Catch-up Day

GD it. Am I ever going to be able to update this blog regularly again? The past few days have been horrible: sick, struggling with a broken laptop at work, big translations for Gaijin Kanpai, figuring out details on Shannon's new job (yes! my husband now has a job!), trying not to think about having to pare down and pack up my stuff....Bah. You can suck it, every day since Friday.

But no excuses! On to the reviews! Catch-up day!

---

Mizuki Nana - SCARLET KNIGHT

Damn these CDs and the mixed feelings that come with them! "SCARLET KNIGHT" is a two-track single featuring the "anime music" genre. There's a lot of synth, a lot of cymbals, a lot strings, and some choral interludes. Think of an anime opening with giant robots fighting in space while handsome young pilots shed sparkly tears. (Or, you know, an anime where a middle school boy is expected to defend a country named after a pastry against enemy catgirls with the weapon of superior athletic ability. Whichever.) Not that there's anything wrong with this kind of music - it's good at getting me totally pumped for the show! - but it's just not my style anymore. The B-side, "HIGH-STEPPER" is a little closer to what I'm looking for. Although the synth still has a strong presence, there isn't as much of the dramatic "opening sequence" feeling. (Probably because it's part of the ending sequence of a variety show.) I'd say it has more of a 90s Hamasaki-Utada-BoA-NameYourPopQueenHere feeling. It hits the nostalgia button but also ties in more closely to the musical style that I like now. I still don't know that I'll suddenly get the urge to listen to it at random, but it's easy to listen to and fun. Overall, this single is a pretty good listen, but perhaps not worth the buy unless you're really into the old 90s stuff.

---

salyu x salyu - s(o)un(d)beams

This album may not be some people's cup of tea, but damn! This is a good album. The overall feeling of the album is chill and quiet, surreal and cerebral. Avante-garde, to be sure. There are a lot of unusual sounds (footsteps through dirt, breaking ocean waves), a lot of unusual instruments (xylophone, steel drum), and a lot of unusual vocals that I don't think I could wittily describe in parentheses. Although there are some tracks that suffer from squeaky vocals or being so avante-garde that they're somewhat annoying, the majority of the music is relaxing and well-constructed. I especially loved "muse_ic," "Kokoro," "Utaimashou" (which is super surreal - awesome), and "Hostile To Me." The album reminds me a lot of Tica, but more experimental. So, if you're one of the 10 people in the whole world that knows Tica, well, now you pretty much know what to expect from this album. For the rest of you... The very best description I have is "Zer0 music," and yes, you need to listen to Gaijin Kanpai regularly to understand that reference. But if you frequent this blog, you should be listening to GK anyway, so it's not a total loss. People with taste like Loki's should probably avoid this album as I simply cannot imagine you liking this from any possible angle. (Maybe I'm wrong, and if I am, please tell me!) But for anyone with a penchant for unusual music, this is a must-listen.