°C-ute – EVERYDAY Zekkouchou!!

EVERYDAY Zekkouchou!! is °C-ute’s 10th major single and it was released on September 16th, 2009. It reached #2 on the Oricon Weekly Charts and has sold 27,750 copies.

♠Tracklist♠

1. EVERYDAY Zekkouchou!!
2. Amai Wana
3. EVERYDAY Zekkouchou!! (Instrumental)

Tsunku managed to capture the essence of summer with EVERYDAY Zekkouchou!!, a breezy and tropical light pop sound with fresh vocals from the girls and a synth instrumental. Even though they still continue with these safer, lighter songs, the a-side doesn’t totally fall into the generic category. It’s instrumental alone is worth nothing, not to mention °C-ute’s impressive vocals. I liked the was the sang the second chorus together as a group instead of solos, it really gave the song a type of united feeling.

Amai Wana is actually completely different to the a-side. It makes use of the electric guitar, along with various other rock elements, giving us a very °C-ute style rock song(think FOREVER LOVE but b-side material). I have no complains at the vocals, although I thought they could have had a bit more energy and life in them. For a b-side(and one from °C-ute if anything), it’s not bad at all, though I would pass it over the a-side any day.

I really wish Tsunku would take the girls back to their older sound from songs like Namida no Iro and FOREVER LOVE. Sure, these cute pop songs aren’t insanely bad, but it just doesn’t stand out as much as °C-ute releases usually tend to do. Anyway, an overall nice release from the girls, even if it is Erika’s last.

♠Single Rating♠

♠Favorite Track♠

EVERYDAY Zekkouchou!!

°C-ute – Shochuu Omimai Moshiagemasu

Shochuu Omimai Moshiagemasu is °C-ute’s 9th major single and it was released on July 1st, 2009. It reached #5 on the Oricon Weekly Charts and has sold 33,613 copies.

♠Tracklist♠

1. Shochuu Omimai Moshiagemasu
2. Zansho Omimai Moshiagemasu.
3. Shochuu Omimai Moshiagemasu (Instrumental)

As many of you may know, Shochuu Omimai Moshiagemasu is actually a cover of the original song by Candies. It seems that Tsunku has given each of H!P’s flagship groups their own cover song recently and unfortunately, this is the worst one of the three. The song has been given a more modern and fresh breezy arrangement with a very typical pop sound. The vocals were also made to match this, being very high pitched, even Maimi’s parts, not to mention Airi who are the only girls that get solos. The song is pretty short at just 3 minutes but thats really all it should be. While not a terrible song and having a pretty memorable chorus, overall it’s weak compared to their previous a-sides and not anything groundbreaking.

Surprisingly, the b-side Zansho Omimai Moshiagemasu., is a solo by Suzuki Airi. Don’t let the title confuse you though, it’s not at all similar to it’s counterpart. It’s a mellow, mid-paced pop song with pretty synth and an almost heartbreak atmosphere. It should be mentioned that Airi did a very nice job vocal wise though nothing extremely impressive. This couldn’t have passed as an a-side, but as a b-side it’s particularly well made.

Once again Tsunku has equipped °C-ute with that typical boring pop sound. Unfortunately, it doesn’t end here and my expectations of their next album are beginning to get real low. At least the b-side this time around wasn’t bad and was the more eye-catching part of the single.

♠Single Rating♠

♠Favorite Track♠

Shochuu Omimai Moshiagemasu

°C-ute – Bye Bye Bye!

Bye Bye Bye! is °C-ute’s 8th major single and it was released on April 15th, 2009. It reached #4 on the Oricon Weekly Charts and has sold 27,918 copies.

♠Tracklist♠

1. Bye Bye Bye!
2. Go Go Go!
3. Bye Bye Bye! (Instrumental)

Always taking up a different musical style for their releases, Bye Bye Bye! really is a curve ball when looking at the group’s singles so far. This time around, the song makes very heavy use of synth and even some vocoder at parts, which gives us a very 80’s sounding track which, as I have said before, I’m not a fan of. If it wasn’t °C-ute singing this song, than I would have little to no care for it. The song isn’t essentially risky as it’s composition is very safe, although line distribution is favorable(for Hagiwara Mai anyways). It’s a very “meh” song for me.

One should expect a typical generic H!P b-side to come with the single but with Go Go Go! you don’t only get that but also four minutes of boredom and shaky vocals. The song is just filled with that typical girl group cute sound that combined with an unimpressive instrumental makes for a passable b-side.

So our first Kanna-less single proves to be quite disappointing. I’ve noticed a pattern in the quality of their releases after Kanna’s leave so it’s interesting to see how that will work out(maybe Erika’s leave will even things out again?). I would really like for them to return to their Namida no Iro / FOREVER LOVE style of aggressive music. It works well with them.

♠Single Rating♠

♠Favorite Track♠

Bye Bye Bye!

°C-ute – ④ Akogare My STAR

④ Akogare My STAR is °C-ute’s 4th album and it was released on January 28th, 2009. It reached #10 on the Oricon Weekly Charts and has sold 13,724 copies.

♠Tracklist♠

1. ★Akogare My STAR★
2. One’s LIFE / Umeda Erika, Okai Chisato, Hagiwara Mai
3. Yes! all my family / Suzuki Airi
4. Namida no Iro
5. Aishiteru Aishiteru / Nakajima Saki, Arihara Kanna
6. Seishun Song / Yajima Maimi
7. Big dreams
8. SHINES
9. Yakusoku wa Toku ni Shinai wa
10. FOREVER LOVE
11. Edo no Temari Uta II

If there’s something Tsunku has gotten good at doing recently, it’s making awesome opening/main album songs. ★Akogare My STAR★ was the perfect way to open up the album. It has a really great, repetitive hook, a really upbeat rhythm and a high-octane chorus. Line distribution is nice and even, and the girls sound great. If Tsunku wanted to start the album with a bang, he certainly did it with this song.

I can understand if you get turned off by One’s LIFE droopy and horrendous intro but don’t let that drive you away from this great track. It’s sung by Hagiwara Mai with rapping by Okai Chisato and Umeda Erika. Yes, having Mai sing and Chisato+Erika might seem weird(one would expect Chisato to sing) but they manage to pull this track off really well. I actually enjoyed the verses more than the chorus ’cause of the nice piano in the background and the H!P style rapping. Definitely impressed me.

Suzuki Airi did a nice job with the next track. Yes! all my family is her solo song(awkwardly placed after the prior track) and just overflows of typical H!P pop. There’s some electric guitar here and there, along with some Tsunku vocals, the which don’t add much to the song. Overall, even though Airi vocals were listenable, the song itself isn’t that impressive.

The first single of the era is also the first to appear on the album. Namida no Iro still maintains it’s magic with it’s Spanish guitar sound and amazing chorus. So far, I’m not enjoying the way Tsunku is organizing the tracks on this album. It’s all too disjointed.

Arihara Kanna and Nakajima Saki team up for Aishiteru Aishiteru. In a way, it reminds me of One’s LIFE because of the general feel you get from the song but this one is actually slower while concentrating on delivering an impressive chorus. You shouldn’t get your hopes too high for the vocals on this song but their good enough to not make me dislike the song. I actually really enjoy this song and not just because Kanna is in it.

Seishun Song is once again another solo, this time by leader Yajima Maimi. Compared to Airi’s solo, it’s a lot more rock sounding, making good use of percussion and electric guitar. Maimi’s vocals are better than Airi’s were although she doesn’t break any borders. This song has a really catchy, chanting type hook that along with the overall pumping sound of the song makes for an enjoyable listen.

With Big dreams we’re finally back with the girls singing as a group. Even though the vocals are extremely solid in the song, I just can’t help but feel that this song is nothing more than filler material. The instrumental is really uninspired(they could have gone with the rockier FOREVER LOVE sound on songs, for example) and just bores me.

SHINES is a step in the right direction however. It’s filled with awesome, gritty synth and a stronger beat. The intro is pretty great too, ignoring the crowd cheering which unfortunately reminds me of some kind of soccer game. The verses are smooth but the bridge just feels like it’s part of some other song. The chorus however is a real treat, although I would have like for the girls to have sung in solo parts in it instead of as a group.

Ending off the new material on the album is the ballad Yakusoku wa Toku ni Shinai wa. Ignoring the once again placement problems, I could have really done without this song on the album. It’s composed of piano and strings and even though the girls manage to give off their best vocal performance out of all the new songs, the song just bores me. It doesn’t have, for example, a memorable piano composition or an interestingly sad mood. It’s just slow, droopy, boring and uninspired.

No matter how out-of-place FOREVER LOVE is, it saved the album after that last track. The song has grown on me A LOT since it was released as a single, securing it’s place as my favorite song on the album with its high energy, rockin’ chorus and that hardcore °C-ute sound, the one I hope Tsunku would continue to produce with them.

Finishing off the album is the single Edo no Temari Uta II. If I could have chosen any song to end the album with, it would be this one. Even though I’m a believer in having a ballad end the album, there’s no way I was going to like Yakusoku wa Toku ni Shinai wa finishing off the album.

°C-ute’s 4th album in the music industry was both a hit and a miss for me. There’s absolutely no complain on the singles for the era, they were varied and well composed but it’s the album tracks that ruined my impression on the album. Both solo songs didn’t impress me in any way(Airi’s actually annoying me to some extent) but the album songs on the first half of the album definitely outshine those on the later half(the which was only saved by the final two tracks). I really think Tsunku should find a genre to stick with for the girls. I’d love if they continued with the aggressive/rock sound heard in 2/3 singles, although Edo no Temari Uta II wasn’t bad at all. Overall, only half of the album was any good.

♠Album Rating♠

♠Favorite Tracks♠

1. FOREVER LOVE
2. Edo no Temari Uta II
3. Namida no Iro
4. One’s LIFE
5. Aishiteru Aishiteru

°C-ute – Namida no Iro

Namida no Iro is °C-ute’s 5th major single and it was released on April 23rd, 2008. It reached #4 on the Oricon Weekly Charts and has sold 33,422 copies.

♠Tracklist♠

1. Namida no Iro
2. Darling I LOVE YOU (°C-ute ver.)
3. Namida no Iro (Instrumental)

For °C-ute’s 5th major label release, Tsunku decides to equip them with what has to be one of Hello! Project’s strongest(and loudest) instrumentals yet. Using heavy use of blaring synth and an awesome Spanish guitar(giving the song that distinct Latin feeling to it) accompanied by the girl’s passionate vocals, we get quite the a-side. Namida no Iro is a pretty fast paced song so it’s quite enjoyable to listen to, apart from being catchy. Maimi and Airi own this song and I have no complains from their vocals, although I do get that “this song is too loud” vibe from when the girls sing together as a group, most noticeable during the bridge. Apart from that bit(which can be fixed with a change on the volume), this song is a welcome addition to their rapidly growing discography.

Surprisingly, the b-side this time around is just as good as the a-side, something that happens maybe in only one out of twenty H!P releases. The °C-ute ver. of Darling I LOVE YOU is practically the same as the Berryz Koubou version except that Airi and Mai get solos instead of Miyabi and Risako. The song has a lot of the typical b-side elements to it, but with the addition of a prominent electric guitar and a memorable melody! The song is really high-paced and energetic and along with its hook proves to possibly be the group’s strongest b-side ever released.

I’ve always thought that °C-ute had the most stable releases in H!P, both quality and quantity wise. This time around they managed to maintain that theory with the release of this high quality single. I think that the aggressive and fast paced sound works for them, differentiating them from other groups like Berryz Koubou. Well done Tsunku.

♠Single Rating♠

♠Favorite Track♠

Namida no Iro

°C-ute – FOREVER LOVE

FOREVER LOVE was °C-ute’s 5th single. It was released November 26th, 2008.

Tracklist

1. FOREVER LOVE
2. Seventeen’s VOW
3. FOREVER LOVE (Instrumental)

Here we go! Following the steps of Namida no Iro, FOREVER LOVE has to be one of °C-ute’s most aggressive singles to date. Some really rough guitar rifts and beats make this song really different from the other H!P stuff present now-a-days. Maimi and Airi take total control of this song, splitting up like 75% of the lyrics between the two, with the other girls only singing during the bridge and chorus. The verses are pretty calm but it’s the chorus that has the biggest impact on the listener. It’s both cute and tough; cute with the vocals from the other girls(not Maimi nor Airi) singing “My Darling” and “I Love You” but tough from the rough instrumental. The song is your typical  H!P arrangement, though the verses were a bit shorter than other songs I’ve heard. The instrumental break is pretty dang awesome and has some nice vocals in it(if you like Tsunku). Although some people may not like the line distribution(on par with Resonant Blue), the two lead vocalists manage to take the song home nicely.

Here we go… The b-side. Seventeen’s VOW is as generic as an H!P b-side can be. Really though, this song has nothing special about it that will make it stand out from the rest. It’s more rock than the norm but the upbeat, cutesy instrumental is no high point for the song. If anything, the chorus is semi-catchy, though that’s saying the best. Not horrible, but generic.

I really enjoyed the a-side to this single. The b-side is something I might possibly never listen to again but FOREVER LOVE could very well stick on me for a long time to come. To me, °C-ute is the lead H!P group that has the more mainstream sound, but with this and their last single, they seem to be moving out of that area. A recommended a-side.

♠Single Rating♠

°C-ute – Edo no Temari Uta II

Edo no Temari Uta II was °C-ute’s 6th single. It was released July 30, 2008 and sold 27,805 copies in it’s first week, 34,329 overall and reached #5 on the charts. This is the group’s first single to not have the lyrics written by Tsunku, as it was a cover song.

Tracklist

1. Edo no Temari Uta II

2. Wasuretakunai Natsu

3. Edo no Temari Uta II (Instrumental)

°C-ute’s latest release features a very atypical H!P sound. This song, having been a cover of another(as was the case with Berryz’ Dschinghis Khan), has a very modern enka sound, accompanied with wind instruments, piano and an acoustic guitar opening. There’s VERY nice line distribution between the girls here, with each girl obtaining at least 1 solo line while Suzuki Airi gets the most. It’s nice to be able to hear some of the girls voices for once. The only problem I had with the song is that it’s VERY short, at only 2:32, I only wished it was a bit longer, as every second of it is absolutely great.

The b-side, Wasuretakunai Natsu, starts off with a very typical H!P b-side instrumental, electric guitar accompanied by glittering effects. The song has a a relaxed atmosphere, with the girls singing in a calm voice. As we approach the chorus, which is definitely the high point of the song, we get a nice vocal performance by the girls and a rise in instrumentals. The instrumental break features even more electric guitar and followed by some nice solo lines. This coupling track seemed to very well contrast Edo no Temari Uta II.

This was a very nice single release by °C-ute, including an atypical a-side and a nicely paired b-side. It’ll be interesting to see how it will be performed in concerts. It should also be noted that the PV also stood out in the release, seeming to be a bit more higher budgeted than other H!P PVs.

♦Single Rating♦