Utau 2010 SP Ranking
UTAUランキング 2010年末SP 第1部
I don't know if any of you follow the Monthly Utau Originals Ranking, but its creator posted a special yearly edition right at the end of 2010, which in addition to the main rankings of original songs also includes a covers-only ranking and picks by some well-known Utau producers & voicers. Above is the first part of five. And in this post I'd also like to pimp my favorites of this year post some picks of the ranking:
白滝イト オリジナル曲「LIGHT MY FIRE」PV
Light My Fire (Death Ohagi)
Shirataki Ito, a new UTAU of this year whose claim to fame is a CD released on Utamas consisting a number of songs done by some pretty well-known Ps, among them UtsuP, LiveP, and KagomeP. This is among the songs included in the CD, an upbeat rock song featuring the combo of Death Ohagi on composition and Yurahonya on voice tuning which has been known to produce some great songs, for example this.
【穂歌ソラ＋巡音ルカ】 Pillow Talk 【オリジナル曲】
Pillow Talk (Oiran)
The song that got me really into Utau - it's what convinced me that Utau is capable of sounding just as good as Vocaloid and got me looking for more. A nice and relaxed track spiced with some Engrish from Luka, what stands out the most from this song is the tuning, which is commented on a lot by Nico viewers to be human-sounding and it's among the best I've heard of Sora. If anyone doubts the ability to make Vocaloid-level vocals with Utau, try this for a start.
UTAUオリジナル「風が吹いて、雲が晴れて」（欲音ルコ）
The Wind Blows, The Clouds Clear Up (inaphon)
Still doubt the capability of Utau to create awesome vocals? Try listening to this simply breathtaking Ruko song courtesy of inaphon. Be prepared to be blown away by inaphon's phenomenal tuning of Ruko, who actually sounds like she's singing with emotions, which would make me forget that I'm listening to a voice synthesizer if not for the occasional robotic twinges (though those are very easy to ignore considering the otherwise god-tier tuning). Combine with fantastic pianos, and you've got a chillingly beautiful track.
【重音テト】おうちへかえろう。【オリジナル】
Let's Go Home (芸竜作)
I guess I should include this in the post due to it being a hit when it was first released, gathering views in the ten thousands in its first week & eventually hitting 100k views (both pretty rare with Utau videos). To be honest I don't quite get its popularity - it's a perfectly fine marching band-style song and Teto sounds less choppy, if more nasal, than she usually does, but musically I don't see anything special. Maybe the lyrics & PV brings out the nostalgia from Nico watchers? It's by no means a bad track though.
【波音リツ】 B.R.D～叛逆の劫焔～ 【オリジナル】
B.R.D.~Flames of Rebellion~ (Pandolist)
The "sequel song" to the highly popular EFB ~Eternal Force Blizzard~, this is yet another excellent rock track with Ritsu by Pandolist-P released exactly a year after EFB for Ritsu's birthday. Slightly harder than its predecessor with an orchestral touch, Ritsu's soft voice surprisingly works well with the rocking music.
鈴音アリカオリジナル曲『トリップ・トリップ』
Trip Trip (Stell)
A cheerful song with a rather trippy (pun intended) video and the voice of Suzune Arika, one of the more well-known overseas voicebanks on Nico. Arika's voice is really breathy, which I normally don't fancy much, but the voice works really well with the style of the song and the accent's nice considering her voicer is American. Plus, doesn't the producer's name just remind you of someone?
根音ネネ『TSUKIYO』
TSUKIYO (Stell)
Moar Stell, if because it doesn't feel right not including Nene in this post and I don't quite fancy the other songs with her that popped up in the rankings. A calm and ambient track accompanied by a somewhat abstract PV, choppiness is normally the number 1 thing I bitch about in regards to Utau vocals but the slight choppiness of Nene's voice actually works in this song to complement the beats.
【雪歌ユフ】 hp 【オリジナル】
hp (nakano4)
Yufu has been used quite a lot lately, and this is among the most popular songs with her this year. A stylish track with pretty melodies and gorgeous piano, this one's real pleasant to listen to. Yufu's voice sounds soft and smooth and she gets to hit the high notes without sounding ear-breaking, one of the things I like about nakano4's tuning.
【雪歌ユフ×海歌シン】APATITE【オリジナル曲】
APATITE (Castella no Hito/6410)
My favorite Utau song of the year, without doubt. This eccentric duet between Yufu & Shin might not be for everyone, being not very melodic and probably a bit weird for some, but "slightly weird" has always been a trademark of most of 6410's songs (she's the one who did this Yufu song) and once you get past the weirdness it's actually pretty catchy. The "ahaha" parts are particularly interesting.
【日本鬼子】*紅の鬼*【デフォ子】
Crimson Oni (inktrans)
Looking at this Hinomoto Oniko image song with Defoko, seems like the Utau fandom has also caught up to the meme (there's actually even an Oniko voicebank for use with UTAU now.). This wonderful ethnic Japanese-styled song sports some excellent shamisen, though I can't be as positive with the voice - the tuning's not bad per se, especially considering it's Defoko, but there's just something... off about it. I still definitely recommend it, though, since the music is really great.
【重音テト】 禁断の理は絶望の吐息の中に 【PV付オリジナル】
The Forbidden Principle is in the Sigh of Despair (Iieru)
A badass, if slightly over-the-top, orchestral rock piece that sounds like a track right out a Sound Horizon album, complete with a narration part at the beginning of the song. The tuning, while not perfect, includes interesting features such as some interesting uses of Teto's breath samples and rolled "r"s.
【ミク×テト×リツ様】 ｱﾘｶﾞﾄｰﾌ □_（´∀｀*） 【オリジナル】
Arigatofu (Nyossu)
And to close off the post, have this madcap piece of Chinese-styled music with Miku, Teto, and Ritsu. Fast-paced and highly energetic, the voices used may not be the best but it's still a very enjoyable & catchy tune. Plus, the small pixel art sprites (they move even if you pause) are cute.