Day 17 - Tripe Feature - BENI and Do As Infinity

Yes, I know that "two" doesn't equal "triple." I couldn't find the Galileo Galilei single as scheduled. So sue me.

BENI - JEWEL
The album is fun, upbeat, pop that's easy to listen to... And sadly drags on longer than it probably should. Each song is simple and straightforward, with a good beat and some fun electronic elements. Unfortunately, the simplistic pop style doesn't vary a lot from track to track, and after a little while I just get tired of listening. There aren't blatantly bad song on this album, I just get bored with it. Maybe it's because it's not precisely my style of music (though that didn't stop me from loving Miho yesterday). However, while there aren't any bad songs, there are certainly some with annoying elements: "Daisuki Na No Ni" sounds like it might have a sitar, which gives it a very cheezy vibe for some reason; the snap-track on "Toki wo Tomete" is just as annoying as a clap track, and harder to ignore. There are some songs that are absolutely solid, like "2FACE," but most are don't really stand out for me as being particularly awesome or awful. I think this album could have been greatly improved if BENI cut it from 13 tracks to 8 or 10.


BENI 　　2FACE 　　PV
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Do As Infinity - EIGHT
This album would be so much better if it didn't spend so much time trying to be cool. "EIGHT" is a collection of pop-rock with some great brass usage that really takes the sound up at notch. Most songs are upbeat foot-tappers that get you grooving in your chair. The guitar work isn't anything spectacular, but it's decent enough for a group who don't live off the rock tracks. If they'd stuck with the rock-pop-brass combo that they have in "Baby! Baby! Baby!" and "Everything Will Be Alright" it would have been pretty good. Unfortunately, the music starts to get self-service-y...in parts. In "1/100" they bring in a shakuhachi, which sounds as cheezy as BENI's zither. But when the shakuhachi isn't playing, it's a great song with a little more edge than the previous two tracks. In "Hand in Hand" they suddenly switch to a "hardcore" sound (complete with synth strings, which everyone knows are the VERY ESSENCE of hardcore) that ruins an otherwise good song before switching back to the lighter sound and summarily melting my brain. They try "hardcore" again in "Fly to Freedom," but instead the sound is just labored and forced. I would have rather seen Do As Infinity keep rocking out than trying to be "edgy" or "different." More songs like "Baby! Baby! Baby!" "Everything Will Be Alright," "Jidaishin," and "Kimi ga Inai Mirai" would have made for a better album overall. (To bad the PV for "Kimi ga Inai Mirai" is so bad. Seriously, Do As Infinity, stop with the spinning! I never asked you to send me to Space Camp!)