Guess I'll still be using this icon for a little while...
Just when I thought I may have gotten over my love for Buono! seeing as their last song releases did nothing for me since the end of Shugo Chara!, I'm surprised to find myself enjoying their first mini album entitled Partenza. So I decided to mull over it a little more and here's a very simple review as to why I think I like this album so much...
Buono! - Partenza
1. Partenza～レッツゴー!!!～
2. 雑草のうた
3. フランキンセンスΨ
4. My Alright Sky
5. 夏ダカラ！
6. キアオラ・グラシャス・ありがと
7. JUICY HE@RT
8. 1／3の純情な感情
It's a little hard to explain about my fallout for this group. I guess you could blame K-Pop for my sudden disinterest in Buono! which had been a major part of my music experience during early 2008 or so. The Japanese group idol company Hello!Project kept releasing stuff that just didn't pique my interest at one point that I sort of abandoned the whole Japanese idol scene altogether. The songs were forgettable in a bigger scale, and I guess I just wanted a little more from them that they weren't giving which is, again, probably due to my now growing influence on K-Pop.
So it surprised me that after hearing a few original songs from this new mini album, I suddenly felt like listening to Buono! again. This has made me now wonder what was it about Buono! that I really like that I'm finally seeing here... and now I've realized that this is because this album has made me see a bigger, wider scope of this group's abilities in this album that has transcended my view of "Heh, typical idol music".
I mean, even as you start off the album with Partenza~Let's Go!, you can already hear that there is something incredibly different about this group. I instantly labeled it as something similar to K-Pop due to the heavily synthesized music as well as the heavy use of auto tune. Already, I can sense a little bit of 2NE1 from these beats as well as even After School's Bang!. Is that bad? Yes and no. Yes, cause these girls are really great singers so it is a bit disappointing to hear them being so heavily edited like this. No, only because it's fascinating to hear something different from them. The rhythm, the pace and just the way this song came out overall was different and in a strange sense, refreshing. You can tell straight off that this group is experimenting, and I applaud them for that. I guess this is because I really do want to hear something more than idol music from this group, and I got it.
Other worthy notes is Miya's solo song FrankincenseΨ and even Airi's solo my alright sky. For Miya, it was just amazing to hear her sing with a lower register and also in a more rock-ish tune that's pretty much rare to hear in idol music altogether. For Airi, ballads are just her specialty and it shows in this song. So it was great to listen to these songs.
Of course, there are other songs that retain the whole idol spirit like Natsu Dakara! and JUICY HE@RT, but when you package it all in together like this? It's like listening to a whole new album that really showcases what makes this one of my favourite Japanese idol groups.
Lastly, they did a cover of one of my favourite songs, 1/3 Junjou na Kanjou. While Siam Shade is still a thousand times better, I have to admit, I'm happy to hear the girls sing this with their lower register. With an onslaught of J-pop songs using such high registers, it is incredibly refreshing to hear Buono! not being afraid to not only cover a well known song, but to use their lower pitch to bring out the song the best way they can.
Overall, this is a great album for me and while I'm still unsure if I'll still love this group if they'll release new songs, I'm very content with this new album and am glad to see my girls back in shape with such great songs!
Buono! - Partenza
1. Partenza～レッツゴー!!!～
2. 雑草のうた
3. フランキンセンスΨ
4. My Alright Sky
5. 夏ダカラ！
6. キアオラ・グラシャス・ありがと
7. JUICY HE@RT
8. 1／3の純情な感情
It's a little hard to explain about my fallout for this group. I guess you could blame K-Pop for my sudden disinterest in Buono! which had been a major part of my music experience during early 2008 or so. The Japanese group idol company Hello!Project kept releasing stuff that just didn't pique my interest at one point that I sort of abandoned the whole Japanese idol scene altogether. The songs were forgettable in a bigger scale, and I guess I just wanted a little more from them that they weren't giving which is, again, probably due to my now growing influence on K-Pop.
So it surprised me that after hearing a few original songs from this new mini album, I suddenly felt like listening to Buono! again. This has made me now wonder what was it about Buono! that I really like that I'm finally seeing here... and now I've realized that this is because this album has made me see a bigger, wider scope of this group's abilities in this album that has transcended my view of "Heh, typical idol music".
I mean, even as you start off the album with Partenza~Let's Go!, you can already hear that there is something incredibly different about this group. I instantly labeled it as something similar to K-Pop due to the heavily synthesized music as well as the heavy use of auto tune. Already, I can sense a little bit of 2NE1 from these beats as well as even After School's Bang!. Is that bad? Yes and no. Yes, cause these girls are really great singers so it is a bit disappointing to hear them being so heavily edited like this. No, only because it's fascinating to hear something different from them. The rhythm, the pace and just the way this song came out overall was different and in a strange sense, refreshing. You can tell straight off that this group is experimenting, and I applaud them for that. I guess this is because I really do want to hear something more than idol music from this group, and I got it.
Other worthy notes is Miya's solo song FrankincenseΨ and even Airi's solo my alright sky. For Miya, it was just amazing to hear her sing with a lower register and also in a more rock-ish tune that's pretty much rare to hear in idol music altogether. For Airi, ballads are just her specialty and it shows in this song. So it was great to listen to these songs.
Of course, there are other songs that retain the whole idol spirit like Natsu Dakara! and JUICY HE@RT, but when you package it all in together like this? It's like listening to a whole new album that really showcases what makes this one of my favourite Japanese idol groups.
Lastly, they did a cover of one of my favourite songs, 1/3 Junjou na Kanjou. While Siam Shade is still a thousand times better, I have to admit, I'm happy to hear the girls sing this with their lower register. With an onslaught of J-pop songs using such high registers, it is incredibly refreshing to hear Buono! not being afraid to not only cover a well known song, but to use their lower pitch to bring out the song the best way they can.
Overall, this is a great album for me and while I'm still unsure if I'll still love this group if they'll release new songs, I'm very content with this new album and am glad to see my girls back in shape with such great songs!