ongoingmelody

[Info] New Reviewers!

glider — Sat, 27 Aug 2011 22:13:23 GMT

First of all, I apologize for literally taking forever to get through the reviewer applications process and contacting everyone involved. :x I'm a terrible comm manager.

Please welcome our new reviewers: kimivalkyrie (Kimi), hageshii_ame (Ame), and fei_wu (Danielle)!

It's my hope that this music rotation will start becoming more active by having additional people here to review and post material. :'D ~~You guys can start making posts now btw, lmao I took so long to get to this...~~

[Info] Extending application due date

glider — Sat, 16 Jul 2011 03:01:14 GMT

Due to the lack of applications, I'm extending the due date for reviewer apps. The new due date is July 23 which gives you over a week.

The information post is here. Make sure if you have any friends or something who would be interested in reviewing here, tell them!!

[Review] [Mini-album] Saori@destiny; Domestic domain (2011)

glider — Fri, 08 Jul 2011 04:33:59 GMT

I originally had this review posted on my blog (lol shameless plug), so there's going to be some slight variation on format and whatnot. Also, don't forget, we're currently looking for new reviewers!

Saori@destiny; Domestic domain
Release Date: June 15, 2011
Language: Japanese, some English
Genre(s): Electronic, dance, pop
Purchase: CDJapan, iTunes
Download: 320kbps @ MEDIAFIRE

01. BEATBOP [preview] ♥
02. Domestic domain [preview]
03. GAMBA JAPAN [preview] [live] ♥
04. COLLAGE [preview] ♥
05. OFF THE WALL [preview]
06. Pray [preview]
07. Klaxon [preview] ♥

Saori@destiny began her career in early 2007 as a street performer in Akihabara, covering songs from idol collectives such as Hello! Project. In 2008 she made her major debut on the D-topia Entertainment label with the single sakura, and later released her debut album JAPANESE CHAOS. After a few more singles and a mini-album, her sophomore album came out in 2010, entitled WORLD WILD 2010 and suggesting a more tribal-influenced electronic pop sound. Produced almost entirely by Oonishi Terukado, Domestic domain is her first release of the 2011 season and contains an interesting mix of the different styles presented on her two albums, with lyrics inspired by her personal feelings regarding the Tohoku earthquake that occurred on March 11th this year.

The album opens with BEATBOP's attention-grabbing trumpet that fades out into a drum rhythm that hearkens me to the famously oversampled break from The Winstons' Amen Brother. Saori quickly enters the sonic landscape to deliver the entirely nonsensical lyrical content of this intro, and is interrupted briefly for a full instance of highly pitched stock vocals that continue to pervade the track here and there. BEATBOP can best be summed up as a wild sample party and, with such memorable gems as One and two and three and four and / Shake me, shake me, shake me, shake me / Bomb, bomb, bang, bang! and Dump it, your true colors / Gravy, ravey, ravey, laid, it is sure to stick in your mind.

It is in the title track Domestic domain that we see the tracklisting problems early-on. Going from such an offbeat intro to a very "safe" and almost Perfume-esque full song is enough to throw off the previous groove and vibe that BEATBOP laid down. Following a very basic compositional structure and average poppy electronic beats, Domestic domain's one idiosyncrasy is its set of stock voices in the background and its decently repetitive break. Although disappointing from a music standpoint, it stands out lyrically as Saori's songs are wont to do. It opens addressing God (God, ah, your voice, answer me / I'll stay alive — what can I give to you?) and continues to hint at a pre-existing connection to some vague individual (You smiling is my domestic domain / If you could come there with me, I'd be happy) and, towards, the end, throws out a nugget of philosophical wealth in the form of the line Because we aren't strong, we can love. For what sounds on a surface to be a generic electropop track, Domestic domain gives us intrigue and food for thought.

And we go directly from the softness of Domestic domain to another loud and anthem-like song, GAMBA JAPAN. Opening with a soaring wobbly bass typical of the dubstep genre and full of whistles, it wakes you up in the most abrupt of ways, like lifting your entire mattress and dropping you onto the dance floor. Saori's vocals here are almost at odds with the heavy bass, and occasionally I feel like I lose her voice in the intensity of the music. In the middle of the track we have some respite with a tribal-influenced break that reminds me of WW2010. Interestingly, the lyrics here seem to be inspired by the 2011 Tohoku earthquake that happened earlier this year (and on my birthday, no less), most clearly demonstrated in the line In a reality like this, now we're sharing the world / It's a tragedy that pains our hearts, but we're alive in this emergency. Overall, though, GAMBA JAPAN is an encouraging dedication to the natural disaster: Let's take each other's hands, all my friends / And strengthen our bonds, come on — ABCD.

The compositional credits on GAMBA JAPAN are split up between Alex Funk-it, which is one of Terukado's previously-established pseudonyms, and TO-WEST (which very well may be another of his pseudonyms, but...). This is for good reason -- GAMBA JAPAN flows directly and masterfully into COLLAGE, a very welcome surprise (I love albums with flow; RAM RIDER's 2005 album PORTABLE DISCO is a perfect example) courtesy of TO-WEST who handles the track. I honestly can't just start COLLAGE up cold, I have to have that GAMBA JAPAN build-up. As a track, COLLAGE is very stagnant with a repeating but extremely catchy rhythm, and complements Saori's vocals nicely. It enters a lengthy break somewhere around the 2:15 mark, which could potentially become annoying for some, but comes back with a funkier groove and more of the same lyrics and beat. Speaking of lyrics, they're slightly eerie in their poetic nature: Beyond the dance, my drooping feelings / Dance to the end, my celebration / Feverish dance, my rising feelings / New world dance, my celebration. Although I normally criticize songs that don't really "go" anywhere at all, it works to a higher effect here, and ironically I feel this would be a great number to drive to.

While we're in the mood for more mellow fare, OFF THE WALL starts up with bold piano and Saori's singing, then transforms into a song that is packed lyrically with references to the big artists of the 1970s/1980s American pop music scene. Likely a tribute to the late Michael Jackson, the instrumental is reminiscent of some of his best work and mostly funk-influenced. However, much like the previous track, OFF THE WALL is very stagnant -- unlike COLLAGE, it doesn't really make it work to any grand effect. It mysteriously lacks anything that pulls me in, yet is altogether not a bad song, just nothing I feel any particular need to seek out and listen to. I imagine the more music-savvy people out there could probably name all of the references in the lyrics...

Continuing in the same sleepy vein as the previous two tracks, Pray is (for lack of better words) completely boring. It begins immediately with guest vocals by Terukado that remind me strongly of Tsunku's infamous contributions to his idol productions, which is not really a good thing. The music itself is a basic electronic ballad with only scant chords of an electric guitar to spice it up whatsoever. It's just incredibly bland and should have probably been thrown out during the planning stages of the mini-album because, on a release with only seven songs, there's far less room for uninspired-sounding instrumentals. The whole release suffers from having a single downright weak component. Even with regards to the lyrics, it's nothing special: the verses look fairly identical and pertain to...basically beating the odds when the odds are against you.

The final track, Klaxon, is deceiving in its calm and minimalistic opening. Saori's voice echoes, asking repeatedly Tell me why... prior to breaking into a rap. The chorus is full of claps and the instrumental as a whole feels a bit tribal, courtesy of production by G.RINA (and not Terukado!). It all constantly seems to be leading up to something, yet never truly reaches any climactic point, and I'm still not sure if it's a disappointment for me. Lyrically it feels like a complete mess, and as with all the songs here, I struggle to make sense of what it's about. But this in itself was explained by Saori in an interview with Bounce magazine: she rarely writes about her personal feelings because they come out difficult to understand, but she also didn't want an album of nothing but generic upbeat lyrical fare that anyone could write. It's unfortunate to me that production did not live up to the same expectations in some places; but interestingly enough, it seems that where it failed, the lyrics compensated in some measure.

Speaking of Saori, she's almost a poster child for an underrated artist whose quality far exceeds her popularity. She's rather unsuccessful, with this release having received very little promotion and as a result debuted(?) at #176 on the Oricon charts; she's also had to return to doing street lives in Akihabara, something she hasn't done for ~2 years. While this mini-album isn't a favorite of mine overall, I highly suggest those who are interested in checking her out should buy the album (it's on iTunes) to help support her. I honestly did not want to share a download of this, but I conceded since I downloaded it in the first place.

OVERALL SCORE: B-

[Info] NOW RECRUITING NEW REVIEWERS

glider — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 03:13:50 GMT

CAPS LOCK IS ENTIRELY NECESSARY!!!

Yelling aside, isn't it ironic that I had a poll and a whole post this month last summer about doing something about this community, and then I let it sit and forgot about it until now? Yeah, I'm a totally responsible maintainer. :| The point is: ONMEL NEEDS NEW REVIEWERS AND I AM OFFICIALLY OPENING UP FOR APPLICATIONS. We're short a reviewer (shapby stepped down; please continue to enjoy her contributions since they'll still be available in the tags!), so I'm thinking about adding up to THREE new people.

★ Preferably interested in persons with prior experience in reviewing music works -- you don't have to be a professional (by no means am I or the other reviewers here), but it helps tremendously if you have a blog or LJ that you used to post your own reviews to.

★ Having dedication to this is a necessity! I'll be instituting a monthly quota of about 2-3 reviews per month, something I agreed on with the other two reviewers according to their needs. I understand if you can't meet that quota every month because all of us are busy; it's only to help promote activity amongst the reviewers here and keep the community from growing stagnant.

★ Another necessity is having a reliable and stable Internet connection. Since we are technically a music sharing rotation, we provide DL links to all the works we cover, which entails having to upload everything you cover to a hosting site (i.e., MediaFire/MegaUpload/etc). However, we also promote purchasing the artist's music in an effort to support that artist.

★ Also note that this is a nonprofit "hobby" sort of thing. We don't pay the reviewers for their output -- therefore, the time you put into this and your interest level is dependent on you.

If you feel you suit those requirements and are interested in submitting an application, this is the form:

Copy/paste and fill this out in an email to onmelreviews AT gmail DOT com on your own time.

Applications start today and end July 15th! Good luck!

[Info] Inactivity + Poll!

glider — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 05:07:52 GMT

WILD PANONYCHUS APPEARED!

...guys I'm real, real sorry about the inactivity going up in here since Victoria left. :( It's partially my fault -- I don't really diligently review anything or have much motivation to do so, and school is starting up for me again sooner than I think (August 5th? smfh). I meant to make this post like a month ago, but I continuously put it off and now I feel as if I'm doing this a bit too late.

Understandably, it's not just myself but my fellow reviewers (harukakamiya, shapby, and shima_sama) who have contributed to the lack of activity around here, but I think they've done more for the community than I have. So I'm fully prepared to shoulder most of the responsibility, rofl. I would say that it's "just a music rotation~~, it's not even legal~~" but ongoingmelody really feels like it has a community to it, you know? And I think all the work Victoria put into it shouldn't go to waste.

SO I MADE THIS HERE POLL, AND I ENCOURAGE EVERYONE WHO IS A MEMBER OF ONGOINGMELODY TO PARTICIPATE IN IT. NOT JUST THE WATCHERS, NAY -- I WANT THE MEMBERS!

View Poll: SO ABOUT ONGOINGMELODY...

Also, if you have any other comments or suggestions, please let us know! I was going to include a question re: uploading servers, but idk I don't think there's been much of a problem with that, so...yeah. TYVM for still being here through all the dramz and such, really appreciate it ♥

[Review] (Song) 2AM - 친구의 고백

shapby — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 15:07:12 GMT

I have no idea what drama everyone’s talking about, all I know is that I’m supposed to write reviews here. Even though I do feel kind of left out here, but who cares? The show must go on, people. May the new generation reign!

2AM - 친구의 고백 (from the single Time for Confession)
Release: March 19, 2009
Language: Korean
Genre: Ballad, Pop-rock
Purchase: Yesasia

Riding the sudden hype for 2AM, following their dramatic and aesthetically appealing teasers for their upcoming album, I decided to review their previous popular song, 친구의 고백/Chingu-eui Gobaek/Confession of a Friend.

Confession of a Friend is a ballad that starts with the solemn notes of the piano, before the music goes into full swing, decorated with sharp riffs of the electric guitar. The ending leaves listeners hanging a bit, especially since the electric guitar is, like, only half-way through the riff. The instrumentation, though, isn’t the main point of the song. The strength of the song lies in the vocals, since it is after all, from a vocal group. The vocals start off shaky and low, picks up a bit at the bridge, then maximizes at the chorus. Personally, I think for a group that’s considered as idols, 2AM delivers well-developed vocals. The problem is, when all four of the members sing at once, their strong voices tend to clash and considering their tender age, the emotion of the song (and the lyrics) doesn’t really show, aside from the strong vibratos.

Vocals put aside, I haven’t heard a song like this since the early ‘90s. I thought ballad pop-rock was extinct. Trust JYP to come up with something purely ancient and turn it into a hit.

Overall score: B -

I have high expectations for 2AM’s upcoming album, since the teasers are such a tease! And it seems that they’ve managed to tone down the excessive vibratos a bit…

[Info] Affiliates

glider — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 22:59:53 GMT

This is a list of the current places affiliated with ongoingmelody~ If you would like to be added as an affiliate, just comment on this post with a link to your website/LJ/whatever and we'll deff add you here.

1world_music | aiyatheydidnt | apopxstar | aramatheydidnt | asianbirthdays | audiobebop | audiokidds | ayakaru | ayulyn | bentosound | bestfiction | bisco_in_couple | blackbird16 | bonjourstars | caprizant | cd_junkies | cheerclap | coke_music | coldsocks | colorvibration | crossgame | cute_sounds | cyontones | daisuki_music | daybreak_bell | destinyrhymes | drugtrax | epicsunshine | faceoff_run | faerytalemusic | favoritemutant | gosenshi | grooveheroine | headphones_xx | int_dateline | ishoku_ichirin | itrinity_music | japan_now | jeucalme | jbums | jpop_uploads | jrock_sekai | justdancebabe | k_releases | koiibumi | kotoonna | leftseoul | kpopmixtape | kpop_uploads | kpop_sweets | kumikyoku | kuu_kingdom | leyuan | lo_stivale | lollipop_lyrics | lookingat | lostperformance | masqueradelie | music_envy | musicmedication | n_ics | noisebit | noteworthylove | oh_stargloss | omonatheydidnt | ongaku_bangumi | orionsounds | personalbluesky | popsicalove | punch_desu | prodigaltunes | quiteshiny | radiosyncity | razzelberri | reddenedfilter | reflectedoxygen | remocon | ringtone_solace | rurutia | saikuron | seaeshotel | shimbi | sik_n_7wisted | soundslikethese | soundresque | stickytaste | sweetxmelodies | takauno | tin2gg | tip_taps_tip | unpaused | wintersymphony | world_records | xcrystallisx | xinfinitesimal | yongwonhi | ysi_leftovers | yuistalker

21evo | absolute addiction | allkpop | All About AAA | Amai Wana | AoixAi/Sing It Loud | Aquamerry | asian melody | asianpopattack | Asian Rap Worldwide | Azian Wannabe | AznSource | Beyond the Sea | Big82 | BoABrasil | C-k-jpopmusic | Chaotic Dusk | Fashion Scans | GoldHikari | Hyoukai | Japanese and Korean Music | K Bites | Lost Wing | MagicaL P0P | Marz Music Rotation | Pouet² – Asian Addicted | Shuffle and Repeat | Sora to Kujira | Stereo Love | SweetxMelodies | The Asian Invasion | kiitos, ei kestä | What is DISCO?

[Info] Happy New Year~

glider — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 05:01:43 GMT

K, so here's the situation doggs. Victoria (supervictoria64) seems to have jumped ship -- she PMed a notice to all the members of the review team to let us know that she has lost interest in ongoingmelody and has summarily removed herself as a contributor and moderator. In case you forgot (lol idk how you could!), here's the members of the review "team" and their tags:

harukakamiya AKA Haruka
glider AKA Yoshimi
shima_sama AKA Kizzy
shapby AKA Shapby

I spoke to the other members of the review team, and we've pretty much agreed to mutually manage ongoingmelody. We also agreed that...

~*WE'LL START UPLOADING MUSIC AGAIN!!*~

Of course, we aren't totally ditching the in-depth reviews idea. Just now we'll provide an upload to whatever material we're reviewing. This means, of course, that we'll probably end up having to lock posts (I still don't know after what timespan -- maybe three days? A week?), and also, since the reviews are meant to be in-depth and obviously quality work, we'll probably be the slowest music rotation in regards to being on the ball with new releases and all that jazz, but that's okay because at least you'll know what you're fixing to download!

So uh...yeah. Happy 2010! \o/ ~~By the way, what the hell happened to the sparkly text generator? Damn thing has exceeded its bandwidth. I am sad that I can't make this a vampire post.~~ Woo, thank you oceandezignz~

[Review] [Album] Perfume; GAME (2008)

glider — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 05:21:10 GMT

Haha, this is far from my best review. I took a bit more liberty with the personal opinions and interjections here and less of a focus on trying to word things fancily. I hope you all still enjoy it!

Perfume; GAME
Release Date: April 16, 2008
Language: Japanese, some English
Genre(s): Electronic, pop
Purchase: YesAsia

01. ポリリズム (Polyrhythm) [PV]
02. plastic smile
03. GAME
04. Baby cruising Love [PV]
05. チョコレイト・ディスコ (Chocolate Disco) [PV]
06. マカロニ (Macaroni) [PV]
07. セラミックガール (Ceramic Girl) [PV]
08. Take me Take me
09. シークレットシークレット (Secret Secret) [PV]
10. Butterfly [PV]
11. Twinkle Snow Powdery Snow [PV]
12. Puppy love

GAME is Perfume's first album with original material on it, second if you count the best-of. As everyone should know, Perfume is A~chan, Nocchi, and Kashiyuka and they've been around since 2001, only been produced by Nakata Yasutaka since 2003. (I reviewed their latest album, Triangle, before this one. Why am I going out of order?)

I go way back with Perfume. About as far back as a few months before Polyrhythm came out (okay, so not that far back). This song is really the best choice to open the album with, as it starts immediately and the build-up to the chorus is steady and really quite epic.

There is an interesting story around Polyrhythm. Not only was it their breakthrough hit, catapulting them into the Japanese conscious, but apparently Ystk had to fight to get it accepted by Perfume's management? LOL. The issue at hand (if I recall correctly) was the repetitive section just before the break, they wanted that out and felt that it wouldn't be well-received. If you've ever wondered why there's an extra short edit of Polyrhythm on the single, that's likely the reason why. Luckily, Ystk won, and Polyrhythm as-is got released as the A-side!

The PV is intriguing given that it features many "natural" things, such as flowers and the earth and whatnot, whereas I feel electronic music is more classically disposed towards robotic imagery and sound. This is part of Perfume's charm, possibly, that they sing in such monotone and unnatural vocal effects, but the emotions still come out in their voices.

plastic smile, when I initially heard it, reminded me of the perfect song to go shopping to. The overall mood of this track (as my source tells me, since I couldn't find a concrete translation of this anywhere) is about the monotony of a simple existence and the ease of which one could accept this, and this extends to the relationship the speaker is in. (Also, my source told me that it's possible to interpret this as that they want to bypass the next five tracks and just get to Take me Take me). I feel that the meaning manifests quite well into the composition of the song itself, as after it begins it doesn't get much more remarkable throughout the whole thing, maintaining a persistent beat.

GAME is by far one of the more popular songs off this album, and it seems to me that Perfume's fans tend to prefer "harder" electro numbers vs. the group's more light-hearted fare (the popularity of edge and its variants later on testifies to this notion). It opens with some killer bass and guitars quickly transition in.

To be completely honest, though, GAME never was too terribly impressive for me! It drags on and on, and is almost a more lame precursor to edge with its Try the new world line. Definitely not a favorite of mine out of Perfume's discography.

Aaaaah, Baby cruising Love. I was in love with this song when I first heard it. There's a heavy piano backbone throughout the track, and Ystk + piano = love (to me!). :'D The lyrical content also inexplicably charms me, dealing with the concept of looking ahead quite seriously (Just continue looking ahead / It's scary and we can't do anything about it), giving it a touch of realism. For people who enjoy piano in their electro, you'd certainly enjoy this.

The lyrical distribution is notable in that we get some amazing solos from each of the members, mostly from A~chan IMO. And the PV is incredibly cute and wintry, with an awesome lightshow. I highly recommend it.

Chocolate Disco... About the hopes that a girl's feelings will be properly communicated to the boy she likes, using Valentine's Day as a ruse. It's also one of the most repetitive songs in existence, but oddly this never bothered me? It was the first time I ever picked up on some of Perfume's iconic choreography, with the little shimmying move prevalent throughout the chorus. It's overall a very fun track for me to listen to and I enjoy it, but I know there's haters out there!

I also strangely love the PV even though I should call their outfits hot messes. I just can't take anything about Chocolate Disco seriously enough to criticize it. The clothes remind me of what a little girl would match together and wear with pride. (How can anyone take Chocolate Disco seriously? Look at the title. It's a disco. Of chocolate.)

Oh, but of course that jovial song transitions in Macaroni. When this came out, I remember how impressed the community (and myself) was with its kind of...it's not as heavily electronic as any of Perfume's other songs. It's very percussive and almost house-esque, showing another side of Perfume's music, and one fans of Ystk should already be acquainted with.

The lyrics of Macaroni are just heartwarming. We want to be like this forever, don't we? / How much time can we spend snuggling with each other?. sjakskahsks HAPPY. The PV is beautiful, too, it was different from Perfume's usual, featuring them walking outdoors and no lip-syncing or anything of that sort. Almost like a home video to me.

Unfortunately, I've never much cared for Ceramic Girl. The general composition and style of it remind me of plastic smile part two or something. I just...yeah, ain't got much to say here. Moving on!

Take me Take me was Perfume's sexiest song at the time this album was released. Nowadays, I'd consider Kiss and Music as a sort of follow-up. As with Chocolate Disco, the lyrics here are largely repetitive, and yet somehow I don't find myself getting bored with them. At all.

No, no, truly the standout in this song is THE AMAZING AND POETIC ENGLISH LYRICS. It rained for a time / beautiful sight. The harmonies that lurk underneath that line every time it comes up. For lack of better words, it's orgasmic. There's also a little bit of underlying acoustics, too, which add a nice touch.

Secret Secret is...definitely a Perfume classic. I love lyrics that are self-aware, especially in idol music, and Secret Secret has them. The song is from the perspective of a fan, and in each verse the person with whom the fan speaks to is different (the first verse is a fan talking to a star [in their mind], second is the fan conversing with a second fan, and the last is a fan reflecting; thanks, Perfume City). With such lines as I want to know the real you and You told me a lie with the sweetest smile / You are always a secret, I can't help but be hearkened back to my days of following Hello! Project almost exclusively out of the Japanese music industry and dealing with the insanity of wota and the nature of idolism in general. So this song hits close to home with me in a good way.

It opens somewhat eerily with an echoing "la la", capturing some weird sense of loneliness (in my opinion). Then it just turns into another awesome Perfume track, with excellent atmosphere and beat. It also follows a chorus-verse-chorus-verse-chorus-chorus format, from what I can tell.

The PV is interesting even without the song. It takes a different approach, acting as a sort of chronicle of Perfume's history, from when they were obscure to now with their stardom and well-known reputation in the J-pop world. The choreography is also notable in how it recycles all of their moves from previous songs. All in all, this was a great album track to pick as promotional material, I have to say.

Butterfly opens with forest sounds, quickly transitioning into a beautiful...yeah music terminology fail here. It's pretty, okay? So just go listen to it.

The lyrics of Butterfly feel almost like a continuation of Secret Secret to me. Fly away / We can't capture you / Ah / How beautiful. Though anytime I hear the "fly away" part, it almost sounds like "far away" to me. As with any interestingly-pronounced Perfume line, I have to question if it was on purpose or just accidental.

The PV is incredibly cheap, but somehow I can't blame them. It wasn't really done seriously, just for a VTR in a concert, so... Yet I love the flashing silhouette parts, that was the most lovely and creative touch and makes watching the PV worth your while. I almost wish that hadn't been used for Butterfly, but on a regular single A-side's PV.

Twinkle Snow Powdery Snow and Chocolate Disco from before were both included on the Fan Service -Sweet- single that precluded Polyrhythm. I've always felt strangely about their inclusion on this album, though, they almost stick out too much for me with their dated sound. Not that they're bad! Twinkle Snow has very cute lyrics, and awesomely enough, the chorus rhymes. Ystk ♥ It's a great wintry song, and the PV is very pretty, par with Electro World's on the general environment.

Puppy love is the cutest song ever, basically about a boy who pretends to be all cool and uninterested in his girlfriend when he's really a softie underneath. ♥♥ This has an excellent beat and rhythm, utilizing more traditional and acoustic-sounding instruments while still maintaining that electro charm underneath it all. For the longest time it reminded me of like...Snoopy? LMAO. Well, it is puppy love!

One of my favorite albums out of everything I listen to, highly recommended! Great introduction to Perfume (although I reviewed this and Triangle out of order, haha).

Overall Score: A

[Review] (Album) Younha (윤하) - Growing Season (3rd album part B)

shapby — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 11:47:28 GMT

I just found out Younha had a comeback today. Ha. The girl needs a better promotion team. And, gasp, no Younha tags before? Omg.

Younha (윤하) - Growing Season (3rd album part B)
Release Date: December 11, 2009
Language: Korean
Genre(s): Pop, rock, jazz, blues, ballad
Purchase: Yesasia

01. Say Something [YT]
02. 오늘 헤어졌어요 [YT]
03. 좋아해 [YT]
04. 편한가봐 [YT]
05. 헤어진 후에야 알 수 있는 것 (Duet with 김범수) [YT]
06. LaLaLa [YT]
07. 스물두 번째 길 [YT]
~~08. 오늘 헤어졌어요 (Inst.)~~
~~09. 헤어진 후에야 알 수 있는 것 (Inst.)~~

You know how sometimes singers just promote the wrong song? I mean, sometimes, they have a bunch of great songs in their album, but they choose the most generic song to promote the album, which kind of sucks since that one song doesn't really represent the whole album.

That is what I'd say about Younha. For the past couple of albums, really, she had great material, but she just had to choose a song like 1, 2, 3 as a promotion song. Such a pity.

Younha's coming back to the K-pop music scene with her new album, Growing Season (3rd album part B). I love the songs, but from what it seems, she'll be promoting 오늘 헤어졌어요/Oneul Heeojyeosseoyo/We Broke Up Today, which is such a sleepy ballad that just doesn't show the energy packed in the album.

Say Something is a ballad rock song, that showcases Younha's vocal ability nicely. There's something familiar about this song, which makes me wonder whether it's a remake or not, but so far I can't put a finger on it yet. The chorus is a bit choppy, but Younha's voice comes out strong and sharp, a tad too strong sometimes on the higher notes, but that's her trademark. There's a part at the bridge which I'd love to hear her sing live, since it's a high note, and Younha stretches it out with attitude. It's a nice way to start the album.

Next up, Oneul Heeojyeosseoyo/We Broke Up Today seems to be the main song of the album, which is such a waste. It's a beautiful ballad alright, and Younha undoubtfully hits the notes right. But you know, Younha has a strong voice and it feels just wrong for her to sing something so soft like this. Plus, the lyrics are kind of, to put it, blunt and repetitive. It's probably one of the most unmemorable songs in the album.

The third song is 좋아해/Johahae/I Like You. Awesome, fun song. It's an upbeat rock song, nothing like 1, 2, 3. It's not even like Bimirbeonho 486/Password 486. The guitar chords are strong from the beginning and the melody starts out low and fast, then picks up around the chorus, the chords actually get stronger along the way. If anything I would've chosen this song as a promotion song, since it's repetitive enough, but not boring, very memorable and Younha puts attitude in singing the word, "johahae". (I personally like the way she emphasizes the syllable "-hae". Very enjoyable.) And the feeling to the song is young and fresh, which is what the whole K-pop scene is about, right?

편한가봐/Pyeonhangabwa/Must Be Easy is a soft ballad. I suppose they put this song her as a slow-down after the hip Johahae. The arrangement to this song is simple, a lot of strings, but personally, I wish they tuned down Younha's voice a bit since it stands too much from the background music. But perhaps that's what they're trying to do with the song: making it a showcase of Younha's vocal abilities.

Fifth track, 헤어진 후에야 알 수 있는 것/Heeojin Hueya Alsu Itneun Geot/Realize After Breaking Up, turns out to be a jazz song on the verge of blues. (Blues on the verge of jazz?) It's a duet with Kim Bum Soo, and since I love Kim Bum Soo's voice, I love this songs as well. Younha and KBS's voices match well, they both have that clean type of voice and can hit clear notes well. Plus, Younha is a great dueter. (Duetist? What's the word?) The song as a melancholic feel to it, but the beat isn't so slow, which saves it from falling flat. It's an interesting tune, and to hear Younha try jazz is even nicer.

LaLaLa is the sixth song in the album. Jazz again! The light improvisation at beginning of the song kind of reminds me of Ayaka's way of singing jazz, but moving into the lyrics, it becomes much sweeter. I don't really get why Younha's suddenly plunging into the world of jazz, but I guess it's due to the positive feedback of her Gee cover? Younha's voice just wasn't made for jazz, but nonetheless, LaLaLa is a fun song to listen to. Younha sounds pretty happy too.

Despite being an extremely quiet ballad, 스물두 번째 길/Seumuldu Beonjjae Gil/22nd Street, is beautiful. The piano comes really soft and Younha drags out her lines slowly, but I like how the song gives off an eerie feeling. Listening to the song is somewhat like watching the sun rise, since it starts off quietly, then the lyrics become clearer and clearer around the chorus. The accoustic guitar that comes after the chorus is beautiful and accompanies the piano wonderfully. Younha manages to tone down her voice and that does wonders to the song. This is probably the strongest ballad of the album. (Aha! All the piano-accoustic-guitar-capella reminds me of w-inds.' Eien no Tochuu. Old song, yes, but nevertheless nice.) This song could definitely rock the stage if someday Younha decides to do an accoustic live version of it.

Overall Score: B+
I like how Younha explores more kinds of music in this album. I can't wait for her live performances.

Notable songs: Johahae/I Like You, Heeojin Hueya Alsu Itneun Geot/Realize After Breaking Up, Seumuldu Beonjjae Gil/22nd Street

[Review] [Song] GOLDEN SHOWER; Video Computer System (2000)

glider — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 06:24:55 GMT

Hey, Victoria, if you don't want the download link, let me know! I only included it because it's on the group's official website, and they don't seek royalties from any of their material, it seems.

Also, I wasn't sure what to put for the language tag, as this has no lyrics. XD

GOLDEN SHOWER; Video Computer System
Release Date: Unknown (sometime in 2000?)
Language: N/A
Genre(s): Chiptune, electronic
Purchase: N/A; DL @ the group's official website

01. Video Computer System [VIDEO]

GOLDEN SHOWER is a uniquely-named electronic duo from Brazil, consisting of members Markus Karlus and Kevin Rodgers who met in the early 1990s while studying at the University of Saarbrücken in Luxembourg. They base the group around the story of a fictional computer virus known as Golden Shower.

First of all, guys, I'm sorry about the name but this is seriously what they call themselves. IDGI. W/e, because Video Computer System is easily the sickest (read: BEST) chiptune song I've ever heard. Given that most of my exposure to this genre is from YMCK, though, I wouldn't give myself too much credit as a reliable expert in the realm of 8bit-inspired beats.

It starts off with static and some beeping noises that are reminiscent of the old Atari home gaming systems from the 1980s, then that classic sound of an 8-bit videogame character walking through this vast, pixelated world that was so new and extraordinary back in the day. (Keep in mind that I wasn't born "back in the day", I just played Atari on my parents' first computer when I was like six years old. I was a regular badass at Pong, and don't get me started on Centipede.) After several seconds, a beat is incorporated, and the rest of the song accumulates shortly thereafter. It's essentially a collection of noises that jive together in harmony and unison, complementing one another in the perfect representation of the first videogames.

I can't help but want to go boot up the SNES and play some old-fashioned Super Mario Bros. Hell, I'd even break out the NES because of this song. It's extraordinarily well-done, which explains why it received such acclaim on the Internet after being popularized by winning the MTV Brazil Video Music Award for best electronic video. The video itself is a huge throwback to the dinosaurs of videogames, showcasing a character battling his way through obstacles Atari 2600 players will recall fondly as he embarks on a journey to attend a Golden Shower concert.

For those who haven't quite achieved success in finding chiptune music that is "right for you", I'd highly recommend just this song. It's one of the few in the genre that I can say I passionately enjoy.

Overall Score: A

[Review] (Song) Amuro Namie - The Meaning of Us + FAST CAR

shapby — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 15:05:14 GMT

Huh? The community's been pretty quiet lately... and as a side-note, I suck at CSS.

(Doesn't this pic kinda remind you of the Wonder Girl's retro concept off Nobody? With the shimmery dress, thick make-up, and Mimi's big hair and all...)

安室奈美恵 Amuro Namie – The Meaning of Us (from the album Past < Future) [PV]
Release Date: December 16, 2009
Language: Japanese
Genre: Pop, Ballad

After COPY THAT and MY LOVE, The Meaning of Us is among the several songs that are used as promotional singles for Amuro Namie's upcoming album, Past < Future, out on December 16th.

It’s been a while since Ms. Amuro chose a ballad to be one of her promotional singles. The last one was probably Baby Don’t Cry back in 2007, and that wasn’t even a full-fledged ballad—more of a mid-tempo than a ballad. So when The Meaning of Us came around, it was quite surprising, and refreshing, to hear such a sweet, light tune coming from her.

The song starts off with the piano, before moving into the melody. There’s an awkward moment at the beginning of the second verse, at the word, “sukoshi,” as if it were sung a note lower than it was supposed to be, but then picks up at the bridge. The chorus is lovable, simple, and repetitive, in a good way, making it easy to sing along. There’s a line at the end of the first chorus in which Amuro’s voice is layered over, which is totally unnecessary: it doesn’t really match the feel of the song. You can really feel the emotions Amuro put into the song during the bridge. She pronounces every line clearly, slowly but not sluggishly, gently but not too soft. I’d say, she sings it as if she were telling a story to her child, and from the PV, I’m guessing that’s pretty much what she is trying to do.

Finally getting songs from Amuro with less auto-tune, less synthesized voices, is a really nice treat. It seems her new album will vary in genre of songs.

The PV came out a couple days ago and Ms. Amuro is stunningly beautiful in it. It’s pretty simple; Amuro is in a room, wearing several different outfits. The concept of the video seems to be the timeline of Amuro’s life, since the shifting of the time (morning-afternoon-evening) is pretty obvious. It starts out with a current Amuro: stylish, in a plaid jacket and a hat, then flashbacks to a more innocent, pleasant, natural-looking Amuro—a personification of Amuro pre-celebrity days. The image shifts to a more fabricated Amuro, wearing hip and flashy clothes and her signature high boots—the celebrity Amuro. Then we get to the bathroom, in which Amuro drenches her self in the shower, wearing a dark dress—depressed Amuro? I think this covers the hard times throughout her life, or the loneliness as a celebrity. After that, we get back to current Amuro, who takes off her plaid jacket, revealing a simple white gown. She tries to convey that this is who she really is now, and she seems pretty resolved about it. The boxes that surround her is an obvious metaphor of her leaving her past behind and moving on, which sums up the title of her upcoming album, Past < Future.

Overall Score: B
As much as I would love to add a + to that, we’re all still anticipating the actual album to come out, so I’m avoiding to be generous.

安室奈美恵 Amuro Namie – FAST CAR (from the album Past < Future) [PV]
Release Date: December 16, 2009
Language: Japanese
Genre: Pop, Funk, Rock, Jazz

FAST CAR is the next promotional single after The Meaning of Us for Amuro Namie’s upcoming album, Past < Future.

Unlike The Meaning of Us, which takes a different approach from Amuro’s recent songs, FAST CAR is more similar to Amuro’s previous dance tracks, such COPY THAT and MY LOVE. It’s an upbeat track, with a rock and funk twist. The electric guitar is obvious at the beginning and then tones down slightly into a playful tune throughout the rest of the song. True to the title, the rhythm is fast and Amuro sounds like she’s having a lot of fun singing the song. The chorus is a bit too repetitive though.

It seems that Amuro has finally given up on using synthesizers, which is a good thing, since her voice has enough character even without auto-tune or synthesizers. Past < Future really is shaping up to be a promising album.

After the simple PV for The Meaning of Us, Amuro finally returns to her trademark over-the-top PVs with FAST CAR PV. The setting and costume is Victorian inspired (actually, I had a hard time figuring whether it was Victoria or Marie Antoinette, since the over-use of lace at the bust was more of a Marie Antoinette thing, but the laid-back hair-styles, bolero jackets, and male outfits suggested the other) but Amuro gives it a gothic twist with the sultry make-up and seductive attitude. It ends up looking somewhat gothic-loli. It’s nice that she doesn’t blatantly make it sexy by showing off too much skin, but exudes the sexiness through her gazes, subtle movements, and sudden flicks of the laced fan. The dance rocks.

But personally, I think the Victorian theme is kind of… common and over-used? Though, I have to admit, it is the 2009/2010 F/W fashion trend and Amuro always hits the fashion trend right, as she did with the 60s70s80s combo.

Overall Score: B+

[Review] [Song] 清水翔太 Shimizu Shota - 君が好き Kimi ga Suki (2009)

shapby — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 12:48:01 GMT

Hi. OMG. *~~spazzes~~* I'm Shapby, btw, nice to meet y'all. My first review will be on Shimizu Shota's Kimi ga Suki. ~~Gaaaah, I'm so excited.~~ Hope you guys find it interesting.

Victoria, I can't add tags, either.

清水翔太 Shimizu Shota - 君が好き　Kimi ga Suki (from the single 君が好き)
Release Date: December 9, 2009
Language: Japanese
Genre(s): Pop, R&B

I came to know about Shimizu Shota just recently through the album Tribute to m-flo, in which he covered the song let go. (Victoria posted a review on that album a while ago.) I liked how he managed to pull off the song, giving the song a more R&B feel to it—in comparison to the original full-fledged ballad version.

The song starts off with light notes on the piano before shifting into the main rhythm. The melody is light and quick, Shimizu's trademark. The first verse ends pretty fast, and goes straight into the bridge, with the main chorus following. It's amazing how Shimizu's voice transforms, from the sweet, light, melancholic voice in the first verse and bridge, to the strong and straightforward voice in the chorus. The bass drum is notably strong at the climax of the song. The steady beat and light melody makes this song perfect for a lonely, rainy night while sweet-talking to a lover on the phone--which, amazingly, is what the lyrics of part of the song is about.

Kimi ga Suki actually reminds me of HOME, Shimizu's debut single, especially the quick pacing of the lyrics and the steady rhythm of the song. After a throng of duets that did injustice to Shimizu's strong voice, Kimi ga Suki is a nice solo comeback for him.

Overall score: B+

Coincidentally, I listened to this song around the time Taeyang of Big Bang released his single, Wedding Dress, and couldn’t help notice how alike the two are—their music, their voice, even their hairstyle. (Lol, even though Taeyang does still have that bit of hair at the top of his head.) Even the theme of the song is similar: weddings! Only if Taeyang takes it from the third party's POV, Shimizu Shota takes it from the groom's POV. Lol.

[Review] [Album] Perfume; Triangle (2009)

glider — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 03:37:07 GMT

ahjgdjle;d HI GUYS. First review from Yoshimi, doing Perfume's new album...a little after the fact, but that's okay. 8D

Also, to Victoria, it wouldn't let me add tags, so...yeah.

Perfume; ⊿ (Triangle)
Release Date: July 8, 2009
Language: Japanese, some English
Genre(s): Electronic, pop
Purchase: YesAsia

01. Take off
02. love the world [PV]
03. Dream Fighter [PV]
04. edge (⊿-mix)
05. NIGHT FLIGHT [LIVE] [CM]
06. Kiss and Music
07. Zero Gravity
08. I still love U [PV]
09. The best thing
10. Speed of Sound
11. ワンルーム・ディスコ (One Room Disco) [PV]
12. 願い (Album-mix) (Negai; Wish)

During this past summer, popular electronic pop trio Perfume released their sophomore album (technically third if you include the best-of compilation), ⊿. Perfume, comprised of members Nocchi, Kashiyuka, and A~chan, have been produced exclusively by Nakata Yasutaka since 2003.

The album opens with the forty-eight second intro Take off, which is basically a really awesome countdown. Definitely a more artistic approach when you keep their previous album, 2008's GAME, in mind, which started with the breakthrough hit Polyrhythm that Perfume is arguably most known for. Take off builds up steadily into love the world, Perfume's first #1 single on the Oricon charts.

I didn't originally like love the world. It just seemed too different from the rest of Perfume's work at the time, and it's still notably offbeat in comparison to their more conventional works, but I tend to view it as more an evolution of Perfume and not something that betrays the rest of their . There's more poppy instrumentation; the lyrics are uplifting in their positivity, with the chorus stressing tenacity. Not high on my list of favorites by Perfume, but a strong song all around.

Dream Fighter is AWESOME, though I didn't initially like it very much. According to myself back in 2008, I...said it sounded too much like capsule? LOL WHAT. Okay then! But no, this is one of Perfume's definitive songs, and much like the majority of their music, the lyrics take a kindhearted and bolstering tone with lines such as Even if reality looks just about to hit us and knock us out / we'll surely keep walking forward.

To be entirely honest, the potential for edge is limitless. I applaud Ystk on all three versions that exist of this song (the original and the extended mix on the love the world single), but I believe that by far the one on this album is superior. It begins fully intending to rock your face off, and finishes with your face indelibly rocked off. The only real criticism I can give is that I wish it had retained the vocal distortion of the first dattara sono mae ni watashi no that was present in the extended mix, because that was just...creepy beyond words. As I said, edge has so much potential. I'm tempted to go take keyboard lessons just to make my own remix of it, because every time I listen to any version, I think of different ways to re-interpret it as a song.

On another note, despite the overwhelming amount of what sounds like nonsense Engrish, the lyrical content of edge is fairly grim, with Everyone will eventually die, right? being one of the few sung verses throughout the whole thing.

NIGHT FLIGHT is yet another song I wasn't feeling at first, surprisingly enough, though after listening to it during my midday walks I warmed to it considerably. It was the first official new track that was released off this album, through the Pino CM, and once I took a liking to it I was hoping everything else would follow a similar musical theme.

The instrumentation in this sets the tone for much of the remaining original material on this album, as it sounds like something almost shot out of the American 1980s music scene (I'm thinking of the synthpop stylings of groups such as Styx, The Human League, Pet Shop Boys, Devo, etc). NIGHT FLIGHT describes a nearly dreamlike scene, at one point even questioning it. I almost feel as if this should have followed Take off, as they kind of go along thematically and pair together so well that they could very well be taken out of the context of the entire album and it would still flow as smoothly.

If anything, Kiss and Music confirms that tried-and-true formula all idols and idol groups share. As the members get older, the music is allowed to be more "sexy". Right now, Perfume's average age is 20.3, meaning...that they're all legal in Japan! Hooray! So this song is basically about being disenchanted by someone who is deemed too cowardly to make the first move. On a loltastic note, the choreography for this is a throwback to the late King of Pop, Michael Jackson, whom dear Ystk seems to fanboy quite extensively (keeps spinning his records at gigs, YSTK STOP IT HE'S BEEN DEAD FOR FIVE MONTHS).

We rebound from the sexiness of Kiss and Music to Zero Gravity and its nearly chiptune-esque backing instrumental. One thing I detected is the presence of the See (the) new world line from edge. I wonder if this album does have a theme? Much of the lyrics deal with unconventionality and essentially not worrying about what others think of you, the latter of which is most evident here, with the final verse: Let your heart go / Yes freedom high and low / Hey, don't be stopped / Surely this light is wherever we look around / The key is inside you.

With I still love U, we're again faced with more 1980s poppy synth. The heavier vocal effects are most evident here than they are on the rest of the album, I think, and there's definitely a difference from how they sounded on GAME. Anyone can infer that this song has something to do with heartbreak in one of its varying forms, but again it goes back to the note Kiss and Music left on, with being unsatisfied with a partner/lover/whatever. The harmonies are quite nice here.

My biggest issue with the whole composition of I still love U is the ridiculous over-remixed "break". It's jarring and unnecessary.

The album is almost moody in how it switches from highs to lows constantly. From that, we arrive at The best thing, a song that's all about being happily in love. The guitar riffs here remind me of the ones that were all over the place on capsule's FRUITS CLiPPER album, so it was a nice hearken to that. :)

Speed of Sound was a major disappointment for me in that...it wasn't a cover of British pop band Coldplay's hit song Speed of Sound! MAN WHAT IS UP WITH THAT. It's basically a bunch of random English words that have some kind of subtle correlation with each other. Alas, this is the most boring track on the whole album, striking me almost as filler.

One Room Disco is Perfume's most recent single, released all the way back in March this year. Yeah, it's been pretty slow for them (and IDK if I should blame the "scandals" or not). This song has the most OMGWTF BADASS INTRO but then transitions into something that's just very bland and not that extraordinary to me and I keep hoping that Ystk will do more with it someday, as it definitely has potential. The highlights would be the lyrical content, which is about moving into a place on your own for the first time and experiencing the loneliness that accompanies this; the breaks that follow the chorus, wherein a stock voice can be heard uttering some barely comprehendable line while you get another taste of the aforementioned OMGWTF BADASS INTRO; and A~chan's solo Hiruma mitai machi no akari ga / hoshizora wo mienaku suru, which also has OMGWTF BADASS HARMONIZATION.

This sounds like enough to make an OMGWTF BADASS SONG but really. It isn't. :(

Finally, we're brought to Negai (Album-mix). Just...beautiful. The strong piano presence throughout this redone version of Negai, the tiniest hint of violin, it all comes together and makes something wonderful. Count on Ystk to take a boring B-side and transform it into an extraordinary finish of an album. Originally, I wasn't feeling the still synthetic-sounding vocals of Perfume here, but I gradually learned to look past that slight shortcoming and appreciate the song fully for what it is. The whole album finishes with the final line of Negai: It took me a long time / but this is my real wish.

It's hard to judge this effort from Perfume. If I want to view it strictly as just Nakata Yasutaka's work, it's great; as a Perfume album, it leaves me wanting more. When you listen to this, it's best to not even compare it to GAME, because nothing truly compares to that album.

Overall Score: B