Saturday 20 April 2013

Brainstorming and Kimi Sae Ireba Nani mo Iranai

On Wednesday this week Morning Musume released their third double A-side single 'Brainstorming/Kimi Sae Ireba Nani mo Iranai'. Continuing the electronic style of the groups recent releases and bidding farewell to veteran member Tanaka Reina, I had high hopes for this single from the start. And I was right to have those hopes because aside from a few things here and there this has been a very solid release.


The leading song, 'Brainstorming', pretty much follows the formula of recent songs in terms of style and line distribution but does it brilliantly. In general, the song goes at quite a pace. However, this relentlessness is broken up by the lines sang by Oda which, similarly to her lines in 'Help Me!', are very contrasting to the rest of the song. In my opinion this is a great thing and I love the variety of voices we have in the group at the moment. I think it will be interesting to see what happens with Oda from here on out. Her voice is the exact opposite of Riho's and I feel that they would make a great leading team for that reason. Staying on the topic of line distribution, it's nice to see Fuku-chan becoming more and more prominent as time goes on. As for the video, I am fairly content. The lighting is nice and the costumes work in the setting. One thing I do wish is that they had employed somebody to polish that shiny floor as in the opening shot it looks mega-scratched.


Onto A-side number two! 'Kimi Sae Ireba Nani mo Iranai' is a little bit odd as far as songs go but I loved it from day one. Unfortunately not everyone felt the same way and a bit of a debate kicked of. So, here we go. . .
Reasons to love 'Kimi Sae Ireba Nani mo Iranai'
1. "2000 PEOPLE ON THE DANCE FLOOR"
2. The super robotic verses make real sense when you read the lyrics at the same time.
3. The chorus melody is great.
4. Haruna's cute little hat.

Reasons not to love 'Kimi Sae Ireba Nani mo Iranai'
1. Awkward dance moves.
2. Overuse of the salute. "You've gotta fight, fight, fight, fight, fight for your . . . .
3. . . . Yellow Pepper Keibu costumes!"

So, in conclusion, I would say that the pros outweigh the cons.

And for a very brief reference to the countless b-sides . . . .
'ABCD E-cha E-cha Shitai' and 'Tokimeku Tokimeke' are great, 'Itsumo Onaji Seifuku de' is nice if you like that kind of thing and 'Rock no Teigi' is a bit disappointing really.

Monday 1 April 2013

Juice=Juice : Hello!Project's Fresh New Group

When I first heard that Hello!Project would be debuting a new group filled with eggs (yes, I still call them eggs) and Miyazaki Yuka (who had previously came to my attention in Satoyama unit 'Green Fields') I thought it would be a bit like that 'Kanojo ni Naritai' song that was released a while back. In other words, a bit like a poor man's S/mileage. Thankfully, I was wrong. What we have got is a saxtastic song, 6 exciting newish girls, some cute casual-style costumes and a cheap music video that reuses the set for Manoeri's 'Onegai Dakara'! . . . Okay so that last one is less enthralling but overall things are going pretty well.


With a group name that is simple but stupid, Juice=Juice's indie single's name is more long but alright. "Watashi ga Iu Mae ni Dakeshimenakya ne". Seriously, I don't think the Tsunkster really thinks of the 16 year old Scottish girls who's Japanese is limited to things like "田中さんのお母さんの車は赤です。" when he comes up with these titles.

Anyway, the group consists of six members; Miyazaki Yuka, Miyamoto Karin, Takagi Sayuki, Uemura Akari, Otsuka Aina and Kanazawa Tomoko. I used to find that even number groups are a bit awkward in terms of formations and such but since I fell in love with 6 member S/mileage I'm more up for it. I think Tomoko is the only one I know absolutely nothing about but she looked great in this video so I look forward to getting to know her more.

Overall, I like the song. I mean, it's not going to go on any favourites lists but it does its job well and the sax hook is pretty neat. The dance is bold and full of energy, making a nice contrast to the girls' pouty faces in the close-ups. In general, while this release is nothing ground breaking, I find that it gives a good impression of the girls and I am looking forward to seeing the direction they take on the route to a major label debut.