UVERworld – PROGLUTION

Well, I should start with the basics. UVERworld is a jrock/jpop band signed to gr8!Records under Sony. The name ‘UVERworld’ is a mix of ‘uber’ and ‘over’, and means ‘crossing over their own world’. D-Tecnolife is pretty much the band’s breakout hit since it was featured in the popular Bleach anime. ‘PROGLUTION’ is a mix of the words ‘progenitor’ and ‘revolution’, and means ‘the one who starts a revolution’. You can see from here that UVERworld’s members enjoy inventing odd English words. Can’t say it’s a bad hobby.

Album: PROGLUTION
Highest Oricon daily ranking: #2
Release date: 16/1/2008

CD only cover:

CD+DVD cover:

Track listing:

1. Roots
2. brand new ancient
3. Ukiyo CROSSING (浮世CROSSING; Ukiyo Crossing)
4. Byouteki Kikyuu Nikki (病的希求日記; Diary of Strange Desires)
5. counting song – H
6. Shaka Beach ~Laka Laka La~ (album ver.) (シャカビーチ~Laka Laka La~)
7. GROOVY GROOVY GROOVY
8. expod -digital
9. -Myousaku Gougai ORCHESTRA- (-妙策号外ORCHESTRA-; Clever Newspaper Pamphlet Scheme)
10. UNKNOWN ORCHESTRA (album ver.)
11. -god’s followers-
12. Kami Atsume (神集め; Collecting Gods)
13. -forecast map 1955-
14. ENERGY (album ver.)
15. endscape (album ver.)
16. Kokoro ga Sasu Basho to Kuchiguse Soshite Kimi ga Tsuite Kuru (心が指す場所と口癖　そして君がついて来る; The Way I Say the Place Where My Heart Points, Then You Come Here)
17. Oto no Ha (オトノハ)
18. to the world (SE)

Track commentary:

1. Roots – Nice, catchy upbeat song. They picked this to film a PV for, so I guess that counts for something. Nothing really outstanding – typical UVER stuff.
3. Ukiyo CROSSING – Theme for drama ‘Hataraki Man’. Seems to be the same as the PV version. I like this song, it’s unique in terms of structure.
4. Byouteki Kikyuu Nikki – I will admit that the chorus of this song rings in my head at rather inappropriate times. Is that a good thing or a bad thing?
6. Shaka Beach ~Laka Laka La~ (album ver.) – Without a doubt, my favorite track on this album. I’m still thanking them for re-recording this. I loved the single version, but I admit it was badly put together. It was rather messy, and the vocals sounded strained. This version is a lot more relaxed, and they altered the intro. The new one is love. <3
7. GROOVY GROOVY GROOVY – Yeah. See title.
8. expod -digital – The intro of this song made me think of miyavi. That sort of acoustic guitar rock feel. I like it.
10. UNKNOWN ORCHESTRA (album ver.) – It was the third track on one of the singles – can’t remember which. I didn’t like that version, but this one makes me want to hum along, so that’s a big improvement. Rather catchy now, if you ask me. A nice beat.
14. ENERGY (album ver.) – The ‘our voices mix’ sucked. This one is pretty decent. Not one of my favorites, but it’s okay. Could be better.
15. endscape (album ver.) – Not that much different from the single version – the opening bars have been changed, but I can’t tell much else of a difference without actively looknig for one. I like this song, though. The PV is made of all sorts of cool.
16. Kokoro ga Sasu Basho… – If you think I’m typing the entire title, you’re nuts. It’s a nice laidback song, though. I like it!

Overall:

It’s not quite standard UVERworld here. They’re exploring a bit with more acoustic guitar and synthesizer sounds. I, for one, like the direction they’re going in. All the ‘album versions’ they have – I like them better than the single versions too, which is always good. All in all, a good all-rounder album from UVERworld – and I still say they’re a band to look out for.

Extra: The CD+DVD version seems a pretty good deal too. Here’s the DVD tracklist:

1. Zero no Kotae (ゼロの答; Zero Answer) (PV)
2. endscape (PV)
3. Shaka Beach ~Laka Laka La~ (シャカビーチ~Laka Laka La~) (PV)
4. Ukiyo CROSSING (浮世CROSSING; Ukiyo Crossing) (PV)
5. Zero no Kotae (making) (ゼロの答; Zero Answer)
6. endscape (making)
7. Shaka Beach ~Laka Laka La~ (making) (シャカビーチ~Laka Laka La~)
8. Ukiyo CROSSING (making) (浮世CROSSING; Ukiyo Crossing)

I have the original PVs, but not the ‘making of’s. If you want them, ask and ye shall receive.

Download: UVERworld – PROGLUTION.zip [SendSpace][151MB]

Acid Black Cherry – Fuyu no Maboroshi

‘Fuyu no Maboroshi’ [literally 'Winter's Illusion'] was released as the fourth single from Acid Black Cherry, the side project of Janne da Arc vocalist Yasunori Hayashi. Acid Black Cherry features some of Yasu’s contacts in the Jmusic industry, including astoundingly famous guitarist SUGIZO, formerly of Luna Sea and now in jrock superband SKIN with Yoshiki, miyavi and Gackt. The back up musicians change with every song Acid Black Cherry releases. Personally, I like Acid Black Cherry very much, piano rock is decidedly my kind of thing. Yasu’s voice is pretty high for a male too.

Current Oricon ranking (daily) – #1

Track listing:

1. Fuyu no Maboroshi
2. Koi Ichiya

Track comments:

Track 1 – Fuyu no Maboroshi
Not a bad song – he sticks to the whole piano rock thing pretty closely, but with more guitar work this time. The intro sounds a little too messy and heavy, actually, but the chorus is pretty catchy. All in all, not a bad song. I like it – but I like Aishitenai better.

Track 2 – Koi Ichiya
Another cover of an old song, as usual. Nothing really stands out – but the vocals sound a little… echoey to me? Might be just my tablet speakers, though. Sounds difficult to sing – lots of high notes. Er… I also prefer Ihoujin off the Aishitenai single. >_>;

Download : Acid Black Cherry – Fuyu no Maboroshi [Mediafire]

L’Arc~en~Ciel – KISS

‘KISS’, released on 2007.11.21, is the latest album released by classic J-rock band L’Arc~en~Ciel (literally ‘the arc’ or ‘rainbow’ in French). The first CD after their hiatus was well received, and of course hit the top spot on the Oricon charts for its week of release. This CD contains four songs off previous singles – SEVENTH HEAVEN, MY HEART DRAWS A DREAM, DAYBREAK’S BELL and HURRY XMAS.

Top Oricon chart ranking: #1 (eight days consecutive)

Track listing:

1. SEVENTH HEAVEN*
2. Pretty girl
3. MY HEART DRAWS A DREAM*
4. Sunadokei (Hourglass)
5. spiral
6. ALONE EN LA VIDA
7. DAYBREAK’S BELL*
8. Umibe (Beach)
9. THE BLACK ROSE
10. Link -KISS mix-
11. Yuki no Ashiato (Footsteps in the Snow)
12. HURRY XMAS*

Track comments:
SEVENTH HEAVEN – a fastpaced, upbeat dance track. Fans were divided over this song – half of them declared it was made of awesome and that L’Arc was getting creative again; the other half rebelled and went on a rampage against them. Ah, well. It’s catchy, and hyde dances a bit in the PV.
Pretty girl – Nothing much to say. Standard rock song with low vocals from hyde. Not bad.
MY HEART DRAWS A DREAM – Pretty much my favorite song from the entire album. Full of emotion, and hyde’s vocals soar in this song. ken does an excellent job with the guitar too.
DAYBREAK’S BELL – My other favorite on this album. It’s a song about war, and the lyrics are very sad. hyde does a good job with hitting the high notes, tetsu and yukihiro play off each other well, and ken’s guitar solo is nothing short of epic.
Link -KISS mix- – Catchy. X3 This is the 2007 remix; the original version was used in the Fullmetal Alchemist movie.
HURRY XMAS – A SONG OF CRACK. XD It’s more jazz than pop or rock, to be honest, and it’s either a hit or a miss. I’m still… trying to decide. XD

Download: L’Arc~en~Ciel – KISS [mediafire]

[EP] Kat – Rock’n roll boys club

Release date: 12/9/2007

[single] KAT – Rock’n roll boys club -e.p-

1. Rock’n roll boys club
2. Wake up
3. Sunset
4. Nagori Yuki -earth mix-

download EP @ Mediafire
download Rock’n roll boys club PV @ Mediafire

This is the first EP from KAT (Kat McDowell), a guitarist/songwriter/vocalist signed to the avex label. She has previously released a single named ‘Today’ and a HMV-only mini album named ‘kat’. She was born in Tokyo and moved to New Zealand when she was five. When she performs live, she plays the guitar and sings.

1. Rock’n roll boys club

This isn’t a very unique track by Jpop standards, but damn, is it catchy. Kat sets herself apart from most Jpop artistes by playing the electric guitar. However, she cannot be confused with YUI, a guitarist/vocalist who is currently extremely popular in Japan. Kat has flawless English, and she proves this in ‘Rock’n roll boys club’, although the English lines may not make a lot of sense when combined with the Japanese lyrics. The song arrangement is pretty simple, with two electric guitars, one bass and drums. Nevertheless, it is still memorable, and Kat’s vocals are very good, perhaps somewhat like a cross between Angela Aki and Younha. Kat proves her ability to write catchy tunes with this song.

2. Wake up

It starts off with quiet electric guitar plucking accompanied by percussion. Slightly slower than the first track, but it is more or less in the same vein music and arrangement-wise, with the addition of a keyboard. Her lyrics are probably meant to be inspirational, since she keeps repeating ‘wake up’ and ’start again’. The electric guitar plays a pretty major part in carrying this song along. I find this track a little too repetitive for my tastes, but it showcases Kat’s unique vocals very well.

3. Sunset

‘Sunset’ starts off in a similar way. The background electric guitar plucking does get a little too repetitive, though, but the keyboard tries to alleviate that with some random harmonization thrown in. This power ballad isn’t the most catchy or memorable, however, and doesn’t stand out much. Kat doesn’t hit the high notes too well, sounding a little weak, but at least not wavery. The section where Kat’s voice is modified to sound like a robot doesn’t appeal to me much; seems to disturb the general calm feeling of the song. The keyboard dominates the musical interlude, and then Kat starts singing again. Somehow, it feels like less effort has been put into recording the vocal track of this song, as it’s not as powerful as the other songs, although this one should be the most emotional, going by the lyrics. I’m not too psyched about this song.

4. Nagori Yuki -earth mix-

As suggested by the title, this track is the remix of a song on her ‘Today’ single, Nagori Yuki. This track is actually the cover of another song, redone with mixed Japanese and English lyrics. I’m more fond of the original version, however. Nagori Yuki was originally a power ballad, featuring soaring vocals and a nice string/organ-sounding background, which seems to have been toned down. Additional percussion is the main addition here, plus a few phrases from an electric guitar here and there. A cleaner sort of sound from the guitar might have worked better, since it actually sounds a little too whiny at times with the excessive string bending. However, people listening to this track for the first time probably will still like it. The remix seems to drag on much longer than the original, even though it’s only twenty three seconds longer.

Overall rating: 3/5. I loved the A-side track, and ‘Wake up’ was reasonably good too, but ‘Sunset’ and ‘Nagori Yuki -earth mix-’ didn’t go down very well with me. However, still pretty decent for her first EP, although I was hoping for more from her. Still, she will probably be a musician to look out for in the future.

[single] nightmare – Konoha

Release date: 3/10/2007

[single] Konoha

1. Konoha
2. cloudy dayz

download @ Mediafire
download Konoha PV @ Mediafire
download cloudy dayz PV @ 4shared

Current Oricon weekly ranking: 4

This is the sixteenth single from popular visual kei band ‘Nightmare’ (ナイトメア/Naitomea), best known for their works featured as the first opening and ending of anime Death Note (‘the WORLD’ and ‘alumina’ respectively). With slightly over seventeen thousand copies sold in the first week, this single bagged the fourth spot on the Oricon weekly chart.

Track 1 : Konoha

The song begins with a gentle piano introduction. This track is midpace, not being as fast as Nightmare’s usual works. As always, the band sounds impressively tightly-knit, and the piano is a pleasant addition to their usual four-piece band (two electric guitars, a bass, drums). Being a slower song, the electric guitars play just enough to keep the song edgy but not enough to overpower the quieter piano. The hint of strings/keyboard helps to carry it along, but the song feels like it lacks focus. It flows well enough, but there’s no high or particularly intense point.

Track 2 : cloudy dayz

This song is faster, more like their previous releases. It starts with a soft electric guitar plucking intro, soon joined by the drums, bass and something that sounds like a synth loop. YOMI’s vocals are gorgeous as usual, and the huskiness goes well with this track. The two guitars play surprisingly in sync, neither of them being overdominating. This song also features piano inserts. It features a surprisingly catchy melody and chorus. However, the song fades out instead of having a definite ending, which I found not particularly to my liking. I think perhaps a short guitar solo and then a hanging note would have ended the song more effectively.

Overall rating: 3.5/5. I still prefer their previous single, Raison d’Etre, although Konoha isn’t bad at all. However, it is unlikely to attain the success of ‘the WORLD/alumina’ double A-side single.

-asdaaas.

Hey thar! 8Db

Hi!

parukuma is run by a pair of Singaporean girls who, apparently, have too much free time on their hands even though they actually have quite a lot of things to do. At any rate, one goes by the handle of asdaaas@LJ and the other goes by un_endlich@LJ. asdaaas intends to review Japanese music, be it old or new [depending on when she downloads it], and un_endlich intends to review manga and anime series and possibly really random movies and shit.

Please look forward to our first post! [asdaaas = minnie = some pathetic loser, amirite.]

-asdaaas.