9nine – Ryuusei no Kuchizuke August 6, 2012

Track Listing

1. Ryuusei no Kuchizuke
2. Ikeru, Ikeru!
3. Natsu wanna say love U (tofubeats remix)
4. Ryuusei no Kuchizuke (Instrumental)
5. Ikeru, Ikeru! (Instrumental)

1. Ryuusei no Kuchizuke

After their first major album under SONY, I was wondering what would start their second and with Ryuusei no Kuchizuke it eems to start on a rather meh note because it sounds like some Nogizaka46 tune with the synth brass and movement of the song.  It was really cheesy for me.  At least the verses were nice to listen to because all 5 members get lines.  I guess it’s an OK start but after “Shoujo Traveler” this is a little disapppointing.

2. Ikeru, Ikeru!

The B-side of the single kind of reminds me of the stuff from their album which is nice in a way but at the same time, kind of bland which plagues Ikeru, Ikeru! also seems to remind me of “Cross Over” which is a song that I seem to can’t remember and that’s how I feel about this song because while it sounds nice, there’s not a lot to really remember it by.

3. Natsu wanna say love U (tofubeats remix)

Returning again to remix a 9nine track (their last two singles had a tofubeats remix), Natsu wanna say love U got the treatment this time around and like the last couple of random remixes, it’s more of the same ole same found here…but I was surprised that the verses didn’t have a lot of music, almost taking a minimalistic approach…and a lil taste of R&B.  However, it’s one of the more impressive remixes because the song is fun and the cute synth passages really made the song cooler.  Sadly, tofubeats crashed into the times and there’s a part where dubstep is present >.<

 

 

Starting up on their race to the second album under SONY, Ryuusei no Kuchizuke isn’t a great single but it’s not as bad as “Cross Over” was.  After “Shoujo Traveler”, I kind of was expecting them to continue on that cooler dance style which clearly worked for them, but they took a step back into their idol-pop style which is alright.  Ikeru, Ikeru! wasn’t anything special either which really left us with a surprisingly good Natsu wanna say love U remix…hmmmm I hope things pick up on their next single.

sphere – Third Planet

Track Listing

1. LET・ME・DO!!
2. Hazy
3. Planet Freedom
4. Hello, my love
5. Non stop road
6. Stop Motion
7. Neo Eden
8. HIGH POWERED
9. Feathering me, Y/N?
10. Niji’iro no Yakusoku
11. Ashita e no Kaerimichi
12. GO AHEAD!!

1. LET・ME・DO!!

I’m a little surprised they would start out with their second A-side but in my opinion still, I’m still not the biggest fan of the song primarily because it sounds like “Spring is here” leftovers.  I will say that the synths and energy of the song are nice but it just doesn’t really work with me (and it kind of is strange as the album’s first song).

2. Hazy

Moving onto the first A-side for the album, Hazy is one of the lighter tunes found on the album and I found myself wondering why “LET・ME・DO!!” was the first song because this feels like a great intro song.  The main reason I loved it is because of its chorus which is surprisingly energetic and together.  Plus the verses also were nicely done and hides some of the weaknesses of the vocalists.  It’s a really solid tune and pretty much was one of my favorite.

3. Planet Freedom

The first of four new tracks (really?!?), Planet Freedom kind of brings the energy back up but not over-doing it.  I kind of like the arrangement out of this because it has this space-y feel but doesn’t find itself becoming cheesy.  I’m surprised Aki is the first singer in the song but she actually tackles her line well.  It’s another good track ^_^.

4. Hello, my love

It seems they chose the B-side from “HIGH POWERED” to come next and it seems that Aki once again kicking things off.  To me it’s a more relaxed version of “Planet Freedom” without the power behind it.  It’s basically cuter and to be honest, I rather listen to the previous song a bit more because it has a stronger kick to it.

5. Non stop road

It seems to be workin’ because this song and the last two tracks kind of have a similar mood going.  I still think Non stop road is the best of the three because it has good flow and the chords are pretty impressive.  Of course the biggest thing to note, it seems like there’s not a lot of solo when compared to the amount in the previous tracks to this album.  It sends me back to their debut album and I really enjoyed that about this song.

6. Stop Motion

Things start to shift into a different direction as we enter our second new song.  First off, Stop Motiom has more of a focus on the synths than than they idol stuff so we get this pretty cool and anison mixture which makes a good bridge into our next tracks.  Now for this song, Stop Motion is pretty cool and gives out the fantasy-esque sound that’s so pretty to hear.  I really like Minako and Ayahi’s vocals in this song but it’s not to say Haruka and Aki did bad, they just didn’t stand out as well as the other two did.  I like it oddly enough. 

7. Neo Eden

If you needed to dance then the next couple of songs might fill that voice because Neo Eden (B-side from “Hazy) is so far their fastest song on the album.  I love the wild atmosphere and the arrangement keeps things busy which is good.  I don’t hear solos either so that’s also a surprising first as well.  It might not be everyone’s favorite but it’s upbeat and guitar-heavy arrangement might interest some people.

8. HIGH POWERED

I just find it ironic that HIGH POWERED is less energetic than “Neo Eden” because to be honest, this song kind of reminds me of “LET・ME・DO!!” because they both have a certain summery feel to them and the only difference is that one has solo lines and the other doesn’t.  At the time I said this was my favorite, but since then I kind of got tired of this one too.

9. Feathering me, Y/N?

Though I have to say my favorite of this entire era has to be the B-side from “LET・ME・DO!!”.  It could mainly because I really like the fact that there’s a lot of synths and the quartet sound REALLY good in this song.  I like the chorus and it just has this fun and fantasy-esque sound like “Stop Motion”.  It’s a really impressive song and one of my favorite sphere songs out there.

10. Niji’iro no Yakusoku

Back to another cute song, Niji’iro no Yakusoku kind of lightens the instrumentation up and it kind of sounds like your typical idol song.  I mean it’s mid-tempo and synth horns galore.  It’s kind of cheesy on execution but it also brings a stronger show in the vocal department which is a surprise given the cutesy arrangement.

11. Ashita e no Kaerimichi

As we near the end of the album, we get another ballad in Ashita e no Kaerimichi and I’m kind of indifferent with this song because while I do think it fits in the first half of the album, it also sounds like it would’ve been a great closer.  To me, it still has its yawn-producing qualities but it’s not a bad song, but I like some of their previous efforts quite a bit more.

12. GO AHEAD!!

What actually closed the group’s third outing is like their debut album’s track…with a bang!  GO AHEAD!! really reminds me of “A.T.M.O.S.P.H.E.R.E” because it has that rockin’ energy and it’s seriously a fun song to listen to because the power and the growth of the vocalists is really impressive.  I think they wanted to recreate that same blowout feel and they succeeded big time because I really like this song!

Tracks Recommended

• Feathering me, Y/N?
• GO AHEAD!!
• Non stop road
• Planet Freedom
• Stop Motion

Song of Avoidance

• LET・ME・DO!!

I find it surprising to say but Third Planet is sphere’s best album to date!  The strange thing though this is their smallest album as well with 12 tracks (8 of them already known songs) so this really felt like a pushed release.  However, all but two tracks actually were good here and that’s a nice feat for this quartet.  I wish there was more new material but this was nice I guess.