Mikunology Reviews #2: NX STARS (2022)
Alright, here is my second review! Today, I'm reviewing something much more recent and kind of obscure depending on your circles...the album NX STARS created by VOCALOEDM circle NEXTLIGHT!
Uh, so, like I said, I wanted to review mostly albums I'm interested in (someone did give me a suggestion I might follow up on though) and as a big EDM listener and a fan of several of the DJs in NEXTLIGHT, I figured I'd give the NX series some spotlight. I'd like to review some of NEXTLIGHT's other projects as well in the future. But anyways, let's get on it!
Star Theory - We start off the album with a song from Reno! This song is a bright, poppy electropop track, fitting to the album's star concept. I have to say, it's a good start: the song has a strong dazzling air about it, complemented by Miku's vivid and cute vocals. It definitely has this "sparkling" vibe with the way the synths are used, and it does a good job at getting you ready and excited for what's ahead. Pretty good!
Sono Koe wa Kagami no Gotoku (That Voice That's Like a Mirror) - OK, not gonna lie, this is probably my favorite track on the album and we're only on #2! I'm admittedly kinda late on hopping on the keisei fan train - I wasn't a big fan of "Singularity", to be honest. But this song is wonderful: the song's guitar and piano and the almost "soaring" feeling of the music is incredibly refreshing and addicting. Not to mention, this song uses Miku NT fantastically - she sounds nearly indistinguishable from V4, minus some light engine noise. I don't know how keisei does it.
Tenbinzu no Principal (Libra's Principal) - A dazzling pop/future bass track courtesy of colate! I don't think I liked this one overly much upon first listen, but relistening to it has made me like it a bit more. Like Star Theory, it has this very "sparkly" and "magical" feel to it, between the twinkling synths, dashes of violin and light, clean future bass drops. Still, I think this one is a bit on the forgettable side compared to the previous two tracks.
Candy Load - emon my beloved!! A sort of guest on part of NEXTLIGHT, he brings his typical fun and fresh pop to the album. It feels a slight bit different from his usual stuff, so to speak: Miku's vocals (which are provided by Miku Sweet) feel more subdued than usual, and it has some more chill parts to it. But, it is a good track! The chorus is as funky and catchy as only emon can bring, and I can easily have a good bop to it. If you like "Metamo-Ribbon", for instance, I think you're easily gonna love this one. Probably one of the more stand-out tracks.
Kashimashi Bischet - A new track provided by Twinfield! However, unfortunately…I kinda feel lukewarm on this one. Don't get me wrong, it is a fun track, but I feel like it has trouble standing out, with the only part that really got my attention being the drop before the final chorus - it leads into this really cool and fun-sounding instrumental section, and it makes the following chorus feel a lot more fun as a result! Basically, the song feels a bit like it takes too long to "get good". But eh, I'll give it a 5/10.
Magical Shiny Sky - This track is provided by picco, aka the current queen of Vocaloid future bass XD I have to say, though, this track is pretty good! I feel like during my first listen of this album, I didn't give it too much credit, but I think it's pretty cool. It has a great beat to it and it grabs you from the get-go, and it keeps that fun, jumping quality going through the whole thing. And again, this song has the signature "sparkly" element most of the album has been keeping! It feels pretty satisfying as a future bass track.
Ride the Light - This song is written by Capchii! This has a somewhat harder beat to it, making it kind of unique since this album has mostly been light electropop. However, I don't think I'm super keen on this track: the music itself is good, with the harder electropop beat working for it well and having a fairly catchy hook, but I'm kinda…lukewarm on Miku's vocals? I think Capchii uses her well on average, but she sounds kinda underwhelming on this track and it makes the song kinda so-so.
Ryuusei Empathy (Meteor Empathy) - This next track is by another "guest", Buono! This one is hard to describe…I can't name any traits from it that the other tracks on this album don't adhere to? This one has a sorta funky chorus, almost emon-like, but despite listening to it a few times I find this one mostly forgettable. Sorry, Buono :'D
Your Wish - A second track created by Reno! This one is good - admittedly not as strong as Star Theory, in my opinion, but with a nice uplifting and bopping vibe to it. I'm growing more and more fond of their way of tuning Miku as well :D The way she sings "Your wish come true" at the end of the chorus is super satisfying and definitely instilled a Feeling™ in me. High rec this one!
Outer Shelter's - Finally, our last track is brought about by Adomiori! This one is actually rather chill compared to the rest of the CD - it's more slow and emotional rather than perky and bouncy, but it still keeps the happy theme of the album. I really like it, actually?? The way Miku sings in this one is very nice, and I love the vibes here - it really gives that sort of "floating in space" feeling. The melody both for the vocals and the drop is great. It feels like a very suitable final track to end off such a starry tracklist.
And that's it! Overall, I'd say this album is pretty good - even if I say a song is sorta mid, I can't necessarily say any of them are absolutely worth skipping (i.e. really bad), and most of the tracks are very enjoyable. If you enjoy electropop or future bass when it comes to VOCALOID, I think you will enjoy most if not all of NX STARS. I highly encourage you to check out NEXTLIGHT if this album seems up your alley!
I'm thinking next week, I could cover my favorite from the NX series, NX ENCHANT, but idk, maybe I'll do something else instead. I hope you enjoyed my review ;v;
