Post by Sai on Jan 5, 2013 9:28:53 GMT -4
I decided to listen to this at around 6:30 AM, sooo... no promises on coherency, here :XD Anyway, I'm pleased to present my thoughts on the album!
Avalon no Oukan
This seriously belongs on a video game or movie OST. Holy crap, that intro. Nana sounds amazing - delicate at first, then strong without being overpowering or shouty. I really like that the melody isn't quite as predictable as her typical "epic" songs, too - it's nothing but epic, but it's hard to compare it to any of her other songs, it's totally built a sound for itself. That combined with the absolutely mind-blowing arrangement makes this a huge stand-out track, not just on this album, but in her career.
Naked Soldier
Also really impressed with this song. Once again, she's no stranger to the rock genre, but this song sounds a lot more fresh, less anisong as people have pointed out. I love the rawness.
Get my drift?
Is this... Nana?!?! Oh my god. This song is amazing. So fast-paced, so cool, so contemporary sounding. It's kind of in the vein of HIGH-STEPPER which is one of my favourite Nana songs, for sure. It sounds so hectic and chaotic - it's such a unique atmosphere for a Nana song. More songs like this, please!
Lovely Fruit
This + LINKAGE were the only songs I listened to previews for, but I don't remember much of how LF sounded aside from it being vaguely generic and cutesy. As for how that opinion held up to hearing the full version... I'm still not crazy about it actually :^^; But it's super fun, really zany, and is really infectious. I can totally see it growing on me. The PV is full of win though! So much fun to watch, and matches the song in its silliness. I honestly think this was a very solid addition to Nana's repertoire, but it's not a huge hit for me, personally.
Darling Plastic
So mellow, but so light! It's not the boring kind of mellow like... well, Karen Moyou :XD It's more in the vein of something like Nostalgia crossed with Strobe Cinema. There are certain parts of the chorus where Nana does not at all sound like herself, it's kind of peculiar haha. Again, I'm enjoying this branching out of genres. The chorus isn't as pleasant as the verses though, but I certainly like it. I get such a good feeling from this song <3
BRIGHT STREAM
Annnd here is BRIGHT STREAM! My initial crazy love for it kind of died down since its release, then Kouhaku made it flare up a bit again. It's not quite as good as it was back in August, unfortunately, and I still think the chorus is not quite as sweeping as the verses, which are just hauntingly beautiful. It still has enough going for it though, and it's far from forgettable.
Hoshikuzu Symphony
I've totally overplayed this song since early December, but no regrets there ;D Without a doubt one of the best tracks on the album, though I find it a bit hard to compare it to the others at the moment since I've been listening to it for such a long time beforehand, and it is kind of meant for a particular atmosphere. I'm glad I let myself download this one when the album leaked, or I would've totally missed all the awesome Christmas opportunities to enjoy it! Like Promise on Christmas, I LOVE this song to pieces but probably won't find myself listening to it all that much once winter ends :^^;
LINKAGE
It has its moments, but I really need to let this one grow on me. It's a little inoffensive, in the sense that it's not bad-sounding, but nothing quite attention-grabbing either. I can hear the potential, I can feel this song growing on me already, I just need to give it few more listens. Not insta-love. Better than Unchain World? Yes.
STAR ROAD
Put me in the camp that likes this song It's pure elegance. The melody is (Sorry, Nana xD) a little uninspired, especially around the chorus, but that arrangement is to die for. It really helps the track stand out. Those strings + the harpsichord + whatever else is playing at the end... It sounds so unique, and it really saves the song. I hear a bit of Thermidor -vingt-sept- in it, but it definitely has its own sound.
Synchrogazer -Aufwachen Form-
In 6 days this song will be a year old... That's kind of weird to think about! As the rest of you said, that intro is so misleadingly cool-sounding! Such a waste, to just have it just lead into the original song Synchrogazer is of course a solid track, nothing really lacking from it, and offers a good bit of variety since it's heavy on the electro feel. I kind of wish it had been placed around Get my drift?, because it feels a bit awkward between STAR ROAD and Crescent Child.
Crescent Child
Kind of in a Darling Plastic vein, the verses are so mellow and pleasing to the ear! I like it - the chorus too fits really well and isn't a huge departure from the verses. Not overpowering, but has a comfortable pace. Not the most memorable track, but just really pleasant to listen to. I can see myself getting a lot of listens out of this.
Kiseki no Melodia
Organs! This album's been kind of suspiciously devoid of Nana's usual brand of epicness (not a complaint! XD), so Kiseki no Melodia kind of fills that hole... but the organs really set it apart from other such tracks. I kind of expected this song to be the Chinmoku no Kajitsu of the album - forgettable, filler 'epic' (can we just talk about how Nana's the only artist who can have an epic song be described as 'filler' simply because she takes epic to a whole new level? :^^; ), but overall it's holding its own quite well. Has a bit of an UNBREAKABLE feel to it, which is a total plus.
METRO BAROQUE
Still really don't care for this song. I keep expecting it to grow on me but... Eh. Maybe when I see it in a concert? It just does nothing for me. THIS, imo, is the filler of the album... Which is odd since it's, y'know... an A-side. :XD Sorry.
Happy☆Go-Round!
Fun-sounding, I guess? Very Love Brick, which I did like, so that's good! Not quite as good as LB, unfortunately. Not into this song that much, to be honest.
Sacred Force -Extended Mix-
I was hoping for a revamp that would inspire me to love this song! Sadly, this is not it. This song is nothing special. The extended parts are pretty - they really are - but the song itself has just never appealed to me. Sigh. To think, other B-sides like Jiku Safaia, PARTY PARTY, and Fearless Hero were cut out in favor of this!
Yakusoku
Yay, more Nana ballads! This one's certainly beautiful, though a little bit generic. I tend to prefer her dark/intense ballads (like Brilliant star, Shin Ai, Orgel to Piano etc,) better, while this one falls into... more of the cheesy ballad category (Sing Forever, Yume no Tsuzuki, Hoshizora to Tsuki to, etc) - which I also like, but not quite as much. It's still lovely though, and I'm sure I'll end up listening to it.
The covers & packaging and everything was also SUPER nice. I mean, this is my first physically owned Nana album so I'm not really sure what the others are like, but I love how it was put together! I got the CD+DVD. The slipcase with the cover was as expected, though I like the shiny golden lettering they used for the text. Then the inside itself, with the kind of... book-type case (I have no idea how to describe this XD), and the super classy minimalist pictures on the white. Ugh, so attractive. The little photobook at the back, too, was killing me with gorgeousness, and the little clear-file I got was a fun bonus.
I don't want to give an 'overall' verdict until I've listened to the album a few times through - this is more of a first impressions kind of thing. But I can definitely say that there wasn't a track that I outright disliked (out of the new tracks, I mean. I still don't feel anything for MB :XD) or that I wouldn't get the urge to listen to at some point or another (well... I can't see myself craving Happy go round, but you never know!). Favourites upon first listen are Avalon no Oukan, Get my drift? and Crescent Child.
I am pleased .
Avalon no Oukan
This seriously belongs on a video game or movie OST. Holy crap, that intro. Nana sounds amazing - delicate at first, then strong without being overpowering or shouty. I really like that the melody isn't quite as predictable as her typical "epic" songs, too - it's nothing but epic, but it's hard to compare it to any of her other songs, it's totally built a sound for itself. That combined with the absolutely mind-blowing arrangement makes this a huge stand-out track, not just on this album, but in her career.
Naked Soldier
Also really impressed with this song. Once again, she's no stranger to the rock genre, but this song sounds a lot more fresh, less anisong as people have pointed out. I love the rawness.
Get my drift?
Is this... Nana?!?! Oh my god. This song is amazing. So fast-paced, so cool, so contemporary sounding. It's kind of in the vein of HIGH-STEPPER which is one of my favourite Nana songs, for sure. It sounds so hectic and chaotic - it's such a unique atmosphere for a Nana song. More songs like this, please!
Lovely Fruit
This + LINKAGE were the only songs I listened to previews for, but I don't remember much of how LF sounded aside from it being vaguely generic and cutesy. As for how that opinion held up to hearing the full version... I'm still not crazy about it actually :^^; But it's super fun, really zany, and is really infectious. I can totally see it growing on me. The PV is full of win though! So much fun to watch, and matches the song in its silliness. I honestly think this was a very solid addition to Nana's repertoire, but it's not a huge hit for me, personally.
Darling Plastic
So mellow, but so light! It's not the boring kind of mellow like... well, Karen Moyou :XD It's more in the vein of something like Nostalgia crossed with Strobe Cinema. There are certain parts of the chorus where Nana does not at all sound like herself, it's kind of peculiar haha. Again, I'm enjoying this branching out of genres. The chorus isn't as pleasant as the verses though, but I certainly like it. I get such a good feeling from this song <3
BRIGHT STREAM
Annnd here is BRIGHT STREAM! My initial crazy love for it kind of died down since its release, then Kouhaku made it flare up a bit again. It's not quite as good as it was back in August, unfortunately, and I still think the chorus is not quite as sweeping as the verses, which are just hauntingly beautiful. It still has enough going for it though, and it's far from forgettable.
Hoshikuzu Symphony
I've totally overplayed this song since early December, but no regrets there ;D Without a doubt one of the best tracks on the album, though I find it a bit hard to compare it to the others at the moment since I've been listening to it for such a long time beforehand, and it is kind of meant for a particular atmosphere. I'm glad I let myself download this one when the album leaked, or I would've totally missed all the awesome Christmas opportunities to enjoy it! Like Promise on Christmas, I LOVE this song to pieces but probably won't find myself listening to it all that much once winter ends :^^;
LINKAGE
It has its moments, but I really need to let this one grow on me. It's a little inoffensive, in the sense that it's not bad-sounding, but nothing quite attention-grabbing either. I can hear the potential, I can feel this song growing on me already, I just need to give it few more listens. Not insta-love. Better than Unchain World? Yes.
STAR ROAD
Put me in the camp that likes this song It's pure elegance. The melody is (Sorry, Nana xD) a little uninspired, especially around the chorus, but that arrangement is to die for. It really helps the track stand out. Those strings + the harpsichord + whatever else is playing at the end... It sounds so unique, and it really saves the song. I hear a bit of Thermidor -vingt-sept- in it, but it definitely has its own sound.
Synchrogazer -Aufwachen Form-
In 6 days this song will be a year old... That's kind of weird to think about! As the rest of you said, that intro is so misleadingly cool-sounding! Such a waste, to just have it just lead into the original song Synchrogazer is of course a solid track, nothing really lacking from it, and offers a good bit of variety since it's heavy on the electro feel. I kind of wish it had been placed around Get my drift?, because it feels a bit awkward between STAR ROAD and Crescent Child.
Crescent Child
Kind of in a Darling Plastic vein, the verses are so mellow and pleasing to the ear! I like it - the chorus too fits really well and isn't a huge departure from the verses. Not overpowering, but has a comfortable pace. Not the most memorable track, but just really pleasant to listen to. I can see myself getting a lot of listens out of this.
Kiseki no Melodia
Organs! This album's been kind of suspiciously devoid of Nana's usual brand of epicness (not a complaint! XD), so Kiseki no Melodia kind of fills that hole... but the organs really set it apart from other such tracks. I kind of expected this song to be the Chinmoku no Kajitsu of the album - forgettable, filler 'epic' (can we just talk about how Nana's the only artist who can have an epic song be described as 'filler' simply because she takes epic to a whole new level? :^^; ), but overall it's holding its own quite well. Has a bit of an UNBREAKABLE feel to it, which is a total plus.
METRO BAROQUE
Still really don't care for this song. I keep expecting it to grow on me but... Eh. Maybe when I see it in a concert? It just does nothing for me. THIS, imo, is the filler of the album... Which is odd since it's, y'know... an A-side. :XD Sorry.
Happy☆Go-Round!
Fun-sounding, I guess? Very Love Brick, which I did like, so that's good! Not quite as good as LB, unfortunately. Not into this song that much, to be honest.
Sacred Force -Extended Mix-
I was hoping for a revamp that would inspire me to love this song! Sadly, this is not it. This song is nothing special. The extended parts are pretty - they really are - but the song itself has just never appealed to me. Sigh. To think, other B-sides like Jiku Safaia, PARTY PARTY, and Fearless Hero were cut out in favor of this!
Yakusoku
Yay, more Nana ballads! This one's certainly beautiful, though a little bit generic. I tend to prefer her dark/intense ballads (like Brilliant star, Shin Ai, Orgel to Piano etc,) better, while this one falls into... more of the cheesy ballad category (Sing Forever, Yume no Tsuzuki, Hoshizora to Tsuki to, etc) - which I also like, but not quite as much. It's still lovely though, and I'm sure I'll end up listening to it.
The covers & packaging and everything was also SUPER nice. I mean, this is my first physically owned Nana album so I'm not really sure what the others are like, but I love how it was put together! I got the CD+DVD. The slipcase with the cover was as expected, though I like the shiny golden lettering they used for the text. Then the inside itself, with the kind of... book-type case (I have no idea how to describe this XD), and the super classy minimalist pictures on the white. Ugh, so attractive. The little photobook at the back, too, was killing me with gorgeousness, and the little clear-file I got was a fun bonus.
I don't want to give an 'overall' verdict until I've listened to the album a few times through - this is more of a first impressions kind of thing. But I can definitely say that there wasn't a track that I outright disliked (out of the new tracks, I mean. I still don't feel anything for MB :XD) or that I wouldn't get the urge to listen to at some point or another (well... I can't see myself craving Happy go round, but you never know!). Favourites upon first listen are Avalon no Oukan, Get my drift? and Crescent Child.
I am pleased .