Weekly Roundup
A bit of a quiet week this week. Not many new songs that really caught my eye, but I'm a bit wiped out by MMD 5th anyhow. In contrast, a ton of new songs hit my shortlist just today, but I think I'm going to defer them for a post later this week or on the Sunday as the next weekly roundup.
Also, this post was meant to go up yesterday but I spent too long staring at the first entry.
Videos:
ボーカロイドたちがオリジナル曲をセッションしたようです
Moonlight Stage: Jazz Samba Remix (gyari, Rin + Len + Miku + Kaito, Jazz Jam)
I've waited all week to link this and by god I'm going to at the top of the post. GYARI is well-known for his jazz covers because they're basically gorgeous. One person on piano, one person on a double bass, one person on drums, done. Clocking in at ten minutes minimum each and filled with gorgeous touches and solos, they're all backed up with wonderful videos of the robots derping around with some of the best touching moments around. This is the extended version of Moonlight Stage and if you don't go watch it now I might have to disown you.
【初音ミクappend】 Fireworks 【オリジナル曲・PV】
Fireworks (whoo, Miku, Very Slightly Orchestral Pop)
Whoo's back once more, and as you might expect by now he brings a kind of delightful track with him for consideration. A lovely mish-mash of pianos and strings and guitars and flutes and who knows what else has been thrown in there, it's relaxing and just a little upbeat without being over the top. The video accompanying it is a work of sheer art.
【GUMI】 チョコレート 【オリジナル】
Chocolate (otetsu, Gumi, Rock)
Blimey, what a pace this one's got. Otetsu continues to branch out from his standard heavy rock sound with this light, airy, and incredibly fast number. Concentrating more on piano and hooks than the guitars, it's a wild ride that Gumi ricochets through in style with a flawless bit of encoding. I can also absolutely see it being a Touhou track, I'm just sayin'.
【初音ミク】僕はまだ本気出してないだけ【オリジナル曲】
I've Only Just Started (梨本, Miku, Rock)
Aaaaaugh. Nicovideo loves this song - it's one of the ranking toppers this week - but I just can't do it. The combination of a super high Miku, very scratchy and just slightly distorted guitars, then the track as a whole going very distonal and twisted - it's not a song for me, I'm afraid.
【鏡音リンレン】リモコン【オリジナルPV】
Remote Control (jiizasu, Rin + Len, Daft Punky Pop)
Addictive in its style, this track manages to place itself somewhere between clubby pop and chiptunes, borrowing heavily from electronica to play with tones and shift around the musical spectrum. I think it has some problems - Len's really flat, and there's some moments of dead air that drag on a little too long - but it's a great track with a driving beat with a fantastic solo in the middle.
【初音ミク】Wander Girl 【オリジナル曲】
Wander Girl (鼻そうめん, Miku, Hi-NRG)
Not... exactly a genre tag I ever expected to use, but oh jesus god if anything represents the genre it's this 80s-tastic that makes me want to grab the oversize novelty sunglasses and find myself a turntable and some pulsing lights. Not the kind of track you want to have a headache to, but it sure brings back some memories.
【ＧＵＭＩ】ディスラレ屋【オリジナルＰＶ付】
Disurare Shop (recruit, Gumi, Rock)
Someone want to get that translation for me? Anyway, Gumi's been a scientist and a drunk and everything else on the scale, so why not a badass investigator with a badass monocle? A standard rock track with a good dash of chiptunes and square waves and a pretty great, almost wowaka-animation-inspired video.
【初音ミク】memory【PV付オリジナル】
Memory (164, Miku, Rock)
A high quality MMD video accompanies 164's latest guitar-and-drums track, but I have to admit I'm feeling a little oversaturated on them recently. I dunno, something about this track rubbed me up the wrong way, but I can't put my finger on exactly why. It's a very servicable rock track with some great guitars from one of the big producers of the genre.
【鏡音リン・レン-POWER】ノイジー・ワーミー【オリジナル】
Noisy Whammy (maigoddo, Len + Rin, Rock)
Seems like I'm not the only one feeling a bit burnt out - maigoddo forgoes the almost obligatory MMD video in favour of spitting out a grungy, stompy, high energy twins track. This is very much in his classic style - lots of heavy guitars and melodrama, lots of distorted voice and a stellar lead-in.
【初音ミク】僕をそんな目で見ないで【オリジナル曲手書きＰＶ】
Don't Look At Me Like That (kikuo, Miku, P--op?!)
Absolutely astounding. This is only this far down the post because I'm truly and honestly not sure where exactly it should go. Creepy and delightful in equal measure, the circus waltz gives way to music boxes and reminiscing and a rather threatening air and then comes to a crashing, chaotic halt.
【KAITO】Paul luna du Garasty【オリジナル曲】
Paul Luna du Garasty (鉄分, Kaito, Traditionalish Rock)
Maybe I'm just being an uncultured oik, but I'm absolutely positive that that name in the title is supposed to mean something to me. A famous person? A phrase? For some reason it keeps playing in my mind and I can't properly reconcile it. Anyway, this isn't the strongest song this week but is a great example of Kaito encoding, as he duets with himself to croon his way through this track.
【KAITO】歌う大地 -FeT arrange ver-【オリジナル】
Singing Earth -FeT Arrange- (仕事して, Kaito, Traditional)
Of course, it's almost immediately blown out of the water by shigotoshite coming out of nowhere with a new arrange of a 2008 track. Not sure what there is to say here exactly - it's Kaito being done by a master of the craft, ephemeral and fantastic.
【初音ミク】整形美人【オリジナルPV】
Plastic Surgery Beauty (K!, Miku, Synth Rock)
A very unusual song, full of long low bassy notes that roll and pulse in the lower ranges and only the occasional snatch of guitar or conventional instrument. Miku doesn't sound too bad at all, and the song's certainly an experience, though it takes some time to build to a level that doesn't feel ambient.
【初音ミク】 Cardioid -still edit.- 【オリジナル曲】
Cardioid -still edit- (DATEKEN, Miku, Ambient Pop)
If you need to calm down and detox a little from all the hard rock or bizarre sounds this week, then you could do worse than DATEKEN's latest bit of arrange work. Cardioid was one of the very first Miku Append songs - here, it's been given the ambient treatment, and ends up a slow and very careful track with the gentlest hints of piano and soft tones.
【初音ミク】 nag 【オリジナル曲】
nag (osu, Miku, Rock)
Hooked from the first couple chords, there's something delightfully warming about the plunky acoustic guitarwork in this little ditty, then the electric guitars come in with grinding chords and the sort of hangs and pauses that force you to stop what you're doing until the next stab of music. Miku's kind of off, but I couldn't care less; give me this music anyday.
Other:
【予告編】Alice in Musicland【VOCALOIDミュージカル】
Alice In Musicland Trailer (Oster Project, Ensemble, Musical)
So... Oster's doing a musical! A ten minute-long video or thereabouts, riffing extensively on Alice in Wonderland. Not much in the way of other details yet, but here you go, here's a preview of it. I think we can take this as evidence that Oster's swinging back down into madness, but man, I know I'll sure as hell watch it. (As ever, Oster's piano is spot-goddamn-on.)
【MMD】ルララ♪【PV】
rurara♪ (harunacute, MMDPV: nerudora, Miku, Jazz Pop)
Well, I can make an exception for this: it's done, at long last! If you've been on this comm a while, the chances are good you'll have seen this video before, as it's a piece of MMD Band Edition that's been in the making for a very long time indeed. But it's well worth it - a silky smooth pop track is accompanied with some of the most detailed Band Edition animation I've ever seen, utmost care taken every single step of the way.
【鏡音レン】 rain stops, good-bye 【オリジナル曲】
rain stops, good-bye (nio, Len, Pop)
Len Append tries his hand at a Miku classic. He sounds kind of off at times - there's a very definite electronic air to his voice - but he has enough quality to carry himself through the cover, and this is a song that has an easy time charming me into liking it.
【高画質版】【MMD】KAITOとKAIKOだらけで「ZIGG-ZAGG」【※カオス注意※】
ZIGG-ZAGG Kaito + Kaiko (MMDPV: mukara, Kaitos + Kaikos, Pop)
I don't think I've ever linked a ZIGG-ZAGG MMD, but even if I have this one's worth a watch anyway. Just a little late for Kaito's birthday, even if you're burnt out on MMD it's still something to see every single damn Kaito and Kaiko variant pulling out the stops on a dance like this, and the song remains as catchy as it's ever been.
Also, this post was meant to go up yesterday but I spent too long staring at the first entry.
Videos:
ボーカロイドたちがオリジナル曲をセッションしたようです
Moonlight Stage: Jazz Samba Remix (gyari, Rin + Len + Miku + Kaito, Jazz Jam)
I've waited all week to link this and by god I'm going to at the top of the post. GYARI is well-known for his jazz covers because they're basically gorgeous. One person on piano, one person on a double bass, one person on drums, done. Clocking in at ten minutes minimum each and filled with gorgeous touches and solos, they're all backed up with wonderful videos of the robots derping around with some of the best touching moments around. This is the extended version of Moonlight Stage and if you don't go watch it now I might have to disown you.
【初音ミクappend】 Fireworks 【オリジナル曲・PV】
Fireworks (whoo, Miku, Very Slightly Orchestral Pop)
Whoo's back once more, and as you might expect by now he brings a kind of delightful track with him for consideration. A lovely mish-mash of pianos and strings and guitars and flutes and who knows what else has been thrown in there, it's relaxing and just a little upbeat without being over the top. The video accompanying it is a work of sheer art.
【GUMI】 チョコレート 【オリジナル】
Chocolate (otetsu, Gumi, Rock)
Blimey, what a pace this one's got. Otetsu continues to branch out from his standard heavy rock sound with this light, airy, and incredibly fast number. Concentrating more on piano and hooks than the guitars, it's a wild ride that Gumi ricochets through in style with a flawless bit of encoding. I can also absolutely see it being a Touhou track, I'm just sayin'.
【初音ミク】僕はまだ本気出してないだけ【オリジナル曲】
I've Only Just Started (梨本, Miku, Rock)
Aaaaaugh. Nicovideo loves this song - it's one of the ranking toppers this week - but I just can't do it. The combination of a super high Miku, very scratchy and just slightly distorted guitars, then the track as a whole going very distonal and twisted - it's not a song for me, I'm afraid.
【鏡音リンレン】リモコン【オリジナルPV】
Remote Control (jiizasu, Rin + Len, Daft Punky Pop)
Addictive in its style, this track manages to place itself somewhere between clubby pop and chiptunes, borrowing heavily from electronica to play with tones and shift around the musical spectrum. I think it has some problems - Len's really flat, and there's some moments of dead air that drag on a little too long - but it's a great track with a driving beat with a fantastic solo in the middle.
【初音ミク】Wander Girl 【オリジナル曲】
Wander Girl (鼻そうめん, Miku, Hi-NRG)
Not... exactly a genre tag I ever expected to use, but oh jesus god if anything represents the genre it's this 80s-tastic that makes me want to grab the oversize novelty sunglasses and find myself a turntable and some pulsing lights. Not the kind of track you want to have a headache to, but it sure brings back some memories.
【ＧＵＭＩ】ディスラレ屋【オリジナルＰＶ付】
Disurare Shop (recruit, Gumi, Rock)
Someone want to get that translation for me? Anyway, Gumi's been a scientist and a drunk and everything else on the scale, so why not a badass investigator with a badass monocle? A standard rock track with a good dash of chiptunes and square waves and a pretty great, almost wowaka-animation-inspired video.
【初音ミク】memory【PV付オリジナル】
Memory (164, Miku, Rock)
A high quality MMD video accompanies 164's latest guitar-and-drums track, but I have to admit I'm feeling a little oversaturated on them recently. I dunno, something about this track rubbed me up the wrong way, but I can't put my finger on exactly why. It's a very servicable rock track with some great guitars from one of the big producers of the genre.
【鏡音リン・レン-POWER】ノイジー・ワーミー【オリジナル】
Noisy Whammy (maigoddo, Len + Rin, Rock)
Seems like I'm not the only one feeling a bit burnt out - maigoddo forgoes the almost obligatory MMD video in favour of spitting out a grungy, stompy, high energy twins track. This is very much in his classic style - lots of heavy guitars and melodrama, lots of distorted voice and a stellar lead-in.
【初音ミク】僕をそんな目で見ないで【オリジナル曲手書きＰＶ】
Don't Look At Me Like That (kikuo, Miku, P--op?!)
Absolutely astounding. This is only this far down the post because I'm truly and honestly not sure where exactly it should go. Creepy and delightful in equal measure, the circus waltz gives way to music boxes and reminiscing and a rather threatening air and then comes to a crashing, chaotic halt.
【KAITO】Paul luna du Garasty【オリジナル曲】
Paul Luna du Garasty (鉄分, Kaito, Traditionalish Rock)
Maybe I'm just being an uncultured oik, but I'm absolutely positive that that name in the title is supposed to mean something to me. A famous person? A phrase? For some reason it keeps playing in my mind and I can't properly reconcile it. Anyway, this isn't the strongest song this week but is a great example of Kaito encoding, as he duets with himself to croon his way through this track.
【KAITO】歌う大地 -FeT arrange ver-【オリジナル】
Singing Earth -FeT Arrange- (仕事して, Kaito, Traditional)
Of course, it's almost immediately blown out of the water by shigotoshite coming out of nowhere with a new arrange of a 2008 track. Not sure what there is to say here exactly - it's Kaito being done by a master of the craft, ephemeral and fantastic.
【初音ミク】整形美人【オリジナルPV】
Plastic Surgery Beauty (K!, Miku, Synth Rock)
A very unusual song, full of long low bassy notes that roll and pulse in the lower ranges and only the occasional snatch of guitar or conventional instrument. Miku doesn't sound too bad at all, and the song's certainly an experience, though it takes some time to build to a level that doesn't feel ambient.
【初音ミク】 Cardioid -still edit.- 【オリジナル曲】
Cardioid -still edit- (DATEKEN, Miku, Ambient Pop)
If you need to calm down and detox a little from all the hard rock or bizarre sounds this week, then you could do worse than DATEKEN's latest bit of arrange work. Cardioid was one of the very first Miku Append songs - here, it's been given the ambient treatment, and ends up a slow and very careful track with the gentlest hints of piano and soft tones.
【初音ミク】 nag 【オリジナル曲】
nag (osu, Miku, Rock)
Hooked from the first couple chords, there's something delightfully warming about the plunky acoustic guitarwork in this little ditty, then the electric guitars come in with grinding chords and the sort of hangs and pauses that force you to stop what you're doing until the next stab of music. Miku's kind of off, but I couldn't care less; give me this music anyday.
Other:
【予告編】Alice in Musicland【VOCALOIDミュージカル】
Alice In Musicland Trailer (Oster Project, Ensemble, Musical)
So... Oster's doing a musical! A ten minute-long video or thereabouts, riffing extensively on Alice in Wonderland. Not much in the way of other details yet, but here you go, here's a preview of it. I think we can take this as evidence that Oster's swinging back down into madness, but man, I know I'll sure as hell watch it. (As ever, Oster's piano is spot-goddamn-on.)
【MMD】ルララ♪【PV】
rurara♪ (harunacute, MMDPV: nerudora, Miku, Jazz Pop)
Well, I can make an exception for this: it's done, at long last! If you've been on this comm a while, the chances are good you'll have seen this video before, as it's a piece of MMD Band Edition that's been in the making for a very long time indeed. But it's well worth it - a silky smooth pop track is accompanied with some of the most detailed Band Edition animation I've ever seen, utmost care taken every single step of the way.
【鏡音レン】 rain stops, good-bye 【オリジナル曲】
rain stops, good-bye (nio, Len, Pop)
Len Append tries his hand at a Miku classic. He sounds kind of off at times - there's a very definite electronic air to his voice - but he has enough quality to carry himself through the cover, and this is a song that has an easy time charming me into liking it.
【高画質版】【MMD】KAITOとKAIKOだらけで「ZIGG-ZAGG」【※カオス注意※】
ZIGG-ZAGG Kaito + Kaiko (MMDPV: mukara, Kaitos + Kaikos, Pop)
I don't think I've ever linked a ZIGG-ZAGG MMD, but even if I have this one's worth a watch anyway. Just a little late for Kaito's birthday, even if you're burnt out on MMD it's still something to see every single damn Kaito and Kaiko variant pulling out the stops on a dance like this, and the song remains as catchy as it's ever been.