2017.06.17 Recent CD Pickup Reviews

Bought fewer CDs this month — probably because I’ve been lazy lately, and there wasn’t much worth picking up either. Aside from that one from Lump of Sugar, everything else was doujin work and group albums.

Raindrop Caffé Latte - Endorfin

Raindrop Café Latte, a new single from the Endorfin circle sung by 藍月なくる. The circle’s overall sound is pretty orthodox Japanese-style, though the lead track here leans girly.

How girly? Just look at the lyrics:

待ち合わせの喫茶店前 （In front of the café where we agreed to meet） 君からのメッセージ ポケット揺らす （A message from you makes my pocket buzz） 『ごめんね少し遅れるかも』 （“Sorry, I might be a little late”） 雨に濡れた傘悲しそうね （The rain-soaked umbrella looks so sad） 『わかったよ』 っていつも許しちゃうけど（“Got it,” I always let it slide） たまには叱ってみた方がいいのかな？（Maybe I should try scolding you once in a while?）

This song is super vivid — a girl and a boy on a date, the boy is late, and she’s waiting in the café drinking coffee, grumbling and pining for him all the while.

Honestly the lead track is so strong it makes the rest sound mediocre by comparison. Another good one is the rearranged “桜色プリズム.” When 藍月なくる herself asked on Twitter which of her songs people liked best, this was the top answer — though I think it’s just okay…

Still, the packaging is a huge gripe — it’s laughably cheap…

And a Japanese album that’s made in TAIWAN…

Preview: http://music.163.com/#/song?id=477992313

Tayutama 2 -After Stories- Vocal Song Collection

A song collection from “Tayutama 2.” Two tracks stand out: one is the OP ミラクル☆フィールフリー — the cheerleader-ish one…

The other is ユメトツキ, arranged by Meis Clauson, but the arrangement is way too… eccentric. Not that it’s bad, it just doesn’t feel like Meis Clauson at all. That Japanese-style intense flavor is fine, I guess, but it takes some getting used to.

There’s also the in-game chorus number by the rural idol unit ykt3: Love For You!

Honestly it’s not good, very by-the-numbers, and I can’t even tell which one is 夏和小. Thumbs down.

Preview: http://music.163.com/#/program?id=906193003 http://music.163.com/#/program?id=906208747

Download: If you’re motivated, dig through my G+

Sprite Recordings 2011-2016

An absolutely insane album, with a lot of blood, sweat, and tears from composer/arranger cittan*. It’s split into two parts: one Rock, one Electronic.

Plenty of killer tracks. On the Rock side, FaV, Stargazer, and L4TS are all standard fast-paced songs; a few were later used as game BGM. FaV supposedly has an Ayane version too, but this disc has the circle’s vocal. The Electronic side is where cittan shines. A big reason I usually hate electronic music is that people overuse effects until tracks sound cheap — like someone dumped in way too much seasoning. cittan’s arranging doesn’t have that problem at all; the balance of force is spot on. That includes “スターチス” which I raved about a while back, and the better-known “N.O.S.” — and I think this version is way better than nao’s.

The overall feel: avant-garde, refreshing, punchy, dynamic, urban, sharp. I think it’d be great for running, too.

Recently I discovered what a formidable musician cittan* is, and it’s rekindled my interest in electronic music. Also kind of makes me want to play LAMUNATION! — just to hear the music, really.

Still, there’s a catch: no lyrics included, they make you scan a QR code.

Preview: https://soundcloud.com/cittan_morningsprite/srcd-013-sprite-best-2011-2016

NanosizeMir The Best

I started paying attention to 水谷瑠奈 after seeing Key’s live — because she’s cute…

I hadn’t heard much of her singing, just the fairly famous ED from the Rewrite FD. Following her led me to her circle NanosizeMir, and then I found something remarkable.

The musical style of this NanosizeMir best-of is, how should I put it, the complete opposite of Sprite Recordings 2011-2016.

The overall feel: retro, lilting, calm, pastoral.

Aside from the well-known tracks — 闇の彼方へ, ささやかなはじまり, Philosophyz — some of the earlier old songs are actually more worth hearing. My personal pick is ぱらぱっぱ現代; the lyrics feel a bit metaphor-heavy, maybe about a miserable office worker with a hero complex. Funny thing is, NanosizeMir has done electronic music too, including Vocaloid tracks with Miku, but the style stays on the traditional side — maybe composer 塚越雄一朗 is just a conservative guy at heart. Even the Rewrite songs on this album are rearranged, and the arrangements stay conservative and retro.

Anyway, this circle is definitely underrated — the kind of music that’s nice to sit quietly and listen to. Though that vacuum robot parody song is a no…

Preview: http://music.163.com/#/album?id=35377108