Sakanaction - kikUUiki
I love this album. There's so much going on with it; so many different pieces and parts all working together, rock with synth, pushing the boundaries of the genre. I know it sounds cheezy, but it's true: "kikUUiki" is unique the way that Noanowa's "Magical Circus" is unique. It's not the kind of music you're likely to run into on a regular basis, and that's both a good thing (because it's so refreshing) and a bad thing (because all the music in the world made you feel this way). Sakanaction knows how to keep up the tension in their music while also keeping up the groove. These songs demand that you move to them, and won't take "no" for an answer. Both the vocal tracks and the instrumentals are well-composed: the music doesn't need lyrics to make it interesting, and the vocals don't need the music to be strong. I got into Sakanaction with the "Aruku Around" PV, so I'm naturally biased toward ite, but all the tracks on this album are so good that I could pick any of them as my favorite.
STRAIGHTENER - CREATURES
I was really excited to hear this album, but also a little afraid. I loved "STOUT" so much that I wanted to hear "Creatures" to affirm that I love Straightener, but was afraid that it could never live up to "STOUT." And "Creatures" is definitely different from "STOUT," but there are similarities, too. What I liked about "STOUT" is still there in "Creatures" - strong and creative use of the bass, awesome drumming, strong vocals, solid guitar, amazing energy and tension in the music - but where "STOUT" is a breathless run with only a stop or two, "Creatures" is more slow-paced and even tempered. "STOUT" is an album to listen to while you're driving down the road as fast as you can to parts unknown; "Creatures" is an album to listen to when it's cold and cloudy outside and warm and still inside and all you want is a good book, good soup, and good music. All my anxiety about Straightener is gone after listening to "Creatures;" they're just as good as I had hoped.
UPLIFT SPICE - Memento
Considering how well I liked the rest of Loki's list, I was sure I would like "Memento." And I do! But I would actually say that it's my least favorite of his top 5. UPLIFT SPICE rocks - there's no question of that - but their music lacks the depth that I'm looking for. Maybe they don't quite have the right interplay between instruments, or maybe they don't have strong enough drumming, or maybe they don't have strong enough guitar or bass, but something makes the music sound a little flat and hollow. As a result, none of their tracks in particular stuck with me. I still think they have great replay value, and I still like them - it's so nice to have good girl rockt! - but they're just not as good as 9mm Parabellum Bullet or Straightener or Noanowa or Kalafina. Also, Loki's assessment about the singer's voice is 100% dead on: her voice is really too high. Although I got used to it over the course of the album, it was certainly a shock when I first heard it. She seemed screechy, but I realized later that it's only because I'm not used to hearing a soprano singing rock at the top of her range. Alto would suit the sound a little better, but I guess UPLIFT SPICE has to work with what they've got.
JYJ - The...
Meh. Just meh. I was hoping for a lot more out of this single, since it's the JYJ, the Korean hip hop gods that descended to we mere mortals from the fangirl Nirvana that is the legendary Tohoshinki. But the songs were boring! Just typical, run of the mill, could-have-been-done-by-some-guy-in-his-basement boring. I think I've shown that, although hip hop isn't my favorite genre, I can give it a fair shake. I like Kuroki Meisa. I like JASMINE. But "The..." is just blah. There are only two tracks worth anything in my opinion: "Get Ready (Caramel Pod Remix)" and "Get Ready (THANKSGIVING LIVE IN DOME ver.)." Even they aren't great, but they do rise above the monotony and are probably worth a second listen. Of course, the regular version of "Get Ready" is just as boring and unaccountable as the other three tracks, so I have to say I'm not too impressed with JYJ as of yet. Sorry fangirls - no converts here.
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