[PV] Naichau Kamo
January 17, 2009 at 6:21 pm | In Morning Musume | 3 CommentsTags: 2009, Hello!Project, Morning Musume, Naichau Kamo, PV
Introducing Morning Musume’s first single of 2009 as a new start fot KtoE.
The Song; I always avoid listening to previews because I never like them and end up avoiding the song, so this is the first time I’ve heard Naichau Kamo. It strikes me as being… techno latin. It’s incredibly heavy on the synth while it’s still got that slightly spanish vibe, and while that adds a great uniqueness, it also makes the song very difficult to get into. I don’t think it really hits its stride with a first time listener until the second chorus really, but luckily it has a good powerful hook – the ‘naichau kamo’s at the end of each chorus. I don’t know, it’ll grow on me.
Song Rating; B
The Vocals; Is anyone else having Resonant Blue flashbacks? The line distribution is rather… unfair. Ai and Reina get the spotlight again, with some input from Sayumi, Risa and Eri, but there are absolutely no solo lines for Koharu or the 8th Generation at all. Moving past that, the vocals are great, I don’t even have a problem with Sayumi but I do wish that LinLin could have had a least half a line – her voice is practically perfect for this track as proved by what you can hear of her in the chorus.
Vocal Rating; B+
The PV itself; Tops Pepper Keibu. The standing in the rain shots are really very pretty and the girls portray their emotions pretty well in their closeups. I think that LinLin, JunJun and Koharu look the best in their shots whereas Aika lacks any tangible emotion and comes off looking bland and confused at the same time and Gaki loses because her hair is ugly.
Editing Rating; A
The Dance; is a simple affair really; mostly consisting of large arm movements as they’re dancing in a small space in a tight group. There’s nothing more to say beyond the fact that I like it and the choreography works well with the song.
Dance Rating; A
The Costuming; The dance shot costumes are awesome. White and red jackets, black tops and skirts/dresses?, black boots and white fishnet tights – not to mention the gloves… putting it simply, Morning Musume look rather badass. Plus, their hair is mostly good and I have the same hairstyle as Ai, coincidentally. The non-dance shots outfits are kind of… blah. They’re on the H!P artist page if you want a good look, but most of them are kind of bad and I’ll repeat what I said earlier. Gaki’s hair is ugly. But I want LinLin’s hat.
Dance Shots; A*
Other Shots; C+
Overall Impressions; It’s going to have to grow on me, but the fact that I don’t hate it now is a good sign. I’m more disappointed than annoyed at the spread of lines and though Ai is really starting to bug me, she’s been doing that for a while already.
Overall Rating; B+
New News
January 9, 2009 at 1:18 pm | In 0A. Announcements | 1 CommentTo quote my newly revamped “About” page
Recently I’ve been losing the will to live when it comes to blogging. My updates have been sporadic and hardly note-worthy, not that they were note-worthy to begin with. I’ve taken a couple of breaks and come back only to punch out reviews that I’m not happy with, so this blog is under revision. I’ll still be updating with reviews, but I’m going to make KtoE more personal.
You’ll continue to see track-by-track reviews, but they won’t necessarily be the only reviews you see. I’m mixing it up now, hopefully I can start blogging with some more enthusiasm now!
So I’m not just going to review music now. I’m going to add more stuff to my repetoire, maybe talk about some artists and why I like them, move some posts that I like from my other blog onto here and try to rekindle the blogging excitement I had when I started KtoE in November 2007.
Dear…
January 9, 2009 at 12:25 pm | In Tenjochiki | Leave a CommentTags: 2009, album, CSJH, Dear..., Here, Stand Up People, Sukoshi de ii Kara, Tenjochiki, The Grace
- Here ft. CLIFF EDGE
- Sukoshi de ii Kara
- Stand Up People
- I don’t know what to do
- Party
- Tenjo no Melody
- Near ~thoughtful 1220~
- Doushite…
- Epilogue
Here is a sweet little song. The lyrics are pretty cute and cheesy from the beginning what with the repetition of ‘Happy Birthday’ which I wasn’t expecting at all when I first listened to the song. CLIFF EDGE are an odd addition, but I actually really like their input into the song. Of course the girls give solid vocals all around and I would probably be bored by the song if there wasn’t such a richness and variety to it. Oh, and let’s not forget the inspirational key change!
Track Rating; A-
Sukoshi de ii Kara is what prompted me to give Tenjochiki/CSJH another chance. This song is the epitome of simple but beautiful. Actually I’d go as far as to say that it’s gorgeous! The chorus is amazing and the whole track is full of awesome harmonies and layers… Yes, I do love this song. In fact I believe it’s my favourite song on the whole album.
Track Rating; A*
Stand Up People is a funky, catchy party song. The only problem with it is that it falls a little flat just as a track. There’s footage on YouTube of the girls performing it at a-nation and that’s what it needs. It’s a song engineered to get a crowd going but when you’re just listening to it and not seeing it, you don’t see the point. That said, the actual song is really good. While the verses do fall just a bit on the wrong side of boring the chorus is full of brass and fun – and that rap!!!
Track Rating; B
I don’t know what to do is another of my favourites. It sounds really familiar and I’m trying to place a comparison that is on the tip of my tongue, but anyway, I don’t know what to do has a great beat and it’s full of bounce and so not what I was expecting and is one of the few songs where I enjoy the verse and chorus equally. And thanks for the English interlude which explains what’s going on – basically one of them (not at the point where I can distinguish any voice but Stephanie’) likes a guy who’s her best friend’s boyfriend. Simple, somewhat overused idea but the song is so unusual in conjuction with that idea that it makes a really great track.
Track Rating; A+
Party is less party-y than I was expecting but that doesn’t mean that it’s not good. The verses kinda lose me a bit but the chorus has so much force that it really got me to like the song. I do think that there could have been a lot more to the verses, especially when coupled with the subject. Not one of my favourites but a great song nonetheless.
Track Rating; B-
Tenjo no Melody is another a sweet song. Less balladic but it still has similar sort of elements. I really like the beat and pace of the lyrics and the power in the pre-chorus. The chorus is pretty inspirational and not just a little Disney-esque. I think it may be a little long though, unfortunately I feel like it’ll be one of those songs that I only listen to the first half of most of the time.
Track Rating; B-
Near ~thoughtful 1220~ has a very odd title. The music box opening + the phonecall is kinda odd and not really acted all that well in my opinion. It’s an odd song composition wise, “R’n'B”-styled but it’s not boring, thank god! The chorus is really nice too, it sounds nice and full and vocally, while there are no gymnastics to do, it’s good because of the subtle differences between each girls’ voice.
Track Rating; B+
Doushite… here I was expecting a ballad, but instead I get something far more dramatic. I absolutely love that piano opening and just… the whole track really. The chorus is completely epic and one of the most dramatic songs I’ve heard in a while. My favourite song is a toss up between this and Sukoshi de ii Kara even though they’re completely different songs.
Track Rating; A*
The Epilogue which finishes this all too short album is a short piano version of Sukoshi de ii Kara with some extra atmospheric instrumentation, such as some computerised sounds and orchestral interjections etc… It’s really a very lovely way to end the album.
Track Rating; N/A
Overall… Dear… is way too short. 9 tracks, of which 6 are new and 1 of them is an instrumental is just not enough, but I suppose what we have is quality over quantity. And it’s real consistant quality. Tenjochiki have some of the best voices around and they make no apologies for that by displaying it at every available opportunity. Dear… proves that you only need to like one song to get into an album and then into an artist. If you listen to nothing else from these girls at least try Sukoshi de ii Kara and Doushite…
Overall Rating; B+
Gee
January 8, 2009 at 6:13 pm | In SNSD/Girls' Generation | Leave a CommentTags: 2009, Gee, Girls' Generation, mini album, SNSD
- Gee
- Way To Go
- Dear Mom
- Destiny
- Let’s Talk About LOVE
Gee is a wonderfully catchy, if a little chaotic and possibly too cute, song. I’ve watched the video a few times and the one thing that struck me about the song is that while you’re listening to it, you like it, when you aren’t you can’t really remember it. It takes a few listens to ‘decode’ just because of how confusing the instrumental is. Now I’m used to it, it’s a great song and I do really like it.
Track Rating; A
Way To Go has an interesting act to follow but ZOMG is that electric guitar? I’m already in love. Pop-rock + SNSD – Well, this is new. I can really get into this track, somewhat more than Gee, but it doesn’t have the constant repetitions and is a lot more… formulaic than the aforementioned song. Honestly, it’s a toss up between the two so far.
Track Rating; A
Dear Mom is the first ballad on the mini-album and no-one can dispute the fact that these girls do ballads well and always have. There are some really strong voices (TaeYeon, Tiffany, SeoHyun etc.) within the group and even those who aren’t particularly named for brilliant vocals do well… the only problem is that SNSD ballads bore the hell out of me. I don’t see/hear anything in them. I mean, they’re nice enough but they don’t sweep me off my feet.
Track Rating; B-
Destiny is back to a more pop formula. It has a bit of a darker sound and there’s a lot of synth, I love that opening verse. And the high notes interspersed with lower kind-of-rapish lines is a good hook. I wasn’t expecting too much from this song, especially as it’s called ‘Destiny’, but I’ve gotten a pleasant surprise here.
Track Rating; A-
Let’s Talk About LOVE was also a surprise. Considering the title and the fact that it’s around four minutes long, I was expecting a ballad. Which I decisively didn’t get. Instead, it’s a light pop song with a lot of percussion and synth, with a chorus that would have been more suited to a ballad. Yep, they could have done much more with that. The beginning was much more promising and in the end the song just didn’t really deliver. Seriously, they could have done so much more with that chorus.
Track Rating; B-
Mini-album Rating; B/B+
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