Artist: Gackt.Camui
Cost: $65.00
Where: HMV
Tracklisting:
1) Noah [2.14]
2) Lu:na [3.24]
3) wa.su.re.na.i.ka.ra [5.24]
4) Soleil [3.41]
5) Speed Master [3.40]
6) Fragrance [4.36]
7) death wish [5.52]
8) Doomsday [4.34]
9) Missing[4.30]
10) rain [5.58]
11) ANOTHER WORLD [3.07]
12) memories [6.41]
1) Mizerable
Review:
Noah is an instrumental piece but Fdd wrote a poem to go with it. It first reminds me of an epic, ancient battle, perhaps between China and Persia. Then the drums fade, leaving a delicate Chinese-like piece. I imagined that a warrior was spending one last bittersweet moment with a loved one before the battle. True to my story, Noah fades away abruptly, as if the two armies collide with so much force that there is a soundless explosion.
Lu:na, my favourite track, has elegant keyboards, screaming guitars, the most inspiring drum-line ever, Latin-inspired acoustic guitar and the vocals of Fdd make me think of a vampire thoroughly enjoying losing himself in his music onstage. The sheer emotion of Lu:na makes me want to do some serious head-banging like a death-metal rocker. Also, the show where Fdd did some break-dancing meets ninjitsu with two dancers was fascinating and quite gripping, to say the least.
wa.su.re.na.i.ka.ra is a pop song that starts off with bright guitar riffs that soften as Fdd sings some of the lowest notes I've ever heard. But the chorus shows off his vocal range and the rest gets a bit better as more instruments kick in. The most distinctive thing about this song is how Fdd says "kara". It sounds like "colour". But honestly, this song doesn't leave much of an impression on me. Too commercial.
Soleil also begins with bright guitars, but fused with big band trumpets. Then the guitars get all nice and crazy in the chorus and the bass just rambles on so happily, I get happy too. Fdd goes into a falsetto which seriously creeps me out because, unlike Ares, it sounds like a Christmas choir. So I'm relieved when the happy guitars and big trumpets return to end the song.
Speed Master is a mad-guitar rock song. The words hit you fast and hard and I like the song because it's frantic and the vocals are distorted, in varying degrees, to inhuman perfection. Lyrically, it's pretty good, except for the irritating "LOVE!" being shouted at the start of every line for the first two verses. That's a bit much and makes this song sound like a shonen anime OP, but other than that, I want to hug the wild guitarists and take them for ice-cream.
Fragrance is almost a relief after the near-frenetic Speed Master and the gentle guitar and chimes put you into a world of mist and red flowers blooming under a blood-red moon. The vocals are mostly low, slow and sensual. I think an Indian instrument is used at one part along with orchestral strings. The last part is eerie because you hear quiet but clear whispering over the chorus that gets louder until the chorus ends and only the voice is heard.
death wish begins with whispers and a techno-like keyboard, and then the crazy drums kick in, followed by a rocking guitar and low vocals. The chorus is in tragic pop style with great riffs. The guitar solo is fascinating and the vocals, though mostly repetitive, are not overdone, fitting well with the instruments. death wish ends exactly like how it started.
Doomsday, another favourite, enters with a roaring guitar that fades to very tender, delicate vocals that soar to the chorus. Throughout the song, the vocals alternate between these two. Rocking guitars accompany the higher, louder parts; the guitar solo is absolutely fantastic, some high notes sound like whalesong. The falsetto part is a bit creepy, but sounds like an old record, making it another contrasting but perfect transition in the song. The mood of this song is one of an epic end to the world, if I made a MV with this song, there would be whales writhing in a slowly boiling ocean. Not a pretty picture, but then again, it is Doomsday.
Missing is a happy pop blend of piano and bouncy guitars. The vocals are quiet, low, yet happy. This is an enjoyable song, which makes me think of a teenage romance, but I don't think I�m particularly crazy about this song, it�s happy, but the happy songs I usually like are wacky ones like U+K.
Rain is a beautiful, emotional piece that begins with very tender, gentle vocals, harpsichord and piano. Then the guitars kick in and the chorus, so full of sheer emotion, would compel anyone to sing. The verses are gentle, the choruses tragic rock. Beautiful, epic violins and orchestral strings also come in. Think about being heartbroken in the rain. I really, really love this song.
ANOTHER WORLD, is bubblegum rock. With happy, bad Engrish, it's not one of my favourites, but the multiple guitar lines are really great. Anyway, the song was written to make rhyme out of Japanese and English, so it sounds really weird rhyming "Magazine"(ma-ga-jiin) and "tamashii".
memories enters with light acoustic guitar and sounds like a very summery song. The vocals are cheerful and few instruments are used during the verses. The chorus is more rock. The song has its own orchestral interlude reminiscent of bright sunshine and hope. After a very rock bridge, with Fdd-style guitars, it fades into an uplifting orchestral piece. For 2 minutes, I imagine a happy ending to an epic tale (like LotR) and it's sad, because you know it's the end of the story, there is no more to tell, but you're glad it turns out alright. This song is perfect for the last track.
All in all, Moon is a wonderful album. Fdd may shock sensible people like my Sunshines with his visual kei-meets-elf looks, but the music he makes is undeniably good. Moon is more rock than Mars or Rebirth, and the funsong (Soleil), is so much more sombre than U+K or Marmalade. It seems that Fdd is becoming a bit more cynical and serious, but the mix of rock/metal and epic rock-ballads is intriguing and definitely unique. So. I love this album.
Notes: I think I'm going to take some of the songs and write short stories inspired by them. The visual imagery conjured by Fdd's music is incredibly diverse, and I want to capture it in words I can understand.
CDs: Mars, Mars concert
Note: I have his 4 albums in mp3s and they are as good as they're said to be. This talented musician can sing in falsetto (very opera-like sort), or stroke the low notes like the vocals on Gessekai, & fuse violins with brilliant, stunning, guitar & drum lines. From what I know, he's a kook, & I like kooks, being one myself. Except that he's too horny.
Unfortunately, HMV here sells Mars for $76 and it's out of print. What the hell.
listen @: Yukihime's
CDs: Bonnie's Kitchen #1
Note: I first heard her singing "It's Gonna Rain!", the ED to Rurouni Kenshin. She stood out from other anime theme song artists because her voice is remarkably smooth and her English is equally fluent. Her voice is sweet, distinctive & doesn't change in the high notes, which is the beauty of it. I really like her music, but it's hard to find here.
CDs: Psychommunity
Note: I heard "Dice' from Project J, but never really appreciated it, because it's only one song. But after watching a video of the live performances of "Misery", I was quite addicted. And yes, hide is a guy. It's a bit unnerving to watch a male voice coming from a very female-looking person, but it's also fascinating to watch him perform.
CDs: The Last Live, Best Fan
Note: The last live performances of "Kurenai" and "Forever Love" were the most emotional live shows I've ever seen. It took me awhile to get used to Toshi's high voice, but I got to appreciate his range & the sheer wonder of Yoshiki's songs. I'd rather get the DVD, but it costs more than $100 at HMV, so I'll settle for this.
reviews coming soon.
CD: Bebisuta
Cost: 399 Baht (S$17.35)
Where: CD Warehouse, 4th Floor of Siam Centre, Bangkok
Note: I saw the MV for "Orange" on the now-defunct MTV Tokyo-Seoul Express & immediately loved the music. The samples on HMV Japan's site capture the mood of U+K meets Marmalade for the whole album with exception of the gentle "love" and a cappella "Sakurasakukoro". It's happy, uplifting & J-pop, but in a good way.