Morning Musume – Kono Chikyuu no Heiwa wo Honki de Negatterun da yo! September 13, 2011

Track Listing

1. Kono Chikyuu no Heiwa wo Honki de Negatterun da yo!
2. Kare to Issho ni Omise ga Shitai!
3. Jishin Motte Yume wo Motte Tobitatsu Kara (Ai Takahashi Graduation Commerative Edition only)
4. Kono Chikyuu no Heiwa wo Honki de Negatterun da yo! (Instrumental)
5. Kare to Issho ni Omise ga Shitai! (Instrumental)

1. Kono Chikyuu no Heiwa wo Honki de Negatterun da yo!

Starting off this ridiculously long titled single! Kono Chikyuu no… is kind of flashback to the days when Momosu did mainly disco tracks because of their producer at the time was way into it!  I actually missed this a bit since they’ve moved on from DANCE☆MAN.  I’m not surprised that it’s still essentially a Ai and Reina fest but the former has a good reason.  Risa and Riho also get their groove on with lines but that’s about it.  It’s a fun dance song and all the members sounds great.

2. Kare to Issho ni Omise ga Shitai!

But honestly, the main hitter was the main B-side.  I mean it was that long ago that we’ve got our cute song “Maji de Suka Ska!” but damn this topped it by a long shot.  I mean for one thing Takitty isn’t the important one in the song.  Instead it’s Sayu and Reina this time and I loved she got lead lines on this one and add the fact that the members all have solo lines = WIN.  I have to say that this one wasn’t what I was expecting to be after “Kono Chikyuu no…” but still my favorite off the single ^_^

3. Jishin Motte Yume wo Motte Tobitatsu Kara

There’s only ever been 3 songs to celebrate graduations.  Asuka Fukuda’s “Never Forget”, Kei-chan’s version of “Never Forget” and now Takitty gets her own and it’s not that song XD.  Unlike the previous two tracks, this is more pop/rock and it fits Takitty’s vocals quite nicely if not perfectly.  I don’t know why but after a while I get a feeling like she’s not into the song since she’s just “singing the song” and not doing much else….though that ~wooooo!~ before the guitar solo was a nice surprise…but still doesn’t make up for the fact she sounds like she’s bored LOL.

Closing the “12, Smart” era, The uber long-titled single was pretty good and probably ranks as the best between the other two singles released.  Kono Chikyuu no… is pretty catchy and has a good sway to it because of its disco pop roots.  Plus Ai did a much better job singing here than she did in her solo song to be honest.  I still did like her song’s arrangement however since it was rockin’ and if she had given a stronger effort…the song would’ve been ten times better.  Kare to Issho ni Omise ga Shitai! though was the best oddly enough since it gave everyone chances for the spotlight and it was terribly fun!  Think “Hyokkori Hyoutanjima” but more random LOL.  Still for being Ai’s final single and the last before the 10th generation begins…I’d say there’s still hope for awesomeness!

Minako Kotobuki – Dear my…

Track Listing

1. Dear my…
2. Colorful Diary
3. Dear my… (Instrumental)

1. Dear my…

A six minute guitar-based ballad?  I really don’t know about this because Minako hasn’t been that great since she debuted and her A-sides haven’t been able to capture my interest fully and while this is her first ballad A-side I can’t deny the fact that it’s a bit long-winded but has nice vocals.  In this song Minako comes off as another YUI, Maria, Shion Tsuji, Maika wannabe and while she has the better vocals than most of those artists listed, she doesn’t have the emotional feel for which bothers me the most out of this song besides its length.  Yeah, it isn’t a step up after “Startline” after all.

2. Colorful Diary

Then comes in Colorful Diary and my first thoughts were *WHY WASN’T THIS THE A-SIDE????*  Unlike the boring “Dear my…” this has energy and it’s fast-paced like what I was hoping she’d pull off and she did it in flying colors.  It does sound like a typical anime ending, but there’s something amazing about Minako in this song and this is quickly becoming a favorite for me!

 

 

While it’s her third single, Dear my… doesn’t really surpass “Startline” but that’s because I couldn’t take the A-side very well.  It just was boring and stale for me while Colorful Diary is the best song she’s done since debuting so it’s in a strange place XD.  Still I can’t wait to hear an album from Minako and Ayahi now since they’re saving their best singers for last with albums lol.

Mika Nakashima – LOVE IS ECSTASY

Track Listing

1. LOVE IS ECSTASY
2. You Knocked Me Out
3. LOVE IS ECSTASY (Instrumental)
4. You Knocked Me Out (Instrumental)

1. LOVE IS ECSTASY

Mika has been in a rather blah place since “Over Load” and it took her this long to return into something that’s actually has energy and force in it with LOVE LIKE ECSTACY.  We all thought that she’d left her rock-side back with her NANA stuff…but simce then she’s surprised us with her MICA3CHU single and now this song which is quite gritty and a little synthy as well.  I will say that her voice still doesn’t feel comfortable in such a setting and that might turn people off…but c’mon after all those ballad A-sides…I think we deserved a song like this and it’s better than I thought it’d be.

2. You Knocked Me Out

Even the B-side has an arrangement that’s more rock-based but it’s a little more like “conFusiOn” (B-side from “SAKURA ~Hanagasumi~”) in the way that it’s pop/rock but strangely done.  It’s kind of fun to listen to and the chorus is catchy.  I think vocally it’s a little more safer than “LOVE IS ECSTASY”.  Interesting B-side I’d say.

 

 

Mika’s second entry for the era took Mika back into a style she rarely dabbles in these days and while I still think her NANA stuff is still better this isn’t bad.  LOVE IS ECSTASY reminds me of Anna Tsuchiya’s latest stuff but with Mika’s vocals instead and that’s good…but doesn’t fit her voice well.  You Knocked Me Out however did and that made the song for me even though it is like “conFusiOn” in a way.  Alright single and much memorable than “Dear” was.