Strawberry Flower – Tane no Uta August 1, 2014

Track Listing

1. Tane no Uta
2. Shabondama
3. Ai no Uta ~Laugh mix~

1. Tane no Uta

So Strawberry Flower returned with Tane no Uta (original title huh?).  Compared to their other song “Ai no Uta” this was a little more child-like because the lyrics are actually describing the Pikmin which is a bit cheesy but what can you do?  It’s feels kind of like a lullaby with how light it is on arrangement and add on Mi’s voice…they just meshed into this really cutesy song.  I don’t think it’s on par with their last A-side, but it’s OK.

2. Shabondama

As the B-side, Shabondama continues with the overall acoustic feel but this is also a cover of a well-known children’s tune.  I also learned that Mi’s vocals doesn’t have the best range as she kind of squeaks across the higher notes and you can hear her struggle too.  I thought the arrangement grows into something nice esspecially once Mi’s voice gets to the part where it gets the echo effect.  It’s OK, but it has its own problems.

3. Ai no Uta ~Laugh mix~

The single ends with ANOTHER remix of Ai no Uta, luckily unlike the “Pikmin Dance” single, this one actually includes Mi’s and surprisingly a male voice as well.  The arrangement seems a bit more lively by adding some more strings and guitars to add some liveliness.  I kind of enjoyed this the most of this single isn’t that odd?

 

 

So with the release of Pikmin 2, Strawberry Flower had reformed to release their 2nd single.  Tane no Uta as the theme is probably more effective to explain the game, but it was missing something that made “Ai no Uta” seem so good.  Shabondama is OK, but nothing really special especially as it’s a cover and the new mix of Ai no Uta was just cute and the best it had to offer.  Sadly, with how far Pikmin 3 took to release, the band did not return to sing the theme and I assume they are disbanded, because Nintendo wouldn’t be wanting to pay them to wait that long would they?

Strawberry Flower – Pikmin Dance August 7, 2010

Track Listing

1. Pikmin de Techno
2. Pikmin no March
3. Pikmin Ondo

1. Pikmin de Techno

So let me straighten this now, this single are remixes of “Ai no Uta” which was the song used for the first Pikmin.  Also you will not have vocals present in the entire single which is a bit disappointing but whatever.  The first song which is more of an electropop mix of the song is so energetic and has a very DDR-like feel to it which is great, but lyrics would’ve helped quite a bit.

2. Pikmin no March

Yup, if you guessed right, the next mix is a march version of the song and it’s very strange since it’s not really entirely a pure march since you don’t have strange synths, or more or less, accordion present in marches.  I mean it’s pretty regal in a way, but I want a pure march not this other synthetic and strange stuff.

3. Pikmin Ondo

I’m guessing Pikmin Ondo would be the tune that would sound the most like Japanese culture, but it’s kind of funny to listen to because of whatever is playing the melody of Ai no Uta.  I mean I can imagine Yazima Biyoushitsu singing along to this version of the song which is so uncomfortable to say.  Still it’s lulzy.

 

 

I know for all purposes this is a remix single and all that, it’s still worth reviewing since it’s so rare and out of print for that matter.  Pikmin Dance is a useless buy if you have “Ai no Uta” in the first place, but I guess it’s good for people who like different instrumentations.

Strawberry Flower – Ai no Uta December 4, 2009

Track Listing

1. Ai no Uta
2. Namida ga Afureta
3. Ai no Uta (Instrumental)

1. Ai no Uta

I think everyone knows this song that represented the first Pikmin game.  I think Ai no Uta is one of the more cutest and yet sad songs I’ve kind of ran into.  It’s strange that the song feels more like a lullaby than anything else.  It features a some accordion, acoustic guitar and a part that includes strings and orgel.  It’s a nice combination if you ask me.  The singer of this “group”, Be is quite an airy vocalist too, but she can sound innocent enough to get by in the song.  Towards the end, there’s this muffled part, but it sounds out of place here…

2. Namida ga Afureta

The B-side of the single is a bit like “Ai no Uta” in the sense they are both slow songs that are fronted by the acoustic guitar.  However, Namida ga Afureta sounds more like a normal J-pop song and feels a little western at parts as well.  It isn’t as memorable as the A-side, but at least it sounds nice.

 

 

WHT!, Nintendo actually has a vocal song more or less a single?  Yeah, you really don’t see Nintendo doing this often, but the idea of Strawberry flower was a short yet, nice idea and it turns out this single sold more than the game itself which is hilarious on its own terms.  Ai no Uta even has a French version which is wacky eh?  Still, Ai no Uta is a nice song to get relaxed from.