the jboyband that does not need autotune: SOLIDEMO
I wrote this on Twitter one time yesternight or so: If you're looking for a Japanese boyband that does not need autotune, there's no need to look from one jimusho to another because Avex has it: SOLIDEMO. With the amount of music I listen to from SOLIDEMO this past two to three days, I'm considering using that aforementioned tweet my pinned tweet. Haha.
They strike three things done well: 1 they're good looking: see Nakayama Yuki, Teshima Akito and I'm willing to admit even Sawaki Keiichi, Kimata Hiroyuki and Yamaguchi Tomoya appeal to me in some way and they're not really my type of good looking, Shunei, Takeshi, Kazuya are somewhere behind Yuki and Akito for me in terms of looks; 2 they can sing...YES THEY CAN!---with the winner of 2013 Avex Audition singing subsection, Teshima Akito, HELL YES, they can sing! The other SOLIDEMO members aren't smallfry either and even most of their tracks somehow become an Akito-Kazuki-Takeshi-Shunei singing fest, Yuki, Hiroyuki, Tomoya and Keiichi have their own vocal ranges and styles that complete the listening experience (I, however, often times wish I hear more of Yuki :( seems like these four are always stuck behind the four frontline singers as harmonizers/backing vocals); and 3, well, their dancing is decent BSB-level somehow...it's salvageable. Pretty much acceptable for a boygroup or boyband.
A small tidbit about SOLIDEMO and lol ((ｴﾙｵｰｴﾙ): SOLIDEMO's Teshima Akito and lol ((ｴﾙｵｰｴﾙ)'s Sato Yusuke got their tickets into their respective groups via the 2013 Avex Auditions. Akito went on to win the male singing GP trophy, Yusuke grabbed the trophy for the acting subsection or division. I once thought it was Yusuke who won in the singing division but now I know better since stumbling upon SOLIDEMO. I actually was just looking into probably getting into Bridget two days ago but I ended up becoming more of a SOLIDEMO fan. I find Bridget somehow difficult to get into, yet. They're not as radio-, listeners-friendly as these two: Da-iCE that had their major debut in 2013 and SOLIDEMO that had theirs on 2014.
But as always, when it comes to looking into good jboygroups, the total feel of the group is always something I find hard to dismiss. It's the most important and I've been fangirling over a lot of jboygroups since time immemorial---before that, it was Boyzone...so you know I'm a veteran at this who's been there since the boybands boom of the 90s. Anyway, SOLIDEMO: Music = good (grade A)---see The One and Girlfriend, the two EDM heavy tracks: Heroine and Rafflesia are just as good, the former for their topnotch harmonies; Handsomeness = they're really tall and Yuki is really cute (what is it with Japan's Yukis that they're often always really cute?!?!?!) and Akito is...well, he's the youngest and a mesh of handsome-cute...? (grade: A++) Presentability: have you seen their wardrobes?!?!? It doesn't help that most of these guys are models: Tomoya is with Non-no, Yuki is 10/1 (jutoshi) Junon Boy 2013---he was in the same group Inaba Yu was in---and so on. Their MVs are the most refreshing I've seen since some of Vimclip's. It's mighty different, say, like, the total opposite of lol's and most of Da-iCE's heavy stuff. Just avoid both Rafflesia and Heroine if you don't like anything dark-ish, edgy from them. Like, a second grade A++. I just really feel sorry they've had to wear white most of the time to give their audience that refreshing look. >.< It must be difficult to eat and drink anything that can stain the whiteness of this group backstage. lol. They expressed the same thought in an interview or ustream show, if I recall correctly.
I'm not sure what the criteria for most people is when they judge song covers---SOLIDEMO has done a lot on their Avex youtube space---but I've long since decided that singing for me is singing; music is music, especially when it's something it strikes a personal chord. Some people prefer their older work: covers of pop songs with just a pianist (therefore most of the songs they covered were turned into really sleepy acoustic ballads) more than their new, EDM-backed sound. Others prefer the latter over the former while a few more like both their covers era and their new EDM-backed generic pop songs era. I'm part of the ones who like both SOLIDEMO eras although I lean more towards their EDM-backed generic pop songs era more. Either way, these really do not bother me as a SOLIDEMO fan. Neither should it bother you if you hope to support this group. I see nothing wrong with the transition this group made from acoustic, sleepy ballads to canned happy and refreshing, sometimes dancy generic pop music. If anything, their move was pretty...organic.
Good singing, good looking guys, acceptable or decent dancing (despite not being as cool as Da-iCE's)...that's SOLIDEMO. I find myself listening more to their canned music these days I've even downloaded their tracks onto the iPad to tote around with me whenever I go somewhere. It's the appropriate music to doze off to and chill to while on the go.
kg*