Kassai (Applause) - One Leap of Nostalgic State: And I've learned about Enka

I've tried to find a spare time for reviewing not-so-new-anymore albums in this year. And I rarely find it. I started this blog when I came across something that I want to mention so much. It began with anime named Natsu no Arashi! ... which I've just watch it 4 episode so far.

Natsu no Arashi or Summer Storm interest me for 3 reasons.
1.) It came from the same writer of School Rumble (2 teaspoon of hilarity and 1 teaspoon of Heart-Warming)
2.) Anime produced by Semi-Experimental Technicolor-crazy Studio Shaft who also did Zetsubou Sensei (So Long, Mr.Despair) series
3.) It's the story about younger boy who have a feeling for elder girl, telling in somewhat atmospheric , vivid and a little nostalgic

Then I came across this....




To tell you...first, I'm not japanese.
Second, I was born around 80s and grew up in early-90s ... spent my teenage life around late 90s to 2000s till now. So I have no whatsoever connection with 70s scene or this song before.

This song is called Kassai which mean Applause. It's lyric (I don't dare to translate the whole song into english) is about singer singing a sad song after s/he departed and/or broke-up with the lover with sentences about "The shadow painted on the white wall/Standing Alone/In the Gloomy and isolated living room" or something alike.

It's style derived from Western Oldie pop mixed with string-instrument of Enka (Japanese Traditional music) to be fair Enka in modern music become more like other oriental pop-ballad (listen to some oldie cantonese pop for example) which is also influenced by western pop dominating scene.

I really feel appreciated, getting fluttered by comfortable yet sad wind. Covered by the magic of the past but to know more about it's shade of melancholy after the sick war, losing people who retry struggling with all their strength, Hard-workers with unknown future that they may or may not cherish their reward, ...Oh hex! I've forgotten that it's lyric talk about the broken-hearted.

And if you actually agree with above paragraph...you're now really into Enka

Enka's music-style is to bring you to meet airy japanese idealism and sakura-blooming romantic attitude...sometime it's very nationalistic. And in Meiji period this kind of song are sung by people's right movement that advocate democracy.

But those are all in the past...

Oh my witch!! I might leave you wonder by now that why I talked about Natsu no Arashi! in the first place.

Kassai I 've posted above is Chiaki Naomi's version which is her "signature hit" as Teresa Teng did with her Tian Mi Mi

But the version I had found before is this...




It's Horie Yui's image song for Natsu no Arashi! other Seiyuu (Voice-actor/actress) also have their image song as covering retro/oldie japanese pop music that might invoke the power to leap to Nostalgic State for some people even they were not born of that age.

And to be honest I like Hocchan version more than the original. Solely because Horie Yui's voice are more comfortable and breezy, she might lack voice of sorrow but I think it's deeply buried into the song.... And recently, I listen to it at most 10 times a day (at least 3) it's completely earworm for me.But it's still touching every time I listen to it

The sweet candy of present might not match the original
But doesn't one pitch in Enka tell us to look for brighter future?...in this such craving present!

Random Thoughts about MTV Award 2009

Video of the Year : Beyoncé — "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)"

To be honest , I disaffect R&B in the first place ,but still I've found this song is really danceable, have some heat on it. Even then I have a feeling that , like many other R&B , I wouldn't stand it's repetitiveness as well as very low re-listen value compare to other kinds of pop.

For the video....I LOL at their dancing attempt and think that even some lame Seiyuus (Japanese Voice actors/actresses) MV entertain me more than this thing. I don't think i'm that kind of that eccentric for entertainment these days. This video is kind of telling me that "Hey you SFX crews and creatives , you should have a trip somewhere ..like go eat some meatbun with tabacco-rain or grease some grassfields with wine sauce or just go home to feed yourselves cornflakes...we have no work for you here"

Best Female Music Video : Taylor Swift - "You Belong With Me"


I...like country music... but don't know much of Taylor Swift. Still, this crazy blogger want to write something about her video badly. We have found Swift in this video as Meganekko erm..hollywood cute nerd who , like in many romantic comedy , fall in love with a guy who already have cheerleader girlfriend. And this is music video with less than 4 minutes length. So , to be genre savvy, I already know the ending that would become "Fantasy of real world's not-so-pretty girl"

WHY SO CYNIC!?
I've been warned...by...the witch (not really)

Well, for my own feeling I still feel that this video is kind of cute. The "Window-view contact" (I do not know better words to call this) setting is...what you've seen many times in your life but still find it lovely for fiction as opposed to this Sick Sad World. This cliche will keep you smile...but I still doubt for it's status as being awarded.

I totally forget to comment about the music...but well I have nothing to say about it anyway.It's another standard pop-rock with country powder scattered on the plate but still taste like urban. (I hope you know what I mean) Like many other those called "Country/Country-Pop" these day , listenable.


Ahahaha!
Time for Tea Party confession
Why the heck I just talk/write/blog/create/Sparta! about these 2 videos?

Confession :
I....do not really interest about MTV award think and I've ever berated MTV so many time on my writing (with my own language...in other form outside this blog) in the past.

Just when I tried to search for something about Obama I came across the news that this president give honorary "Jackass" award for Kanye West.

My Oyashiro! I don't care about bl ...Hip-Hop as much as I don't care about R&B. I don't know much about Kanye West (Except his in-famous quote on George Bush's days). I think his act his hilarious and somewhat EPIC FAIL.

Good entertainers sometimes should have learned how to be epic fail
Hilarity is itself....satisfied entertainment.

And he still show his good side by addressing his apology for Taylor Swift afterward.

Good show

(Please be minded that english is my second language...so I might misused it in my blog. And I'm sorry if it disturbed you.)

When Ultimate Diamond is not so ULTIMATE

I've heard a lot about Mizuki Nana and so eager to listen to her songs when I'm wandering into Seiyuu (Voice acter/actress) and Anisong plane. Many claim that Mizuki Nana is "Queen of anime music" , "Princess of anime music" , "Mistress of anime music" (Or something alike) I'd not oppose her title but might add that we'd not to be confused with (gothic?) Kitade Nana and that "Nana" manga/anime.Also some call her "Ojou" (Closest word might be "Young Miss"/"Senorita") despire not having childish singing voice like some other Seiyuu.

In the other way, many respect her as anime music (anisong) singer than Seiyuu. She has a very few Seiyuu roles too. Though some are rather famous ones like Hyuuga Hinata in Naruto or Fate in less-known Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha Series. About her voice , she sing with teenager pop-rock voice that fit her music range quite well.

Even then , in my opinion , Mizuki Nana's songs might be a good quality pop-rock but non of them that I've heard so far would be described as outstanding , surpassing and well her style is not so unique compare to some other Seiyuu (IMO Horie Yui, Orikasa Fumiko and even more amatuer-ish Mamiko Noto etc. have their own "thing")

This time I'm going to talk about her lastest album which, surprisingly, make me more eager to find out about her improvement (or...decline) in her moderate pop-rock.Ultimate Diamond is the name. At the first time I found it taste rather bitter..., as diamond ,it is not so shiny.I tried and tried to dig into each song to make sure that I "don't miss a thing" ...or two and it taste better,but... BUT! not better enough. Some songs are good , rather good , listenable but not to the rate of "Impressive!".I still admire that some song try to drift apart from the same ol' thing...but they really cannot go that far.

Album : Ultimate Diamond
Artist : Mizuki Nana
Genre : Pop-Rock , Anime music
(2009)

Now following track by track , Maria and Joker is really old whisky in the new bottle with a bit of entertaining moment and then everything is just half-decoration on plain wall. Etsuraku Camellia , at the begining offers us a bit of japanese traditional music infused with hard rock but it's not that interesting and I ,somehow , think of OnMyo-Za but Mizuki Nana's voice doesn't take it "heavy" enough for this kind of song compared to Kuroneko...only it's intro and outro make it worth listening

Well , I like 'Clear blue sky' uptempo music like Perfect Smile . While Trickster still drive us up with it's steady tempo (well, rather steady) but the whole song offer nothing else more. Mr.Bunny take us back to bright (cute?) side of album with dance-beat driven, but I think this song is repetitive and taking too long of it's repetitiveness.

Chinmoku no Kajitsu has promising intro but everything else seem so powerless. Brand New Tops is...listenable lighter pop-rock with rather melodic hook. Shounen , like taking a break, listenable but nothing in this song move me. Gimmick Game bring us back to upper tempo and dance-beat better than Mr.Bunny if you ask me (Especially if you like "Chihara Minori's style").

Dancing in the Velvet Moon is a typical anisong that would fit any fantasy-theme anime but just like the way it expresses more emotion. A little more laid-back and melodic Ray of Change is another listenable song in this album while Shin Ai push us into more delicate and even more emotional moment with it's beautiful keyboard sound.

Aoki Hikari no kate -ULTIMATE MODE- sounds like rising from previous tracks and with rather pretty hook.Astrogation is another techno/club track that has beautiful choir...bad news...only for a moment and then get drown into plainness. Then end with traditional "ending track" ballad Yume no Tsuzuki...rather sweet if you ask me.

All in All Mizuki Nana'a lastest album is listenable though I really miss simple but true pop-rock like Power Gate (there is a very thin line between "Simple but true" and "Just plain") , inspiring song like Innocent Starter , uplifting song like Eternal Blaze and there is no song that it's melodies as beautiful as Crystal Letter.

And you'll notice that I use "rather" word so much in the review because Ultimate Diamond is not really "Ultimate". Instead all songs promise us something and break it down with it's plainness make me wonder why the music is not just push the through it's limit. So Ultimate Diamond do not have as memorable songs as I mentioned on above paragraph.


Summary

Pros
- Nana is still with her well-carved voice as ever...may be even more than before
- Good quality pop-rock as ever. Especially Hook

Cons
- She has well-carved voice but...sometime too constricted as I think many of her songs here could be sung with more emotional voice.
- This...and the music themselves do not go further into the realm of awesomeness , memorable , sweet , elegance , CUTE , M-MOEEE! or any words you'd should shout out with EXCLAMATION!
- Her style is not so clear and not so unique.


My Favourite Track
- Perfect Smile
- Dancing in the Velvet Moon
- Shin Ai
- Aoki Hikari no kate -ULTIMATE MODE-


Rating : 7/10

[Please be minded that English is not by native language. I wrote in this because I just want to share my opinion worldly. I'll try bilingual next time :P]