VocaloReview

Reviews of Vocaloid Albums, Songs, and Producers

[vocaloreview]

5150 by DevilishP/DarvishP (Review by zenoob)

Hey guys! I want to welcome a new reviewer to the fold: zenoob! He'll occasionally contribute a review when he can. At first, I wanted this blog to be a solo project of my own, but I've realized that I just don't have the time to put out new content frequently enough to keep the blog relevant. For this reason, I'm inviting a few new hands on board. I think it'll also be cool to get some fresh perspectives on the blog. I'll let zenoob take it from here!

Overview :

  DevilishP is a well-known Vocaloid Metal producer. He makes fast-paced songs often mixing Heavy Metal and Emo influences with heavy riffs and relatively simple structures.

  Today’s album review is focused on his first album release under a major music company : 5150.

5150 is composed of 12 tracks, most of them, in not all, being his most known songs.

  5150 had the chance to be one of the greatest Heavy Metal Vocaloid album out there if it had stick with the energy and the sick riffs of Holography. Its first track starts right of the bat with a really great riff that seems to set the tone for the rest of the album. However, a softer FRAME OUT follows up and, unfortunately for some metal fans like me, is what actually defines what we’ll hear for most of the album. Hikarizakura and Twitter, despite being both really enjoyable to listen to but are not enough if you wanted a pure Heavy Metal album. The last redeeming factor is Omoide Kakera. While not spectacular, musically speaking when it comes to Metal, it’s an intense song with a powerful solo that will make you want to air guitar.

  But what if we throw away that « Heavy Metal album » label ? Well, the Emo infulences clearly take over and the songs are all more or less really enjoyable although not really original or creative. We have the obviously clear and soft Vocals of Gumi and Hatsune Miku that blends well with the lyrics of the songs and the rather simple composition of most songs. DevilishP does tune them well, especially Gumi, which doesn’t sound too high-pitched. The tuning of both Miku and Gumi in Hikarizakura is perfectible though.

  While the songs don’t boast too unusual time signatures or tempo changes or mad guitar skills, they still have that fat and heavy Metal sound, and that’s actually enough. You will also hear clean guitar sounds here and there as in Squall -which funnily enough has almost the same intro as Twitter- with a rather interesting use where instead of having the usual « clear verses/distortion choruses » pattern, it’s the opposite. You can still hear the distorded guitar but the clean sounds is in the foreground.

  5150 is an album full of DevilishP. A Metal lover who makes music the way he wants to, creating his own sound, his own « style », without trying to directly copying from its inspiration. We get an insteresting mix of heavy sounds with soft singings and ‘sad’ yet hopeful lyrics and many good solos.

  Highlights of this album would be :

-  Holography : the riff is makes you want to headbang like a mad man. The solo is great.

-  twitter : the song as a whole is really good and has really insteresting lyrics.

-  magenta : this song is kind of the ‘standard’ for what DevilishP seems to make as of late. The bass line is also really good.

-  Omoide Kakera : my biased opinion says it’s DevilishP’s masterpiece. It’s really just a great rock song with a beautiful solo.

  The final note I give to DevilishP’s album 5150 is :

  7/10.

[vocaloreview]

Conti New by DECO*27

Overview

Ah, DECO*27. One of the big players of Vocaloid, but not given the spotlight as often as the other big guys like livetune and ryo. DECO*27 (pronounced “DecoNiNa,” by the way) has been working in the Vocaloid scene since its early days, and has contributed a ton to the scene. Some of his most important works are “Mozaik Role” and “Yowamushi Montblanc,” and he’s produced several studio albums. He even put out an album just recently that’s nothing but himself singing acoustic covers of his own stuff; it’s quite cool.

Conti New is his newest studio album, and represents a return to his more traditional stuff. The Vocals are exclusively Miku, and as usual she’s got a lot of spunk and a lot to say. Without further ado, let’s get into it.

Music

1) ストリーミングハート/Streaming Heart: We’re opening the album up with a bit of an attitude, I see! This song’s got a nice sense of energy, with Miku being skillfully tuned to sing rock vocals over a powerful set of drums. There’s a synthesizer playing much of the melody in the background, and it sounds great. The song is fast, upbeat, and fun to listen to. Miku’s “Oh Yeah!”-ing synergizes well with the other instruments, and nothing interferes with anything else frequency-wise. It’s a simple little song, but it’s a fun and upbeat tune to get us hooked into the album from the get-go. You might just be saying “Yeah, Yeah!” to yourself as you listen at home. Check out the PV here, it’s very cool and quite intense.

2) おじゃま虫/Ojamamushi: “Stickybug,” as this one is called in English, is a slower and more laid back rock tune. Miku’s casually singing about whatever the hell she’s singing about at a strolling pace, and the guitar’s got a quick little thing going on in the background to hold the rhythm down. There are drums too of course, and the synthesizer joins in to round out the soundscape. Much of the song is repetitive and simplistic, but not in a bad way; it’s relaxing and enjoyable. The chorus, however, is different from the rest. The lyrics are basically “pafu-pafu, nya nya~!” It’s quite cute, and you’ll be humming or singing along in no time. Definitely an enjoyable track, though it’s not a crazy awesome hit or anything. There’s a PV here, though it’s just a still image (though a pretty one).

3) 毒占欲/Dokusen Yoku: “Mono Poisoner” here is a bit more lively than the last track. It’s the standard set of instruments that you’ll hear throughout this album working together. The guitar and synth dominate though, with the drums being just barely audible once in a while. Miku’s singing is fast and hard, and there are times when she actually borders on rapping more than singing. It’s very interesting, though there are times when it can grate on the ears a little bit due to all of the different instruments being mixed together very loudly. The chorus is especially loud and energetic, and it’s quite nice. There’s a section toward the later parts of the song where it slows down a good deal, but for the most part the song’s fast. Ultimately, I don’t think the song sounds very unique; it’s a bit generic and “rockish,” but it’s still a good song. The PV is really awesome, you should check it out here.

4) Lonely Shit: I love the title for this song; it’s so interesting to see Vocaloid producers using English swear words (Miku also sings “lonely shit” in the lyrics). “Lonely Shit” is a slower song, but it has a certain element of darkness to it; not angry or sad, but just a certain sense of discontent that prevails throughout the song. It’s almost as if Miku is singing about something that’s annoying her or grating on her mind. The main music elements here are guitar, vocal, and drums. The synth is there in the background, but it’s just meant to fill in sound gaps and provide some atmosphere. This song retains a relatively singular pace the whole way through; the tempo doesn’t change very much and Miku plods along. It’s a relaxing tune that works really well as a background song to everyday life, though I will say that it’s not the kind of song I would sit down and listen to by itself.

5) Starlight Girl: Miku awakens! This song has a lot more life to it than some of the previous tracks, which were a little sleepy. “Starlight Girl” has DECO’s bouncy drums and soaring lyrics that everyone knows and loves, and the chorus especially instills a sense of lighthearted adventure in the listener. This song makes you feel like you’re flying through the sky and discovering things. The drums and guitar have a LOT of spunk too, especially during the choruses. This is one of my favorite songs on the album, simply because DECO*27 has managed to make Miku sound so authentically happy. It’s a shame there’s no PV for this.

6) たんこぶベイベ/Tankobu Babe: This is a REALLY interesting song. It has a sort of “road trip ballad” kind of feel, where the sound is very casual and laid back but still gives a sense of forward movement. Much of ther percussion is done with clapping noises, which lend a very nifty element of human authenticity to the song. The regular drums and guitar sound really good as well. Miku’s singing style is the most immediately noticeable element; she sings in a sort of staccato style most of the time, and many of the sections begin with her stuttering “ka” sounds. The final chorus has a nice little bit of guitar hiding underneath the vocals that’s quite cool if you catch it. There’s also one really cool and jarring moment where he throws in a censoring beep, which is unexpected in a Vocaloid song. “Tankoku babe” is adventurous, unique, and most importantly, fun.

7) 大掃除/Ousouji: “Winter Cleaning” is an interesting piece because it gives off a “march” sort of vibe, but it’s in 4/4 time. Usually, marches are written in 3/4 time (1, 2, 3, and 2, 2, 3, and 3, 2, 3, you get the picture. Look it up if you don’t). It’s bubbly and upbeat, leading to a very lighthearted and fun mood. You’ll no doubt want to sing and dance along with Miku as she charges into her winter cleaning chores. The guitar and drums sit quietly in the background complementing Miku’s vocals, but the vocals are clearly the dominant element here. There’s a rolling snare that adds to the march feeling I mentioned earlier, and it sounds quite lovely. The song is great, and what’s even greater is the hand-drawn PV which is equal parts cute and impressive.

8) 音偽バナシ/Otogi Banashi: This is “Fakery Tale,” and it’s one of the most well-known songs on the album. This song’s emotional feeling is one of a girl breaking free of her old bonds, setting off to a new life and starting over. It’s not an overly happy occasion; the song sounds fraught with worry over the future, but there is hope there as well. The guitar is the dominant instrumental element, with counterpointed melody laying down some sections where Miku isn’t singing. There’s a string section there too a little bit, and the drums are an interesting set of hand-played percussion (probably bongos). Miku’s voice has attitude and resolve, but is also tinged with a sense of uncertainty that I mentioned before. The “oh oh oh!” sections feel like she’s singing to the Heavens out of frustration. As usual with DECO*27 whenever he decides to show off his guitar skills, the guitar playing is top-notch. The song is great, and you should check out yet another nice PV here.

9) アンチビート/Anti-Beat: Something set Miku off, because she’s gotten a little angry here. The guitar is run through some dry distortion, and it sounds much grittier than previous tracks. Miku’s singing is similarly strong, and it sounds more mature and dark than in the previous tracks. The drums provide a faster and more intense rhythm underlying everything, and the synth that creeps in is gritty and rough. It’s not metal or anything, but it sound more mature than the other tracks. It’s like we’re listening to Miku grow up, and this is her angsty phase. However, this angsty phase doesn’t involve any My Chemical Romance or Hot Topic shopping; the song is much better than that. All of the musical elements complement each other well, and the chorus is exciting and fun to groove to.

10) 妄想税/Mousou Zei: This song’s English title is “Delusion Tax” and it’s a lively one. The drums and synth make up the main instrumentation, and Miku’s singing is suitably robotic and staccato. It’s another song that has a strolling element to it, but it’s not as laid back and leisurely as other pieces that share this characteristic. The chorus especially is not this way, and is instead much more energetic. Unfortunately, the pieces of the song just don’t synergize well for me; there’s a really cool bridge that builds up to the final chorus, but it just doesn’t feel like it fits with the rest of the song. The piece as a whole feels a bit monotonous and tends to drone on. The second half of the song picks up a bit and remedies some of the monotony of the first half, but it isn’t enough to save it. I think it might make a decent dance piece, but overall it’s the low point of the album. Check the PV here.

11) an: This is a really nice way to start winding down the album. It’s a slow song that mostly functions as a duet between Miku and her guitar. The drums are there in the background too, and they do a nice job of holding the beat down. The bass guitar makes a very welcome appearance too, jumping in once in a while to accent Miku’s singing. The tune is quite gentle, and the vocals especially give off a feeling of comforting emotions. During the few times we hear the synth in this song, it’s a droning bit of melody in the background that works pretty well. The chorus isn’t particularly explosive or different from the rest of the song, but that works well for it; it never strays away from that kind mood that fills your heart with calm when you hear it. It’s not “cutesy” like “Ousouji” was, nor should it be. It’s a nice song to lie in the grass and listen to; it feels like a “Spring” song to me.

12) 8月31日/August 31st t: Miku’s birthday! This song is our final goodbye to the album, and it knows exactly how to tug at your heartstrings. Opening with the sounds of the gently crashing waves, a delicately dancing guitar, and Miku’s soft serenading voice, it’s calm with a twinge of melancholy. Given Vocaloid’s track record, you can’t help but wonder if this song is about something really sad (though from the bits of Japanese I can pick up throughout, I don’t think it is). To put it simply, this song is beautiful. The guitar is simple, calming, and peaceful, and Miku’s voice is similarly airy. There is very little other instrumentation throughout the song save for an occasional but of synthesizer droning that creeps into the background sometimes. This is exactly the way this song should be. The final chorus rises a bit in energy and pitch, and this wonderfully accentuates the emotions you’ve been feeling throughout the song before letting you back down. It’s like a final ride through the clouds with Miku before she sends you back home. It’s easily the best song on the entire album, and I’m so glad it’s how we get to sign off.

Final Remarks

DECO*27’s style has really grown during the years. One of my favorite songs by him is “今日生まれる君　明日生まれる僕/I was born tomorrow, you were born today,” and if you listen to his style in that song versus now, you can see how much he’s evolved. With “Conti New,” I think DECO*27 has continued (get it?) to grow and adapt. His sound is much more mature now, and his experience shows through in all of the songs, particularly in his ability to masterfully weave the various elements of the songs together sonically through good mixing and mastering.

There are a few points in this album where some songs start to feel repetitive or lackluster, but there are also points where the album feels like it’s a lot of fun. Unfortunately, there aren’t really any blockbuster hits like “Mozaik Role” or “Yowamushi Montblanc” to be found here. “Fakery Tale” got a lot of buzz, and it’s certainly a good song, but I don’t feel like it would have climbed as high as it did if DECO*27’s name wasn’t attached to it. That being said, it’s still a nice showing from him, and fans of DECO*27 will surely be pleased. Just don’t expect to find your next favorite song here.

7.5/10

[vocaloreview]

DECORATOR EP by livetune.kz

Overview

Does livetune.kz even need an introduction? This man is the King of Vocaloid Dance Music, one of the founding fathers of Vocaloid whose fame and importance are only rivaled by other giants like supercell. Livetune produced one of the most famous Vocaloid hits, Packaged, a mere three weeks after Hatsune Miku was released. He’s even gone on to write various OPs and EDs in anime, but he has never abandoned Vocaloid. His newest EP, Decorator, is his newest foray into the scene. He credits himself as “livetune” without the .kz part, which is interesting, but I’m going to refer to him as “livetune.kz” here for continuity’s sake.

Decorator was used as the opening theme song to Hatsune Miku: Project Diva f2 on the PS3/Vita. The EP is available for purchase on iTunes, so I highly recommend buying it if you wish to have it in your collection. But is it worth owning? Let’s check it out.

  Music

1) DECORATOR: As we seem to almost always encounter, the titular track is first. It makes sense though, as the EP is centered on this song. DECORATOR is a pop-dance track featuring Hatsune Miku, as is livetune.kz’s forte. This song is upbeat in tempo and atmosphere, which makes sense as the opening to a dance game. Miku’s vocals are accompanied and supported by an array of synthesizers and special effects, which complement her voice very nicely. The thin, cute, and high-pitched background music matches Miku’s voice without invading her pitch range, allowing us to both keep tempo as well as keep each separate element in the mix distinctly separate without feeling like the sound is muffled. The song lacks a particularly explosive climax of any kind, and is a much more relaxed song than some of livetune.kz’s past work. That’s certainly not a bad thing, of course; DECORATOR will have you tapping your feet and grooving out in no time. The song is as good as a simple dance tune gets. Check out the Project Diva PV here.

  2) Packaged (Shipping in 2013 mix): Speak of the devil! Livetune.kz has graced us with a renewal of his original hit that helped launch Miku’s career. The lyrics and tuning of Miku are more or less identical to the original, but the background instrumentals are different. There’s a stronger bass element now, which makes it easier to dance to. There’ honestly not much I can say about the instrumentals; they’re fun, upbeat, and work really well with the rhythm of the song and Miku’s voice. This song is simply a more dance-oriented renewal of Packaged, and it’s great for it. It’s definitely worth a listen.

  3) Connection: Oh boy. Miku English. I’m always scared when I hear a song with Miku English, as her failures are much greater than her successes. They didn’t coach Saki Fujita well enough on English, and so she makes many basic pronunciation errors; most notably, she pronounces her “r” sounds with a distended lower jaw (stick your bottom jaw out as far as you can and make an “r” sound, you’ll hear what I mean). Despite being set up for failure, however, livetune.kz works his magic in this song. For one thing, I can actually understand most of what Miku is singing without external help, which is a rare luxury when listening to Miku English. Miku is very well tuned, and her voice is quite cute. There’s a heavy Japanese accent, of course, but that’s inevitable. The background instrumentals are very exciting, with swells coming in and out to build and release tension as the song goes on. It’s a bunch of synthesizers that complement Miku again, which is par for the course. This song would go very well in a club featuring some harder dancing, as it’s much more energetic than the previous two tracks.

  4) Pink or Black: Another Miku English song! I guess livetune.kz likes her. This song is a cute, relaxed pop-dance song that floats along like you’re skipping along on a cloud (that’s the best way I can think of to describe it, okay?). I can’t understand Miku’s English as well here, but it doesn’t really distract much from enjoying the tune. Certain phrases that get repeated a lot, such as “pink or black” and “it’s magic” are easy to understand, which anchors you into the lyrics well enough that you never mind. The background synths are cute and bubbly, which lends the song a very happy mood. The pitch range does unfortunately overlap a little bit here, but it’s not a big deal; the song is great for easy listening and is a nice pick-me-up to throw in the middle of the album. There was a really nifty MMD PV made, which you should watch here.

  5) Long Way From Here: This song is a little less upbeat in mood than the previous tracks, though it’s not sad or anything. It’s just a mellower dance tune. It’s back to using Japanese Miku now, so no need to worry about deciphering Engrish lyrics. The instrumentals in the background are mixed a bit quieter in this song, lending more focus to livetune.kz’s tuning of Miku, which is stellar always. Interestingly, this song’s Miku doesn’t employ the chorus effect that livetune.kz normally uses to lend Miku’s voice a sort of rich and robotic quality. It’s just one Miku voice singing, and it works well with the song. The synths do a good job of keeping rhythm as well as maintaining a melody line that works well in complementing Miku’s vocals portions. Unfortunately, however, I would say that this song is a little boring. There really aren’t any swells or crescendos except for one small swell near the end, nor are there big rests or pauses. The song ambles forward at a nearly constant pace, and the lack of change makes it more suited to background music than something you’d go out of your way to listen to. It’s not a bad song per say, but I would call it the low point of the EP.

  6) Andante: It’s been a long time since we’ve heard livetune.kz compose a song like this. Andante, which is an Italian musical marker meaning “at a walking pace,” is a beautiful and slow piece that harkens back livetune.kz’s hit Last Night, Good Night. Miku’s got that chorus effect going on that I mentioned earlier, and the background instruments are more varied. The song starts out with a delicate piano riff, and is slowly joined by some sort of percussion that seems to be a mix of live drums and synthesizer, as well as a synthesizer that is maintaining some complementary melody lines that work as a counterpoint to the piano (I don’t know enough music theory to tell you if this is an actual example of counterpoint, so don’t kill me if I used the word wrong). Judging by the mighty translating powers of Google Translate, Miku is singing about the beauty of life, despite it being short, and that we should take our time and enjoy everything. It’s a beautiful message that goes along with the heartstring-pulling quality of the tune. It’s by no means a technically complicated song, but that’s part of what makes it so great; it sucks you in and doesn’t let go until it’s done, and you’ll love every minute of the ride. The mood isn’t “sad” like Last Night, Good Night was, but it’s more introspective and may make you start to think about your live. Livetune.kz hits another one out of the park.

  7) DECORATOR (TeddyLoid Remix): Ah, TeddyLoid! He’s a really good remixer; I’ve heard him do some tracks for other people, including Jin. He was invited to try his hand at remixing the titular track, and this is the result. This version is much harder and more energetic than the original, and it comes across as much more passionate. There’s a lot of skipping applied to Miku’s vocals, as it often the case with remixes, and she feels like more of an instrument than a singer sometimes (oh, the irony), to cool effect. There’s one part of this remix that is especially cool: there’s a male human singer accompanying Miku during the chorus! I don’t know if that’s TeddyLoid himself or not, but I do know that it sound really awesome. I guess DECO*27 was on to something there. The harder, stronger percussion also gets particular praise from me, as it almost seems to guide the beating of your heart as you listen to the song. The synthesizers in the background sound awesome as well, and all the elements come together to make you feel like you’re flying around above a lit-up city at nighttime (picture it with this song in the background, you’ll get it). There is a bass-drop that occurs in the song that might turn some people off, but I don’t feel like it was done in excess. We didn’t go full dubstep here, but it was an interesting interlude to throw in the song. The dancing back and forth of the male and female vocals during the final chorus is really great, and this brings about a stellar end to the song, and thereby, the entire album. Honestly, I think I like this remix even more than the original.

  Final Thoughts

It’s over already?!? What a drag. But, that’s what happens with EPs. As expected of livetune.kz, this EP is a great showcasing of what he can do. The songs are fun to dance to, there’s a real sense of energy going on, and the songs are stylistically different enough to make sure you don’t get bored as you listen along. The album isn’t perfect, of course, but it’s still a great time. Hopefully livetune releases a full album soon instead of another EP (he’s released Tell Your World, Re:Dial, and DECORATOR in succession), and I’ll be waiting eagerly for this to happen.

  8/10

[vocaloreview]

Beautiful Dreamer by Natarie In The Dream/ナタP

Overview

It is sadly infrequent that we find albums that make extensive use of Luka’s excellent voicebank, let alone a Luka-exclusive album. Yet, here we are: Beautiful Dreamer by Natarie in the Dream (who also more commonly goes by Nata-P, or ナタP) is an album whose vocals are entirely sung by Megurine Luka. As a Luka fan, I was very intrigued by this, so I gave the album a look. After giving it a listen, I decided that I definitely should give it a review. The album’s an oldie by Vocaloid standards, having come out in 2010, but it’s still worth a look as it’s not well known. The album is available on Amazon and iTunes in the West, so I recommend giving it a look.

  The album art is beautiful; it’s a watercolor portrait of Luka posing among flowers and whatnot. The album booklet features more of these images for each song, and boy are they wonderful. I wish I could have found you a better picture, but alas, this was the best I could scrounge up. Also, I’m pretty sure Natarie handled all of the instruments on the album herself, which is an impressive feat given how skillful they are – but more on that in the next segment.

  Let’s dive in.

  Music

1) Beautiful Dreamer: Vocaloid producers seem to have a thing for making the titular track come right at the beginning of an album, don’t they? We’re greeted with Beautiful Dreamer, a song that is appropriately, well, dreamy. The instrumentals are very gentle and ethereal, with nothing being particularly loud or strong. They’re a combination of some sort of synthesized/electronic keyboard along with other effects and light percussion. No blaring guitars or heavy bass here, just some quiet grooves that do an awesome job of supporting Luka’s vocals. Luka is tuned very richly here, which is what her VB does best; her voice has a sense of thickness and depth that makes it very appealing to listen to. The song doesn’t have a wide vocal range, which works very well here. Some producers try to take Vocaloids to extreme highs, and it rarely ever sounds good (I’m looking at you, Jin. I love you but IA doesn’t need to break glass). Natarie plays it safe here, however, and keeps Luka square in her optimal range, playing with the tuning just subtly enough to keep it unique yet leaving enough of Luka intact that we don’t lose sight of her vocal characteristics. It’s a great song, and it’s a wonderful background track to listen to if you’re drawing or something.

  2) Anima: The album picks up a little bit more energy with this track. Anima opens with a guitar riff backed up by drums, and establishes itself clearly as a rock song. Luka’s voice is still soothing and gentle as it was in Beautiful Dreamer, but it has more energy here. The song is also at a faster tempo, which suit the drums and guitar well. The chorus has a nice bit of power to it as well, with Luka singing a bit more energetically than you’d expect given what has come so far. However, not a single bit of it feels unnatural or wrong; everything is mixed well and works together, creating an upbeat atmosphere. The first two tracks synergize very well, and I would say they give you a feeling of “calm energy.” It’s hard to describe what that means, but I would say that it essentially makes you feel optimistic about existence without bouncing off the walls. On a side note, I want to commend the guitar solo; it’s worked in very well and sounds quite cool. This is pop rock at its finest in the Vocaloid community.

  3) Train: This song returns to the calmer atmosphere we heard before, but not quite as calm as Beautiful Dreamer. It’s more like a sense of hanging out in your house thinking instead of sleeping. The instrumentals are primarily electric bass, percussion, and synthesizer again. There’s a melody of synthesized beats throughout the song that runs about and down some scales/arpeggios (I must confess that I can’t tell which at a glance), and it sounds pretty good. Unfortunately, Luka’s vocals don’t live up to the standards set by the previous two songs. They’re certainly not awful by any means, but they lack the emotional flair that the others have, instead falling a bit flat and unremarkably. There just doesn’t seem to be a lot of heartfelt passion in Luka’s tuning here, even for a calmer song such as this, and it makes the song a tad boring to listen to. Luka’s voice also stretches a bit too high sometimes, and her voice sounds like she’s straining to hit those notes, which doesn’t sound very good. The instruments are also a bit boring; while the elements I mentioned earlier are indeed good, there isn’t a lot of variety throughout the song. Essentially, Train isn’t really bad or really good; it’s mediocre.

  4) Kachofugetsu: This song picks back up again a bit, with a faster tempo and rock instrumentals creeping back into the spotlight. Interestingly, the electric bass plays a bigger role here, and is the most prominent of the backing instruments. This is sadly a technique that isn’t used nearly enough, and the bass suits Luka’s voice very well. There’s also a cool piano riff that plays in the background a lot, which spices things up. However, the mix is off; the instruments strongly overpower Luka’s vocals, with the bass in particular getting in the way. It sounds like I’m sitting right in front of the bass amp while listening to a band play the song. Luka’s vocals also suffer a bit from the same lack of variety that Train suffered from, ultimately dragging the song down. There is a piano breakdown that occurs late in the song, however, that is quite excellent, bringing in a spice of jazz that does a good job of mixing things up and breathing life into the piece. This isn’t enough to save the whole song, however, and I can’t give Kachofugestsu my wholehearted recommendation based for any reason other than checking out the cool instrumentals.

  5) Machinery: This song is a simpler piece, with the percussion and piano working together to keep a slower rhythm in place with light musical accompaniment backing up Luka’s voice. The good news is that Luka’s voice here is better than in the previous two tracks. There are a few sections where it can feel hit-or-miss (troublingly, one of these sections is the first verse), but they sound pretty good if you push through them. The song manages to keep a steady groove throughout, but it escapes the trap of feeling monotonous or boring; it instead is a nice track to bop your head to or listen to while walking.  There’s a short piano solo that feels a bit dry compared to the other tracks’ solos, but it’s not bad. Machinery is a fairly simple track, so there’s not that much to say about it, but it’s pleasant. Clocking in at over 6 minutes, it’s a nice way to kill time on a commute or something.

  6) Waterise: We’re moving forward with the gentle atmosphere now; Waterise is a smoothly flowing song piece that’s heavily centered on Luka’s vocals. A small chiming synthesizer plays in the background along with some light bass and drums holding down the groove. It’s a nice and calm piece, and the chorus is particularly interesting. After the first chorus, the song picks up some energy and continues on, though it still retains the mellow feeling that the early verses had. The rest of the song after that features strong guitar chords backing up Luka as well as rhythm guitar joining the rhythm section. The piece builds really well and does a good job of luring you in. Luka’s vocals lack explosiveness here, but they’re still very nice. The solo this time around is given to the synthesizer, and it’s well utilized, offering up some nice licks that fit the tone of the song nicely. Luka incidentally picks up great tuning right after the solo, and continues this style of singing until the end. In essence, Waterise literally gets better as it goes along, building up to a very satisfying release at the end. It never stops being mellow and relaxing as it was in the beginning, but it picks up a very nice optimism that makes for a smooth ride to the finish.

  7) Romance Street: I have a hard time deciding what genre this song falls into, so for now I’ll consider it pop. It has a good deal of energy to it, and it’s supported by the full rock set + synthesizer. The drums in particular are catchy and provide a nice backbeat to keep things moving. Luka’s voice is utilized with broken phrases in the verses that essentially have a staccato style; she sings several phrases made up of a few words each that are broken up for rhythmic effect. It works well, and makes for an interesting set of verses. However, as has happened before, the mix is a bit too loud on the instruments, and it feels like Luka’s vocals are being overpowered slightly. The synthesizer gets the solo again, and this time it’s a much more confident solo that you’d expect from a guitarist. It’s very skillful, fun to listen to, and you can tell that the player had a great time recording it. Luka’s voice is okay in this song; it’s not stellar, but it’s not bad either. It’s just a bit average. The tuning is there, but her voice doesn’t cross a wide range of notes (even by her standards) and instead plays it safe often. However, the instruments carry the tune well, and it’s a good listen.

  8) Lover’s Eclipse: An upbeat and lively guitar riff kicks us off for this tune, so you know from the get-go that it’s going to be a fun time. This song is pure rock, and it sounds great. Luka’s vocals aren’t as powerful as they could be given the instrumentals, but it actually works very well given Natarie’s style in the same way that Anima worked well. The drums are catchy and interesting, the guitar skillfully dances around the fretboard, and Luka’s singing complements everything well. The same mixing errors have cropped up again though, and Luka’s voice is frequently overshadowed by the instrumentals. She does a great job of standing out in the chorus though, and the whole song is well tied together. The guitar solo is also incredible, and it sounds like it’s easily at [TEST]’s level. This song definitely stands out as one of the better tunes on the album, as everything is well done except for maybe some small mistakes in the mixing process.

  9) 100001colors: We’ve returned to an electronic feel, but now there’s an awesome piano thrown in there as well. This song’s instruments actually jump around quite a bit; the verses feature a very prominent (and lovely) electric bass, other instruments jump in and out. The song builds up and explodes with emotion during the climaxes, and it makes for a very nice listen. The buildup and slowdown of the song’s energy keeps you listening, and you’re always rewarded. Luka’s voice is tuned excellently here, and it’s ripe with that richness and emotion that make Luka such a great voice bank. Again, there’s that nasty habit of mixing the instruments too loudly, but that’s sort of an omnipresent fault with the album. The solo in this song is a piano solo, and it very much explodes out of nowhere; if it’s your first time listening, it will sneak up on you and burst forth. This is actually quite cool; you’re not expecting it, and suddenly it slaps you with awesome runs on the piano followed up by Luka passionately singing the final chorus and outro of the song. It’s a great piece, and serves very well to send us to the final track. The piano riffs will make you want to learn how to play them, they’re that good.

  10) End of Tiny Dreams: Oh boy, that’s one heck of a heavy title if I’ve ever seen one. We are dealing with Japan though, so our sadness quota needs to show up somewhere (as I’ve touched on before, Japanese creators love to include sad elements in their work that make everything more touching, but it also becomes a tad laughable at a point since you’re always trying to guess and pinpoint where the sadness is going to come in). This song is a beast, towering over the other tracks at a mighty 9 minutes long. It stars with some guitar chords that build into Luka singing over them. The electric guitar joins in and turns up the distortion behind Luka (and, for once, Luka isn’t overwhelmed by this yet). The song is a rather slow ballad of sorts, with it never getting faster than a light tapping speed and the drums remaining chill. The distorted droning of the electric guitar produces some really cool effects reminiscent of the hard rock of the 80’s, but it doesn’t go that fast or hard at all. Luka’s singing does unfortunately start to slip beneath the cracks in the mix as the guitar gets louder, but it’s still a pretty cool sound. The song finishes out with a long instrumental outro like many mighty rock songs have done before it, and thus the album is over.

  Final Remarks

  This album is a pretty good showing by a very skilled lady. The instrumentals are all quite lovely, and there is great skill displayed in all of them. I do wish that she had brought in another producer to help her, however, because too often Luka’s vocals were muddled by an instrumental mix that was simply too loud. Also, many of the songs in the middle section of the album grew monotonous and dragged the overall quality of the album down. There were indeed some great songs in the beginning and end of the album – my particular picks go to Beautiful Dreamer, Anima, 100001colors, and Lover’s Eclipse – but not much else stood out. This is basically the perfect example of a “fair” album. However, Natarie is a great composer, and her works is not to be missed, especially for Luka fans.

  6.5/10

[vocaloreview]

Dual Sight by Various

Overview 

Now, I know what I said before in my opening post: I like to avoid compilation albums. There’s a good reason for this; with each album I review, I like to use it as a chance to get to know a particular producer’s style and gauge how it is explored throughout an album. One-producer albums tend to have a sense of coherence and theme to them – look at Vibgyor, which I reviewed last – unless they’re greatest hits compilations.

However, Reddit user raposarealm requested this review about a month ago, and I decided to oblige. The main reason for this is because it’s electronic music. I’ve had very little engagement with the genre before, particularly as it pertains to Vocaloid, so I decided to give it a shot. Incidentally, I was actually going to make this post about a week ago, but I made the error of trying to compose it in the Tumblr field instead of Word, and when I accidentally backed out of the Tumblr page, my whole post went up in smoke. That demoralized me a bit, but now I’m redoing it.

Without further adieu, here’s Dual Sight. By the way, this album is available in the West on iTunes/Amazon, so if you’re interested I recommend buying it.

  Music 

1) Dual Sight (feat. Hatsune Miku) by G.K: The titular track of this album starts us off. It’s rather mellow, as expected of house music (I think? I’m very poor at distinguishing between electronic genres. I tend to classify chill electronic music as “house,” but please correct me if I’m wrong). The beat is rather slow, and you can easily tap your feet and bob your head to it. The synthesizers in the background have a sort of ethereal quality that puts you in a calm mood; I could easily see myself relaxing with this song in the background while reading a book. Then Miku’s vocals come in. Truthfully, they’re not bad. Miku’s voice is very gentle, and matches the tempo and flavor of the song well. However, her voice is tuned very thinly, and it comes out rather shrill despite not being very loud. Because of this, I feel that the best sections of the song are the instrumentals. Some people like the sound of that thin, tinny Miku, but I am not among them. The song as a whole is certainly decent enough, but I wish Miku had a bit more richness to her voice.

2) Offshore (feat. IA) by Nhato: This song has a bit more of a partying sort of vibe than the previous track. By no means is it a crazy 350bpm techno ecstasy-fest, but it has a lot more energy. The bass kicking in the background is louder and more aggressive, which causes your heart rate to speed up a tad while listening closely. The song’s rhythm as a general whole is also slightly faster, and this makes a very nice dance track. IA’s voice is also perfectly executed in this song – it’s energetic and songlike, and her gentle vocals match the background music nicely. The elements in the song are also mixed well, with neither the vocals nor the instrumentals trying to override each other – everything has its own little place. There’s variety in the backing tracks, with the bass pulsing and dragging around to mix up the rhythm. There’s also a nice keyboard sound that comes in once in a while, along with some other synth patches and loops that are well utilized. If this were played at a Vocaloid dance party, you can bet that there would be a lot of dancing weebs with spaghetti flinging all over the dancefloor – and rightfully so, given the nice quality of the track.

3) Rebirth (feat. Hatsune Miku) by Haloweak: We’re picking up the pace now! I’m starting to think that there’s a theme here; perhaps the tracks are arranged in such a climaxing way that it’s supposed to be like going to an entire night at a club if you listen to the tracks in order. The bass is aggressive, and there’s a purring in the background that keeps you on your toes. When Miku comes in, she has much less of her cuteness than usual, and instead has a more serious singing voice on. The GEN factor is kept low, so she sound bubbly, saturated, and feminine, but not to an extreme where it’s annoying. Things do get a little dubsteppy sometimes, and the backing track behind Miku skips and stutters about during some sections. I really don’t mind it, as it never goes full Skrillex-tier breakdown and instead serves to spice up the rhythm section nicely. Miku herself even takes a step back once in a while to assist the instrumentals utilizing “ah” noises to fall in line with the synthesizers. The only gripe I have with this song is that sometimes Miku’s singing is overshadowed by the backing synths and instruments, and her lyrics also lack a great degree of emotion. Other than that, though, it’s a pretty nice track, and it keeps the album flowing nicely.

4) Liberator (feat. IA) by Taishi: I’m really excited to see Taishi working on this album, as Taishi is one of my favorite producers with IA. His work with her beta bank in “Falling Apart” was splendid; I recommend you give it a listen if you haven’t already. “Liberator” was the most hyped song on this album from what I read, and it’s with good reason. Taishi has an electronic magic that he channels well in this song, and IA is part of that charm. The rhythm starts off at a slow and ethereal pace, with airy instrumentals in the background creating a sort of dreamy state. IA’s vocals are there, but they’re far in the background, just singing vowel sounds to add to that air of mystery and dislocation. Around the 1-minute mark a more concrete bass rolls in and anchors us down, and shortly after, IA begins singing. Her singing is cute and yet mature, as IA’s voice often is when used well. She blends right in with the vocals, and everything is mixed together very well. Taishi also does this really cool thing using a high-pitched synthesizer that he plays like a keyboard for a while (you’ll know it when you hear it), and it’s awesome. Taishi is known for structuring his songs in a manner where there are longer sections of instrumentals and short intermittent sections of singing. He does this in “Liberator,” as IA’s singing appears in less than a third of the song. The parts she does appear in, however, are well appreciated, and the song is well done. I feel like Taishi is an underappreciated producer in the Vocaloid community, and I hope “Liberator” earns him a more prominent spot, which he deserves.

5) Confession (feat. Aoki Lapis) by Haloweak & G.K: A combined effort! And with a much more rarely used Vocaloid to boot! We have an interesting proposition here. Aoki Lapis is not a Vocaloid I hear very often, and I’m glad to hear some skilled producers work with her. The song starts off with her singing, which is very bubbly and saturated; it sounds like a young Japanese idol I’d hear in an anime somewhere. The instrumentals creep in with her voice and climax nicely, leading us into the rest of the song. The tone and speed of the song don’t fluctuate very much throughout; the song tends to trot along at the same pace throughout. The bass is very prominent with this one, and there’s plenty of wub wubbing occurring for those who like that. There’s an 8-bit sound to some of the synthesizers in the background, which is also pretty cool. Aoki Lapis’s vocals are decent, but I feel like they’re a little dry; there’s no climax or strong emotion in her vocals to keep me hooked, nor is there that gentle strength like with IA’s vocals that keeps me listening anyway. The vocals feel more like a background instrument rather than the focal point of the song. Everything is well mixed, however, and it’s certainly not a bad effort. The instrumentals in the background are well put together, and there’s a good amount of variety in them that keeps things interesting. I like the track overall, but I wish there was a stronger hook in there that made me want to listen to the whole thing more.

6) Desperate Parade (feat. IA) by rest or stay?: The track starts off with a huge bass boom that draws a clear separation from the rest of the songs before. It boldly proclaims, “I am going to be different from the rest!” After a short introduction, IA comes in. IA’s singing here is much more sonorous than the rest; whereas the other songs felt like the vocals were there to accompany and bring together the instruments, this track has more of a rock/pop feeling where the vocals are clearly the center of the song and the instruments are there to support IA’s singing. The instrumentals are well done, and they do a good job of keeping a lot of variety involved while not overshadowing IA most of the time. That being said, there are a few parts, especially during the outro, where the instrumentals do overwhelm IA, and it can be irksome. One very interesting part comes in around 1:50; the song has a dubstep-style breakdown, wub wub and all. And then, it follows up with piano and violin playing! It’s a very strange juxtaposition, but it works well, leading to a lot of intrigue and variety in the song. The lyrics feel like a bittersweet ballad the way they’re sung, and it’s interesting to hear such a singing style in a place like this. I rather like it, and I think it’s a very solid track. The proclamation in the beginning is very correct, for this one is not like the others, in both style and content. 

7) Gentle Saturation (feat. Hatsune Miku) by Cnsouka: “Gentle Saturation,” like many electronic tracks, takes its time to get started, with an intro that extends beyond the 2-minute mark without Miku singing at all. Then, Miku comes in with her “ah’s,” filling up the empty soundscape with her voice. Truthfully, I’m not a big fan of how this is handled; it’s too loud and overbearing compared to the instrumentals in the background, and her voice is tuned a bit too shrill and nasally to capture that pleasant feeling that vowel singing gives in other songs. Then the instrumental sections kick back in, which are quite nice. The background instruments are simple, but they’re catchy enough to keep you interested. Miku’s vowel singing drifts in and out, and with proper mixing rearing up here it sounds good. However, the song is over quite quickly, and I feel like it never really had a chance to build to its full potential.

8) Mysterious (feat. 洛天依) by Hachiouji-P: This track is a special track as a promotional piece for the “China Project” which hopes to spread Vocaloid into China more. It’s only found on the Chinese version of the album, as well as some other international releases (I don’t have it on my version, which is from Amazon mp3). The song is pretty cool; it’s Hachiouji-P’s standard fare of catchy vocals combined with an energetic and upbeat set of background instrumentals. The drums are cool, and there’s even a guitar thrown in there a little bit among the electronic instruments in the song. It’s a short piece, clocking in at 1:44, so don’t expect it do rise and fall slowly like the other songs on this album do. The vocals are in Chinese, so I can’t comment on their pronunciation, but I think they sound pretty cool. The tuning is nicely done, and there’s a decent semblance of emotion in her singing. The PV is also pretty nicely done for what it is; all in all, it’s a nice little bonus track.

  Final Remarks

This album was a fun challenge to review since I’m not at all used to reviewing electronic music. Whereas in rock/pop/jazz it’s very easy to distinguish between instruments and analyze how each one performed relative to the others, it’s not so easy to do that with synthesizers in electronic music. The genre operates by very different conventions, and I tried to abide by them as well as possible.

That being said, I think there’s a lot to be discussed with an album regardless of finer point of genre-specific ideas, and I hope that comes through in this review. The songs were as a whole pretty good; while there were some ups and downs in the album, it’s a fun listen as a whole, and I could see it being a nice 45-minute set list for a Vocaloid-themed party. IA’s vocals command the high point of the album, but Miku and Aoki Lapis aren’t that bad themselves. All in all, it’s a good album, but at the end of the day I wish more stuck out about each song; they all felt a little similar to me, but perhaps that’s simply my experience (or lack thereof) with the genre.

  7/10

[vocaloreview]

Vibgyor by Ryuryu

  Overview

Sorry for the long delay in between posts! My winter break from university kept me away from my good sound equipment, and I always like to do my reviews using the best equipment possible to hear all the subtleties in the sound.

Anyway, I didn’t know about this album or this producer until Reddit user ofsaltyvanilla pointed them out to me. After giving “Vibgyor” a cursory listen, I was intrigued and decided to engage in a full review. “Vibgyor,” by the way, stands for the colors of the rainbow in reverse, and the album seems to carry a color/art theme. Without further adieu, here’s the breakdown.

  Music

  1) Landscape II: This is a really interesting intro. It’s almost entirely instrumental (Miku’s voice is used to do some “aah-ing” in the background), and it uses a gentle music box to get it rolling. It’s very quiet and almost conveys a sense of melancholy, but as the ambient noise begins to creep in it becomes a very hopeful-sounding track. After that it takes on a standardized rhythm and an upbeat, pleasant sound. It’s quite nice.

  2) For Us All: This track can best be described as “soft and flittering.” Miku’s voice is gentle and a tad shrill, and the song gives the feeling of recounting a story. The background instruments are all light and optimistic, and there are quite a few of them (to the point where it’s tough to identify what they all are). The drums are especially tight, so I give them a shout-out, but there’s some other high-pitched instrument playing the melody lines that also sounds quite lovely.

    3) Hide and Seek: There’s something about the rhythm of this song that I would describe as “African.” The gentle, low-attack quality of the drums combined with a steady and fast rhythm accompanied by slow lyrics makes me think of drum circles. Miku’s voice also has that sort of tribal excitement here (she’s upbeat and engaged without being too fast or loud). There’s a tambourine in the background as well as what sounds like a wooden xylophone. This song isn’t quite as optimistic-sounding as the previous two, but it’s far from downbeat. It’s just a bit slower and not quite as emotional. My only complaint about this song is that there isn’t much variety in its tone. There’s not a big chorus or a noticeable crescendo; it just putters along at its same pace the whole time, and at 5:13, that’s a long while. That being said, it’s still pretty good.

  4) Leucocoryne: “Hide and Seek” transitions directly into this song, which is a very nice touch. “Leycocoryne” is a more bubbly and rhythm-based song, and the drums are sure to have you bobbing your leg up and down. This sounds like a very fun walking song, or just a great song to sing along to. Miku’s voice isn’t terribly differentiated from the previous two tracks, unfortunately, and the lack of instrumental variety begins to make the album feel a little stale. However, it’s not terribly much so, as the bubbly atmosphere this song creates is still charming, and inclusions of infrequently heard instruments such as a brass section and a xylophone keep things interesting. That brass section, by the way, is very well done, and by the time to song reaches its end it feels like fairies fluttering around. There’s a PV with a absolutely gorgeous illustration, so I recommend you check it out.

    5) So Little Time: This takes a more conventional approach in the instrumental section, coming in with an electric piano and Miku’s voice. The song sounds a bit sad; Miku’s voice is very gentle and slightly downbeat, and the song seems like a lament. There are no instruments besides an electric piano, chimes that hold down the rhythm, and a droning wind instrument that is probably a flute or clarinet. It’s a pleasant and slightly melancholy piece that acts as a nice mid-point to the album.

  6) Breathe In: The title is appropriate, as the song begins to pull us out of the sleepy mood that “So Little Time” put us in. The beat is a little more active, and you’ll probably bob your head to it. These are actual drums holding down the beat once more, which makes it feel more active than the chimes and wind instruments relegated to the task previously. The piano is energetically playing a lot of chords, and chimes are running up and down for the melody.  These elements come together to create a pretty, upbeat, and delicate feeling.

  7) Turn That Dream: The song starts with a flute and a pizzicato violin playing together in a way that can only be described as “dancing.” The two are intertwining nicely, and it feels like the plucked violins strings are emulating someone dancing through a meadow in the woods. It gets especially interesting when Miku’s voice kicks in; she sounds more robotic than she did in previous songs, as Ryuryu has applied some sort of chorus effect to her. This quality of Miku’s doesn’t remain this way throughout the whole song, but it’s noticeable anytime she’s singing quality. This roboticism isn’t necessarily a bad thing; it sound interesting, and makes me think that this song is the story of a robot’s dreams. There’s an electric piano holding down the rhythm along with clapping human hands. The drums are there too, though they sound very quiet relative to the other musical elements of the song (you can really only pick out the cymbals unless you try very hard). Miku’s voice carries much of the optimism and brightness seen throughout the album, and these elements work together quite well.

  8) Watercolor: This song might be the most well-known of the bunch, as Ryuryu released it first via his Bandcamp page to give people an idea of what the album would be like. Unfortunately, it might be my least favorite of the bunch. If I had to summarize it, I’d call it “standard.” Nothing about it seems to really stick out at all. The drums and synth do a good job of keeping down the beat, and Miku’s voice is acceptable. The beat is nice, admittedly, and Miku’s voice will have you bobbing along, but that’s really all there is to the song. Nothing sticks out as being particularly good or bad about it, and it doesn’t have any special points. The flittery-ness of the song is much like what almost every other track on the album features, and it doesn’t differentiate itself much at all. It’s not a bad song in its own right – someone looking for a chill Miku song will undoubtedly enjoy this song, as it is good – but it just doesn’t do enough to differentiate itself from the other tracks on this album for me to give it a firm recommendation.

  9) Juvenille: This track is a slow burner, with a prolonged start featuring slowly escalating chimes. The rest of the song follows suit with musical parts coming in and developing the piece one by one (It’s a “Juvenille” song at first that grows into its own!). This effect is pulled off really well, and the end result is quite cool. “Juvenille” is the longest track in the album, clocking in at an impressive 6:43. Miku’s voice is exciting and meshes very well with the rest of the instruments, particularly when he has her sing “la la la” as a rhythm element. There’s a great variety to the soundscape, including drums, chimes, electric piano, and Miku’s voice utilized for rhythm and melody at different times. It’s a great semifinal song, and it’s probably my favorite song on the album.  My only real complaint is that the outro feels a little too long, but hey, the Beatles did it with “Hey Jude,” so it’s not a big deal, right?

  10) Vibgyor: And here we are, the titular track that serves as the end. “Vibgyor” starts off very quietly and gently, and it’s pretty much just Miku’s voice, some chimes, and a viola/violin combo for a while. As the song progresses, it picks up more sonic elements, much like “Juvenille” did. However, “Vibgyor” is much slower and more downbeat/soft. Right around the halfway mark, however, it crescendos, and the drums kick in as a more dominant sonic element. Miku begins “la la la”-ing again, and it sounds wonderful. This song feels very much like a “farewell” song, even more so than Juvenille did. The last 30 seconds of the song are a musicbox quietly playing us out before the final silence.

    Final Remarks

       This album has a very definitive and unique sound to it. Ryuryu uses some unorthodox instruments to great advantage, such as flutes and xylophones. Miku;s voice is also used well, as it sound quite pretty and goes well with the themes of the album (or at least, what I interpret them to be. It seems to me to be about a robot who is awakening and seeing color/dreams for the very first time. I could be completely wrong, of course, so please let me know if I’m off the mark!) The album is not without its drawback, however. Ultimately the tracks do little to differentiate from each other, and the differences can be subtle enough that a listener might not even notice that the tracks have changed if they leave the album on in the background of whatever they’re doing. Sometimes this gets to the point where, in certain songs such as “Hide and Seek,” it almost seems like the song is just dragging out forever. In the end, however, this is a solid album that showcases a very unique style for a very unique producer.

  7/10

[vocaloreview]

ケビョウニンゲン/Kebyou Ningen by Suzumu

  Overview

            Hey again readers! It’s time for another of my album reviews! Now that we’re done with the Kagerou Project material, I want to step over to a recent favorite producer of mine: Suzumu/スズム. Suzumu’s been active on the scene for a while, and he operates within the KEMU VOXX circle as a music producer. His stuff is quite good; recently he made a big splash with へたくそユートピア政策/Unskilled Utopia Policy. This song featured Rin and had a stunningly gorgeous PV.

            That being said, Kebyou Ningen/ケビョウニンゲン is Suzumu’s first solo album, and his fans are all quite happy to see him put it out. The album wasn’t a very expensive purchase either – it only ran me about $15 dollars from Amazon.jp, which is rather low for a Vocaloid album. But was it worth the value?

  Music

1)   Myth: As many skilled Vocaloid composers are choosing to do these days, Suzumu opens the album with this nifty instrumental piece. It’s a cool way of hyping up the rest of the album. “Myth” treats us to some of Suzumu’s excellent piano playing over grungy guitar riffs in the background. The synthesizer also makes its due appearance, and the combination of these elements leads to a vivid and exciting intro. The drums are certainly quite nice as well, and they tie everything else together.

2)   独りの君と一人の僕に/To the Lonely You and Lone Me: This song’s sung by Miku, and she’s tuned quite well. Her vocals have an interesting touch of sass in them at certain parts of the song, and they compliment the song’s story well. The guitar makes a pretty good show in this song, though the other instruments don’t really stand out that much. It’s an enjoyable song overall, though nothing remarkable. Check out the PV here.

3)   ハロウィン遅刻パーテイ/Halloween Chikoku Party: The twins make their spectacular entrance! “Halloween Chikoku Party” is exciting, upbeat, and fun to listen to. Suzumu’s spectacular keyboard work propels the tune forward, and the twins are tuned very well. Halloween-esque sound effects are used to great musical benefit as well, and the piece is super fun to listen to. The drums are also quite lovely, though we see little of the guitar/bass that crop up in some of his other work.

4)   レベル100のイケメンにありがちなこと/Level 100 no Ikemen Niarigachi na Koto: It’s rather rare to see Len exclusives these days, but Suzumu gives us one here. It’s very peppy and addictive to listen to; Len’s voice has a sort of staccato quality that sticks out nicely. It’s a rock song, so naturally the drums and guitar are the most powerful instrumental elements of the song. They’re not particularly special, but they compliment Len’s voice well. The most interesting section of the song comes at about 2:30, when Suzumu drops the bass and gets a little dubsteppy. I must say that while I’m no dubstep aficionado, the style’s been growing on me in certain cases recently, and I think it’s used well here. This song proves that dubstep-type sounds can be used as companion effects to other songs and sound pretty good.

5)   Eden: “Eden” is an instrumental piece played out primarily through synthesizer effects and the piano. It’s quite nice, and has a very ethereal quality to it that matches its namesake quite well. It does get a tad repetitive, especially given its short length, but it’s still a nice interlude for this section of the album.

 6)   世界寿命と最後の一日 (Album ver.)/Sekai Jumyou to Saigo no Ichinichi (Album ver.): This is one of Suzumu’s most famous songs reworked for this album release. It features GUMI’s vocals, which are awesome. Her voice explodes in the chorus in that magical GUMI-esque way that just ropes you in and gets you hooked. The song starts off with a piano riff that tricks you into thinking it’s going to be soft, and then it explodes into an upbeat rock song with vigor and energy. The guitar and drums beat as the heart of the song, filling the lyrics and soundscape with life. The synthesizer and keyboard take it from there, jolting the piece into movement as GUMI’s voice resonates with the listener. It fun, it’s cool, and it’s very well composed. My only complaint might be that the elements are all so strong that it might be hard to notice any particular one without repeated listening. The PV is quite cool too, and you should watch it. (Note that this is the PV of the original version, which is presumably slightly different from the album version, though I can’t really see any differences to be honest).

7)   ケビョウニンゲン/Kebyou Ningen: The titular track of the album is another instrumental piece. This time, it’s another rock song with a bit of aggression in there. The guitar riffs bite hard through a thick layer of distortion and bare their fangs against your ears. Almost as if it’s a battle, the synthesizer and keyboard work stand strong and bright against this grunginess, and the two switch back and forth for sonic dominance. Perhaps it’s meant to show an allegory between the battle between illness and wellness. The drums underscore the whole piece like a referee, present but not prominent. The piece is a full-length song too, which is an interesting touch. It makes for a nice halfway point to the album.

8)   へたくそユートピア政策 (Refine)/Hetakuso Utopia Seisaku (Refine): Suzumu’s popular his has been remastered for the album. Rin’s voice helms the vocal section of this song, and the keyboard and drums are the primary instrumental accompaniment. The instrumentals are as lovely as Suzumu’s work always is, and they carry the hopeful tone that Suzumu seeks to imbue into the tune. A chiming bell in the background helps out at certain points as well. Unfortunately, however, the reworking of Rin’s vocals is a mixed bag. At certain points it just sounds like Suzumu is trying too hard to make it sound different, and it comes across of overdone and melodramatic to the point of being silly. Rin’s voice fluctuates a little too much; you can hear it in the opening verse as her voice shifts up and down like Yoko Ono having a seizure. There are some nice touches applied to the chorus and the buildup toward the end, but ultimately I like Rin’s original vocals more. It’s far from a bad song, but I wonder if this song really needed such a refining, and my gut is telling me no. The wonderful original PV is here, and I recommend you watch it and compare it to this remastering. Let me know what you think, as I’m very interested in hearing other people’s opinions on this one!

9)   続・へたくそユートピア政策/Zoku – Hetakuso Utopia Seisaku: This is some sort of interesting continuation to the previous song which utilizes both of the twins. It’s a slow and ethereal tune that borrows musical elements from its predecessor. This doesn’t come across as lazy as all; it’s skillfully done and serves to link this with its parent song in the listeners mind even if they don’t know the lyrics. The sound is “conclusive,” and it feels like Suzumu is ending whatever saga the previous song began. I assume it’s the aftermath of the story that unfolded for the girl in Hetakuso Utopia Seisaku’s PV. Interestingly, 150P helped Suzumu arrange this piece, and they did good work together.  The ending outro is a long section of “la la la’s,” which remind me a lot of “Hey Jude.” There’s also a little train sound at the end, and I’m curious as to what that was supposed to mean.

10)  Avarice: A jazzy and upbeat piece, this song is written in ¾ time, making it fun to tap your feet to. It’s got a darker piano component that is less ominous and more intriguing, which makes for a nice ride. The song’s a bit short, clocking in at under 90 seconds, but it’s really cool.

11)  過食性:アイドル症候群 (Album ver.)/Kashokusei: Idol Shoukougun (Album ver.): This is another one of Suzumu’s big hits, and it’s a fast-paced romp that warns of the dangers of becoming arrogant as an idol. It’s a rare combo of GUMI and MAYU for the vocals, and the most prominent instruments are the synthesizer and drums. The vocals carry an element of swing to them, especially during the chorus, which get the body grooving. Steady drums help this greatly, and by the end of the song it’s hard not to at least tap your feet. The guitar helps out with some riffs that fill out the soundscape, making the song feel quite rich. Perhaps it might be a little too rich, as it can be a tad overwhelming if you’re not in the mood for it. However, it’s still a great song, and the PV is worth a watch.

12) 桜色タイムカプセル/Sakura Iro Time Capsule: This piece reminds me a lot of good 90’s rock. “Sakura Iro Time Capsule” is a song sung by GUMI that stats off slow and pretty, but becomes and uplifting and pretty rock piece. The guitar and drums are the most prominent, but the keyboard’s got nice little background riffs that should not be forgotten. GUMI’s vocals are up-tempo and proud, and they have a sense of optimism that carries the mood of the song. Suzumu uses those bells in the background again to create this uplifting feeling as well, and the elements come together nicely. The bridge of the song stands out as being the best prechorus on the album.

13) 嘘つきピーターパン/Usotsuki Peter Pan: This is a Vocaloid album by a Japanese producer, so we couldn’t have it be ALL upbeat; we had to get our quota of sadness in there somewhere. And boy is it pretty. Miku performs the lyrics, and accordingly they are very gentle and comforting. Miku’s voice has a certain magic quality that wraps the listeners in a security blanket for them to quietly cry in when used right, and it’s used damn well here. The drums, piano, and guitar all work together to create a calm and mournful atmosphere, but not one devoid of energy. It’s been a long time since I’ve heard a Vocaloid song that does this good of a job at being emotional. The PV is beautiful as well, and you’d be doing yourself a disservice not to watch it.

14)  Lost: This is the end of the album, and it carries a certain sadness to it as we say goodbye to Suzumu for now. It’s short – not even a minute – and it’s a piano instrumental. It’s dark and comforting, and it does a good job of signing off.

Final Thoughts

  For a first album release, this is great. As expected of Suzumu, the instrumentals and song compositions are great, and the album is an interesting ride from start to finish. Several different styles are showcased from soft ballad to hard rock, and they’re all well executed. My only gripe with the album is that certain “remasterings,” such as Hetakuso Uptopia Seisaku weren’t needed or particularly great. Other than that though, it’s worth it.

  8/10

[vocaloreview]

メカクシティレコーズ/Mekaku City Records by じん aka 自然の敵P (Shinzen no Teki-P)

  Overview

 Hey again readers! Sorry for the delay between updates; Thanksgiving did a number on my ability to review. I was away from my good headphones and equipment after all, and I didn't want to review this album without giving it its due justice. I'm glad that I'm doing this on the heels of some cool Kagepro news, though; at an even yesterday, SHAFT's President announced that they're targeting April 2014 as the air date for the anime adaptation of Kagepro, called Mekaku City Actors.

 Anyway, Mekaku City Records is Jin's follow-up to Mekaku City Days, and features the rest of the Mekakushi Gang's story. It's a nifty follow-up to the first, and due to the series' popularity they beefed up the release a bit. There are two version - a normal version and a limited-edition version. The normal version is simple; it just comes in a case with and outer sleeve that has the album art and tracklist on it. The limited edition comes in a bigger, metallic-looking case and has two CDs: one with the PVs and one with the music. Honestly, it feels like a bit of a rip-off considering that everything you get with the limited edition is analogous to the content that came with the regular release of the first album, but the regular edition of Mekaku City Records is cheaper than both of them, so it's not too bad.

 Anyway, let's cut to the chase.

     Music

1) サマーエンドロール/Summer End Roll: Another one of Jin's little spoken intros, this one is voiced by Asumi Kana again. It introduces the album and the idea of getting through the endless summer. It's an interesting and stylistic way to open the album, so I'm glad to see Jin sticking with it.

2) チルドレンレーコド(Re Ver.)/Children Record (Re Ver.): One of Jin's most well-known songs, Children Record is a general introduction to many of the characters and the series; some have essentially classified it as the official theme of the Kagerou Project. It has a catchy beat, and the guitar and drums especially are pretty good. IA's vocals can be pretty harsh at times - this is Jin, after all - but the composition of the song is really fun, and it makes a great intro song for the album and the project as a whole. There's a PV of the song, and it's quite cool. However, be warned that the PV is for the original mix of the song, while this version is slightly different. I'd say the biggest differences are some slight improvement tweaks to IA's tuning and better instrumental mixing.

3) 夜咄ディセイブ／Yobanashi Deceive: This song's about Shuuya Kano, a user who has the Eyes of Deception. The guitar work in this song is absolutely awesome; the opening riffs jolt the blood and get you into the groove that the rest of the song follows so well. The bass guitar kicks in once in a while to give us an funky burst of energy, and peppy drums keep the excitement going from start to finish. IA's tuning is great here as well; it's not too harsh and does a decent job of conveying some emotion. One of Jin's finest pieces for sure. The PV is damn cool too; it has a graffiti style to it and features some great artwork.

4) 少年ブレイブ/Shounen Brave: Another song with an amazing opening guitar riff! This one's a lot more relaxed then Yobanashi Deceive was, and it's a more bouncy listen. IA's voice is nice and soft in this one, as it's a lot closer to a poppy balad than a serious rock piece. The song itself tells the story of Seto, and how he met a dog when he was younger (and was also bullied, because Japan). The chorus is memorable and catchy, and cute button flashes of synthesizer in the background tie the piece together really well. The drums are a little quieter here, but they're still lovely when they can be heard. Shounen Brave is a cool follow-up to Yobanashi Deceive. Interesting trivia: there was supposed to be a PV for this song, but it was cancelled for being too spoiler-y.

5) 夕景イエスタデイ/Yuukei Yesterday: This song, like Shounen Brave, is cute. It's cuter, in fact, then most of the songs in the Kagepro verse, on par with Souzou Forest. Yuukei Yesterday is about Takane and Haruka, the two characters who later become Ene and Konoha. Specifically, it's about the lovey-dovey feelings Takane has for Haruka, and her reluctance to admit them. The percussion section shines brightest here, keeping the rhythm bouncy and fun through the whole song. IA's also really well suited to this song, as her slightly nasally and cute voice matches the other pieces very well. The guitar is present, but it's not really a pronounced element of the song other than a cool guitar solo. The synth works itself in there as well, though you might not notice it under the strong percussion. My only complaint with this song is that the mix is a bit jumbled, and the instruments seem to sort of chaotically slam into each other and become slightly indistinguishable. The PV is suitably adorable as well.

  6) 群青レイン (Re Ver.)/Gunjou Rain (Re Ver.): This is a very bittersweet song about Mary and her mother Shion. It concerns their life together before Shion's untimely death, and about how much Shion loved her daughter. Shion looks out the window at the rain and wishes it would never end, so that she could protect Mary forever (this is what the title is referencing). The song fits the theme very well; it's relaxing and mellow with a slight hint of tension (as Shion no doubt feels in the story). The guitar is haunting, as Jin uses delay effects to great length to create an atmosphere soundscape, and IA's voice is lamentful and wistful. The guitar solo in this song is particularly kickass as well. The drums are fairly standard and don't stand out as anything special, but they're still good. 

7) アウターサイエンス/Outer Science: One of the most celebrated songs in the Kagepro fandom, spawning several great covers by many renowned cover artists (such as cillia), Outer Science is the "bad end" of the Kagepro series, so to speak. In it, Dark Konoha kills everyone dear to Mary in an attempt to goad her into using her eye powers to reinvent the world. It's primarily synth driven, and the synth is great. It's gritty and dirty, and conveys a lot of the tense/dark atmosphere Jin's going for. The guitar is also put through what a fuzz pedal to match the grit of the synth, and it works really well. Unfortunately I can't give IA's vocals huge points; they're too delicate for the rest of the song to really work as well as they should. They're far from terrible, but they don't convey the right emotions as well as I'd like. I've heard some great UTAU covers come out of this that do the job better (again, check out cillia's cover). The PV is damn cool also.

8)オツキミリサイタル/Otsukimi Recital: It seems that Jin wanted to lighten the mood a bit after Outer Science, so he put this song next. Otsukimi Recital is an interesting combination of cute, happy, and sad. The song's about Momo trying to cheer up Hibiya, who just managed to get out of the Kagerou Days loop and is still quite sad over watching Hiyori die (it's all a part of growing up in Japan, I assure you). The song takes a lot of interesting queues from ska, and the brass section makes a very prominent appearance in the song. It's bright and cheery, and does a lot for the mood. IA's vocals play right into this, and her cheery voice lifts us out of any gloom we may have had after Outer Science (I see what you did there, Jin!). Her voice is very well suited to this kind of song; that slightly nasal quality she has just seems to have a penchant for sounding cute if her voice is tuned gently. The other instruments aren't really all that stand-out here, with the exception of the keyboard, which acts as sort of a melody section. Percussion is largely handled by the sound of claps, which is another fun touch. The PV is a neat little watch. Cheer up, Hibiya! Though, I can't really expect you to get over your hellish Groundhog Day for a while, can I?

9) ロスタイムメモリー/Lost Time Memory: This is "the song about repeating regret," and it features Shintaro, who is trying to get over his grief caused by Ayano's suicide. There are two Shintaros from alternate universes here; one who is able to move forward, and one who is caught in an endless sea of sorrow and can't get on with his life. The song makes this poor guy look pitiful, but it's hard to blame him for it; I can't even begin to fathom to psychological effects of having a close friend (and potential love interest) commit suicide. But anyway, the song itself is all right. The beat is certainly catchy, and the instruments are played well. However, IA's vocals are too harsh in this song for the most part, and I'd love to hear Jin bring her down an octave. Outside of a couple of sections, especially near the end, the instruments kind of blend together in a sonic mishmash, and I wish the mixing was done better. I will give Jin and Shidu props for a very cool PV though.

10) アヤノの幸福理論/Ayano's Theory of Happiness: This is a very sad and very beautiful song about Ayano, the friend of Shintaro's who committed suicide. It deals with her motivations for doing so, what she thought of herself and Shintaro, and her relationship to a few of the other characters to whom she acted as an older sister. Ayano was in fact the founder of the Mekakushi-dan, as she tried to comfort the kids with red eyes who thought of themselves as monsters. The mood of the song is mellow and a bit nostalgic, which makes it all the more heart-wrenching to listen to. IA's gentle vocals and the shining violins in the background tug at the heartstrings, and the guitar does a good job of accompanying them into a gorgeous soundscape. The drums feel like they're mirroring the beating of one's very heart as they listen to this song. The final little crescendo near the end of the song feels like the final goodbye you might say to someone you love. It's without a doubt my favorite Kagepro song, and I give it my highest recommendation. Go watch the gorgeous PV while you're at it.

11) マリーの架空世界/Mary's Fictional World: This song is all about Mary's feelings as she uses her eye powers to create a fictional world. It's another sad but beautiful song, and it keeps us in the same mellow mood that Ayano's Theory of Happiness had us in. The violin croons as Mary sadly sings about her love that she wish would never end. There's something about IA's voice in this song that feel particularly "Asian" so to speak, in a way that none of her other songs have, and I can't place my finger on exactly why that is. Perhaps it's the nasally quality coupled with a gentle tone and lack of inflection that does it. Soft and slow drums back up the violins, and there's little else to the instrumentals in this song (that's far from a bad thing). The sound of rain is also filling the soundscape as background noise, and it helps to ground you in the scene it's trying to portray. It flows right into the next song, which is a nice little touch.

12) クライングプロローグ/Crying Prologue: Right from the beginning, the ambient background sound pick us up and create a mysterious but uplifting feeling. Then, whose voice kicks in but the lovable Kanahana! Kanahana is voicing Mary in the upcoming anime adaptation (GET HYPE), and here she repeats the prologue that was at the beginning of Mekaku City Days. It feels like a really cool way of ending it, but then...

13) サマータイムレコード/Summertime Record:...we get another song! This is the overall "outro" for the Kagepro series, and tells us what happens to all of the characters after the Good End. It's energetic, bubbly, and hopeful, and leaves us with a good feeling to finish off the saga. It's pop-rock, and features strong guitar and drum work. IA's vocals are nice, but they're not particularly stand-out or anything. They work fine, but nothing super remarkable. The guitar and drums ultimately carry the song's mood really well to completion, and we're ushered out of the Kagepro show with a positive feeling. The guitar solo at the end of this is very cool, and it's a wonderful way to end the series. The PV even acts as credits.

   Final Thoughts Mekaku City Records undoubtedly shows a huge improvement over its predecessor. The songs are written just as well, if not better, but Jin seems to really have gained a good understanding of what IA's strengths and weaknesses are and how to utilize them. As usual, his guitar and instrumental work are spot-on, the the PVs are top-knotch. There are a few bumps in the road along the way, but this album deserves all the recognition it's getting for sure. There's a bright future ahead for Kagepro fans with this album behind them.

   8/10

[vocaloreview]

メカクシティデイズ／Mekaku City Days by じん aka 自然の敵P (Shinzen no Teki-P)

         Overview

                        Well, here we go! This album is the first full album of the star-studded Kagero Project, or Kagepro as some call it. This album's story has spawned just about every type of merch including novels, manga, fanart, fanfic, and more. An anime adaptation has been announced by SHAFT, which should prove to be quite awesome if it's done well.

            I'll try to give a brief summary of what it's all about before I get into the music. Mekaku City Days tells the story of a group of teenagers (life ends after high school in Japan, so there's no other possible setting) who have mysterious eye powers with various abilities. The one uniting characteristic that they share is that their eyes are red, which marks them as eye power users. The songs on the album generally tell the story of each character and how they came to get their powers. It's quite interesting, but you have to really delve into the manga/novels/wiki summaries to get the full picture.

            As for the album itself, it comes in a really nice little box that contains the CD as well as some extra goodies. The CD itself is actually a pair of CDs: one disc contains the music, and the other is a DVD which contains PVs of a few of the songs: Kagerou Days, Headphone Actor, Souzou Forest, Konoha's State of the World, and Toumei Answer (You'll get more info on these songs later, don't worry). It also comes packaged with nice little booklets that give you the band score for Kagerou Days as well as Souzou Forest, in a ddition to a little booklet that has the lyrics to all the songs. It's all quite lovely, and the stellar artwork of Shizu and わにゃんぷー adorns pretty much everything. This album definitely gets an A+ for packaging.

  But how does the music fare?

  1) ロスタイムプロローグ/Lost Time Prologue: This is a cool little spoken word prologue that introduces us to the album. It uses some nice reverberant noises behind the vocals to create a sense of dread before topping abruptly and having the vocals lead us into the last song. I'm pretty sure the vocals are done by Kana Asumi, who you might know as the actress of Strength from the Black Rock Shooter anime(s). It's a nice way to start things off. I'm not 100% sure what she's saying, but I do know that she's supposed to be Takane Ene, and A.I. character in the Kagepro series. Check out the translation here.

  2) カゲロウデイズ/Kagerou Days: Here it is, the big ol' granddaddy of the project. This song's skyrocketed into Vocaloid legend already, having easily surpassed 3,000,000 views on Niconico. Interestingly, わにゃんぷー made the first PV that everyone came to know; it was a fanmade PV with no official support (check it out here). Soon after, as the song started to reach its massive popularity, Jin put out an official PV of the song, and thanked わにゃんぷー for his support. The song features Jin doing what he does best - playing guitar. Jin's stellar guitar work coupled with some great synth work make the song especially memorable. This song is unique on this album due to its use of Miku; the rest of the songs use IA, as this album was commissioned as part of the IA Project to promote her. Jin's tuning of Miku here is a controversial thing: his Miku is very high-pitched and shrill. I remember playing around in the Vocaloid program and transposing Miku's voice and octave lower;  I liked it better that way. This high-pitched tuning is very common in Jin's stuff, and it tends to draw sharp lines over who likes it and who hates it. Honestly, I'm not a huge fan, though I can tolerate it. Jin's songwriting itself is superb, with all the instruments being very interesting and well mixed. Miku's vocals just get shrill.

  3) ヘッドフォンアクター/Headphone Actor: Another popular song and the current focus of the manga, Headphone Actor is the story of how Takane Enomoto, a regular human girl, was forced into an A.I. body and reborn as Ene. The PV is quite lovely, and tells a cool tale. As I mentioned before, Jin's tuning is generally quite shrill, especially with IA. This shows through in Headphone Actor, as IA's voice reaches incredibly high pitches that might make your ears crawl if you're not used to Japanese music. The instrumentation is, again, awesome, with ゆーまお's drums and the bass guitar sticking out especially.

  4) 想像フォレスト/Souzou Forest: This is another very popular song from the series, with another very popular PV. It's about a 1/4 Medusa girl named Mary who has shut herself away in the woods. It's very cute, and features a much more mildly-tuned IA. The synth and drums are the most prominent parts of the track, with the guitar and bass being present but secondary. Souzou Forest is one of the best songs on the album, as it's got a nice groove with cute-yet-not-harsh vocals. The synth breakdown in the middle gets extra points.

5) エネの電脳紀行/Ene no Dennou Kikou: This song picks up right where Headphone Actor left off; it's about when Takane first awakens  in her new A.I. body as Ene. The synth and guitar dominate this song, and they're really cool. IA's tuning here is a strange middle ground between her overly high and harsh tuning and her soft ballad voice. It's not awful - there are worse in the album - but it comes out a little too robotic for my taste. The song's still fun though, despite some misgivings about IA's tuning. There are some really cool effects with the synth that you can pick up with good headphones. 6) デッドアンドシーク/Dead and Seek: Not much is really known yet about exactly what this song is about. Judging by the lyrics and my knowledge of the series, I would guess it's about people getting their eye powers and being spit back out into the normal world to entertain Dark Konoha (see the sound "Outer Science" for an idea of what that's like. It's on Mekaku City Records, which I'll be reviewing next. Spoiler!) Regardless, it's a synth-based song with a decent backing track. It's not one of my favorites; IA's voice is VERY robotic here, even moreso than the last song. That may be Jin's objective, which is fine and all, but it just doesn't make for all that pleasant of a listen. The instrumental track is acceptable but altogether forgettable, and blends a bit too much with tracks 5 and 7, which make it almost tough to tell when the songs switch if you're not paying attention. It doesn't help that it's short. 7) 人造エネミー/Jinzou Enemy: This is actually the first song in the series; it's about Ene watching over her master, Shintaro, and trying to convince him that being a NEET is not the answer to his troubles. The song is almost at 1,000,000 views, and it'll probably get there soon enough. Like the previous two songs, the synth is very strong here. It's sung by Miku again (I'm surprised they allowed more than one non-IA track on an IA Project CD), and her voice is as high and shrill as we've come to expect from Jin. It's by no means an awful song, but it suffers from Dead and Seek's syndrome of sounding emotionally stale and forgettable, a shame considering its cool message.

  8) 透明アンサー/Toumei Answer: Finally, a break from the synth! Toumei Answer is a pretty sad song actually; it's about how Shintaro's friend Ayano commits suicide for an unknown reason by jumping off the school roof, which does such emotional damage to Shintaro that he becomes a NEET (and later, Ene's master). It's a gorgeous little tune, with high-but-gentle tuning of IA, and an absolutely wonderful guitar track that makes great use of the delay pedal. The drums are groovy but not overpowering. It's a pretty little ballad, and definitely one of the high points of the album.

  9) 如月アテンション/Kisaragi Attention: One of the most popular songs on the album, Kisaragi Attention is a cute little number about Momo, a girl with the eye ability to make others look at her, aka draw attention to herself. She becomes and idol and rises to stardom, but she quickly comes to dislike the fame and the inability to go outside without drawing in crowds. She meets Kido, whose eye ability can cloak her. Momo joins the Mekakushi-dan in the end. The guitar and drums stand out, but the bass line is pretty nice as well. IA's tuned very well in the songs; her voice has just the right amount of wetness coupled with a high pitch to sound cute but not annoying. The guitar solo is also damn cool in this one. The PV is quite cute too, which contributed to its popularity. A great song to cheer us up after Toumei Answer.

  10) メカクシコード/Mekakushi Code: This song is about Kido, the leader of the Mekakushi-dan who has an eye ability which can cloak the user and make others around her practically invisible. It features a very grungy and fuzzy synth at the forefront with the guitar chiming in on occasion. We surprisingly hear Miku again, and her voice is a bit robotic, though not as high as Kagerou Days (thankfully). The background music isn't very strong, though it serves very well as just that; it backs up the vocals very well without calling too much attention to itself. All in all it's a very well-written song, but Miku's vocals are a bit bland and take away from the song's replay value.

  11) コノハの世界事情/Konoha's State of the World: One of the darker stories in the project, even for Jin. This song is about Konoha, another strange A.I./android type character (it's unclear what his deal is yet) who is forced to watch the unfortunate events of Kagerou Days unfold over and over again. He wants to do something about it, but he is powerless to stop it, though a glimmer of hope appears to him in the end. The song is sung by Miku and IA together, and is the only duet on the album. The guitar in particular is awesome in this song, and credit for it goes to Nakanishi, an awesome guitarist whose work appears in a lot of Vocaloid stuff. The song draws you in, gets you excited for the climax, and explodes into an awesome finale. It's incredibly well written, and there have been a ton of great covers of it. Ultimately, I like some human singers better than the Vocaloid duet of the original, but it's still very good. Check out the PV here.

  12) シニガミレコード/Shinigami Record: A gentler piano piece to wind us down as we approach the end of the album, this is a sweet IA ballad to treat out ears nicely. It tells the story of Azami, a Medusa who is the grandmother of Mary. She lives alone in the woods and detests humans, but one day a man meets her and, over time, they fall in love and start a family. She realizes, however, that he will age and die long before her, which saddens her deeply. She uses her power to create a never ending world where her family can live with her, but fails to do so before her husband dies. She goes into her own world, along. It's quite tragic, but also very beautiful. The gentle piano works very well for this song, and it's quite cathartic to listen to. 13) カイエンパンザマスト/Kaien Panzermast: This is the outro of the album, and is a spoken word section much like Lost Time Prologue. It's about carrying out some sort of plan and meeting someone (check the translations out). I'm not sure who the voice is, but I'm pretty sure it's Ene/Kana Asumi again. It's a cool way to end the album.   Final Thoughts

     Ultimately, Jin suffers from what I like to call "Bob Dylan Syndrome." He's an excellent songwriter and a stunning instrumentalist, but he just can't seem to consistently nail the vocals down well. A few great hits here and there are equally matched by some unfortunate missteps that occur along the way which drag the album down. Ultimately it's worth having for the sake of the extras, the story, and the good songs that are present, but I wouldn't call the album as a whole a masterpiece. It's of acceptable quality, but it's not great.

       6.5/10

[vocaloreview]

REBOOT by ジミーサムP (JimmyThumb-P) feat. Hatsune Miku, Megurine Luka, Samune Jimi

    Overview

   I figured for my first review, I'd pick apart one of my favorites and give you a solid breakdown. This is "REBOOT" by JimmyThumb-P. You may also know him as OneRoom from some of his earlier work. The album first gained some notoriety when the PV for the titular song, ReBoot, was posted to Niconico. This was before the whole album came out, of course, but it sparked a lot of buzz. The PV depicted a sad story of a friend dying, separation, and ultimately redemption for Miku and Luka. Check it out here: http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm19570813   Anyway, I'll make some general statements about the album, and then I'll do a track-by-track breakdown. Overall, the album is a very relaxed listen. The music is generally pop/light rock, with songs alternating between Miku, Luka, and a few duos. The songs tend are generally excellent; JimmyThumb-P has a very distinct way of tuning the Vocaloids (especially Luka) that makes their voices sound very rich and full. There is also a nice variety of track types, from peppy guitar pieces to jazzy bossa nova numbers. The first pressing of the album came with some really need goodies. I got a replica of the star-shaped keychain the Jimi gives Miku and Luka in "Reboot," as well as an 18" x 28" poster of the album art. Both are quite lovely, and the kaychain especially is a great way to show your love for the album while hiding your power level. Other places gave exclusive extras, such as clear folders, those fake credit cards (what's the deal with those, anyway?), and tiny mousepads that don't seem to serve much function. Now, onto the more in-depth breakdown:   1) 第一日目の扉 : This is a simple little intro track in which we hear rain, followed by footsteps entering a barn. It would seem that the idea is to give the listener the impression that the album is either being played by a live band in a barn, or perhaps just the first complete song (which it blends directly into.) I'm not 100% sure how to translate that title, but it seems to be something along the lines of "Looking through the door of the first day." Please correct me if I'm wrong.   2) 新世界セッション: The second track on the album is a peppy little number where we're introduced to the band. The title seems to translate to "First Session of the World." It's sung by Miku, and at one point she introduces us to everyone else: Luka on the bass guitar, Miku on the keyboard, Samune Jimi on the guitar, and Jimi again on the drums. "Samune Jimi" is the fake persona JimmyThumb-P uses to insert himself into the Vocaloid world (Sa-Mu-Ne-Ji-Mi, Ji-Mi-Sa-Mu, as in Jimmy Thumb. Get it? Samune Jimi actually functions as an UTAU which JimmyThumb-P created by recording his own voice, and she's unique to him). Anyway, it's a pleasant tune that really gets your feet tapping, and it builds a lot of anticipation for the rest of the album. The guitar is upbeat and fast, and Miku's singing/keyboard work is excellent. Luka's bass guitar lines a groovy as well.   3) Reboot: The titular track of the album, Reboot is a back-and-forth duet between Miku and Luka. The song depicts the story of them being friends with a third girl - Samune Jimi- as children. Jimi gives Luka and Miku a pair of star-shaped charms which match her own, and they represent the bond the three of them share. After a childish fight Luka and Miku have, Jimi winds up running into the street to recover a lost charm and, in the lovably typical Japanese way, she gets hit by a truck and dies. Miku and Luka's friendship detriorates after that, and the sorrow of seeing this friendship end forces Jimi into limbo as a ghost. We see them get on with their lives until college. In college, Luka meets up with Miku again by chance, and chases her down as she tries to run in shock. They tearfully reunite, and while watching the stars, Jimi is finally able to move on. It's a beautiful song, and it's shock full of emotion to go with the PV. The singing is stellar, and the piano work particularly sticks out as being excellent. These two elements overshadow the other instrumentals in the song, however, but it's no so bad as they're clearly not the focus of the piece. (PV: http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm19570813)  4) PYX: A rockin' little number sung by Miku. The electric guitar, bass guitar, and drums are the focus of this song very clearly. They all play off each other excellently, and the song flows very well. My only complaint is that the song feel a little static; there's not a lot of dynamicism is volume or tone, and the song feels very similar from beginning to end. You could almost skip around to different parts of the song and not feel like you're missing much of anything. (PV: http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm20738973)  5) サンセット(Sunset): Sunset is a cute bossa nova song sung by Miku. It's very relaxing, and feature excellent classical guitar and flute work. The lyrics carry an optimistic message about casting off the things that trouble you and moving ahead with life. (PV: http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm20864067)  6) Lunarian: This song is a surreal instrumental piece that gives a sense of being gently wrapped in a comfortable space and floating around. It has wonderful synthesizer work, and features recording that seem to be coming from an astronaut as he looks down on Earth from space. They might be Apollo recordings, but I'm not sure. It's an awesome little interlude, and one of my favorite tracks on the album.   7) 夢幻放射: This is a pop piece sung by Samune Jimi primarily featuring synthesizer work. It's very cutesy and bubbly, and the beat is fun to bob to. However, Miku's voice is interestingly tuned here: JimmyThumb-P turns the GEN factor wayyy down in the Vocaloid editor, causing Jimi's voice to take on a very wet and nasally sort of sound. I can't say I'm a huge fan of it, but I wouldn't go so far as to call it "bad." It's just not really my cup of tea; those of you who are really into higher-pitched cutesy songs might dig this one. My translator widget tells me that the song title means "Fantasy Emission," but I can't guarantee anything with it.  8) Crossroad: This is a very relaxed piece sung by Miku, with the guitar and drums at the instrumental forefront. The chorus is very strong, and it sounds awesome to listen to. There's a sense of surreal reflection in this song, and it makes for a great introspective piece. One interesting thing at the end of the song is that, if you're listening with good equipment, you can pick up the sound of footsteps coming and going, which suggests the singer change for the next song.  9) Joker: Finally, a Luka song! Here, Luka, sings a chill but slightly more upbeat song than many of the others that have come before. The crescendos of the song feel like they're meant to imbue a sense of hope, as they're accompanied by an appropriate rise in pitch. The guitar solo near the end is really cool too. Luka's vocal are very rich, and are wonderful for the eardrums. Definitely a great addition to the unfortunately small collection of awesome Luka songs out there (seriously Vocaloid community, use her more!) 10) Infinite Color: This is a poppy and cute tune sung by Miku again. Miku's voice is backed by synthesizers and a flute chiming in quietly on occasion. The song isn't bad, but honestly I find it a bit boring. Nothing really "happens" sonically: no crescendoes, no great solos, nothing too luring. There's a short breakdown to prepare you for the chorus, but it's not that good. The tuning is good, but the composition just isn't that interesting. 11) おやすみのうた (Oyasumi no Uta/Goodnight Song): This is a peaceful song that invokes its sleepy namesake quite well. Jimi's got that GEN factor down again, leading to that wet/nasally sound I mentioned earlier, but it's not quite as bad as before. Since this song is meant to be more soothing, it works better here. I think this track works quite well as a relaxing agent, and while it's not an album highlight, it's certainly nice. 12) Dreamscape: This one's a very mellow, very relaxing song sung by Luka. It fits, of course, that "Dreamscape" follows up "Goodnight Song," and JimmyThumb-P handles this so well it's unreal. Dreamscape invokes exactly what it says it will. It's a dreamy, calming song in which you feel like you're floating through the universe gently while holding hands with a lover. There's some cute Engrish in the song from Luka to tickle the eardrums, and the synthesizer backing her adds to the dreamscape. This is a great tune. 13) 水槽脳: Luka's taken over the album now! Here, we have a folkier sounding piece with the guitar taking over in the beginning. The soundscape expands after the intro into a wider set with drums and the bass guitar backing everything up. It's nice and chill, and it serves as a good "waking up" after the previous two songs. Nothing in particular really stands out about it, though I must praise the guitar solo for being nice. It makes a nice filler song to round out the album. The title means "Aquarium Brain," seemingly implying the image of a brain in a jar. 14) Mantra: "Mantra" is an instrumental like "Lunarian" was, and it's great. It starts out low and quiet, and as the song goes on it takes on life and energy. It wakes us up from the hypnotically calm state the last few songs put us in, and readies us for what comes next. Drums and guitar with delay pedals are featured here. 15) Afterglow: This is the big Luka song on this album, and it has a beautiful PV. The song is quiet and beautiful in the early stages of the song, and has an ethereal quality unique to JimmyThumb-P's tuning. However, around the 2:30 mark, the song explodes into a crescendo and picks up a huge amount of energy that just lifts your heart and soul into the heavens. It's awesome, and then that wonderful guitar of his kicks in and delivers a cool solo. The song finishes into a nice rest. The PV depicts a troubled painter and what happens to him after seeing a certain girl on the school roof. (PV: http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm20244831) 16: Starduster (Orchestral Ver.): This is, as the title says, an orchestral remake of OneRoom's famous "Starduster." Honestly, I'm not that big of a fan of it. The instrumental work is lovely, but ultimately I find the song rather boring. The beauty of the first one is its emotional sadness as we feel Miku's pain. This one makes that feel more "ornamental," in a way where the song is more delicate and pretty than the original, but much of the original emotion is lost. If you're a huge fan of "Starduster" and love orchestral music you might dig it, but I like both of those things and I wasn't even that impressed.

  Final Remarks

       This album is very, very good. JimmyThumb-P has eked out a spot in the Vocaloid community all his own, and his unique tuning of the Vocaloids, excellent songwriting skills, and mastery of multiple instruments and styles make him a force to be contended with. Despite a few hiccups here and there that prevent the album from being perfect, I would say it's a must-own for any Vocaloid album collector.

   9/10

[vocaloreview]

Introduction

Hello Readers! This is the start of what I hope is going to be a really neat thing in the Vocaloid community. As an avid Vocaloid listener, I've come to have a pretty wide knowledge base of producers, styles, and Vocaloid songs in general. As such, I figured I'd start a blog where I can review songs and albums for those who might want an opinion before they buy or download any music! To clarify, this isn't going to be a blog where I post random Vocaloid content such as art, fanfic, or whatever. There's already plenty of that on the internet. This is solely dedicated to Vocaloid song reviews with the occasional advice column where maybe I'll discuss a certain aspect of the community - maybe a general review of a producer's career or something to that nature. We'll play it by ear. Please feel free to suggest any albums to me that you'd like me to review. I'm going to try avoiding compilation albums like the EXIT TUNES releases because they tend to just focus on big hits instead of showcasing a particular artist/circle's style. Finally, I hope you'll consider buying Vocaloid music instead of pirating it. I know that's not always possible, and I pirate sometimes too, but it's always great to see the Vocaloid artists we know and love get rewarded for all of their hard work. At the very least, I will post links to the Niconico videos and not their Youtube uploads because the Niconico video views matter more to the Vocaloid community and support the artists better. I hope you enjoy my reviews. Happy reading!       - McDoogle (aka VocaloReviewer)