MEG - BEAUTIFUL (2009)
Regular Edition
Limited Edition /w DVD
Released May 27th, 2009

1. DAYS
2. PRECIOUS
3. TELEPHONE
4. LIES
5. STAR
6. STAND
7. WHY
8. JOKER
9. SKIN
10. BEAUTIFUL
11. FREAK <yasutaka nakata remix>

This is my view right now.

I listened to this album on the subway down here and doing it a second time as I’m typing this out. It might be a bit too soon to do it in standard blm album style but I’ll write in order of first impression appeal from ascending order.

DAYS doesn’t count as a song since it’s an intro so it’ll go first. Nothing too special going on in the song: a synth pad carried by MEG’s quirky engrish. The delivery is solid and almost haunting with a downtempo, minimalistic beat that builds into a solid percussion line. An interesting experimental piece.

STAR is a piano led, downtempo track that doesn’t quite do it for me. I don’t know what it is about it but it doesn’t really connect with me. She’s had more appealing slower songs like NATALIE. It’s cute enough and MEG does a solid vocal performance but I’m just not feeling this one.

STAND starts off very summery. It should be a perfect song to listen to considering my current situation but just like STAR, it’s just not carrying much of a catchy tune. Solid performances all around. The guitar and electric piano is a fun combo. It’s really just the melody.

WHY? It sounded like it had so much potential once that bassline dropped, but from there, it just didn’t really deliver. The melody is somewhat interesting and the main melodic synth is fun in its repetitive nature but where a song should grow on you, it just doesn’t do anything after it shows you its stuff.

Ahhh, the title track, BEAUTIFUL. It’s kinda downtempo but not so much. (~120 neighborhood) and it suffers what the songs previous suffers from, I mean, it’s cute and it’s entertaining, but the melody just doesn’t carry though. It could basically blend in with the scenery or if it happened to play on random, it wouldn’t attract my attention.

And this is where the album takes a turn for the better. TELEPHONE starts off the fun with a solid beat and a fun electric piano line with a splash of guitar. Aside from it being the third track, it’s a good start to the album and grabbed my by the ear and took me for a bit of a ride. It could just be that I’m a sucker for the big beat snare.

SKIN is more of an instrumental track than a vocal track. The lines that MEG delivers is more of a logical separator than anything else. It’s like lines – “I’m starting” – do a bit of stuff – lines – “I’m starting to build up momentum” – add something else to the mix – go for a break – come back kicking – o hi more lines – “I’m still here” – come back full-force – take another quick break – CRESCENDO! WITH LINES! – cool down – fin.

PRECIOUS is the only song I heard previous to listening to this album. I love this song on its own and already did a review of it. Why don’t you read that instead?

Starting off with a funky break of a beat and keeping the broken quality throughout, LIES really sets itself apart from the rest of the album. The chorus is so solid and really holds the entire song together. There are no words to further describe the song. I just suggest you listen to it and see why I’ve given it the #3 spot.

JOKER has, by far, the catchiest melody in the album. This is some extreme last.fm spam potential. MEG’s higher register is showcased in the chorus and it’s. just. love. When I can’t explain things, I turn to fanboy tactics to solve my problems. People tend to understand fanboy more than the little technicalities that I might blurt out for a song like this but It doesn’t need anything confusing like that to muddle its enjoyability factor. This would definitely be the number one track on the album if…

FREAK didn’t get the nakata remix treatment. HOLY. CRAP. Where did this come from!? It’s songs like this that remind me why I consider him to be a musical genius. I’m not going to say that the Hadouken version of the song was a complete train wreck but one needed to be in a particular state of mind to really appreciate that song. Lucky for me I enjoy Hadouken’s music and when I found out that they did a collaboration with MEG, I kinda flipped out for a second. Something about their styles don’t quite mesh well together but it was an experience. THIS, however… I can’t sing its praises enough. I think we may have a potential Song Of the Summer on our hands.

And that’s it!

Though, I would like to add, MEG didn’t really have a fashion show / clubby party song like she had on her past two albums: MODEL in BEAM and MAKE LOVE and SUPERSONIC in STEP. I kinda wanted one but it’s ok that it doesn’t have one. We’ve got some quality melodies and vocals and I find it to be quite BEAUTIFUL. HUR.

1. The Show
2. Bring Me Down
3. Skipalong
4. Don’t Let Me Fall
5. Anything I’m Not
6. Knock Knock
7. Dangerous And Sweet
8. Trouble Is A Friend
9. Live Like You’re Dying
10. Like A Song
11. We Will Not Grow Old

So I’ve been listening to this album off and on for about a month and a bit. My cousin introduced me to Lenka during the holidays and twisted my arm asked me to accompany her to the her show on February 2nd. If you’ve read my review of that, you’d know that I think she’s awesome. I’m back a week later with this full review of her debut album in standard blm format.

We Will Not Grow Old
As with all blm reviews as of late, It’s not that it belongs here, it’s just something has to go here. It’s got the lyrical content and a nice tune but nothing quite sticks with me for this song. I guess it doesn’t quite have an internal meaning for me just yet. I enjoyed hearing it live but just like listening to it again, it just doesn’t affect me like other songs on this album. I can’t quite put my finger on why. I just don’t have much to say on this track. That’s all.

Live Like You’re Dying
I like the message in this song and it makes me want to do something with my life like it should but as a song, it doesn’t quite have any staying power. These are good words to live by but as a song, I usually skip it.

Skipalong
I’m not sure what to say about it. Watching it live was a treat; whenever Lenka said Sugar Bomb, she’d make an exploding action with her hands and her eyes would widen. It was adorable. I wasn’t particularly attracted to this song otherwise.

Dangerous And Sweet
Lenka gets upbeat and lively with this track complete with clap track! This song reminds me of a few people I’ve met in my life. I, too, am sometimes oversensitive but I don’t think I let people’s words get to me as much as it does Lenka and whoever she’s serenading in this song. It’s a cute song. It’s dangerous… and sweet.

Knock Knock
This was the first song that really touched me on this album. I feel everyone needs someone dependable in their lives. This one goes out to all those who’ve dropped everything or who’ve gone beyond the call of duty to help a friend in need. It’s not particularly catch but Lenka’s vocal performance just grabs at your heart and makes you feel all fuzzy like the person she’s singing about probably made her feel when they helped her out.

Trouble Is A Friend
It’s really hot seeing her do this live because she has this seductive look, like trouble himself. I really enjoy the line “I won’t let him in but I’m a sucker for his charm.” Everything about this song feels real and honest. It makes me wonder what her inspiration for this song was. The combination of Drum, Piano, and Bass create the solid foundation for this song with little dabs of other flavours like the Brass and extra Percussion/Bongos. It’s a pretty little song.

The Show
At first it reminded me of Yawl Naim’s New Soul but once the beat dropped, I knew Lenka was more than just another “unfolk” vocalist in the still growing genre. This song is so cheery and pleasant which contrasts well against the insecurities that are shown in the lyrics. It’s like the song is “let[ting] it go and just enjoy[ing] the show”.

Don’t Let Me Fall
This is one of the cutest songs I’ve heard in a long time. Everything about this song is as she said at her show. I can’t remember quite what she said about it but it had to do about how dependent the singer is on the one she loves. The feelings I get from this song is that it’s a whole-hearted, dependent, and kind-of-love-you-can’t-find-these-days kind of love song. It’s the love song that sounds like a lullaby. On a technical/fanboy note, in the show, she was playing those string hits that are most prominent at the start and throughout the quiet parts on her little Robot Pet, the M-Audio 25 Key Controller.

Anything I’m Not
Her honesty on stage as she sung this song was just adorable and magnetic. What this song lacks in self-esteem, it makes up in honesty and its optimistic instrumental. What I like to imagine goes on in the song is that our protagonist has become a mindless 9-5 zombie and while she tries to enjoy it for the sake of mental sanity, she wishes should could break away form the regular routine from everything she is and become anything she’s not while trying to maintain her uniqueness. That’s a mouthful, but then again, that’s life for a lot of us, am I right?

Bring Me Down
This is easily the most aggressive and emotionally charged song on the album. It is also her break up song. And it also sounds really happy. Why is that? *whistle*

It’s odd that it’s my second favourite song but I can’t really tell you why it is. I do think that that second last “The writing’s on the wall” is quite hot.

Like A Song
I think it was watching her do this live, and a cappella, is what really threw this song into the top spot. Taking it for what it is, it’s a creepy sounding song. Sounds like I should be walking around Silent Hill. Add in the lyrics and it becomes one of the saddest songs I’ve heard in a while. It does somewhat relate to Silent HIll 2’s story line, which creeps me out even more. I do wonder what the inspiration to this song is. If a song like this managed to come out of my head, I’d feel bad singing it regularly. I probably wouldn’t be able to sing it without crying. The pain I feel just hearing this song is enough to make the eyes water. I wonder if I can do a cover…

1] please come INTRO!
2] WORK THAT feat. PHARRELL & CHRIS BROWN
3] AFTER 5(A.M.) feat. MADEMOISELLE YULIA
4] TOKYO DRIFT (FAST & FURIOUS)
5] SWEET GIRL feat. DONDRIA
6] TERIYA-KING feat. KANYE WEST & BIG SEAN
7] 5th ELEMENT feat. CORNELIUS
8] SERIOUS JAPANESE
9] ZOCK-ON! feat PHARRELL & BUSTA RHYMES
10] (CANT’) “BAKE” THAT “FAPE” feat. TAKAGIKAN & ADROCK
11] いつも IT’S MORE
12] I still love H.E.R. feat KANYE WEST (ALBUM MIX)
13] get the hell OUTRO
14] TOKYO DRIFT (FAST & FURIOUS) REMIX feat. PUSHA T & FAM-LAY

I’ve been off the TERIYAKI BOYZ party van for a while. Just last month, I learned about ZOCK ON! I figured I’d would be too late to review it but I was never about doing those on time anyway. Either way, I was blind-sided with this latest album. I was just browsing around and found it in the latest releases list. I didn’t miss too much based on the tracklist.

Let’s do this right in standard blm album review format (save the best for last):

5TH ELEMENT
This reminds me of Moon The World from BEEF OR CHICKEN, showcasing their ability to rhyme on top of an irregular beat. It’s at the top just because it’s not quite as catchy as the rest of the tracks on the album. It’s good but nothing I’d be blasting out of the car anytime soon. Makes me want to understand more of the language…

SWEET GIRL
This one is kinda unfairly put near the top because it’s a good song but I just don’t like it as much as the other tracks. Also, the use of auto-tune makes me lol a bit. I really don’t mind the effect since I don’t listen to all the hip-hop acts that use it on this side of the lake. Nothing personal, just something’s gotta be here. Found the Jack Bauer/Sparrow shout out funny.

SERIOUS JAPANESE
Solid beat. Nice flow. FOR SERIOUS. CHO SERIOUS. Nothing personal again for being up top.

TOKYO DRIFT
Maybe if I didn’t kill this song when the movie OST came out, I’d probably still enjoy it as much as I do the rest of the album. The remix is refreshing and should add bonus points bumping this down further but that wouldn’t be fair. I won’t count the remix in this list but it’d probably be 2-3 spots further down.

WORK THAT
Great opening. Great energy. Is it sad that I don’t know who Chris Brown is? I think he’s R&B, no? I don’t know. Pretty standard overall. I have nothing to say that makes it stand out but at least I have nothing to say about it sucking.

TERIYA-KING
Kanye’s part is pretty sick. I’m a casual Kanye listener; I’ve never bought an album but what I hear on the radio is pretty cool. I don’t listen to the radio much and it’s not overplayed for me. Oh hur hur. Good strong solid beat like a song of its title should have.

I still love H.E.R. (ALBUM MIX)
The only difference I can hear is during Kayne’s part: they don’t change the beat for him like they did on the single version. In the single version, he gets a bass-boosted kick while everything else gets turned down on the lower end of the spectrum. I think it sounds better everything equal.

ZOCK-ON!
Thanks, Groove Heroine. I think it’s a good collaboration between east and west hip-hop. Pharrell doesn’t get much in terms of lines but then again, the featuring means nothing other than they’re in it, regardless of how much activity they have (just looking back on Pharrell’s Can I Have It Like That feat. Gwen Stefani who said 6 words). Anyway, solid beat. Good use of percussion. Would sound good played by a drum line. Who really knows or cares what a “ZOCK” is… this is a good song according to my ears. :)

(CAN’T) “BAKE” THAT “FAPE”
ADROCK WUT. I miss the Beastie Boys. I totally fell off the Beastie Boys party van. I C WUT U DID THAR. I’m a big fan of puns and and FAPE is kinda like FAP … but in french. The verb to fap. Look it up. Also, fake bapes are fake. Don’t support the fake market. No one deserving is getting money. I digress. Solid beat, something blastable. Catchy hook.

いつも IT’S MORE
This song wins the award for 2nd most chartable song on this album. And by chart, I mean stepchart for ITG. Not that this ranking is of how chartable these songs are… I don’t know, maybe there’s some sort of correlation between songs I enjoy and songs I find to be chartable. Creatively chartable anyway. Super blastable. They even tell you to “Turn it up. Turn it turn it up.” There’s an interesting 8-bit-ish instrument kicking around in the background that would make for an interesting pattern to follow. I need to somehow turn up the volume for it. The beat is simple but everything about it is super catchy and I enjoy listening to it… repeatedly.

Which makes this album winner…

AFTER 5 (A.M.)
From the start, I saw the promise in this track. It had the beginnings of a trance track then it dropped the funky drum and busted out the teriyaki sauce. we’ve got a hit on our hands. This wins most chartable song because of its complexity and diversity for followable stepping patterns. It’s music to my ears and feet. It’s songs like these that make me look good. It’s fun from start to finish and doesn’t fail to make me bounce in my seat. It’s a good party song as well. Some good background music to have people bouncing. Also, lol cowbell.

Apparently, there’s a worldwide release going down February 3rd. I should pick this up. For serious. CHO SERIOUS.

1. MAGIC
2. KITTENISH
3. MAKE LOVE
4. PRISM BOY
5. HEART
6. SUPERSONIC
7. SEARCHLIGHT
8. NATALIE
9. KITTENISH
10. PRISM BOY

Back after her BEAM album, STEP brings all the TechnoPop goodness you come to expect of MEG and Nakata-san. On the blm cuteness scale, she’s a few notches under Perfume. Her voice still delivers that “I-don’t-know-what-it-is” factor and is suited perfectly with her on-stage persona. This might sound a little off base but she reminds me of Ogura Yuko’s on-stage persona: they both look a little lost and/or confused and cute while singing except that MEG isn’t actually one or the other, only looks it, but still cute. This album definitely delivers in that it contains more songs of the style I prefer over Perfume’s GAME album and I fear it might just be a notch of two higher on my personal favourite album list. I just wish that the last two tracks were more than just a remix and extended mix. That’s fine for singles but on an album? *sigh* And because of that, the remix tracks won’t be part of the countdown. I won’t bother making PV comments in this one either.

The track-by-track in regular blm style after the jump!

8. NATALIE
First of all, I’ll say that I don’t not like any of the songs on this album. Unfortunately, this is how things get reviewed around here and it’s a format that I’ve grown to love. I hope you do too! Anyway, NATALIE is the brick wall at the end of a totally awesome joy ride that is STEP. It’s the last track of the original content on the album and has a similar feel to Perfume’s Macaroni. It’s a cute little song (I wish I had translations to) that really showcases MEG’s mellower side. If there was one remix track that were to be included in this album, I wish it would’ve been the of this song from the HEART single. It’s less acoustic and more technopop and would’ve been the perfect little ender to this joy ride. Again, it’s not a bad song, it definitely showcases MEG’s talents but the technopop version would’ve of been better for the album.

7. MAKE LOVE
It feels like something they’d play at a fashion show or high profile party – Models with attitude walking down a catwalk, mingling with members of high society with a glass of bubbly in your hand in a modern and clean white loft in the middle of downtown overlooking the nightlife below. Nakata’s music does a number on my mental imagery. Musically, nothing really sticks out but it all blends together well to make a nice musical package to be enjoyed with some champagne and a hot cocktail dress.

6. SUPERSONIC
This is STEP’s MODEL though MODEL sounds a bit more sinister. This one sounds like a wilder MAKE LOVE, taking place at a technopop club with glowsticks and candykids everywhere you turn. The chorus bass line gives such an impact and the fun carries through the rest of the song. It must be the fuzz. This is practically guaranteed to be on TechnoPopLove 2.

5. KITTENISH
This track has the elements and all the potential of being a high-energy track but the party feel isn’t there. Not saying that it’s lacking in something but it gets put in a different class than the two tracks previous. Think more Suzuki Ami – ONE. It’s got more of that epic feel but with the cuteness still intact. The is quieter yet maintains all of the epic and cute. In this case, I prefer the original.

4. SEARCHLIGHT
This is STEP’s ROMANTIKA. It oozes Nakata and capsule but for some reason, MEG just turns it into something completely her own. Paradox? Slightly. The piano definitely adds that classic, jazzy, capsule-y feel while being able to provide a new and fresh flavor to technopop in general. The arpy spherical synth that lingers throughout the song does something magical to the track. You wouldn’t really hear it if you weren’t paying attention but if it wasn’t there, it just wouldn’t sound complete.

3. HEART
This is the second of the two singles released from this album. It’s cute and has everything I enjoy in a cute technopop song but didn’t have the staying power of MAGIC. The vocal delivery, however, is one of my favourites in a MEG song. There isn’t too much to comment on about this song since cute technopop doesn’t get too complex but that’s probably one of its more attractive features. You can just listen to it without having to think or pay much attention and enjoy it.

2. MAGIC
I don’t quite know what it is about this song that makes it #2 on the track-by-track but is one of my favorite cute technopop songs probably my favourite cute technopop song by MEG. Did it overtake OK? Probably. I haven’t gotten sick of it yet. MEG really delivers in this chorus and is the reason why I love this song so much. Its melody is infectious and just splendid. It’s not quite love the world level but super-cute and well-performed regardless.

1. PRISM BOY
I like this song so much, I’ve been thinking about changing one of my online aliases to prismboy (my current gaming alias on Steam is soundboy so it wouldn’t be too far of a jump). From the opening delayed synth to the strong vocals and solidly held notes from MEG to the beat dropping in the chorus, this song is a powerhouse and contains elements from all high-energy technopop styles that I adore, It is my new MEG image song. I just wish that she release singles like this. All of her single tracks, like the two previous, showcase her technopop cute and not enough of her technopop epic which Suzuki Ami seems to dominate in. I wonder what kind of sales she’d produce with a shift in focus of singles. Then again, Suzuki Ami didn’t do too well with FREE FREE / SUPER MUSIC MAKER and ONE. Hopefully, that’ll change.

So, I just re-read my review of BEAM and a lot has changed about my opinion of MEG since then. Her voice has really grown on me in the half a year I’ve been enjoying her music. She still has that mysterious vocal quality that intrigues me so. I don’t know what exactly happened between BEAM and STEP but something in me changed.

This album is still coming in the mail so I’ll probably have an unboxing post up soon, along with another purchase… stay tuned :D

Buy from CDJapan:
Step [Regular Edition] MEG	Step [w/ DVD, Limited Edition] MEG

*Squeal*

I know I’m a little late with my review. I waited for my shipment to come in and didn’t give into downloading it. I did the same with Complete Best though there was only one new song on that album. I’m surprised that the YesAsia free shipping delivered within a week. I received my GAME on the 22nd after it being released on the 16th. I kinda miss the trademark green paper from CDJapan but I can’t say no to free shipping… *sigh*

I also received Baby cruising Love with this order, which from a strictly musical point of view, is stupid because both tracks are on the album. The album, however, does not include the instrumentals (which are oh-so-important in the fan remixing world) and the PV DVD. Let’s not forget the eyecandy that is the CD packaging. Yum.

As for my GAME review, it will follow the favourite-starting-from-least format since I like to save the best for last. With that out of the way, Let’s Play The Game!

12] Take me Take me
There’s something about this track that just doesn’t strike me the right way. It doesn’t have the same kind of feeling I get from the rest of Perfume’s discography (actually, it kinda hit the same buttons as foundation…). While the simple yet suggestive lyrical content is quite pleasing, it doesn’t feel like a Perfume song to me. I also don’t find the melody or bass line very memorable. They’ve had catchier. But don’t get me wrong, I’d love to take all three of you tonight.

11] Butterfly
These kinds of songs give me feelings of creativity and exploration. Some examples of these kinds of tracks are capsule’s megalopolis, Soratobu Toshikeikaku, Portable Kuukou to name a few. I like them but they’re not album pushers for me. They’re great for late nights and coding and artwork and the like.

10] GAME
I get too much of a capsule feel from this track like Toshiko could’ve done it and I’d feel the same about it. Or maybe MEG. I don’t know. Similar to Take me Take me, it doesn’t feel like a Perfume song. Actually, the arrangement reminds me slightly of MODEL from MEG’s BEAM album. I loved MODEL when I first heard it. Maybe if I heard MODEL after GAME, my thoughts would be the opposite.

9] Macaroni
This track’s rating actually varies depending on how I feel. If I’m in the mood for quiet and relaxing, this would be higher up, but I’m not. That and Perfume is known for their techno-pop quality which this track lacks (but by no means does it take away from the overall quality of the track). Macaroni definitely showcases their harmonizing abilities as evident in the chorus. A great downtempo track for those who want some relaxing Perfume. Even more relaxing than wonder2!

8] Ceramic Girl
I really like the sound of the verses though I don’t feel that like carries throughout the whole song. Can’t put my finger on it really, it just doesn’t tickle the fancy all that much. Still fun to listen to though.

7] Twinkle Snow Powdery Snow
This track is my definition of textbook Perfume. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with it just it’s been out for a while now and the newer stuff is sneaking in a few more qualities that are elevating Perfume to the next level. Still, I’d have to say this song has the crispest and deepest sample of a kick drum for a techno-pop song compared to the rest of the album which is excellent for turning the subwoofer up to 11. Everything about this song is enjoyable and memorable.

6] PolyRhythm
Not too far behind Twinkle Snow Powdery Snow in the kick drum department, PolyRhythm isn’t as loud but just as infectious and full of bubbly goodness that Perfume is known for. I love the big loop orgasm Nakata has in the middle of the song.

5] Baby cruising Love
Not as relaxing and calm as macaroni or wonder2 but not as in your face as Electro World or Twinkle Snow Powdery Snow. The piano is definitely the highlight instrument in this song with the fuzzy bass holding it all together. The vocals are just a treat while everything else in between is just right. Playing audiosurf seems fitting.

4] secret secret
La la la la… I’m surprised they went with this song as the first album PV after listening to the rest of the album but I don’t not like the fact that they did. Like I said in my PV review, I don’t know how Nakata does it but he always manages to keep it fresh.

3] chocolate disco
I still think the 10 minute version should be the official release.

For the top two, I’ve been having a hard time thinking about which is my favourite though I think after just taking a pause for 20 minutes to rock out to both songs, I think I’ll have to go with this order.

2] Puppy love
Nakata gives Perfume a refreshing twist with a real drum kit in a more uptempo track. There’s something about the drum kit in this song that just tickles me though I feel it gets drowned out in the chorus. If they just raised the drum volume just a bit more and made the kick a little more unf-y, I think this could’ve taken the top spot. It was my number one but then I really started listening to plastic smile…

1] plastic smile
I believe that this is the perfect marriage of everything Perfume has done up to this point. It touches on every song that I can think of at the moment and even has a bit of that capsule club feel. The bass line has an old 80’s kinda feel until Nakata lays on the higher fuzz and the sub-bass that bring it back to today. The extra percussion (everything outside of the kick and snare and basic hats) during the choruses definitely adds flavour and more layers on an already appetizing cake. It reminds me of the percussion in Free Free and we all know how much I love Free Free. Do I hear an accordion hiding among the instruments in the back? The staccato digisynth really captures the cutesy, bubbly flavour of the trio and is second yummiest only to the vocals that the girls themselves provide.

Buy from CDJapan:
GAME [Limited Edition]	GAME [Regular Edition]

I spoke of Ms. Atkins in a previous post and said many nice things about her. This post won’t be much different except I’ll be reviewing her latest work entitled Neptune City. It was available for purchase at the Pipettes show and I could’ve got it signed except I didn’t have the money for it :( AH WELL. I still have my ticket stub signed :) Man, she’s so awesome live… I digress. Here’s my review for Neptune City.

Just off the bat, I’ll let you know that I won’t make any comments on Nicole’s vocal performance in any of the songs. I won’t do this because her voice is just so fucking awesome that I don’t need to. Nicole Atkins is the epitome of a female crooner. Normally, I wouldn’t buy an album like this except Nicole does it so… what’s the word… awesomely? I can’t describe how awesome her voice is.

Let’s do this album in order of favourites starting with least.

10] Brooklyn’s On Fire!
It’s a good song but means the least to me probably because I don’t understand the significance of Brooklyn being on fire. It could be a Jersey thing… either way, sounds like a fun party song served with a little regret on the side.
“I’m caught in the wave of tears from much happier days when we were young and not afraid of stupid mistakes that we made.”
I feel ya, Nicole.
UPDATE: Yay lyric books. It’s Independence Day! Fireworks light the Brooklyn skies like the city’s on fire. FOURTH OF JULY! BROOKLYN’S ON FIRE! I never understood what they said there. Now I know. Now this song means more. Except we don’t observe America’s Independence Day here in Canada. lol.

9] Love Surreal
I’d probably like this song more if I felt this way about someone…

8] Party’s Over
I’d like this song more if I didn’t have to read the lyrics to know what you’re saying Nicole… :P I’ll fill this in when I have the time to analyze further.

7] The Way It Is
Probably the most popular song on the album due to Nicole singing it on Letterman.
To be honest, it wasn’t one of my favourites when I first heard it; I like it more now that I’ve listened to it more but still hasn’t broken the top half of the list. I’ve felt this way about a person before. It’s good to listen to when I think about her. I still think Littlest Things by Lily Allen really does the trick to make me depressed about her. The Way It Is is a little more personal because of the whole “he’s not the one that I need I’d rather find out for myself” bit. Oh and “If I was smart I’d never call you ever again”. This would’ve been better when the wounds were fresh.

6] Neptune City
This song is sad and depressing. That’s probably why I like it so much. Very smartly written, I think anyway. An excellent title track though I don’t see why it would be the title track since the theme of the song isn’t quite spread out throughout the other tracks. I don’t quite understand the the “Our hearts are singing…” stanza but from what I can gather, the song’s about a ghost who’s deciding whether to lurk around or go to the great unknown that is the after-life. Comments on other and/or actual meanings would be appreciated…

5] Together We’re Both Alone
This is probably what my ex thinks of me except she was the type that couldn’t sleep unless we’ve solved the issue (which was annoying for reasons I can discuss in private). I believe that couples shouldn’t sleep until they’ve resolved their issues except that some issues can’t be solved so quickly, especially when they’re re-occuring. In that case, sleep on it and wait until a compromise can be settled, similar to how Nicole has it laid out, except after no compromise, there is failure. Though in my case, I felt I was the last one to try to do anything. I changed unlike the guy in this song yet the problem didn’t resolve. I guess some stories can’t have their storybook ending.

4] War Torn
Perfect lead in into war torn. Again, it’s probably what my ex thinks minus the whole “hoping you come pick me up” bit. My heart is war torn. To me, the second verse doesn’t quite fit in with the rest of the song though it is another point of view on the whole war torn love status. I guess I sometimes feel like a war torn love is all I’ve known.

3] Kill The Headlights
At the concert, she said that this was a love song and had a back story which I can’t quite recall. It doesn’t sound like a love song starting at 2:03. From the first two verses, Nicole leaves a lot of room for there to be some sort of resolve in a third verse or a big bridge or something… except no. “So please understand, my heart, you won’t have it again, so just don’t try” wtf? I still love the song regardless.

2] Cool Enough
Nicole made some comments about this song before she performed which I can’t quite recall but was somewhere along the lines of a high school reunion and how the cool people weren’t as cool as they were in high school. She said the song was about that and that I can totally see. Awesome song. Great POV. Oh the irony.

1] Maybe Tonight
Oh Nicole spoils us with (in my opinion) the most awesome track on the album as the first track. The mood of the music is perfect for the lyrics and the lyrics (though I had to look up some parts outside of just listening) are a bit confusing for me at some points. Is it bad of me to just love this song just from the sound of the chorus? Because I REALLY love the sound of this chorus. I’d rewrite the verses to fit my needs and serenade a potential girlfriend to this song. Hrm… ideas?

I think I first heard of MEG from lurking the contemode community on lj and thought I should give her a listen since she teamed up with Nakata-san. The first song I heard from her was OK and that it was. Actually, it was more than OK; I LOVE it. The dancing nekos in the PV are awesome. Oh and the kokoro pantsu… *nosebleed*

It’s weird… MEG’s voice has a tinge of annoying but for some reason, I can’t get enough of it. I can’t put a word to the type of quality I hear in MEG’s voice. Maybe it’s cutesy; except when I think cutesy, Momoko or Koharu comes into mind. Maybe it’s a little pointed (I just loaded up Toshiko’s dreamin dreamin and there’s a softness and calm in her voice that just relaxes me so). Pointed sounds about right. Having a pointed voice is a double-edged sword in MEG’s case. dreamin dreamin is delivered better by the softer Toshiko though a song like OK would be more down MEG’s pointed alley.

Anyway, on with the individual track comments. Amai Zeitaku started off the album strong. The Nakata-style just bleeds from this track. It’s not that I’m not a fan of ballads and downtempo tracks but I usual like knowing what’s going on lyrically before I really comment on tracks like that from other languages, but in a strictly musical sense, I skip thru IN YOUR EYES and LOVE LETTER. Nothing really excites the senses. GIRLY STEP is a toss up; I’m either in the mood to listen to it or not, though mostly not. I prefer Toshiko’s dreamin dreamin like I said above but I suppose – like girly step – it depends on my mood. OK’s my 2nd favourite track on this album. So infectious. So cute. Need translation. MODEL is definitely number one for me. Someone from contemode said to check it out in a post. The first 56 seconds were downtempo and I personally couldn’t see where Nakata was going to take the song. I was doing my run through of the album in the subway on the way to school a few weeks back and I had to pull out my PSP to find out which song it was because it was so awesome. I see stepchart potential. Finally, ROMANTIKA bleeds Nakata-style as well. I loved this song from the start with Amai Zeitaku since they’re the songs that sound most like my favourite capsule songs.

I like the remixes… kinda… they’re negligible. I can listen to them without noticing though when they do come up, I tend to skip… unless I’m coding or blogging or surfing.

*sigh*

I really like the upbeat and happy tracks. Big basslines and fast tempos (as fast as techno-pop goes anyway… lol >_> what, 135bpm? 140 if you’re lucky?). I guess that’s why I listen to drum and bass, breakcore, trancecore, and freeform. That and you can sing whatever genre you want, if you have a knock-out voice, I will love you. MEG isn’t quite knock-out vocally. Though if you’re a techno-pop fan, give her a chance.

Random sauce: MEG on theppn wiki

I won’t get too in-depth on this review because the album’s kinda short though it’s a smidge longer than Sugarless Girl. For some reason, it feels shorter. Probably because I’m not a fan of all the songs… or I liked more songs on Sugarless Girl as opposed to here on FLASH BACK.

Favourite song would have to be a toss up between the title track “FLASH BACK” and “MUSiXXX” because I plan to make stepcharts for them (MUSiXXX is already under way). The other songs are good for just playing while typing up blog entries or doing some late night surfing/blog reading/coding.

“Eternity”, “I’m Feeling You”, and “Get Down” come next in line solely because Toshiko sings in them. I need to listen to “Electric light Moon light” more to make it mean something to me. “You are the reason” and “Love Me” sound too dark and there’s something about “You are the reason” that sounds off. It could be too much delay in the vocals and the vocoder is overused? I don’t quite know or can’t put my finger on it.

Bottom Line: IN MY OPINION, The FREE FREE / SUPER MUSIC MAKER single with Suzuki Ami was much better. Oh burn.

UPDATE: “I’m Feeling You” and “Get Down” have really grown on me. Excuse me while I take my foot out of my mouth. *cough*