[Review] Black Gene for the Next Scene - Namida -kHz-
This review covers Black Gene for the Next Scene's new single, "Namida -kHz-," released July 11. I bought the Regular Edition Type B with three tracks.
PACKAGING
If I remember correctly (and don't quote my memory as hard fact), I think the CD art for all five (?!) type of this single were designed as part of an open contest the band held for fans to submit cover designs. The only requirement was that they had to include the theme of a woman, tears, and trance. The cover for this Regular Type B edition shows the outline of a woman, holding her hands up to hear ears as if listening to headphones, floating on a grid with a sound wave and bubbles around it. Inside the figure of the woman are numbers, presumably sound hertz. The band’s stylized logo appears above the single’s title. The CD itself features another image of the woman’s silhouette, and the back of the case behind it includes an image of the band. This particular version also came with a set of trading cards of Ice and Sala.
Cool item of note: HIZUMI (ex-vo. D'espairsRay) is credited with the jacket layout design as part of his UMBRELLA work.
TRACKS
The Regular Edition Type B includes a total of three audio tracks.
Namida -kHz--- I’ve loved this track since I first heard the preview clips. To me, this is one of the more original song releases so far this year (behind Alice Nine’s surprising tracks on their album “9”). It starts out with a nice digital beat, moving quickly into a solid bass/drum/guitar intro. Ice’s vocals are smooth over that catchy bass hook, working toward the unexpected frenzy of the chorus that fairly begs fans to shout “3,2,1” right along with him. Digital elements and vocal autotune distortions do not detract from Ice’s sound, nor do they cover poor skill. They enhance the music perfectly, never too heavy. There are a lot of changes in this song, but it never feels like they are wandering around in search of a tune. I think that’s largely due to the pacing of this composition, which seems to be all Rame.
Fear Dance-This one is a solid “Atama!” headbanger that will have fans bouncing around like fools on a live house floor. Again, it has the band’s signature digital elements, but I particularly like the 3-part punch of the bass, guitar, drums. Ice’s vocals are standard headbanging screams and growls, nothing really shockingly new to a vk crowd, but the interplay between the bass and guitar are worth listening to, and the drumming is upbeat. In parts, the guitar sounds surprisingly classical.
Yojigen Mushroom-As the title might suggest, the intro to this song is rather surreal and would fit well as the theme song for a sideshow house of horror. Eerie drums and tinkling sounds lead into a very deep-but-brief rap from Ice before Sala and Rame take over with heavy rhythm. Pacing for this song changes a lot, going from rap, to rhythm, to rap, to slow melody, to digital, to soaring vocal, but it’s done in a way that feels natural. Maybe it’s the regular layering of the hard and soft that makes it feel even. It’s definitely interesting, and done in a way that puts other recent attempts by other bands to do the same to shame.
GENERAL RECOMMENDATIONS
d(^ ^)b
Two thumbs up--I highly recommend this single! Not only are the songs here interesting, catchy, and well-done, but BFN in general is different from most other bands out there right now. They have a unique sound, not only with instruments and digital elements, but also in Ice’s strong vocals. I REALLY want to see this band succeed. If this is the kind of music they can produce now, I want to see what they’re doing 10 years from now.
As for the 5-type release for this single, I think the band/label is either brilliant or crazy. Five types?
PACKAGING
If I remember correctly (and don't quote my memory as hard fact), I think the CD art for all five (?!) type of this single were designed as part of an open contest the band held for fans to submit cover designs. The only requirement was that they had to include the theme of a woman, tears, and trance. The cover for this Regular Type B edition shows the outline of a woman, holding her hands up to hear ears as if listening to headphones, floating on a grid with a sound wave and bubbles around it. Inside the figure of the woman are numbers, presumably sound hertz. The band’s stylized logo appears above the single’s title. The CD itself features another image of the woman’s silhouette, and the back of the case behind it includes an image of the band. This particular version also came with a set of trading cards of Ice and Sala.
Cool item of note: HIZUMI (ex-vo. D'espairsRay) is credited with the jacket layout design as part of his UMBRELLA work.
TRACKS
The Regular Edition Type B includes a total of three audio tracks.
Namida -kHz--- I’ve loved this track since I first heard the preview clips. To me, this is one of the more original song releases so far this year (behind Alice Nine’s surprising tracks on their album “9”). It starts out with a nice digital beat, moving quickly into a solid bass/drum/guitar intro. Ice’s vocals are smooth over that catchy bass hook, working toward the unexpected frenzy of the chorus that fairly begs fans to shout “3,2,1” right along with him. Digital elements and vocal autotune distortions do not detract from Ice’s sound, nor do they cover poor skill. They enhance the music perfectly, never too heavy. There are a lot of changes in this song, but it never feels like they are wandering around in search of a tune. I think that’s largely due to the pacing of this composition, which seems to be all Rame.
Fear Dance-This one is a solid “Atama!” headbanger that will have fans bouncing around like fools on a live house floor. Again, it has the band’s signature digital elements, but I particularly like the 3-part punch of the bass, guitar, drums. Ice’s vocals are standard headbanging screams and growls, nothing really shockingly new to a vk crowd, but the interplay between the bass and guitar are worth listening to, and the drumming is upbeat. In parts, the guitar sounds surprisingly classical.
Yojigen Mushroom-As the title might suggest, the intro to this song is rather surreal and would fit well as the theme song for a sideshow house of horror. Eerie drums and tinkling sounds lead into a very deep-but-brief rap from Ice before Sala and Rame take over with heavy rhythm. Pacing for this song changes a lot, going from rap, to rhythm, to rap, to slow melody, to digital, to soaring vocal, but it’s done in a way that feels natural. Maybe it’s the regular layering of the hard and soft that makes it feel even. It’s definitely interesting, and done in a way that puts other recent attempts by other bands to do the same to shame.
GENERAL RECOMMENDATIONS
d(^ ^)b
Two thumbs up--I highly recommend this single! Not only are the songs here interesting, catchy, and well-done, but BFN in general is different from most other bands out there right now. They have a unique sound, not only with instruments and digital elements, but also in Ice’s strong vocals. I REALLY want to see this band succeed. If this is the kind of music they can produce now, I want to see what they’re doing 10 years from now.
As for the 5-type release for this single, I think the band/label is either brilliant or crazy. Five types?