HYDN Designs

So closely listening to the new C-ute single, Edo no Temari II (embedded below), I'm finding out why the Kids, esp. C-ute have been much more popular nowadays. Vocally they sound somewhat similar to old Momusu.

The current Momusu, though decently vocally talented (with the exception of Sayumi) sound very homogeneous. It's difficult to pick out their solo lines at times, but in chorus it's near impossible. Their sound has become choral like. However, the first and second gen members had very different tonalities that were able to harmonize with each other rather than blend.

The Kids are similar to old Momusu in that its members are quite tonally different and it's possible to determine voices in a chorus. I'm a big fan of harmonizing and there are just some dissonant parts in Edo no Temari that make me feel good. It's not the same level as Memory Seishun no Hikari, but I've enjoyed this song more already than Resonant Blue, which I liked a lot. Another thing I think that has helped this song has been how the line distribution is a bit more balanced, Airi doesn't have all the lines (thank you) and even Erika has a few.

As for the video, I really like it. It's quite well done, the costumes are pretty nice, the neon fits with the feeling of the song, and the closeups aren't too close. The closeups are probably one of my favorite parts of the PV; it's like a nice solo shot where I can see more than just their face. And as always, they're really good dancers, but from what I can see it's probably not an overly difficult dance, but I should probably wait for the dance version to make a final verdict there. (Considering how I was wrong about CC). Tsunku, you need to start treating Momusu like you treat the Kids or otherwise C-ute could become the H!P flagship group!

I just recently got the GUILTY album from Ayu, and I am pretty impressed despite some initial hesitation. It's quite a departure from her typical trance like music; GUILTY has a predominate rock sound to it. Typically when I find myself disappointed when pop artist try rock because the things I love about rock, such as the guitar solos are avoided as to not distract attention away from the pop diva. I think the greatest example of this is during American Idol's Chris Daughtry's debut single "It's not Over" where midway through the song there seems to be a nice guitar solo, but then is cut short when he starts singing again. This kind of behavior waters down the genre in my opinion. At least Daughtry had remnants of rock, unlike many of Avril Lavigne's music, but that's another rant for another day.

There is some of the watered down feeling present in a GUILTY; although the solos aren't cut short, they aren't exactly Dream Theater or DragonForce epic solos either. But, I think what made the album work is the same thing that makes the rest of her albums work (other than the gigantic marketing engine that Avex is), her voice. The dryness of her voice that worked so well for trance music translates strangely well to "rock" music such as in "Decision". The songs are laced here and there with the typical Ayu electronic sounds. Also in typical Ayu fashion, there are a few ballads that give nice breaks in pace. Another nice touch is the use of string instruments in a few songs such as "Marionette." I've uploaded a few songs from the album into the jukebox, it's worth checking out.

For all you Perfume fans out there, the mastermind Nakata Yasutaka has joined up (yet again) with Suzuki Ami to lay down some funky beats and just good electronic music once again. I provide the PV as well, but to get a good impression of it, just listen to it and don't watch it; the video is boring as hell. The choreography is lame, and she really isn't as cute as Perfume or Hello! Project offerings.

Honestly, I wanted to write more about this, but I could seriously copy and paste my Perfume review and that's what this song is like but with one voice instead of three. Her older stuff is completely different, and not to my liking.

If at first you don't succeed, try again. When I heard Cinderella Complex, I didn't like it much, but that's a whole different story with the c/w track.

I've been playing Kioku no Meiro on repeat ever since I downloaded it. It has everything that made me musically like Hello! Project in the first place. It's catchy, it has a nice electronic beat and melody. Listening to this song is like listening to all that is good about Perfume without all the electronic voices and the best vocal talent H!P is capable of producing.

I'm really enjoying this song, I know I should stop playing the song because I might get sick of it too quickly, but it's just really fun to listen to.

On another High King related note, I decided to include the video of Cindarella Complex:

For a video as hyped up as this was, it was a bit of a disappointment. And the other insult to injury is that there is a lot of Reina in it... and she doesn't look as good as she has in other videos. The biggest downer of them all is that, you could tell that they easily spent the most amount of money on this PV compared to all the other PV's released this year, but it's just a gigantic letdown.

I personally thought the dancing was ok, but it wasn't as technical as they kept hyping it up to be or what these girls are capable of. (Come on Tsunku, you have Saki and Maimi, these girls know how to dance, they were your backup dancers for years!)

I have to admit... it's growing on me.

I think the initial radio rip was so poor that my audiophile side of me wouldn't accept it. However, the rip is better this time around so the song is slowly growing on me. I've only been able to identify the voices of the Momusu members and Maimi. As much as I like Saki, I don't listen to Berryz enough to know her singing voice, so I can't distinguish between her and the egg.

I didn't like it much at first because I'm not a huge fan of the composition, the rhythm of the beat is not one that I take a liking to. The song also sounds a bit too hip-hop for my liking, and I'm not a fan of hip-hop music at all.

There's something about the harmonizing that I do like. And if there's one thing that H!P knows how to do, it's making catchy songs. (Not as well as Perfume does though, I just can't stop listening to them...) My opinion of this song is opposite from my opinion of typical H!P songs; typically I like the chorus but I like the verse much more in this song because the "Na na na" of the chorus is a bit lame and too hip-hop. But the switching of solo lines between the members for the verse kinda keeps things interesting and well I'm really starting to crush on Maimi's ...voice. (Well, with one of the best thighs in H!P, it's hard to not like her for her other... assets, man that was corny. In case you don't know she's the second on the right.) Overall, I'd rate the song somewhere around a 6.25/10 but it does make me kinda interested in seeing the musical.

Ikimono Gakari - Kaeritakunatta yo

Another band I found on International Wota. After hearing SAKURA, they're major label debut single, I couldn't stop playing the song over and over. Kiyoe's voice is so soft and soothing during the verses, but during the chorus the true power of her voice comes out and just sends shivers down my spine. I've uploaded a few tracks into my jukebox. I highly recommend it.

I've been seeing a lot of posts recently on International Wota about this group, and I finally succumbed to curiosity. I gave them a listen, and WOW! I can see why everyone is talking about them.

Their sound is just so refreshing, it's a nice fusion of electronic and pop but with more electronic. It's quite nice to listen to because their sound isn't as repetitive as other electronic types. The beats switch from house to trance to pop. Unlike a lot of other Jpop groups, there is quite a bit of English (read not Engrish) in the songs so that's a nice touch as well.

If you like Japanese music, this is a must. Even if you just like Western electronic music, it's worth getting because it's a welcome departure. I'd recommend starting out with the GAME album. But some older singles that are good as well are Electro World and Computer City.