First Roundup of 2012!
Catching up on tags - and spending far too long on fiddling with styles - is taking a little longer than expected, so ignore my last post until the weekend as I don't want to push the button until everything's up to date and complete.
News
- The most obvious bit of news, and one that's been bandied around a lot recently, is the Stark Reality of the Numbers Behind Vocaloid Videos, an expose into how badly Vocaloid's been doing and how many users tend not to watch niche videos...!... yeah, I'm not really digging this video. It's perfectly true that there are many videos that don't get that many views, but as far as I can tell the creator's looking at almost everything under the 'Vocaloid' tag. And that will include MMD rehashes, low-quality covers, and a lot of songs that simply aren't as good as the charttoppers. Anyway, there's a lot of number-crunching that might be of interest to you. More importantly is the narrator - it's voiced by Yukari's voiceroid software, which is absolutely tremendous.
- In the wake of Sega's christmas teaser for a game codenamed 'Project MMT' and totally not Project Diva Vita, guys, we swear, Piapro have announced a fanart competition for fans to produce images to be used within the game. In this case they're looking for school uniform and yukata designs, and loading screen images. Anyone want to guess what the new modules will be? Bonus question: can you guess what console or handheld the resolution of the loading screen image reminds me of? TOTALLY NOT VITA
- The Project Mirai site now lists a release date - March 8th - and is a little bit terrifying. I can cope with normal models okay but a nendoroid model just seems a little too glassy-stared for my liking. There's a preview of one of the videos, Re:nG's Sing + Smile, here.
- Sensei is getting his own Ice Mountain book illustrated by the Durarara guy. Honestly, I'm just linking this so you can stare long and hard at the cover, maybe drool a little. Why does Kiyoteru get all the merch, anyway? How did this come to be? Dude's most famous song is about crossdressing.
- A number of English sites dedicated to getting concerts and tools for concerts are starting to pop up - chief amongst them, Animiku for projection hardware and software. There was also a site aiming to try to promote and get the backing to put on a concert in Scotland, buuuuut... I've managed to completely lose the URL, pro that I am, so if someone has that and could pass it on to me I would be much obliged.
- Bruno and Clara are out! I sincerely hope they do well, though I may not ever know given my tendency to stick to Nicovideo. Likewise if any Engloid specialists happen to know of good rankings or the like, that would be pretty awesome to know about.
- Loath as I am to source anything from Kotaku - a site that is hovering maybe one or two steps higher than Sankaku Complex at this point - I predictably got pointed to their article on the Miku Skyrim Mod. Personally, I'd rather go for the Luka Skyrim Mod instead because it doesn't have the most terrifying and awe-inspiring thousand-yard stare I've seen in many a day.
- Special out-of-post highlight: these MMD videos give me sincere hope that someone will manage to include Pythagoras Switch in their videos for the upcoming MMD Cup.
Videos
I had the hardest time picking out which tracks should go outside the cut this week, I'm just saying. It has also been an incredibly suave week all in all, with a million and one jazzy or otherwise classy tracks.
【初音ミク】 コイウタ 【Clean Tears】
Love Song (Clean Tears, Miku, Oh My God Nicovideo I Hate You)
Sometimes I look at the size of my 'short'lists and wonder why exactly I don't just stick to the ranking when trying to figure out what videos to link. Well, here's your answer: I'd miss songs like this, and that would be a goddamn crime. Clean Tears, usually the purveyors of oontz oontz tracks, instead throws out a beautifully light and soft number with snatches of bass strings, the most heartening percussion around, and aaaaaa whenever an intro or chorus starts up I just aaaaaa. ... it occurs to me that my flippant response to the Harsh Realities video is a little hilarious in light of my complaining here. Hrm.
【初音ミク・巡音ルカ】リンちゃんなう！【鏡音生誕祭2011】
Rinchan Nau! (owata, Miku + Luka, Omochikaeri(n))
As you might expect, the twins have a fair number of good songs to come this update, it having been their birthday in the interim - but they sure as hell paid for it, as there's basically a gigantic big target painted on Rin in a couple of the videos this week. Chief among them is a very silly video from Owata, not so much a song as a protracted earworm with a talkloid track over the top, as Miku and Luka provide a compelling argument for extending Child Protection Services to robots.
【鏡音リンレン】BUNKA開放区【オリジナルPV】
BUNKA Open District (jiizasu, Len + Rin, Rock)
Probably my favorite out of the twins songs this roundup, this is a punchy and forthright track that gets in your face with some great lyrics and just a little grungy guitar and whiny synths, before the song all but falls away for a quiet bridge with an unearthly, jumpy feel. Top notch either way; the twins are spot-on, even when they're spouting out an engrish chorus, and there's just so much to like here.
【GUMI】消火器がダンディーで気が利く場合【オリジナル曲】
A Classy, Tactful Fire Extinguisher (uramanbou, Gumi, Rock)
Yyyyyyyyyyep.
【VY2・VY1V3】とても痛い痛がりたい【オリジナル曲】
Hurting for a Very Hurtful Pain (EZFG, VY1 + VY2, Rock)
I knew this was going to be a keeper the moment the music started. It's fair to say - and probably I should, since I never got around to amethyst_turtle's post - that Cyber Thunder (Sl/C)ider was one of my absolute favorite tracks from last year for its pulsing, thumping beat. EZFG hasn't disappointed in the least, this is an absolutely breathtaking track that refuses to let go and will keep you foot-tapping and headbanging to the absolute end. vgperson's done a top-notch translation here.
【初音ミクが人間のように歌う】イージーデンス【ラップもする】
Easy Dance (MitchieM, Miku, Club Pop)
Mitchie M breaks into Append with a 'rap-style' track that's every bit as phenomenal as his other tracks. Using a combination of the basic Miku and Append Soft, the things he does to Miku's coding are basically obscene; while this song might not be to everyone's taste as it's a very strange track all in all, you cannot deny the effort and ability put into making her sound as real as possible, and she doesn't miss a beat on any of the lyrics throughout.
【鏡音リン・レン】背徳の花
Immoral Flower (hitoshizuku, Len + Rin, Orchestral)
Eehhhh... so this was the top-viewed video from the Twins' birthday videos, but I can't say I'm tremendously impressed. The track's good, there's no doubt about it - it's a bombastic orchestral song that knows what kind of sound it wants to go for and heads for it full-bore, except for the slightly jarring if technically excellent guitar riff in the middle - and Len and Rin certainly sound great, but it simply didn't grab me the same way that BUNKA did.
【初音ミク】 cat's dance 【オリジナル】
cat's dance (marasy, Miku, Jazz Pop)
One of the smoother and more suave songs of the week, cat's dance is almost entirely jazzy piano and acoustic guitar with some atmospheric percussion and strings to taste, and from that you end up with some seriously breathtaking solos and instrumentals bookended by top-notch music full of neat little touches and tweaks. The video does get suggestive in places so some caution is advised if that's your thing.
【鏡音リンappend】 sigh 【オリジナル】
sigh (iroha, Rin, Pop)
This is one of the big twins hitters of the last couple weeks, if I'm honest, and usually I'd put that sort of thing higher up the post if it weren't for the fact I'm a little disillusioned with it. Rin's voice sounds pretty bad to me, and the song just doesn't seem to have enough body to it to actually interest me. The video is pretty solid, though, and this track has gotten more than enough hits that you should probably ignore me and go check it out.
【GUMI】 NARAKA 【オリジナルPV】
NARAKA (papiyon x 164, Gumi, Rock)
... which is more than I can say for this track. I realise that this is from some of the finest names in the business and that it's probably my own tastes at fault rather than the producers in question, and the actual instrumentation is simply fantastic with some amazing piano and guitars, but I simply can't take this song; the distortion on Gumi's voice is just too much for me and I end up wincing time and time again. Very definitely an acquired taste, I think?
「bouquet」 オリジナル曲 vo.初音ミク
bouquet (doriko, Miku, Orchestral Pop)
The oldest track on my shortlist, bouquet is the requisite track that I always feel worst about, thanks to my habit of bookmarking the best tracks of the week barely a second after I've done an update and leaving them to languish for ages. A beautiful bit of primarily orchestral crooning, Miku's voice is perfectly soft and doesn't falter for a moment on the higher notes and crescendoes. It's a fantastic track for drifting off to and letting wash over you.
【巡音ルカ】 Pelagic fish 【オリジナル】
Pelagic Fish (無力, Luka, Sonar)
A bit of a departure for this producer; gone are the heavy rock tracks and angsty moping, and instead here's a comparatively soft track primarily focused on piano and synth tones and beats. While it may follow the distinct theme of the update in that fashion, don't think the oppressive gloom is entirely gone; this feels a sight darker and more chaotic than many of the songs this update, especially given the solos. Luka sounds a little off - she's a little too high and can't mask it with the music this time. Still, a great listen.
【※PV付き※】冷たい手【鏡音レンappend】
Cold Hands (ゆう十, Len, Fusion...?)
Another easy song to like, this one goes on the suave pile that's rapidly building up this update. It's actually very hard to categorize because there's such a gigantic mish-mash of style going on here. One moment you'll get the smoothest of synths and soft tones, the next you'll get snappy snares and clicking fingers, the next you'll get a hint of brass bands and jazz. Throughout it all, Len holds steady, if sometimes a little autotuned. What a lovely track.
【きゃりーりんりん】つけまつける
Tsukematsukeru (giga, Rin, Earworm)
My translation tools can't make heads nor tails of this, and neither can I, and given the general cadence of the song I'm not even sure I'm meant to. It's drawing a definite line to PONPONPON in my head what with some of the repetitions and chorus structure, but I couldn't adequately explain why - it does have the same energy, though, a sugary-sweet and saccharine pop tune with a little bit of chiptune in there for good measure.
【Lily】ＢＣ【オリジナル曲】
BC (niki, Lily, Rock)
You pretty much should know what to expect at this point; I think we can pretty much say there's only two Lily producers, and they both have a very established sound to them. Fortunately, that sound is really good - this is classic Lily through and through, a very strong track with a staggeringly good voice and just enough energetic rock to fill in what is a much-needed hole in the post.
【KAITO】TOY BOX【オリジナル】
TOY BOX (新城, Kaito, Piano And Bass)
A stunning track, though not entirely for the right reasons. It's a little too rough to really garner high-scoring views, but the combination of an absolutely unique bit of Kaito coding and the breakneck, crazed piano pace turns this track from a minimalistic song into a showstopper. I couldn't help but stop and listen to this because it was just that out there and impressive, and then Kaito starts harmonizing with himself.
【巡音ルカ】深淵【オリジナル曲】
Abyss (Chiquewa, Luka, R+B)
I've always rather liked Chiquewa's Luka, often because she ends up in the more experimental or bizarre videos because of it. Here, she's in an interesting fusion between a traditional R+B track and a thumping drum-and-bass number; it's not uncommon to have her smooth lyrics suddenly drop out to pulsing beats and tinkling piano, then right back in time for the next snatch of synthed strings. Luka's a little mealy-mouthed in places, becoming a little muffled or weak, but this is a great idea and the execution's very solid.
【PIKO,MEGPOID】 Uranus 【オリジナル】
Uranus (chiitaagaaru, Piko + Gumi, Pop)
I love finding good Piko songs, because for the longest time he was really getting some pap. Funnily enough, all of my favorite Piko songs are much like this one - soft, crooning affairs better suited for ambience rather than punching into your attention span, usually with Piko doing backing work for someone else. It's hard to dislike this song, if only because it's pleasant and unassuming and wouldn't hurt a fly. Aww.
【巡音ルカ・KAITO】Cocktail and Lovers' Night【オリジナル】
Cocktail and Lovers' Night (intro, Kaito + Luka, Suaaaaaveto)
Er... hm! This isn't a pairing I usually expect, since they don't tend to mesh, but set them both against a double bass, some brass instruments, and a little bit of tasteful organ music and suddenly their deep voices work into a surprisingly good combination. Not the best of coding, but more than good enough to overlook the odd issue with Luka's pitch here and there, and any other complaints I might have are swallowed whole by that brass band. Mmm.
【GUMI】 ディス・イズ・ラブソング 【オリジナル】
This Is Lovesong (鬱, Gumi, ROOOOOOOOCKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK)
There are those times when you really need an emoticon, but there just isn't one to properly express the depth of feeling and eyetwitching that really needs to be evoked. This is pretty much one of those times, as a tremendously grungy and angry track blares out 'LOVELOVELOVELOVE' and then asides into a threatening and oppressive crawl of dark feeling and moaning backing voices. This is Lovesong.
【鏡音レン七人盛り】Mr.music【カバー】
Mr. Music 7-Len Remix (Assorted, Len, Big Band Pop)
The producer list for this video is a regular batch of Len big names: shiero, rerere, orebanana, chiku, nikorumu, haruitsuru, and giga team up to make a Len-only cover of the jazzy ensemble song that also serves as a great little primer to Len's different Append voices. Most of them are pretty excellent, I have to say; there's one voice that makes me squint hard and another that I simply don't like, but by and large the coding's very solid and they work very well together.
【初音ミク】 livetune (kz) - Tell Your World - Full size Ver.【ラジオ音源改】
Tell Your World (kz / livetune, Miku, Pop)
Well, that's one question answered: is Stelas above posting a radio rip? The answer is apparently a big fat no, at least where kz is concerned. With a release date of March 14th this is the only way you'll get to listen to it for a couple of months before you (by which I mean, I) can get my grubby little hands on the single. Livetune's music is pretty much made for me, tapping straight into my love of pop that just about skirts the edge of club territory, and this track doesn't disappoint.
MMDs / PVs / Etc:
【ＧＵＭＩ】 天ノ弱 【ＰＶつけてみた】
Heaven's Weakness (164, PV: 香弥, Gumi)
Previously 'Less Than Heaven', since I think I've reneged on that translation. Oops. Anyway, this is a breathtaking PV for what is a stonking, iconic Gumi rock track and it's already into six figures of views so you should probably click this riiiiiight now.
下からマ○コ／SEX48 【替え歌カバー／MMD-PV】
Ma**ko from Below (MMDPV: まだ仔, Ensemble, Parody)
Yeah, uh. If you've been watching the Vocaloid daily ranking at all, you might have been expecting this to show up somewhere along the line. A perfect recreation of AKB48's 'Mariko from Above!' - and I do mean perfect right up until Rin gets molested - involving almost as many Vocaloids as AKB has members. It's a visual treat and I don't think this is going to get forgotten any time soon.
【MMD-PV】magnet
Magnet (MMDPV: F-San, Miku + Luka)
I very nearly didn't link this. Hell, I very nearly didn't watch this, because I've learnt from experience that the model used for Miku usually tends to mean that the video won't be much good. I'm glad I stuck it out, though - this is a very solid Magnet PV with a whole ton of production values behind it. The pair can look a little plastic and shiny, certainly, but I think that's made up for by a fantastic Luka model - which are rare sights indeed.
Dance Climax 3
Dance Climax 3 continued to be absolutely fantastic, so I'm going to rapid-fire the rest of my favorite videos from the competition with a quick note on each:
Cosmic Star (Rin) - As an unabashed fan of emon's songs, this was a no-brainer - doubly so for the perfect recreation of an odottemita favorite.
Galaxias! (Miku) - I can't help but feel that this is cheating just a little, given that galaxias! already had an MMDPV, the official one and all. Still, this is a great recreation that gives the chance to see the choreography at work. If Gumi's your thing instead, here's a HD Gumi version.
Sayonara Goodbye (Miku) - DMC always brings out the oldschool dance routines, and original MMD Miku dancing along to this popfest is about as oldschool as you get, just with MMD and MME on the top.
Freely Tomorrow (Miku, Len, and Rin) - Miku and the twins take to the DDR pad for a pretty fantastic triple attempt. Kind of hilarious to see Stepmania in an MMD video, the choreography's tops, but... does anyone actually do this on a DDR pad?
つかの間のDivaさん
Miku's Brief Time (MMDPV: kuracchibedaru, Miku)
Uhhhhhhhhhh.
News
- The most obvious bit of news, and one that's been bandied around a lot recently, is the Stark Reality of the Numbers Behind Vocaloid Videos, an expose into how badly Vocaloid's been doing and how many users tend not to watch niche videos...!... yeah, I'm not really digging this video. It's perfectly true that there are many videos that don't get that many views, but as far as I can tell the creator's looking at almost everything under the 'Vocaloid' tag. And that will include MMD rehashes, low-quality covers, and a lot of songs that simply aren't as good as the charttoppers. Anyway, there's a lot of number-crunching that might be of interest to you. More importantly is the narrator - it's voiced by Yukari's voiceroid software, which is absolutely tremendous.
- In the wake of Sega's christmas teaser for a game codenamed 'Project MMT' and totally not Project Diva Vita, guys, we swear, Piapro have announced a fanart competition for fans to produce images to be used within the game. In this case they're looking for school uniform and yukata designs, and loading screen images. Anyone want to guess what the new modules will be? Bonus question: can you guess what console or handheld the resolution of the loading screen image reminds me of? TOTALLY NOT VITA
- The Project Mirai site now lists a release date - March 8th - and is a little bit terrifying. I can cope with normal models okay but a nendoroid model just seems a little too glassy-stared for my liking. There's a preview of one of the videos, Re:nG's Sing + Smile, here.
- Sensei is getting his own Ice Mountain book illustrated by the Durarara guy. Honestly, I'm just linking this so you can stare long and hard at the cover, maybe drool a little. Why does Kiyoteru get all the merch, anyway? How did this come to be? Dude's most famous song is about crossdressing.
- A number of English sites dedicated to getting concerts and tools for concerts are starting to pop up - chief amongst them, Animiku for projection hardware and software. There was also a site aiming to try to promote and get the backing to put on a concert in Scotland, buuuuut... I've managed to completely lose the URL, pro that I am, so if someone has that and could pass it on to me I would be much obliged.
- Bruno and Clara are out! I sincerely hope they do well, though I may not ever know given my tendency to stick to Nicovideo. Likewise if any Engloid specialists happen to know of good rankings or the like, that would be pretty awesome to know about.
- Loath as I am to source anything from Kotaku - a site that is hovering maybe one or two steps higher than Sankaku Complex at this point - I predictably got pointed to their article on the Miku Skyrim Mod. Personally, I'd rather go for the Luka Skyrim Mod instead because it doesn't have the most terrifying and awe-inspiring thousand-yard stare I've seen in many a day.
- Special out-of-post highlight: these MMD videos give me sincere hope that someone will manage to include Pythagoras Switch in their videos for the upcoming MMD Cup.
Videos
I had the hardest time picking out which tracks should go outside the cut this week, I'm just saying. It has also been an incredibly suave week all in all, with a million and one jazzy or otherwise classy tracks.
【初音ミク】 コイウタ 【Clean Tears】
Love Song (Clean Tears, Miku, Oh My God Nicovideo I Hate You)
Sometimes I look at the size of my 'short'lists and wonder why exactly I don't just stick to the ranking when trying to figure out what videos to link. Well, here's your answer: I'd miss songs like this, and that would be a goddamn crime. Clean Tears, usually the purveyors of oontz oontz tracks, instead throws out a beautifully light and soft number with snatches of bass strings, the most heartening percussion around, and aaaaaa whenever an intro or chorus starts up I just aaaaaa. ... it occurs to me that my flippant response to the Harsh Realities video is a little hilarious in light of my complaining here. Hrm.
【初音ミク・巡音ルカ】リンちゃんなう！【鏡音生誕祭2011】
Rinchan Nau! (owata, Miku + Luka, Omochikaeri(n))
As you might expect, the twins have a fair number of good songs to come this update, it having been their birthday in the interim - but they sure as hell paid for it, as there's basically a gigantic big target painted on Rin in a couple of the videos this week. Chief among them is a very silly video from Owata, not so much a song as a protracted earworm with a talkloid track over the top, as Miku and Luka provide a compelling argument for extending Child Protection Services to robots.
【鏡音リンレン】BUNKA開放区【オリジナルPV】
BUNKA Open District (jiizasu, Len + Rin, Rock)
Probably my favorite out of the twins songs this roundup, this is a punchy and forthright track that gets in your face with some great lyrics and just a little grungy guitar and whiny synths, before the song all but falls away for a quiet bridge with an unearthly, jumpy feel. Top notch either way; the twins are spot-on, even when they're spouting out an engrish chorus, and there's just so much to like here.
【GUMI】消火器がダンディーで気が利く場合【オリジナル曲】
A Classy, Tactful Fire Extinguisher (uramanbou, Gumi, Rock)
Yyyyyyyyyyep.
【VY2・VY1V3】とても痛い痛がりたい【オリジナル曲】
Hurting for a Very Hurtful Pain (EZFG, VY1 + VY2, Rock)
I knew this was going to be a keeper the moment the music started. It's fair to say - and probably I should, since I never got around to amethyst_turtle's post - that Cyber Thunder (Sl/C)ider was one of my absolute favorite tracks from last year for its pulsing, thumping beat. EZFG hasn't disappointed in the least, this is an absolutely breathtaking track that refuses to let go and will keep you foot-tapping and headbanging to the absolute end. vgperson's done a top-notch translation here.
【初音ミクが人間のように歌う】イージーデンス【ラップもする】
Easy Dance (MitchieM, Miku, Club Pop)
Mitchie M breaks into Append with a 'rap-style' track that's every bit as phenomenal as his other tracks. Using a combination of the basic Miku and Append Soft, the things he does to Miku's coding are basically obscene; while this song might not be to everyone's taste as it's a very strange track all in all, you cannot deny the effort and ability put into making her sound as real as possible, and she doesn't miss a beat on any of the lyrics throughout.
【鏡音リン・レン】背徳の花
Immoral Flower (hitoshizuku, Len + Rin, Orchestral)
Eehhhh... so this was the top-viewed video from the Twins' birthday videos, but I can't say I'm tremendously impressed. The track's good, there's no doubt about it - it's a bombastic orchestral song that knows what kind of sound it wants to go for and heads for it full-bore, except for the slightly jarring if technically excellent guitar riff in the middle - and Len and Rin certainly sound great, but it simply didn't grab me the same way that BUNKA did.
【初音ミク】 cat's dance 【オリジナル】
cat's dance (marasy, Miku, Jazz Pop)
One of the smoother and more suave songs of the week, cat's dance is almost entirely jazzy piano and acoustic guitar with some atmospheric percussion and strings to taste, and from that you end up with some seriously breathtaking solos and instrumentals bookended by top-notch music full of neat little touches and tweaks. The video does get suggestive in places so some caution is advised if that's your thing.
【鏡音リンappend】 sigh 【オリジナル】
sigh (iroha, Rin, Pop)
This is one of the big twins hitters of the last couple weeks, if I'm honest, and usually I'd put that sort of thing higher up the post if it weren't for the fact I'm a little disillusioned with it. Rin's voice sounds pretty bad to me, and the song just doesn't seem to have enough body to it to actually interest me. The video is pretty solid, though, and this track has gotten more than enough hits that you should probably ignore me and go check it out.
【GUMI】 NARAKA 【オリジナルPV】
NARAKA (papiyon x 164, Gumi, Rock)
... which is more than I can say for this track. I realise that this is from some of the finest names in the business and that it's probably my own tastes at fault rather than the producers in question, and the actual instrumentation is simply fantastic with some amazing piano and guitars, but I simply can't take this song; the distortion on Gumi's voice is just too much for me and I end up wincing time and time again. Very definitely an acquired taste, I think?
「bouquet」 オリジナル曲 vo.初音ミク
bouquet (doriko, Miku, Orchestral Pop)
The oldest track on my shortlist, bouquet is the requisite track that I always feel worst about, thanks to my habit of bookmarking the best tracks of the week barely a second after I've done an update and leaving them to languish for ages. A beautiful bit of primarily orchestral crooning, Miku's voice is perfectly soft and doesn't falter for a moment on the higher notes and crescendoes. It's a fantastic track for drifting off to and letting wash over you.
【巡音ルカ】 Pelagic fish 【オリジナル】
Pelagic Fish (無力, Luka, Sonar)
A bit of a departure for this producer; gone are the heavy rock tracks and angsty moping, and instead here's a comparatively soft track primarily focused on piano and synth tones and beats. While it may follow the distinct theme of the update in that fashion, don't think the oppressive gloom is entirely gone; this feels a sight darker and more chaotic than many of the songs this update, especially given the solos. Luka sounds a little off - she's a little too high and can't mask it with the music this time. Still, a great listen.
【※PV付き※】冷たい手【鏡音レンappend】
Cold Hands (ゆう十, Len, Fusion...?)
Another easy song to like, this one goes on the suave pile that's rapidly building up this update. It's actually very hard to categorize because there's such a gigantic mish-mash of style going on here. One moment you'll get the smoothest of synths and soft tones, the next you'll get snappy snares and clicking fingers, the next you'll get a hint of brass bands and jazz. Throughout it all, Len holds steady, if sometimes a little autotuned. What a lovely track.
【きゃりーりんりん】つけまつける
Tsukematsukeru (giga, Rin, Earworm)
My translation tools can't make heads nor tails of this, and neither can I, and given the general cadence of the song I'm not even sure I'm meant to. It's drawing a definite line to PONPONPON in my head what with some of the repetitions and chorus structure, but I couldn't adequately explain why - it does have the same energy, though, a sugary-sweet and saccharine pop tune with a little bit of chiptune in there for good measure.
【Lily】ＢＣ【オリジナル曲】
BC (niki, Lily, Rock)
You pretty much should know what to expect at this point; I think we can pretty much say there's only two Lily producers, and they both have a very established sound to them. Fortunately, that sound is really good - this is classic Lily through and through, a very strong track with a staggeringly good voice and just enough energetic rock to fill in what is a much-needed hole in the post.
【KAITO】TOY BOX【オリジナル】
TOY BOX (新城, Kaito, Piano And Bass)
A stunning track, though not entirely for the right reasons. It's a little too rough to really garner high-scoring views, but the combination of an absolutely unique bit of Kaito coding and the breakneck, crazed piano pace turns this track from a minimalistic song into a showstopper. I couldn't help but stop and listen to this because it was just that out there and impressive, and then Kaito starts harmonizing with himself.
【巡音ルカ】深淵【オリジナル曲】
Abyss (Chiquewa, Luka, R+B)
I've always rather liked Chiquewa's Luka, often because she ends up in the more experimental or bizarre videos because of it. Here, she's in an interesting fusion between a traditional R+B track and a thumping drum-and-bass number; it's not uncommon to have her smooth lyrics suddenly drop out to pulsing beats and tinkling piano, then right back in time for the next snatch of synthed strings. Luka's a little mealy-mouthed in places, becoming a little muffled or weak, but this is a great idea and the execution's very solid.
【PIKO,MEGPOID】 Uranus 【オリジナル】
Uranus (chiitaagaaru, Piko + Gumi, Pop)
I love finding good Piko songs, because for the longest time he was really getting some pap. Funnily enough, all of my favorite Piko songs are much like this one - soft, crooning affairs better suited for ambience rather than punching into your attention span, usually with Piko doing backing work for someone else. It's hard to dislike this song, if only because it's pleasant and unassuming and wouldn't hurt a fly. Aww.
【巡音ルカ・KAITO】Cocktail and Lovers' Night【オリジナル】
Cocktail and Lovers' Night (intro, Kaito + Luka, Suaaaaaveto)
Er... hm! This isn't a pairing I usually expect, since they don't tend to mesh, but set them both against a double bass, some brass instruments, and a little bit of tasteful organ music and suddenly their deep voices work into a surprisingly good combination. Not the best of coding, but more than good enough to overlook the odd issue with Luka's pitch here and there, and any other complaints I might have are swallowed whole by that brass band. Mmm.
【GUMI】 ディス・イズ・ラブソング 【オリジナル】
This Is Lovesong (鬱, Gumi, ROOOOOOOOCKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK)
There are those times when you really need an emoticon, but there just isn't one to properly express the depth of feeling and eyetwitching that really needs to be evoked. This is pretty much one of those times, as a tremendously grungy and angry track blares out 'LOVELOVELOVELOVE' and then asides into a threatening and oppressive crawl of dark feeling and moaning backing voices. This is Lovesong.
【鏡音レン七人盛り】Mr.music【カバー】
Mr. Music 7-Len Remix (Assorted, Len, Big Band Pop)
The producer list for this video is a regular batch of Len big names: shiero, rerere, orebanana, chiku, nikorumu, haruitsuru, and giga team up to make a Len-only cover of the jazzy ensemble song that also serves as a great little primer to Len's different Append voices. Most of them are pretty excellent, I have to say; there's one voice that makes me squint hard and another that I simply don't like, but by and large the coding's very solid and they work very well together.
【初音ミク】 livetune (kz) - Tell Your World - Full size Ver.【ラジオ音源改】
Tell Your World (kz / livetune, Miku, Pop)
Well, that's one question answered: is Stelas above posting a radio rip? The answer is apparently a big fat no, at least where kz is concerned. With a release date of March 14th this is the only way you'll get to listen to it for a couple of months before you (by which I mean, I) can get my grubby little hands on the single. Livetune's music is pretty much made for me, tapping straight into my love of pop that just about skirts the edge of club territory, and this track doesn't disappoint.
MMDs / PVs / Etc:
【ＧＵＭＩ】 天ノ弱 【ＰＶつけてみた】
Heaven's Weakness (164, PV: 香弥, Gumi)
Previously 'Less Than Heaven', since I think I've reneged on that translation. Oops. Anyway, this is a breathtaking PV for what is a stonking, iconic Gumi rock track and it's already into six figures of views so you should probably click this riiiiiight now.
下からマ○コ／SEX48 【替え歌カバー／MMD-PV】
Ma**ko from Below (MMDPV: まだ仔, Ensemble, Parody)
Yeah, uh. If you've been watching the Vocaloid daily ranking at all, you might have been expecting this to show up somewhere along the line. A perfect recreation of AKB48's 'Mariko from Above!' - and I do mean perfect right up until Rin gets molested - involving almost as many Vocaloids as AKB has members. It's a visual treat and I don't think this is going to get forgotten any time soon.
【MMD-PV】magnet
Magnet (MMDPV: F-San, Miku + Luka)
I very nearly didn't link this. Hell, I very nearly didn't watch this, because I've learnt from experience that the model used for Miku usually tends to mean that the video won't be much good. I'm glad I stuck it out, though - this is a very solid Magnet PV with a whole ton of production values behind it. The pair can look a little plastic and shiny, certainly, but I think that's made up for by a fantastic Luka model - which are rare sights indeed.
Dance Climax 3
Dance Climax 3 continued to be absolutely fantastic, so I'm going to rapid-fire the rest of my favorite videos from the competition with a quick note on each:
Cosmic Star (Rin) - As an unabashed fan of emon's songs, this was a no-brainer - doubly so for the perfect recreation of an odottemita favorite.
Galaxias! (Miku) - I can't help but feel that this is cheating just a little, given that galaxias! already had an MMDPV, the official one and all. Still, this is a great recreation that gives the chance to see the choreography at work. If Gumi's your thing instead, here's a HD Gumi version.
Sayonara Goodbye (Miku) - DMC always brings out the oldschool dance routines, and original MMD Miku dancing along to this popfest is about as oldschool as you get, just with MMD and MME on the top.
Freely Tomorrow (Miku, Len, and Rin) - Miku and the twins take to the DDR pad for a pretty fantastic triple attempt. Kind of hilarious to see Stepmania in an MMD video, the choreography's tops, but... does anyone actually do this on a DDR pad?
つかの間のDivaさん
Miku's Brief Time (MMDPV: kuracchibedaru, Miku)
Uhhhhhhhhhh.