LM.C – PERFECT RAINBOW July 7, 2018

Track Listing

1. VantaBLACK
2. JUST LIKE THIS!!
3. MOGURA
4. Amnizia
5. Minor Leaguers’ Song
6. LADY TALK
7. Kimi yo Saraba
8. Brand New Rainbow

1. VantaBLACK

Opening the mini-album up, VantaBLACK is the short intro here and it starts quietly and grows into this interesting mix of piano and some other small electronic blips and grooves.  It’s a darker intro than I expected from LM.C, but I do enjoy how it turns into this EDM-like track in the later half.  Cool way to open up the mini!

2. JUST LIKE THIS!!

Moving into the first vocal track, I wasn’t expecting maya to sing in English after the introduction.  The quiet piano intro is cute and very new for the duo, but after that passage is over, the song opens up into this dance beat with Aiji of course bringing his guitar licks.  I do feel like the song is lacking something here though (maybe a bit more energy?).  Either way, the song kind of brings a cooler LM.C and overall it’s not a bad start!

3. MOGURA

I guess that energy was placed into our next track, MOGURA which features Aiji in a more heavier light alongside an aggressive arrangement!  It was what I was expecting from the duo and this was what I was looking for coming into this album and they delivered in spades.  It’s a pretty strong song and I love the hooks and speedy execution from maya!  Awesome rock track!

4. Amnizia

Moving into the next track, Amnizia kind of takes up as the middle sounding tune between the previous two tracks with a slower tempo, but a stronger arrangement.  Definitely enjoyed the punkish sound out of this and the hooks again are what keeps me around for the song!  Not quite as awesome as “MOGURA” but a song I can jam out to nonetheless!

5. Minor Leaguers’ Song

Of the 7 tracks, I was mostly curious about this oddly titled track and I kind of the boom-boom-clap of the track and to me it feels like a song that the crowd would chant alongside with because it has that rhythm, but on the mini, it does stick out like a sore thumb, bring more fun and random (though they do do that a lot >.>).  It’s just an odd song for me, maybe if it were on a full album it would be ok, but otherwise eh?

6. LADY TALK

Though I wasn’t expecting LM.C to channel some 80’s synth and punk for LADY TALK and after “Minor Leaguers’ Song”, this was a nice refreshing change of pace!  Yeah, the tune does find itself shifting moods (and the chorus switches synth with piano).  It’s pretty light versus many of their previous releases, but there’s something nice about this track too!  It just might be my favorite of the mini!

7. Kimi yo Saraba

Y’know, I don’t recall LM.C really taking things lighter than before but Kimi yo Saraba slows it down a bit moreso than “LADY TALK” did.  It does feature Aiji moreso, but the tune comes off as a mid-tempo rock ballad with some speckles of synths behind it all.  The song itself isn’t bad, but I don’t quite remember it afterwards.

8. Brand New Rainbow

As the final track on the mini, I wasn’t expecting the cute intro, but the song really moves forward once the duo come in and the growing energy of the song keeps intrigued!  Though, the chorus kind of feels anticlimactic and it feels somewhat jarring in comparison to the verses here (maybe there’s a little too much percussion).  It’s an alright song to close things off but not their best.

 

 

For being part of this “PERFECT” duo of releases, PERFECT RAINBOW doesn’t quite do a better job than it’s sister mini, “PERFECT FANTASY” did.  Not as many awesome songs as I would’ve hoped to see and there’s some strange songs on this one that prevented me from liking it more than I should.  Still, LADY TALK and MOGURA were the big ones here so I’d recommend those!

LM.C – PERFECT FANTASY April 4, 2014

Track Listing

1. Neo Fantasia
2. DOUBLE DRAGON
3. Chameleon Dance
4. Kinjirareta Uchuu.
5. My Favorite Monster
6. mono-logue
7. DREAMscape
8. DIVE TO FANTASY

1. Neo Fantasia

Somehow, I’m not surprised the duo would open the mini with an introductory track.  LM.C has such interesting intros/interludes and Neo Fantasia isn’t straining away from that.  It starts with a twinkling melody before the cellos come in and adds a little beat to it.  Then more strings add another layer to the intro…it’s fitting to the title and just pretty all over!

2. DOUBLE DRAGON

Moving into the first single to represent the mini, DOUBLE DRAGON is a pretty relentless song from the duo even though it is coming off the coattails from “STRONG POP”.  It’s a pretty cool song and it still stands out in a great way.  Impressive track to get things rolling.

3. Chameleon Dance

Surprised we’d leave the rock for more of an electro-rock track with Chameleon Dance and I was instantly pulled into the song.  maya of course is singing with his characteristic voice with inputs from the synth between the spaces.  Though maya’s voice in some of the song is flooded on auto-tune which might throw some off, but honestly this song is one of the standouts and I enjoyed it a lot!

4. Kinjirareta Uchuu.

When I first listened to the next track, I was kind of brought back to earlier albums with the band having a playful side to them and I felt like the fact the song focused mostly on maya and Aiji (and not a lot of other sounds) was nice.  Though sometimes I do wonder how the song would’ve felt if there was more backbone present.  Though I do like the plucked strings and clapping beat the most…interesting tune.

5. My Favorite Monster

Interesting that it’s led into the 2nd and last A-side they released before the mini because it also has a certain Halloween-esque profile about it.  I do like that like “Chameleon Dance”, this song has a more synthetic drive to it, plus maya sounds a lot more lively in this song and the tricks within this tune is pretty cool.  Great song!

6. mono-logue

It’s a little odd that our next track would be the lightest of the songs and odd coming after “My Favorite Monster” but it’s a nice break from the group’s harder songs.  Aiji’s crying guitar lines add a nice depth to the song and maya is just laidback and just letting his vocals float through the song.  It’s a chill song from the duo and it’s a nice enough tune, but the more upbeat stuff is better lol.

7. DREAMscape

I would’ve thought “mono-logue’s” sound would’ve been in DREAMscape.  It sort of has a dream arrangement mostly because of the fluttery piano lines.  Though the chorus is such a try at a power ballad because it’s harder than the verses and maya is yelling it out.  It’s probably the weakest track off the mini, but it’s not a tragedy.

8. DIVE TO FANTASY

Closing things out, DIVE TO FANTASY decides to finish it off with a brighter arrangement and a little more of a poppier sound.  To be honest, the song is kind of flying over my head since it doesn’t bring anything totally interesting to the table.  It’s sounding like it would’ve been better as a B-side than a track on here (or a throwaway song on a full-album).

 

 

LM.C has had a pretty busy schedule and was surprised they would release a mini-album with two singles preceding it.  At first, PERFECT FANTASY was going great and had nothing going on…that is until the final 3 tracks in where I felt they kind of burned off the great sound they were pulling for the first 5 tracks.  It’s a nice mini-album, but not perfect lol.

LM.C – My Favorite Monster January 3, 2014

Track Listing

1. My Favorite Monster
2. Dolce Vitter

1. My Favorite Monster

Seems to be randomly off time to be releasing something that’s sort of Halloween-ish in December don’t you think?  My Favorite Monster is such a twist from the group’s normal as it’s kind of set in this electro/rock groove.  maya definitely sounds like he’s having fun with the song and some of the parts he has a little bit of auto-tune.  It’s a little basic and yet sounds totally unique to the duo.  I actually dig it!

2. Dolce Vitter

I wasn’t expecting the B-side to kind of be more of a lighter track in comparison to “My Faovrite Monster”, it’s actually kind of a pop/rock track and has this simple arrangement as well.  For fans, this might be a tad generic and kind of corny to listen to, but there’s something about it they did right.

 

 

After a short break, LM.C comes back with another single in My Favorite Monster and compared to their last couple of singles, the duo took a different approach to this single and went more of that electropop groove.  To me, the A-side was pretty awesome, though the B-side was kind of missing something and is slightly generic for them too. With a mini-album on its way, I can only wonder what they’ll fill that with (possibly the A-side here and “DOUBLE DRAGON”).  Overall, not bad, but could slightly alienate fans for a bit.

LM.C – DOUBLE DRAGON November 29, 2012

Track Listing

1. DOUBLE DRAGON
2. ★Rock the LM.C★/RUN LM.C

1. DOUBLE DRAGON

DOUBLE DRAGON by LM.C is back to the normal shenanigans we’ve come to love by the duo, but this song isn’t as experimental or groundbreaking like previous efforts.  To me, the song is straightforward and I’m still enjoying maya’s vocals alongside Aiji’s guitarwork so it meshes well together.  DOUBLE DRAGON though does feel like it’s a leftover song from their last release, “STRONG POP” which makes sense.  Good track, nothing entirely different but that’s a good thing in this case.

2. ★Rock the LM.C★/RUN LM.C

Like on “Hoshi no Arika.”, LM.C has kind of morphed themselves as something slightly different as RUN LM.C (sounds a LOT like RUN DM.C >.>).  That connection is a bit more apparant because ★Rock the LM.C★ has a bit of a hip-hop style going with the synths.  If you haven’t noticed though, it’s a new version of the same song that was from their debut single “Trailers [Gold]”.  For what it is, it’s different and has a bold sound to it and I liked it quite a bit!

 

 

LM.C ends the year off by releasing DOUBLE DRAGON!  The single itself isn’t too bad, though not as good as their last single, “Ah Hah!”/  DOUBLE DRAGON the track, is kind of playing it safe, but it’s not too detrimental.  ★Rock the LM.C★’s new take is interesting and I kind of enjoyed it more slightly.  Good single overall.

LM.C – STRONG POP April 6, 2012

Track Listing

1. Be STRONG, Be POP.
2. Ah Hah!
3. BABY TALK
4. SUPER DUPER GALAXY
5. MY BOY
6. Goak-On-SOUL
7. We are LM.C!! ~The Anthem of Strong Pop~
8. GAME of LIFE
9. COMBATmode
10. peekaboo
11. Hoshi no Arika.
12. Nani mo Hajimaranakatta Ichinichi no Owari ni.
13. LET’ ME CRAZY!!

1. Be STRONG, Be POP.

Like their last album, they begin with an introductory piece with Be STRONG, Be POP. and yeah it begins with different voices saying ~be strong, be poppu~…after that it turns into this kind of odd arranged intro that moves quickly into a dance style.  I thought it was kind of cool and the song does have a euro style before Aiji jumps in with a guitar solo and all the glitter.  Aggressive, but suitable to open the album with!

2. Ah Hah!

I still think the opening line for Ah Hah! surprises me every time I listen to because I didn’t think it’d be the hook of the song haha.  Of the five A-sides released in the era (“The LOVE SONG” being omitted), Ah Hah! was straight rock n’ roll and I love that about this song because it’s just energetic the whole way through…which could be a not-so-good thing because it feels like it ends too soon (even though it’s only 3 minutes long) but still.

3. BABY TALK

The first of the new vocal songs, BABY TALK is a bit more gritty than “Ah Hah!” but it has that same feel of just rockin’ out.  Hearing maya under filters is a little unusual at first but he doesn’t stick to it for majority of the song which is great.  It’s alright for the most part and the electronic additions is nice…but somehow the song lacks energy like the previous song…plus the whole auto-tune usage makes me frown.

4. SUPER DUPER GALAXY

As the album is leaning more towards a electronica sound, SUPER DUPER GALAXY is probably my least favorite of the A-sides released in the era but it’s alright because this song is nice to listen to once in a while.  Taking a more poppier approach, SDG reminds of space adventuring which is cool and the descending synth melody reminds me of a circus XD.  It’s not a bad song…but it’s definitely the odd A-side on the album.

5. MY BOY

Oh damn…I thought it was going to be a Buono! cover XD.  Either way, moving onto the legion of new tracks, MY BOY is interesting because of the synths and how Aiji plays around those and alongside.  It’s weird as I get deeper in the album, maya’s vocals start to remind me of SuG’s lead or SID’s lead singer.  That’s alright because I like it either way.  Safe track but not too bad of a song…just missing something (maybe a little more bass?)

6. Goak-On-SOUL

I have to say that Goak-On-SOUL was a total surprise to me even though I knew we were in their synth-heavy songs but this one sounds like Mega Man music for some reason.  It’s pretty badass and I’m loving the pico-pop through the verses mixed with the synth-line that swerves.  It’s catchy and I definitely remember this tune.  I do think the fact that that synth line is used in two areas of the song makes me sad, but I still love the song nonetheless.

7. We are LM.C!! ~The Anthem of Strong Pop~

Getting into the interlude of the album, We are LM.C!! is a minute long track of course.  It’s pretty hard though which is surprising but I’m guessing we’re leaving the electronica-heavy songs for the band’s rock-style which is understandable….

8. GAME of LIFE

…Well at least I thought that was what the interlude was for.  GAME of LIFE is a bit darker which I guess the interlude was nice for but it definitely has a lot of synths mixed with Aiji’s playing giving this rock/electro mix and that’s pretty cool.  I can also tell maya’s vocals is under auto-tune once again but it’s not a distraction.  It’s a pretty wicked song and I love the way it flowed and even Aiji’s guitar solo was badass.  Great song!!

9. COMBATmode

When I saw the tracklist, I was thinking COMBATmode would be the hardest hitting song off the album and yeah it’s true.  It sort of reminds me of “pOlyLifE” from their previous album because it’s got a lot of percussion from the normal and it seems to throw the song in a more V-kei/metal style and I’m not too big on it but if I manage to ignore it, COMBATmode isn’t too bad.  I’m definitely on the fence for this one because it’s a great song but too much drums cause it to be rather hard to listen to all the way.

10. peekaboo

OIC, light-hearted rock comes after the hardest hitter right?  peekaboo is kind of cute (yes, I’m calling it cute).  There’s electric and acoustic guitar and lighter instruments used here.  I will say that I like maya’s vocals in this setting since it’s rare to see em like this.  I would like to see this live for some reason…kind of one of those songs that would get the crowd clapping along and having fun.

11. Hoshi no Arika.

The third A-side pops up next and it does fill up the rock-gap quite nicely along with “Ah Hah!” since both were focused more on having more natural instruments over the synths.  While I do find the other song a bit more stronger, Hoshi no Arika. isn’t a bad song either and I love maya’s enthusiasm here.  Does sound the most anime-esque of the A-sides but that’s alright.  Though the one thing that threw me off is the rap section…strange stuff.

12. Nani mo Hajimaranakatta Ichinichi no Owari ni.

You know you have someone’s attention when you begin the song singing the title (especially a long one like this lol).  Funny enough, it might make up for the lack of “The LOVE SONG” for being more of a slower song.  I mean seeing LM.C pulling a softer song is quite rare as well but I do find whenever they tackle it…it comes out nicely in the end.  In the case of this song is a good example of that hahaha.  I enjoyed it and makes for a nice slow song for the fans to enjoy for a while.

13. LET ME’ CRAZY!!

I’m kind of surprised that the duo chose to have LET ME’ CRAZY!! close the album out (probably because it was the first A-side of the era) but who knows.  Since it’s one of the edgiest songs on the album, next to “COMBATmode”, LET ME’ CRAZY!! is quite a strong song despite being the oldest tune on the album hahaha.  It definitely has a place here and I love maya’s vocals here…so edgy and aggressive! 

Tracks Recommended

• Goak-On-SOUL
• GAME of LIFE
• LET ME’ CRAZY!!
• Ah Hah!
• peekaboo

Song of Avoidance

• COMBATmode

LM.C’s 3rd album, STRONG POP stepped up over “WONDERFUL WONDERHOLIC” but in a small step.  I do like that more A-sides found their way here (though I do question why “The LOVE SONG” was left off…), either way, the song was stronger than I expected which is good and once again, a couple songs left me a little bored but this was a pretty good album overall from the duo.  I just hope it doesn’t take as long getting their 4th out.

LM.C – Ah Hah! March 1, 2012

Track Listing

1. Ah Hah!
2. Shibuya Cantabile

1. Ah Hah!

Wow that beginning threw me off at first.  I love that LM.C kind of brought back their straightforward rock sound since I’ve been missing that for a while since they’ve been experimenting new directions (basically everything between this and “LET ME’ CRAZY!!”).  I love when maya is like ~Everything is gonna be psycho day!~…I thought that line stood out to me lol.  Fun and energetic, definitely didn’t lose any spark since their best-of came out haha!

2. Shibuya Cantabile

I wasn’t expecting the B-side though, not gonna lie.  It’s definitely a lot lighter when compared to “Ah Hah!” but it’s not a ballad like “The LOVE SONG” was.  It’s more like a poppy J-rock song but containing a lot of LM.C power riffs.  Maybe a little like SID perhaps?  I liked the strings in the song a lot since it gave the song a rather anime-ish tone to it and maya’s quieter vocals are nice too.  Odd B-side but I like it.

 

 

As the first single of the era, Ah Hah! is pretty impressive if not great for them.  We see them at what they do best and it’s their rock songs and I loved the energy found in the A-side.  The B-side though is new territory for them (or at least for how much I’ve listened to them it is).  Shibuya Cantabile is anime-ish but done quite nicely and not as formulaic in areas.  Yeah can’t wait for more singles this time around ^_^

LM.C – Nurarihyon no Mago ~Sennen Makyou~ November 15, 2011

Track Listing

1. The LOVE SONG
2. The LOVE SONG (TV Size)
3. The LOVE SONG (TV Size Instrumental)

1. The LOVE SONG

I don’t know why but LM.C really took a chill pill for this song.  Considering that this is tied-in to the such a series (even though the only other single I reviewed from this anime is MOMAJIK’s tune, “Sunshine”),  The LOVE SONG is different and I liked it even though the chorus really screams My Chemical Romance’s “Helena”, but that’s OK since I love the powerful chorus this one has.  It might not be as spazzy like the other single before it but it’s a solid song.

 

 

I didn’t think LM.C was going to release a recut single after the best-of “☆★Best the LM.C★☆2006-2011 SINGLES”.  I do kind of wish there was more to the single beside the TV size and the instrumental of the TV size but what can you do?  The LOVE SONG is a pretty strong and straightforward song for the duo but after the last three singles, this does look a little disappointing.  Hmmm…

LM.C – Hoshi no Arika. August 3, 2011

Track Listing

1. Hoshi no Arika.
2. MAD or DIE . (by THE MAD LM.C)

1. Hoshi no Arika.

I love LM.C’s A-sides, they always seem to bring out the best for the duo and it shows.  It’s brighter than the other two singles of the era and maya makes the song sound like it’d be perfect to hear live and I will agree with it.  It also has the least amount of synthage going when compared to the last two singles but that’s OK, means more Aiji!  It’s definitely a song meant for lives so I wanna see that for sure.  Solid A-side!

2. MAD or DIE (by THE MAD LM.C)

Even though I saw that this also got a PV, I don’t understand fully about the concept of THE MAD LM.C (besides the name of course).  Then again, once I start the song I do suddenly feel that the duo became more angsty and maya’s vocals are a little different sounding as well which gives the song a different feel.  MAD or DIE actually is catchy and it really does stand out amongst songs from the duo as of recent.  It’s almost big band but not too much.  I really liked this new side to them!

 

 

Even though LM.C is releasing a best-of album next, I can only wonder if also they’re gonna work on their next studio album because three singles in should say something right?  Hoshi no Arika. is a pretty straightforward yet good single.  I mean the lead track is playing it safe, but it’s still them rockin’!  MAD or DIE though was something out of left field and it was a good surprise since it was catchy and fun even for maya and Aiji prolly!  Good single!

LM.C – SUPER DUPER GALAXY April 5, 2011

Track Listing

1. SUPER DUPER GALAXY
2. BAD SPIDER

1. SUPER DUPER GALAXY

By the looks of the art cover of this single, I was guessing the song was going to be an odd song and it actually is a little bit since there’s an interesting amount of synths present, but what got me more was maya’s vocals being under some auto-tune throughout…it was weird.  The track is actually still pretty impressive though and Aiji’s parts were nice to hear over the synths and stuff.  Pretty poppy, but good otherwise.

2. BAD SPIDER

I was wondering if the B-side was going to be anything totally different and I do think slightly it is with more Aiji in the arrangement over synths which is great, but is maya really singing this time around?  I mean the verses sound really blah, but when he gets into the bridge and chorus, things get fixed.  I will say the ~ooooo yeah~ lines in the chorus make me laugh tons.  It’s got a pretty cool riff and it’s catchy after a while.

I’m unsure what to really think about their 2nd single of the era.  I do think with SUPER DUPER GALAXY they switched out from their last single’s mostly rock-sided mood to a more experimental synth side with a dabble of their rock and that’s pretty good for them…though in places in both tracks the growling kind of vocals started to kind of become a poor choice, but it wasn’t much so it wasn’t enough to kill.  I think I might like this side more since it shows more of what maya and Aiji can do…damn though…this leaked way early XD

LM.C – LET ME’ CRAZY!! October 28, 2010

Track Listing

1. LET ME’ CRAZY!!
2. No Fun, No Future.
3. YAHSA Hime

1. LET ME’ CRAZY!!

Wow, I didn’t think it’d be different, but LET ME’ CRAZY!! is definitely something I wouldn’t expect LM.C after their last era finished.  I love maya’s vocals in the song since they’re powerful when they want to be, but it also feels like he’s trying to push the song to be more faster since he sings like iono…he’s out of breath or something. Still, the song is fast, energetic and has great parts throughout and the use of synths is a plus.

2. No Fun, No Future.

As the shortest song from the single being about 3 minutes long, No Fun, No Future. is one of those happy songs with a slight positive sound going for it.  I definitely didn’t expect a song like this and I love that they were being more rock happy than in “LET ME’ CRAZY!!”.  It’s just a good sounding rock song that’s simple and to the point.

3. YASHA Hime

For the other B-side, YASHA Hime is a bit like the A-side in which it has both synth stuff and a hard rock riff, but it’s more focused on the experimental side to their music.  I have to say, maya’s softer vocals in the verses and the light chorus is an interesting choice, but I they oddly worked together.  Aiji though should get points for the rockin’ atmosphere though, it was that good!

Wow, I didn’t know what we were gonna get after “WONDERFUL WONDERHOLIC” since that was a pretty good album from them and with LET ME’ CRAZY!!, I think they’re continuing to be more towards their rock side, but they still hold to their experimental side as well and it worked out in the end.  LET ME’ CRAZY!! and YASHA Hime are both awesome tracks from the duo with a mix of both sides to their music while No Fun, No Future. was pure fun rock from them.  Can’t wait for their next single to drop!