REBOOT by ジミーサムP (JimmyThumb-P) feat. Hatsune Miku, Megurine Luka, Samune Jimi

      Overview

   I figured for my first review, I'd pick apart one of my favorites and give you a solid breakdown. This is "REBOOT" by JimmyThumb-P. You may also know him as OneRoom from some of his earlier work. The album first gained some notoriety when the PV for the titular song, ReBoot, was posted to Niconico. This was before the whole album came out, of course, but it sparked a lot of buzz. The PV depicted a sad story of a friend dying, separation, and ultimately redemption for Miku and Luka. Check it out here: http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm19570813

  Anyway, I'll make some general statements about the album, and then I'll do a track-by-track breakdown. Overall, the album is a very relaxed listen. The music is generally pop/light rock, with songs alternating between Miku, Luka, and a few duos. The songs tend are generally excellent; JimmyThumb-P has a very distinct way of tuning the Vocaloids (especially Luka) that makes their voices sound very rich and full. There is also a nice variety of track types, from peppy guitar pieces to jazzy bossa nova numbers.

The first pressing of the album came with some really neat goodies. I got a replica of the star-shaped keychain the Jimi gives Miku and Luka in "Reboot," as well as an 18" x 28" poster of the album art. Both are quite lovely, and the kaychain especially is a great way to show your love for the album while hiding your power level. Other places gave exclusive extras, such as clear folders, those fake credit cards (what's the deal with those, anyway?), and tiny mousepads that don't seem to serve much function.

Now, onto the more in-depth breakdown:

  1) 第一日目の扉 : This is a simple little intro track in which we hear rain, followed by footsteps entering a barn. It would seem that the idea is to give the listener the impression that the album is either being played by a live band in a barn, or perhaps just the first complete song (which it blends directly into.) I'm not 100% sure how to translate that title, but it seems to be something along the lines of "Looking through the door of the first day." Please correct me if I'm wrong.

  2) 新世界セッション: The second track on the album is a peppy little number where we're introduced to the band. The title seems to translate to "First Session of the World." It's sung by Miku, and at one point she introduces us to everyone else: Luka on the bass guitar, Miku on the keyboard, Samune Jimi on the guitar, and Jimi again on the drums. "Samune Jimi" is the fake persona JimmyThumb-P uses to insert himself into the Vocaloid world (Sa-Mu-Ne-Ji-Mi, Ji-Mi-Sa-Mu, as in Jimmy Thumb. Get it? Samune Jimi actually functions as an UTAU which JimmyThumb-P created by recording his own voice, and she's unique to him). Anyway, it's a pleasant tune that really gets your feet tapping, and it builds a lot of anticipation for the rest of the album. The guitar is upbeat and fast, and Miku's singing/keyboard work is excellent. Luka's bass guitar lines a groovy as well.

  3) Reboot: The titular track of the album, Reboot is a back-and-forth duet between Miku and Luka. The song depicts the story of them being friends with a third girl - Samune Jimi- as children. Jimi gives Luka and Miku a pair of star-shaped charms which match her own, and they represent the bond the three of them share. After a childish fight Luka and Miku have, Jimi winds up running into the street to recover a lost charm and, in the lovably typical Japanese way, she gets hit by a truck and dies. Miku and Luka's friendship detriorates after that, and the sorrow of seeing this friendship end forces Jimi into limbo as a ghost. We see them get on with their lives until college. In college, Luka meets up with Miku again by chance, and chases her down as she tries to run in shock. They tearfully reunite, and while watching the stars, Jimi is finally able to move on. It's a beautiful song, and it's shock full of emotion to go with the PV. The singing is stellar, and the piano work particularly sticks out as being excellent. These two elements overshadow the other instrumentals in the song, however, but it's no so bad as they're clearly not the focus of the piece. (PV: http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm19570813)

 4) PYX: A rockin' little number sung by Miku. The electric guitar, bass guitar, and drums are the focus of this song very clearly. They all play off each other excellently, and the song flows very well. My only complaint is that the song feel a little static; there's not a lot of dynamicism is volume or tone, and the song feels very similar from beginning to end. You could almost skip around to different parts of the song and not feel like you're missing much of anything. (PV: http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm20738973)

 5) サンセット(Sunset): Sunset is a cute bossa nova song sung by Miku. It's very relaxing, and feature excellent classical guitar and flute work. The lyrics carry an optimistic message about casting off the things that trouble you and moving ahead with life. (PV: http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm20864067)

 6) Lunarian: This song is a surreal instrumental piece that gives a sense of being gently wrapped in a comfortable space and floating around. It has wonderful synthesizer work, and features recording that seem to be coming from an astronaut as he looks down on Earth from space. They might be Apollo recordings, but I'm not sure. It's an awesome little interlude, and one of my favorite tracks on the album.

  7) 夢幻放射: This is a pop piece sung by Samune Jimi primarily featuring synthesizer work. It's very cutesy and bubbly, and the beat is fun to bob to. However, Miku's voice is interestingly tuned here: JimmyThumb-P turns the GEN factor wayyy down in the Vocaloid editor, causing Jimi's voice to take on a very wet and nasally sort of sound. I can't say I'm a huge fan of it, but I wouldn't go so far as to call it "bad." It's just not really my cup of tea; those of you who are really into higher-pitched cutesy songs might dig this one. My translator widget tells me that the song title means "Fantasy Emission," but I can't guarantee anything with it.

 8) Crossroad: This is a very relaxed piece sung by Miku, with the guitar and drums at the instrumental forefront. The chorus is very strong, and it sounds awesome to listen to. There's a sense of surreal reflection in this song, and it makes for a great introspective piece. One interesting thing at the end of the song is that, if you're listening with good equipment, you can pick up the sound of footsteps coming and going, which suggests the singer change for the next song.

 9) Joker: Finally, a Luka song! Here, Luka, sings a chill but slightly more upbeat song than many of the others that have come before. The crescendos of the song feel like they're meant to imbue a sense of hope, as they're accompanied by an appropriate rise in pitch. The guitar solo near the end is really cool too. Luka's vocal are very rich, and are wonderful for the eardrums. Definitely a great addition to the unfortunately small collection of awesome Luka songs out there (seriously Vocaloid community, use her more!)

10) Infinite Color: This is a poppy and cute tune sung by Miku again. Miku's voice is backed by synthesizers and a flute chiming in quietly on occasion. The song isn't bad, but honestly I find it a bit boring. Nothing really "happens" sonically: no crescendoes, no great solos, nothing too luring. There's a short breakdown to prepare you for the chorus, but it's not that good. The tuning is good, but the composition just isn't that interesting.

11) おやすみのうた (Oyasumi no Uta/Goodnight Song): This is a peaceful song that invokes its sleepy namesake quite well. Jimi's got that GEN factor down again, leading to that wet/nasally sound I mentioned earlier, but it's not quite as bad as before. Since this song is meant to be more soothing, it works better here. I think this track works quite well as a relaxing agent, and while it's not an album highlight, it's certainly nice.

12) Dreamscape: This one's a very mellow, very relaxing song sung by Luka. It fits, of course, that "Dreamscape" follows up "Goodnight Song," and JimmyThumb-P handles this so well it's unreal. Dreamscape invokes exactly what it says it will. It's a dreamy, calming song in which you feel like you're floating through the universe gently while holding hands with a lover. There's some cute Engrish in the song from Luka to tickle the eardrums, and the synthesizer backing her adds to the dreamscape. This is a great tune.

13) 水槽脳: Luka's taken over the album now! Here, we have a folkier sounding piece with the guitar taking over in the beginning. The soundscape expands after the intro into a wider set with drums and the bass guitar backing everything up. It's nice and chill, and it serves as a good "waking up" after the previous two songs. Nothing in particular really stands out about it, though I must praise the guitar solo for being nice. It makes a nice filler song to round out the album. The title means "Aquarium Brain," seemingly implying the image of a brain in a jar.

14) Mantra: "Mantra" is an instrumental like "Lunarian" was, and it's great. It starts out low and quiet, and as the song goes on it takes on life and energy. It wakes us up from the hypnotically calm state the last few songs put us in, and readies us for what comes next. Drums and guitar with delay pedals are featured here.

15) Afterglow: This is the big Luka song on this album, and it has a beautiful PV. The song is quiet and beautiful in the early stages of the song, and has an ethereal quality unique to JimmyThumb-P's tuning. However, around the 2:30 mark, the song explodes into a crescendo and picks up a huge amount of energy that just lifts your heart and soul into the heavens. It's awesome, and then that wonderful guitar of his kicks in and delivers a cool solo. The song finishes into a nice rest. The PV depicts a troubled painter and what happens to him after seeing a certain girl on the school roof. (PV: http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm20244831)

16: Starduster (Orchestral Ver.): This is, as the title says, an orchestral remake of OneRoom's famous "Starduster." Honestly, I'm not that big of a fan of it. The instrumental work is lovely, but ultimately I find the song rather boring. The beauty of the first one is its emotional sadness as we feel Miku's pain. This one makes that feel more "ornamental," in a way where the song is more delicate and pretty than the original, but much of the original emotion is lost. If you're a huge fan of "Starduster" and love orchestral music you might dig it, but I like both of those things and I wasn't even that impressed.

  Final Remarks

       This album is very, very good. JimmyThumb-P has eked out a spot in the Vocaloid community all his own, and his unique tuning of the Vocaloids, excellent songwriting skills, and mastery of multiple instruments and styles make him a force to be contended with. Despite a few hiccups here and there that prevent the album from being perfect, I would say it's a must-own for any Vocaloid album collector.

   9/10