Review: Administrator - A

I'm actually quite averse to songs that start out with just the singer and then have the song curl around it in that vexingly poppy fashion but what I'm even more averse to is what I dub "born syndrome" - a basic lack of cohesion between verse and chorus. This cannot even be excused by musical incompetence since you have to know what the hell you're doing in order to screw up that bad. Administrator's A manages to screw up both of those Visual Kei pitfalls early on with Ace and Hidden Scar.

Ace is your basic run through of an upbeat rock song and doesn't stray from the formula. It doesn't have the same balls that selfish clover had and it doesn't take risks so what I'm left with is just another faceless VK song that wants to bare some teeth but doesn't commit itself to doing so 100% of the time. A few annoying things in this song would be the electronic effects that come in pointlessly, do nothing, and fade away. They'd almost be unnoticeable if they weren't all chained one after another. Another would be the hey's followed by the choir aah's since neither one of them works for Akuta.

Simply put, Ace isn't a good A-side for Administrator's first single. Too generic, not representative of what they're capable of.

Hidden Scar starts out pretty badass and I can even forgive the slight born syndrome but what I cannot overlook is the fact that it slowly segues into some stepbrother of Ace's. In places they even start to sound similar and Administrator remembers somewhere along the line that the song was supposed to be harder so they throw in a growl or two and then return with bad special effects and a bridge and chorus an octave too high for my comfort zone. No. The entire last minute is just painful and it becomes almost unbearable to realize that it's still the same song I was listening to three minutes ago.

Too long, too undecided, does not deliver.

Oboro is the type of song I want to hear from Administrator and easily up there for me around selfish clover. Proper use of special effects mixed with a sense of direction and a memorable riff is only offset by an awkward chorus. If that chorus was better Oboro would have won this race by a landslide but it's not like it's got any competition on A. It's the only song with a solo that I'll recognize and some of the ways that Akuta sings portions of the song sound great. It's definitely the only song I'd recommend out of this affair.

Good, maybe even above average.

A does not deliver but it's not surprising since this band hasn't been around for long and are still trying to find their way. It could have been a lot better but it could have been a whole lot worse so where it sits right now isn't all that bad. It just isn't all that memorable either.

55%

Review: Administrator - Temaneku Taiyou

I meant to do this yesterday but I was too tired ._.

It's the only other song Administrator's given us for free (it's the same place you can download selfish clover from) and for all intents and purposes I like this song a little less.

01. Temaneku Taiyou

A person may wonder why I review a band with such a bland name that they've never heard of before. My answer to you is that no one else pays any attention to the smaller bands and they need the attention. So, on to Temaneku Taiyou, which I think translates as Beckoning the Sun. It's not as dark and heavy as selfish clover but it ends up going the path of almost any other upbeat VK rock track. It juxtaposes hard rock passages with a lighter chorus (that fits surprisingly enough) and it has a solo that's nice and technical but not very memorable. Everything is something that you've heard somewhere before.

I really do hate to do this but this band seems to have trouble standing out. Visual Kei Rock is a genre not seriously taken and it's for a good reason. All the bands sound like each other with minute differences between them and every once in a while a new band with a different sound comes along and they spawn many clone bands. Administrator doesn't remind me of any one band in particular, but they remain quite faceless. Their music is nice and pleasant to listen to but it's nothing special.

Well, the track is free and it's not like they outright suck so those are two pluses right there. I'm also keeping in mind this band just formed and they're still working out their "sound" and getting things just right. After listening to some atrocious music lately, Temaneku Taiyou doesn't sound bad. It's generic but pleasant. It's not something original but it's not horrible either. It's a nice track to listen to every once in a while but I doubt that I'd put it on repeat because it's THAT good.

7/10.

Review: Administrator - selfish clover

Time to do another obscure Japanese Indies band no one will ever discover because their name is so damn generic. Both their singles are free because, well, they're nice. I rather think it's because they need the exposure. Either way it's nice to have free music we don't have to feel bad for pirating later.

01. selfish clover

I regard selfish clover as the better single out of the two that they've given us for free so far (both singles can be downloaded at no charge here). It's the usual heavy rock mixed in with lighter vocals, but the melody happens to be a little different and perhaps catchy. That little touch alone makes the track a little more memorable, because there's nothing new or innovative here. The chorus itself is typical VK but I find myself remembering it despite it's slightly annoying tendencies to sound a lot like a bunch of other songs I've heard. Akuta's vocals need to grow on you a bit since they're up there and he doesn't sound too comfortable singing them, but there are a lot worse in the rock universe so he's really not that bad. I'm just afraid of hearing him going that high in concerts because it doesn't sound like he can always get up there.

That's it really. Just one track. What'd you expect, a whole EP for free? It's their first release so I'll give them time to grow but it sounds so generic I really don't expect them to. 7/10.