Overview
Hey again readers! Sorry for the delay between updates; Thanksgiving did a number on my ability to review. I was away from my good headphones and equipment after all, and I didn’t want to review this album without giving it its due justice. I’m glad that I’m doing this on the heels of some cool Kagepro news, though; at an even yesterday, SHAFT’s President announced that they’re targeting April 2014 as the air date for the anime adaptation of Kagepro, called Mekaku City Actors.
Anyway, Mekaku City Records is Jin’s follow-up to Mekaku City Days, and features the rest of the Mekakushi Gang’s story. It’s a nifty follow-up to the first, and due to the series’ popularity they beefed up the release a bit. There are two version - a normal version and a limited-edition version. The normal version is simple; it just comes in a case with and outer sleeve that has the album art and tracklist on it. The limited edition comes in a bigger, metallic-looking case and has two CDs: one with the PVs and one with the music. Honestly, it feels like a bit of a rip-off considering that everything you get with the limited edition is analogous to the content that came with the regular release of the first album, but the regular edition of Mekaku City Records is cheaper than both of them, so it’s not too bad.
Anyway, let’s cut to the chase.
Music
1) サマーエンドロール/Summer End Roll: Another one of Jin’s little spoken intros, this one is voiced by Asumi Kana again. It introduces the album and the idea of getting through the endless summer. It’s an interesting and stylistic way to open the album, so I’m glad to see Jin sticking with it.
2) チルドレンレーコド(Re Ver.)/Children Record (Re Ver.): One of Jin’s most well-known songs, Children Record is a general introduction to many of the characters and the series; some have essentially classified it as the official theme of the Kagerou Project. It has a catchy beat, and the guitar and drums especially are pretty good. IA’s vocals can be pretty harsh at times - this is Jin, after all - but the composition of the song is really fun, and it makes a great intro song for the album and the project as a whole. There’s a PV of the song, and it’s quite cool. However, be warned that the PV is for the original mix of the song, while this version is slightly different. I’d say the biggest differences are some slight improvement tweaks to IA’s tuning and better instrumental mixing.
3) 夜咄ディセイブ／Yobanashi Deceive: This song’s about Shuuya Kano, a user who has the Eyes of Deception. The guitar work in this song is absolutely awesome; the opening riffs jolt the blood and get you into the groove that the rest of the song follows so well. The bass guitar kicks in once in a while to give us an funky burst of energy, and peppy drums keep the excitement going from start to finish. IA’s tuning is great here as well; it’s not too harsh and does a decent job of conveying some emotion. One of Jin’s finest pieces for sure. The PV is damn cool too; it has a graffiti style to it and features some great artwork.
4) 少年ブレイブ/Shounen Brave: Another song with an amazing opening guitar riff! This one’s a lot more relaxed then Yobanashi Deceive was, and it’s a more bouncy listen. IA’s voice is nice and soft in this one, as it’s a lot closer to a poppy balad than a serious rock piece. The song itself tells the story of Seto, and how he met a dog when he was younger (and was also bullied, because Japan). The chorus is memorable and catchy, and cute button flashes of synthesizer in the background tie the piece together really well. The drums are a little quieter here, but they’re still lovely when they can be heard. Shounen Brave is a cool follow-up to Yobanashi Deceive. Interesting trivia: there was supposed to be a PV for this song, but it was cancelled for being too spoiler-y.
5) 夕景イエスタデイ/Yuukei Yesterday: This song, like Shounen Brave, is cute. It’s cuter, in fact, then most of the songs in the Kagepro verse, on par with Souzou Forest. Yuukei Yesterday is about Takane and Haruka, the two characters who later become Ene and Konoha. Specifically, it’s about the lovey-dovey feelings Takane has for Haruka, and her reluctance to admit them. The percussion section shines brightest here, keeping the rhythm bouncy and fun through the whole song. IA’s also really well suited to this song, as her slightly nasally and cute voice matches the other pieces very well. The guitar is present, but it’s not really a pronounced element of the song other than a cool guitar solo. The synth works itself in there as well, though you might not notice it under the strong percussion. My only complaint with this song is that the mix is a bit jumbled, and the instruments seem to sort of chaotically slam into each other and become slightly indistinguishable. The PV is suitably adorable as well.
6) 群青レイン (Re Ver.)/Gunjou Rain (Re Ver.): This is a very bittersweet song about Mary and her mother Shion. It concerns their life together before Shion’s untimely death, and about how much Shion loved her daughter. Shion looks out the window at the rain and wishes it would never end, so that she could protect Mary forever (this is what the title is referencing). The song fits the theme very well; it’s relaxing and mellow with a slight hint of tension (as Shion no doubt feels in the story). The guitar is haunting, as Jin uses delay effects to great length to create an atmosphere soundscape, and IA’s voice is lamentful and wistful. The guitar solo in this song is particularly kickass as well. The drums are fairly standard and don’t stand out as anything special, but they’re still good.
7) アウターサイエンス/Outer Science: One of the most celebrated songs in the Kagepro fandom, spawning several great covers by many renowned cover artists (such as cillia), Outer Science is the “bad end” of the Kagepro series, so to speak. In it, Dark Konoha kills everyone dear to Mary in an attempt to goad her into using her eye powers to reinvent the world. It’s primarily synth driven, and the synth is great. It’s gritty and dirty, and conveys a lot of the tense/dark atmosphere Jin’s going for. The guitar is also put through what a fuzz pedal to match the grit of the synth, and it works really well. Unfortunately I can’t give IA’s vocals huge points; they’re too delicate for the rest of the song to really work as well as they should. They’re far from terrible, but they don’t convey the right emotions as well as I’d like. I’ve heard some great UTAU covers come out of this that do the job better (again, check out cillia’s cover). The PV is damn cool also.
8)オツキミリサイタル/Otsukimi Recital: It seems that Jin wanted to lighten the mood a bit after Outer Science, so he put this song next. Otsukimi Recital is an interesting combination of cute, happy, and sad. The song’s about Momo trying to cheer up Hibiya, who just managed to get out of the Kagerou Days loop and is still quite sad over watching Hiyori die (it’s all a part of growing up in Japan, I assure you). The song takes a lot of interesting queues from ska, and the brass section makes a very prominent appearance in the song. It’s bright and cheery, and does a lot for the mood. IA’s vocals play right into this, and her cheery voice lifts us out of any gloom we may have had after Outer Science (I see what you did there, Jin!). Her voice is very well suited to this kind of song; that slightly nasal quality she has just seems to have a penchant for sounding cute if her voice is tuned gently. The other instruments aren’t really all that stand-out here, with the exception of the keyboard, which acts as sort of a melody section. Percussion is largely handled by the sound of claps, which is another fun touch. The PV is a neat little watch. Cheer up, Hibiya! Though, I can’t really expect you to get over your hellish Groundhog Day for a while, can I?
9) ロスタイムメモリー/Lost Time Memory: This is “the song about repeating regret,” and it features Shintaro, who is trying to get over his grief caused by Ayano’s suicide. There are two Shintaros from alternate universes here; one who is able to move forward, and one who is caught in an endless sea of sorrow and can’t get on with his life. The song makes this poor guy look pitiful, but it’s hard to blame him for it; I can’t even begin to fathom to psychological effects of having a close friend (and potential love interest) commit suicide. But anyway, the song itself is all right. The beat is certainly catchy, and the instruments are played well. However, IA’s vocals are too harsh in this song for the most part, and I’d love to hear Jin bring her down an octave. Outside of a couple of sections, especially near the end, the instruments kind of blend together in a sonic mishmash, and I wish the mixing was done better. I will give Jin and Shidu props for a very cool PV though.
10) アヤノの幸福理論/Ayano’s Theory of Happiness: This is a very sad and very beautiful song about Ayano, the friend of Shintaro’s who committed suicide. It deals with her motivations for doing so, what she thought of herself and Shintaro, and her relationship to a few of the other characters to whom she acted as an older sister. Ayano was in fact the founder of the Mekakushi-dan, as she tried to comfort the kids with red eyes who thought of themselves as monsters. The mood of the song is mellow and a bit nostalgic, which makes it all the more heart-wrenching to listen to. IA’s gentle vocals and the shining violins in the background tug at the heartstrings, and the guitar does a good job of accompanying them into a gorgeous soundscape. The drums feel like they’re mirroring the beating of one’s very heart as they listen to this song. The final little crescendo near the end of the song feels like the final goodbye you might say to someone you love. It’s without a doubt my favorite Kagepro song, and I give it my highest recommendation. Go watch the gorgeous PV while you’re at it.
11) マリーの架空世界/Mary’s Fictional World: This song is all about Mary’s feelings as she uses her eye powers to create a fictional world. It’s another sad but beautiful song, and it keeps us in the same mellow mood that Ayano’s Theory of Happiness had us in. The violin croons as Mary sadly sings about her love that she wish would never end. There’s something about IA’s voice in this song that feel particularly “Asian” so to speak, in a way that none of her other songs have, and I can’t place my finger on exactly why that is. Perhaps it’s the nasally quality coupled with a gentle tone and lack of inflection that does it. Soft and slow drums back up the violins, and there’s little else to the instrumentals in this song (that’s far from a bad thing). The sound of rain is also filling the soundscape as background noise, and it helps to ground you in the scene it’s trying to portray. It flows right into the next song, which is a nice little touch.
12) クライングプロローグ/Crying Prologue: Right from the beginning, the ambient background sound pick us up and create a mysterious but uplifting feeling. Then, whose voice kicks in but the lovable Kanahana! Kanahana is voicing Mary in the upcoming anime adaptation (GET HYPE), and here she repeats the prologue that was at the beginning of Mekaku City Days. It feels like a really cool way of ending it, but then…
13) サマータイムレコード/Summertime Record:…we get another song! This is the overall “outro” for the Kagepro series, and tells us what happens to all of the characters after the Good End. It’s energetic, bubbly, and hopeful, and leaves us with a good feeling to finish off the saga. It’s pop-rock, and features strong guitar and drum work. IA’s vocals are nice, but they’re not particularly stand-out or anything. They work fine, but nothing super remarkable. The guitar and drums ultimately carry the song’s mood really well to completion, and we’re ushered out of the Kagepro show with a positive feeling. The guitar solo at the end of this is very cool, and it’s a wonderful way to end the series. The PV even acts as credits.
Final Thoughts
Mekaku City Records undoubtedly shows a huge improvement over its predecessor. The songs are written just as well, if not better, but Jin seems to really have gained a good understanding of what IA’s strengths and weaknesses are and how to utilize them. As usual, his guitar and instrumental work are spot-on, the the PVs are top-knotch. There are a few bumps in the road along the way, but this album deserves all the recognition it’s getting for sure. There’s a bright future ahead for Kagepro fans with this album behind them.
8/10
No comments:
Post a Comment