Aya Hirano - Promise

Kita Kitsune Monogatari Ashita e IN

Tracklist:

1. Promise

2. Takaramono

3. Up To Date

4. Promise -Instrumental-

5. Takaramono -Instrumental-

1. Promise

A silent piano opens the first track, lonely in its chord progressions until it's joined by the standard instrumentation of the acoustic guitar and violins. Although its framework is somewhat generic ambiental melodies and a simple melodic structure, Aya has succeeded in taming her deep and wild voice into a slower tempo, as it is linked with background vocals, especially in the chorus. Nothing notably eventful happens until, unexpectedly, the middle eight section starts with a too dramatic transition for a soft ballad like this one, but afterwards breaks down into a vocal-only cadence which gains tempo and concludes the song.

Rating: 6 ½

2. Takaramono

Commencing the next song is a quirky, lullaby-like synth and an acoustic guitar, which, contrary to the expectations of another ballad, pick up and gain a mid-tempo dance rhythm. This intro is unusually stretched out, as it slowly builds up to the place where Aya's vocals finally join in with the melody, as if this was an instrumental version halfway, and quite suddenly enter the chorus after only a few lines, without a tie to the previous melody. Accordingly, her voice is being filtered and backed-up all the time to give a dreamy feel to the track, even though it already had a laid-back character. Promise and Takaramono are very similar, but Takaramono takes the win for that slight dash of originality not present in the A-side.

Rating: 7

3. Up To Date

Wrapping up the single with a third song, a fast, impending intro sets off and turns into a cheerful, rocky guitar chord swap. After two more J-pop oriented songs, it's welcome to hear her main style again with this kind of an uplifting rock track, which carries the anison atmosphere with it. Even though the background vocals are over-layered so much they sound almost like a male voice, Aya lets her full strength loose, as she climbs to bigger heights and hits multiple vibrato in the duration of the song. It's not one of her best yet, but Up To Date does carry a pleasant sound of her past.

Rating: 7

Ever since her label shift, Aya hasn't gotten a single anime tie-in, which reflects in how her songs are mostly turning out lately; recycled and cliche (Hoshikuzu Garandou is excluded from this, fortunately), with an occasional return to her old style.

My overall rating is: 7.

Will I return for an another listen: No.

The comment box doesn't bite; be careful when feeding it, though.

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

The comment box doesn't bite; be careful when feeding it, though.

Luna Haruna - Ai wo Utae

Monogatari 2 ED

Tracklist:

1. Ai wo Utae

2. Koi no Senshi

3. Uchiage Hanabi

4. Ai wo Utae -Instrumental-

1. Ai wo Utae

I had myself wondering if I played the right single, since Luna's new song is absolutely nothing like any material she has released in the past. With the uplifting rock guitar and the noticeable violin to make it all closer to usual anison, this sounds very much like something LiSA would release. However, this actually works against her vocal power, since it doesn't have the chance to shine due to the simpler melody, even with the excellent colour. Ai wo Utae could be a nice song by itself, but the attempt of merging her extremely artistic profile (Yuki Kajiura, anyone?) with somewhat cheap pop-rock is unfortunate. If she wants to do heavier stuff, it would definitely work better if she went down the path of gothic metal, like we've been able to see in her past single, than jump right into the mainstream.

Rating: 7

2. Koi no Senshi

A quirky piano glissando opens up the next track, followed by an acoustic guitar and the cheerful hand clapping which immediately raise a red flag for something sugary and cute once again. It pretty much tries to copy the previous song, except for the simpler arrangement and only a bit more upbeat rhythm. Luna can definitely do much better, as this song made it presence only when playing, while leaving nothing memorable and noteworthy behind.  

Rating: 4

3. Uchiage Hanabi

This would be the usual ballad which would wrap up the single, but instead of more of the same, we get something more melancholic, quiet, and the Luna Haruna we're used to. Being quite relaxing and dreamy, the piano and even some silent synths play in mid-tempo over the beautiful, touching melody, and the clear vocals, which are finally filterless. Surprisingly, the chorus provides a very catchy melody, but without utilizing any of the standard chord progressions. It appears the final song is the best one of all three, and is already making a music video on itself, being very reminiscent of autumn and falling leaves.

Rating: 9

Where did our Gothic Lolita Kajiuran go? It's not like her composers don't have the ability to make good songs anymore; it's the probable attempt to copy some of her labelmates which have succeeded with ani-rock. Well, at least they had the decency to make the cover look cheesy, as to show what's mostly inside the package. My overall rating is: 7.

The comment box doesn't bite; be careful when feeding it, though.

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

The comment box doesn't bite; be careful when feeding it, though.

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.

The comment box doesn't bite; be careful when feeding it, though.

Kanako Ito - Anata no Eranda Kono Toki wo

STEINS;GATE Fuka Ryoiki no Deja Vu OP

Tracklist:

1. Anata no Eranda Kono Toki wo

2. resolution

3. Anata no Eranda Kono Toki wo (off vocal)

4. resolution (off vocal)

1. Anata no Eranda Kono Toki wo

A quiet piano solo opens the track, accompanied by some strings, but as soon as the pulsating synths join in, the listener would immediately guess the tie-in anime. A very upbeat and fast tempo is included and makes an impressive, tense techno-rock song. Kanako's voice always seemed a bit stale to me, but it seems that I am getting used to it, or she just works with the arrangement; and from what I could pick out of my random knowledge of Japanese, the lyrics are pretty dark as well. Ultimately, the synths and the guitars climax at the middle eight section, crossed with short dubstep sequences, making for a very dramatic, awesome ending. Besides being eargasmic, this song must also be dubstepic.

Rating: 9

2. resolution

An impending deep, chipping sound gets our hopes up for another upbeat song, but Kanako breaks the unusual introduction with her acoustic guitar and sleepy voice. The pop-rock sound found here is quite different than the first track, however, it is still enjoyable, but not very original amongst the sea of similar songs out there. The vocals here are surprisingly a bit stronger, having an actual chance to stand out more with the not so aggressive instrumentation. As the song comes to a close, with the acoustics dimming down, the ominous-sounding synths take over again, with no apparent reason to it, being completely contrasting to the rest of the track. Maybe the lyrics are in fact serious, and my limited knowledge of Japanese stopped me from seeing this in its full light?

Rating: 7

I love making up new words, and I'm glad such a good song helped me do it. The new single for Kanako is a considerable step up from the last one, showcasing her usual style of music, and of course being tied with quite a renowned anime STEINS;GATE is. My overall rating for this single is: 8

The comment box doesn't bite; be polite when feeding it, though.