Weekly Roundup
An update full of rock for you this week, and also a week where I disagreed with a lot of big-name producers I usually don't. I'm reasonably certain that cutting out scop or nana's tracks this week will get me lynched by at least one person.
Community participation time! What are people's thoughts on sticking up a post at the turn of the year, with a thread for each major convention, in an attempt to get people organizing meetups with each other?
(Again, tags will go up tomorrow.)
Videos:
【初音ミク】 御名前 【オリジナル！】
Honoured Name (buzzG, Miku, Rock)
Confession time; as much as I like his songs, I haven't really been blown away by a buzzG track in some time. Fortunately, this track took care of that within about the first ten seconds, gripping me hard with a stellar first set of catches and not letting up. I love the energy behind it something fierce, and the instrumentation is just outright fantastic.
【VY1オリジナル】HAKUMEI fullver.【日本鬼子イメージソング】
HAKUMEI (鬼調教, VY1, Ethnicy Trance Rock Fusion Thing)
The 'Oniko' phenomenon may require some background reading, or you could just listen to and enjoy this thumping, pounding track. VY1 sounds fantastic, and even better still when you account for the fact it's this producer's first contribution to Nicovideo as a whole. I'm not sure quite what to do with the world when androgynous singing robots are the ones to defeat casual internet racism with the power of moe.
【鏡音リン】私は演者です【オリジナル】実写+手書3DPV,full
I Am A Performer (hikkii, Rin, P-pop?!)
Geeh. I nearly balked at including this on the basis that this kind of music isn't something I like in the least; it's an atonal, frequently scratchy, constantly all over the place pop piece and far too confusing to gel very well with my tastes, even if the track demands it should be that way. But it's made enough of a splash this week I can't leave it out, and besides, holy shit that animation. An astonishing, bizarre video full of neat effects.
Mr.Alice｜初音ミク
Mr. Alice (Mr., Miku, Orchestral Pop)
Chances are I've been playing too much Prof. Layton and the Unwound Future this week, because this track lanced immediately into the 'pastel 1900s european comics' centre of my brain and didn't dislodge itself. From the animation style to the music full of big booming drums and accordion to a distinctly clockwork motif, this is so full of gorgeous atmosphere that you'll hopefully be able to look some serious warbly problems within Miku's voice.
【初音ミク】 秘密警察 【オリジナル】
Secret Police (buriru, Miku, Rock)
Personally, I feel Nicovideo's overestimated this one a little. Buriru's work is always good, and I certainly have no complaints about a driving rock track with a decidedly chiptuney air, but I can't really detect anything here making it stand dramatically out from the rest of the great tracks this week, and the rather squeaky Miku isn't helping matters.
【巡音ルカ】枯葉舞う季節【オリジナル】
Season of Dancing Dead Leaves (ROY, Luka, Rock)
Somewhat lacking in energy compared to most of the tracks this week, this Luka track redeems itself nicely by way of her voice, which is splendidly clear and vibrato without too much distortion. When she tags out the guitars come to the forefont to pick up the slack with a fantastic whining and wailing.
【初音ミク】ハローストロボ【オリジナル】
Hello Strobe (powapowa, Miku, Pop)
Let's take a break from the rock for a bit. Sounding like it could be straight out of Katamari, this jumpy, catchy track manages to still be somewhere over on the dance end of the spectrum while still relying on plenty of strings and piano. I particularly liked it as a contrast to the rest of the week.
【初音ミク】The Servant Of The Moon【オリジナル】
The Servant of the Moon (don, Miku, Rock)
Definitely took me a while to get into this rock track, and in the most literal of senses. The screamer intro didn't endear me to this one jot, but then the guitar hooks kicked in and the whole track stopped for a moment to throw out a bit of electronica and from there I was sufficiently hooked to see the whole thing out. It feels a bit schizophrenic, all told; the tonal shifts aren't nearly as smooth as they could be.
【初音ミク】A Love Song (it's too clumsy)【そらいろくらぶ】
A Love Song (It's Too Clumsy) (yuxuki, Miku, Chillout)
Yukuxi's latest tickles me a lot more than sorairo club's tracks usually do. Miku's super-soft voice is less grating than usual, and against the violins and strings it doesn't stand out in the least, instead working with them to produce a wonderfully relaxed and lazy-day track.
【鏡音レン】 パレードオンパレード 【オリジナル曲】
Parade On Parade (rerere, Len, Christmas Synth Pop)
Christmas comes earlier and earlier each year, and apparently Vocaloid fandom is no exception - while it's not obviously and obnoxiously yuletidey, the combination of synth beats and bells and cymbals makes for a decidedly December air. It's catchy, though, god damn it, and I found myself la'ing along at the end.
【初音ミク】 団地ガール 【オリジナルPV】
Apartment Girl (kiichi, Miku, Creepy Pop)
I really don't know what to make of this slightly worrying track. Skimming the edge of outright psychadelic, a very mysterious sound pairs up with a solid Miku for a couple of bong hits and kicks back to relax with lots of electronica and then some trumpets right out of left field.
【初音ミク】Lovely Day【オリジナル】
Lovely Day (high note, Ensemble, Pop)
Aww. When it comes down to it, I'm still a sucker for the whole-family crossover songs where they all join in in harmony; blame Beat! or the ever-stellar Nicovideo OP Theme for that, I suppose, but this track is very pleasant on its own merits, with some jaunty piano and a gentle summery style.
【初音ミク】U:i/2010 -You and I-【PV】
You And I (hauchu, Miku, I Don't Know)
Sneaking this in in the middle - a late-minute addition to cover up for my cutting out nana and scop's rather weak entries this week - is this delightful little dancing ditty. It's not entirely clear what the track is trying to do for most of it, primarily a gentle pop affair with a lot of piano, but then it all resolves at the end into a lovely finale.
【歌愛ユキ】MUTEKI★SHOUJO:99【オリジナル曲PV付】
INVINCIBLE★GIRL:99 (kagome, Yuki, Superhero Rock)
Jesus christ I just don't even know. Who let kagome watch Kick Ass?
【初音ミク】 Dreamscape 【オリジナル曲】
Dreamscape (CleanTears, Miku, Trance)
CleanTears delivers another incredibly solid straight-up trance track. There's not really much to say beyond this - it's not a heavy vocal track by any means and the focus is firmly on the music rather than the voice in specific, but Miku does provide a strong showing into some excellent hanging moments, but by and large it's just CleanTears doing what they do best.
Lilyオリジナル曲 『Under of Fragments』
Under Of Fragments (sele, Lily, Rock)
Here, we return to my bias towards niki rather than sele. While Chloe is almost universally regarded as one of Lily's best songs, it always feels to me like it's missing a certain something. That's an issue that's reproduced in this song; something about it simply doesn't add up. Whether it's Lily's voice being a little flat, or the xylophonic tones taking over the midsection, or the somewhat awkward crescendo where the elements all start fighting with one another, I've yet to figure out.
【初音ミク・オリジナル】姫騎士ミクと雷の剣【シンフォニックメタル】
Royal Knight Miku and the Thunder Sword (Ramiel, Miku, HEADBANGING)
In a dramatic break from tradition, the last spot this week won't be a cheesy pop song, because it'll be too busy being a cheesy rock song. Sporting exactly what it says on the tin, this is the badass tale of a knightly Miku who is totally not ripping off Saber in any way shape or form. Where the track itself is low on quality it makes up for it by some truly inspired guitar riffs and thumping drums that wouldn't be out of place in a Super Robot Wars game.
Other/MMD:
【鏡音リン】VOCALOIDプチ劇場「ＧＯＧＯマリオ!!の巻」
VOCALOID Theatre (GO GO Mario Episode) (atora / owata, Ensemble, Talkloid)
I'll just leave this here then.
【KAITO・MEIKOでカバー】Young, Alive, in Love / 恋とマシンガン
Young, Alive, In Love (orejinaru, Kaito + Meiko, Cover)
If you don't recognize this title then I'm very sorry for you and you should go educate yourself. Delightful jazzy pop at its finest, this is a substantially well-done cover. If you don't feel the urge to go dance, or at least partake of tea on a riviera waterfront cafe or something equally suave, then I just don't know what to do with you.
【MikuMikuDance】国際救助隊でYouMakeMeHappy!（データ公開）
World Aid: You Make Me Happy (nemocchi, Ensemble, MMDPV)
It's been a while since I've linked either a dumb version of an MMD routine or Kaito in a state of undress. Let's fix both of those in one fell swoop.
【MMD】DIVA風ミクで『ぽっぴっぽー』FULL ver
PoPiPo (Full Version) (lamaze, MMDPV: mitta, Diva Miku, Earworm)
And to round things off, Diva Miku does the full PoPiPo routine from Diva2. This is not nearly as impressive as last week's Miracle Paint, but if you haven't seen the routine - or if you haven't heard the full version of PoPiPo - it's worth watching, if only so you won't believe your eyes. Then you can imagine using the Luka model to play that level, and laugh and laugh and laugh.
Community participation time! What are people's thoughts on sticking up a post at the turn of the year, with a thread for each major convention, in an attempt to get people organizing meetups with each other?
(Again, tags will go up tomorrow.)
Videos:
【初音ミク】 御名前 【オリジナル！】
Honoured Name (buzzG, Miku, Rock)
Confession time; as much as I like his songs, I haven't really been blown away by a buzzG track in some time. Fortunately, this track took care of that within about the first ten seconds, gripping me hard with a stellar first set of catches and not letting up. I love the energy behind it something fierce, and the instrumentation is just outright fantastic.
【VY1オリジナル】HAKUMEI fullver.【日本鬼子イメージソング】
HAKUMEI (鬼調教, VY1, Ethnicy Trance Rock Fusion Thing)
The 'Oniko' phenomenon may require some background reading, or you could just listen to and enjoy this thumping, pounding track. VY1 sounds fantastic, and even better still when you account for the fact it's this producer's first contribution to Nicovideo as a whole. I'm not sure quite what to do with the world when androgynous singing robots are the ones to defeat casual internet racism with the power of moe.
【鏡音リン】私は演者です【オリジナル】実写+手書3DPV,full
I Am A Performer (hikkii, Rin, P-pop?!)
Geeh. I nearly balked at including this on the basis that this kind of music isn't something I like in the least; it's an atonal, frequently scratchy, constantly all over the place pop piece and far too confusing to gel very well with my tastes, even if the track demands it should be that way. But it's made enough of a splash this week I can't leave it out, and besides, holy shit that animation. An astonishing, bizarre video full of neat effects.
Mr.Alice｜初音ミク
Mr. Alice (Mr., Miku, Orchestral Pop)
Chances are I've been playing too much Prof. Layton and the Unwound Future this week, because this track lanced immediately into the 'pastel 1900s european comics' centre of my brain and didn't dislodge itself. From the animation style to the music full of big booming drums and accordion to a distinctly clockwork motif, this is so full of gorgeous atmosphere that you'll hopefully be able to look some serious warbly problems within Miku's voice.
【初音ミク】 秘密警察 【オリジナル】
Secret Police (buriru, Miku, Rock)
Personally, I feel Nicovideo's overestimated this one a little. Buriru's work is always good, and I certainly have no complaints about a driving rock track with a decidedly chiptuney air, but I can't really detect anything here making it stand dramatically out from the rest of the great tracks this week, and the rather squeaky Miku isn't helping matters.
【巡音ルカ】枯葉舞う季節【オリジナル】
Season of Dancing Dead Leaves (ROY, Luka, Rock)
Somewhat lacking in energy compared to most of the tracks this week, this Luka track redeems itself nicely by way of her voice, which is splendidly clear and vibrato without too much distortion. When she tags out the guitars come to the forefont to pick up the slack with a fantastic whining and wailing.
【初音ミク】ハローストロボ【オリジナル】
Hello Strobe (powapowa, Miku, Pop)
Let's take a break from the rock for a bit. Sounding like it could be straight out of Katamari, this jumpy, catchy track manages to still be somewhere over on the dance end of the spectrum while still relying on plenty of strings and piano. I particularly liked it as a contrast to the rest of the week.
【初音ミク】The Servant Of The Moon【オリジナル】
The Servant of the Moon (don, Miku, Rock)
Definitely took me a while to get into this rock track, and in the most literal of senses. The screamer intro didn't endear me to this one jot, but then the guitar hooks kicked in and the whole track stopped for a moment to throw out a bit of electronica and from there I was sufficiently hooked to see the whole thing out. It feels a bit schizophrenic, all told; the tonal shifts aren't nearly as smooth as they could be.
【初音ミク】A Love Song (it's too clumsy)【そらいろくらぶ】
A Love Song (It's Too Clumsy) (yuxuki, Miku, Chillout)
Yukuxi's latest tickles me a lot more than sorairo club's tracks usually do. Miku's super-soft voice is less grating than usual, and against the violins and strings it doesn't stand out in the least, instead working with them to produce a wonderfully relaxed and lazy-day track.
【鏡音レン】 パレードオンパレード 【オリジナル曲】
Parade On Parade (rerere, Len, Christmas Synth Pop)
Christmas comes earlier and earlier each year, and apparently Vocaloid fandom is no exception - while it's not obviously and obnoxiously yuletidey, the combination of synth beats and bells and cymbals makes for a decidedly December air. It's catchy, though, god damn it, and I found myself la'ing along at the end.
【初音ミク】 団地ガール 【オリジナルPV】
Apartment Girl (kiichi, Miku, Creepy Pop)
I really don't know what to make of this slightly worrying track. Skimming the edge of outright psychadelic, a very mysterious sound pairs up with a solid Miku for a couple of bong hits and kicks back to relax with lots of electronica and then some trumpets right out of left field.
【初音ミク】Lovely Day【オリジナル】
Lovely Day (high note, Ensemble, Pop)
Aww. When it comes down to it, I'm still a sucker for the whole-family crossover songs where they all join in in harmony; blame Beat! or the ever-stellar Nicovideo OP Theme for that, I suppose, but this track is very pleasant on its own merits, with some jaunty piano and a gentle summery style.
【初音ミク】U:i/2010 -You and I-【PV】
You And I (hauchu, Miku, I Don't Know)
Sneaking this in in the middle - a late-minute addition to cover up for my cutting out nana and scop's rather weak entries this week - is this delightful little dancing ditty. It's not entirely clear what the track is trying to do for most of it, primarily a gentle pop affair with a lot of piano, but then it all resolves at the end into a lovely finale.
【歌愛ユキ】MUTEKI★SHOUJO:99【オリジナル曲PV付】
INVINCIBLE★GIRL:99 (kagome, Yuki, Superhero Rock)
Jesus christ I just don't even know. Who let kagome watch Kick Ass?
【初音ミク】 Dreamscape 【オリジナル曲】
Dreamscape (CleanTears, Miku, Trance)
CleanTears delivers another incredibly solid straight-up trance track. There's not really much to say beyond this - it's not a heavy vocal track by any means and the focus is firmly on the music rather than the voice in specific, but Miku does provide a strong showing into some excellent hanging moments, but by and large it's just CleanTears doing what they do best.
Lilyオリジナル曲 『Under of Fragments』
Under Of Fragments (sele, Lily, Rock)
Here, we return to my bias towards niki rather than sele. While Chloe is almost universally regarded as one of Lily's best songs, it always feels to me like it's missing a certain something. That's an issue that's reproduced in this song; something about it simply doesn't add up. Whether it's Lily's voice being a little flat, or the xylophonic tones taking over the midsection, or the somewhat awkward crescendo where the elements all start fighting with one another, I've yet to figure out.
【初音ミク・オリジナル】姫騎士ミクと雷の剣【シンフォニックメタル】
Royal Knight Miku and the Thunder Sword (Ramiel, Miku, HEADBANGING)
In a dramatic break from tradition, the last spot this week won't be a cheesy pop song, because it'll be too busy being a cheesy rock song. Sporting exactly what it says on the tin, this is the badass tale of a knightly Miku who is totally not ripping off Saber in any way shape or form. Where the track itself is low on quality it makes up for it by some truly inspired guitar riffs and thumping drums that wouldn't be out of place in a Super Robot Wars game.
Other/MMD:
【鏡音リン】VOCALOIDプチ劇場「ＧＯＧＯマリオ!!の巻」
VOCALOID Theatre (GO GO Mario Episode) (atora / owata, Ensemble, Talkloid)
I'll just leave this here then.
【KAITO・MEIKOでカバー】Young, Alive, in Love / 恋とマシンガン
Young, Alive, In Love (orejinaru, Kaito + Meiko, Cover)
If you don't recognize this title then I'm very sorry for you and you should go educate yourself. Delightful jazzy pop at its finest, this is a substantially well-done cover. If you don't feel the urge to go dance, or at least partake of tea on a riviera waterfront cafe or something equally suave, then I just don't know what to do with you.
【MikuMikuDance】国際救助隊でYouMakeMeHappy!（データ公開）
World Aid: You Make Me Happy (nemocchi, Ensemble, MMDPV)
It's been a while since I've linked either a dumb version of an MMD routine or Kaito in a state of undress. Let's fix both of those in one fell swoop.
【MMD】DIVA風ミクで『ぽっぴっぽー』FULL ver
PoPiPo (Full Version) (lamaze, MMDPV: mitta, Diva Miku, Earworm)
And to round things off, Diva Miku does the full PoPiPo routine from Diva2. This is not nearly as impressive as last week's Miracle Paint, but if you haven't seen the routine - or if you haven't heard the full version of PoPiPo - it's worth watching, if only so you won't believe your eyes. Then you can imagine using the Luka model to play that level, and laugh and laugh and laugh.