Ami Suzuki ; DOLCE Review

August 12, 2008 at 8:42 pm (Album, Ami Suzuki, CD Review) (, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , )

Dolce / Ami Suzuki
Ami Suzuki
The album opens up very strongly, with the great dance number FREE FREE.  This track was released as the first single before the albums release, and defintely deserved more than the meager sales it did acquire.  The song has a certain flair and a sexy club feel. The chorus can be overwhelming at times, being very epic and sexy.  Ami sports some very hott vocals and the arrangement is fantastic as well.
“Set me free, set free, i wanna be set free, i wanna be free, set free … i believe you set me free.”
The next track is the below-par feel the beat.  It was the b-side to the “Potential Breakup Song” single, and produced by Sugiurumn.  To be honest, the song does start out quit nicely.  There are beep, if you will, that eventually lead into a very strong dance sound.  The song will initially make you want to go clubbing, but after the first minute in a half, it will just make you want to shut it off.  It was repetitive and boring, at best.  It has it’s strong party, such as the intrumental breaks, but also it’s weak points.
The second single and last one before the albums release is also the next track on this album, Potential Breakup Song. It is a cover of the ALY&AJ song by the same name.  My first thing to say is that this is one of the best covers I have heard in my life.  She changes the song–certainly for the better–and turns it into another dancey song.
The next track is the masterpiece Bitter….  Ami Joined Studio Apartment for this track, which came out beautifully.  The song has a much more mellow feel than the rest of the album, yet still features one of the most infectious melodies I have heard in a long time.  By the second half of the song,  the chorus repeats many times but in altering forms.  For example, the music will “gradually” come back into full doses after going almost completely “off”, if you will.  This track is one of, if not my single, favorite track on the album.
“Hey baby don’t leave me alone, I’m alone when you say “So baby don’t leave me alone” I’m alone this night”.  For some reason, I just can’t get that out of my head.  The song is SWEET DANCE.  The song is cute and of consideranle length, which is good, coming in at 5 minutes.  The song sounds like it has something like electronic strings at parts, which is huge plus for originality factor.
The next song is the length, cute and playful song THe WeekeND.  The song has a somewhat generic electro-pop arrangement.  The song is a little too long for it’s own good, coming in at six and a half minutes.  The song has cheering in the backgroung during times, which can be a very risky move.  It doesn’t hurt the song, but it surely isn’t as effective as it is in Hamasaki’s “independent”.  The songs highpoint is the end where she sings progressively a capella.
Immediately afterwords is the b-side to the “FREE FREE / SUPER MUSIC MAKER” single.  “Music” a voice says, right at the start.  It quickly shifts into Ami’s cute and catchy vocals, before going into a verse.  The chorus opens with a bang, “HEY! YOU! YEAH! Super Music Maker”, she says.  This song is, like most of the album, a mix between a club track and electro-pop.  This song certainly takes the cake for the best song of it’s kind I have ever heard.
Falling in line with the others, MUSIC is another dance oriented pseudo-club track.  The song does not lack originality though, and mixes elements of jazz into the song.  It is particularly interesting to see how the chorus seems so flexible and is at time almost whispered.
Stereo Love is one catchy song, I must say.  It is probably one of her most cutesy songs to date, and she does indeed pull off the style very well.   This was initially one of my favorite tracks on the album when I first heard it, and it still is!  It has great and cute lyrics.
This song presents a nice change of pace, going from the electro-club feel to a more pop feel for the rest of the album.  Ai no Uta is a cute song which features nearly all acoustic instruments and even a rapper. “Love & Peace”, he says.  It is a fun, short, cute and quirky.  “Love changing the world, love is everything”, she says.
futari wa POP! certainly can be annoying at first, but it grows on you.  It’s the kind of song you hate yet you can’t turn it off.  It is just too catchy, along with lyrics that are easy to learn and sing along too.  Again, it’s another mainly acoustic song and features a male vocalist in the beginning.
The next song has a more interesting sound for Ami, using both electric and acoustic guitars, sometimes at the same time and sometimes at different one.  This song is Atarashii Hibi.  It has a catchy chorus, but the verses lack a little.  The song is pretty average, not adding anything new or interesting.
The next and final track is the only non-join project track on the album.  The lyrics were written by Ami, “If I can be with you anytime, shining and shining days”. if… certainly was a change of pace from the rest of the album, being an upbeat pop ballad.  It has strings and all else that one could ever wish for in a pop-ballad.

OVERALL GRADE: 81 B-

Permalink 1 Comment

Utada Hikaru ; HEART STATION review

August 11, 2008 at 2:00 pm (Album, CD Review, Utada Hikaru) (, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , )

Heart Station / Hikaru Utada
Hikaru Utada
___________
___________
“HEART STATION” is the 5th Studio album (not including “Exodus”) by Japanese pop queen Utada Hikaru.  It reached #1 on the oricon & world charts and has so far sold nearly 1,000,000 copies.  Released under the EMI record label in just 1 format, it is so far the best selling female album of the year.
___________
It opens with Fight the Blues, an inspirational track with a somewhat retro or dated sound.  The song’s sound makes it seems low-budget, but believe me when I say this song is a masterpiece.  Her vocals are top-notch, as are the lyrics.  “We fight the blues” and“I hate to lose” are both said throughout the song.  This song is surely a fantastic way to open an album.
___________
The next track is also the title track, HEART STATION. It was released as a single shortly before the album’s release, coupled with “Stay Gold”.  This song is a non-typical ballad and is very flexible.   It follows suit with most of the album in being very synthetic and has a cute, more childish melody than her past albums.  Despite that, it’s a very good song and should not be looked over.  The song has cute and heartwarming lyrics, “The lovers’ heart station”, and average vocals by Utada.
___________
The album’s next track was a single titled Beautiful World.  It was used in the Evangelion movie, as was the single’s b-side “Kiss & Cry”.  “It’s only love”, she says during the opening, something that drew me in immediately.  “Beautiful World” “Beautiful Boy”.  It may sound silly, but the way they are sung has a profound impact and she pulls out off very nicely.  This song also has the best instrmentation on the album, mixing synthetic with a little bit of acoustic instrments such as the piano.  The infectious melody will keep you listening on and on.  There is an instrmental break shortly after the third chorus which takes my breath away every time I hear it.
___________
The album’s biggest single, Flavor of Life -Ballad Version- is probably also the album’s biggest let-down.  The lyrics are nice, but the orchestral instrumentation just really isn’t cutting it.  It’s boring. It’s even somewhat bland, might I say?  The melody simply worked better in the Original Mix.
___________
The B-side in the “HEART STATION / Stay Gold” single is, as you may have guessed, Stay Gold, and is also the next track.  It was very interesting to listen to at first.  It has heartwarming lyrics and a very ghostly feel.  the song is beautiful and great to sing along to, with a nice and beautiful melody.  The instrumentation lacks variety though, keeping with almost all the same instruments all the way through.  Also, you kind of forget about this song after a time.
___________
Kiss & Cry has the coolest and most original name, yet the most bland, boring and unoriginal everything-else.  The melody for the verses was used previously in Utada’s song “Hotel Lobby”.  The Song makes a grandeur entrance, but that same essence of grandeur quickly fades.  The melody is boring and often quite repetitive.  The only redeeming feature of this song was a superb vocal performance by Hikaru.
___________
After Gentle Beast Interlude it very quickly turns into Celebrate, a “dance oriented club track”.  I think this description is misleading, because the melody isn’t very danceable and nobody would ever want to hear this if they went to a club.  It just doesn’t work.  The most itneresting part of this song, which is filled with seemingly silly lyrics and a boring bland melody and boring and bland intrumentation is when Utada shows off her lesbian side by saying “Sexy Lady”.
___________
In an awkward transition, Prisoner of Love follows “Celebrate”.  This track starts out nicely enough, with a very nice “I’m a prisoner of love, just a prisoner of love” but quickly turns into what sounds like a bad and horribly produced R&B song.  Sadly, this song got turned into a recut single and ended up selling more than the more-deserving “HEART STATION / Stay Gold” single.  Although, the song does have interesting vocals, which are nice, and thumping bass during parts, which really adds to the interesting-ness.
___________
TAKE 5 follows.  Symbolic of death, this song is surprisingly hopeful.  It talks about death being a place to, well, “Take 5″.  It has a great synthetic arrangement and has a very ghostly feel, superior to “Stay Gold”’s.  The song has beautiful lyrics, “I want to be translucent like the sky”, she says.  The song has a superb melody and vocal performance and certainly is one of Hikaru’s many masterpieces, although somewhat lacking in this album.  The song ends mid-setence and all music stops very abruptly, symbolizing how life can, and probably will, end in a similar, surprising fashion.
___________
Boku wa Kuma follows, with another weird transition.  The song lacks terribly, but i supposed that is due to the fact it is a children’s song.  It has a very simple melody and very boring, laid-back sounding vocals.  There isn’t much else to say about this song, as it lacks all originality, talent and variety.
___________
Now, after Boku wa Kuma, you’re probably thinking “well, it can’t get any worse”, well, you’re dead wrong.
The song afterwards, Nijiiro Basu doesn’t have the same things “Boku wa Kuma” doesn’t have, and doesn’t have the positive attributes it does.  This song is the best at being horrible and an absolute disgrace to the musical world.  It features virtually no true melody and repetitive instrumentation.
___________
The album ends with the original version of Flavor of Life.  The song is slightly superior to the “Ballad Version” which was featured as the fourth song on the album.  It is much more interesting to listen to and fits much more properly with the melody this time around.

___________

OVERALL GRADE: 66 D-

Permalink 3 Comments

Sora no Hana Recommends

August 10, 2008 at 8:00 am (Album, Ayumi Hamasaki, CD, CD Review, Kanon Wakeshima, RECOMMENDS, Single, alan, misono) (, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , )

Say / misono
misono
  • “Say”, the sophomore album by misono koda, is much better than her debut album and defintely deserves a listen.  Her music is much more enjoyable and interesting this time around, and this album does not disappoint!
Mirrorcle World / Ayumi Hamasaki
Ayumi Hamasaki
  • Another fantastic single by Ayumi Hamasaki, otherwise known as the queen of J-Pop.  This version of her 10th Anniversary single “Mirrorcle World” features “Depend on You (10th Anniversary Version)” as the second b-side, which is superior.  Including the instrumentals, there are a total of 6 tracks.
still doll / Kanon Wakeshima
Kanon Wakeshima
  • With only 3 songs and no instrumentals, this single may sound a little dry, but believe me when I say it’s not.  It’s worth the small amount of money for a masterpiece like “still doll”.  It also has a b-side and an orgel (music box) version of the a-side.
Sora Uta / alan
alan
  • This single sports a poppy and catchy song while still being uplifting and meaningful.  The single is the second single in an on-going singles project and is, in my opinion, her best single to date.  It features and a-side, a b-side and instrumentals of both.

Permalink Leave a Comment

Perfume ; love the world review

August 4, 2008 at 8:00 am (CD Review, Perfume, Single) (, , , , , , )

“love the world” is the first single to be released by techno-group and all girl group Perfume after their successful #1 album, “GAME”.  The single was released in CD-Only and CD+DVD formats.  It was released on September 9th, became their first #1 single and has since sold 104,470 copies.

  1. love the world
  2. edge
  3. love the world -original instrumental-
  4. edge -extended mix-

the title track, love the world, is a catchy and cute song with, surprisingly, some pretty powerful lyrics. It has a strong electropop feel while remaining reminiscent of the early 90s. The cute, catchy chorus is the highlight of the song. The song is, overall, only decent. Grade: B

The b-side, edge, is the superior song on the single. It has a repetitive allure, a la “chocolate disco” and “take me take me”. The song repeats the same line many times, yet it works very well. The song, as in all perfume songs, is electropop and features mainly synth instruments with distortion on the girls voices. The high point in this song is also the chorus as well as the bridge. Grade: A

love the world -original instrumental- offers nothing musically, sadly, and is one of Perfume’s weakest instrumentals to listen to solely.

The edge -extended mix- is a longer version of edge which has more vocals.

OVERALL GRADE: 85 / B+

Permalink Leave a Comment

alan; Shiawase no Kana / Ai Jiu Shi Shou

May 25, 2008 at 6:06 am (CD, CD Review, Single) (, , )

Shiawase no Kane cover

Ai Jiu Shi Shou cover

alan’s new single, Shiawase no Kane / Ai Jiu Shi Shou, is her first digital single and an unexpected release, jumping in before Natsukashii ~Unchanging Future~. In a response to the shocking China earthquake, all profits from these two songs will be donated to the Red Cross to help the victims of the earthquakes. Although Shiawase no Kane (幸せの鐘; Bells of Happiness) and Ai Jiu Shi Shou (愛就是手; Love is Our Hands) are seperate releases, they are the same songs in different languages (Japanese and Chinese, respectively).

The songs are very touching. Unlike her previous releases, she does not use her high-pitched ‘yodels’ (as heard in Ashita e no Sanka and Hitotsu), but rather keep it all in almost the same octave. The lyrics for both Shiawase no Kane and Ai Jiu Shi Shou are not only pretty, but they also have somewhat of a message to them, which is not surprising because this is what I call a ‘charity song’, especially one for a disaster that hits a bit too close to home for alan (she was originally from the Sichuan province). One interesting thing is that although both songs are the same (with different languages, of course), the titles are nowhere near similar to each other. Also, the Chinese title confuses me a bit (Love is Our Hands??…) It makes sense, but the translated title seems odd. The only main problem would probably be the instrumental, which is a little bit lacking, but that doesn’t mean it should have lots of heavy guitars with screaming fans inserted in random places. All in all they are both very touching songs from a very caring artist. I wish alan and the Sichuan victims all the best of luck in the future.

Overall Grade: A+

Permalink Leave a Comment

Utada Hikaru ; Prisoner of Love

May 24, 2008 at 2:03 pm (CD, CD Review, Single, Utada Hikaru)

One of the biggest thing to ever hit Japanese Pop music, Utada Hikaru, is back with a new recut single from her super-selling album “HEART STATION”. The single is “Prisoner of Love”, the theme for the drama “Last Friends”. It was released on May 21st. On the Oricon charts, it debuted at number 3 but climbed to number 2 on the daily charts where it is expected to remain in the weeklies. The single comes in only CD+DVD format. It was released under the EMI Record label.

CD Tracklist
  1. Prisoner Of Love
  2. Prisoner Of Love -Quiet Version-
  3. Prisoner Of Love (Original Karaoke)
  4. Prisoner Of Love -Quiet Version- (Original Karaoke)
DVD Tracklist
  1. Prisoner Of Love (PV)

The first track, Prisoner of Love, is obviously the main track on the single. It features a very percussion based arrangement throughout the song. A large majority of the arrangement is “booms”, “claps”, and a piano. A Strings section makes appearances in the bridge. Overall, the song is somewhat bland mainly because of the reliance on the percussion instruments.

The next track is Prisoner of Love -Quiet Version-. This is, basically, just “Prisoner of Love” without the percussion instruments. Without the percussion the chorus certainly sounds more “pure”, with Hikaru’s voice being accompanied by only the strings section. Overall, this is a large improvement over the original version of the song which sounded somewhat eclectic with the overpowering percussion instruments in the arrangement.

There are also Instrumental tracks of both “Prisoner of Love” and “Prisoner of Love -Quiet Version-”

Overall Grade: C+

Permalink 2 Comments