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%