#2012 edition

[intoxicatedfandom]

show us your face, would be great if a tiny human was with you too

2012 Zayn is happy to grant your wish, Nonnie.

[chabermaca]

Nano-Mugen compilations: looking back

Hi! Today, as promised, I'll be looking at two songs: first, it's "Trash" by Suede, British alternative rock band, formed back in 1989, disbanded in 2003 and formed back again in 2010 with some success. The thing about "Trash" is, it has its own Wikipedia page! It it rare, especially considering that it's a song placed on Mugen. And it's not really that good, to be honest. The author said what he meant by that song, so I'm just gonna quote him.

"I actually wrote it about the band Suede. It's a celebration of the band, but by extension, it's a celebration of the fans as well. And it was a kind of a song written about us, as a gang, it was written about the values we stood for. And even though it sounds like a love song, it was actually about the idea of the identity of the band, and what they stood for."

That's... okay? That's not some amazing concept, but one can do something decent with it. Apparently, it was their first single that was much more pop-like, and this song was also supposed to represent the change in their image. Well, but enough about that, how's the song itself?

"Well, maybe, maybe, it's the clothes we wear The tasteless bracelets and the dye in our hair Maybe it's our kookiness Or maybe, maybe, it's our nowhere towns Our nothing places and our cellophane sounds Maybe it's our looseness"

Well... it rhymes. But why is it called---

"But we're trash, you and me We're the litter on the breeze We're the lovers on the streets"

Woah! That came out of nowhere! And ""But" we're trash"? "But"? You didn't exactly paint positive picture of yourselves in the first and second verse, you know. But eh, I can't say much when the author already said what he meant. It's... there. Nothing crazy.

And the music is weird. It's nothing amazing, but you can feel that they indeed were trying with something new for them at the time. They... mildly succeeded. I have no idea how this charted 3rd in UK in 1996. Standards were different I suppose.

Okay, that was "Trash"! Now onto the "Sabishisa ni hi wo Kube" by 10-FEET.

From Wiki: 10-FEET is a Japanese rock band from Kyoto, Japan signed to Universal Music Japan and managed by BADASS.

That's BADASS. It's a weird group. They formed in 1997 and released their first single in 2001, so they should be younger than Suede. But, they never disbanded, so they are technically more experienced than they are... And they both play alternative rock! What a coincidence!

Of course, no lyrics. And they sing too fast for me to understand even single word... Okay, I understand some. But still, main vocalist sounds like he's running late and he needs to finish this gig right. now.

I kinda like it, now that I listen to it. It's really crazy, it's fast... And it manages to be fast despite having harmonica as one of the instruments. What is great about that, well, it plays at its own pace... even during complicated guitar solo. It's confusing in a pretty funny way. I said what I thought about the vocalist... He has an interesting voice, that's for sure, although he screams for most of the time. It works, in this particular piece. I don't think it could work in any other song, but I am open for a pleasant disappointment. I might check out their singles, they might prove interesting. So yeah, I liked it. Surprisingly, but I did.

So that was " Sabishisa ni hi wo Kube"! And now for the overall album impressions.

It wasn't that great. While 2011 had "A Rose Is A Rose" which basically made the entire album, this one didn't have anything memorable on it. Sure, it has good songs, like "Tokyo LIFE", which will probably be my song of the album, or "Someone's Gonna Break Your Heart" on which I went on a way too long rant for no real reason because I didn't even like that song so much. The rest, I can barely remember their titles. But there weren't any painful to listen songs, so that is a plus. Overall, it places itself on the lower half.

So that was 2012! Tomorrow short break, because why not, and the next day we'll start with 2013 and hope that I can finish it before New Year.

Have a nice day everybody!

[chabermaca]

Nano-Mugen compilations: looking back

Hi! Today it's "Nexus -acoustic version-" by Straightener (I've expressed my dislike for this band many, many times already). They don't improve. I think they don't need to, I won't suddenly start loving them, and what they play works for many people. Still, I think they could at least change their goddamn vocalist...

I won't even bother with lyrics. If they are most fantastic thing on the planet, then I guess joke's on me, but I highly doubt that.

It's a six minute song. It drags itself for way, way too long, and the singer never shuts up. God, give your band some time to shine, will ya? They are literally the only good thing about it... At the beginning, song plays only on your left headphone - it's called somehow, I bet - and at the end only on your right. It still mystifies me why anyone would think it's a good idea to do that - sure, if it's in a short period of time, like: left side! half a second break! right side! etc. But here, it's for the first and last thirty seconds in, let me remind you, six minutes song. It has no use whatsoever. And the whole thing sounds uninspired as always. It's acoustic, yayyy... So boring. It's a pop song or what? Artistic song? It has no substance. It's there, not even that, it happened and now it's gone. Those guys just don't know what to do with themselves.

So yeah, that was "Nexus". Tomorrow, seeing that my near-death fever has gone down, we'll be doing two final songs on the album, "Trash" by Suede and "Sabishisa ni hi wo Kube" by 10-FEET. I'll compare the two, express my thoughts on the entirety of 2012 Mugen and I hope I'll be able to finish 2013 Mugen before New Year's Eve. Then probably anime.

Have a nice day!

[chabermaca]

Nano-Mugen compilations: looking back

[chabermaca]

Nano-Mugen compilations: looking back

[chabermaca]

Nano-Mugen compilations: looking back

I don't know, I just had enough with those "meaningful", "deep" songs about stuff. Maybe I like to take things a little too literally, but the amount of bullshit this particular song has is astounding. I would be fine with that if the singer actually tried to SING, but no, he says it calmly, modifying his voice a little. "That's how singing works, right?" Not really, no. It should convey some, uh, emotions. Not always, mind you, but in case of your shit, it would help. Because this song is really nothing. Waste of space on the shelves, waste of space on the disc. And it ends really abruptly! Why The Rentals ever wanted to play with you!? So that was "Underneath My Tree"! Tomorrow it'll be "The World Is Yours" by PHONO TONES. Have a nice day!

[chabermaca]

Nano-Mugen compilations: looking back

Hi! Today it's "True Romance" by Motion City Soundtrack, American rock band formed in 1997. Wikipedia states that they play "emo" music, along "post-hardcore" one. I don't know if those two can be played together, but I really don't think so. This song is definitely NOT either of those genres. And it seems the band is still active, as they released new single this year. Good, they produce quality music. And since they are English speaking band, they have lyrics of their songs on the internet. Let's take a look.

"I'm a screw up of epic proportions A walking hand grenade Hyper-manic, a dime store dramatic A conduit for pain She said, "Don't speak, don't think Just take it off, take it off" I said, "Don't speak, don't blink Just mess me up, mess me up""

Before and after that, there's of course chorus:

"You better believe it's true You know I do, I do You better believe it's true You know I do, I do"

It's pretty clear what the song is about, although it gives it a little more meaning than simple "let's bone"... or maybe not. I appreciate that main hero accepted the fact that he sucks, that's always nice, but again, it's all about the man. The girl is there to relieve his pain. And it comes back to every love song sang by a man ever. Okay, I may be a little unfair, but it is true, at least in some parts. But, the song is really decent.

Music in it is good. Typical rock sounds, but with main singer vocals it feels really pleasant. My friend called it "przyjemna popierdółka", which basically means that it is fun to listen to, but it's really nothing more. It's fast-paced, it's upbeat, and, wouldn't you know it, it's energetic. If that's all you want, you'll find it in this song. And I think that's important in some way. But really, if you want something really entertaining, it's not the song you want. It's a good pause in your playlist, but you'll probably never want to listen to it outside of this album.

So that was "True Romance"! Tomorrow it'll be "Underneath My Tree" by Ozma.

Have a nice day!

[chabermaca]

Nano-Mugen compilations: looking back