Rockerica

Single: MUCC - アゲハ

nobody@vox.com(あさり) — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 11:14:05 +0200

ムック

Date released: 27.8.2008.

Track list
1. アゲハ (Ageha) [PV]
2. コンクリート082 (Concrete 082)
3. 青い森 (Aoi Mori)

Hehe, MUCC really don't know for boundaries nor any limits in music. I mean, not even some albums have got such a variety of sounds and styles as one MUCC single has. And I think that this is just the very thing that makes MUCC an outstanding band. Nothing is sacred to them and no one tells them what kind of music to do. Fascinating isn't it?

Ageha's short, acoustic and electric guitar intro is already legendary and sounds like and announcement to some epic rock piece, which this extremely "open minded" song is. Just the next moment you are being showered with a fissure of distorted riffs and flying melody which brings a certain Girugämesh moment into the song (well being on the same label and already collaborating, it doesn't surprise). The verses are fierce and heavy, though having this rock'n'roll flair.The chorus is typically MUCC: wide, positive and hymnic. Hey but that isn't where the surprises stop! Just after the refrain a full blodded melodic-metal solo jumps out causing for more gasping with a techno What-the-fuck moment just before the chorus. I've told you. Variety.

Concrete 082 is MUCC doing Sugar (though in a way Sugar would have done this better, but well that's just my impression). A jazzy, funky rock piece enchanted with groovy bass lines, gentle chor singing before the light, bright, bicycle ride in the refreshing summer morning like refrain. And the obligatory harmonica solo is also included. Very nice.

As the extra song on the regular edition you get Aoi Mori, with one of the most beautiful song intro's ever combining a certain oriental flair with backround riffs that reminded me on the masterpiece Rinne by Kiyoharu. Then the song explodes with even more awesome, thunderstorm riffs that would put every distorted guitar fan into rapture. The rest of the song is just predictably MUCC. Even though I'm not a fan of the typical MUCC style I must admit that the chorus of Aoi Mori, though typical, is pretty impressive. Even with a lot of strong parts Aoi mori simply lacks a goal.

Ageha contionues the great and mostly very successful experimental spree by MUCC. Undoubtfully, Ageha is the single that MUCC fans will have on repeat for the next several weeks. If you really don't mind a clash of several different styles in one song then Ageha is the single you should check out.

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Single: メリー - 激声

nobody@vox.com(あさり) — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 10:48:01 +0200

激声

メリー

Date released: 20.8.2008.

Track list
1. 激声 (Gekisei)
2. 伊勢佐木町ブルース(Isezaki machi blues) [A Version]
2. 学生街の喫茶店 (Gakuseigai no kissaten) [B Version]

Okay I admit: the last band I'd thought to pull off a 15 minute epicness were the chaos jazz-punk-rockers from Merry. I mean some of their song don't even last 2 minutes and now suddenly this 15 minute piece of... errr.... merryness! is simply something I'd never credit them for. But since this band is everything but sane, why am I surprised?

So how DOES 15 minutes of Merry sound like? Well the first (and last) minute-and-a-half you get just some dusty vinyl sound and a pretty interesting though over-theatrical acoustic guitar part before bashing with the screech-grind sounding guitars and typical ironic Merry flair (kinda like at the intro of Calling). And then you realize you've barely reached 1/5 of the song when Gara finally joins in with his moaning voice. Well anyway (to summarize) the songs moves from mid-tempo blues-like melancholics to hysteric punk-rock episodes and back, while you'd always be surprised by the lenght of the song and how much it's left for the song to end. This is Merry making an ode to themselves, a so called Merry hymn putting ingredients from all of them songs into a monster of 15 minutes. But seriously 15 minutes! They could have easily cut this song into 5 different and sell them out in 15 different version singles and earn more money, sparing us from the reviewers-nightmare (but instead they are good and spared our moneycases (not nerves) by putting them all in one medely-like song)

Oh at least the B-sides are less of a reviewing-torture (and listening also). And an interesting thing is that both songs are covers of older folk/enka songs. If you remember they already covered PRECIOUS... by LUNA SEA (which was in a masohystical way cool). Isezaki machi blues is a Enka song by Aoe Mina (thank you Peach magazine for the info) and Merry's version begins with this very horny moaning by Gara on the begining and slowly streches into this blues-like mid-tempo song you'll likely hear on a middleage japanese karaoke party. But the good thing is that the song is barely 3 minutes long :).
The covering becomes even more interesting with the Gakuseigai no kissaten, a song by a popular 70's folkband Garo. The song itself is pretty, well... interesting and add Gara's voice to a semi-melancholic, slow marching beat and the result is pretty interesting. In any way, if Gara ever get's fed up of Merry he'll have a carreer as an old enka/folk singer.

Gekisei isn't a neccersarily bad single, the covers are decent and interesting (not something you hear every day) and the 15-minute title song is, for curiosity's sake, an interesting listen but nothing beyond things they haven't already done and not near some excellent songs they have such as Haraiso, Japanese Modernist, Atashi wa Suteneko or maybe Koso ue buil no last dance, great songs that get into the ear and by which you really don't have any complaints at Merry. Oh well.. they got their style, a pattern which they follow and enough part/fulltime fans to support them. Overall: interesting but tiring in a way.

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Single: メリー - Midnight Shangri-la/空っぽな唄~final cut~

nobody@vox.com(あさり) — Fri, 09 May 2008 17:02:05 +0200

Midnight Shangri-la/空っぽな唄~final cut~

Date released: 3.5.2008.

Track list
1. Midnight Shangrila
2. 空っぽな唄~final cut~ (Karappo na uta～final cut～)

I actually thought this was a regular single, but found out later it's a single that was sold at Yokohama Bunka Taiikukan live or something (though that won't stop real Merry fans on getting their hands on it). Still I'll take the honor (or not) to review this "special" single.

Remember the Merry cover of LUNA SEA's song PRECIOUS... that was released on the LUNA SEA tribute album. You know the song that was basically audioraping-turn-fun. Midnight Shangri-la takes a floor up. Midnight Shangri-la is the probably most hysterical song I've ever heard, turning into three and a half minutes of violent noise enough to damage your hearing. Hey, take all the screaming Kyo from Dir en grey has done in their songs and pack it into one song (on the screaming parts Gara even beats Kyo when it comes to sky high pitched screams) with a hint of paranoid hysteria and concentrated insanity and viola! You get a "song" (mildly speaking). In some strange and unusual way, I actually like Merry when they are sounding like having a seizure. And the yeah,yeah,yeah,yeeeaah,yeah! is quite catchy.

Karappo na uta was the closing song on their album nu chemical rethoric and the ~final cut~ version can be described as better. Gara's vocals sound very clear and expressing (though after Midnight Shangri-la practically everything sounds good). The song has got a very clean, almost sterile production, twittering high-pitched riffs and a very good and sharp refrain that will make you sing a long (with a additional vocal provided probably by one of the guitarists whose name I don't know nor care about). Average Merry but decent.

So either if you love ear-violence or the original Karappo na uta or both, give a shot at this single. Merry again managed to deliver their highly recognizable yet slightly mediocre sound.

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Single: メリー - 閉ざされた楽園

nobody@vox.com(あさり) — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 15:47:34 +0200

閉ざされた楽園

Date released: 16.4.2008.

Track list
1. 閉ざされた楽園 (Tozasareta Rakuen) [PV] [Listen]
2. 喜劇のタブー (Kigeki no Taboo) [Listen]
3. ト・ロ・ケ・テ・ル (TOROKETERU) [Listen]

As stated on Visuanavi Tozasareta Rakuen is Merry's sixth single up to date and their latest release after the last year's album M.E.R.R.Y.

Overall this single has got a somewhat restrained, hesitated feel to it. It is loud, it has got Gara's moan/screams, it is vibrant etc... but well not as Merry as it could be. Tozasareta Rakuen is another hasty Merry song similar to sweet powder with very interesting bridges but unfortunately a simple and annoying Merry chorus that mostly screws up every potentially interesting song.

Kigeki no Taboo is the best song on the single, with driving, rock'n'roll riffs that carry the mood and tension of the song and that are probably the best part of it. I ended up liking the song, even though I can't really explain why, it's not revolutionary, it's not mindblowing, the chorus doesn't fit it, but still I like it. Thanks to the guitar riffs.

TOROKETERU is a somewhat mixture of the mesmerizing orientalish riffs and aloof chanting from Seinen himitsu kurabu, and the obscure moshing crazyness of Charlie, being just as hysterical on the bridges as the both. The refrain sounds pretty solid, short, melodic, nice. But yet again brings nothing new, but makes good use of the known.

In a way I can say that this single is probably the best (read: Good enough to force me to review it unlike some of the former singles) I've heard and not as nearly as annoying as Komorei ga boku wo sagashiteru or Blind Romance, but still leaves out a faint and restrained feel making it not especially overwhelming also. But still worth a listen if you're into Merry and because of Kigeki no Taboo.

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Album: ムック - 志恩

nobody@vox.com(あさり) — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 20:17:23 +0200

志恩

Date released: 26.3.2008.

Track list
1. 水恩 (Suion)
2. 梟の揺り篭 (Fukurou no yurikago)
3. 塗り潰すなら臙脂 (Nuritsubusu nara enji)
4. ファズ (FUZZ) [PV]
5. ゲーム (Game)
6. フライト -Album ver.- (Flight) [PV]
7. アンジャベル (Anjelier)
8. 小さな窓 (Chiisana mado)
9. 蝉時雨 (Semishigure)
10. 志恩 (Shion)
11. 空忘れ (Sora wasure)
12. シヴァ (Shiva)
13. リブラ -Album ver.- (Libra) [PV]

Well first off I've never been too much of a MUCC fan. I don't like the hymn-type rock most of their songs are and Tatsurou's voice seldom fits my tastes. But I have to say that Shion is one heck of an album.

Shion starts off with one quite ambiental and experimental piece Suion which combines the drippy, natural sound of water with the majestic, almost rough sounding orchestral strings and cymbals. The album finally blasts out with the epic, oriental flaired Fukurou no Yurikago that feels so majestic as thought the song itself would embrace the entire world. The width of the chorus is simply astonishing! The album carries on with another a bit less intense but bashing song Nuritsubusu nara enji, continuing the oriental feel Fukurou no Yurikago started, just a bit milder.

FUZZ launches the listener all the way to the dance floors with it's 80' disco sound and beat, folk rock elements and sing-along refrain. But that is not the only song where you feel like in the Saturday's Night fever gone Europe. Anjelier will surely entertain you with the Swedish 70's disco sound and Tatsurou hitting sky high notes will make you smile (if not piss your pants because it is hilarious). Surprisingly how I actually like this song even if it sounds like something i'd never listen to.

The album leaves an impression that all the songs come in pairs such as the dance floor FUZZ and Anjelier (and even the string dominated Sora Wasure though a bit tango like), the playful but commercial Flight and Siva as well as the two wast ballads Game and Chiisana Mado. Game gives me the shivers with it's blending layers of sentiment, sorrow, reminiscence and faint hope and an impressive worked-out and polished almost to perfection composition. Just if it weren't for the typical MUCCy poppy chorus... Yes that is my most biggest complaint on the whole album because potentially devastating good songs of epic matters are all slightly (some even a lot like Samishigure) spoiled by the popish choruses.

A song worth the mentioning is, of course, the title song Shion a song with one of the coolest riffs I've heard recently underlined with monumental tribal drumming overall sounding like a marching, oriental fight hymn that would literally scare the pants of any opponent, strengthening ones warriors morale (I just have the urge to shout THIS IS MUCCCC!!!). Legendary.

MUCC are more than ten years already around and they surely know their domain showed in the marvelously concepted album Shion. MUCC fans are surely to make an altar for this one while others will enjoy it, maybe not in whole, but everybody is sure to find his/her's favorite on this remarkable album. Worth listening.

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