Review: Shinkou Shuukyou Gakudan NoGoD - Ten

As a single, Ten has always remained quite faceless to me. The tracklist consists of two songs that I'm not particularly fond of and Rinne Tenshou, which I got to on Mugen Kyou first. What results is me looking at this CD as a very obsolete addition to my NoGoD collection. However, re-recordings are always nice, but I would have preferred it if I actually liked the songs they re-recorded. They aren't crappy, but I'm just not into poppy NoGoD.

01. Kimi ni Okuru Bukiyou de Migatte na Toki
02. Saishiro
03. Rinne Tenshou

Kimi ni Okuru Bukiyou de Migatte na Toki	How many times will NoGoD insist on covering this Dagger Remain song? It’s not technically their song even -_-. Well, whenever you’re in doubt I guess you could always return to this song since it’s their first single and most people don’t have the Dagger Remain EP this came off of. I’d rather they cover this than some of the other crap that was on Tenbatsu Enban and it’s a universally understood NoGoD theme so it’s a good business decision to cover. Anyway, this was redone because Shinno joined the band and they wanted to redefine their sound into something listenable. If you go through the progression of “migattena’s” you can see that this was how the song was supposed to sound all along and it just took them four tries to get it right. This song is an accurate representation of NoGoD’s poppier style of music, and some of the touches I see are an acoustic solo in place of the guitar one on the last three, the louder and more prominent bass, and the little frills Shinno throws into the mix. Danchou still overlays his voice in the chorus but it’s artfully done and doesn’t sound as much of a demo as it did the last time. Since it’s the same song essentially done better, it gets the same score but higher.	8/10
Sai Shiro	Was never a fan of this song, but there wasn’t much they could redo that would be listenable. Why they chose this song I will never know. Geh. It jumps right into the acoustics and foregoes bells and other crap. Other than sounding clearer, better vocals, having a better ending, and cutting out an instrumental portion before the solo somewhat I don’t sense much of a difference between the two versions. If I ever had to listen to a version though, I would prefer this one. I'll say it again though: listen and see for yourself because I don't remember this song when it finishes. It's pretty and nice sounding but forgettable.	7/10
Rinne Tenshou	Rinne Tenshou is the only “new” song on this CD, and quite possibly intended to be the single. There is an epic feel to this piece of music, despite the overall quiet nature surrounding the song. The guitars in this song are just beautiful, as notes are hit in such ways that make me scream in silence. It sends shivers up and down my back imagining their fingers moving so fast and creating something so serene an quiet. With a title that translates as Transmigration of Souls, it feels like the spirits are moving around in this song. Or at least that’s the feel I get. It may be a little lengthy, but a good song is always a good song.	9/10

So while I feel that it's a wasted single, I'm just of the mind that fans of the harder side of NoGoD such as myself aren't going to enjoy this single as much. If you liked the first two songs when they were on Tenbatsu Enban, then you'll like them even more here with all the pretty touches that they've been given. If you like Rinne Tenshou, pick up Mugen Kyou. Before this review, I had never touched Ten, and after this review I don't have a reason to go back and listen again. Kanna Fukyou > this every day of the week.

Recommended:

Kanna Fukyou, Mugen Kyou

Score: 80%

Review: Versailles - Ascendead Master (Short Movie)

I do not know which is more pathetic: the fact that five grown men take themselves completely seriously in the production and story of the Ascendead Master video, or the fact that a ton of money was pumped into the making of this and it came out this shitty. If this is supposed to supplement the Ascendead Master music video (which in itself recycles footage from this "movie" and makes absolutely no sense either way), why isn't this any good? It's one part "Lestat and other typical vampire movies not named Twilight ripoff gone wrong" mixed in with "awkward camera angles and shitty voiceover" and four very incoherent storylines. For anyone else that can manage to keep a few brain cells functioning throughout this 18 minute chore in concentration, you’re going to wonder why you didn’t quit once the first few words were mentioned and exactly what the hell you were subjected to. (And if you happen to want to read what I think about Ascendead Master as a single, you can click here. I mentioned this movie there but I’m going to go in-depth here and discuss exactly why any Versailles fan with a half a brain should detest this piece of work).

Do not get me wrong; I am no Versailles hater. I am actually a big fan of Versailles, even though I have no idea what the fuck half the things Kamijo mumbles are supposed to mean. My fandom has nothing to do with the movie, it’s marketing strategy, or how badly this was all done. I don’t want to read any shit about how I don’t appreciate “aesthetics” and how “not embracing the visual portion of visual kei is disgraceful to the artist”. This movie is shit. Have we gotten that cleared?

Good.

Let's begin with the storyline, or more accurately, storylines. Yes, there are multiple storylines and I promise you if you get through this once you won't get everything that's going on. I've seen this three or four times just to try and muster together my thoughts on how bad this was, and new things just keep popping up left and right and making the movie more and more obscure.

This is as close as I got to a story:

ACT I

Descendant of the Rose (also known as the third track on the Regular Edition; how fucking clever), otherwise known as Descendant Corp., the innovative name of Kamijo’s trust fund and secret vampiric prostitution ring that provides extras for HBO’s True Blood series, miraculously came across a cure that was guaranteed to grant eternal life to whoever decided to take it. "Curing" death is the first mistake here but I'll let it slide. They just call it the "project of eternal life", but it’s obvious as to what they want to do and that's bite the shit out of everyone. Like the true capitalist vampires they were raised to be in Transylvania Prefecture, Descendant Corp (which seems to be made up of just about five people) decides to sell this product to the masses.

Not even mentioning the moral and societal implications eternal life has on degenerating, crippled 90 year olds the world over, who in the hell thought it was a bright idea to sell eternal life to the public in the form of Tylenol?

That is within the first thirty seconds of the movie. This would have possibly made for a cheesy but semi-decent B-movie if it hadn’t switched gears.

See, we get the first thirty seconds in the form of a television broadcast in this nurse’s room, and I say this nurse because she’s never given a name. No one ever directly addresses her in any way and throughout most of the movie we’re subjected to her inane droll. We're going to call her Kateryna.

Also, let me mention a very annoying fact in an aside: she’s a Russian with an American accent voicing her thoughts over in a movie that features Japanese people in European Renaissance and Baroque outfits.

Another quite annoying aspect of this movie that continues right up until the end is the subtitles. They’re facking huge, take up the whole right edge, and don’t help anyone outside of Japan. There are actually parts of this movie that require subtitles and we don’t get them.

So, we immediately cut to what appears to be a girl getting rushed into the emergency room. Thanks to the painfully enunciated voiceover, we get to learn that the girl was part of a tragic car accident and she was the only survivor. In typical medical fashion, the doctors “could not save her parents”. Instead of looking like a car accident victim, the girl looks like she just got punched in the face. Hard. Repeatedly.

Well, at least they remembered to do her make-up.

Where the movie starts to lose steam, exactly one minute in, is when there is blood dripping all over the floor. We just saw her rushed down the hallway and there was no blood to be seen, and all of a sudden she’s in some sort of intensive surgery on her stomach. It gets even stupider as the doctors don’t seem to realize they have a “guest” alongside them in the room and as the girl dies the lights MAGICALLY shut off and Kamijo gets in a quick bite on her neck.

THERE’S A WOUND ON HER NECK!

….and then that disappears as Kamijo walks by in slow motion and the only person that seems to notice any of this is Kateryna.

AND INEXPLICABLY WE END UP IN A CHURCH WITH SAID NURSE AND HIZAKI as we’re subjected to an explanation of what we just saw from about a 5 degree angle difference five seconds ago.

“Was I hallucinating” says the nurse as she makes the sign of the cross and starts making a prayer to God. Am I hallucinating with these bad transitions?

Did I just see some spotting on his surgical mask? Must be a vampire thing...

In a somewhat clean transition, we’re crowded around your friendly neighborhood medical water cooler as the doctors discuss the tragic AXIDENT from last night and how the girl magically healed herself *coughcoughBULLSHITcoughcough*. The docs wanna chop her up but it looks like someone bought, I mean adopted, her instead. And who else but THE PRESIDENT OF DESCENDANT CORP?

DO YOU LIKE ROSE?

As Kamijo attempts to give presents to the little girl to elicit some "secksual favors", they suddenly cut to an admittedly semi-cool shot of Kamijo looking like Neo from the Matrix walking down the hall with the girl. He is fond of his little girls. After that, another choppy transition to a middle-aged man in a wheelchair who "wants to live forever" because he's sick. You don't want to live forever, you just want to get better. Fool...

He's important later, just so you know...

Then we cut back to the former scene, and Kamijo walks by in epic fashion and we all get to see his plastic retainers he got half-off. Boy, those do look uncomfortable, and he borderline breaks his fucking neck just so we could see inside.

And is that a laugh or a sigh of relief?

And that's the end of part one. Like a dick the nurse pricks her finger on the thorn >.>

INCONSISTENCY NUMBER ONE: VAMPIRES CAN'T STAND SUNLIGHT, SO WHY ARE KAMIJO AND THE GIRL WALKING OUTSIDE?

At least this part was semi-tolerable. The story is ridiculous and things match up way too coincidentally here, but the good part is that you can follow what the hell is going on and there's enough "action" the first time around to get you through it. Here comes ACT II.

ACT II

I'm guessing it's the same night and the two of them went home back to Kamijo's...rather empty apartment. The only thing we see is the daughter watering roses (how odd? I say nay.) while Kamijo stares out the window in an eternally angsty way.

This is where it gets VERY ANNOYING. We have to hear Kateryna talk on and on and on about "eternal life" and if it's "God's will" and shit while staring at some random scenes of crap.

First, she's tucking the dead guy into bed. I didn't notice it was the man from the first part the first time and I didn't notice she was tucking him into bed until the fourth time. Shouldn't she be wheeling him to the morgue or something? Then, she wheels his wheelchair down the empty hallway before we see a scene of her touching herself in the mirror. No, don't get excited. The forced, very emo-like script kills any boner you might get from watching her graze her face while we see obscured pictures of everything from part one. So those who bought part two now have no reason to see part one, because they nicely summed up everything with some poorly recited lines.

"AS. A. NURSE. I. AM. NO. STRANGER. TO. DEATH. I always believed. that we. were all. sinners. and that not one of us. could escape death. in this lifetime."

How introspective of you....

There's ill-fitting opera music backing her emo-poetry. We are also subjected to a ROSE MONTAGE and some more bullshit about eternal beauty and roses on steroids that live for millenia. Note that the story hasn't progressed at ALL until she does some research in a Bram Stoker book and we see ALL the members of Versailles in painting form. This is also the point where we learn that you have to be bitten to become a Descendant of the Rose and receive "eternal life".

So they're not selling Tylenol....

BACK TO THE CHURCH. AGAIN.

A prayer a day keeps the Kamijo away.

Hizaki's spreading some of that Jesus perfume in the air in the church. INCONSISTENCY NUMBER TWO: we have literally just learned Hizaki is one of the Descendants of the Rose because he was in the last scene, and yet he's a nun in a church. VAMPIRES CAN'T ENTER CHURCHES!

AND WHY THE HELL ARE YOU PRAYING? WEREN'T YOU JUST AT HOME? DO YOU HAVE A CHAPEL IN YOUR CLOSET? Her prayer is even more amusing. DEAR GOD PLEASE PROTECT ME FROM TEMPTATION AND FORGIVE ALL MY SINS! What are you afraid of? You should be....doing absolutely nothing you paranoid freak because no one's made a move yet. Go sleep, or masturbate, or watch TV.

And then we're INEXPLICABLY IN AN ALLEY! I'm guessing Kateryna is on her way home from the rousing prayer session at the church with the vampires and she runs into Teru and Jasmine You in an alley. For someone that's afraid of everything that blinks you sure are brave to go into an alley -_-. Teru's painting pictures in short shorts and Jasmine's standing there looking like a freak. Creepy....

And then we skip to her getting her picture done. What the hell does this have to do with anything? IS THIS NECESSARY? What's even worse is that Teru's not even attempting to draw. I hear the sketches going on in the background while he's holding the brush -_-;;

Poor Kateryna realizes too late that Teru draws some very wicked shit and Jasmine You descends upon her with the voice of a digitized Darth Vader mumbling about some occult shit. I lol'd when I saw him bend over, all covered in the shadow, still holding the apple, trying to be all ominous.

After a picture of a hanging head and a fattie eating himself into a coma jumps onto the screen, Kateryna throws some pennies into a hat full of Euros and then rushes off into the alley. We see the picture of her with a hole through her left boob and what looks like Kamijo cerca "The Revenant Choir" behind her.

Absolutely nothing of importance happened this act...

ACT III

I LIKE YO SHIRT MIZZ

Fat Bastard from the Austin Powers movie is in the lobby with an inept cameraman that seems to be doing the potty dance. He, like mostly every other self-disrespecting news media in this unnamed city, are here to discover the secret to eternal life, which we already know. He's audible but very low and I don't really get the point of having a schizo camera.

In an equally inexplicable fashion, the members of Versailles, I mean, Descendant Corp. attend this press conference IN FULL VK fashion! Hell, they didn't bother to change out of their costumes and they all look odd. They're quickly followed by a whole bunch of reporters who are also probably Russian. Oh, and this is the first time we see Yuki. Eleven minutes in....

Kateryna's watching the news conference on TV. Is it important? No, but we see about 3 to 4 seconds of Kamijo's face trying to look like Lestat ._.

INCONSISTENCY: VAMPIRES DON'T SHOW UP ON FILM!

This is where I get lost. I have no idea what the hell Kamijo said and the little insane chick went and killed a bunch of reporters, but all the reporters are not there and they're still standing. She's also holding a camera but we don't see her do anything with it. Then, we see Kamijo talking about.....something. I don't fucking understand what the hell he's saying and all the reporters look like they just came. WE NEED SUBTITLES HERE, NOT PICTURES OF FUCKING VERSAILLES IN ALL THEIR MAKEUP AND SHIT.

Join with me in this REBOLUTION.

The creepy girl comes out onto the stage in a ton of makeup and the reporter from before decides to stand up against Kamijo in what happens to be the worst delivered lines in the entire movie. Unknown to him, somewhere along the line all the reporters turned undead and sold their souls. When? All the reporters that were dead on the staircase couldn't be in the room with Kamijo because it was happening concurrently. So when did they all die and then come back? INCONSISTENCY NUMBER THREE. As a result, he subsequently gets jumped by the vampires in a matrix-esque scene but we don't see what happens to him. He just disappears. INCONSISTENCY NUMBER FOUR. Then, there's lots of chanting. NONE OF THIS MAKES SENSE. WHAT IS GOING ON?

Then after that there are some weird montages of the hospital and Kateryna running away from....something. She magically warps to the church to slow down and realize...there's someone there. It's KAMIJO! WHY? I HAVE NO FUCKING IDEA! He's just sitting there looking pretty even though THERE ARE TWO CROSSES AT THE OPPOSITE END OF THE CHURCH. And then she tries to run but she's not going anywhere and when he goes to bite her she gets the orgasm face on while he opens his mouth about as wide as an iguana. And he bites her. The end.

WHY IS KAMIJO BITING HER? THEY HADN'T MET FOR MORE THAN A MINUTE AND THEY NEVER CONVERSED WORDS OR THOUGHTS! IT'S IMPLIED THAT HE WAS AFTER HER BUT HE NEVER CHASED HER! HE NEVER EVEN STALKED HER! THEY NEVER WERE EVEN IN THE SAME ROOM FOR MORE THAN A MINUTE THE ENTIRE FILM! HELL, KAMIJO HAD OTHER AGENDAS THE ENTIRE MOVIE! WHAT THE HELL IS HE DOING EATING HER AT THE END? INCONSISTENCY NUMBER FIVE!

VAMPIRES DON'T BELONG IN CHURCHES. INCONSISTENCY NUMBER SIX. AND HOW DID KAMIJO GET THERE SO FAST? DID HE PIGGYBACK A RIDE ON EDWARD CULLEN? INCONSISTENCY NUMBER SEVEN.

---

I swear, this movie made absolutely no sense, yet it borrowed so much from other vampire movies and stories it's almost plagiarism. The whole Act II has this sub-story going on that makes absolutely no sense and fits in nowhere and the second half of ACT I only matches up with the last minute or so of the Third Act. Then you have the whole First part of ACT I matching up with the beginning of Act III and then the rest of Act III makes no sense to me. And then the beginning of ACT II is a repetition of Act I with a different perspective that isn't actually needed. None of these parts make any sense together.

I COULD HAVE WRITTEN A BETTER STORY. This is a bunch of middle with no beginning and no end.

All this time they spent making the movie would have been better spent writing some decent music. Perhaps for Ascendead Master they could have made a more cohesive music video. They probably could have hired an orchestra instead of relying on MIDI for the symphonic portion of their music. They might have even been able to get some new costumes? I just don't see how this movie was justified being made. Even my summary doesn't make sense!

Speaking of music, my thoughts on the musical portion can be found here. The opera bit was unneeded, but then again so was Act II and it was well-done. This is the only decent part of the movie, and those soundtracks came bundled with the limited editions of the single, but they're all so SHORT it's appalling.

Ugh, I am disgusted. Do not watch except for lulz. Please, do it for the kittens.

Review: Miyavi - Jibun Kakumei

This is another one of those Ryuusei deals, where I fiddle with the scroll bar until I come across something mildly interesting to review. I was torn between "City of Evil" and this. I feel that if I do "City of Evil" now I won't do as much of a good job as I can so this is what we get. That, and I want to keep all the J-rock together more or less until I'm done, and then I'll put in all the other music I have. Now that I think about it, I don't think I have that much more to go through. I think I will be done by August o_o

01. Jibun Kakumei -2003-
02. Ekisentorikku Ontona Yamai
03. Sungee Maemukina Uta 2

Jibun Kakumei -2003-	One of the six singles that weren’t placed onto Galyuu, and that’s probably because he has so many if he stuck them all on it wouldn’t be that much of an “album”. It’s actually quite apparent once you listen to Galyuu that this song wouldn’t have fit in on that album anyway. Even though it would fit lyrically, it comes off as an EBM-tinged rock fest with slightly modified singing. I can’t think of anything before Room no. 382 that sounds like this. This very quality is probably why the re-make of this track lends itself to techno remixes well. It’s eccentric, upbeat sound is very different from what he’s released beforehand but it still carries his typical quirky behavior and attitude. It’s proof that Miyavi isn’t a one trick pony and is interested in new musical directions. Even now I’m not too fond of this track no matter how much passion he injects into the verses or how much fun he sounds like he’s having during the chorus (although at one part he admittedly sounds very raspy). This just isn’t my cup of tea, but it doesn’t suck.	8/10
Ekisentorikku Ontona Yamai	Ekisentorikku Ontona Yamai is one solid, eccentric rocker. It's got a galloping riff movement going on during the verses, Miyavi's vocals alternate between sung and said extremely fast and it's got some weird noises in the middle in lieu of a solo that I don't quite get even now. It's pure Miyavi, completely insane, and completely original in almost every aspect of it's construction. Being one of the songs I fell in love with at first and put on repeat over and over again, this song will have you struggling to learn the lyrics and then keep up with Miyavi as he sings it.	9/10
Sungee Maemukina Uta 2	The beginning is also very un-Miyavi-like, with light violins setting the atmosphere before some soft distortion, some whispering, and then some guitar all in quick succession. Much more than many other Miyavi songs, the bass is rather prominent and does the job that the guitars usually steal from it. Sungee Maemukina Uta 2 is also riddled with bells and whistles such as….bells and whistles and the sounds of clocks ringing occasionally. The song is Miyavi’s signature quirkiness in prime form, with a breakdown that takes the song in a new direction without being overbearing and vocals that sound like Miyavi’s having fun singing. Dammit, he says “cha cha cha”! What kind of artist that takes themselves too seriously does that? It feels like the perfect counterpart to Jibun Kakumei (and I personally like this one better anyway).	8/10

What are we left with? Another experimental Miyavi single that's rather hit or miss. I don't like Jibun Kakumei too much as a track, and the second one was featured on Galyuu (so this single represents somehow; I actually don't think Miyavi meant for Jibun Kakumei to be the successful song because it's too out there for all his fans to enjoy) so it's like this single was not completely forgotten. It's not Miyavi's strongest effort, but it's far from his weakest. It falls into that grey area of "forgotten" to me, but it shouldn't to you.

Score: 83%

Review: Lycaon - Ambrozia

I've really been beating around the bush with this one, so Lycaon is going to be the first artist I actually get around to finishing. I like Ambrozia the most out of all of Lycaon's work, and if I had to be stuck with just one album to listen to from them this would most likely be it. It's got enough going on to be diverse but it all sounds like them. This is the best thing they've ever put out. EVAR.

1.愚を喰らふ。
2.suckin' on a lollipop
3.camelliA
4.alejandro
5.結晶華
6.The end of [Delusion]

愚を喰らふ。	LAME ASS INTRO YEA! I don’t know the translation of this song but it’s not like I really care. It’s some weird, distorted introduction that’s isn’t dull (into the dark) or completely fucking random (Grow). It also moves into suckin’ on a lollipop seamlessly. Other than that, I don’t care for this song and I don’t care about this song. That’s why I didn’t bother to translate.	4/10
suckin' on a lollipop	SUCK MY DICK YEA! suckin on a lollipop isn’t my favorite track on here. Everything in the song is fine right up until they get to the chorus, and then Yuuki’s vocals rise faster than an airplane. He starts up on a falsetto and gets higher and higher until his voice can’t take it and then he drops down and goes back up again and again and again. It’s very irritating, and then the song plummets into some heaviness and the band tries to get all hardcore. Sorry, but your street cred was ruined with the glaring lack of German and the chorus I was just subjected to.	7/10
CamelliA	TYPICAL VK TITLE YEA! I think Lycaon was trying to go for an emotionally epic mid-rocker with the riff that we start out with. It doesn’t tank as bad as the last rendition of the chorus in suckin’ on a lollipop, but it doesn’t quite get there. There are also parts where the band attempted to try and get all ethereal on us, such as the slowdown halfway in, but Yuuki’s vocals can’t handle going that high. The last song just showed us that in the chorus, and this one makes up for it in that “I don’t completely suck” sort of way. It’s simple, catchy riff structure is enough to get your foot tapping, and that’s all I really need to enjoy some music.	8/10
Alejandro	FUCKING FUCK YOU FUCK! I swear I thought I changed bands when I heard this song. Alejandro is one of the best songs they’ve crafted. Ever. The whole Hispanic-tinged acoustic vibe they have before they launch into a two guitar assault with a third twanging in the back before we go into a bass-backed chorus. There’s enough two-guitar action going on here to please any fan of intermediately-complex parts and there are slight use of electronic effects here and there which are almost inaudible. Yuuki’s Engrish is horrible but its inclusion is hilarious and actually makes the song better. If you can wrap your head around that insane concept, it’s about as amazing as Lycaon managing to write a chorus that a) fits, b) doesn’t suck, c) doesn’t rely on falsettos Yuuki can’t reach and d) isn’t sandwiched inbetween two polar opposite riffs. If I could make a prediction, I would bet that this would become one of the signature “Lycaon” songs.	10/10
Kesshou Hana	FUCKING EPIC VK BALLAD Yuuki’s falsetto is used a lot here. He sounds like he’s forcing it at parts but in others it works and that risk pays off. Most of the time, he should just stick with his regular voice because it’s uniquely his and it’s high enough to suffice for whatever it is he wants to do. Unlike most VK piano introductions, its inclusion isn’t solitary and doesn’t pause to get into the track. It also comes with a twin guitar solo which takes the song off of the “ballad” path long enough for the listener to take a breather and listen through the rest. This about as far as I usually listen because of the length of the song. At about seven and a half minutes, it’s requires a nice chunk of your attention but the payoff is well worth it. It doesn’t feel too stretched out and the actual music is less than the seven and a half minutes it implies. That’s because it comes with about a minute of un-needed silence at the end. Kesshou Hana isn’t epic enough for me to need a minute of silence in order to prepare for The end of [Delusion]. How pretentious of all five of you! Bah!	9/10
The end of [Delusion]	MOAR ENGLISH [DESTRUCTION] YEA! Exactly what I need to wake up after the last track. Yuuki growls and squeals like a circumcised pig and the one part where he sings other than the ill-fitting chorus sounds nice but it could have used work fitting back into the growls and screams. Sometimes The end of [Delusion] doesn’t know if wants to be a ‘dick to the brick’ hardcore piece or something brash but restrained, like Alejandro. Since it doesn’t work out its inner turmoil about what it wants to do in life, it doesn’t have as much of a piercing effect as it should. It still ends off this EP with a bang.	8/10

So where does that leave Ambrozia? The most "focused" and "mature" effort this band has put forth yet? If you like using such trite and stereotypical words, then I guess I'll level with you and say yes. I regard it as the only Lycaon CD worth buying because you get so much for your purchase and it comes with so many good Lycaon songs I can't justify buying anything else over this. Screw the first two tracks, everything after CamelliA is what Lycaon needs to keep creating. Well not exactly sample from, but continue with the same quality and sophistication.

Recommended:

Alejandro
Kesshou Hana

Score: 77%

Review: Miyavi - Kuu Kuu Ruu

I'm starting to realize that I'm running out of singles to review O_O. That means that there are going to be a disproportionate amount of album reviews coming soon, most likely within the next month. I almost forgot this single existed on my hard drive, so it's time for a good post on it before I forget it's existence. Well that, I need a review, I just redid the Lyrical Sympathy review, and I'm quite fond of the last track.

01. Ku Ku Ru
02. Komoriuta Ken Love Song
03. Merry Kurushmimasu Death ~Fuyu, Torauma Zekkyou, Gyagire~

Ku Ku Ruu	Except the bit of whispering at the end of the Oresama Version on Galyuu, this version is exactly the same. It's slower-paced like the previous song but it has it's louder passages and creates some sort of mid-tempo mid-album monster that was previously released as a single. Miyavi doesn't exactly quack or cluck in this track but it wouldn't be all that weird if he did since he's one eccentric personality that's not afraid to sing about ducks. Yes, this song is about ducks.	8/10
Komoriuta Ken Love Song	The most common B-side to a mid-tempo rocker would be a slower, acoustic backed track. The composition is simple, so if you’re looking for some complex guitar work it’s not here. Personally, I’m not a fan of acoustic Miyavi but I do acknowledge all the good acoustic tracks he has. There aren’t even any drums if you must know, so everything here depends on Miyavi’s vocals. He puts some passion into his singing and if you’re swift enough on your nerd lingo you can pick up some funny bits in the lyrics. However, his voice isn’t the best this far back in his discography and he really can use some work. Here, he dances around the point but I believe it’s about how much you have people in your corner and how much they love you. It’s conceptually linked to both the former and the latter song. If you don’t understand the lyrics, the effect that this song has on you is diluted, and sadly because I don’t this song doesn’t hit me like it should.	6/10
Merry Kurushmimasu Death ~Fuyu, Torauma Zekkyou, Gyagire~	Full on screaming, grunting, yodeling, panting, mumbling, and bark and call chants backed by harsh guitars all courtesy of Miyavi. It’s a definite wake-up from the last track and some people may find this track to be a little too much. However, it’s all in good rock fun (the ending of the song fits the lyrics perfectly) and the lyrics are about a spoiled brat getting on someone’s last nerves and he’s about to get his ass beat. Interested yet? Good. The solo is simple but it fits the tone of the entire song and the chorus doesn’t betray the mood of the track by suddenly shifting gears into something alien for Miyavi. Another high energy, unique rock piece of Miyavi work that shouldn’t be missed (this is also the only place you’ll find this track). Shoot me, I’m tired. Go listen to this track.	9/10

This is what a proper single by Miyavi sounds like. don't be fooled by the low rating of the second track because I based it on the immediate accessibility of the track and Komoriuta Ken Love Song is far from accessible. None of these tracks is garbage designed to con you out of your money and there's something here for any fan of Miyavi. Whether you like your rock hard and filthy, soft and mellow, or somewhere inbetween, you won't be displeased with this purchase.

Recommended:
the whole single

Score:77%

Review: VanessA - Vortex

I haven't done a VanessA review in a while, and of course since I noticed I was going backwards this single is what would have come up next. I'm not too crazy about this single overall, but it has it's good parts. Those good parts being not the first track, which I would mark down as one of the worst songs they put to music ever. The other two, well, they're digestible...

Did I mention how atrocious and putrid this album cover is? They didn't even try...

1. Vortex
02. another CHAOS
03. B.M. Metamorphose - Another Side-

Vortex	I realize as I say this now that I have a lot of “I don’t like” tracks by VanessA, but this one manages to repulse me in a completely unique way. I prefer alive=terror to this track, and I prefer a lot of things to alive=terror. A turkey sandwich? Sure. Sex? Of course. A passing course in one of my college courses? Most definitely. But this? THIS? No, I do not. The entire beginning, where it sounds like Genki’s strumming his lips is a complete turnoff and fails trying to sound insane. The chorus is better than the inaudible verses marked by random growling that would fit in if I heard some words that weren’t whispered or muttered under Genki’s breath, but the falsetto in the chorus is annoying and atrocious. The singing at the end should have been what was going on the whole time, but if I have to wait that long for it to get decent (and then the kuchibiru-strumming returns -_-) I’d just skip. Which I do. Regularly. And so should you, because this is not VanessA.	4/10
Another CHAOS	It starts out with a rising noise that launches into some rocking guitar, which is exactly what I’m looking for. Genki’s vocals are closer to his safety range and he doesn’t try anything experimental that would ruin the track. It’s not like he had the time to anyway. This song isn’t the longest and the instrumentation may not be the most awe-inspiring but for the two minutes it goes it does everything it can to try to make you forget about the last track. It has passages that race along as you try to keep up and others that feel like they’re descending from the clouds, all throughout keeping a sense of urgency as if the ending has something great waiting for you. It doesn’t, but it doesn’t screw up at any point so I take that as a positive.	7/10
B.M. Metamorphose –another side-	The –murder side- version of this song slaughters eardrums and isn’t a worthy comparison to this one. This completely trumps the A-side and runs the gamut from slower, acoustic-backed portions to feral screams backed by hard guitars. Genki’s screams also come in at some of the most unexpected parts here, but it goes from a sparing use at the beginning to a near overload at some parts, which isn’t exactly the best route to take with a song like this. He didn’t screw it up too much, especially because the chorus is growl-laden, but a little bit less of it would have been equally as good. The only fault is the drums, which don’t sound as sharp as they could. It has a similar sound and tempo to Vortex, but it cuts out all the annoying shit and gets it right. I would have been fine with this as the A-side in all honesty.	8/10

Thank god that is over and done with, because I was not looking forward to doing this single at all (and no, I don't think my opinion will change at all, so this is the first and last time I'll have to see those repulsive feet on my blog). The cover scares the living shit out of me and the first track turned me off from the rest of the single. Why? Because looks matter people. That's why visual kei bands dress up in fugly costumes. They want to get your attention so you'll give them more than a passing glance, and anyone that thinks that looks don't matter need to get smacked and awakened. Looks do matter, and that's why I hated this single.

Then I found out that the B-sides are infinitely more accessible than the trash that occupies the first three minutes of this track. Forget the first track, go to two, don't download the album cover. Save some kittens.

Recommended:

not Vortex

Score: 63%

Review: Lycaon - Sad/Sick:ness

Screw you Mozilla. Sometimes the shortcuts on my keyboard don't want to work, and the next day they're hyperactive and every little thing is closing down. Today was one of those hyperactive days. I HAD THIS REVIEW DONE and for some unfathomable reason my tab decides to close and it wasn't saved as a draft. What does this mean? It means that I have to redo the entire review again, which actually might not be that bad of a thing because that means the rating might bump up a little bit. I think this was Mozilla's way of saying "write a 3/4-assed review you lazy fag".

Still, fuck you computer <.<

1. into the dark
2. Akeame
3. The[1st] degree genocide holic

And like an idiot I forget the "review". Sorry about that...

Into the dark	I expected to receive a hard, foreboding, dark but dull instrumental. What I get is a light, dull, piano backed instrumental. It’s a nice change of pace and shows that Lycaon doesn’t box themselves into pre-conceived notions when it comes to song titles and what said song is “supposed” to sound like. As for the actual music, where it counts it’s a typical Lycaon instrumental, although I’d venture to say it’s a bit more straightforward. Possibly one of the more listenable pieces they’ve put forth. I’d still skip it though, because I need to get to the meat of the single and having an opening track on a three track single is unnecessary.	4/10
Akeame	I actually re-wrote this review, and the score got bumped up one point than from what I was originally going to give it. The positives of this track are that the bass is audibly mixed into the fray and no one instrument, including the vocalist, overpowers another instrument. It’s got enough twists and turns to keep me interested but said twists and turns aren’t inventive enough. It seems like in every song they throw in a slow-down, acoustic section with mellow vocals and a chorus that toes the line between obnoxiously upbeat and just plain annoying. Lycaon keeps tapping from the same communal source for all their songs and even though thus far they’ve been able to successfully switch it up enough to keep me and others interested, they’re going to have to leave their comfort zone if they want to make something truly magnificent. As it stands, Akeame is a listenable song and there’s nothing wrong with it other than from what I’ve mentioned, but they’ve taken this song and done it better on RED RUM (The Death Game, Kohakuiro) and this just isn’t comparing. Using the same sound over and over again only gets you so far.	7/10
The [1st] Degree Genocide-holic	I believe this was featured on an omnibus somewhere, although the name eludes me at this particular moment. This one was also rewritten, but the score remains the same. Even though I think the name is actually pretty visual-kei standard badass, it feels too much like Akeame with harsh vocals. Some of the guitar patterns feel too similar and it’s still packaged with that chorus that might send some over the edge. Why they decided to take the edge out of the chorus is beyond me, because the lack of attitude in that department hurts the package of this song. Between the songs, they didn’t switch up enough to keep it fresh and as such The [1st] Degree Genocide-holic suffers from the similar sickness. Compared to Akeame I like it more, but the difference is so minute in decimals I would just round down and leave it a seven.	7/10

Well look at that, the review came out half-decent. I would pat myself on the back but pressing the "PUBLISH" button at this point after doing some math would feel infinitely more rewarding. Before I wrap this up though, I have to comment on the title. What the hell is with the entire title? First off, you use the / icon to denote eithers. So it means Sad or Sick:ness. However, the random COLON in sickness makes me wonder what the fudge it has to do with anything. Is it the -ness of being sick because you're sad, or is this simply another case of super=[ka]waii-desu Engrish? I think it's the latter, because I haven't met any Visual Kei indie's bands that name their work with philosophical, thought-provoking titles. They usually throw in English to just rush it along, and that's what this ultimately comes off as: rushed and more of the same.

And folks, THAT is how you use a colon!

Recommended:

you're shitting me, right? either one is fine....

Score: 60%

Review: Sadie - Kagerou (TYPE C)

I'm of the mind that this was pushed because Sadie had an itch to make this track an acoustic, and they wanted to give us an "incentive" to buy it by sticking two more tracks on it. Ironically, this is the only version that has a song worth getting. Sadie, your marketing tactics need some work before you rise to the infamous levels of Versailles.

TYPE A & B REVIEW IS HERE.

01. Kagerou
02. Black Stars
03. Knife
04. Kagerou ~Unplugged~

Kagerou	Tolerable.	7/10
Black Stars	Shit.	2/10
Knife	Terrible.	4/10
Kagerou (Unplugged)	Wait, wait, wait….what is this? A decent adaptation, nay, a good adaptation of a hard rock track of Mao backed by a piano? My my, am I shocked, although I did hear good things about this track. It’s no Agitated Screams of Maggots thank goodness, and it’s refreshing to hear after that last two shit tracks that was abrasive to my ears. The title track and this is all we needed. Screw the last two tracks, this is beautiful.	9/10

How about you just go download the Unplugged version and forget about the rest of the single? The beginning is decent but unneeded and the end is a nice surprise but everything inbetween is poorly produced crap (and poorly written crap too).

Recommended:

Kagerou ~Unplugged~

Score: 55%

Review: Lycaon - RED RUM

I’ve spent many an hour trying to figure out what the hell the cover is supposed to be. Eventually, I just settled on the fact that Jack Nicholson’s face was rammed at a million miles an hour into one of the walls in Sotha Sil’s Clockwork City in Mournhold and Lycaon took a picture before they called in Almalexia to mop the wall up. Yes, that was an epic Morrowind reference. (Given that the name of this single is called [RED RUM], a The Shining joke was bound to pop up in here somewhere). Let’s get this review done with, eh?

01. Grow
02. RED RUM
03. The Death Game
04. 「琥珀彩」～コハクイロ～ (Kohakuiro)

Grow	How about no? Sounds like a cross between an orgasm on a telephone for the first few seconds, until it switches in to what sounds like an self-help audio book by Stephen Hawking. The words are in perfect English and have nothing to do with anything. Some guitars enter the mix and the creepy pedophile from before laughs and ruins what little this track had going for it. What exactly does Lycaon want us to grow? Wait, I don't want to find out...	3/10
Red Rum	A fan-favorite from what I can gather on all Lycaon fans that I can find, Red Rum isn’t anything revolutionary but all of its parts work together well. Even though the harsh vocals during the verses could use work, where Red Rum stands out is the chorus, which manages to be distinctive without suffering from suckin’ on a lollipop syndrome. That is good. I do feel the guitars could be crisper in many parts and the drums border on the verge of annoying, and RED RUM doesn’t pull me in all that much. A decent track, but not going to be one my favorites.	7/10
The Death Game	My personal favorite on this track, it starts off with a simple, generic, but effective riff that continues throughout this song. They spice it up with some acoustic work but everything is so indies-level production it’s barely worth mentioning (the bass crawls up somewhere in the track and it’s surprising to hear it because the point where it comes up suits it well). The breakdown is also something I could have sworn I heard somewhere, and if I did I’m not too surprised. A re-recording of this song in a few years would be awesome. Some singing points in the song, especially at 2:14, stick in my head simply because Lycaon stumbled upon some awesome. The chorus is also pretty badass, even when you don’t compare it to other Lycaon tracks.	9/10
「琥珀彩」～コハクイロ～	Kohakuiro is such a dick-tease. It starts off like it’s going to be the hardest piece here and then it goes all soft and acoustic and stays that way throughout. I hate hard openings on soft tracks; they get me all excited just to find out it was a load of foreplay. The last twenty seconds, although nothing overly hard, was a nice way to end the track (and thankfully, this song doesn’t end in a lame fade-out). Despite that, a softer track was in order here and although it’s still rough around the edges it delivers. The chorus reaches down into the bag of annoying and stereotypical when he tries to go up, but the nice solo erases some of that nasty taste in my mouth when it pops up. The whole transition between soft-solo-soft is also pretty sweet and sounds almost professional – something most VK bands can’t manage to do these days.	8/10

At least it was a better, all-around package than chains of collar, in that we get four songs instead of three and none of them stole a riff from a SoaD song and didn't bother to change up too much. Calling Lycaon inventive is a stretch of the imagination but at least this CD was all around refreshing.

Recommended:

The Death Game

Score: 68%

Review: Black:List - MELANCHOLY

*sigh*

I'm in that mood where I don't want to write anything out but there's a growing presence of music on my hard drive and I have to buckle down and start on a clean slate before September 1st. Expect to see a fuckton of reviews about the most random shit from now until then as I try to wade through almost 2000 songs in a month. This happens to be one of them, as I just got into Black:List (and all six of their songs) and I feel the need to talk about this single. So, here we go.

01. Melancholy
02. grief
03. Throw Hope Away*

I'm sticking Throw Hope Away here because it's most convenient, and saves you and me from having to click on another page to read about it. I'm trying to get through songs, not boost up the amount of pages I have.

MELANCHOLY	The B-side to their first single becomes the A-side to their last single. How ironic. Another ironic thing I noticed is that even though this band never had an official bassist after 2007, the bass is a prominent part in this song. MELANCHOLY starts out with a pretty memorable electronic effect that I would like to use as an example of a well used, non-repetitive addition to a song. Overall, it’s a slow and (attention: pun approaching) melancholic piece in the verses while during the instrumental reveries it becomes harsh and heavy but still fresh and sharp. Kyoutarou’s harsh vocals (and singing vocals as well) sound better here than they did on illational. It’s a shame they disbanded =_=.	9/10
Grief	Grief is that one song that I can refer to as an example that has Black:List’s trademark sound of balancing roaring passages with extreme musical precision, oppressive drums and excellent vocals. The chorus is the only injurious part to the whole package, because the introduction in is a little startling, but its outro is perfect in moving back into heavier parts. It comes off as a girugamesh + UnsraW fusion with Kyoutarou vocals, except it’s a little too long.	8/10
Throw Hope Away	It’s only form is as a music video on their releases, so that’s why it’s included here. It’s not my favorite Black:List song, as the change from rough to light during the middle is a complete what the fuck trip and the quality of any piece that I have is sub-par at best. For what it is though, it shows “versatility” and “maturity” and “all those other verbs that people throw in to say that a song sucks in some regard but they can’t put their index finger on it”. It’s not so much that it sucks, but that after MELANCHOLY and grief this song just doesn’t compare. I guess that’s why it’s a music video. Aesthetics bump it up a point or two.	8/10

A visual kei band that lasted for a very short time but actually produced some fucking brilliant music. I want some of the less impressive bands to disband, not a band composed of one pair of the legendary duo from SULFURIC ACID and the singer that made illational epic. Damn, they didn't even leave us an album to enjoy. Kyoutarou, get your ass back in the music scene and Tomozo, GET THIS BAND BACK TOGETHER NOW! I just drool at thinking at what this band could have been....

Ahem, oh yes, 83%.

Review: Nega - 2009.3.14 OSAKA MUSE

I'm feeling rather lazy today, and I had a choice between doing a single and doing AZN PRIDE. I figured that doing the single would be a bit more interesting and I decided on doing a live-release single. Then, I saw that I never actually did this one even though I should have around the time of Nameless Alice's review so here you go. Wow, in an effort to not do any work whatsoever I'm actually putting more effort into my opening paragraph than I would have had I tried to pull together some cheesy five sentence paragraph just for the sake of having a nice block of text before the picture.

Not like anyone reads the blasted thing but it just makes me feel like I do something here.

01. labia (Live)
02. Muddy Cult (Live)

Labia (live)	Remember here when I said I feel embarrassed for Jin singing this? Well, apparently so does he, because most of the time he doesn’t even repeat the English words. Hell, he isn’t even singing in parts of the song. I think it’s also very pathetic when you have to have the track playing in the background for you to sound half-decent live. I don’t give a fuck about what you have to say; sing the fucking song. Might as well be labia with commentary.	3/10
Muddy cult (live)	It doesn’t even flow from the last track, and Jin sounds like he singing “cry, stick, die”. Not to mention his English his horrible and he doesn’t even sing the whole FIRST FUCKING VERSE, not to mention about half the song afterwards. It has the track doing all the work. Does Nega have no shame? Shit, all Jin does is talk up until the chorus and then the whole talking portion in the middle of the song is omitted. Makes no sense whatsoever, and it doesn't even end right. This song gets a higher score just because muddy cult is a better song.	4/10

The good news kicks in now: it's a digital download, so you don't waste anything but your time listening to this. If you want it, go download it from their website. Or, you can just heed my advice and go listen to something else because this isn't worth it unless you just have some fetish with vocalists sounding like shit. 35%. Beat it.

Review: ALSDEAD - Violent of Reason

Most new bands interest me as much as my stool, so when I heard of how good ALSDEAD could have been I took it with a slice of teriyaki, if you will. All new-age VK bands manage to find a vocalist who can contort their voice in the most repulsive way ever and then combine that with a drum machine on ritalin and a guitarist or three who barely managed to learn what strings are. I became slightly hot over this band after I mustered the necessary sexual stamina to click on one of their songs and listen through. I never did finish though, mostly because I was getting harassed by IM's at all the good parts of the song and I had decided to download the two MP3's and listen to it on the infinitely better iTunes.

So I wonder, with a band that reverses their D's, steals Versailles' flowers and uses broken English to title their first single with Pegasus' eye stolen right out the 4Kids Dub smacked right over the center with the worst depiction of a bleeding eye I have ever seen, should I expect failure the size of my ever-growing ego to abound toward me from this single? As I resist the urge to make an ill-timed corny pun connecting ALSDEAD to ALL IS DEAD, mostly because it's quite obvious how Engrish the wordplay is, I'll click on the A-side which, for all intents and purposes, mimic what my neighbors are doing right now. How kawaii-desu is that?

01. Violent of Reason
02. Kizu

Violent of Reason	Wow, a badass name with a badass track as well. The entire ominous opening was pretty sweet, but it’s broken by drum rolls before the guitars come in and make an even more ominous open before they start crunching on your metaphorical balls. Sure, they sound a little muddy but that’s the only fault there in the production, and it really isn’t all that bad. The entire portion in the middle makes up for it, as the muddy production values actually lead to the heaviness. The vocalist doesn’t sound like he contracted strep throat from seven rounds of deep throating in his trachea, which is a very nice change of pace. The chorus manages to distinguish itself from the verses with a slight directional change but it doesn’t destroy the whole flow of the track. I think I also hear some cheap Malice Mizer ripoff effects going off after the first rendition of the chorus and I don’t mind it too much but I’d rather hear that MIDI in my old Gameboy games when I try to relive my childhood. Starts violently, ends violently, stays consistent throughout, Violent of Reason is pretty damn sick.	9/10
Kizu	It starts out badass but then throws some shit at the fan with what sounds like a compromise between a J-Pop riff and a stereotypical Visual Kei mash. It has quiet verse sections, a loud, upbeat chorus, and demonic arias from the guitars. The chorus is also quite underwhelming because the vocalist doesn’t jump out at you as much as he should, and he sounds very generic. Bluntly put, it’s a perfect B-side that sounds like something any other band could put together but not as shitty because ALSDEAD apparently puts quality into their music. So while everything sounds pretty with subtle hints of some thought put into the generic, it still sounds too much like that faceless song that looms in the back of your mind from some anime you used to watch when you were little to warrant a recommendation.	7/10

Excusing my prior Franglais, Violent of Reason won't cause momentary deafness from the suck that you may have been expecting. ALSDEAD doesn't sample aged semen from the festering penis of the generic VK cooler with this release and attempts to create some original music. How original a VK band can be nowadays has become the newest incarnation of an oxymoron, but at least ALSDEAD makes an attempt. Even though it's a first release, I suppose that it's something to look forward to when most bands that pop up nowadays sound as annoying as cramps and last as long as your monthly flare of herpes. I know they have two more singles out there but I just can't be damned to go listen to them now, even though it should take me all of ten minutes to do. I also have to save something for the next month and I'm not convinced enough to get on my knees and kiss some crusty toes just yet, so we'll leave Violent of Reason with an 80% while I go off to work out my crabbiness.

Review: Miyavi - This Iz The Japanese Kabuki Rock

You should have seen this coming after I reviewed Super Hero.

Something happened that made me want to revisit Miyavi's music. I used to be an avid listener of Miyavi a few years back, so much so that I scraped together his entire discography off of LimeWire as digital proof. Eventually I got bored. My fandom in Miyavi slowly waned, reaching an all time low around the end of 2008 - early 2009. I still have no idea why, but if I had to guess it's because I had to take a break from Miyavi's music until I forgot what it all sounded like.

It's all because of Super Hero (which I shall do a proper review of next month) that I decided to return to the realm of the Meevers and listen some more. Two tracks off this album later combined with some lyrics courtesy of MasaKarasu and the birth of this review was born.

I'm ambivalent when it comes to this album. On one hand, I hated this portion of the Neo Visualizm era and a part of me is glad it's all done. On the other, more fan-biased hand, what he did here challenged both genres and cultures which is something so completely badass most artists don't even think of attempting such an innovative step in their musical careers. My opinion is that Neo Visualizm lasted too long and even Miyavi himself was tired of the entire movement and just wanted to release an album to signal the end of it.

It shows...

NOTE: If you are new to Miyavi's music this is the last place I would start. Start somewhere like Gagaku, or Miyavizm, or even MYV POPS. Just not here.

Limited Edition

Regular Edition

1. JPN PRIDE
2. 21st Century Blues
3. 歌舞伎男子-KAVKI BOIZ- (Kabuki Danshi-KAVKI BOIZ)
4. BOOM-HAH-BOOM-HAH-HAH
5. Memories of BUSHIDO (Instrumental)
6. NOWHEREGOD
7. 陽の光さえ届かないこの場所で featuring SUGIZO (Hi no Hikari Sae Todokanai Kono Basho de featuring SUGIZO)
8. 咲き誇る華の様に-Neo Visualizm-
9. 素晴らしきかな，この世界 -What A Wonderful World- (Subarashiki Kana, Kono Sekai -What A Wonderful World-)
10. Tsurezure Naru Hibi Naredo
11. Thanx Givin’ Day

JPN PRIDE	It comes in slowly and it ends on the same notes, supported by bass, drums, tap dancers, a human beatboxer, and Miyavi himself. It’s got a distinct Asian flair that fits alongside the general message that the Japanese populace needs to remain Japanese in the face of adversity. Miyavi has a habit of using words and terms that shouldn’t exist, and along with his intentional corruption of words to create double-entendres and deeper meanings, most people don’t care to dig deep enough to get the deeper message of what he’s singing about. I still can’t excuse the silliness of the “Sukiyaki teriyaki harakiri geisha sushi soba tenpura Fujiyama ninja” at the beginning though. Even if you’re American, the song universally applies about not selling out to seem popular, or in, or whatever it is that you think is better than what you are currently. It’s the whole “you are what you are, so embrace it” mentality. The solo halfway in fits perfectly with the traditional Japanese instruments in the background and it’s not overbearing in the slightest. Most of the time, TYKO’s rap portions are hideous but this is one of the few times throughout the CD where it fits in rather well. I’d venture to say that this is one of the few songs that had some thought put into it. A good way to start off the CD.	9/10
21st Century Tokyo Blues	It’s opening with some distorted English words that appear to make no sense unless you have the lyrics. If I were to connect the two, I believe it has to do with how everyone in Japan is too pre-occupied with the end of the world and the negatives life throws us to realize how to live life happily in the meantime. I know he brings up the Y2K scare of 1999 and the false reporting of news broadcasters in there as well. The serious nature of these lyrics balanced with the fun atmosphere of the song creates a uniquely Miyavi piece where it’s “shut up and enjoy life, fool” instead of “shit sucks in life so kill yourself/lose all hope”. It’s still one of these songs that’s universally adaptable even though he aims it at a small group of people. Miyavi’s rougher singing is great (as usual) and TYKO’s rapping takes up a bigger portion of the track but it’s listenable in this one due to all the elements of the track going. The whole Miyavi ad-lib thing going on while TYKO’s rapping is evident does get a little tiresome. The funky bass is the glue to this track and really holds everything together, which is unusual since Miyavi usually relies on guitar. There is a guitar solo, but it’s uncharacteristically low in the mix and if you’re not paying attention you can miss it easily. It’s one of the better tracks we are getting out of this Neo Visualizm deal.	8/10
Kabuki Danshi	A piece straight out of the olden days of Neo Visualizm, where things were more experimental and the Kavki Boiz felt the need to introduce themselves before every piece of music started. Kabuki Danshi is heavy on acoustic guitar and features a small solo that’s nothing special but it is a little different. The entire atmosphere of the song is upbeat and should get anyone moving. If you need a Miyavi track to put you in a good mood, this is it. In contrast to the later stages of Neo Visualizm, Miyavi raps alongside TYKO and it doesn’t sound right. TYKO also gets a larger portion of the track, which annoys me to no end. The lyrics are about self-acceptance and the acceptance of others, because that’s the only way that you’re going to end up happy with who you are. The lyrics and the atmosphere net this song a few more points than normal. Combine that with the bias I have towards it because this got me interested in the Neo Visualizm era more than normal and we have a song that’s actually OK.	8/10
BOOM-HAH-BOOM-HAH-HAH	It’s the funkiest song on the album, but it doesn’t help it any. I also am not too fond of the lyrics, although I do support the message he eventually got to. The entire arrangements of the instruments are also bland and it doesn’t pick up that much steam throughout. The beginning was creative but quickly wore out because of TYKO’s constant repetition of it and the song fails to grab my attention up until the end. That’s the best part and nets the song a few points because that’s when Miyavi injects some soul into his singing. Overall, it’s too much of an exercise in patience to get that far. Needs some work in every department.	4/10
Memories of BUSHIDO	Somewhere along the line I believed Miyavi and the Kavki Boiz realized that the album transitioning the way it does between the previous track and the next track sounds a bit awkward and that something needed to be placed in between. This track could have been a promising instrumental if they had decided to do more than stand around and simulate air conditioners. It has this entire ominous feel about it and you’re anticipating something epic to happen at the beginning of it. Once you notice that the runtime is a little over a minute and the track isn’t expounding at an exponential rate, the only thing you’ll grow to anticipate is the track ending. If this track had built upon the ominous, foreboding feeling, incorporated some more instruments alongside the khoomii, and found direction it would have been decent filler. The way it stands is that it isn’t. Skip.	2/10
NOWHEREGOD	Some good, old-fashioned Miyavi rock influenced the right amount by Neo Visualizm. TYKO’s inclusion is comfortable here, and he isn’t the least bit distracting in the overall atmosphere of the song. Some more funk elements are displayed throughout the song, and that’s included in the unneeded solo at the end of the song, the judicious use of hip-hop elements throughout, and the basslines that run throughout this track. The lyrics are also a bit controversial, depending on how religious you may be (personally I agree with them, but to each his own). Another song on this album that sounds like he put a good amount of thought into the song and executed it well.	10/10
Hi no Hikari Sae Todokanai Kono Basho De	What sets this song head and shoulders above everything else on this album is the handiwork that fellow S.K.I.N. guitarist Sugizo had in it. I would bet Sugizo is the one that reined in the chaos that Miyavi and the fellow Kavki Boiz have had in the last few tracks and creates a transcendental, ethereal air of sophistication throughout. His influence proved to be wise indeed and if that’s not enough, Sugizo plays some guitar as well. Even though the first minute is rather subdued, there are still traces of the guitar here and there that build up subtly until the big entrance where everyone comes in. The Kavki Boiz somehow manage not to have too much facetime in this track and it’s the only Miyavi single on this album that actually features Miyavi. Some people complain about how the track ends but I actually find it effective, as it ends the track without too much grandeur. The most refined example of Neo Visualizm on this album.	10/10
Sakihokoru Hana no You ni – Neo Visualizm	The beginning was slow and decent but then it busts out into the proto-Neo Visualizm style that was expressive and experimental. I find it on the wrong side of experimental and if it weren’t for the fact that it shares a similar vibe to Kabuki Danshi I would have never gotten into this song. Miyavi raps way too much in this one but its offset by the relative exclusion of the Kavki Boiz taking a verse or two. The song is about the destruction of what music really is and how it needs to be taken back to the drawing board and re-done from the beginning. Miyavi applies it to Visual Kei and how stagnant the scene has become. It’s among the deepest lyrics here.	7/10
Subarashikikana, Kono Sekai – WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD	Miyavi’s singing is annoying in this track, and TYKO’s rapping even more so, especially since he gets a nice chunk in this one too. The ooh’s and aah’s are scattered throughout behind a funky bass and some nice guitar lines and if I put it too loud it gives me a deep migraine. Despite that, it all comes together in such a way that even though I find it so annoying it is that very quality that keeps it entertaining. Miyavi’s got a message here that everyone suffering from overactive hormones needs to hear (namely, if you’re feeling down don’t give up. Keep moving). It’s OK, but it’s not the best here.	7/10
Tsurezure Naru Hibi Naredo	Everyone proclaims this song as so beautiful and indicative of his maturity. I personally find the instrumentation to be nice and the lyrics to be thought provoking, but Miyavi’s delivery feels dead. I believe he was going for a fragile atmosphere but it comes across as withheld. It can’t stand up to some of the older soft tracks he’s delivered because he injects emotion into his work. What this song does have going for it is a jazzy solo and the absence of the Kavki Boiz, but that’s really it. I can see that he put a lot of thought into it and the little touches like the tinkling and the oddly placed but welcome drum beats, but it’s missing the most important aspect of a Miyavi song and that’s Miyavi. If he had sung as if his life depended on it, this song would have been great. As it stands, it’s just aesthetically pretty.	6/10
Thanx Givin’ Day	It’s an ode to his parents, and pardoning the cheesy spelling it has what I wanted from the last track, and that’s some emotion. This already puts it above the last track. It too is void of the Boiz and it’s just Miyavi and the acoustic. He chose to take a minimalist approach to this song and it’s a pretty ending song but in comparison to some of the other things we’ve gotten this far it’s a little quiet, and this makes it stand out in an odd fashion to everything else. Despite that it’s the best track to end the album with.	7/10

Despite the commercial failure this album turned out to be, a good portion of it is quite listenable given time to grow on you. Some fans of Miyavi may call this song too gaijin-oriented and a "sellout" but they've missed the whole point of this album. It's definitely a different sound from Miyavi but Miyavi's all about genrebending and experimentation. It is the best work from him throughout the entire Neo Visualizm movement and is a good way to set this phase of his musical career behind him.

Recommended:

JPN PRIDE
21st Century Tokyo Blues
NOWHEREGOD
Hi no Hikari Sae Todokanai Kono Basho de

Score: 70%