NEW ALBUM YAY!
I've been lying low all week because I've been doing my monthly paranoia and 'do not wish to speak to anybody' thing, but I think I'm over that now.
Especially since ... YAY NEW ALBUM LEAKY!!! In 320kbs, decent quality versions of Neiro and Sadistic Love at last YAY YAY YAY! :-)
And sure, I've bought it already, but the way things are going it'll be mid-May before I actually have it, and this is just... this makes my Sunday!
So, uh, I listened to it all to see if my views would change with the better quality copies, and here's what I'm thinking of it all - cut for those who really couldn't care less. :-) These are purely personal views, I wouldn't pretend to be speaking from any position of knowledge of what's 'good' in pop music or otherwise because really, I don't have a clue.
Of the amazing
Care
Been in love with the song since I first heard it, ripped all live performances, hoped (hopelessly) for studio version like, forever, and here it is. And BETTER. YAY!
(And he found the missing beat that *always* puzzled me. *g*)
1582
Seriously, this is not some sort of Akame favouritsm. I'll be the first to complain - at length - about most of Kame's other solos. I refuse to watch some of them and they are nowhere on my mp3 players. But this one just gets better and better the more I listen to it, more and more intense (and did I mention 'frantic'? I think I did. Let me add 'feverish'.). (Some of the frantic is due to the swirly string instrumentation in the chorus and the breathless way the vocals move, no doubt, but there's also something about that unresolved major seventh at the end of the chorus verses... I think.) CANNOT wait for the performance.
Sadistic Love
Let me name the ways. :-) Okay, I love the melody parts best, particularly towards the end, that slow build-up with the marching drums in the background. But also, the way the rap turns into that fast driving rhythm... Helloween, anybody? Yeah. Always liked them, too. This is a fabulous song and god, I can't wait to see what they do with that in concert.
Of the good
Neiro
Well, by all standard definitions, this is probably not a good song. More like 'mainstream' and 'derivative'. But you know what, I've always liked 80s ballads. *g*
Rescue
Well, we know about that one.
Don't U ever stop
Ditto. But how come that's on this album? It's ancient! Isn't it on QoP? I got really confused here.
White Xmas
I have to say I was intrigued when I saw JOKER credited for rap in this. *g* Well, I've always liked the song, and I think the rap makes it even better, and is it just me or have they fiddled with the instrumentation a bit, too? It seemed more pointed in some places.
Pierrot
Noise is noisy. :-) But not offensive, the harmonies - such as they are - in it are straightforward for the most part and the percussion works well to keep it interesting. Rap is fine. Chorus is... I love the sheer energy of it. This is a great song for playing very loud on the motorway. Autobahn. The bits that don't have the 100kmh speed limit yet. *g*
Of the totally acceptable
Water Dance
This was in the category below for a while, but I like the hypnotic thing in the fast repetitions of that 6-note line, and the strings later in the song. It sounds like a song to which I want to see Jin dance, actually. If he did that... it might just end up in the 'amazing' section.
One Drop
It's pop. It's harmless. The bridge is the most interesting thing and I could listen to that over and over.
White World
More pop. But a nice surprise because I can't recall ever liking any of Nakamaru's solos before.
Of the hmmmm
Moon
I can tell it's good. The underlying rock-feel is great. And I like bits of it. Like, every other bar? And there's the problem, because in the bars in between, it always does things which I didn't anticipate, it doesn't seem to want to settle in a groove as far as harmony/key is concerned, and it makes me all uneasy. My current theory is that once I know it better, and know what to expect, I'll probably like it more. Since it's a KAT-TUN song, there's a chance I'll listen often enough to make that happen. But so far, on the two attempts I've made, I haven't been able to listen to it all the way through. If it were any other band, I know I wouldn't bother. I don't like my music quease-inducing.
Kimi Michi
Just not my style. I'm sure it's a perfectly good song... if you like Arashi. Some nice duet stuff in there too. I expect I'll like this one in its live version (though it'll be interesting to see what they do, it's such a cutesy-perky song and KAT-TUN and 'cutesy-perky' doesn't quite compute for me), but as it stands, just... Not My Style. (But I got through it. This bodes well.)
ShunKaShuuTou
Another one of those Arashi-esque things, or at least that's what it seems like to me, who checked out Arashi about a year ago and formed certain perhaps rash opinions (and didn't keep a *single one* of the downloaded songs). But this one also has some bizarre... I can't even explain it. It reminds me of 40s music? or 50s? Some sort of musical thing? I find it bearable, but that's as far as this one goes. Oh, and also pointless. (Actually, I just clicked out. Right, so much for that.)
Hana no Mau Machi
I really like the start, but, like I think I've said before, it's because that sounds like it's stolen from Ai no Hana. Once that's over, it... starts to sound like Kimi Michi or ShunKaShuuTou to me (and yes, before you complain, I know they all sound different, but it does the same thing that BUGS me so to me, there's a connection there.) Only maybe this is like a NEWS song and not Arashi? Hm. Whatever. Shame, because I've always liked Ueda's solos before and I was actually looking forward to this one.
Of the OMFG keep it away from me
Wind
Sorry, Junno. But WTF is that? Can't you just do Samurai Love Attack again? (No, I did not like it but I found it bearable.) I didn't keep this song on for long enough to be able to say just how many ways it creeps me out, so some general impression will have to do. It's... The sort of thing I've come to expect from Kame solos. Jazz? Soul? Blues? Something from that region, IDK, it's all the same to me and it makes me cry, so ... clicky click, sorry Junno, better luck next time.
Not much else been going on this week. Have been quietly panicking about not getting my CW assignments graded on time. Not that there's much danger of that, but I get like it when I slack off for a couple of days, and I've been doing that due to feeling... bleah and paranoid. Vicious circle. Must do better. Blah blah. *g*
Especially since ... YAY NEW ALBUM LEAKY!!! In 320kbs, decent quality versions of Neiro and Sadistic Love at last YAY YAY YAY! :-)
And sure, I've bought it already, but the way things are going it'll be mid-May before I actually have it, and this is just... this makes my Sunday!
So, uh, I listened to it all to see if my views would change with the better quality copies, and here's what I'm thinking of it all - cut for those who really couldn't care less. :-) These are purely personal views, I wouldn't pretend to be speaking from any position of knowledge of what's 'good' in pop music or otherwise because really, I don't have a clue.
Of the amazing
Care
Been in love with the song since I first heard it, ripped all live performances, hoped (hopelessly) for studio version like, forever, and here it is. And BETTER. YAY!
(And he found the missing beat that *always* puzzled me. *g*)
1582
Seriously, this is not some sort of Akame favouritsm. I'll be the first to complain - at length - about most of Kame's other solos. I refuse to watch some of them and they are nowhere on my mp3 players. But this one just gets better and better the more I listen to it, more and more intense (and did I mention 'frantic'? I think I did. Let me add 'feverish'.). (Some of the frantic is due to the swirly string instrumentation in the chorus and the breathless way the vocals move, no doubt, but there's also something about that unresolved major seventh at the end of the chorus verses... I think.) CANNOT wait for the performance.
Sadistic Love
Let me name the ways. :-) Okay, I love the melody parts best, particularly towards the end, that slow build-up with the marching drums in the background. But also, the way the rap turns into that fast driving rhythm... Helloween, anybody? Yeah. Always liked them, too. This is a fabulous song and god, I can't wait to see what they do with that in concert.
Of the good
Neiro
Well, by all standard definitions, this is probably not a good song. More like 'mainstream' and 'derivative'. But you know what, I've always liked 80s ballads. *g*
Rescue
Well, we know about that one.
Don't U ever stop
Ditto. But how come that's on this album? It's ancient! Isn't it on QoP? I got really confused here.
White Xmas
I have to say I was intrigued when I saw JOKER credited for rap in this. *g* Well, I've always liked the song, and I think the rap makes it even better, and is it just me or have they fiddled with the instrumentation a bit, too? It seemed more pointed in some places.
Pierrot
Noise is noisy. :-) But not offensive, the harmonies - such as they are - in it are straightforward for the most part and the percussion works well to keep it interesting. Rap is fine. Chorus is... I love the sheer energy of it. This is a great song for playing very loud on the motorway. Autobahn. The bits that don't have the 100kmh speed limit yet. *g*
Of the totally acceptable
Water Dance
This was in the category below for a while, but I like the hypnotic thing in the fast repetitions of that 6-note line, and the strings later in the song. It sounds like a song to which I want to see Jin dance, actually. If he did that... it might just end up in the 'amazing' section.
One Drop
It's pop. It's harmless. The bridge is the most interesting thing and I could listen to that over and over.
White World
More pop. But a nice surprise because I can't recall ever liking any of Nakamaru's solos before.
Of the hmmmm
Moon
I can tell it's good. The underlying rock-feel is great. And I like bits of it. Like, every other bar? And there's the problem, because in the bars in between, it always does things which I didn't anticipate, it doesn't seem to want to settle in a groove as far as harmony/key is concerned, and it makes me all uneasy. My current theory is that once I know it better, and know what to expect, I'll probably like it more. Since it's a KAT-TUN song, there's a chance I'll listen often enough to make that happen. But so far, on the two attempts I've made, I haven't been able to listen to it all the way through. If it were any other band, I know I wouldn't bother. I don't like my music quease-inducing.
Kimi Michi
Just not my style. I'm sure it's a perfectly good song... if you like Arashi. Some nice duet stuff in there too. I expect I'll like this one in its live version (though it'll be interesting to see what they do, it's such a cutesy-perky song and KAT-TUN and 'cutesy-perky' doesn't quite compute for me), but as it stands, just... Not My Style. (But I got through it. This bodes well.)
ShunKaShuuTou
Another one of those Arashi-esque things, or at least that's what it seems like to me, who checked out Arashi about a year ago and formed certain perhaps rash opinions (and didn't keep a *single one* of the downloaded songs). But this one also has some bizarre... I can't even explain it. It reminds me of 40s music? or 50s? Some sort of musical thing? I find it bearable, but that's as far as this one goes. Oh, and also pointless. (Actually, I just clicked out. Right, so much for that.)
Hana no Mau Machi
I really like the start, but, like I think I've said before, it's because that sounds like it's stolen from Ai no Hana. Once that's over, it... starts to sound like Kimi Michi or ShunKaShuuTou to me (and yes, before you complain, I know they all sound different, but it does the same thing that BUGS me so to me, there's a connection there.) Only maybe this is like a NEWS song and not Arashi? Hm. Whatever. Shame, because I've always liked Ueda's solos before and I was actually looking forward to this one.
Of the OMFG keep it away from me
Wind
Sorry, Junno. But WTF is that? Can't you just do Samurai Love Attack again? (No, I did not like it but I found it bearable.) I didn't keep this song on for long enough to be able to say just how many ways it creeps me out, so some general impression will have to do. It's... The sort of thing I've come to expect from Kame solos. Jazz? Soul? Blues? Something from that region, IDK, it's all the same to me and it makes me cry, so ... clicky click, sorry Junno, better luck next time.
Not much else been going on this week. Have been quietly panicking about not getting my CW assignments graded on time. Not that there's much danger of that, but I get like it when I slack off for a couple of days, and I've been doing that due to feeling... bleah and paranoid. Vicious circle. Must do better. Blah blah. *g*