Tuesday, November 11, 2008

»» Buono! - Rottara Rottara

Tracklist:
01. Rottara Rottara
02. My Love
03. Rottara Rottara (Instrumental)
04. My Love (Instrumental)

This single was(?) released on November 12th, 2008.

After the amazing Kiss! Kiss! Kiss! and the awful Gachinko de Ikou, Buono! is back with Rottara Rottara. And they're back to greaaatness! Rottara Rottara is veeeery catchy, the chorus is awesome, the melody is top H!P stuff, everything is in it! Even Momoko's vocals aren't as annoyingly childish as they usually are in Buono! songs! After Gachinko de Ikou I thought they'd go downhill, but they really picked it back up, and I just can't wait to listen to their new album (which hasn't been annouced yet, but anyway...).

My Love is well placed as the b-side. It's a good b-side though. The chorus sounds naive(?) and happy, most of the song is sung in unison, and they sound pretty good at harmonizing. There really isn't much to say about this song.

Overall score: 9/10

Labels:

by Sairo!


Thursday, November 6, 2008

»» WaT - 36ºC

Tracklist:
01. 36ºC
02. Seishun no Kagayaki
03. 36ºC (Instrumental)
04. Seishun no Kagayaki (Instrumental)
05. Shiosai no Gogo

This single was released on October 29, 2008.

WaT's biggest problem is that their songs are average. You don't really feel like listening to the whole song, most of the times. The only songs by them I actually enjoy a lot are Lucky de Happy, Awaking Emotion 8/5 and TOKIMEKI☆DooBeeDoo. But with 36ºC, that totally changed. As usual, their vocals in the song are very good, though their voices are a bit annoying at times. The chorus is beautifully sung, and the melody is very very pretty. My favourite part of the song has got to be the bridge, 'cause the harmonizing and the melodies are absolutely beautiful, they really give me a feeling of peace and happiness. The song is so nice to listen that it's 5:45 minutes long but you really don't even feel that time passing. I have a feeling the song might be about friendship, 'cause the PV really gives you that feeling.

Seishun no Kagayaki is a little more upbeat that 36ºC and features some synthesized vocals. The melody is somewhat common, but still very pretty. In comparison to 36ºC, this is pretty average, but it's waaaaaay better than most of their singles. The chorus is simple and features nice harmonizing from Wents and Teppei. It's a very enjoyable song.

Shiosai no Gogo was oddly positioned after the Instrumental tracks, and that made me go like 'Oh, it's probably some filler song...'. Oh, have I ever been this wrong about something? The song is absolutely amazing! Totally a-side material, and I really mean it. The melody is probably the catchiest I have ever heard in a WaT song, and it keeps getting better. The verses are beautiful and the chorus is even better. They sing most of the song in unison, which is a good thing, since their strong point is the harmonizing. WaT really gained my interest with this one song.

This single sold a lot more than their last singe, Toki wo Koete ~Fantastic World~, which was released back in April. I guess 6 months is what they needed to come up with some new amazing tunes and release this kiiiiillleeeer single.

Overall score: 9.5/10

Labels:

by Sairo!


Tuesday, November 4, 2008

»» Berryz Koubou - MADAYADE

Tracklist:
01. MADAYADE
02. Furare Pattern
03. MADAYADE (Instrumental)

This single was (?) released on November 5th, 2008.

First of all, I'd like to say that I don't think it's fair that Miyabi Natsuyaki is still in Berryz Koubou. She was caught dating a kid from Hey! Say! JUMP a few months ago, and Mari Yaguchi and Miki Fujimoto were thrown out of Morning Musume for pretty much the same thing. And then there was also Ai Kago, we all know how she ended after the stupid scandal. Why were things different with Miyabi? Yeah, it's a stupid rule, but let's at least be impartial.

Anyway... when I first saw the video they did for MADAYADE, I was quite pleased. The video is pretty different of other H!P videos (holy shit, have you seen Pepper Keibu?), it has kind of a story and everything else. And the song is also very good. I'm not sure, but I think it's a cover. Risako sounds pretty good in it (which is not something you expect), Momoko doesn't sound like a 3-year-old child, and Miyabi gets very little lines. And the best: everyone gets a line. I just love it when all girls in a H!P group get a line in a song. When was the last time that happened in Morning Musume, for example? Morning Coffee?

Furare Pattern was a surprise. I really didn't see this coming. H!P's b-side songs are always crappy. And I do mean always. But Furare Pattern certainly broke the spell, the song is soooo cool! The chorus is playful (though is reminds me of some other song, I can't figure out which song that is), the melody is fun, and the vocals are as good as vocals go in H!P. Not better than MADAYADE, but 300% more enjoyable than virtually all other H!P b-sides.

Overall score: 9/10

Labels:

by Sairo!