Buono! – Take It Easy!

Take It Easy! is Buono’s 8th single and it was released on August 26th, 2009. It reached #10 on the Oricon Weekly Charts and has sold 18,170 copies.

♠Tracklist♠

1. Take It Easy!
2. Kirai Suki Daikirai
3. Take It Easy! (Instrumental)
4. Kirai Suki Daikirai (Instrumental)

Take It Easy! takes a different direction from Buono!’s typical cutesy pop-rock and instead is a light pop song driven by its acoustic guitar and western instrumentals. It might possibly be on the verge of being considered a ballad but it’s just not slow enough to honestly be considered one. Vocals are fair this time around, with Momoko being the biggest offender, particularly during her solos in the verses. Although it isn’t the catchiest thing they’ve released, it’s still a nice change from their typical releases and is nicely arranged.

Continuing the trend of great b-sides, Kirai Suki Daikirai actually has the potential to pass off as an average sounding a-side. It’s centered around a repetitive and catchy guitar rift with calmer verses that lead to an explosive chorus. The girls also sound much better here, harmonizing quite well during the songs climax. Once again, another great b-side.

I’m quite satisfied with this Buono! release. Although not many people may like the a-side, I found it was a nice change from their typical releases, leaving out the possibility of fans stating that all their music sounds the same. Hopefully they’ll continue this awesome string of releases.

♠Single Rating♠

♠Favorite Track♠

Take It Easy!

Buono! – MY BOY

MY BOY is Buono!’s 7th single and it was released on April 29th, 2009. It reached #7 on the Oricon Weekly Charts and has sold 23,621 copies.

♠Tracklist♠

1. MY BOY
2. Warp!
3. MY BOY (Instrumental)
4. Warp! (Instrumental)

I don’t think there’s ever been a time where I would expect something bad from Buono! and with MY BOY this further approves my way of thought. From their rapidly expanding discography, this song takes the cake(pun, watch the PV ;D) for most aggressive song yet, and I don’t mean that lightly. The song is just jammed with high octane energy, killer guitar rifts and one heck of a chorus. Not only that but the girls did an impressive job of matching their vocals to the song’s style and sound great singing as a trio at the opening of each chorus. They don’t only excel in cute tracks but with MY BOY the girls have only opened the path to different styles.

Wrap! takes on a much different tone and I just can’t stress how much this song sounds like a typical anime opener/ending, especially that intro with sparkling sounds, a ton of synth and heavy drums. Also present is a bit of piano which just adds that extra touch to the song. This song actually isn’t bad, definitely not comparable to the a-side but Buono!’s b-sides don’t tend to fail, no matter how anime-esque this song is. The girls prove that their not just looks and personality(especially Airi) by giving an approachable vocal performance. Fun track.

Buono!’s first single of their new era definitely doesn’t disappoint. Not only did they offer your typical high quality Buono! b-side but released what could be the best a-side in Hello! Project released thus far. I applaud them for this terrific single and can only look forward to their future releases.

♠Single Rating♠

♠Favorite Track♠

MY BOY

Buono! – Buono! 2

Buono! 2 is Buono!’s 2nd album and it was released on February 11th, 2009. It reached #7 on the Oricon Weekly Charts and has sold 19,857 copies.

♠Tracklist♠

1. Early Bird
2. Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!
3. KiraKira
4. Shoushitsuten -Vanishing Point-
5. Rottara Rottara
6. co・no・mi・chi
7. Minna Daisuki
8. I NEED YOU!
9. Gachinko de Ikou!
10. You’re My Friend
11. OVER THE RAINBOW
12. Goal

Kicking off Buono!’s sophomore album is Early Bird. While it does make for a great album opener, the song itself is for the most part forgettable. It does have a lively, fun mood to it and some interesting synth during the verses but it’s essentially ruined by its weak chorus, noisy, high pitched vocals and an overall generic sound reminiscent of Buono!’s first era(in a bad way, of course).

The first single to appear is the ever ear-friendly Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!. Being the first single of the era, it was released back in May of 2008 but still manages to sound really fresh and establish the harder rock sound Buono! was taking for this album.

KiraKira may have the most aggressive opening from the entire album but the song itself isn’t that impacting, but instead has a more progressive sound from the guitars and drums with a calmer chorus due to the girl’s softer vocals. A pretty good song overall but mostly worth it for the rockier instrumental.

Another new track and one of my favorites is Shoushitsuten -Vanishing Point-, and no, not because it’s the song of the album focused on Miyabi’s vocals. It may actually be the softest song on the album since it makes use of some strings here and there, bells, soothing background vocals and a nice piano. That combined gives result to a very enjoyable and well arranged track.

There’s no doubt that Rottara Rottara is still the most catchy thing Buono! has(and probably ever will) released. It’s not just the chorus that traps you but also those lotta love, lotta love, lotta love bits from the hooks. If you’re going to want to get into Buono!, this is the song for you.

Their latest single co・no・mi・chi follows and you can’t help but think it feels just slightly underwhelming after that last track. I still think it’s the worst single released and it actually gets overshadowed by some of the new album tracks.

I was surprised to see a b-side on the album but was relieved to find out it was the one from the Kiss! Kiss! Kiss! single, Minna Daisuki. While it is the most pop sounding song from the album, it holds its own with it’s insanely catchy chorus and overall cute H!P sound.

The bizarre I NEED YOU! follows. Don’t be fooled by its smooth, almost tropical sounding verses as the song has what is probably the roughest, aggressive chorus on the album. Even though the change is a bit insane, the girl’s pulled it off well. The entire song just goes up and down in rhythm the entire time for a very interesting listen.

The final “old” track to appear on the album is Gachinko de Ikou!, the song that began Momo’s leadership of Buono! and that also solidified their rock sound. It fits right in with the rest of the tracks on here and serves as a nice transition between the songs before and after.

Buono! finally begins to slow things down with You’re My Friend. Still keeping up with the rock sound, the verses this time feature an acoustic guitar along with drums and the girls solid vocals. I really enjoy the way this song flows from the verse, bridge and chorus as it offers just a little bit of each instrument in various parts while still flowing perfectly.

Another slow track is the almost ballad, OVER THE RAINBOW. The intro to this song is very pretty with acoustic guitars, drums and pretty strings but the verses are actually the best even if there very minimal on instruments. The melody of this song is very nice and a refreshing change of pace from the upbeat nature of the rest of the album. Another well made new track.

We reach the end of the album with Goal and while the last two tracks could have also done a good job of finishing the album, this track’s enigmatic nature when compared to the rest of the album not only makes it the best album finisher, but also the best song on the album overall. The verses and bridge are composed entirely of a repeated electric guitar note and the girl’s ethereal-like, echoed vocals. This simple combination sounds just perfect together and when combined with a thumping beat and background vocals as the song progresses makes it a simply beautiful listen. The chorus is obviously the highlight of the song combining bells, epic string work and smooth guitar chords. No matter how much this song sounds like Coldplay’s Viva La Vida, Tsunku definitely let himself  influence in the right way, composing what is probably one of the best Hello! Project tracks in the recent years.

Compared to their first album, Tsunku directed Buono!’s musical style to be more rock oriented. While this did make them stand out from the rest of the H!P groups out there, it also brought out more unstable music releases compared to their first era, which was almost entirely filled with catchy tracks and an addictive album. Now this album while it did have it’s flaws with songs like co・no・mi・chi and Early Bird, it also showed that Buono! can not only offer a more serious sound(OVER THE RAINBOW) but also pull off something completely foreign to their style of music, as was done with Goal. If you’re wondering which Buono! album to start off with, choose this one if your more into their rock sound and don’t mind having to skip a few songs here and there.

♠Album Rating♠

♠Favorite Tracks♠

1. Goal
2. Rottara Rottara
3. Gachinko de Ikou!
4. Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!
5. Shoushitsuten -Vanishing Point-

Buono! – co・no・mi・chi

co・no・mi・chi is Buono’s 6th single and it was released on January 21st, 2009. It reached #4 on the Oricon Weekly Charts and has sold 22,735 copies.

♠Tracklist♠

1. co・no・mi・chi
2. Muteki no ∞ Power
3. co・no・mi・chi (Instrumental)
4. Muteki no ∞ Power (Instrumental)

Finishing off the singles for their Buono! 2 album is co・no・mi・chi, an unfortunately underwhelming a-side. There is always something in Buono! tracks that set them apart from any other H!P rock sounding track but this song fails to stand out in an extreme way, featuring a bass heavy instrumental with acoustics during the verses and a weak, uninspired chorus. If anything, the vocals were solid and are the stand out element in this weak, hardly memorable pop-rock song.

The b-side, Muteki no ∞ Power, however manages to outshine the a-side though isn’t that amazing of a song either. Your typical Buono! sounds are here, electric guitar, drums, some synth for that pop sound and a particularly catchy chorus. This song was reminiscent of their sound during the Café Buono! era and I prefer it over the a-side.

It was strange to see a Hello! Project have so many awesome releases consecutively without releasing and “so-so” singles but co・no・mi・chi broke that streak. It isn’t completely bad but when compared to other tracks like Rottara Rottara and Lady Panther, it just seems generic.

♠Single Rating♠

♠Favorite Track♠

Muteki no ∞ Power

Buono! – Rottara Rottara

Rottara Rottara was Buono!’s 5th single. It was released November 12th, 2008. Rottara Rottara was used as the the fifth ending theme for the anime “Shugo Chara!”.

Tracklist

1. Rottara Rottara
2. My Love
3. Rottara Rottara (Instrumental)
4. My Love (Instrumental)

Rottara Rottara with some super cute and catchy guitar rifts before getting to the extremely awesome “Honto”, “Eh?” and “Nande?!” bits that the girls sing. It’s just so awesome! A Buono! a-side has never failed me before and that continues to be the case with this song. It might just possibly be my favorite song from them. As always, the rock pop sound heard from their other tracks is back, and this time better than ever. Every second of the chorus catches your attention and you don’t even have to wait for the chorus to begin rocking out with this song. The part after the chorus, where they repeat “Rottara Rottara” is absolute gold and the high point of the song. The vocals are perfect in this song, with special attention going to Momoko’s for sounding so dang cute. Of course, after the second chorus, you get your instrumental break, which isn’t as awesome as their last single but it’s still hardcore. I highly recommended this Buono! song.

You can never expect much from an H!P b-side, but when it comes to Buono! b-sides, I tend to like them as much as the a-sides!(well, maybe just a tad bit less). My Love is Buono!’s most brass influenced b-side so far, but instead of the typical H!P brass, it’s more of a ska sounding one, which is just awesome with the rock elements. It’s an extremely solid rock song with great vocals and a memorable chorus, which was my favorite song. I don’t know why, but it’s fun to lip sync with this song.

Well, that was terrific. Looks like I have a new favorite Buono! a and b-side. This is truly an awesome single that I think any H!P fan should listen to, and even for newcomers, it manages to really show you what Buono! is all about. I can’t wait for their next releases.

♠Single Rating♠

Buono! – Gachinko de Ikou!

Gachinko de Ikou! was Buono!’s 4th single. It was released August 20, 2008. Gachinko de Ikou! is used as the the fourth ending theme for the anime “Shugo Chara!”.

Tracklist

1. Gachinko de Ikou!

2. Lady Panther

3. Gachinko de Ikou! (Instrumental)

4. Lady Panther (Instrumental)

Beginning straight away with a nice sounding mixture of rock and pop elements, Gachinko de Ikou! surely doesn’t stray far from the Buono! formula, and that’s a good thing, a VERY good thing. The verses are all action packed and feature some of the best vocals these girls have done. The chorus is perfect with it’s strong guitar rifts, continuous drum beats(which seem to be the most noticeable instrument out of the bunch) and the girls singing together. After the chorus comes the second verse. Throughout the song there’s short little parts where the girls make some kind of noise, during this verse, it’s the sound of them making a quick gasp as if they were shocked by something. However, my absolute favorite part of this song has to be the instrumental break. It has to be the strangest instrumental break from H!P that I’ve yet to see. It has like space/mysterious sounding guitar chords and the girls talking in the background, including echoes. It truly sets a different mood for the song and is quite great.

Beginning with some high speed organ and guitar rifts, Lady Panther reminds me a bit of a casino inspired song, with a rock flare. The verses are fun, as is the chorus, though it could have been catchier in some parts. The instrument is what sets this song apart.

Gachinko de Ikou! has to be either my favorite or tied for first Buono! single yet. The a-side is on par, if not better, to the ;excellence that was Kiss! Kiss! Kiss! but what sets this single apart is that I actually enjoyed the b-side(which wasn’t the case with K! K! K!’s b-side). Looking to get into Buono!? Than this is where you should start.

♠Single Rating♠

Buono! – Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!

Kiss! Kiss! Kiss! was Buono!’s 3rd single. It was released May 14, 2008, sold 29,305 copies in it’s first week, 36,675 overall and reached #4 on the charts. Kiss! Kiss! Kiss! was used as the third ending theme for the anime “Shugo Chara!“, while Minna Daisuki was the second opening theme.

Tracklist

1. Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!

2. Minna Daisuki

3. Kiss! Kiss! Kiss! (Instrumental)

4. Minna Daisuki (Instrumental)

Kiss! Kiss! Kiss! is the typical Buono! sound as it’s finest. It starts with some upbeat rock instruments followed by the first verse. The arrangement is very typical H!P, giving most attention to the chorus. The verses are fun and the girls all get around the same amount of lines. The chorus is a very well done, as the girls give a great vocal performance and the instruments get louder. It’s very upbeat and fast. After the second chorus, there’s a harmonica solo followed by the girls semi-whispering “Kiss!”. This is a great track.

The b-side, Minna Daisuki, while not being as rock as the first track, is more focused on the pop genre. It has fun sounding instrumentals and cute vocals from the girls, especially during the chorus, when they sing “HOP, STEP, JUMP”. This song isn’t as good as the a-side but is a nice listen either way.

Overall, Kiss! Kiss! Kiss! is a great release from Buono!, giving us one of the best a-sides released in H!P this year and a fun b-side, though I prefer Buono!’s other b-sides to it. I should mention that the PV is also absolutely cute and fun to watch.

♥Single Rating♥