YuiKaori – Puppy October 3, 2011

Track Listing

1. Koi no Overtake
2. PUPPY LOVE!!
3. Miraigata Idol
4. VIVIVID PARTY!
5. Kyu! Kyu! CURIOSITY!!
6. Magic starter
7. Futari
8. Kakenukete Blue
9. HEARTBEAT ga Tomaranai!
10. Shooting☆Smile
11. Crystal no Chikai
12. Our Steady Boy

1. Koi no Overtake

It’s not a surprise the duo would begin the album in a cute way with Koi no Overtake but I’m happily surprised to hear guitars in the song for sure.  Since between their last single and the album, I have figured out the vocals between the two and it seems Yui Ogura is the uber sugary pitchy voice while Kaori Ishihara is the more vocally capable one hahaha.  The difference is quite obvious and they don’t really mesh well as seen in this tune. The song is definitely sparkly I will say that.

2. PUPPY LOVE!!

0.o what’s up with the weird noises hahaha.  I love this song’s sound since it’s synthy and sounds like 90’s cartoon openings which is kind of funny in a way.  To me, the song takes the girls’ cute vocals and places them quite nicely in a song like this.  It might come off as a little too cheery and rather random (especially the really fast conversation after the first chorus).  Still, it’s pretty exciting and I kind of enjoyed this a lot and it was the album’s promotional tune.

3. Miraigata Idol

Wow, the peppyness is not letting up yet and Miraigata Idol is quite interesting.  I like the quick nature and the mix of guitars as well since it brings a lot of interesting things to the table.  I’m also not really bothered by the gals vocals (either of them).  Then again most of the song is the duo singing together so it wouldn’t really matter.  It’s alright I guess.

4. VIVIVID PARTY!

Well, we’re at the first old track on the album and it’s VIVIVID PARTY! which was the duo’s secondary A-side off their second single and to me has more of an electro vibe than other songs they’ve released in the era and so it stands out to me.  Even better is that it does have the best vocals IMO even though they still don’t sound together in various parts.  It’s a fun tune huh?

5. Kyu! Kyu! CURIOSITY!!

The next two tracks on the album are the solo tracks between the duo so that’s kind of cool to have.  Starting with Yui Ogura’s solo, I kind of knew she was going to have a super sugary song with Kyu! Kyu! CURIOSITY!!  I will say that the pseudo-rapping from Yui with her cute, yet quiet vocals was funny to listen to.  It isn’t my kind of song sadly, but it’s interesting nonetheless.

6. Magic starter

Unlike Yui’s solo, Kaori’s is more like an anime opening because there’s a lot of guitars and synths mixed together.  I will say that I really like Kaori’s vocals so much more than Yui’s since they’re stronger and has more force and control and less seiyuu-ness going on.  It’s probably the most mature tune but what can you do?

7. Futari

As the primary A-side from their second single, Futari comes next and it felt like it made sense coming after “Magic starter” because this feels like an ending that’s for sure.  After listening to the song through the single it felt like one of the nicer songs…sadly in the album’s context it feels like one of the weakest links because the other new tracks have more longevity and has more things going on in them haha.

8. Kakenukete Blue

Likewise, Kakenukete Blue doesn’t really try to stand out (and this is coming a new song right?).  It does solidify my opinion that Kaori is definitely a strong singer and needs to be shown off more.  In my opinion, it’s considered mid-tempo (well, when compared to the other tunes on the album).  It’s kind of cool and I like the mix of synths, strings, and guitars.  I’m not sure what to think of this song quite yet, but it’s better than a few other new songs.

9. HEARTBEAT ga Tomaranai!

The group’s third A-side comes next and it kind of reminds me of “Koi no Overtake” for some reason…but it could be because they utilize nearly the same things.  Just different melodies I guess.  Once again I did feel like Yui didn’t really sound all that great in this song and left Kaori to really pick up the mess.  I’m just not a big fan of this song.

10. Shooting☆Smile

Then the fourth A-side comes next and is the groups cutest A-side amongst them and I couldn’t really take this song even though once again I can pay attention to Kaori but not poor Yui since she’s still way cute.  At least I can say that the song benefits by having a catchy chorus at the least.  It’s alright I guess in the long run, but it’s a slow burner.

11. Crystal no Chikai

As the final new song, I was surprised that it was pretty much synthy and has a lot of quiet pop/rock standards strewn through it.  Unfortunately it reminds me of “Futari” for some reason.  I wish there was more going for this song but I kind of forget it after a while.

12. Our Steady Boy

Interesting choice to have their debut song be the album’s final tune.  Like I said before on some other songs the ones that have guitars and synths mixed together sound too similar to one another so at this point I’m just kind of overly annoyed even though primarily I shouldn’t be at this song since I liked it when they debuted.  Sadly, on the album at this point it’s just a “press next” song if you know what I mean.

Tracks Recommended

• Magic starter
• PUPPY LOVE!!
• VIVIVID PARTY!
• Kakenukete Blue

Song of Avoidance

• HEARTBEAT ga Tomaranai!

I didn’t have the highest hopes for this album and after listening, I kind of just felt like I didn’t want anymore Yui Ogura mostly (and those anime-ish tunes started to run dry really quickly).  There’s a couple of songs that are worth a listen, but I still wouldn’t call them amazing really.  Just icky…who though putting these two together was a good idea vocally?

Angela Aki – WHITE

Track Listing

1. Hajimari no Ballad
2. Tsugaru Kaikyou Fuyu Keshiki
3. I Have a Dream
4. Julio
5. My Grandfather’s Clock
6. Moral no Soushiki -revival-
7. Furusato~HOME
8. Mokugekisha
9. Honesty
10. One Family

1. Hajimari no Ballad

Starting the album off is the primary A-side of the only single released in the era.  It’s not a strange idea to begin things off with such an uplifting song, but c’mon Hajimari no Ballad is just basically “Tegami” pt. 2 and I really felt like this was just a little too mundane for me since she’s done better clearly.  I mean if you like those kind of songs then this is a great way to kick things off, but to me it’s just a little disappointing (even as an A-side).

2. Tsugaru Kaikyou Fuyu Keshiki

The promotional song comes next and it’s an interesting twist to things that I wouldn’t think she’d do.  It’s a Sayuri Ishikawa cover and if you’ve heard of her than you know that she does enka music so this is an interesting move on Angela’s part.  As powerful of a singer Angela is she does have a small issue with singing in that enka style…except when she says the title…that was awesome!  Given the fact that it is piano only in the arrangement, it feels a little bare…but it picked me up after “Hajimari no Ballad”.

3. I Have a Dream

To think that I dislike I Have a Dream more than it’s other A-side is a bit strange but this really was much more boring than I thought it’d be.  I mean it’s not as blatantly obvious that it’s an uplifting track (well the title might give that away haha).  It really is a slow burner until the final chorus where drums kick in…but by then the damage is done lol.  Forgetful song IMO.

4. Julio

After three heavily piano-fronted songs, Julio comes in next with acoustic guitar in place of the piano (but there’s keyboard used here).  I have to say that it’s just humorous to listen to the song just for how much emphasis Angela says for ~julio~…it’s just…wow…  Otherwise, this is quite catchy and Angela does a good job here.

5. My Grandfather’s Clock

So as the first English tune off the album, My Grandfather’s Clock is once again just her and the piano which can easily turn people off that was expecting something more.  Funnily enough, even though it’s a pure piano ballad, I remember this song better and it sounds really pretty coming from Angela.  Maybe I’m being strange but, Angela sounds better doing ballads in English IMHO.

6. Moral no Soushiki -revival-

Hehehe, Native Americans howling to open up Moral no Soushiki which was an album song on her second major label album, “TODAY”.  The original was dark and aggressive (being only piano though) but still damn good.  The self-cover though is quite awesome and just fed into the already epic song by just adding the Native American/tribal sound.  It still is predominantly piano though and I liked it altogether.  I’d say this was a pretty great version ^_^

7. Furusato~HOME

The new version of HOME (which is her debut A-side) is definitely a big switch, especially considering that it has an extended opening with a chorale singing (what I thought was part of the song).  Once they finish, Angela comes in finally with the main part and nothing has really changed except that I think she resung it and the chorale is added to certain places along the song.  It’s not as good as the new version of “Moral no Soushiki” but I guess if you’re a fan of HOME, this might be something to listen to.

8. Mokugekisha

~beep beeeeep~ WTF was that Angela?!?  I have to say after that oddball opening, Mokugekisha is definitely the so-called funny song of the album since it’s light…upbeat and seems like it would be funny lyrically as well.  To me, it kind of feels like it belongs more on “LIFE” than on this album so it makes me think if this song was written in that era and just wasn’t added just because.  Either way, I kind of enjoyed this song. 

9. Honesty

Yay!  Another English song to listen to.  Honesty, is probably more of a melancholic tune since the lyrics are just kind of mean sort of because she’s all like ~honesty, is hardly ever heard…mostly what I need from you~  I mean it’s a pretty direct kind of song so I can totally agree with this song’s lyrical content.  Musically, it’s among the basic tunes since it’s just piano (once again).  Funny enough though that I connected to the song the quickest off this album.

10. One Family

Closing the album, One Family is probably the closest song to Angela off of WHITE.  To me, it kind of just seems a bit more like “Kagayaku Hito” and a little cheesy just to fit the theme of the song.  She does slide through the two languages in this song so that’s pretty nice but like “Hajimari no Ballad”, I’ve heard this all before and it seriously doesn’t do much for me, especially since it’s the final song.

Tracks Recommended

• Honesty
• Moral no Soushiki -revival-
• My Grandfather’s Clock

Song of Avoidance

• I Have a Dream

Compared to “ANSWER” and “LIFE”, WHITE feels really empty and kind of just dragging her style in a rut.  Besides the three that I recommended, the other songs are styles she’s done for the longest time and since her voice doesn’t need work (persay) it just feels very one-way and not enough to make it stand out from her previous works…she needs to change things up or she’s gonna be stuck and we’ll get more clones of older songs x.x;