Weekly Explosion
Update time! I hope any of our readers in the UK got the opportunity to blow stuff up on Friday in celebration of a dude who tried to explode Parliament; it's what knocked me offline busy with company for most of the weekend. I am proud to report we lit the sky up with over £250 of fireworks, and it was pretty damn awesome.
Lots of tracks, and equally lots of amazing coverwork. I'm trying not to hit the Meiko birthday tag too hard, partially because I think darknightrain might be picking that up in the next few days. Instead, have a general update.
Videos:
巡音ルカオリジナル曲 「rainy」
Rainy (JimmyThumb, Luka, Pop)
Yesssss! Just when I've been wanting some new Luka songs, this week is chock-a-block of them and right at the top is JimmyThumb. Quite obviously his work, this shares the same kind of rough sound as ... well, as the rest of his stuff, honestly, but that's not a bad thing by any means. Catchy and triumphant, this track's an instant classic.
【MEIKOオリジナル曲】 Fairy-taled 【2.5D PV】
Fairy-Taled (yuukiss, Meiko, Pop?)
Just in case you missed it in the comments of the Meiko post, here's Yuukiss' breathtaking Meiko birthday track. It's absolutely fantastic, full of mediterraneany guitar and jazzy bass and a brilliantly tuned Meiko. If that weren't enough, how about Yumiko doing a completely boggling video on top of it all, ghost-dancing like there's no tomorrow?
【初音ミク】 まるくなる 【オリジナル曲PV付き】
Well Rounded (SHO, Miku, Pop)
Like a more roly-poly Nekomimi Switch, saying anything more about this ridiculously catchy track with the hilarious video would be giving the whole thing away, so I'll leave you to enjoy one of the best tracks this week in peace.
【巡音ルカ】Blackjack【オリジナル曲】
Blackjack (yucha, Luka, Jazz Rock)
I did say this week was full of them, so here's another; poor Luka's been coming in fits and starts lately, so it's good to see her all over this post, and Blackjack might be my absolute favorite song this update, full of swinging style and some awesome piano and a properly husky voice backing it all up. Now I just want to see the crossover with Rolling Girl. Don't let me down, Nicovideo.
【初音ミクAppend】 HISTORY 【オリジナル】
HISTORY (M@SATOSHI, Miku, Dance Pop)
I'm still not clear on the M@SATOSHI/A_Ruka thing so I'll leave it as is for now. Anyway, this track had me grinning all over the place. It's not nearly as good, technically speaking, as some of the others this week but it's joyful and it's energetic and, most of all, it's Solid and Dark doing a duet, which is the oddest thing ever. And they sound great - occasional dips in quality are made up for by the soaring chorus and the latter half of the track.
【初音ミクAppend】Ambiguous Journey【オリジナル】
Ambiguous Journey (yuyoyuppe, Miku, Soft Rock)
Yuyoyuppe manages the impossible, a Miku Append whose voice doesn't crack at the high notes!... nah, only kidding, but it's still a very good bit of vocalwork as the focus of this slowish and softish rock track. Heavy on the aquatic theme, there's a lot of the gently synth tones you'd expect from this kind of track, though the music as a whole felt very heavy - lots of constant bass thrumming, here.
【MEIKO生誕祭2010】Cry for the sky / Glint Of Sound
Cry For The Sky (Glint of Sound + kaya, Meiko, Dance Pop)
Arguably the second biggest Meiko song to come out of her birthday and the days after, the names involved with this are huge; kaya on music, Glint of Sound on the arrange, and shu-t doing the editing. As you'd expect, it comes out of the process sounding absolutely fantastic, a thumping and pounding clubbish track.
【初音ミク】Raindrops【オリジナル】
Raindrops (scop, Miku, Waltzing Rock)
It should be no surprise that scop's high up the charts yet again, as Raindrops is a fine song; a waltzing soft bit of rock with twinkling piano and marching drums, it's got scop's usual quality behind it. That said, I didn't get into this as much as his other songs - it's missing the addictive hooks and catchy turns of music that are his signature elsewhere.
初音ミクオリジナル：Endless End
Endless End (Luschka, Miku, Rock)
One of the big performers this week, I find this has a couple of problems that stop me really enjoying it the whole way, but was more than pleasant enough to have a listen to. Miku's voice has a strange timbre and echo to it that combine to make it a little strange, and the instruments don't always perform very well and could have stood out more - but some awesome guitar-work saves the track.
【初音ミク】ジャック【オリジナル】
Jack (KEI, Miku, Rock)
This is almost the opposite of Endless End - a louder, thrashier and more chaotic rock track with a hefty beat, and one where the guitars and drums really stand out, especially at the solos. On the other hand, Miku gets kind of buried under everything going on and it's not going to be to everyone's taste. I'd say it's the better of the two tracks, myself, but they seem very much like different sides of the 'rock' coin so I'm sticking them together.
【Lily】 リミッター 【オリジナル曲】
Limiter (niki, Lily, Rock)
Forget any of the big Lily names that have made it onto the ranking, niki is always going to be my pick. Sorely and sadly underappreciated, REVERSE and ERROR were some of the best launch Lily songs, and now we have Limiter, which is just as addictive and impressive. Lily herself sounds very decent and skilfully manages to hold her notes, and the track's a great piece of rock. Fine work.
【初音ミクdark】夢、時々…【オリジナル】
Dream, Sometimes... (marasy, Miku, Piano + Vocal)
This track's taken Nicovideo by storm mostly thanks to the producer's pedigree - well known for this outstanding piano From Y to Y cover, this is his foray into original songs with help from minato, and as you'd expect the piano in this track is absolutely top-notch... but something felt a little lacking to me. Maybe it's because it's the softest track in a predominantly loud and rock update; while it's very pretty, be prepared to get tired of it before the end.
【巡音ルカ】Butterfly In The Strawberry Field【オリジナル】
Butterfly In The Strawberry Field (koichikurin, Luka, Engrish Pop)
Nicovideo loves this, much to my, uh, surprise. I can't say I got into it at all; the English is surprisingly good for songs like this, but is full of the odd glaring error, and Luka sounds really funky in places. Can't beat the main guitar, though, which wails and whines its way through the song in a fine fashion.
【初音ミク】 葬送夜光 【オリジナルPV】
Funereal Luminescence (rocka, Miku, Operatic Rock?)
Gwuh. This track takes a while to get going, but when it does it doesn't screw around. The video is somewhat disturbing and you may wish to shy away if you're not fond of eyeballs and dismembered feet; otherwise, be prepared for quite a show as the piano intro gives way to the fuller-bodied main chunk of music. Appropriately dark and dramatic, Miku's a little high at times, but it all comes together well.
【初音ミク】 降水確率０％ 【オリジナル】
Chance of Rain 0% (俳人, Miku, Pop Rock)
Phew. After that, let's bring it down a little with this pleasant little track. Nothing major to see here; a bit of softer, happier guitar and a perfectly good Miku singing along to it, but it's kind of charming and brings a smile to my face.
【巡音ルカ】ピリオド【オリジナルPV】大百科
Period (fatman, Luka, Rock)
Fatman, you gotta pick it up. This is decent and all but doesn't hold a candle to some of your other work, and you're kind of going the AVTechNo route here as you spiral downwards into insanity. Soon it'll be the grunge dance, and then where will we be?
【SF-A2 miki】黒毛和牛上塩タン焼680円【大塚愛】
Japanese Salted Beef Tongue, 680 Yen (根気, Miki, Soft Rock)
This is very silly, and mostly included this update because if anything, it's possibly the best I've ever heard Miki sound. She isn't a robot that usually gets that much good press, so I'm glad for any excuse to add her to a post, and this is a very good excuse; her voice still has some problems but it's a league ahead. A shame it's attached to a very forgettable rockish backing.
【初音ミク】 ｢普通｣の街〜フェアリーランド〜【ゆっけのオリジナル】
Fairyland (yukkedoluce, Miku, Pop)
This really isn't anything close to the best track this update; it's good, but not standout or particularly enthralling. But it has so many little touches to it that I can't help but smile and nod my head along - from little orchestral snatches and flutes to the odd bit of acoustic and a clear and crescendoing Miku. A feel-good track through and through, and it totally steals the final spot this update.
【MEIKO】ハーモニア【マリンバシロフォンでオリジナル】
Harmonia (仕事して, Meiko, Ethnicy)
Sneaking this in at the end of the update late; Shigoshite does xylophone. It's awesome.
Other / Covers:
【初音ミク】ミラクルペイント【MMD】
Miracle Paint (Oster Project, MMDPV: SPS, Miku, Pop)
I'm now firmly convinced, along with most of Nicovideo, that this astounding movie is Sega trolling people. It's simply too good to be true; a high-res, perfectly animated version of Miracle Paint using the Diva steps and the Diva MMD model and the Diva outfit direct from the game. Excellent work, and for the love of god make sure you hang on until 2:25 for a ridiculously adorable bonus model to show up.
【PV】「No Logic」【3DCG】
No Logic (JimmyThumb, PV: fuyugomori, Luka, Rock)
I'm not usually a fan of Kinetic Typography, as a rule. It's got to have a point, rather than just be words rotating around the screen; you need to have the right accents, the right effects to match the right words. This is far too good to pass up, though, a skilfully choreographed runthrough of Luka's No Logic with a ton of neat effects. The real stuff kicks in at 1:20, and from there you'll be hooked. YEARH!
【MMD】ファイネルファンタジー？【FF】Ep.２
Why Neru Fantasy? Episode 2 (MMD: WhyNeru, Neru + Kaito + Many)
The second instalment of the rather silly parody of FF7 continues as Neru returns to hair-slap the evil Meiko Corporation into submission. Full of sight gags, the animation isn't anywhere near the quality of super shiny PVs or anything, but it's a solid, long laugh with a neat premise and it's awfully cheering.
【GUMIカバー曲】 Groovy! （広瀬香美）
Groovy! (木曜日, Gumi, Cover)
I'm astounded at Nicovideo missing this. Okay, yes, it's one of the Cardcaptor ED themes as far as I can tell, and that might have kind of a stigma attached, but come on, at least Gumi sounds amazing as hell while she does it. A bit staccato in places, but surprisingly capable, and the track is decent in a jazzy toe-tapping way.
【初音ミク-ProjectDIVA-2nd】『ワールズエンド・エルシャダイ』【EDIT PV】
World's End El Shaddai (DivaPV: fuenta, Kaito + Miku, Oh God I Am A Terrible Person)
I've been good up until now! I've carefully resisted linking one of the many El Shaddai remixes. I encountered Rolling El Shaddai, and resisted. I found Uraomotel Shaddai, and didn't link it. This is just too much, though - the Diva PV is so skilfully animated as to provide the best expressions possible and I was in stitches. Sorry. If you're lost or confused, it's a meme.
Lots of tracks, and equally lots of amazing coverwork. I'm trying not to hit the Meiko birthday tag too hard, partially because I think darknightrain might be picking that up in the next few days. Instead, have a general update.
Videos:
巡音ルカオリジナル曲 「rainy」
Rainy (JimmyThumb, Luka, Pop)
Yesssss! Just when I've been wanting some new Luka songs, this week is chock-a-block of them and right at the top is JimmyThumb. Quite obviously his work, this shares the same kind of rough sound as ... well, as the rest of his stuff, honestly, but that's not a bad thing by any means. Catchy and triumphant, this track's an instant classic.
【MEIKOオリジナル曲】 Fairy-taled 【2.5D PV】
Fairy-Taled (yuukiss, Meiko, Pop?)
Just in case you missed it in the comments of the Meiko post, here's Yuukiss' breathtaking Meiko birthday track. It's absolutely fantastic, full of mediterraneany guitar and jazzy bass and a brilliantly tuned Meiko. If that weren't enough, how about Yumiko doing a completely boggling video on top of it all, ghost-dancing like there's no tomorrow?
【初音ミク】 まるくなる 【オリジナル曲PV付き】
Well Rounded (SHO, Miku, Pop)
Like a more roly-poly Nekomimi Switch, saying anything more about this ridiculously catchy track with the hilarious video would be giving the whole thing away, so I'll leave you to enjoy one of the best tracks this week in peace.
【巡音ルカ】Blackjack【オリジナル曲】
Blackjack (yucha, Luka, Jazz Rock)
I did say this week was full of them, so here's another; poor Luka's been coming in fits and starts lately, so it's good to see her all over this post, and Blackjack might be my absolute favorite song this update, full of swinging style and some awesome piano and a properly husky voice backing it all up. Now I just want to see the crossover with Rolling Girl. Don't let me down, Nicovideo.
【初音ミクAppend】 HISTORY 【オリジナル】
HISTORY (M@SATOSHI, Miku, Dance Pop)
I'm still not clear on the M@SATOSHI/A_Ruka thing so I'll leave it as is for now. Anyway, this track had me grinning all over the place. It's not nearly as good, technically speaking, as some of the others this week but it's joyful and it's energetic and, most of all, it's Solid and Dark doing a duet, which is the oddest thing ever. And they sound great - occasional dips in quality are made up for by the soaring chorus and the latter half of the track.
【初音ミクAppend】Ambiguous Journey【オリジナル】
Ambiguous Journey (yuyoyuppe, Miku, Soft Rock)
Yuyoyuppe manages the impossible, a Miku Append whose voice doesn't crack at the high notes!... nah, only kidding, but it's still a very good bit of vocalwork as the focus of this slowish and softish rock track. Heavy on the aquatic theme, there's a lot of the gently synth tones you'd expect from this kind of track, though the music as a whole felt very heavy - lots of constant bass thrumming, here.
【MEIKO生誕祭2010】Cry for the sky / Glint Of Sound
Cry For The Sky (Glint of Sound + kaya, Meiko, Dance Pop)
Arguably the second biggest Meiko song to come out of her birthday and the days after, the names involved with this are huge; kaya on music, Glint of Sound on the arrange, and shu-t doing the editing. As you'd expect, it comes out of the process sounding absolutely fantastic, a thumping and pounding clubbish track.
【初音ミク】Raindrops【オリジナル】
Raindrops (scop, Miku, Waltzing Rock)
It should be no surprise that scop's high up the charts yet again, as Raindrops is a fine song; a waltzing soft bit of rock with twinkling piano and marching drums, it's got scop's usual quality behind it. That said, I didn't get into this as much as his other songs - it's missing the addictive hooks and catchy turns of music that are his signature elsewhere.
初音ミクオリジナル：Endless End
Endless End (Luschka, Miku, Rock)
One of the big performers this week, I find this has a couple of problems that stop me really enjoying it the whole way, but was more than pleasant enough to have a listen to. Miku's voice has a strange timbre and echo to it that combine to make it a little strange, and the instruments don't always perform very well and could have stood out more - but some awesome guitar-work saves the track.
【初音ミク】ジャック【オリジナル】
Jack (KEI, Miku, Rock)
This is almost the opposite of Endless End - a louder, thrashier and more chaotic rock track with a hefty beat, and one where the guitars and drums really stand out, especially at the solos. On the other hand, Miku gets kind of buried under everything going on and it's not going to be to everyone's taste. I'd say it's the better of the two tracks, myself, but they seem very much like different sides of the 'rock' coin so I'm sticking them together.
【Lily】 リミッター 【オリジナル曲】
Limiter (niki, Lily, Rock)
Forget any of the big Lily names that have made it onto the ranking, niki is always going to be my pick. Sorely and sadly underappreciated, REVERSE and ERROR were some of the best launch Lily songs, and now we have Limiter, which is just as addictive and impressive. Lily herself sounds very decent and skilfully manages to hold her notes, and the track's a great piece of rock. Fine work.
【初音ミクdark】夢、時々…【オリジナル】
Dream, Sometimes... (marasy, Miku, Piano + Vocal)
This track's taken Nicovideo by storm mostly thanks to the producer's pedigree - well known for this outstanding piano From Y to Y cover, this is his foray into original songs with help from minato, and as you'd expect the piano in this track is absolutely top-notch... but something felt a little lacking to me. Maybe it's because it's the softest track in a predominantly loud and rock update; while it's very pretty, be prepared to get tired of it before the end.
【巡音ルカ】Butterfly In The Strawberry Field【オリジナル】
Butterfly In The Strawberry Field (koichikurin, Luka, Engrish Pop)
Nicovideo loves this, much to my, uh, surprise. I can't say I got into it at all; the English is surprisingly good for songs like this, but is full of the odd glaring error, and Luka sounds really funky in places. Can't beat the main guitar, though, which wails and whines its way through the song in a fine fashion.
【初音ミク】 葬送夜光 【オリジナルPV】
Funereal Luminescence (rocka, Miku, Operatic Rock?)
Gwuh. This track takes a while to get going, but when it does it doesn't screw around. The video is somewhat disturbing and you may wish to shy away if you're not fond of eyeballs and dismembered feet; otherwise, be prepared for quite a show as the piano intro gives way to the fuller-bodied main chunk of music. Appropriately dark and dramatic, Miku's a little high at times, but it all comes together well.
【初音ミク】 降水確率０％ 【オリジナル】
Chance of Rain 0% (俳人, Miku, Pop Rock)
Phew. After that, let's bring it down a little with this pleasant little track. Nothing major to see here; a bit of softer, happier guitar and a perfectly good Miku singing along to it, but it's kind of charming and brings a smile to my face.
【巡音ルカ】ピリオド【オリジナルPV】大百科
Period (fatman, Luka, Rock)
Fatman, you gotta pick it up. This is decent and all but doesn't hold a candle to some of your other work, and you're kind of going the AVTechNo route here as you spiral downwards into insanity. Soon it'll be the grunge dance, and then where will we be?
【SF-A2 miki】黒毛和牛上塩タン焼680円【大塚愛】
Japanese Salted Beef Tongue, 680 Yen (根気, Miki, Soft Rock)
This is very silly, and mostly included this update because if anything, it's possibly the best I've ever heard Miki sound. She isn't a robot that usually gets that much good press, so I'm glad for any excuse to add her to a post, and this is a very good excuse; her voice still has some problems but it's a league ahead. A shame it's attached to a very forgettable rockish backing.
【初音ミク】 ｢普通｣の街〜フェアリーランド〜【ゆっけのオリジナル】
Fairyland (yukkedoluce, Miku, Pop)
This really isn't anything close to the best track this update; it's good, but not standout or particularly enthralling. But it has so many little touches to it that I can't help but smile and nod my head along - from little orchestral snatches and flutes to the odd bit of acoustic and a clear and crescendoing Miku. A feel-good track through and through, and it totally steals the final spot this update.
【MEIKO】ハーモニア【マリンバシロフォンでオリジナル】
Harmonia (仕事して, Meiko, Ethnicy)
Sneaking this in at the end of the update late; Shigoshite does xylophone. It's awesome.
Other / Covers:
【初音ミク】ミラクルペイント【MMD】
Miracle Paint (Oster Project, MMDPV: SPS, Miku, Pop)
I'm now firmly convinced, along with most of Nicovideo, that this astounding movie is Sega trolling people. It's simply too good to be true; a high-res, perfectly animated version of Miracle Paint using the Diva steps and the Diva MMD model and the Diva outfit direct from the game. Excellent work, and for the love of god make sure you hang on until 2:25 for a ridiculously adorable bonus model to show up.
【PV】「No Logic」【3DCG】
No Logic (JimmyThumb, PV: fuyugomori, Luka, Rock)
I'm not usually a fan of Kinetic Typography, as a rule. It's got to have a point, rather than just be words rotating around the screen; you need to have the right accents, the right effects to match the right words. This is far too good to pass up, though, a skilfully choreographed runthrough of Luka's No Logic with a ton of neat effects. The real stuff kicks in at 1:20, and from there you'll be hooked. YEARH!
【MMD】ファイネルファンタジー？【FF】Ep.２
Why Neru Fantasy? Episode 2 (MMD: WhyNeru, Neru + Kaito + Many)
The second instalment of the rather silly parody of FF7 continues as Neru returns to hair-slap the evil Meiko Corporation into submission. Full of sight gags, the animation isn't anywhere near the quality of super shiny PVs or anything, but it's a solid, long laugh with a neat premise and it's awfully cheering.
【GUMIカバー曲】 Groovy! （広瀬香美）
Groovy! (木曜日, Gumi, Cover)
I'm astounded at Nicovideo missing this. Okay, yes, it's one of the Cardcaptor ED themes as far as I can tell, and that might have kind of a stigma attached, but come on, at least Gumi sounds amazing as hell while she does it. A bit staccato in places, but surprisingly capable, and the track is decent in a jazzy toe-tapping way.
【初音ミク-ProjectDIVA-2nd】『ワールズエンド・エルシャダイ』【EDIT PV】
World's End El Shaddai (DivaPV: fuenta, Kaito + Miku, Oh God I Am A Terrible Person)
I've been good up until now! I've carefully resisted linking one of the many El Shaddai remixes. I encountered Rolling El Shaddai, and resisted. I found Uraomotel Shaddai, and didn't link it. This is just too much, though - the Diva PV is so skilfully animated as to provide the best expressions possible and I was in stitches. Sorry. If you're lost or confused, it's a meme.