bad album.

YUKI – COSMIC BOX

Track Listing

1. COSMIC BOX
2. Message

1. COSMIC BOX

So we begin this single with COSMIC BOX which is kind of upbeat, but with a piano arrangement and drums / bass added along.  Once again I’m liking the arrangement a lot more than YUKI’s vocal performance which is unfortunate because it could’ve been handled better by someone else.  Her vocals are in between OK and just icky…shows how stable she is right?

2. Message

The B-side is a strange little tune in the era that kind of borders pop and maybe a slight reggae feel.  YUKI’s vocals also gets a nice added echo effect and she sounds a bit better here which is clearly a good thing.  It’s kind of a randomish song to be honest, but it’s definitely not a bad song.

 

 

3rd single in, COSMIC BOX might be the best single, but it’s not something to be proud of because YUKI still has major issues in the vocal department.  Maybe I’ll grow to like this single a bit more since Message is on it, but otherwise meh.

YUKI – Rendezvous March 9, 2010

Track Listing

1. Rendezvous
2. Miss Yesterday

1. Rendezvous

AHHHHH, I love the opening to Rendezvous.  It’s kind of like an Ai Otsuka song opening up.  To be honest, the entire thing does come off like one of her songs, albeit a little lighter and has a stronger bass line.  Its even got a xylophone part to and that made it so good.  YUKI’s vocals aren’t making me shoot someone and that’s probably a good thing.  Catchy little tune for sure.

2. Miss Yesterday

It seems that role of “Kisha ni Notte” has switched for this single.  Miss Yesterday is of course the slower song of the single and also pretty bad when put next to “Rendezvous”.  YUKI’s vocals goes back to terrible melodic properties and just makes me cringe when she hits those high notes.  I’m sorry, but the pop/rock arrangement did not help this at all.

 

 

So the 2nd single of the era basically is just like “Kisha ni Notte” but a little worse in the fact Miss Yesterday was almost near impossible to sit through.  Rendezvous however made for a great A-side and it’s probably the best of the era.

YUKI – Kisha ni Notte

Track Listing

1. Kisha ni Notte
2. just life! all right!
3. Kisha ni Notte -Instrumental-
4. just life! all right! -Instrumental-

1. Kisha ni Notte

When YUKI said that Kisha ni Notte would be something different from what she’s used to putting out, Kisha ni Notte is a little bit different,  It sounds more like an acoustic lullaby.  There’s some interesting harp, strings and drum parts and the slow-moving arrangement kind of makes this such a nice listen.  It’s nice, but YUKI’s vocals are kind of wonky (as usual).  Overall, not bad of a song, but kind of drags after a while.

2. just life! all right!

The B-side picks up the tempo after “Kisha ni Notte” and it’s kind of back to the typical pop sound that we’ve grown to know from YUKI.  Though I like the additional synth rhythm that’s added here.  I’m kind of liking YUKI’s vocals this time around since it’s more for upbeat stuff instead of this slow stuff. 

 

 

Beginning the “Ureshikutte Dakiau yo” era, Kisha ni Notte is good start but I think just life! all right! took the cake better than the A-side.  If it wasn’t for the fact that it was so draggy, I might have enjoyed it a little more…