Kalafina - Alleluia

Kara no Kyoukai: Mirai Fukuin IN

Tracklist:

1. Alleluia

2. dolce

Live recordings not to be reviewed:

3. fairytale ~2012. Christmas LIVE ver.~

4. Kimi ga Hikari ni Kaete Iku  ~2012. Christmas LIVE ver.~

1. Alleluia

The new single from Kalafina starts off in a serene sound, with slow violins joining in and wielding their usual chord progressions. As the instrumentation grows stronger, Keiko's powerful vocals in contrast with a higher-pitched arrangement lead on, until subdued guitars unravel into a chorus with a single touching "Alleluia" sung by all three vocals. Though Hikaru and Wakana serve mostly as the backing to Keiko's voice and in the interludes, their impact is still present in the track, which employs optimistic and uplifting anison-ballad instrumentals rather than the expected sadder, neoclassical tone. I was hoping for an emotional roller coaster after Consolation heightened my expectations, but another ballad in their opus does just fine as well.

Rating: 8

2. dolce

An eerie, mysterious sound opens, with only several thin synths and occasional bells to support it, before uplifting choral sequences ensue in a harmony completely separate from the instrumental background. Although having a familiar feel, like a mix of Madoka Magica soundtrack elements (specifically, Credens Justitiam, even having the similar track length) and Hikari Furu, the chorus becomes quite more dramatic and serious than the cheerful verses, providing more excitement in a melodic sense than Alleluia. Complexity may be Yuki Kajiura's middle name, but sometimes the most simple things are the best attention-keepers.

Rating: 10

By now we're all used to Kalafina being impeccable all the time, so, summed up, the only minor flaw that exists is that perhaps Alleluia could of been a little more inventive. My overall rating is: 9.

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TKDz2b feat. The 49ers - Never Say Never

Danganronpa The Animation OP

Tracklist:

1. DANGANRONPA

2. Never Say Never

3. Never Say Never ~Instrumental

1. DANGANRONPA

A prelude to the actual opening theme opens quietly, as deep synths unwind, until resounding bass turns the track into a mix of Nagi Yanagi-like surrealism crossed with haunting female voices and usual gritty trance. Several melodic sections intertwine as the three-minute listen goes on, and the game music character reminds of some darker and more realistic JRPGs, most so of The World Ends With You, only with added guitars. The song is ended with a single hanging tone, making room for the next track with anticipation.

Rating: 8

2. Never Say Never

Continuing on from the trancy atmosphere, Never Say Never speeds up and continues into exclusively English rapping with catchy lyrics, and, most importantly, very symbolic and related to the anime. Contrasting the verses, which there aren't much of anyway because of the song's barely bigger length than DANGANRONPA, the chorus is sung instead with strong female vocals backed with subdued guitars, which appear otherwise just as chanting without words spread throughout the song, and chip away as the track ends. I'm not usually a fan of English-only anime songs, but, I have to admit that this one is definitely noteworthy, if even only for the proper pronunciation and avoidance of EngRish.

Rating: 9

Danganronpa has captivated me both as an anime and as a game, and now it's the turn of the OST in line. My overall rating is: 8 ½

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cinema staff - great escape

Shingeki no Kyojin ED2

Tracklist:

1. great escape

2. cinema staff [Bokutachi no Hihou] tour Final (will not be reviewed as it's a live recording of 8 tracks)

1. great escape

A forceful drum entrance sets the way for an extremely fast and strong guitar solo, all until the verse sets down in a laid-back fashion mixed with occasional bits of rock guitars. The vocalist has a colour somewhere between your average pop singer and a full-blown rock vocalist, suiting the catchy but not overly hard hitting chorus (or most parts of the song, for that matter). Unfortunately, though the arrangement is promising, the track remains relatively unmemorable, and doesn't convey the emotions shown in the anime one bit as Utsukushiki Zankoku no Sekai does, and the fact that it's much shorter doesn't help at all, as only certain elements of the track are listen-worthy.

Rating: 5

It's a real shame that great escape would be the only imposter among the masterfully done opening and ending themes. My overall rating is: 5

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fripSide - eternal reality

To Aru Kagaku no Railgun S OP2

Tracklist:

- Regular Edition -

1. eternal reality

2. Scorching Heart

3. eternal reality -TV size-

4. Scorching Heart -Instrumental-

- Limited Edition -

1. eternal reality

2. Coupling Tune A

3. eternal reality -TV size-

4. eternal reality -Instrumental-

1. eternal reality

Wow, another single in such a (relatively) short notice? I was barely finished rotating sister's noise when eternal reality opens with a usual fripSide instrumental, except the atmosphere is slightly happier and more anison when compared to the first opening. SAT, unfortunately, has an unchanged formula here, and, if I had to choose a previous Railgun song to compare it to, another average fripSide A-side would be LEVEL-5 Judgelight; the arrangement has no innovations whatsoever, while Yoshino is thin and faltering when singing, and the partial absence of filters doesn't help. 

Rating: 6

2. Scorching Heart (Regular)

A darker ambient ensues, utilizing more of fripSide's rockier style than the usual techno, with the guitars being quite subdued to fit the dance sequences, but still noticeable. Sadly, at least in the verses, the arrangement is the only thing that distinguishes the song from their overused cadences, before the chorus comes in using a standard pop chord progression, which, at least in this case, is a new thing. Yoshino is filtered the whole time, with even a slight vocoding layer to emphasize the robotic feel of it, but the vocals haven't exactly been the highlight of fripSide's song anyways, so the change is barely discernible. Following the second chorus is an almost non-existing middle eight section, which is only bridged by a small vocal-only part and Yoshino's whisper before wrapping up the track.

Rating: 7

2. Coupling Tune A (Limited)

In spite of the somewhat generic soundtrack name, Coupling Tune A is very much a full song. Opening with Yoshino singing to a synthy background, it made me wonder if it's the same singer in question, as she opens very deeply, suiting the dark atmosphere. Unlike the previous two tracks, this song turns more towards trance than anison, which is that missing originality and spirit, and is easily detected by the constant bass hitting in the background and the unusual lack of guitar and piano until right before the chorus. Fortunately, Yoshino acts as a real trance vocalist for once, as her vocals are quite subdued, especially in bridges, and used more as a background and an addition to the instrumentals. Of course, you can't have a fripSide song without a guitar solo in the middle eight section, but it doesn't break the overall flow of the track, or steal the spotlight to cheerless synthage which shows the serious, dramatic side To Aru Kagaku no Railgun can sometimes have.

Rating: 9

Unlike sister's noise, the very opening to the show was somewhat disappointing this time around, but Coupling Tune A makes up the listening time for all that was lacking in the previous two songs as, by far, the best song in the single. My overall rating is: 8.

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ZAQ - Gekijouron

High School DXD OP2

Tracklist:

1. Gekijouron

2. Dokuyoruron

3. Shout to the top

1. Gekijouron

The first track opens heavily, with drums being in the spotlight and a silent piano in the background, before switching roles and unraveling in her signature electronic-pop style.  Even though Gekijouron has certain elements from Alteration, the impression as a whole gives off more melancholy and a certain sad tone, especially with ZAQ showing off her deeper registre and great control of it, including even occasional vibrato. The catchy, dramatic chorus is the highlight, employing rock guitars and making up for impact, along with the incredibly chaotic, fast and eargasmic piano solo from the middle eight section, speeding it up just by imagining her play on the piano, coupled with synths moving at the exact same speed. After the slow build up, hearing ZAQ's voice soar in the final chorus decides this as my new favourite from her.

Rating: 9

2. Dokuyoruron

After hearing the fast and exciting A-side, Dokuyoruron comes in as the calmer ballad in the single, and, fortunately, ZAQ's composing skills prevent it from being another generic one. Her voice is, contrasting the first track, this time higher and actually filtered, but the widening instrumentation makes up for the lack of vocal depth, with violins paired with heavy drums and even the choir present sporadically. While the strings are quite subdued in the background, often just playing a single tone, the always-present electronic part bursts in the chorus, completely covering the already hidden bass and other, high-pitched synths present almost all of the time. Wrapping up, everything stops as the vocals climb up for an octave and finish the track.

Rating: 7

3. Shout to the top

Immediately greeting us with something a bit stronger, ZAQ's much more nasal and cuter colour comes to notice, as well as vocoding, signifying that a usual pop song is ahead, utilizing nothing but synths and even cadences that can recognizably be from A-pop (that's probably what I'll call American pop from now on). Still, it manages to be interesting and catchy, and very much reminding of KOTOKO's BUCANEER. Here, with the presence of so much voice change from the natural tone, a strange difference arises as well, between the "very very high pitch" singing used in the background, presumably also by ZAQ, and the "very high pitch" one used in normal singing. This isn't perhaps varied as the other two tracks are, but it does have the element of fun while listening to it.

Rating: 8

I could as well list one of the reasons for having ZAQ as one of my favourite singers the fact that her idol was Minorin, but her self-composing ability is a rare one in today's anison, and is probably a valuable resource in Lantis, the bane of most good musicians. My overall rating is: 8.

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