misono – Kazoku no Hi

Kazoku no Hi was misono’s 11th single. It was released October 29, 2008. It sold 4,456 copies in it’s first week and reached #23 on the charts. Kazoku no Hi was used as the theme song for KTV’s “Kodomo no Uta”.

Tracklist

1. Kazoku no Hi
2. Aburazemi♀ (Osaka version) -Piano version-
3. music letter
4. Aburazemi♀ (Osaka version) -TV size
5. Kazoku no Hi(instrumental)

I wasn’t very fond of Kazoku no Hi as soon as it started, as the solo acoustic guitar reminded me of the last few tracks of her recent album. Luckily, that only last until 40 seconds in where the guitar continues, but is joined by rock elements. Some people may not agree with me, but I like misono’s vocals in this song. It’s one of her less in your face rock and more to the mellow side, though it doesn’t beat some of her other songs like “Zasetsu Chiten”. I also liked the melody of the song. Don’t get too excited about the song though, it’s really not too special, it just has it’s good points. Overall, an average misono song to follow up her album.

Next is the plenty long Aburazemi♀ (Osaka version) -Piano version-. This song lasts for a total of 8:25, hopefully we’ll have something interesting to listen to that whole time. The song begins with misono singing with a simple piano accompanying her. 2:30, the song is still the same, and not very interesting. Well, I should have been expecting this due to the name of the song, but all 8 minutes are made of a boring arrangement with misono and a piano. You’ll only really enjoy this song if your half dead or something.

What surprised me about music letter is that the first minute is simply misono talking while a simple melody, almost angelic sounding, plays in the background.  She than begins to sing with the same background music, but an interesting thing is that it sounds as if she were crying the whole time, or just being really sad. The song switches between talking and singing in different parts. It’s not entirely memorable, but it’s a pretty emotional song.

I was glad to see that Aburazemi♀ (Osaka version) -TV size cut off a total of 5 minutes and 20 seconds from the original. It also features a different arrangement. It has a more upbeat sound to it with more acoustic guitar and misono singing along with Shinagawa Hiroshi. It’s better than the original, but still not to my interest.

Bah, I was expecting so much more from this single… It’s a shame that the extra material sucks as much as it does. The a-side is acceptable, but not something you’ll find yourself putting on repeat for three days(like Suzuki Ami’s FREE FREE, for example). You may enjoy it more than I did, or hate it even more. It’s really a thing about personal taste.

♥Single Rating♥

misono – Sei -say-

Sei -say- was misono’s 2nd album. It was released July 16, 2008, sold 8,364 copies in it’s first week, 10,770 overall and reached #20 on the charts. It includes 6 different singles, including all three of her consecutive rock-style singles.

Tracklist

1. misono Aji
2. Zasetsu Chiten
3. Ninin Sankyaku
4. Gizagiza LIFE
5. Black & White ~Kuroi Sunglasses Kaketa Hi Kara~
6. Triangle
7. Hot Time
8. Mugen Kigen
9. Ojii-chankko Obaa-chankko Hinatabokko
10. Pochi
11. Hankouki
12. Juunin Toiro
13. Tamago
14. Last Song -sei ver.-
15. “Kimi to Watashi no Uta”

The first track of the album, misono Aji, serves as a kind of introduction to her album. It’s composed of a simple electric guitar and clapping, along with light drums. misono’s vocals are mostly playful, accompanied with sudden background vocals popping out here and there of her saying random words. It’s a good introductory track, but that’s it.

As soon as track 2 begins, we get the immediate style in which the album is directed in. Zasetsu Chiten starts with some VERY loud and strong rock sounds, which should be obvious as it’s the first of her rock type singles. I enjoyed this song a lot, as it never seems to let up. I especially liked how it got during the last minute. My favorite a-side in the album.

The next track, Ninin Sankyaku, which was also the last single for this album, continues the same rock formula but doesn’t present it as good as the last track. I can’t help but feel the misono’s vocals sound so strained and forced here, almost like shes running out of breath. The chorus doesn’t make them sound any better either, though when it finishes, it flows right through into the next verse, which is the better partnof the song. Either way, it’s still a nice song.

Gizagiza LIFE, the b-side to the Mugen Kigen single. It’s more toned down than the last two tracks but I just didn’t really like this song too much. There’s not really anything special about this song and misono’s vocals get a bit annoying during the chorus as well.

The next track was the b-side to the Zasetsu Chiten single, Black & White ~Kuroi Sunglasses Kaketa Hi Kara~ manages to keep the album in a slower, more distinct rock sound with it’s almost haunting beginning, which features distorted misono vocals. The verses are quite short, which compensates for how good they sound. During the chorus, the instrumental gets a lot louder, which is matched with misono’s louder vocals. My favorite b-side in the album.

Finally! An actual NEW full length song! Triangle manages to maintain it’s ground VERY well with the ton of old material found on the album. It begins with some repeating guitar rifts and misono’s low sounding vocals. The chorus an awesome job of making the whole song worth listening to. The song has a feeling of desperation, which is represented by the instrumental. The chorus is definitely the high point of the song. My favorite new track on the album.

Up next is Hot Time, it was released before her first album, never+land was released, but wasn’t featured on the album itself. This song can be considered the ballad of the album as it starts off with a soft electric guitar alongside a strong orchestral string arrangement. misono’s vocals are soft and tender during the first verse, as the piano plays beside her. The song gets less ballad like as the chorus arrive but than makes a u-turn when the actual chorus arrives, when the strings kick in, along with the drums and misono’s rising vocals. A very interesting track, mixing both rock sounds with an orchestrial arrangement.

Mugen Kigen, another a-side and the last of the three rock-style singles, brings the hard rock style back into the album with it’s loud and numerous sounding guitar work. The verses are taken lightly, with misono and an electric guitar, until more instruments kick in and the transition into the chorus kicks in, which just seems to flow very well. The chorus has a see-saw type sound from misono’s vocals. The song has a constant energy to it which never depletes.

Ojii-chankko Obaa-chankko Hinatabokko is a nice mid-tempo track that starts of with a piano which is later accompanied with an electric guitar. misono’s vocals are also at a mid-tone and sound quite natural. The verses are light on rock instruments, that is until the chorus kicks in, which features some strong rock sounds. The entire song has a mellow feel to it, which comes out quite good.

Up next is Pochi, the first official single of this album. It has repeated guitar rifts during the beginning, misono’s vocals and than the addition of more instruments as it gets longer. The chorus comes in suddenly with the common rock style, though misono’s vocals are quite good throughout this entire song. It should also be noted that a piano plays during some parts of the chorus, which adds a nice touch.

Hankouki, another new song, starts off with a bit of a punk rock sound, which is maintained throughout the song. The chorus is nice but the song can only be considered average.

The second of the three rock-style single, Juunin Toiro, begins with an interesting rock sound and actually sounds quite good, until misono’s vocals kick in. They seem to sound weak throughout the verses. They don’t get any better once the chorus kicks in. This song had a lot of potential but it was just executed very strangely.

Tamago has a soft rock sound to it, which is actually a welcome change. misono’s vocals are delivered nicely and match the feeling of the song. I did like the arrangement however. The chorus sounds really nice, while pumping up the instruments, doesn’t get totally out of the style of the song. One of the better new tracks, only after Triangle.

Last Song -sei ver.- is a rearranged version of the original song found as the b-side on the Mugen Kigen single, or so it’s supposed to be. The song is exactly the same minus a few more acoustic guitar sounds. It’s a slow tempo song featuring no rock sounds and overall, not too good.

The last song on the album is once again a slow tempo one. “Kimi to Watashi no Uta” starts with an acoustic guitar and misono singing along. Her vocals are just a tad bit loud for me during the chorus but is nice during the verses. A nice way to end the album but the track isn’t really memorable.

I was both upset and happy with misono’s Sei -say- album. If you don’t count the introductory track and the new version of Last Song, the album only has 5/15 new tracks. Having seen what happened with her last album, one would think they would include more new material this time around, but I see that isn’t the case. Either way, the album manages to maintain it’s rock sound throughout the entire album and the new tracks were actually pretty nice(three of them, anyway). If your looking for a nice rock album, Sei-say- is for you.

♦Album Rating♦