Weekly Roundup
Okay, I'm tired of Nicovideo refusing to load half the damn songs on my list, so here you go: a smattering from the last week-and-some. I've got enough good songs left on my list that the next update will probably be mid-week: right now, I can't even load them thanks to Nico server troubles. Miku rules the waves this week, but Kaito's not far behind - nor is shown newcomer Iroha, who gets a couple of solid releases this week.
【初音ミク】ネトゲ廃人シュプレヒコール【ボトラー】
Online Game Addict's Chorus (satsuki ga tenkomori), Miku, Speed Synth Pop
A solid combination of melodic piano, thumping thumping bass, and a slew of high speed beats have made this ... celebration... of net games a Nicovideo hit. Plus, there's Miku flipping the bird, what's not to like about that?
【初音ミクappend】トラベリングムード【オリジナル曲】
Travelling Mood (whoo), Miku, Pop
Whoo is back in something I should probably call top form. On the face of it, this track isn't very good on a first listen, or at least I didn't find it that way. There's so many acoustic instruments smashing into each other in one big mish-mash, but then you relisten and at least it's a happy mish-mash and then it's okay and you love it.
【初音ミクDark】 crack 【オリジナル】
Crack (keeno), Miku, Soft Rock
Keeno is capable of a not inconsiderable feat - making me like Miku Dark. I rag on her a lot, I guess, but she really does seem far too light to me at times. Something like this however, where Miku's voice is high and floating in a sea of perfectly gentle guitar and yet displays some body and power, that'll do nicely.
猫村いろは「ネコネコ☆スーパーフィーバーナイト」【オリジナル曲】
Neko Neko ☆ Super Fever Night (samfree), Iroha, Eurobeat
Well, you know a new Vocaloid's been released when samfree pulls out the power synth chords. This is actually a hell of a lot better than Lily's version - Catbot's voice is clear and very well done, and the music's catchy and bouncy. Definitely a good contender for my favorite Gerund Gerund ☆ track.
【巡音ルカ】 stoy. 【オリジナル】
stoy (powapowa), Luka, Rock
A super-smooth Luka takes us through a soft but regularly distorted and beat-laden song full of astronauts and radio chatter. Truly kind of bizarre, but I found myself liking it a lot. If anything really marred it it was probably Luka's voice - it's a little too low for the occasion, and feels like it's about to float off into the distance more than once.
【初音ミク】エゴロジスト【オリジナル曲】
Egologist (T-Pocket), Miku, Halloween Rock
Startlingly good Miku here - not for being overly clear or a master of vibrato but sounding unique and almost Rin in tone. This is one of a few tracks this update that when I listen to them I immediately think of some cross between a masquerade and a circus ring, and possibly a waltz. I suspect it's another symptom of the lead-up to Halloween making itself felt, so I'll tag 'em accordingly.
【初音ミク】 アイマイナ 【オリジナル】
Unclear (pinokio), Miku, D:
Don't look too closely at the picture on this one. Just enjoy the creepy, creepy music to set up this last post before Halloween.
【鏡音リン】嘘つきベティ【Project DIVA AC 応募曲】
Liar Betty (Polyphonic Branch), Rin, Halloween PIANO
Daaaaamn. Not to be outdone by everyone else, Rin fires off a creepy crawler of a track that even has its own pan pipes section. I'm not even sure I ever paid attention to Rin in this, though, and instead just concentrated on the mad pianist going at speeds only ever seen previously in a wowaka video. Fantastic.
【GUMI】 ハチミツ 【オリジナル】
Honey (yazuki), Gumi, Pop Rock
So much of this track is absolutely lovable - every instrument gets its own chance to shine, from the gorgeous piano to the fantastic deep drum solo - and the video is absolutely adorable, full of scrawly pencil drawings and puppies. The only shame is Gumi's voice, which early on in the song exacerbates her biggest problems and doesn't recover terribly well later on.
初音ミク×巡音ルカ オリジナル曲「マスターオブパペッツ」PV
Master of Puppets (desuohagi), Miku + Luka, Halloween Rock
More masquerades, only this time with added subtext! An absolutely bombastic start helps cement this track's originality, and then it almost becomes a lounge affair, with lots of organ riffs and the odd synth scale. Miku and Luka sound very good here - especially in tandem - but the track jumps around a little.
【KAITO】鈍色空に花吹雪【オリジナル】
Grey Sky of Falling Cherry Blossoms (仕事して), Kaito, Traditional
Definitely an excellent week for Kaito. From a strong penguin-based showing to a real crooner of a track, backed up by Meiko as he warbles his way through a surprisingly energetic track with a lot of neat little catches.
【初音ミクオリジナルPV】黒いつばさ【フェイP×ハツ子】
Black Wings (huei faye), Miku, Big Band)
So apparently I got a tag brutally wrong all this time. Whoops. Anyway, forget your guitars and your other newfangled stuff, let's bust out the brass and piano for a stunning and gorgeous Miku track. I can't begin to count how often this made me smile, which is possibly a bit counter-productive for a track that is perhaps meant to be a bit angsty.
初音ミク - 黒い翼は好きですか？
Do You Like Black Wings? (kuchibashi), Miku, Halloween... er... Speed House.
Sensing a theme? I can't begin to describe what's going on with this track. Starting off like any self-respecting Halloween track with an operatic fluted intro that Kefka would be proud of, it quickly swings sideways into speed dance/trance territory and then you reach the bridge in the middle and I don't know what the hell except this is clearly a track that's having fun, because I am as well.
とらでぃしょなる☆じゃぱん【かごめP×猫村いろはオリジナル】
Traditional ☆ Japan (kagome), Iroha + Miki + Yuki, ?!
I don't even pretend to understand this, but it sure is pretty funky.
【初音ミクSolid×Light】violet【ProjectDIVA-AC応募曲】
Violet (isanaku), Miku + Miku, Pop
Not exactly a fan of this one. It's a bit too minimalistic for my tastes, though it does try to keep up with the theme of the update by having a standard track with a layer of house or dance over the top of it. If anything, have a listen to see Solid and Light, both somewhat underused, square up against each other.
さあ、どっち？
So, Which? (hinata), Len + Rin, Halloween Pop
I didn't really like the twins' attempt to get into the Halloween vibe this week, against Nicovideo's efforts to make me. It certainly has style and I get the feel it's going for, it just seems a little lacking compared to the multitude of tracks this week that manage to evoke it while also rocking out.
【GUMI】４時４４分【オリジナル】
4:44 (164), Gumi, Rock
If anything, I've got entirely the opposite problem here. The guitar's great, and the solos especially so, but the rest of the song seems a little limp and flat, and I can't get into it. Gumi sounds okay most of the time but every so often she squeaks or really throws a note wrong. Not my song, I suppose; Nicovideo's pretty happy with it as a whole.
【巡音ルカ】 Kiss & Smile 【オリジナル曲】
Kiss & Smile (BETTI), Luka, Synth Pop)
Nothing to go particularly wrong with here - it's a good, solid standard BETTI track marrying pop and bleepy-twinkly synth, but it should be noted that this is a distinctly slower and lazier track than most of Easypop's others. If you're not a fan of the style, you might want to stay away - if you are, then it's an interesting change from normal.
【初音ミク】 夕暮れ落ち葉とイノセンス 【オリジナル曲】
Evening Falling Leaves and Innocence (paipan), Miku, Ethnic House
Can we interest you in a bit of earworm to finish up the post? No? How about some ethnic house earworm instead, then? Minimalistic but catchy as hell, this mainly vocal track is shot through with a soft beat that encourages head-bobbing and toe-tapping, while still managing to sound oddly traditional.
And Also:
【KAITO】ローリンガール【本家ver.カバー】
Rolling Girl (Kaito ver.) (katoudetou), Kaito, Wowaka Pop
Absolutely astounding Kaito voice; possibly the clearest I've ever heard him? Given that he's not only sounding awesome, he's also handling a wowaka track with aplomb, I am tremendously impressed.
【第5回MMD杯大遅刻】中曽根OFF IN AKIBA @MMD
Nakasone Off In Akiba (gase), Everyone, March
In case you didn't get enough of the stomping march through pop culture that was the MMD 5th Cup version, here's yet another run through the well-known routine. Possibly even more chaotic in places, Kaito leads the way through everything MMD.
【初音ミク】ネトゲ廃人シュプレヒコール【ボトラー】
Online Game Addict's Chorus (satsuki ga tenkomori), Miku, Speed Synth Pop
A solid combination of melodic piano, thumping thumping bass, and a slew of high speed beats have made this ... celebration... of net games a Nicovideo hit. Plus, there's Miku flipping the bird, what's not to like about that?
【初音ミクappend】トラベリングムード【オリジナル曲】
Travelling Mood (whoo), Miku, Pop
Whoo is back in something I should probably call top form. On the face of it, this track isn't very good on a first listen, or at least I didn't find it that way. There's so many acoustic instruments smashing into each other in one big mish-mash, but then you relisten and at least it's a happy mish-mash and then it's okay and you love it.
【初音ミクDark】 crack 【オリジナル】
Crack (keeno), Miku, Soft Rock
Keeno is capable of a not inconsiderable feat - making me like Miku Dark. I rag on her a lot, I guess, but she really does seem far too light to me at times. Something like this however, where Miku's voice is high and floating in a sea of perfectly gentle guitar and yet displays some body and power, that'll do nicely.
猫村いろは「ネコネコ☆スーパーフィーバーナイト」【オリジナル曲】
Neko Neko ☆ Super Fever Night (samfree), Iroha, Eurobeat
Well, you know a new Vocaloid's been released when samfree pulls out the power synth chords. This is actually a hell of a lot better than Lily's version - Catbot's voice is clear and very well done, and the music's catchy and bouncy. Definitely a good contender for my favorite Gerund Gerund ☆ track.
【巡音ルカ】 stoy. 【オリジナル】
stoy (powapowa), Luka, Rock
A super-smooth Luka takes us through a soft but regularly distorted and beat-laden song full of astronauts and radio chatter. Truly kind of bizarre, but I found myself liking it a lot. If anything really marred it it was probably Luka's voice - it's a little too low for the occasion, and feels like it's about to float off into the distance more than once.
【初音ミク】エゴロジスト【オリジナル曲】
Egologist (T-Pocket), Miku, Halloween Rock
Startlingly good Miku here - not for being overly clear or a master of vibrato but sounding unique and almost Rin in tone. This is one of a few tracks this update that when I listen to them I immediately think of some cross between a masquerade and a circus ring, and possibly a waltz. I suspect it's another symptom of the lead-up to Halloween making itself felt, so I'll tag 'em accordingly.
【初音ミク】 アイマイナ 【オリジナル】
Unclear (pinokio), Miku, D:
Don't look too closely at the picture on this one. Just enjoy the creepy, creepy music to set up this last post before Halloween.
【鏡音リン】嘘つきベティ【Project DIVA AC 応募曲】
Liar Betty (Polyphonic Branch), Rin, Halloween PIANO
Daaaaamn. Not to be outdone by everyone else, Rin fires off a creepy crawler of a track that even has its own pan pipes section. I'm not even sure I ever paid attention to Rin in this, though, and instead just concentrated on the mad pianist going at speeds only ever seen previously in a wowaka video. Fantastic.
【GUMI】 ハチミツ 【オリジナル】
Honey (yazuki), Gumi, Pop Rock
So much of this track is absolutely lovable - every instrument gets its own chance to shine, from the gorgeous piano to the fantastic deep drum solo - and the video is absolutely adorable, full of scrawly pencil drawings and puppies. The only shame is Gumi's voice, which early on in the song exacerbates her biggest problems and doesn't recover terribly well later on.
初音ミク×巡音ルカ オリジナル曲「マスターオブパペッツ」PV
Master of Puppets (desuohagi), Miku + Luka, Halloween Rock
More masquerades, only this time with added subtext! An absolutely bombastic start helps cement this track's originality, and then it almost becomes a lounge affair, with lots of organ riffs and the odd synth scale. Miku and Luka sound very good here - especially in tandem - but the track jumps around a little.
【KAITO】鈍色空に花吹雪【オリジナル】
Grey Sky of Falling Cherry Blossoms (仕事して), Kaito, Traditional
Definitely an excellent week for Kaito. From a strong penguin-based showing to a real crooner of a track, backed up by Meiko as he warbles his way through a surprisingly energetic track with a lot of neat little catches.
【初音ミクオリジナルPV】黒いつばさ【フェイP×ハツ子】
Black Wings (huei faye), Miku, Big Band)
So apparently I got a tag brutally wrong all this time. Whoops. Anyway, forget your guitars and your other newfangled stuff, let's bust out the brass and piano for a stunning and gorgeous Miku track. I can't begin to count how often this made me smile, which is possibly a bit counter-productive for a track that is perhaps meant to be a bit angsty.
初音ミク - 黒い翼は好きですか？
Do You Like Black Wings? (kuchibashi), Miku, Halloween... er... Speed House.
Sensing a theme? I can't begin to describe what's going on with this track. Starting off like any self-respecting Halloween track with an operatic fluted intro that Kefka would be proud of, it quickly swings sideways into speed dance/trance territory and then you reach the bridge in the middle and I don't know what the hell except this is clearly a track that's having fun, because I am as well.
とらでぃしょなる☆じゃぱん【かごめP×猫村いろはオリジナル】
Traditional ☆ Japan (kagome), Iroha + Miki + Yuki, ?!
I don't even pretend to understand this, but it sure is pretty funky.
【初音ミクSolid×Light】violet【ProjectDIVA-AC応募曲】
Violet (isanaku), Miku + Miku, Pop
Not exactly a fan of this one. It's a bit too minimalistic for my tastes, though it does try to keep up with the theme of the update by having a standard track with a layer of house or dance over the top of it. If anything, have a listen to see Solid and Light, both somewhat underused, square up against each other.
さあ、どっち？
So, Which? (hinata), Len + Rin, Halloween Pop
I didn't really like the twins' attempt to get into the Halloween vibe this week, against Nicovideo's efforts to make me. It certainly has style and I get the feel it's going for, it just seems a little lacking compared to the multitude of tracks this week that manage to evoke it while also rocking out.
【GUMI】４時４４分【オリジナル】
4:44 (164), Gumi, Rock
If anything, I've got entirely the opposite problem here. The guitar's great, and the solos especially so, but the rest of the song seems a little limp and flat, and I can't get into it. Gumi sounds okay most of the time but every so often she squeaks or really throws a note wrong. Not my song, I suppose; Nicovideo's pretty happy with it as a whole.
【巡音ルカ】 Kiss & Smile 【オリジナル曲】
Kiss & Smile (BETTI), Luka, Synth Pop)
Nothing to go particularly wrong with here - it's a good, solid standard BETTI track marrying pop and bleepy-twinkly synth, but it should be noted that this is a distinctly slower and lazier track than most of Easypop's others. If you're not a fan of the style, you might want to stay away - if you are, then it's an interesting change from normal.
【初音ミク】 夕暮れ落ち葉とイノセンス 【オリジナル曲】
Evening Falling Leaves and Innocence (paipan), Miku, Ethnic House
Can we interest you in a bit of earworm to finish up the post? No? How about some ethnic house earworm instead, then? Minimalistic but catchy as hell, this mainly vocal track is shot through with a soft beat that encourages head-bobbing and toe-tapping, while still managing to sound oddly traditional.
And Also:
【KAITO】ローリンガール【本家ver.カバー】
Rolling Girl (Kaito ver.) (katoudetou), Kaito, Wowaka Pop
Absolutely astounding Kaito voice; possibly the clearest I've ever heard him? Given that he's not only sounding awesome, he's also handling a wowaka track with aplomb, I am tremendously impressed.
【第5回MMD杯大遅刻】中曽根OFF IN AKIBA @MMD
Nakasone Off In Akiba (gase), Everyone, March
In case you didn't get enough of the stomping march through pop culture that was the MMD 5th Cup version, here's yet another run through the well-known routine. Possibly even more chaotic in places, Kaito leads the way through everything MMD.