Weekly Roundup
Hi. It's been a rough weekend and couple days, but here we are at least. Those of you who like warning about this sort of thing, the next friending meme will be up Friday evening GMT.
Those of you going to conventions this year may want to check the Con Planning Post to try to get together with other fans. And if you missed it, go link your favorite Luka songs in her birthday post.
If you haven't already heard, Kaito is going to be getting a great big wodge of DLC for Project Diva 2nd. More details can be found here courtesy of vocaloidism. Since Kaito is sadly Mr. Not Appearing In This Post, here's a picture of him looking kind of suave.
In the meantime, let's get down to a slightly overdue post for tracks up to about Monday.
Videos:
【オリジナル曲PV】 パンダヒーロー 【GUMI】
Panda Hero (hachi, Gumi, Rock)
It's always a little galling whenever a high-profile post goes up right after I finish one of my updates, because I know everyone will get to it before I do. Hachi's definitely riding the Matryoshka wave with Panda Hero, a track whose general sound strongly evokes his previous hit with much the same level of success that it earned nearly half a million views in the space of a single week. Strong guitar lines and a thumping beat finish off the song nicely.
【初音ミク】6900000000【オリジナル】
6900000000 ((∵), Miku, House Pop?)
This one is under much the same banner as Likes and Dislikes just below - I didn't get to actually listen to it for ages, but then all of a sudden Nicovideo decided in its infinite wisdom to finally load the thing and I was instantly charmed. Kind of breakcore, I guess, this is a fast and jumpy number with a great tapping beat, some nice gentle vocals from Miku, and that's about it. It's not overstated, it's not understated, it's just perfect.
【鏡音リン┗|∵|┓】 スキキライ 【鏡音レンAppend・オリジナルPV】
Likes and Dislikes (gomu, Len + Rin, Pop)
I've been waiting one hell of a long time to even listen to this, let alone link it - my preparations for this post were the first time Nicovideo would even so much as load the video, but I'm pleased that I took the chance and kept the track on my shortlist all this time. A catchy pop/rock song with a million catches and a high-quality Len and Rin append duet, this is a crazily adorable little track and well worth the wait.
【初音ミク】神曲【オリジナル・PV付き】
Epic Song (onyuu, Miku, Pop)
For the love of everything that is holy, I implore you to look past the wobbly Miku at the start of this track - because what you'll find behind it is a glorious, energetic, endlessly addictive song with an incredibly silly, wonderful, madcap video celebrating the best of Nicovideo. It put the biggest smile on my face and was a straight-up joy to listen to.
【初音ミク】モウモクポエム【オリジナル】
Blindness Poem (yuzuhiko, Miku, Rock)
You could be forgiven for mistaking this as being a machigerita track - there's a distinct dramatic flair to the piano introduction, a B-movie slant that really evokes some of his recent work. Miku's not the best around, but it's hard to find fault in the track itself when it's full of verve and a fantastic piano line. It's hard to headbang along to piano, but I'm sure even the most sedentary of listeners can manage it with this track.
【初音ミク】影踏みエトランゼ【オリジナル】
Shadowstep Etranger (substreet, Miku, Rock)
There's no denying this is a great song; the music is catchy and the guitars are to die for. Something about it doesn't click with me as well as it could, though - I think it's the awkward timbre in Miku's voice, a background note that clashes a little awkwardly with the rest of the track.
【巡音ルカ】アンデルツェ【？？？？】
Anderutse (owata, Luka, Tim Burton Movie Soundtrack)
We're pretty big on stylistic songs today - tracks where the style of the song never really changes or picks up, it just is and it sticks fast to that ideal, which in this case is a jumpy orchestral number with slightly menacing, fairytale undertones and a lot of flutes and Luka la-la-laing all over the place.
【初音ミク】かえりみち【オリジナル】
The Way Back Home (fuwari, Miku, Pop)
Oh god, this is absolutely adorable. A jaunty, breezy number with a whole lot of tinkly bells, soft jazzy piano, and endlessly heartwarming drumlines is host to a glorious bit of ensemble singing and Miku providing a strong solo performance. The whole thing ends up glorious and guaranteed to bring a gigantic smile to your face.
【鏡音リン】炉心融解 -melt down- JunK Arrange【カヴァー】
Roshi Yuukai JunK Arrange (rerulili, Rin, Jazz Fusion)
A bold and bizarre remix of the Rin classic, this crazy enterprise injects a smooth, calming note into the usually chaotic track, frequently leaving behind the breathless pace for a rather more suave experience full of deep bassy strings, a suave piano, and a seriously awesome PV. It's really a very different experience from the original and it's taken nicovideo by surprise and wonder.
【初音ミク・雪歌ユフ】 日常鎖飯事 【オリジナル】
Everyday Playhouse Chains (simesaba twisters, Miku + Yufu, Floaty Pretentious Easy Listening)
What a very strange song! This fusion between Vocaloid and Utau has gained some popularity, and with good reason - it's pretty delightful, and pleasant to listen to, and it's great to see Utau climbing up the rankings as this track placed high this week. At the same time, something about this song really bugs me - somewhere in the middle I really get thrown off by the tempo and lose track of it all.
【オリジナル曲】Through the looking glass【初音ミク】
Through The Looking Glass (yasuo, Miku, Hardcore)
Before we get too far down the post, how about a little more righteous headbanging? Yasuo is only happy to provide with this pounding track, which races along at a breathtaking speed only matched by the rate at which Miku's singing vocals and the distorted backvoices are chanting. This is suitably dramatic and comes with a reasonably impressive PV that, while not being a technological marvel, certainly suits the track.
Lilyオリジナル曲 『Marie-Luise』
Marie-Luise (sele, Lily, Rock)
Not that we're done with the headbanging yet, oh no. I like this track a whole lot more than the other Lily ones sele has done - it just feels more energetic and alive, and isn't overshadowed by niki's excellent work. Lily's voice tends to surprise me, when done well - this is a fairly good example of that, as she's quite clear and well-pitched, suiting the music nicely.
【鏡音リン】 グッバイトデー 【オリジナル】
Goodbye Today (raibu, Rin, Rock)
First and only warning - you may want to brace yourself for the emo-rap sections of this song, as they're liable to take your ears off at a hundred paces. That little niggle out of the way, though, this is a track that really caught my interest, from a tremendously strong guitar intro to a catchy and energetic chorus with some great singing and backing.
【初音ミク・GUMI】 Numb Army The BooⅡ 【オリジナル曲】
Numb Army The BooII (般, Miku + Gumi, Grunge Rock)
I can't say I like this one very much, myself, but nicovideo seems generally accepting of it. Grungy and full of distortion and twisted chords, this rock track is considerably darker and requires a lot more active attention than most of the songs this week, with strange effects buried under the melody and driving pulses of sound detracting from the main body of the music somewhat.
【鏡音リンAppend】ポロリもあるよ【オリジナル】
Also Crying (katahotori, Rin + Rin + Rin + Rin, Happy Hardcore Pop)
I admit, I laughed at this purely for the ridiculous amount of whimsy it must have required to come up with it. A quartet of Rins - the original, and each of the Append versions - blast their way through a happy eurobeat track full of feelings, thumping beats, and squirrely voices. It's one of those songs that will get in your head, but you might really wish it hadn't.
歌愛ユキ - Paradise Song
Paradise Song (yuni, Yuki, ?!)
Well. Now I'm all sorts of terrified. Thanks for that. If you can get through the extremely chaotic intro, you'll end up with a surprisingly nice track, a sort of traditionalist hymn with only the barest of musical catches concentrating on surprisingly clear vocals.
【巡音ルカ生誕祭】 Promise & Guarantee 【オリジナル曲】
Promise & Guarantee (sat, Luka, Engrish R+B)
I can't begin to describe how long I've wanted to link this. It's not incredibly good in its capacity as a minimal R+B croony love song, and Luka's pronounciation is all over the place, but something about it really makes me grin.
【鏡音リン・BIG-ALオリジナル曲】 Baby Bear
Baby Bear (anmerutsu, Rin + Big Al, Eurobeat)
... look, I'm going to level with you guys here, okay. I am not entirely sure a cheesy pop rock song where Big Al is Rin's pet bear is entirely... safe. I mean, there are connotations to take into account, here. And then she realises he is tender, and it all just goes downhill from there.
【メグッポイド】 BLUE HOLYGROUND 【オリジナル】
Blue Holyground (M@SATOSHI, Gumi, Anthem Pop)
So at this point I should probably allow for the fact that Aruka is in fact a completely separate entity to M@SATOSHI, and we should probably start recording that in the tags. Aruka is easy to spot thanks to a marked predilection for happy pop and a sideline into Blue Holyground's more anthemic, full of lots of epic soaring chords and a gentle pop line.
MMD / Other:
【パンダヒーロー】 パンダシカ 【マトリョシカ】
Pandashka (hachi, Mashup: MetCH, Gumi, Rock)
And if you wanted any proof that Matryoshka and Panda Bear share a very certain kind of sound, here's your answer - a very prompt mashup that really highlights the similarities. That isn't necessarily a bad thing, though - this sounds pretty badass, I have to say.
【MMD】 初音ミクでFootloose
Footloose (yayaya, Miku, holy shit it's Kenny Loggins)
Perhaps not the dance to do in a skirt, but well everything else about this video is pretty damn fabulous if you ask me.
【MMD】スライドパズル【巨大玩具-参】
Slide Puzzle (Na-a, Ensemble, MMD)
Yes, very good. You have an algorithm to solve slide puzzles in MMD. I suppose you want a medal or something. :|
【MMD】鏡音レンDD【アペンドモデル】
Len DD (dede, Len, MMD)
As impressive as the modelling and the choreography on this adult Append Len is, there's a facet of the video that completely terrifies me, and I want to see if anyone can figure out what it is. It took me a couple of tries to really see it, so I'm curious as to whether anyone else will.
【MMD】こっち向いてBaby【こっちみろｗ】
Kocchi Muite Baby Extravaganza Continues (ryo, MMDPV: Everyone And Their Dog)
I feel I have to link the drags of the Kocchi Muite Flood by at least paying homage to this fine reproduction of a classic, using only the very best MMD models. Alternatively, for absolutely no reason I can fathom whatsoever, here's the All Vocaloids Cosplaying Nanoha version.
Last Minute Edit:
忙しい人のためのニコニコ動画2010feat.VOCALOIDの皆さん大百科
Join Luka, Miku, Gakupo and Gumi as they guide you through the finest Nico videos of 2010. Not quite a nicomedley, more of a nicoclusterfuck. See how many you can spot.
Those of you going to conventions this year may want to check the Con Planning Post to try to get together with other fans. And if you missed it, go link your favorite Luka songs in her birthday post.
If you haven't already heard, Kaito is going to be getting a great big wodge of DLC for Project Diva 2nd. More details can be found here courtesy of vocaloidism. Since Kaito is sadly Mr. Not Appearing In This Post, here's a picture of him looking kind of suave.
In the meantime, let's get down to a slightly overdue post for tracks up to about Monday.
Videos:
【オリジナル曲PV】 パンダヒーロー 【GUMI】
Panda Hero (hachi, Gumi, Rock)
It's always a little galling whenever a high-profile post goes up right after I finish one of my updates, because I know everyone will get to it before I do. Hachi's definitely riding the Matryoshka wave with Panda Hero, a track whose general sound strongly evokes his previous hit with much the same level of success that it earned nearly half a million views in the space of a single week. Strong guitar lines and a thumping beat finish off the song nicely.
【初音ミク】6900000000【オリジナル】
6900000000 ((∵), Miku, House Pop?)
This one is under much the same banner as Likes and Dislikes just below - I didn't get to actually listen to it for ages, but then all of a sudden Nicovideo decided in its infinite wisdom to finally load the thing and I was instantly charmed. Kind of breakcore, I guess, this is a fast and jumpy number with a great tapping beat, some nice gentle vocals from Miku, and that's about it. It's not overstated, it's not understated, it's just perfect.
【鏡音リン┗|∵|┓】 スキキライ 【鏡音レンAppend・オリジナルPV】
Likes and Dislikes (gomu, Len + Rin, Pop)
I've been waiting one hell of a long time to even listen to this, let alone link it - my preparations for this post were the first time Nicovideo would even so much as load the video, but I'm pleased that I took the chance and kept the track on my shortlist all this time. A catchy pop/rock song with a million catches and a high-quality Len and Rin append duet, this is a crazily adorable little track and well worth the wait.
【初音ミク】神曲【オリジナル・PV付き】
Epic Song (onyuu, Miku, Pop)
For the love of everything that is holy, I implore you to look past the wobbly Miku at the start of this track - because what you'll find behind it is a glorious, energetic, endlessly addictive song with an incredibly silly, wonderful, madcap video celebrating the best of Nicovideo. It put the biggest smile on my face and was a straight-up joy to listen to.
【初音ミク】モウモクポエム【オリジナル】
Blindness Poem (yuzuhiko, Miku, Rock)
You could be forgiven for mistaking this as being a machigerita track - there's a distinct dramatic flair to the piano introduction, a B-movie slant that really evokes some of his recent work. Miku's not the best around, but it's hard to find fault in the track itself when it's full of verve and a fantastic piano line. It's hard to headbang along to piano, but I'm sure even the most sedentary of listeners can manage it with this track.
【初音ミク】影踏みエトランゼ【オリジナル】
Shadowstep Etranger (substreet, Miku, Rock)
There's no denying this is a great song; the music is catchy and the guitars are to die for. Something about it doesn't click with me as well as it could, though - I think it's the awkward timbre in Miku's voice, a background note that clashes a little awkwardly with the rest of the track.
【巡音ルカ】アンデルツェ【？？？？】
Anderutse (owata, Luka, Tim Burton Movie Soundtrack)
We're pretty big on stylistic songs today - tracks where the style of the song never really changes or picks up, it just is and it sticks fast to that ideal, which in this case is a jumpy orchestral number with slightly menacing, fairytale undertones and a lot of flutes and Luka la-la-laing all over the place.
【初音ミク】かえりみち【オリジナル】
The Way Back Home (fuwari, Miku, Pop)
Oh god, this is absolutely adorable. A jaunty, breezy number with a whole lot of tinkly bells, soft jazzy piano, and endlessly heartwarming drumlines is host to a glorious bit of ensemble singing and Miku providing a strong solo performance. The whole thing ends up glorious and guaranteed to bring a gigantic smile to your face.
【鏡音リン】炉心融解 -melt down- JunK Arrange【カヴァー】
Roshi Yuukai JunK Arrange (rerulili, Rin, Jazz Fusion)
A bold and bizarre remix of the Rin classic, this crazy enterprise injects a smooth, calming note into the usually chaotic track, frequently leaving behind the breathless pace for a rather more suave experience full of deep bassy strings, a suave piano, and a seriously awesome PV. It's really a very different experience from the original and it's taken nicovideo by surprise and wonder.
【初音ミク・雪歌ユフ】 日常鎖飯事 【オリジナル】
Everyday Playhouse Chains (simesaba twisters, Miku + Yufu, Floaty Pretentious Easy Listening)
What a very strange song! This fusion between Vocaloid and Utau has gained some popularity, and with good reason - it's pretty delightful, and pleasant to listen to, and it's great to see Utau climbing up the rankings as this track placed high this week. At the same time, something about this song really bugs me - somewhere in the middle I really get thrown off by the tempo and lose track of it all.
【オリジナル曲】Through the looking glass【初音ミク】
Through The Looking Glass (yasuo, Miku, Hardcore)
Before we get too far down the post, how about a little more righteous headbanging? Yasuo is only happy to provide with this pounding track, which races along at a breathtaking speed only matched by the rate at which Miku's singing vocals and the distorted backvoices are chanting. This is suitably dramatic and comes with a reasonably impressive PV that, while not being a technological marvel, certainly suits the track.
Lilyオリジナル曲 『Marie-Luise』
Marie-Luise (sele, Lily, Rock)
Not that we're done with the headbanging yet, oh no. I like this track a whole lot more than the other Lily ones sele has done - it just feels more energetic and alive, and isn't overshadowed by niki's excellent work. Lily's voice tends to surprise me, when done well - this is a fairly good example of that, as she's quite clear and well-pitched, suiting the music nicely.
【鏡音リン】 グッバイトデー 【オリジナル】
Goodbye Today (raibu, Rin, Rock)
First and only warning - you may want to brace yourself for the emo-rap sections of this song, as they're liable to take your ears off at a hundred paces. That little niggle out of the way, though, this is a track that really caught my interest, from a tremendously strong guitar intro to a catchy and energetic chorus with some great singing and backing.
【初音ミク・GUMI】 Numb Army The BooⅡ 【オリジナル曲】
Numb Army The BooII (般, Miku + Gumi, Grunge Rock)
I can't say I like this one very much, myself, but nicovideo seems generally accepting of it. Grungy and full of distortion and twisted chords, this rock track is considerably darker and requires a lot more active attention than most of the songs this week, with strange effects buried under the melody and driving pulses of sound detracting from the main body of the music somewhat.
【鏡音リンAppend】ポロリもあるよ【オリジナル】
Also Crying (katahotori, Rin + Rin + Rin + Rin, Happy Hardcore Pop)
I admit, I laughed at this purely for the ridiculous amount of whimsy it must have required to come up with it. A quartet of Rins - the original, and each of the Append versions - blast their way through a happy eurobeat track full of feelings, thumping beats, and squirrely voices. It's one of those songs that will get in your head, but you might really wish it hadn't.
歌愛ユキ - Paradise Song
Paradise Song (yuni, Yuki, ?!)
Well. Now I'm all sorts of terrified. Thanks for that. If you can get through the extremely chaotic intro, you'll end up with a surprisingly nice track, a sort of traditionalist hymn with only the barest of musical catches concentrating on surprisingly clear vocals.
【巡音ルカ生誕祭】 Promise & Guarantee 【オリジナル曲】
Promise & Guarantee (sat, Luka, Engrish R+B)
I can't begin to describe how long I've wanted to link this. It's not incredibly good in its capacity as a minimal R+B croony love song, and Luka's pronounciation is all over the place, but something about it really makes me grin.
【鏡音リン・BIG-ALオリジナル曲】 Baby Bear
Baby Bear (anmerutsu, Rin + Big Al, Eurobeat)
... look, I'm going to level with you guys here, okay. I am not entirely sure a cheesy pop rock song where Big Al is Rin's pet bear is entirely... safe. I mean, there are connotations to take into account, here. And then she realises he is tender, and it all just goes downhill from there.
【メグッポイド】 BLUE HOLYGROUND 【オリジナル】
Blue Holyground (M@SATOSHI, Gumi, Anthem Pop)
So at this point I should probably allow for the fact that Aruka is in fact a completely separate entity to M@SATOSHI, and we should probably start recording that in the tags. Aruka is easy to spot thanks to a marked predilection for happy pop and a sideline into Blue Holyground's more anthemic, full of lots of epic soaring chords and a gentle pop line.
MMD / Other:
【パンダヒーロー】 パンダシカ 【マトリョシカ】
Pandashka (hachi, Mashup: MetCH, Gumi, Rock)
And if you wanted any proof that Matryoshka and Panda Bear share a very certain kind of sound, here's your answer - a very prompt mashup that really highlights the similarities. That isn't necessarily a bad thing, though - this sounds pretty badass, I have to say.
【MMD】 初音ミクでFootloose
Footloose (yayaya, Miku, holy shit it's Kenny Loggins)
Perhaps not the dance to do in a skirt, but well everything else about this video is pretty damn fabulous if you ask me.
【MMD】スライドパズル【巨大玩具-参】
Slide Puzzle (Na-a, Ensemble, MMD)
Yes, very good. You have an algorithm to solve slide puzzles in MMD. I suppose you want a medal or something. :|
【MMD】鏡音レンDD【アペンドモデル】
Len DD (dede, Len, MMD)
As impressive as the modelling and the choreography on this adult Append Len is, there's a facet of the video that completely terrifies me, and I want to see if anyone can figure out what it is. It took me a couple of tries to really see it, so I'm curious as to whether anyone else will.
【MMD】こっち向いてBaby【こっちみろｗ】
Kocchi Muite Baby Extravaganza Continues (ryo, MMDPV: Everyone And Their Dog)
I feel I have to link the drags of the Kocchi Muite Flood by at least paying homage to this fine reproduction of a classic, using only the very best MMD models. Alternatively, for absolutely no reason I can fathom whatsoever, here's the All Vocaloids Cosplaying Nanoha version.
Last Minute Edit:
忙しい人のためのニコニコ動画2010feat.VOCALOIDの皆さん大百科
Join Luka, Miku, Gakupo and Gumi as they guide you through the finest Nico videos of 2010. Not quite a nicomedley, more of a nicoclusterfuck. See how many you can spot.