Weekly Roundup
Nicovideo problems continue - combined with clocks going back in England. Now a bunch of tracks won't load, and those that will turn into economy mode an hour earlier. Ho hum. Just in time for it to still count as Saturday night, here's last week's cream of the crop... or the subset of it that I can access.
Videos:
【GUMI】For my soul【オリジナル曲PV付】
For My Soul (Junky, Gumi, Rock)
Junky is right up there amongst my favorite producers after Melancholic, and it's good to see this Gumi track doesn't disappoint. It feels a little cheesy, perhaps, with the tortured repetition of 'For my soul', but any awkwardness is easily made up for by the fantastic guitars and general rocking out of the track. Not as punchy as Junky's usual fare, but still a very solid listen.
【初音ミク】 TARARURA＊ 【オリジナル曲】
TARARURA＊ (rlboro, Miku, Pop Rock)
I wouldn't call a track this rocking as 'light and fluffy', but rlboro goes all-out alongside Miku to try to make this the most adorable rock track of all time. From the music box intro to the catchy chorus to the endless Tararurara's, this track's designed to make you smile, and Miku carries it well along some great solos.
【鏡音リン・初音ミク】雨夢楼【オリジナル】
House of Rainy Dreams (hitoshizuku, Miku + Rin, Ethnic)
What's with the badass Rin and Miku crossovers recently? Knife was almost the setup to this stylish song about ladies of ill repute in feudal-ish times. Miku and Rin sound excellent here, warbling and vibrato-ing all over the shop and holding notes perfectly, while the music is appropriately mysterious and dreamy and absolutely top-class.
【初音ミク】天気雨【オリジナル】
Sun Shower (kous, Miku, Pop)
Okay, there, it finally happened. After ages of being vaguely non-committal towards most of kous' songs, this one grabbed me hard and ran away with me. Whether this is due to the far more upbeat nature of the music or the lilting jumping choruses combined with the cunning use of xylophones, who can say?
【鏡音リン・レン】前夜祭の行進【オリジナル】
Halloween paradE (mayuko, Rin + Len, Goth Pop)
Mayuko busts out the twins for Halloween, as we all hoped they would. Of course, there's no way you could go wrong here; mayuko's usual level of creepiness in songs is dialed right up to eleven, while the twins belt out the most bizarre pop track you've ever heard, full of sliding piano scales and pan pipe interludes and the whole shebang.
【初音ミク】 ケセラセラ 【オリジナル曲/彩音 〜xi-on〜】
Que Sera Sera (彩音, Miku, Pop)
Oh, man, I'm sure someone will be pissed at me for absolutely enjoying this ridiculously cheesy offering, but there it is. For all it's a pretty forgettable pop song, the video totally made this for me. It's ridiculously sweet and perfect to accompany this gentle, lilting, toe-tappingly good soft pop track with shades of No Thank You.
【鏡音レン・リン】やきいものうた【初音ミク・MEIKO・KAITO】
Sweet Potato Song (kiddo, Rin + Len, Pop)
Let's milk this 'dumb adorable video' theme as hard as we can, shall we? In case you've not been feeling the wintry vibe as October gives way to November - in which case, good on you, because October's been bloody cold here - this song is exactly as written on the tin; a ballad for roasted sweet potatos, and probably friendship and all that stuff. Quite pleasant, and considerably moreso when everyone else hops in as support.
【KAITO】逆罪行進曲～怪～【PV付オリジナル曲】
Reverse Charge March (machigerita, Kaito, Rock)
I'm more and more convinced that all machige needed to do was move away from Miku and branch out a bit. Who knew he handled Kaito so well? This is a rollicking track, not quite as outright Halloween as mayuko's effort but still pretty creepy and full of militaristic imagery and, I'll be bound, mutant commie traitors. Far better than his Miku track this week, they're both still very solid and it really shows a rising star for him at present.
【MEIKO,KAITO,megpoid (KAIKO】うそつきと迷子の一千年【オリジナル＆MMDPV】大百科
Liar and the Child of a Thousand Years (maigoddo, Kaito + Meiko + Gumi-style Kaiko, Rock, MMDPV)
Not content with helping to steal the show with a Heart Sutra tour de force below, maigoddo stuns us all in the new songs list by providing a sedate and almost slow track, at least compared to his usual work. For a style of music he doesn't usually go towards, this is surprisingly good, with a good melody and a catchy beat. Meiko and Kaiko sound great, and the accompanying MMD animation is as good as you'd expect from his pedigree.
Ira-Ira★Bee♂【歌愛ユキオリジナルPV】
Ira-Ira ★ Bee (kagome, Yuki, Billy Herrington Pop, MMDPV)
Kagome, you crazy, shining star. I don't think any other producer could get away with making a Yuki song entirely full of incomprehensible Engrish, then setting the track to a video consisting of porn stars in speedos wearing Yuki masks and slapping each other on the ass as the percussion line. This is bizarrely and wonderfully compelling.
【GUMI】Ducktest【オリジナル】
Ducktest (ep0d, Gumi, Quack)
Who gave ep0d a duckcall? God damn it, guys.
【初音ミクappend(dark)】不透明なジェラシー【オリジナル】 full
Opacity and Jealousy (u-ske, Miku, Piano + Drums)
Miku's not very hot in this track, sadly - the append is mostly good but trips up on a lot of the higher notes, wobbling badly. It's a shame, because the track itself is funky and quite unique, a little empty in places but very smooth as the brass kicks in and the jazzy piano picks up for the chorus.
オリジナル曲・玻璃の海 【VY1】
Glass Sea (Seiko, VY1, Ethnic)
Seiko's clearly enjoying VY1, as just a couple weeks after Tsukihane we're graced by another VY1 vocal masterpiece. You know the drill: quiet, lilting and almost operatic track full of backing chanting, and then the vocaloid busting out some of the most amazing lyrics and notes you've ever heard. Business as usual here - Mizki struts his/her stuff and sounds fantastic, but there's no real crescendo and the song ends so abruptly it's a bit of a shame it wasn't better utilized.
【初音ミク】 楓 -ver.2.0 【オリジナル曲】
Maple Version 2.0 (CleanTears, Miku, Trance)
This isn't a track I would normally include in the update - I don't generally assume people are as into trance tracks as I am, what with the no lyrics for half the video, the overabundance of long stretching pauses, and what have you. CleanTears are masters of the genre, though, and it's through this track I got to test out the bass on my new headphones to great success.
【GUMI】 Last Sunset House remix【オリジナル曲PV】
Last Sunset House Remix (kouki, Gumi, House)
Mmm... I've got mixed feelings about this version of Last Sunset. If anything, I prefer the bits where Gumi isn't singing, and is instead just providing backing noises. The bass during the verses is too much for me, combined with Gumi's voice sounding a little off - but the intros and bridges sound absolutely sublime. Overall, this is certainly a passable remix, but it's not one I could get into when I was constantly being interrupted by that 'song' stuff.
【GUMI】 ひとつだけ【オリジナル曲PV付き】
Just One (takamatt, Gumi, Chillax)
This whole post's just been far too upbeat and hurried, if you ask me; let's lay back and drift off to the dual temptations of takamatt's lazy drums and saxophone and Gumi's jazzy crooning, which would be a lot better if she didn't often sound like she was about to break the note she's holding mercilessly over one knee.
初音ミクオリジナル Project file KVLR
Project File KVLR (AVTechNo, Miku, Trance Pop)
Ugggggggh AVTechNo why you gotta do this, man. You tempt me with a reasonably interesting intro of operatic and distorted hex code that's pretty cool, even if the sound effects for every member of your production staff were needlessly twee. Then the song itself starts up and I just find that I can't be bothered anymore. Miku's flat, all of the interesting effects just disappear, and it simply becomes terribly boring and limp. If the song itself was half as interesting as the intro you might have me.
【初音ミク】またあした【オリジナル】
See You Tomorrow (fuwari, Miku, Pop)
A fitting close for the post, this is a gorgeous little wind-down of a track that's perfectly suited to my tastes; a starting half full of gentle piano and Miku's surprisingly smooth vocals folds suddenly into an acoustic crescendo full of soft tones, choral moments, and pictures of puppies. The music gets a bit crowded near the end, but it's still a joy.
Other:
【MikuMikuDance】般若心経ハードコア
Heart Sutra Hardcore (many, Miku + Len + Rin + Haku + Neru, Thrash Screamer Rock)
Did you think you were safe?! No! In the return of the meme that won't die, this version of Heart Sutra, one of the more popular ones, has been brought to life by a slew of high-class talented MMDers including maigoddo, cort, Uzzy and nerudora. Watch it outside of economy mode if you can for the full quality of the animation to shine through.
【初音ミク・巡音ルカ】Calc.×Just_Be_Friends【マッシュアップ】
Calc. × Just Be Friends (sa / DixieFlatline / JimmyThumb, Miku + Luka, Mashup)
This is brilliance. Absolute, complete brilliance. This mashup has heard of volume levels, of tempo and blending, and you know what? It's having none of it. I fell about laughing the moment the two tracks started to converge because the energy behind this is gleeful and destructive and won't stop. "Fuck you," it says, "I'm going to mash these together! If they won't fit, I'll do it harder!"
RE: 【初音ミク】Nyanyanyanyanyanyanya!(NEKOMATAGI REMIX) PV風
RE: Nyanyanyanyanyanyanya! NekoTamagi Remix (shin, Miku and Many, Earworm)
On the face of it, a relatively serious video for the earworm du jour, this starts off presented well - then I completely lose it at the 40 second mark, when a samurai, shaman, and Boromir all pop in to yell 'Here we go!' as the other Vocaloids kick into full 'This is Fun!' mode. It's fair to say this will never leave my head.
【MikuMikuDance】ミク騎士団グリーンレフト
Miku Order 'Green Left' (rogunaa), Miku+++
Just in case you needed a lightning fast primer for every non-standard Miku model, here's a mildly terrifying video featuring some of the best of the worst.
Videos:
【GUMI】For my soul【オリジナル曲PV付】
For My Soul (Junky, Gumi, Rock)
Junky is right up there amongst my favorite producers after Melancholic, and it's good to see this Gumi track doesn't disappoint. It feels a little cheesy, perhaps, with the tortured repetition of 'For my soul', but any awkwardness is easily made up for by the fantastic guitars and general rocking out of the track. Not as punchy as Junky's usual fare, but still a very solid listen.
【初音ミク】 TARARURA＊ 【オリジナル曲】
TARARURA＊ (rlboro, Miku, Pop Rock)
I wouldn't call a track this rocking as 'light and fluffy', but rlboro goes all-out alongside Miku to try to make this the most adorable rock track of all time. From the music box intro to the catchy chorus to the endless Tararurara's, this track's designed to make you smile, and Miku carries it well along some great solos.
【鏡音リン・初音ミク】雨夢楼【オリジナル】
House of Rainy Dreams (hitoshizuku, Miku + Rin, Ethnic)
What's with the badass Rin and Miku crossovers recently? Knife was almost the setup to this stylish song about ladies of ill repute in feudal-ish times. Miku and Rin sound excellent here, warbling and vibrato-ing all over the shop and holding notes perfectly, while the music is appropriately mysterious and dreamy and absolutely top-class.
【初音ミク】天気雨【オリジナル】
Sun Shower (kous, Miku, Pop)
Okay, there, it finally happened. After ages of being vaguely non-committal towards most of kous' songs, this one grabbed me hard and ran away with me. Whether this is due to the far more upbeat nature of the music or the lilting jumping choruses combined with the cunning use of xylophones, who can say?
【鏡音リン・レン】前夜祭の行進【オリジナル】
Halloween paradE (mayuko, Rin + Len, Goth Pop)
Mayuko busts out the twins for Halloween, as we all hoped they would. Of course, there's no way you could go wrong here; mayuko's usual level of creepiness in songs is dialed right up to eleven, while the twins belt out the most bizarre pop track you've ever heard, full of sliding piano scales and pan pipe interludes and the whole shebang.
【初音ミク】 ケセラセラ 【オリジナル曲/彩音 〜xi-on〜】
Que Sera Sera (彩音, Miku, Pop)
Oh, man, I'm sure someone will be pissed at me for absolutely enjoying this ridiculously cheesy offering, but there it is. For all it's a pretty forgettable pop song, the video totally made this for me. It's ridiculously sweet and perfect to accompany this gentle, lilting, toe-tappingly good soft pop track with shades of No Thank You.
【鏡音レン・リン】やきいものうた【初音ミク・MEIKO・KAITO】
Sweet Potato Song (kiddo, Rin + Len, Pop)
Let's milk this 'dumb adorable video' theme as hard as we can, shall we? In case you've not been feeling the wintry vibe as October gives way to November - in which case, good on you, because October's been bloody cold here - this song is exactly as written on the tin; a ballad for roasted sweet potatos, and probably friendship and all that stuff. Quite pleasant, and considerably moreso when everyone else hops in as support.
【KAITO】逆罪行進曲～怪～【PV付オリジナル曲】
Reverse Charge March (machigerita, Kaito, Rock)
I'm more and more convinced that all machige needed to do was move away from Miku and branch out a bit. Who knew he handled Kaito so well? This is a rollicking track, not quite as outright Halloween as mayuko's effort but still pretty creepy and full of militaristic imagery and, I'll be bound, mutant commie traitors. Far better than his Miku track this week, they're both still very solid and it really shows a rising star for him at present.
【MEIKO,KAITO,megpoid (KAIKO】うそつきと迷子の一千年【オリジナル＆MMDPV】大百科
Liar and the Child of a Thousand Years (maigoddo, Kaito + Meiko + Gumi-style Kaiko, Rock, MMDPV)
Not content with helping to steal the show with a Heart Sutra tour de force below, maigoddo stuns us all in the new songs list by providing a sedate and almost slow track, at least compared to his usual work. For a style of music he doesn't usually go towards, this is surprisingly good, with a good melody and a catchy beat. Meiko and Kaiko sound great, and the accompanying MMD animation is as good as you'd expect from his pedigree.
Ira-Ira★Bee♂【歌愛ユキオリジナルPV】
Ira-Ira ★ Bee (kagome, Yuki, Billy Herrington Pop, MMDPV)
Kagome, you crazy, shining star. I don't think any other producer could get away with making a Yuki song entirely full of incomprehensible Engrish, then setting the track to a video consisting of porn stars in speedos wearing Yuki masks and slapping each other on the ass as the percussion line. This is bizarrely and wonderfully compelling.
【GUMI】Ducktest【オリジナル】
Ducktest (ep0d, Gumi, Quack)
Who gave ep0d a duckcall? God damn it, guys.
【初音ミクappend(dark)】不透明なジェラシー【オリジナル】 full
Opacity and Jealousy (u-ske, Miku, Piano + Drums)
Miku's not very hot in this track, sadly - the append is mostly good but trips up on a lot of the higher notes, wobbling badly. It's a shame, because the track itself is funky and quite unique, a little empty in places but very smooth as the brass kicks in and the jazzy piano picks up for the chorus.
オリジナル曲・玻璃の海 【VY1】
Glass Sea (Seiko, VY1, Ethnic)
Seiko's clearly enjoying VY1, as just a couple weeks after Tsukihane we're graced by another VY1 vocal masterpiece. You know the drill: quiet, lilting and almost operatic track full of backing chanting, and then the vocaloid busting out some of the most amazing lyrics and notes you've ever heard. Business as usual here - Mizki struts his/her stuff and sounds fantastic, but there's no real crescendo and the song ends so abruptly it's a bit of a shame it wasn't better utilized.
【初音ミク】 楓 -ver.2.0 【オリジナル曲】
Maple Version 2.0 (CleanTears, Miku, Trance)
This isn't a track I would normally include in the update - I don't generally assume people are as into trance tracks as I am, what with the no lyrics for half the video, the overabundance of long stretching pauses, and what have you. CleanTears are masters of the genre, though, and it's through this track I got to test out the bass on my new headphones to great success.
【GUMI】 Last Sunset House remix【オリジナル曲PV】
Last Sunset House Remix (kouki, Gumi, House)
Mmm... I've got mixed feelings about this version of Last Sunset. If anything, I prefer the bits where Gumi isn't singing, and is instead just providing backing noises. The bass during the verses is too much for me, combined with Gumi's voice sounding a little off - but the intros and bridges sound absolutely sublime. Overall, this is certainly a passable remix, but it's not one I could get into when I was constantly being interrupted by that 'song' stuff.
【GUMI】 ひとつだけ【オリジナル曲PV付き】
Just One (takamatt, Gumi, Chillax)
This whole post's just been far too upbeat and hurried, if you ask me; let's lay back and drift off to the dual temptations of takamatt's lazy drums and saxophone and Gumi's jazzy crooning, which would be a lot better if she didn't often sound like she was about to break the note she's holding mercilessly over one knee.
初音ミクオリジナル Project file KVLR
Project File KVLR (AVTechNo, Miku, Trance Pop)
Ugggggggh AVTechNo why you gotta do this, man. You tempt me with a reasonably interesting intro of operatic and distorted hex code that's pretty cool, even if the sound effects for every member of your production staff were needlessly twee. Then the song itself starts up and I just find that I can't be bothered anymore. Miku's flat, all of the interesting effects just disappear, and it simply becomes terribly boring and limp. If the song itself was half as interesting as the intro you might have me.
【初音ミク】またあした【オリジナル】
See You Tomorrow (fuwari, Miku, Pop)
A fitting close for the post, this is a gorgeous little wind-down of a track that's perfectly suited to my tastes; a starting half full of gentle piano and Miku's surprisingly smooth vocals folds suddenly into an acoustic crescendo full of soft tones, choral moments, and pictures of puppies. The music gets a bit crowded near the end, but it's still a joy.
Other:
【MikuMikuDance】般若心経ハードコア
Heart Sutra Hardcore (many, Miku + Len + Rin + Haku + Neru, Thrash Screamer Rock)
Did you think you were safe?! No! In the return of the meme that won't die, this version of Heart Sutra, one of the more popular ones, has been brought to life by a slew of high-class talented MMDers including maigoddo, cort, Uzzy and nerudora. Watch it outside of economy mode if you can for the full quality of the animation to shine through.
【初音ミク・巡音ルカ】Calc.×Just_Be_Friends【マッシュアップ】
Calc. × Just Be Friends (sa / DixieFlatline / JimmyThumb, Miku + Luka, Mashup)
This is brilliance. Absolute, complete brilliance. This mashup has heard of volume levels, of tempo and blending, and you know what? It's having none of it. I fell about laughing the moment the two tracks started to converge because the energy behind this is gleeful and destructive and won't stop. "Fuck you," it says, "I'm going to mash these together! If they won't fit, I'll do it harder!"
RE: 【初音ミク】Nyanyanyanyanyanyanya!(NEKOMATAGI REMIX) PV風
RE: Nyanyanyanyanyanyanya! NekoTamagi Remix (shin, Miku and Many, Earworm)
On the face of it, a relatively serious video for the earworm du jour, this starts off presented well - then I completely lose it at the 40 second mark, when a samurai, shaman, and Boromir all pop in to yell 'Here we go!' as the other Vocaloids kick into full 'This is Fun!' mode. It's fair to say this will never leave my head.
【MikuMikuDance】ミク騎士団グリーンレフト
Miku Order 'Green Left' (rogunaa), Miku+++
Just in case you needed a lightning fast primer for every non-standard Miku model, here's a mildly terrifying video featuring some of the best of the worst.