7 posts tagged “highly reccomended”
So I was sorting through my music, deleting things (or not because I hoard and thus find it incredibly hard to get rid of things) and there was the artist Desert Chang. Of course I was like huh? so I enequed it in winamp and well...it's pretty awesome stuff! Deserts Chang, also known as Zhang Xuan or Chang Xuan, is a Taiwanese singer-songwriter. She is considered to be one of the leading alternative musicians in the Chinese music industry. Going by wikipedia this is her second album and was released june 9th 2006.
The album opens with Scream and you are greeted with soft and relaxing accoustic guitar part, which is very gentle and tender contrasting to the title. Deserts Chang has a wonderful voice, complimenting the soft music. Sometimes she sounds kinda husky, like she's kinda speaking it. The song builds up, incorporating a drum beat and Deserts Chang voice becomes stronger. Then the violin comes in. Oh gosh it's such a beautiful song, and it's so relaxing to chill out too. I think there's some english...judging by it I think the song has a darker meaning. I could be wrong though!
Next is another soft accoustic guitar piece, 寶貝(in the night). Deserts Chang's voice drives the song forward though. The rythmn of the vocal line is very interesting, and I love her adlibbing. Another beautiful, soft and relaxing piece- I think the entire album will be like that.
Ok, I was wrong- already! 迷惑 is a very upbeat, quirky track. There's a very funky baseline, and of course wonderful vocals from Deserts Chang. I love her adlibbing. The instrumentation is pretty cool, especially when it builds up to include the strings. It's a little sudden how they distort her voice at one point, but it's a nice effect and the song does end nicely. The song really has a very interesting atmoshpere, feeling and overall the sound is very intersting. It's still pretty soft and relaxing.
So?! is pretty upbeat, still accoustic guitar based but it's got alot of attitude, fitting to the title. Not much else to say, there's some beautiful instrumentation: a flute at one point!! And some other very interesting intrument choices that come together rather well! And of course Deserts Chang sounds wonderful. Her english in this song is pretty accented, but understandable. The repetetion of "why" in that manner lends a strange but awesome rythmn.
Next up is another attitude filled accoustic guitar based number- Ain't My Man. I like the base line, well the entire instrumentation is pretty cool. and the way her vocals are a little distorted at first, as well as how they overlay at the end. Her adlibbing is pretty cool as always. For sure she is really performing this song with alot of emotion. It's got elements of soft rock in there, and it's not as toned down as alot of the tracks so far. There's some real nice effects put in there and I really do like the instrumentation. The entire song carries alot of attitude, and has a great feeling to it.
The title track follows, My Life Will. The song has a very soft opening, building up a little. There is a feeling of meloncholy. It's another beautiful and relaxing song. I really like how she uses her vocals. The effects applied now and then are also pretty cool. The song gets a little repetetive, however as something put on in the background to chill too- it could totally work :P
Next up is Live 酒館300秒. Deserts Chang uses a very low register of her voice, but well. I love how she sings low in the chorus, then reaches for higher notes in the chorus before going to her normal tone. The instrumentation is really cool too. I like the rythmns and the slow beat. The guitar parts are wonderful too. A beautiful song, it's got a great feel to it and Deserts Chang really gives a lovely vocal performance.
Track 8 信任的樣子 follows. The song has a very heavy beat, and a bass guitar too- gives a pretty dark sound. Deserts Chang's low and bittersweet vocals add to the darker, slightly sad atmosphere. The song is very slow and meloncholic. Like My Life Will, it's very relaxing and beautiful but it's repetetion and lack of anythung too standout means it's nothing really more.
Next is 無狀態- another slow song. I like that she's now using piano, it sounds rather pretty. Slowly but surely the song builds up and becomes more interesting. It's a little slow but still very beautiful. There's a nice feeling to it and Deserts Chang continues to give wonderful vocal performances. The album itself continues to make me feel relaxed and sleepy in the best way possible.
Malamio follows, and it's got very quirky rythmns, an almost cute feeling to it. It's very short, and very sweet. Deserts Chang shows a more playful side of her before...
Lastly, it's 寶貝(in a day)- a laid back accoustic number that sounds alot like another track on the album. I really love her adlibbing. A nice conclusion to the album.
Perhaps I was repetetive for this album review, but Deserts Chang sounds are relaxing accoustic guitar based numbers complimented by her beautiful vocals. It's all extremly relaxing to listen to. One of those accoustic albums you put on late at night, or any time, when you just wanna relax. It's simply stunning. Fans of Kaira Gong may like this too although that's the only aritst I know of who can compareher to! And she doesn't do ballads like Kaira Gong..oh whatever! Oh and she wrote alot her music between the age of 13 and 19. So not only is she pretty but she's freaking talented man. This is a good album. Just put it on a chill : D
If you've not got it by now I'm aiming for the whole review all of Ayu's albums. OK, I'm only going for the studio albums, and her A ballads but STILL. It takes forever though! I've only done LoveAPPEARS, Secret and Memorial Address so far. Anyway, Here is Ayu's Duty. Hamasaki Ayumi's 3rd album released 2000.09.27. Duty is the 22nd best selling album in Japan. It topped the charts, probably broke records...the sort of stuff you'd expect from Hamasaki Ayumi. And for Love appears she was naked, now she's in a cat girl outfit!! XD
The album opens with starting over, a short instrumental piece to set the scene. I like the subtle use of Ayu's vocals. It's a very light and airy piece, and I like the dance feeling to it and use of synth. It's a good opener.
The title track, Duty follows. duty is a rather dramatic song, with a beautiful strings and spanish guitar part leading to the full instrumental- a very heavy beat and some airy synth to create an impressive and darker atmosphere. This is a very beautiful, dark song from Ayu. Her vocals are beautiful, and add to the dark emotion. This song has a brilliant atmosphere and a gorgeous feeling to it. Ayu's vocals are still not at their strongest, but they really work here.
Duty flows nicely to Track 3 which is vogue. This is a pretty cool song with a rather exotic type instrumental. It still got that dramatic feeling that Duty has, that sort of subtle awesomeness about it. The instrumentation is truly beautiful as are Hamasaki's vocals. The backing vocals are very nicely done too. The song can get a little boring though, with not enough variation to make it something truly standout, but it's still very good. Like duty it has a wonderful feeling to it.
Next up is the wonderfully titled End of the World and it's just as awesome a track. It's another very dramatic song, with wonderful rock instrumentation blended with synth. Ayu's vocals are wonderful as always, and she gives so much emotion to the song. This is a pretty dark sounding song. At first the airy sounds in the background with the heavy beat and Ayu's vocals create a very interesting atmoshpere. But the highlight is when it breaks out into the chorus, a rock feel lent by furious guitars and Ayu's angry vocals. The song continues to be bitter and loud. I love the dynamics of it, the sheer power of the song. It's freaking fantastic!
Then things quiten down for the ballad SCAR. There's still a prominent use of interesting synth, combined with a rather nice piano part. It's a very sorrowful, and beautiful ballad. Ayu continues to give a good vocal performance, especially in the chorus where her voice takes on a very interesting tone. The subtle backing vocals work really well too. The instrumental break is beautiful too, I really like the inclusion of the guitar. The whole song just has this great feel to it. I really love the feeling of the song. It's so bittersweet.
Far Away follows. Starting quietly it builds up into another dramatic song with interesting, unique instrumentation. This one thing is that it's not really all that interesting, it goes too long with too little variation and thus it gets a little tedious. The instrumental break is much needed to pick the song up and make it a little livlier. You can really hear th e beginning of some of her later works in that instrumental! Anyway, this is a decent song with rather nice instrumentation however something is lacking to make it truly interesting.
SURREAL is next. The single for SURREAL was released on the same day as the album. The song is amazing. It starts with some distorted type piano and the synth, before Ayu's deep and quiet vocals come in- building up always building up... The song has alot of power in it. There's so much variation and different sounds in this song- it's so interesting. Ayu's vocals are great, they have a strange tone that works really well for the song. I love the rock elements with the guitar and the darker sound to it. This song is tense and dramatic, with a great feeling and alot of emotion presented. It's pretty awesome.
Next is AUDIENCE, which unfortunatly is the first very weak song on this album. It still has the rock element combined with the synth but man, I hate the clapping sounds and overall there's something annoying about this song. I cannot bring myself to like it. It's catchy though and fans of Ayu's more pop sound will probably appreciate this more than I do.
Then it's the very well known Ayu song SEASONS, but a song of hers I cannot like. This song sounds alot like that western song "a moment like this.." You know? I always think of that song, and those old sandals advertisments when I hear this song. It is very pretty and Ayu gives a wonderful emotion to it with her lovely vocals but I can't help but feel there's nothing unique about it at all. It's nice...I guess.
Track 10 is teddy bear: a quiet and emotional ballad. This song...this song is fantastic. The simple, sometimes almost childish piano that is so beautiful combined with Ayu's soft, and so sincere and emotional vocals. This song is pure emotion. The lyrics are stunning too-"When I woke up, I found by my pillow a teddy bear...in place of you." Ayu sings this like she means this and more. She sings this likes she's about to cry. This song is sad, almost heartbreaking. It's so beautiful. A very soft and tender ballad.
The album is nearly done with Key~eternal tie ver.~. A soft ballad with hints of rock. This song reminds me of her earlier ballad, or perhaps it's just become so familiar to me by now. Either way it's not Ayu's best ballad but it is very pretty. I really like how the song builds up in the beginning, and Ayu's "oo" or whatever before the line of the verse. The chorus is extremly pretty though, Ayu sings it with alot of emotion and the backing vocals are used well. This is a pretty dramatic and emotional ballad. It's rather pretty. I really love Ayu's vocals here : )
The album ends with the fun pop rock song girlish. It's not something I really like but it's decent. It's really a very fun and upbeat song. I do like the instrumentation and Ayu's vocals are very nice. It's when it gets to all the...was it chanting? Yeah all those backing vocals and stuff. Totally ruins a good song. It's nice to end the album on such an upbeat song like this though!
So? Overall I shall repeat: Duty is the 22nd best selling album in Japan. And you can totally tell why. This really is a masterpiece. Ayu's albums continue to get better and better. Song for XX was barely listenable, apart from a few standout tracks. LoveAPPEARS had a prominent dance sound and Ayu's vocals had improved. Duty ventures into rock, with a few ballads and some pop. All have a very interesting and unique sound. Damn- you fon't know how fast I typed for some of these songs. This album is special man. Very special. Ayu is continuing to present new and unique sounds with her albums, and her vocals are definitly improving alot too. This is a beautiful album. It's kinda awesome even if I don't like all the songs, I think that overall it's pretty good.
Scans from Japanese Princess and lyrics from Divine Ayu
I'd obviously heard of Chemistry, they are a massive duo (one of Japans biggest)... however I'd never really bothered to actually listen to their music (yeah, pretty bad right?). That changed when I was watching Antique Bakery, and I immediatly got hooked on the opening song. The PV then came out, and I was even more impressed with the full version. Now the whole single is out and I can hear the D side- which though personally I think the K side is better, is still pretty nice and relaxing. This is Chemistry's 24th single released on 2008.08.20 (I'm reviewing the promotional single). Wierdly the single doesn't come out in a million different versions :P
Tracklist:
1: Life goes on ~Side K~
2: Life goes on ~Side D~
2: Life goes on ~Side K~ [Less Vocal]
2: Life goes on ~Side D~ [Less Vocal]
Life goes on ~Side K~ has a rather offputting opening, with some kinda of electronic slide and some speaking, but once the song gets going it's got quirky electronic instrumentation. The use of electronic instruments, and effects creates a really cool, really catchy song. My favourite bit is the chorus, which has a very uplifting feel. The whole song feels very hopeful, got a "life goes on" feeling to it aka appropriate to what it's trying to say. The duo sound amazing, their english is good and I like being able to understand the song just a little. The bridge is kinda cool too, a little darker than the rest of the song but definitly adds to the overall atmosphere. This is a fantastic, uplifiting song. It's quite unique, but rather catchy and the different effects make it very interesting to listen to. I really adore it, and it's totally worthy of putting on repeat for a few days. (Not that I have or anything :P)
The Life goes on ~Side D~ is a more relaxing, laid-back version of the K side- well, it's like an accoustic version. It still has a rather nice feel to it, and it's all soft and relaxing with beautiful and sincere vocals however I think the electronic version I prefer, perhaps having listened to it more or because I like the feel of the song more. The D side is not bad, it's very relaxing and beautiful to listen to. The soft instrumentation is very pretty. The D side presents a new side of the song, a more subdued and perhaps more bittersweet version of it and it's absolutly lovely.
Despite being only two version of the same song, I adore this single. The A side is a catchy and upbeat electronic pop tune, and the B side is a softer and more laid-back accoustic version. The K side has a wonderful feel to it and is totally catchy. The D side is very beautiful and rather relaxing to listen to. Overall I prefer the K side, but both songs are amazing. This really is great to listen to and I would totally reccomend it!
As promised I'm here with Tohoshinki's latest, "Doushite Kimi wo Suki ni Natte Shimattandarou?" or why did I end up falling for you? (another translation being why did I fall in love with you? etc). This single hit one on the oricon, sending Tohoshinki into the record books (evidence). I'm happy to hear this, as this is one amazing amazing single. The A-side leaked very early, but the actual single was released on the 16/07/08.
Tracklisting: (combining the versions together)
1: Doushite Kimi wo Suki ni Natte Shimattandarou?
2: Box in the Ship (aka boxing the sheep)
3: Doushite Kimi wo Suki ni Natte Shimattandarou? (accapella)
4: Doushite Kimi wo Suki ni Natte Shimattandarou? (less vocal)
5: Box in the Ship (less vocal)
Doushite Kimi wo Suki ni Natte Shimattandarou? is an amazing track. It's a beautiful ballad with a steady RnB beat. It opens with a pretty ethereal little part before introducing the vocal and the main beat. All members sing with so much emotion, enough to move (even) me to tears (at first, I have become immune now :P ). The song is incredibly sad, about two childhood friends. In a typical manga situation the guy hasn't been able to confess, and now the woman is getting married. The lyrics are absolutly stunning. This song is just perfect, coming together so well. Everything just sounds so beautiful and sad.
Two versions of the PV were made for this- a drama version which did not feat Tohoshinki and another version which included scenes of Tohoshinki. The drama version is excuted well, with scenes fitting the lyrics and pretty decent acting. The Tohoshinki version slides in scenes of each band member, and then a group shot. Their faces can be a ltitle overacted, but otherwise they look very pretty in white.
Box in the Ship (aka boxing the sheep) takes a 360 from Doushite etc and is a fun, upbeat summery tune. It's complete with Island like instrumentals and happy vocals. I love the adlibbing little thing they do- the "ahoy" thingies. It's very typical little pop tune, but I'm a sucker for their vocals and the "boxing the sheep" is pretty amusing (if slighlty strange... they should really tell them how to say these things! Pronounce your engrish properly!). The instrumental break is a little dark sounding for the song but still adds a little bit of variation. The bit just before the ending, where they overlay their vocals, is very nice.
Lastly there is an Accapella version of Doushite etc on the CD only version. Accapella pretty much annoys me, but this one is quite pretty. Apart from the overly pronounced "ohs" the vocals are still beautiful and emotional. They keep good rythmn and the dynamics are good. The accapella version certainly captures the emotion of the song. To be honest I love the song, so another version is quite appreciated.
I'll also note that I like both the instrumentals for Doushite etc and Boxing the Sheep. It does bring to light how repetetive both isntrumentals are, and how Tohoshinki drive the song forward by themselves for the most part.
The single balances a heart-breaking and beautiful ballad, with an upbeat and fun little summer number. This contrast works rather well, if it was too ballads or "sad tracks" it would be down right depressing right? Tohoshinki showed a very mature side of them with their last single, beautiful you and they continue to improve and show this mature side with Doushite etc. It's a beautiful, and memorable track filled with alot of emotion. Box in the Ship is cute without being annoyingly so, and their engrish is lol worthy. It's nice to listen to and very catchy. Overall this single is a must listen. It's amazing. Tohoshinki are clearly a talented and mature boyband. (atleast now...)
New artist! I've been meaning to review her albums probably since I started the blog, never got round to it. Will start off with her first album, followed by second and third then sodasou zassou single and finally LAS VEGAS album. Should work out OK. So here is Onitsuka Chihiro's first album Insomnia released on 2001.03.07. The album reached #1 on Oricon charts and charted for 86 weeks. This is currently Onitsuka's only #1 product. By the end of 2001, Insomnia had sold 1,231,860 units, making it the #16 album of the year. In total, Insomnia sold 1,345,000 units.
The album opens with Gekkou (moonbeam), her second single which gained fame from it's tie-in to the TRICK dorama. In contrast to the album version, this one is string with violin backing. Like alot of Onitsuka Chihiro's songs the piano has a dominant part, often just simple repeated chords. Some strings come in later too, However, the song is driven mainly by Onitsuka's powerful and emotional vocals. Gekkou also happens to have some very beautiful lyrics, even the religious "I am Gods child" kinda fits if you see the lyrics translation. It's a beautiful, laid back song with a darker edge. It's quite simple song, but it carries alot of emotion that makes it quite beautiful and not at all boring to listen to.
The second track is Innocence. This one is alot different from anything else on the album. The song opens with piano and a heavy beat, giving it a dark atmosphere. The repetetive piano continues through the song. Chihiro onitsuka comes in, and her voice is beautiful throughout. There is also good use of backing vocals. The highlight is the way it builds up the rock- like chorus. It's a powerful and emotional song. The lyrics are emotive and angry, and this is certainly the mood of the song. It's a very dark but beautiful track. See the lyrics, and in particular the translators interpretation.
Next is the album version of BACK DOOR, which was used as the ending theme for a NHK tv show. Compared to innocence it's alot more toned down. It has a beautiful, sad sounding piano part. When Onitsuka Chihiro comes in she sounds sad, lost and confused. The lyrics support this - "Where is the back door?/ Where is the back door?/ Where is the back door of myself?" Her english carries thick accent, but it's not bad. It's a very sad song, with powerful lyrics. The backing vocals are a bit annoying, and the "where is the back door?" sounds quite sudden. It's still a beautiful song. I love the way it builds up, and the piano part is really pretty.
Fourth is edge, carrying on the trend of sad piano based (though there's alot more to this song!) songs with beautiful vocal performance from Onitsuka Chihiro. The lyrics are amazing- " Don't go, what hurts these thoughts of mine is that/ I'm living here without having fallen down, so/ Don't disappear, lay waste to my heart in this way/ Without you, I'd rather end it all"- extremly powerful and of course Onitsuka puts alot of emotion in. It's another stunning and emotional song. Onitsuka Chihiro sounds so beautiful.
Next up is We can go, a very upbeat and hopeful song with a gospel feel due to the lyrics- "we can go to the place where we can get freedom" and the overall rythmn and mood. It's a nice relaxing song with very good instrumentation, and of course Onitsuka Chihiro sounds great. I find the gospel feel (especially with the backing vocals) and the lyrics a tiny bit irritating though.
After We can go comes call. It's comprable to edge, a powerful and emotional song that is beautifully sung. Onitsuka Chihiro sounds really good both in the deep, low pitch verses, raising her voice for the rest of the song. See the lyrics and read the tranlators interpretation.
Then it's the album version of Shine. the song relies on the piano and vocals. The piano's rythmn lends a dark atmosphere, as do Onitsuka's sad sounding vocals. The chorus is very emotive- "its presses me [...] it blames me". Despite the simple instrumentation, it's a very dark and emotional song driven by Onitsuka's powerful vocals. It's got a very sorrowful feel to it. As with Innocence, see the lyrics translation and read the translaters interpretation. Only problem with the song is Onitsuka Chihiro's often bad pronunciation of english, but that' nothing unusual in jpop.
Track 8 is cage. the song has an upbeat and fast instrumental part, contrasting to the darker lyrics ("Don't leave me alone/God, if you're there/Please let me escape/Far away") and the tone of Chihiro onitsuka's voice- sounding bitter, especially in the chorus. It's another beautiful track with stunning vocals and prominent piano part.
After cage is Rasen (spiral), a very dark sounding song similiar to cage. Onitsuka sounds very sad, very longing. The chorus hints at hope as does the english bit- "Life/My Life/My Fragile Life/I've finally realized it". Onitsuka Chihiro puts so much emotion into those 4 lines, it's absolutly stunning. I love the instrumentation too. The dark atmoshpere is similiar to innocence, it's almost threatening.
Then it's Memai (dizzyness), carrying on the trend of sorrowful piano bases tunes with beautfiul lyrics and amazing vocals. The chorus especially is very strong, I like the way she accents certain notes. It's a beautiful song.
Lastly it's the album version of Gekkou, which unlike track one is solely piano and voice. The same applies for what I said about the first version, because this one really isn't that much different.
This is a fantastic album from Onitsuka Chihiro. It's quite a relaxing album to listen to, despite the dark meanings/ lyrics of the songs. I think it's amazing, simple as that. Each track carries a new emotion, presents something new. Onitsuka Chihiro's voice is powerful, driving the song forwards with heaps of emotions. Her voice sounds amazing both deep, yet reaches higher notes effortlessly. The lyrics are stunning, highly emotive. Her english is thickly accented, but she gets her point across and atleast the actual english lines make sense. This is one of my favourite albums from Onitsuka Chihiro, it shows off her talent perfectly. The weaker tracks are great, and the stronger tracks are absolutly amazing. Definitly something you should listen to.
Their latest album came out yesterday- but I'm not listening until my copy arrives. Haha. I'll see how much that one lasts :P Anyway, time to use Caps-lock again- here is LAST ALLIANCE'S second album released 2004.11.08.
The album opens with the highly memorable South Wind Knows, which I have practicaly memorised the tune of despite even listening to the song all that much (it is that insanely catchy). I guess a year of sporadic listening to does that too you. Anyway, this must have been my second or third last alliance song. It's a good one. The song opens with very fast mesh of instruments in the insanely catchy riff, before enthuastic vocals. The vocalist makes good use of his voice, reaching up to the higher notes in the pre-chorus bit and the bridge too. It's cool how the instruments accent the vocal part. It's got a great, insanely catchy, arrangement and is a nice, fast opening to the album.
Next up is CLONE. It opens with distortion, notably they don't use extra synth but their instruments, then introduces the gritty sounding guitar part. The verses have a slighty echo, adding a dark edge to the song. There's also a bit of screamo type bits, where the vocalist speaks the lyrics quite forcefully more than screams. Adds a bit of atmosphere and doesn't ruin the song or sound of place thankfully. The lyrics are in english, but unfortunatly not really understandable unless you look at the booklet scans. It's a dark, almost angry, song that I'm sure carries a great message too. The song has a nice feel to it, and ain't boring. Not stand-out either.
Track 3 is Solitude. It has a very relaxed, laid-back opening- more meloncholic. The feeling of meloncholy is backed by the verses where the vocalist sings quietly and draws out notes, building up to a rythmic instrumental and another similiar verse- slighlty louder, building up even more at the end to the bitter pre-chorus where the vocalist voice takes a strange but emotional tone. The chrous is good with the "yeahs" at the end. It's a bitter sounding tune with great vocals and instrumentation, as you'd expect from the band. I like how even though the verses sound quite laid back, they still retain that edge. The song has a great feel and brilliant use of dynamics and subtle variations. Amazing ending too.
After Solitude comes Filter- a slighlty less angry, more upbeat song than the previous. It's a powerful track, that is hard to review. I don't know what to right without repeating myself. It's got great varation throughout the song, amazing feel to it, great instrumentation and great vocals too. I'll point out the awesome chorus where the vocalist belts out the notes to create the "awesome" feel to the song. Love the slight distortion/electronic effect on the vocal part- though not sure how much that's down to the quality of the song (192). The guitar part at the beginning and end are cool too.
Then it's One Hot Second. The song, like CLONE might just have english lyrics which are lost to me. The layering of the vocals in the chorus is real cool though, and the guitar part is love too. Like CLONE their is also the half speak, half sing belt it out thing. The song is short, upbeat with a grittier edge. Nice.
Track 6 is Musou Jidai, a very grungy song with a heavy feeling. Another great track, I love the rythmn of the chorus and the distortion in the bridge. It's fast paced with a darker edge.
Next is urge. The song starts off quietly and the vocalist sings high, before introducing a very rythmnic guitar/drum part. The song is upbeat with nice fast pace to it, and again distortion is used for a bridge of sorts. It's an OK track, but quite bland and nothing extra-ordinary. Thankfully, it's not dragged out at just 3 and a half minutes.
Then it's GREENS SUNLIGHT. The song has a very quiet opening, introducing a ELLEGARDEN like guitar part before going to the more LAST ALLIANCE guitar part, but still remaining the ELLEGARDEN feel to the instrumentation (freak- look at that capitalisation!). The song has very nice rythmn to it, don't really like the chorus with the dragged out notes and almost whiny feel to it. This is an OK track but personally I don't like. It's stupid because it's really catchy too >_>
Track 9 is Jikuu TRIP. The song opens with almost speaker-killer distortion before slowly introducing the instruments. The song has a very tech feel, with the introduction of some synth to give it a spacey feel. Strange. It's a slow and laid back, almost chilled out song in the verses. Building up to something darker in the chorus, yet still remaining upbeat. It's quite a good track. Not sure about the synthy spacey bit. A little cheesy neh?
After Jikuu TRIP is Okizari ace. The song opens very quietly and simply, just the vocals over guitar before building up to be a powerful and emotional track. The singer makes the most of his voice, singing quiet and low in the verses to give across a feeling of raw emotion. The song builds up into the chorus, which has alot of drawn out notes- feeling very powerful and giving a sad feel to it. This is a powerful and emotional track. Raw emotion. Heavy, but rythmic instrumentation. Lots of variation and great vocals. I like.
Then it's Lucky Luciano ni Utareru Mae Ni. A very quirky, upbeat song. The verses are very fast, giving it said quirky feel alongst the instrumentation. Still retains an edge to it. Not a bad song, and not bad to listen to.
Track 12 is TRUTH IN MY ARMS. The song kills me speakers with the distortion at the beginning, cotinuing to be pain with a shouted out call and response thing for the verses. This carries on throughout the song and if you don't mind I'm gonna skip. I'm not alone at home right now..
After TRUTH IN MY ARMS comes another long titled song, Tadayou Yuugure ni, Kiete Yuku Hibi. The song opens with wavering guitar part, the song feels slow and the notes in the first verse are drawn, compared to the shorter rythmns of the rest of the song (the majority, the slow part returns!). It has a nice rythmn and a sad, yet hopeful undertone to it. There's alot of emotion in it, and the song has great instrumentation (gah. repeating myself...) Love how it builds up and down- and the way the vocal part and other instruments work together. The overriding feel is of hope and moving on- me thinks. Rather nice to listen to. The guitarist gets a chance to shine at the end too ^_^
Last up is the beautiful Letter. The song opens with a sad sounding mix of gritty guitar chords and a more plucked ryhtmn before introducing the full shebang. The song has great rythmn and a very sad feel to it. When the vocalist comes in he sounds regretful, his voice is beautiful though at the pitch he sings at and has a great level of emotion. The song quietens down, before blasting out for the bitter, regretful sounding chorus. It's a wonderful song, with stunning instrumentation and lots of good emotion to it. A brilliant end to a good album.
This isn't quite the standard as their other albums, but it's still freakin' good. It was hard to review, and I probably repeated myself alot, simply because all their songs are the same yet different. Dude, that makes no sense. Those who listen to them will understand. I enjoyed this album. I love how LAST ALLIANCE make the most of the instruments, often using their instruments to create distortion effects instead of relying on synth. I also think that they are exteremly talented, I really love how the vocalist uses his voice (epecially in this album) and the guitar parts were all love. Also they tend to end their tracks properly instead of relying on fade-outs and the like- giving their songs a very complete feel (most of the time, every artist uses fade-out at some point...). Their songs have great atmosphere, and feeling to them. This album in particular seemed quite angry in many ways compared to their other ones. Either way, It's highly enjoyable to listen to, and often the tunes stick in your brain quite a bit. This album basically continues the high standard of Tears Library. I don't think it's on the same level as Tears library and me and your borderline though, there are a few weaker or "meh" tracks on here.
To prepare and celebrate LAST ALLIANCE's new album (I've already pre-ordered!) I will be doing a review of all their current albums!
I'm not sure if you know this but LAST ALLIANCE is one of my favourite bands, right up there with SADS and 12012. Their music is amazing. It conveys such alot of emotion. Very powerful stuff. The singer has a...different voice but he uses it well. And the guitar and drum etc are just WOW. Everything about LAST ALLIANCE is awesome and talented. One of the most seriously underrated bands. If you like ELLEGARDEN or Asian kung fu generation you are sure to like LAST ALLIANCE, though even if you don't I'm sure LAST ALLIANCE will impress you. (Gosh writing their name in capitals all the time is tiring!) Their name is kinda cool too, almost rebelious like "last alliance".
Tears library is their first album, released 2003.07.19.
The album opens with Boys don't cry. It starts with a call and response on the guitar before the rest of the instrumentation comes in. The song is fast paced with amazing instrumentation. It has a slight upbeat feel to it in the chorus' too. The vocals are beautiful in their own way, the vocalist lifting his voice up to higher pitch sometimes and also using dynamics to his advantage. It's an amazing opening, and straight away you know the album is going to be good.
After boys don't cry comes RUN INTO THE FREEDOM. It starts slow and rythmic, almost meloncholic feel to it. Very quiet and quite slow. This builds up into a dark sounding, almost angry verse and more relaxed chorus. It's carries on the amazingness that was Boys don't cry with fantastic instrumentation and vocals. I love all the variations the song goes through. Oh and there's english in there too...which I can actually understand :P
After RUN INTO FREEDOM is a personal favourite, Itsuwari no orange. This song is SAD. It opens with a gentle and rythmic guitar before the drum and vocals come in: it's a very meloncholic opening. This feeling of sadness and loss continues into the rest of the song. Then the guitar comes in properly and just... it blows me away EVERY TIME (And I've been listening to this song over a year now). The vocalist sounds very sad, his voice rough almost as if holding back tears. He also goes really low at times, which once again adds a great emotion and feeling to the song. the instrumentation is astounding, especially the guitar part. The song goes through constant variation, every bit amazing. The ending really gets me with the repetetion of "namida" (tears). This song is SAD and powerful. Just beautiful really.
Next up is LAST ALLIANCE (album version). Having never heard the single version I cannot compare really. The song starts with a really awesome, loud and in your face guitar and drum part. It's fast and noisy, but not in the bad way.
Track 5 is REBEL FIRE. Typical to the name the song has a rebelious feel to it. Haha. How not to repeat myself. Because like most of the tracks, great vocals and instrumentation (especially the awesome guitar part!). Also liked the use of backing vocals in this one. I think there's english, can't really tell. Love how the song ends, not sure how to describe it but it's a great ending. This song is short but fast with great feeling. The ablum continues to be awesome.
After REBEL FIRE is beautiful. This is a very fast paced upbeat track. I think it features or is in english, can't really tell. And woa...it's short. Almost like a prelude to the next track....
The next track is Planetarium. Planetarium has a dark sounding opening, then the guitar comes in and makes it pretty upbeat. It sounds alot like some of alot of their upbeat stuff, but is cool in it's own way. The drum part is a little repetetive. This track is good, but not one of the best on the album. It has a similiar feel to beautiful before it.
Track 8 follows, SEE YOU AGAIN.See you again is quite dark sounding, and very heavy on the guitar distortion thing at the beginning. Thankfully that dies down. It's a very fast song, with an almost rushed feel. It's got alot of attitude, especially when the vocalist says "See you again". A little repetetive, but it's short so that becomes irrelevant.
Then comes the beautifully titled SKY IS CRYING. This song is loud and gritty. It has a dark feeling, and rough but still fantastic instrumentation. Fast and short without alot of emotion- yet another powerful track. The ending to this one is pretty cool.
The second to last track is Hidarimuki. The second Japanese titled song on the album, strangely enough. It starts very atmospheric, fast but kinda meloncholic at points. The guitar part is sweet, and the vocalist uses a higher register of his voice. There is also use of overlapping the voice/backing vocals at points which is effective. A very nice, sweet-sounding song. Lots of variation again helps the song to stay interesting. Great emotion too.
Last up is EQUAL REASON (Album version). The song starts quietly and gently, before coming in with the rest of the instrumentation- but retaining the gentle, meloncholic feel. The vocalist sings real low, both in pitch and dynamic. Raising his voice up to build up to the chorus. Again the guitar part is noticably awesome. The Chorus is very powerful, with alot of feeling in it- and much more hopeful than the verses. I also managed to find lyrics to this , and they too are really awesome- seemingly about despite everything, keep going and be strong sorta thing- "Like clinging on anyone that has already turned around, I don’t want to choose such an escaping way". An amazing, hopeful and powerful ending to a fantastic album.
For a debut album this is amazing. Shockingly good. Excuse me for fangirling over this band so much but this is all I can say. LAST ALLIANCE is awesome. This is a very strong debut album, the highlight for me being every song. Just listen and be amazed. the album flows wonderfully from beginning to end, showcasing just how talented the band is. Every song is much the same, however they all manage to have a different feel and to differentiate from the others in their own way. It's kinda strange like that. You'd think their music would be boring but it's actually really powerful. Quite awesome...
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J-rock music reviews Updated: Oct 19, 2009
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