Yoko Hikasa - Owaranai Uta

HAL ED

Tracklist:

1. Owaranai Uta

2. Innocent

3. Owaranai Uta (Instrumental)

4. Innocent (Instrumental)

1. Owaranai Uta

Following the format of her previous single, Owaranai Uta is a slow song as well, starting off with a melancholic piano, but evolving into a real anison ballad. Even with it being a bit unoriginal arrangement-wise, such as the usage of usual instruments like the violin and an acoustic guitar, it isn't boring even at the full time of almost five minutes. This time, unfortunately, the melody doesn't add up and hinders Yoko's powerful vocals, but it still achieves clarity and a great colour. The chorus is the most effective place in the track, utilizing deep transitions and very rich instrumentals, stripping down to the same piano from the introduction at the end.

Rating: 8

2. Innocent

A more energetic and quirky, subdued sequence opens the following song, later on becoming something one can present as very usual anison, ie. the sped up version of Owaranai Uta. Not everything is that black, though, since it has the same relaxing and laid-back atmosphere, making it still an enjoyable listen. Some strange composing decisions are present throughout the track, and even with the violin stunts that tickle my senses, the drums are too weak in spite of the fast tempo, making the song feel superficial to the ear. Yoko's voice really has the chance to shine here, except it is occasionally filtered, although she needs no help like that in terms of vocal strength.

Rating: 7

If you want, you can look at Utsukushiki Zankoku na Sekai and Owaranai Uta as polar opposites; the first track in both singles is a ballad, and the second track is the more active one. The only thing stopping this single from being on the same level as the previous one is the lack of originality, but Yoko still has plenty of time to build her image, since this is only her second single as a solo artist. My overall rating is: 7 ½

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supercell - Hakushu Kassai Utaawase

Katanagatari OP

Tracklist:

1. Hakushu Kassai Utaawase

2. M.K.O

3. Yuuyake Brousse

4. Hakushu Kassai Utaawase (TV Edit)

5. Hakushu Kassai Utaawase -Instrumental-

6. M.K.O -Instrumental-

7. Yuuyake Brousse -Instrumental-

1. Hakushu Kassai Utaawase

A soft, quiet singing from Koeda opens the first track, with occasional traces from a tradition-inspired melody. Not wasting time, the song quickly unravels into an energetic rock track, this time drenched in piano chords, which very much reminds of the famous Senbonzakura (they share the same tonality and chord progression). Unlike in their previous single, the vocals are quite powerful and deep, providing a bind between the constantly alternating slow and fast themes in the verses and chorus, while perfectly keeping up with the unusual rhytmic figures, made to cater to the stereotypical Japanese sound of it. As to make a full circle, the song ends reserved and calm, leaving an admirable impression.

Rating: 9

2. M.K.O

Not so different from Hakushu Kassai Utaawase, the next track also makes a build up, but more towards a usual Western style. Perhaps accordingly, Koeda's voice is much more nasal and higher in pitch, though the song could have sounded just as good, and more serious in a deeper registre. Even with it being simple instrument-wise, with only a guitar, usage of the organ and a strong tempo, the rocky, catchy chorus makes up for it, utilizing an effective melody. And, although M.K.O isn't as memorable as the A-side, at least it is better than the generic acoustic ballad supercell had enough of in their past single.
Rating: 8

3. Yuuyake Brousse

The final material on the single is usually where the composer's creative juices run out, and this is no exception. A strange, unpleasant arrangement opens, being livened up with the mouth accordion only for a short time before falling in a limbo of slow-motion and random guitar plucks. Everything, even the vocals, sounds tired out and lazy, disappointing and making this song the weakest of all three, that is - just average.
Rating: 4

Compared to The Bravery (which, surprising me, many people liked), Hakushu Kassai Utaawase is a big step up, for both Koeda and Ryo. The only stranger here is Yuuyake Brousse, which reflects another one of Ryo's unsuccessful attempts at creating a summer-related song; he should just stick to the pop-rock thing going on most of the time. My overall rating is: 7

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Technical Issues

I wonder if anyone noticed the unusual lack of reviews in the last week.
Well, it has been a rough patch of time with loads of bad luck. First, my iPod with all of my music broke down, so I had to copy it, restore it, and still 5% of music is gone. Second, the audio system on my computer breaks down each time I play a livetune song (oh the irony).

Take my sincere apology, and expect a barrage of daily posts as soon as I get this thing up and running.

非常に残念です。ヽ(￣д￣;)ノ

livetune adding Fukase (from SEKAI NO OWARI) - Take Your Way

Devil Survivor 2 The Animation OP

Tracklist:

1. Take Your Way

2. Ready for Calming 

3. Each and All

4. Take Your Way (Inst)

5. Each and All (Inst)

1. Take Your Way

A funky, retro-futuristic start makes way for an unusually happy arrangement, seeing as Devil Survivor is an anime with such a grim theme. As expected from livetune, the instrumentation is a pretty standard and overused mix of  light piano, guitars and synths, alike to the Vocaloid work he does; which, disappointingly, also translates into the vocal part done by Fukase, as the melody is inconsistent and with no transitions between different tones. Just as one gets used to the track, Fukase's disheartening and weak voice colour affects it further, actually providing a relief when filtered and edited in the middle eight section. Despite being so popular, Take Your Way is nothing special, besides the very introduction to it.
Rating: 7

2. Ready for Calming

Continuing on, Ready for Calming is opened by a single piano melody, occasionally crossed with bells. The atmosphere it gives being completely different from the previous track, I'm glad livetune decided to include an instrumental-only, which fits him much better than full vocal songs. Suddenly, the summer-like ambient is broken at the half of the short interlude, rising in a trance-like climax accompanied by dubstep, while breaking down in a richer sound with the same melody and a well-hidden choir. Like a cycle, slowly everything strips down to the only piano from the beginning, albeit just playing the repeated melody again, with not much substance. Quite a lot of livetune's potential is shown here, only if he focused on being just a little more complex.
Rating: 8

3. Each and All

The third track on the single is here, and as by some rule (the rule of laziness, probably), it is the most generic and boring one. Both the arrangement and the instrumentation is actually very similar to Ready for Calming, but the addition of Rin Oikawa just needlessly prolongs the track and makes the already repetitive composition more so. Even with a few good spots, the whole thing is just a really sloppy power-ballad.
Rating: 4

With the exception of Ready for Calming, livetune's work almost always feels like a waste of time (supercell is sometimes no better at this as well). The technique of making Vocaloid songs unfortunately affects his music with real vocalists, and the level of not being able to differentiate one of the songs from another makes me question how he got so famous in the first place. Well, if I can't help with a praising review, at least I can give advice to livetune's other victims: one listen of Sis puella magica solves everything. My overall rating is: 6

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Minami Kuribayashi - ZERO!!

Hataraku Maou-sama OP

Tracklist:

1. ZERO!!

2. Suki ja Nakattara...

3. ZERO!! (off vocal)

4. Suki ja Nakattara... (off vocal)

1. ZERO!!

Retro-styled synths and a relaxing atmosphere open Minami's new single, expanding into some English chants followed by a relatively uneventful verse. As expected from an anime such as Maou-sama, this is an enjoyable and optimistic pop-rock track consisted mostly of lightly used guitars and an electronic beat. While  the main action is in the chorus, Minami's vocals aren't quite as spectacular, as they are somewhat thin, and without distinct power and colour on its own, besides the sugary pitch. The artistic and original aspects of the song are banal, but you'll still be able to squeeze a few fun listens from it.
Rating: 7

2. Suki ja Nakattara...

Everyone could of predicted the B-side would be a ballad, especially since it's an anisong single in question. Mid-tempo bells and harps make an introduction, setting way for a progressive piano and recurring synths, which gain tempo and drum power as the song goes on. Being not as generic as I thought initially, Minami's voice is much better in this niche of music, with a deeper tonality and an enhanced expression. Summing up are the rich instrumentals, saving the song from falling in many possible cliches.
Rating: 7

I hope I won't get much hate for this, but I must say that Minami Kuribayashi is quite an average artist, with no defining style or vocal of her own. Expectations weren't particularly high from the start, so ZERO!! is still a nice addition to her discography. My overall rating is: 7.

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Aya Hirano - Hoshikuzu Garandou

DoDonPachi Saidaioujou OP

Tracklist:

1. Hoshikuzu Garandou (Game Ver.)

2. Hoshikuzu Garandou (Original Ver.)

I'll be skipping the first track, since it's just a 90-second short version.

2. Hoshikuzu Garandou (Original Ver.)

A laid-back, jazzy electronica sequence opens Aya's new single, suddenly exploding into an agressive barrage of synths and hard guitars in a very fast tempo. Here, the classical game music sound is shifted around a bit with the hell-like atmosphere in the verses and the effective switches with Aya's vocal solos. Surprisingly, though, her vocals aren't filtered at all, which is what one would expect in such a techno-driven song, but it is a sign of how her voice has matured from the good old days of Haruhi Suzumiya to the now serious and powerful performance. In contrast with the constant build-ups and downs with the song's flow, the middle eight section returns to the funky ambient back from the introduction, employing a glissando (gliding) piano and western-like guitar melodies, only for unusual dubstep synths and a prolonged vocal solo to finish the track with an impressive chord.

Rating: 9

Judging by the style of her previous single back in February, nobody could have guessed that Aya would do another tie-in. Still, her music sounds quite compelling, and is a definite listen for everyone, both her anison and J-pop audience. My overall rating is: 9

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The Anime Music Tourney

As I've previously posted via Twitter, the Anime Music Tourney is up and running. Nominate your favourite OP, ED and IN songs from various anime here, and help decide which are the best of them.

Of course, rules are mandatory (to avoid situations back from the Aniblogger Tournament and such).

If you still haven't submitted your 15 favourite anime songs, do so now!

If you have, which songs did you nominate? Be free to comment.

Song Riders - TRAUMA/Be

Devil Survivor 2 ED (Track no. 2)

Tracklist:

1. TRAUMA

2. Be

3. ON FIRE -acoustic ver.-

4. TRAUMA -Instrumental-

5. Be -Instrumental-

1. TRAUMA

Slow guitars and staccato synths open the song, later evolving in upbeat, catchy rock with a pop-like melody. The track itself is somewhat sad and disorienting, especially with the occasional strung-out whispers and chants, but it's still quite enjoyable. It is varied in genre as well, with the dubstep sequences prevalent in the verses, while electric guitars gets the spotlight in the chorus. Accordingly, since we get a usual shounen-like anime OP with a dash of creativity, the vocals are powerful, and have a bit of a dry colour. This is nothing new and original, now that everyone is doing formulaic techno-rock, but it's still a nice song.
Rating: 7

2. Be

A mysterious, plucking filtered guitar makes an entrance, along with well-hidden strings, perfectly fitting the oppressive, harsh environment of Devil Survivor. With it being such a dark song, I feel like this can be applied to most Persona-related games, actually. Expectedly, the vocals are very filtered and deeply-sung, providing us with just the slightest bit of hope and light to hold on to, while silent gothic harmonies play in the background along with haunting transitions. The grim atmosphere lifts at the end, where it is stripped of everything but the tear-jerking chords, making for a beautiful song.
Rating: 10

3. ON FIRE -acoustic ver.-
Well, I am not exactly a fan of Song Riders (read between the lines: I've never heard of them before), so I haven't heard the original, but I can testify to the dullness and pure boredom of its acoustic version. It's just a generic, simple pop song, which at one point becomes really shounen anime-like. One guitar plays the whole time, with no other instrumentation, background vocals support the lazily rapped lines, and that's about it in what you get in this track.
Rating: 4

From what I gathered online, Song Riders are classified as a hiphop group, and this is only their second single. I can't shake the feeling I just listened to the cross of One Ok Rock and T.M. Revolution, though, with little or no raps in between. Generally, what I heard in this single isn't so impressive, with the Devil Survivor 2 tie-in being a lonely jewel among the relatively generic tracks. Who knows, maybe they improve with doing more anison? My overall rating is: 7

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Chiaki Ishikawa - Sayonara Tteiu

Ginga Kikoutai Majestic Prince ED

Tracklist:

1. Sayonara Tteiu

2. Sono Gyaku

3. Sayonara Tteiu (Off Vocal)

4. Sono Gyaku (Off Vocal)

1. Sayonara Tteiu

I haven't watched Majestic Prince past the first episode, but for a seemingly shounen-like and childish anime, Chiaki's new work is surprisingly dark and depressing. An irregular rhythm, just like in jazz and blues sets in with dragging, drawn out guitars, laying the ground for her deep vocals, on par with those of Kalafina. The arrangement can get quite strange and slow, even with the usual Western ballad melodies in the chorus, but I guess that some experimentation is due in such a long career. Accordingly, ambiental, playful tones stop in the middle eight sequences for some genuinely haunting chanting repeats of "miss, miss, miss", bringing the theme of the song in question, which restarts for a final chorus that isn't even slightly more optimistic than the ones before it, and strips to bare vocals slowly fading out. This isn't exactly my cup of tea, but acknowledgement must be where it's due, for a good track.

Rating: 8

2. Sono Gyaku

Continuing on with the experimental and progressive atmosphere, dysharmonic synths and filtered vocals chanting in another language (Kajiuran? Or at least a dialect of Japanese) open the track, never really settling for a tonality, until they unravel in several touching guitar riffs. This B-side retains the blues tint in it, but with added energy and tempo, while even sometimes managing to sound uplifting, although falling in the trap of cliche. Nevertheless, Chiaki's vocals are always something worth looking forward to, even when filtered and make for scary transitions within different sections of the track. When you have an artist do something unforgettable, then their every other piece is probably going to be compared with it, and so is this one; therefore, I must say that this does remind of "Uninstall", at least a little bit. That's a great compliment.
Rating: 9

There's not really a point in discussing the future an artist might hold when it's an anison veteran like Chiaki Ishikawa. I know I'm rarely ever going to be disappointed by her work, so Sayonara Ttieu is just another addition to the list. My overall rating is: 8 ½

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