I think I've given up on the "post at night" idea. Hasn't worked for two nights in a row. Lame. I guess instead I'll just post when I can until I can get into a groove. Maybe I'll change Magical Monday to Triple Feature Tuesday? There's nothing magical about Mondays, anyway.
ABK48 - Beginner, Type A
I actually really liked this single, even though I didn't want to. I'd heard "Beginner" before and liked it, but I wasn't too fond of the b-sides initially. I'll admit that I'm not much of an AKB48 person in general: I find the style of "manufactured group" too artificial to be enjoyable; the music and fan experience they offer is just flat. (Unless we're talking Perfume, which is my Achilles heel.) And although "Beginner" is not exception, the b-sides did eventually grow on me. I'm not fond of the overmind-esque "WE ARE AKB48 YOU WILL BE ASSIMILATED" vocals, and the style is a little late-90s for my taste, but for being a manufactured single, it's pretty good. Let's put it this way: "Beginner" isn't a single I'd voluntarily put on, but if someone else turned it on I wouldn't turn it off.
TETSUYA - COME ON!
This album is much more my style. Sadly, it's not terribly memorable. Don't get me wrong - I rather liked it. The style is (big surprise) very much like that of L'arc-en-Ciel, and Tetsuya kind of sings like Hyde, which adds another layer of similarity. It was nice to listen to some rock again, and individual songs are very fun to listen to, and the album itself if solid from start to finish. But it's not memorable. Maybe I didn't give it enough of a chance, but when I try to think of music from the album I wind up thinking of L'arc-en-Ciel music instead. I'd say that this is just because Tetsuya is still too tied into L'arc, but I don't think of L'arc when I listen to VAMPS, and I think Hyde's probably pretty tied in. Like "Beginner," I probably wouldn't put "COME ON!" in of my own volition, but not because it's not my style; instead, I likely won't listen to it again because I'll simply forget that it exists after a few weeks. (Read the interview!)
MiChi - LOVE is.
I was not expecting a lot from this single. Maybe it's because I wasn't too impressed with the first several lines of the interview, or maybe it's because I saw that she was covering "Pretty Fly for a White Guy," which is very near the top of "Why Was This Song Created And Who Can I Kick In The Nuts For It?" list. (If you want a good MiChi cover, listen to her rendition of "Smells Like Teen Spirit.") And although I'd be happy if the final two tracks never darkened my mp3 player again, I absolutely loved the first two tracks. "LOVE is." is a great song, achieving the catchiness sweet spot where I find myself singing it, but don't find myself annoyed to be singing it. "YEAH YEAH YEAH" is the same way, but with a more melancholy style. I'd say they're both 5-star songs, and will probably stay favorites of mine for a very long time.
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