Yuuka Nanri - Mother land

Valrave the Liberator IN

Tracklist:

1. Mother land

1. Mother land

Opening with a very calm, serene ambiental sound, as if the track was a relaxing meditation piece, Yuuka's voice joins in to form a few oriental-styled cadences with her collected voice as louder drums and violins overlap after a time for more of a classic anison arrangement. Even though she is working on an another anime, the whole track, and especially the touching chorus feels very much like something Chiaki Ishikawa would compose, bringing a melancholic overtone although the chorus consisted of intersecting tones Yuuka is singing in a choral way displays major chord progressions. As the middle eight section returns to the same melody and silence found at the beginning, bells and a waltzing tempo appear, making a dramatic transition to the final chorus.

Rating: 8

Mother land was perhaps designed to be only a follow-up to her main single previously released, but it has plenty of independent listening worth, even more so than BLOODY HOLIC. My overall rating is: 8.

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Yuuka Nanri - BLOODY HOLIC

Blood Lad ED

Tracklist:

1. BLOODY HOLIC

2. snow wind

3. BLOODY HOLIC ~Without Vocal

4. snow wind ~Without Vocal

1. BLOODY HOLIC

Yuuka's thin voice coupled with a relaxing ambient opens the song, before several strong guitar chords interrupt and unravel into strong techno-rock with slightly gothic chord progressions. As the synthage dies down, the verse returns to a slower tempo, but we finally get to hear the vocals becoming a bit stronger and living up to the standard Yuki Kajiura set for her all the way back in FictionJunction, although the arrangement strays off that path, combining many elements from different styles, and coupling the piano with guitars and synths. Unfortunately, her voice becomes filtered once the song builds up to the chorus, but they are the needed strength since the instrumental is surprisingly absent with techno-rock, being much more subdued, and fitting into the middle eight section, which is crossed with very distorted but silent electric guitars and the piano. As the firstly unnoticeable whispers grow into a real Gregorian choir, the song slips into the serene environment from the beginning, followed by a short drum solo which returns us to the final chorus. BLOODY HOLIC is nothing especially epic, nor it strives to do so, but it's very pleasant overall. 

Rating: 7

2. snow wind

In contrast with the name "snow wind" with which we'd usually expect a seasonal ballad of sorts, after the unimposing introduction a rock-ish instrumentation is present but with it being subdued and overflown with ambiental synths, the atmosphere becomes quite melancholic, laid-back and shows the 80s retro charm all while the tempo-giving drums act as a layer present during the whole track. The B-side is actually better suited to Yuuka's vocals, as they aren't really suited to more outgoing, heavier style, and the nice, relaxing note of it ties everything together nicely.

Rating: 8

BLOODY HOLIC as a single may not stand out a lot, but it's a still a good addition and a worthy listen in Yuuka's discography. Perhaps snow wind got a higher mark purely for reminding me of the classics with its arrangement, which is rare nowadays. My overall rating is: 7 ½

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Annabel - Alternative

Rozen Maiden: Zuruckspulen ED

Tracklist:

1. Alternative

2. Ao ni Tokeru

3. Alternative (Instrumental)

4. Ao ni Tokeru (Instrumental)

1. Alternative

A quiet, impending single frequency opens the first track before dissolving into a slow, serene but a bit creepy instrumentation with the constant company of unusual pulsing synths in the background. All while Annabel is singing with her whisper-like voice, not increasing her volume even when the arrangement is threatening to overwhelm her, the atmosphere gains a more powerful violin background similar to ALI PROJECT, although still retaining the dark spirit of the Rozen Maiden anime. Even though the melody is entrancing, clear classical music influences can be heard, especially in the middle eight, pairing high violins and the deep double bass, as the song ends with a silent harp, leaving a dreamy aftertaste. Alternative is an excellent impression, especially as this is my first time listening to a song of hers.
Rating: 9

2. Ao ni Tokeru

Changing things up from the haunting ambient we've been able to hear, Ao ni Tokeru appears with a silent flute and a quirky xylophone, as it slowly achieves a much faster tempo and becomes a catchy mix of anison and J-pop in the chorus. That being said, aside the arrangement, the melody sounds too frantic, random and disharmonic the whole time, losing on the laid-back and relaxing aspect of it in the beginning, while, surprisingly, being quite boring. The B-side doesn't come near the quality Alternative had.
Rating: 5

Annabel's style, at least how I see it in this single, is very similar to Nagi Yanagi, which is perhaps brought up by the fact that they were a musical duo once. Despite the somewhat failed Ao ni Tokeru, I am looking forward to reviewing her further works. My overall rating is: 7.

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Vacation time!

During the next seven days, I'll be on vacation with little to no internet access, which, unfortunately, means I won't be able to review, tweet or check my email. Of course, as soon as I come back, I'll review everything I missed at the biggest speed humanly possible.

じゃね  (＾▽＾)

Eri Kitamura - Birth

Kamisama no Inai Nichijoubi OP

Tracklist:

1. Birth

2. Lifetime Trader

3. Birth (Off Vocal Ver.)

4. Lifetime Trader (Off Vocal Ver.)

1. Birth

A haunting, deep intro sets the ground for church bells and chanting in English, very similar to Kalafina, before suddenly stopping and unraveling into a heavy rock section. Although the verse starts off with just a piano and Eri's unusually silent voice, the arrangement kicks in with almost metal-like distorted guitars and dreamy chanting, which is spread across the whole track, creating little interludes. Characteristically for her A-side songs, we get a catchy ani-rock chorus again, except the violin is a little less noticeable and involved this time, without strong grinding of it like in re;story, which transitions to the middle eight section completely devoted to the choir and building up with an effective, strong guitar solo. I'm quite glad she's following through with her initial stance and keeps releasing somewhat heavier, more rock-oriented music than most of her colleagues. 

Rating: 9

2. Lifetime Trader

Lifetime Trader takes in the ambient from Birth's introduction, except it's much more subtle and surreal, mixed with bells and creating something that sounds like an old Final Fantasy soundtrack piece, which is ruined interrupted by Eri's whispering and turns into an upbeat rock track. Perhaps for the first time, she is intentionally trying to make her colour similar to LiSA's, but it only makes her sound a bit silly and amateurish, especially when coupled with unnecessary male shouts as to give weight to her vocals which are already giving out. Not only is her voice a copy, but the whole melody and chord progression as well, being an obvious Frankenstein-like compound of the songs Veronica and LOVE&HATE from her debut album. A very strong, headbang-worthy middle eight sequence makes me feel even more sorry for the excellent instrumentation which could have been used in many different ways to make this track better.

Rating: 6

It may seem that her title tracks are still infallible, but the composing effort is showing signs of tiredness from following the same formula over and over again, as we get to see in Lifetime Trader. Playing the occasional card of LiSA-like rock is not bad, but the impression takes a toll if it's badly done. My overall rating is: 7 ½.

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LiSA - träumerei

Genei wo Kakeru Taiyo OP

Tracklist:

1. träumerei

2. I doubt it

3. Yuuyake Nostalgia

4. träumerei (TV Size)

1. träumerei

Deep, haunting bells open the first track, with an introduction very similar to CHOIR JAIL, until the guitars and the upbeat rhythm completely take over in an ani-rock composition. Despite the arrangement consisting of only electric guitars and heavy drums, the catchy melody makes up for the variation, even after numerous listens. Unfortunately, we don't get to see much of LiSA's voice in its stunning clarity because it's filtered most of the time, aside the powerful, touching chorus where it does give the effect needed. Again in the middle eight section, the silent choir and the mysterious atmosphere appear again, slowly building up to a fast drum sequence, and unraveling into the final chorus, which is this time around accompanied by occasional background lines LiSA has sung as well. If I dare say with all those SAO fans out there, this is even better than "crossing field".

Rating: 10

2. I doubt it

Following on, restless with the waves of energy, "I doubt it" opens with a relaxing and melancholic intro, but quickly overturning the expectation of a ballad with  a few western-ish guitar chords followed by the serious and catchy verse. The second track shows off LiSA's other side, as it is much more explosive and aggressive, and more rock-oriented than anison when compared to träumerei. Likewise, her unmatched vocal colour for rock and an edgier image is utilized, along with a higher tone and great, although subtle vibrato skills. As to suit the whole track, the middle eight section is marked by an euphoric, extremely energetic guitar solo which climaxes as LiSA's soothing tone sings along to a laid-back environment before everything gets interrupted by strong chords and a chorus which is raised by an octave to achieve more momentum. It's rare to see a B-side being on the same level of quality as the title track.
Rating: 10

3. Yuuyake Nostalgia

Wrapping up the single is LiSA's singing to restful guitars in the background, being significantly slower than the previous tracks, but, don't be fooled, as the instrumentation gradually gains tempo and more of her cheerful, uplifting pop-rock taste in the chorus, Although this tries to please the part of the fanbase which finds pleasure in her cuter songs, it's not as memorable as ROCK-mode or WiLD CANDY, and the fact that it is barely 3 minutes long doesn't contribute at all. Ending with a kind of an unfinished feeling, it seems one track had to be a scapegoat. Well, at least it's not a ballad, alike to those LiSA has done in her previous single to fill up disk space, and it does serve its purpose.
Rating: 8

This is usually the place where I find myself commenting on the future of the artist in question, but all I can say is that LiSA never fails to impress me, and, if she continues like this, will be a worthy heir even to Nana-chan-kami-sama. My overall rating is: 9

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Faylan - wonder fang

Hakkenden - Tohou Hakken Ibun 2 OP

BlazBlue: Chronophantasma OP 

Tracklist:

1. wonder fang

2. Blue Sanction

3. wonder fang (Off Vocal)

4. Blue Sanction (Off Vocal)

1. wonder fang

A sudden, violent, and somewhat westernized series of chords open the first track, appearing not as dark as Faylan's usual music, and actually a bit more uplifting. As usual, her vocals are dry and struggling, having an excellent colour for aggressive rock music, and sometimes achieve great distancing effects with the creative usage of voice filters. Unfortunately, even though the arrangement is filled with only hard electric guitars and strong percussions, aside from occasional synthage in the middle eight section, the melody itself isn't anything special or memorable, and the song is actually under the standard 4 minutes, showing that the composing level wasn't exactly high this time. God FATE, the first Hakkenden opening was much better, and I'd like to see more of that, not only mild effort.
Rating: 7

2. Blue Sanction

It appears that the BlazBlue tie-ins Faylan has are always better, at least in my eyes, from the main song in the single. The powerful mix of synths and filtered guitars which opens proves that, followed by a much harder, darker arrangement which can even parry a song from the GazettE, crossing into metal. Here, her voice is a bit more muffled by the strong instrumentation, but clears up in the verse which employs only drums and a piano until the distorted guitars interrupt. More complex melodies require stronger vocal utilization, especially in the catchy ani-rock element in the chorus. A powerful guitar solo marks the transition to the final chorus along with a buildup, crossing over Faylan's melancholic singing paired with a piano until it again unravels into a techno-rock salve, followed by an unusual outro melody. The variety and a boosted arrangement make Blue Sanction a much better track than the A-side, once again.
Rating: 9

If it weren't for the anime relation, the two songs could be switched, Blue Sanction would be the main one, and nobody would even notice. I'm not worried about Faylan's future works, though, since wonder fang was just a minor setback in the chain of excellent work. My overall rating is: 8

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