ME:I – MIRAI April 25, 2024

Track Listing

1. Click
2. Sugar Bomb
3. &ME (ME:I Ver.) (Regular only)
4. CHOPPY CHOPPY (ME:I Ver.) (Regular only)

1. Click

Kind of was curious to tackle the leading song for this group’s debut and honestly, it’s curious because the song is Japanese but the arrangement and style just screams K-pop for sure.  It reminds me of like early TWICE releases as it’s sparkly and cute and bubbly of course. I will say for 11 members, I really enjoy most of the group’s vocals (with the slight exception to Cocoro and Rinon who kind of oddly stick out in the song to me.  Though I guess on the whole, the other 9 members kind of just gel together for me so their voices don’t quite have obvious personality behind them (except for Keiko who raps and the aforementioned oddballs).

2. Sugar Bomb 

As the main B-side, Sugar Bomb feels VERY much like a K-pop song with more of a syncopated sound and a cooler vibe compared to the cuteness out of “Click”…actually it kind of sounds like a NewJeans song to be honest.  I definitely liked the poppy energy of this one and while I feel the vocal colors are even dimmer in this one (they all kind of sing in a whispy, thin tone), I still found myself bopping my head to the rhythms and such.  That chorus though was pretty awesome though!

3. &ME (ME:I Ver.)

So the regular editions come with more tracks, both of them were used during PRODUCE 101 JAPAN THE GIRLS but were re-recorded with the final lineup (the winners).  I am SO happy that &ME was redone because besides “TOXIC”, this was the best song from the show itself and the touch-up and they did keep some of the original things like Tsuzumi’s ~butterfly~ lines which were so good.  &ME is definitely the group’s aggressive track for the single and it just is sooo good!  There’s just something cool about this one and some of the chanting parts definitely scream TWICE, but there’s a smidge of that anison style rolling in it.  Definitely the single’s best track!

4. CHOPPY CHOPPY (ME:I Ver.)

CHOPPY CHOPPY though wasn’t the best choice I would’ve gone with because sound-wise it kind of sticks out in an odd way.  I suppose it has an interesting arrangement being a bit electronic and somewhat overtly poppy and has a lot of little things going on in the song.  I will say the pre-chorus with the playful piano melody stuck out, but this song is pretty cutesy even moreso than “Click” was.  Maybe this will grow on me with more listens.

So it’s very curious to me just out of the blue now reviewing a new J-pop girl group out of the gates, but I am super happy that I can take on a PRODUCE 101 group such as ME:I here.  What truly got my attention is that Momona Kasahara (ex-ANGERME) is the leader of this group and kind of the main face (she pretty much dominated PRODUCE 101, so I find it amazing to see her here after leaving Hello! Project (as she was starting to blossom in the group honestly).  Anyways, MIRAI is a pretty decent single overall with a lot of backing and money behind it.  Really enjoyed Click, Sugar Bomb, and &ME a great deal and CHOPPY CHOPPY is decent enough to get by.  I’m hoping during their time together that they’ll at least grow vocally to give themselves character and I can really get to know these members more.

Koda Kumi – UNICORN April 24, 2024

Track Listing

1. UNICORN [Introduction]
2. Heaven’s Kitchen
3. Vroom
4. TOKIO
5. Silence
6. UFO
7. We are FIGHTERS
8. Trust・Last -TYPE K-
9. PIECE OF MY WISH
10. Tooi Machi de Dokoka de…
11. Let’s fight for love!

1. UNICORN [Introduction]

Opening the album, UNICORN is kind of a shocker begins with some muffled noises before a dirty electronic riff kicks in with Kuu spending the title and singing some things.  Considering it’s a minute long, the tune is pretty aggressive and kind of makes me wish she continued to lengthen out intro songs such as this (of course if this would be the case, we’d see the longer cut on the next album).  Makes me wonder what is coming up for the album though…

2. Heaven’s Kitchen

I’m a little shocked as well to see how UNICORN was being handled since 4 songs were digitally released prior to the album and 4 of the new songs on the album are actually covers (there’s 5 covers, but one was a digital single).  I think if you are a BONNIE PINK fan, then this song should be familiar to you.  Honestly, after the introduction, I kind of had figured that the transition is going to be an awkward one as Heaven’s Kitchen is more rock-oriented versus the electronic whiplash.  I think Kuu does a solid job with what she had here, but the song is a bit too loose at times and I do feel like Kuu does kind of get covered up with the brash rock elements.  Definitely is more aggressive than BONNIE’s original, but I feel like we haven’t had rockstar Kuu in a while…

3. Vroom

So yeah the bolded songs are digital singles released prior to UNICORN’s release and I haven’t really paid attention to them until now so they feel like new songs to me.  I’m kind of wondering if this should’ve been right after “UNICORN” because it has that heavy club style going on that kind of suited more for it versus “Heaven’s Kitchen”.  I want to say I thoroughly enjoyed the song, but jeeze that chorus is a bit much, isn’t it?  Song is also a little over 3 minutes and yet, I felt like I just spent a little too much time trying to get used to this.  Beyond the chorus though, I actually enjoyed the verses a lot…it’s just that vapid chorus that takes me straight out.

4. TOKIO

Another cover song pops up next, this one a bit more older, a 1979 Kenji Sawada track and Kuu gave it a pretty safe electropop arrangement here.  I kind of felt like this song was more on the safe side of things for whatever reason?  Like the track’s arrangement is actually kind of nice and the bridge is probably the best part of the song, but there’s something about Kuu’s performance of the song that didn’t feel…right (maybe it’s the auto-tune?).  This might grow on me with more listens though.

5. Silence

We slow things down with Silence (which was the 4th and last single released for the album…there was a 5th but “Dangerously” is seemingly not on the album for some reason).  Anyways, Silence is that kind of melancholic ballad that Kuu always seems to bring out, but there’s something different about this one.  Relying more on the strings to carry the song than the piano, Silence just feels a bit more heartfelt and deep and Kuu is not trying to push her vocals to belt the track out which shows some good restraint for a song like this.  Surprised, but this isn’t half bad!

6. UFO

So I am familiar with this track originally done by Pink Lady (and was covered by Morning Musume more than a decade ago).  This version from Kuu takes the track to a more lounge-like style and the smokier and jazzier take of the song is quite something and I applaud Kuu’s vocals quite a bit here as they just suit the song really nicely.  I think of the cover songs, this is probably the best of them so that’s VERY good to see.

7. We are FIGHTERS

So we only get one brand new track (that isn’t a cover) and I’m sure how to feel about it to be honest lol.  This is kind of that urban try-hard kind of sound and I feel like this is kind of dated somewhat?  At least the sound feels kind of a bit behind the times.  I guess I can say that it’s an interesting song, but I also feel like this is something that should’ve come and gone a few albums ago!  It’s kind of just a weird song on the album and maybe it could be used better in live performances, but the studio cut is just kind of lacking in places.

8. Trust・Last -TYPE K

So this song isn’t new persay, it was originally a collaboration between her and the J-Rock band, Shonan no Kaze and this is pretty much her solo cut of the song and was also used as a theme for the Kamen Rider series.  That said, the changes made of the original are pretty obvious (taking out the vocalist from the band).  The song though is the same otherwise with the kind of pop/rock vibe that did better here than it did in “We are FIGHTERS”.  I think I still would’ve felt more interested had the original been on the album than a Kuu-only version, but it’s whatever.  One of the better tracks from the album and honestly, it could’ve been easily on “Black Cherry” or “Kingdom” to be honest XD.

9. PIECE OF MY WISH

Another cover comes up and is the last of the “new” tracks from the album as Kuu covers this classic 1991 Miki Imai track.  As we near closer to the end of the album, Kuu slows things down for a bit with this ballad.  Though unlike “Silence”, this is kind of the piano ballad that I’m just kind of over and done with from Kuu though I guess it can’t be helped too much considering it is a cover.  I just think this was a little too plain for my tastes, unfortunately.

10. Tooi Machi de Dokoka de…

The last of the cover tracks (and the one that was released as a digital single), this also 1991 song from Miho Nakayama gives Kuu a Christmas song fused with a bit of the original’s City Pop vibes and I kind of enjoyed the mixture?  I think it’s also partly due to this song coming right after the sleepy “PIECE OF MY WISH” that made me more interested here.  I will say it could’ve been a little more faster, but it’s still kind of a warm song for the season for sure though a bit long for being near 6 minutes.  Not bad!

11. Let’s fight for love!

The final track (and funny enough the first digital single for the album), I had totally skipped over this one and didn’t realize it came out before the previous track and “Silence” for that matter.  This song is some kind of mess here with the over-reliance of the auto-tune here and the song just sounds that 2000’s MTV pop sound and that kind of just doesn’t work here especially since it’s the album closer.  Just a big noooope from me.

Tracks Recommended

• UFO
• Silence
• Tooi Machi de Dokoka de…
• Trust・Last -TYPE K-
• Heaven’s Kitchen

Song of Avoidance

• Let’s fight for love!

Can someone tell me why she released UNICORN?  I feel like after “heart” I thought she’d actually do more for her next album and UNICORN is kind of more or less the same of what we’ve been getting from Kuu.  Though I did see some sparks like her covers of UFO, Tooi Machi de Dokoka de…, and Heaven’s Kitchen were pretty unique to say the least.  The original songs though beyond Silence and Trust・Last…total yikes.  I think the auto-tune needs to be taken away now because it’s just horrid to hear nowadays.  Plus, I don’t know but the album just didn’t sit right with me and I’m still trying to figure out as a whole why this album is probably worse than “heart”….

RIIZE – Siren April 3, 2024

Track Listing

1. Siren

1. Siren

Oh boy, well I guess to kind of do a pre-release before their next drop, they FINALLY dropped Siren which is extended, but by god is the song still short as fuck, only making 2:30 in length (which is arguably only 10 seconds shorter than “Get A Guitar”).  Now since this was pre-debut, Siren was definitely a hype-bomb with it’s aggressive arrangement and heavily 90’s urban sound that caught everyone off.  I still love the first half of the song (the original bit that we heard), it’s just that latter half felt kind of lazy and thrown together without much thought going on.  Like nothing worked together.  Add in that Seunghan is nowhere to be found (despite being in the original), this just kind of feels…too lacking for me.

Yikes, I don’t think this was the right direction to take Siren.  I think a bit more time should’ve been spent smoothing out the edges and not cobbling ideas together.  This is why I’m not a big fan of short clips being teased for months and then a “fuller” version is just thrown together for a quick buck, this just wasn’t it…Though mmmm, it’s nice to have Siren at least released, but damn…the digital single could’ve thrown in the short version too…

UVERworld – Eye’s Sentry April 1, 2024

Track Listing

1. Eye’s Sentry
2. High Light!!
3. über cozy universe
4. CORE PRIDE (Anime edition only)
5. REVERSI (Anime edition only)
6. Itteki no Eikyou (Anime edition only)
7. Eye’s Sentry (Anime ver.) (Anime edition only)
8. Eye’s Sentry (Instrumental)

1. Eye’s Sentry

Opening the single, Eye’s Sentry brings UVER back to their anison side of things with this one and it definitely has a good kick to it, especially with SEIKA having that saxophone solo right after TAKUYA’s intro to the song.  I actually enjoy the energy and power of the band as well, making this one of their better songs as of recent for sure.  The strings in the song mixing in with the synthwork and band just did wonders for the song.  Really makes up for what “Pygmalion” couldn’t do.

2. High Light!!

As the main B-side, High Light!! seems like more of a song used for live performances with the easy to follow chanting and crazy sound.  Though I’m more surprised that after the introduction, it switches to a synth-heavy sound which caught me off guard.  I was a little worried because TAKUYA wasn’t singing and SEIKA had a longer sax solo going on right up until 1:25 where TAKUYA finally starts to rap some lines out.  Though most of the song is instrumental it seems as the spaces between vocals is pretty wide here in a 4 minute track.  I’d honestly would like to see a more synth-centric track be an A-side to be honest, something like what “GO-ON” was.

3. über cozy universe

Moving onto the main last track of the single, über cozy universe’s length was obviously hinting that this was the actual instrumental piece of the single (something UVERworld loves to do on their singles).  As I’m listening through the 1:42 of this track, the song is foreboding and kind of darker edge to their stuff.  Though a voice kicks in and just amps up the song to introduce UVERworld and the band plays a smidge and next thing you know, it’s over.  I’ll never understand these tracks on their singles, but they could easily work with them to make fuller tracks, honestly…

4. CORE PRIDE

.> So we’re doing this again, huh?  Because Eye’s Sentry is tied to the Ao no Exorcist anime, it seems like they’re once again bringing back the other themes from before (like they did with “Itteki no Eikyou”).  Kind of a dumb thing to do, but here we are.  Granted, I still do love this song, so I can’t be too angry.  I definitely still think it’s the best of the themes from the series as it just has a lot of energy and the opening is still beyond awesome.

5. REVERSI

REVERSI though isn’t too far behind as it too is a pretty hard-hitting song and even though it was an recut single, it was a great choice to make a single because the song is also powerful and just has the band at its best here.  I think I enjoy “CORE PRIDE” more because of SEIKA’s contribution to the song and the overall melody, but this is definitely a close second.

6. Itteki no Eikyou

Probably my least favorite of the Ao no Exorcist themes, though it’s mostly because it doesn’t hit quite as hard as “CORE PRIDE” or “REVERSI” does and has a bit more acoustic guitar thrown in, but did have saxophones.  Kind of listening to it now, it’s like it was made with the same edgy power as the other songs but stripped a bit to make it stand out from its predecessors.  It’s fine, but as I said, still probably stands as the weakest link between the 4 (Eye’s Sentry included).

Since UVERworld has taking half-a-year off to do concerts to support “ENIGMASIS”, they returned with Eye’s Sentry and it’s fine, dare I say I do like both the title track and High Light!! as they show more progression and experimentation with their music.  über cozy universe is kind of their typical short instrumental piece which is here nor there for me.  I biggest qualm is why they’re doing the ALL OF Ao no Exorcist themes again because they did it on “Itteki no Eikyou” so it’s bizarre to see SONY pull this card out so soon.  I know it’s strictly the Anime edition of the single, but it’s still too cash-grabby for me.  Hopefully this era will bring more experimentive music from the band for sure.