Weekly Roundup
Hahaha who seriously thought the post was going to be on time the day I return to work after a holiday. Anyway, this was an awesome week that really overloaded the post and my shortlist, and that's my excuse for it being so late.
The website for the upcoming feature-length PV for the Aku No series is up and running, with character designs for Rin, Len, Kaito and Meiko up and a very obvious Miku and Haku on the way. In other news, experimentation with NicoNico reveals they're starting to try to auto-tag videos, as newly shared ones are coming across with some tags fresh from nicovideo. I think (I assume) they're hooking into nico's wiki, but I'm not sure.
Big Fat Edit: Though it's a little late I've just been reminded that if you go to VocaloidOtaku.net, they are currently suffering from malware problems.
Videos:
【巡音ルカ】 綱渡り 【オリジナル･PV】
Tightrope Walking (otetsu, Luka, Rock)
An astounding rock track from otetsu leads us in to a week that could very definitely be called Luka's. She's suddenly started showing up a whole lot more in videos this week, be they duets or solo pieces, and this is the best of the lot, a high-energy, absolutely stellar rock track.
【鏡音リン】アブストラクト・ナンセンス【オリジナル曲】
Abstract Nonsense (Neru, Rin, Rock)
It's good to see Rin back high on the charts; it feels like some time since she really had a high-profile song to rocket her up the rankings, but Neru comes through with a blast with a rock track full of iconic riffs and chords. I'd kind of like it if Rin weren't quite so high pitched, but it rather comes with the track and her held notes are fantastic.
【鏡音リン】ボーナスステージ【鏡音レン】
Bonus Stage (Owata, Rin + Len, Lounge Pop?)
And not just Rin - Len's back as well with a new owata track and a tremendous piece of animation that manages to capture glitziness and mild creepiness all at once. Primarily a vocal track, this is backed up with touches of organ and deep double bass with a jazzy style.
初音ミク「Euthanasia」【オリジナル曲】
Euthanasia (samfree, Miku, Anthemic Pop)
samfree turns away from the Eurobeat for once to provide us with a slower and more careful pop track, but one that isn't afraid to grab for a dramatic rising crescendo and skirt the edges of anthemic club.
【GUMI】 LANA 【VOCALOIDオリジナル】
Lana (Tes., Gumi, Pop)
This was quite a surprise! Tes. remains one of my absolute favorite producers, and seeing him bust out Gumi for a track that's considerably more serious than his norm was a pleasant treat. This is lacking in the outright silliness of some of his other songs, but has many of his hallmarks, from a very effective bridge section to solid choruses.
【初音ミク】Floating Shelter【オリジナル】
Floating Shelter (pinokio, Miku, Rock)
Piano-laden rock from pinokio marks the headliner track for the artist's upcoming album, with an exemplary video from √Effect. Nothing to complain about here - a solid piece of pop rock with an interestingly harsh Miku voice.
【GUMI】 Love Trigger 【オリジナル曲】
Love Trigger (papiyon, Gumi, Piano Pop)
An excellent piece of primarily piano-and-bass music from Gumi and papiyon. The piano in particular is stellar and I wish it were a little more forward as it slams through scales at breakneck pace off in one corner, but that's a minor niggle in an otherwise great track.
【初音ミク】戯言スピーカー【オリジナル曲】
Nonsense Speaker (nekobolo, Miku, Pop Fusion)
It took me a full listen to really warm up to this track. What starts off as a pleasant but generic piece of orchestral pop, relying on violins and piano, takes a little while to get going but then opens up into a touch of european flair from accordions followed by some jumpy breakcore distortion.
【巡音ルカ GUMI】 ハートフルシーケンス 【オリジナル曲】
Heartful Sequence (Easypop, Gumi + Luka, Club)
The latest duet from Betti/Easypop is already doing as well as you would expect in the wake of Happy Synthesizer mania - climbing steadily up the ranking, it's guaranteed to do well. I don't think it's as immediately listenable as the first song, it's missing that something that made it absolutely addictive, but it's still a very good song full of Easypop hallmarks.
【初音ミク】バカの飲み薬【オリジナル曲】
Medicine For Idiots (梨本うい, Miku, Rock)
Can't say I really got into this one much - I prefer my super-high-pitched voices to be accompanied by a track with a little more body to it, but if you're looking for something in wowaka's style but slightly lighter this track has done extremely well over the last week.
【巡音ルカ】クロノ・ストーリー【鏡音リン・レン】
Chrono Story (mothy, Len + Rin + Luka, Rock)
mothy returns with. With something, certainly. Though it sounds a little muted in places, this is a good bit of mothy rock with a very narrative bent to it, and it's a good time to bring it up what with the Aku No news on the way.
【初音ミク】バビロン【オリジナル曲】
Babylon (tohma, Miku, Rock Waltz)
Deeply twisted in the head, this striking track is full of discordant moments, distorted waltz bridges, wailing guitars, and also two large sets of teeth, just in case that sort of thing puts you off. Even with my usual stance against bizarre tracks, I loved this one.
【巡音ルカ・GUMI】プラネッター~planeter~【オリジナル曲PV】
Planeter (苺ミルク, Luka + Gumi, Pop)
Okay, I think that producer names may have reached some kind of peak silliness point, and as much as it would be interesting to have a tag 'p: I'll kill you if you splash strawberry milk in my face' I think I'll just shorten it. Anyway, I dare you to look at that thumbnail and not instantly want to listen to this track. I don't even remember how it sounded, I was just gleefully watching everyone look all kinda 80s.
【初音ミク】 エデン 【オリジナル】
Eden (ATOLS, Miku, Dubstep / Ambient Trance)
ATOLS is back with another deeply trippy track, a pulsing and waving anthem that's deeply evocative if perhaps not the sort of track you'd put your feet up to have a quick listen to. Grungy and grindy, it's a fantastic assault on the senses.
【KAITO】海渡る風の唄【オリジナル】
Song of the Sea Winds (unimemo, Kaito, Traditional)
An excellent example of the genre, Kaito's latest from unimemo is full of haunting strings and dreamlike percussion. Kaito himself has been coded well and provides some ample backup all at the same time - and there's one moment where if that's a Vocaloid, he absolutely hits spoken word out of the park.
【鏡音レンAppend】 君の青 【オリジナル曲】
Your Blue (yukki#, Len, Rock)
Aw, Len gets to sound all badass for the first time in ages! Something sounds like it's wrong with the mixing here - I swear I keep hearing the volume levels duck - but this is a good solid rock track with the odd scorching guitar solo and a lot of grandstanding, not that there's anything wrong with that.
【初音ミク】720°【オリジナル曲】
720° ((仮), Miku, Angst Pop)
I'm slightly put off on this track by the high and slightly fuzzed Miku tuning, but that's a personal pet peeve and I can't deny that below it this is a great piece of mysterious, floating, angsty pop with a fantastic video. Also, I'm a sucker for Dali-style melty clocks.
【VY1】mErcy【VOCALOIDオリジナル曲】
mErcy (matt9five, VY1, Rock)
Even if I have a hard time keeping up with US producers, I certainly heard about matt9five's departure from Youtube and Twitter last week. Why exactly he chose to isn't exactly clear, but mErcy popped up on NND shortly afterwards. A thumping VY1 track, it may not be to your taste but hold on for the astounding crescendo at the end.
巡音ルカとmikiによる「アンハッピーリフレイン」Remix
Unhappy Refrain Remix (市蔵, Miki + Luka, Wowaka / Big Band)
A bizarre and kind of wonderful remix of wowaka's recent hit, done by a subdued Miki and Luka. Great use of the brass family here; it sounds like a bandstand crashed right into the track, with trumpets and horns sliding around in the background. The remix as a whole might be reaching a little, but it's worth a listen, and be sure to check out the mylist for a million other miki and luka mixes.
【巡音ルカ オリジナル曲】 CONTRO-L
CONTRO-L (NIYMORIY, Luka, ?!?)
You are out of control, Space Girl! This is exactly why I don't have a Mr. Blah Blah F##king Robot.
【 歌愛ユキ × 巡音ルカ 】O.M.R.S. （だいすけPオリジナル）
Funky Husky Cool Girls (daisuke, Yuki + Luka, What On Earth Happened Here)
Yep.
おっさんホイホイなオリジナル曲を「Re...mix」
Re...mix (蕎麦, Miku, Chiptune Anthem)
Did I mention I absolutely love chiptunes? I'm a complete sucker for them, so this track's a natural to go on the end of the update. Not a stellar song in general, but the blips and bleeps totally push me over with their manic energy and some great hooks.
Covers / MMDs:
アンハッピーリフレイン【PVつけてみた】
Unhappy Refrain (wowaka, PV: yuui, Miku, Wowaka Pop)
The PVs have been coming in thick and fast for Unhappy Refrain, and I think I've counted about three different kinetic typography ones already. This was my favorite of the lot for marrying itself with a hand drawn PV.
【MMD】パ パメリカーノ♪【レンネル】
Papa Americano (MMDPV: ponpoko, Len + Neru, Dancing Hands)
I gaped with astonishment. This is excellently done and perfectly choreographed for some of the finest dancing hands I'm ever likely to see in an MMD video. I dare you not to have a huge grin on your face come the end of it.
【Project DIVA】イヤイヤ星人【EDIT】
Alien From The Planet Of 'I Don't Wanna!' (iyaiya, DivaPV: 742, Luka)
This floated back into the daily rankings recently as one of the entrants in the latest official DIVA video contest, and I'm beyond glad that it did. This is a hilarious Diva edit, especially once the 2nd Luka enters the picture; the use of facial expressions and bits of dance moves is extraordinary and I really want to go knock up a Diva Edit post sometime.
【MMD】 ねこみみスイッチ 【モーション配布】
Nekomimi Switch (daniwell, MMDPV: hino, Miku, Earworm)
If I had any Colbert armscrossed gifs I would be spamming them right now - as much as this is a very impressive set with some great chereography, it can't compare to the original for me.
【KAITOオリジナル】光響戦隊カナデンジャー（FULLサイズ）【ドラマ風PV】
Bright Sound Squad Kanarangers (TAKE3240, Ensemble, Sentai Squad)
... or something to that effect. In any case, I think I'm contractually obliged to link this if only for dumb vocaloids doing dumb heroic things, not to mention mecha and the Utau Menace.
【MMD】再現衣装でハッピーシンセサイザー【PVっぽいど】
Happy Synthesizer (Easypop, MMDPV: 紅い石, Luka + Gumi, Club Pop)
Yes, once again Happy Synthesizer rolls along into the MMD section. Ignoring Gumi's kind of elastic arm in the intro - something I may not be able to do ever again - the outfits from the PV finally appear if only for half the track. Then there are swimsuits and robots and you know what I'm not sure anymore.
And Finally:
【MAD】←←↑↑↓↓→→
If you've seen the 'Every Anime Opening Ever' video, you'll have a fairly good idea of what this MAD is trying to do - set to the hit Love At First Sight by Fear and Loathing In Las Vegas, the band currently best known for the Kaiji 2nd series screamer rock opening, this is a celebration of animation tropes in recent shows and a brilliantly produced MAD. I'm particularly impressed by the uninterrupted twenty-five seconds of SHAFT characters looking back over one shoulder.
The website for the upcoming feature-length PV for the Aku No series is up and running, with character designs for Rin, Len, Kaito and Meiko up and a very obvious Miku and Haku on the way. In other news, experimentation with NicoNico reveals they're starting to try to auto-tag videos, as newly shared ones are coming across with some tags fresh from nicovideo. I think (I assume) they're hooking into nico's wiki, but I'm not sure.
Big Fat Edit: Though it's a little late I've just been reminded that if you go to VocaloidOtaku.net, they are currently suffering from malware problems.
Videos:
【巡音ルカ】 綱渡り 【オリジナル･PV】
Tightrope Walking (otetsu, Luka, Rock)
An astounding rock track from otetsu leads us in to a week that could very definitely be called Luka's. She's suddenly started showing up a whole lot more in videos this week, be they duets or solo pieces, and this is the best of the lot, a high-energy, absolutely stellar rock track.
【鏡音リン】アブストラクト・ナンセンス【オリジナル曲】
Abstract Nonsense (Neru, Rin, Rock)
It's good to see Rin back high on the charts; it feels like some time since she really had a high-profile song to rocket her up the rankings, but Neru comes through with a blast with a rock track full of iconic riffs and chords. I'd kind of like it if Rin weren't quite so high pitched, but it rather comes with the track and her held notes are fantastic.
【鏡音リン】ボーナスステージ【鏡音レン】
Bonus Stage (Owata, Rin + Len, Lounge Pop?)
And not just Rin - Len's back as well with a new owata track and a tremendous piece of animation that manages to capture glitziness and mild creepiness all at once. Primarily a vocal track, this is backed up with touches of organ and deep double bass with a jazzy style.
初音ミク「Euthanasia」【オリジナル曲】
Euthanasia (samfree, Miku, Anthemic Pop)
samfree turns away from the Eurobeat for once to provide us with a slower and more careful pop track, but one that isn't afraid to grab for a dramatic rising crescendo and skirt the edges of anthemic club.
【GUMI】 LANA 【VOCALOIDオリジナル】
Lana (Tes., Gumi, Pop)
This was quite a surprise! Tes. remains one of my absolute favorite producers, and seeing him bust out Gumi for a track that's considerably more serious than his norm was a pleasant treat. This is lacking in the outright silliness of some of his other songs, but has many of his hallmarks, from a very effective bridge section to solid choruses.
【初音ミク】Floating Shelter【オリジナル】
Floating Shelter (pinokio, Miku, Rock)
Piano-laden rock from pinokio marks the headliner track for the artist's upcoming album, with an exemplary video from √Effect. Nothing to complain about here - a solid piece of pop rock with an interestingly harsh Miku voice.
【GUMI】 Love Trigger 【オリジナル曲】
Love Trigger (papiyon, Gumi, Piano Pop)
An excellent piece of primarily piano-and-bass music from Gumi and papiyon. The piano in particular is stellar and I wish it were a little more forward as it slams through scales at breakneck pace off in one corner, but that's a minor niggle in an otherwise great track.
【初音ミク】戯言スピーカー【オリジナル曲】
Nonsense Speaker (nekobolo, Miku, Pop Fusion)
It took me a full listen to really warm up to this track. What starts off as a pleasant but generic piece of orchestral pop, relying on violins and piano, takes a little while to get going but then opens up into a touch of european flair from accordions followed by some jumpy breakcore distortion.
【巡音ルカ GUMI】 ハートフルシーケンス 【オリジナル曲】
Heartful Sequence (Easypop, Gumi + Luka, Club)
The latest duet from Betti/Easypop is already doing as well as you would expect in the wake of Happy Synthesizer mania - climbing steadily up the ranking, it's guaranteed to do well. I don't think it's as immediately listenable as the first song, it's missing that something that made it absolutely addictive, but it's still a very good song full of Easypop hallmarks.
【初音ミク】バカの飲み薬【オリジナル曲】
Medicine For Idiots (梨本うい, Miku, Rock)
Can't say I really got into this one much - I prefer my super-high-pitched voices to be accompanied by a track with a little more body to it, but if you're looking for something in wowaka's style but slightly lighter this track has done extremely well over the last week.
【巡音ルカ】クロノ・ストーリー【鏡音リン・レン】
Chrono Story (mothy, Len + Rin + Luka, Rock)
mothy returns with. With something, certainly. Though it sounds a little muted in places, this is a good bit of mothy rock with a very narrative bent to it, and it's a good time to bring it up what with the Aku No news on the way.
【初音ミク】バビロン【オリジナル曲】
Babylon (tohma, Miku, Rock Waltz)
Deeply twisted in the head, this striking track is full of discordant moments, distorted waltz bridges, wailing guitars, and also two large sets of teeth, just in case that sort of thing puts you off. Even with my usual stance against bizarre tracks, I loved this one.
【巡音ルカ・GUMI】プラネッター~planeter~【オリジナル曲PV】
Planeter (苺ミルク, Luka + Gumi, Pop)
Okay, I think that producer names may have reached some kind of peak silliness point, and as much as it would be interesting to have a tag 'p: I'll kill you if you splash strawberry milk in my face' I think I'll just shorten it. Anyway, I dare you to look at that thumbnail and not instantly want to listen to this track. I don't even remember how it sounded, I was just gleefully watching everyone look all kinda 80s.
【初音ミク】 エデン 【オリジナル】
Eden (ATOLS, Miku, Dubstep / Ambient Trance)
ATOLS is back with another deeply trippy track, a pulsing and waving anthem that's deeply evocative if perhaps not the sort of track you'd put your feet up to have a quick listen to. Grungy and grindy, it's a fantastic assault on the senses.
【KAITO】海渡る風の唄【オリジナル】
Song of the Sea Winds (unimemo, Kaito, Traditional)
An excellent example of the genre, Kaito's latest from unimemo is full of haunting strings and dreamlike percussion. Kaito himself has been coded well and provides some ample backup all at the same time - and there's one moment where if that's a Vocaloid, he absolutely hits spoken word out of the park.
【鏡音レンAppend】 君の青 【オリジナル曲】
Your Blue (yukki#, Len, Rock)
Aw, Len gets to sound all badass for the first time in ages! Something sounds like it's wrong with the mixing here - I swear I keep hearing the volume levels duck - but this is a good solid rock track with the odd scorching guitar solo and a lot of grandstanding, not that there's anything wrong with that.
【初音ミク】720°【オリジナル曲】
720° ((仮), Miku, Angst Pop)
I'm slightly put off on this track by the high and slightly fuzzed Miku tuning, but that's a personal pet peeve and I can't deny that below it this is a great piece of mysterious, floating, angsty pop with a fantastic video. Also, I'm a sucker for Dali-style melty clocks.
【VY1】mErcy【VOCALOIDオリジナル曲】
mErcy (matt9five, VY1, Rock)
Even if I have a hard time keeping up with US producers, I certainly heard about matt9five's departure from Youtube and Twitter last week. Why exactly he chose to isn't exactly clear, but mErcy popped up on NND shortly afterwards. A thumping VY1 track, it may not be to your taste but hold on for the astounding crescendo at the end.
巡音ルカとmikiによる「アンハッピーリフレイン」Remix
Unhappy Refrain Remix (市蔵, Miki + Luka, Wowaka / Big Band)
A bizarre and kind of wonderful remix of wowaka's recent hit, done by a subdued Miki and Luka. Great use of the brass family here; it sounds like a bandstand crashed right into the track, with trumpets and horns sliding around in the background. The remix as a whole might be reaching a little, but it's worth a listen, and be sure to check out the mylist for a million other miki and luka mixes.
【巡音ルカ オリジナル曲】 CONTRO-L
CONTRO-L (NIYMORIY, Luka, ?!?)
You are out of control, Space Girl! This is exactly why I don't have a Mr. Blah Blah F##king Robot.
【 歌愛ユキ × 巡音ルカ 】O.M.R.S. （だいすけPオリジナル）
Funky Husky Cool Girls (daisuke, Yuki + Luka, What On Earth Happened Here)
Yep.
おっさんホイホイなオリジナル曲を「Re...mix」
Re...mix (蕎麦, Miku, Chiptune Anthem)
Did I mention I absolutely love chiptunes? I'm a complete sucker for them, so this track's a natural to go on the end of the update. Not a stellar song in general, but the blips and bleeps totally push me over with their manic energy and some great hooks.
Covers / MMDs:
アンハッピーリフレイン【PVつけてみた】
Unhappy Refrain (wowaka, PV: yuui, Miku, Wowaka Pop)
The PVs have been coming in thick and fast for Unhappy Refrain, and I think I've counted about three different kinetic typography ones already. This was my favorite of the lot for marrying itself with a hand drawn PV.
【MMD】パ パメリカーノ♪【レンネル】
Papa Americano (MMDPV: ponpoko, Len + Neru, Dancing Hands)
I gaped with astonishment. This is excellently done and perfectly choreographed for some of the finest dancing hands I'm ever likely to see in an MMD video. I dare you not to have a huge grin on your face come the end of it.
【Project DIVA】イヤイヤ星人【EDIT】
Alien From The Planet Of 'I Don't Wanna!' (iyaiya, DivaPV: 742, Luka)
This floated back into the daily rankings recently as one of the entrants in the latest official DIVA video contest, and I'm beyond glad that it did. This is a hilarious Diva edit, especially once the 2nd Luka enters the picture; the use of facial expressions and bits of dance moves is extraordinary and I really want to go knock up a Diva Edit post sometime.
【MMD】 ねこみみスイッチ 【モーション配布】
Nekomimi Switch (daniwell, MMDPV: hino, Miku, Earworm)
If I had any Colbert armscrossed gifs I would be spamming them right now - as much as this is a very impressive set with some great chereography, it can't compare to the original for me.
【KAITOオリジナル】光響戦隊カナデンジャー（FULLサイズ）【ドラマ風PV】
Bright Sound Squad Kanarangers (TAKE3240, Ensemble, Sentai Squad)
... or something to that effect. In any case, I think I'm contractually obliged to link this if only for dumb vocaloids doing dumb heroic things, not to mention mecha and the Utau Menace.
【MMD】再現衣装でハッピーシンセサイザー【PVっぽいど】
Happy Synthesizer (Easypop, MMDPV: 紅い石, Luka + Gumi, Club Pop)
Yes, once again Happy Synthesizer rolls along into the MMD section. Ignoring Gumi's kind of elastic arm in the intro - something I may not be able to do ever again - the outfits from the PV finally appear if only for half the track. Then there are swimsuits and robots and you know what I'm not sure anymore.
And Finally:
【MAD】←←↑↑↓↓→→
If you've seen the 'Every Anime Opening Ever' video, you'll have a fairly good idea of what this MAD is trying to do - set to the hit Love At First Sight by Fear and Loathing In Las Vegas, the band currently best known for the Kaiji 2nd series screamer rock opening, this is a celebration of animation tropes in recent shows and a brilliantly produced MAD. I'm particularly impressed by the uninterrupted twenty-five seconds of SHAFT characters looking back over one shoulder.