Morning Musume。- Nanchatte Renai

Nanchatte Renai is Morning Musume。’s 40th single and it was released on August 12th, 2009. It reached #2 on the Oricon Weekly Charts and has sold 70,299 copies.

♠Tracklist♠

1. Nanchatte Renai
2. Aki Urara
3. Subete wa Ai no Chikara [40th Single Commemorative]
4. Nanchatte Renai (Instrumental)

Momosu keeps the trend of the synth and string heavy crossover songs with Nanchatte Renai, a song very similar to Shouganai Yume Oibito but by Naichau Kamo’s producer, making it that much more unoriginal. The song isn’t bad at all, in fact, it has very pretty string work, along with a lovely harp and a great use of synth but theres something lacking in the song. Maybe it’s that I’ve gotten tired of this style for them. Ai and Reina take care of the vocals, as always, while 8th gen, Sayu and Koharu shine during the rapping bits of the song right before the chorus. Although they’re quite short, it’s nice to see rapping back in a Momosu single after such a long time. The chorus is excellent but the song itself just lacks that immediate catchy flair that SYO had.

The b-side featured on normal versions of the singles is Aki Urara. It begins with a promising intro and a very solid first verse with smooth vocals and a constant keyboard but as the song reaches the chorus, it get progressively worse. The vocals maintain the same, thus not matching the heavier instrumental of the chorus and the overall harmonization was pretty bad executed. It’s a sexy song but is weighed down by its uneven vocals. Still, props go to the song for having a non-generic H!P b-side instrumental.

The b-side exclusively on the 40th anniversary version is Subete wa Ai no Chikara. It’s an improvement over the previous b-side’s line distribution but by only that. The song itself is pretty loud, obnoxious and annoying. The instrumental is a messy mix of synth and typical b-side beats and when paired up with a very disturbing chorus, the overall result isn’t that great.

For being the group’s 40th anniversary single(not to mention their highest selling one in years), I wasn’t very impressed. The a-side has its good points but failed in trying to renovate the synth+string combo. The b-sides were 50/50. One was passable but the other was an absolute mess. Hopefully Tsunku will focus more on the overall package instead of just the a-side with further releases.

♠Single Rating♠

♠Favorite Track♠

Nanchatte Renai

Morning Musume。- Kimagure Princess

Kimagure Princess is Morning Musume。’s 41stsingle and it was released on October 28th, 2009. It reached #4 on the Oricon Weekly Charts and has sold 36,274 copies.

♠Tracklist♠

1. Kimagure Princess
2. Aishite Aishite Ato Ippun
3. Kimagure Princess (Instrumental)

Morning Musume。finally manage to strongly impress me with their current hybrid synth+strings genre with Kimagure Princess. Think of this song like the birth-child between Odore! Morning Curry and Nanchatte Renai. It has that ethnic/oriental sound to it mixed perfectly with heavy use of synth and some string-work(although not as prominent as in previous singles). The arrangement is done so perfectly that even the girl’s strangely high-pitched voices won’t let you enjoy let it. Lines are spread evenly between Ai and Eri(a first for a Momosu single) while giving other solos to Reina and Risa, leaving Sayu and 7th+8th gen without solos. I can’t help but mention the “suggestive” lyrics of the song with lines such as:

Like a butterfly with beautiful flapping wings
She’s a sexy princess with an alluring butt
Isn’t it nice? A little bit of an erotic smile

Despite that unfortunate flaw in line distribution(when compared to SYO), the lead singers do an excellent job of matching the songs upbeat style, which we haven’t seen in a VERY long time in Momosu.

Much to my pleasure, Aishite Aishite Ato Ippun doesn’t suck! It’s still b-side material(which is immediately obvious due to solos from members from the 8th gen) but doesn’t fall into the generic group that b-sides from the Nanchatte Renai single did. This time around, the song relies heavily on synth-work but also from the girls non-stop vocals and an enjoyable, memorable melody.

I’m so relieved that Tsunku was able to make something different with that style he’s adopted for the girls recently and it really shines in Kimagure Princess. It’s also nice to have an upbeat a-side once again after about three Emomosu singles. Since this will be Koharu’s final single(along with the ever great 9-nin lineup), it’ll be interesting to see how the lines will be given out in future releases.

♠Single Rating♠

♠Favorite Track♠

Kimagure Princess

Morning Musume。- Shouganai Yume Oibito

Shouganai Yume Oibito is Morning Musume。’s 39th single and it was released on May 13th, 2009. It reached #1 on the Oricon Weekly Charts and has sold 53,950 copies.

♠Tracklist♠

1. Shouganai Yume Oibito
2. 3,2,1 BREAKIN’ OUT!
3. Shouganai Yume Oibito (Instrumental)

Quickly reaching their 40th single release, Momosu proves that their experience does grant them talent with Shouganai Yume Oibito. The song, simply put, is beautiful. It’s a spring feeling song with the perfect combination between airy synth and gorgeous string work. The instrumental really is what makes this song so great. Of course, we are also granted with a much improved line distribution compared to other singles, giving more importance to the 8th gen while not loading Ai and Reina with lines. Theres really nothing bad I can say about this song. It’s almost sad message it gives off is really something we haven’t seen from the girls recently and easily marks its spot as one of my favorite Momosu songs ever.

Now I had a really hard time getting into 3,2,1 BREAKIN’ OUT!. Actually, I think it was the instrumental of the song that had me in doubt. It’s not your typical b-side stuff but instead a mixture of electric guitars, random beeping sounds and an unsteady beat. That overall strangeness, accompanied by the vomit inducing line distribution(Ai and Reina fest) made this a really hard song for me to get into. Fortunately, the song gets better as it progresses and the chorus is insanely catchy, although the ending is just kind of sudden and awkward.

I feel that anyone, those who aren’t even Momosu fans are going to love the a-side while only half of actual fans will enjoy that freaky b-side. Unfortunately, the b-side ruined the overall quality of the single for me, even though it was an innovation compared to their previous releases. Tsunku still has to work on his b-sides as I consider that his better b-sides for Momosu were debut-2001.

♠Single Rating♠

♠Favorite Track♠

Shouganai Yume Oibito

Morning Musume。- Platinum 9 DISC

Platinum 9 DISC is Morning Musume。’s 9th album and it was released on March 18th, 2009. It reached #13 on the Oricon Weekly Charts and has sold 19,143 copies.

♠Tracklist♠

1. SONGS
2. Resonant Blue
3. Ame no Furanai Hoshi de wa Aisenai Darou?
4. Take off is now! / Takahashi Ai, Niigaki Risa, Tanaka Reina
5. Naichau Kamo
6. Watashi no Miryoku ni Kizukanai Donkan na Hito / Mitsui Aika
7. Guruguru JUMP / Kusumi Koharu, JunJun, LinLin
8. Mikan
9. Jounetsu no Kiss wo Hitotsu / Takahashi Ai, Niigaki Risa, Tanaka Reina
10. It’s You / Michishige Sayumi
11. Onna ni Sachi Are
12. Kataomoi no Owari ni / Kamei Eri
13. Kanashimi Twilight

I’ve always said that Tsunku made killer album opening tracks but I think that with SONGS he really outdid himself. Don’t let the gorgeous piano opening foll you though, the track is actually an intense, fierce synth-pop song with a blaring instrumental filled with synth lines, vocoded voices and to top it all of, JunJun and LinLin solos! I can’t stress how infectious and well produced this track is. Everyone sounds great, yes, even Reina but thats only because her solos are under vocoder. What a way to open up an album.

The first single to appear is the ever popular Resonant Blue. It’s probably the least synth-influenced song on the album due to it sounding so overall pop-y but either way, it’s still the most catchy, and just in general best song of the era, along with being my personal favorite.

The album doesn’t suffer from weird transitions but Ame no Furanai Hoshi de wa Aisenai Darou? after that last track would be the only exception. We first heard this song sung by Momosu for as a tryout song for the now formed Ice CreaMusume。 which was leaked by one of the participants. Well, it’s a ballad. I guess with that being said you probably don’t need to hear much more. Honestly though, the song isn’t that bad. You could almost call it boring at times but it’s definitely one of those songs that get better over time. The chorus is really memorable and during 2/3 of the song JunJun and LinLin get gorgeous solos. Theres two things I didn’t like about the song however. First its Sayumi’s vocals having gotten so much priority when the girls sing together. The other is the synthetic orchestra in the instrumental. It’s pretty obvious that it’s not a real orchestra but instead something made from like a keyboard. But hey, thats budget problems for you.

The INDIGO BLUE LOVE girls get together again(although this time replacing Eri for Ai) to deliver Take off is now!, a song on the similar style of SONGS. It’s a very hot song with a pumping beat and fierce vocals. I think it’s probably the line up of singers that doesn’t allow me to enjoy this song as much as I should. It really is hot(even it’s unexpected yet necessary ending) but I really think Tsunku should have kept Eri in and given Ai her own solo instead.

The second single to appear is the last one released, Naichau Kamo. From this track forward, the synth sound of the album really comes in effect. I still really love this song and should really be given a listen if your planning to get into current gen Momosu as this is the style they adopted for their future releases.

That’s right. A Mitsui Aika solo. Watashi no Miryoku ni Kizukanai Donkan na Hito’s instrumental just reeks of anime opening and makes a REALLY heavy use of synth. That’s not really the problem though. Apart from not being very memorable, Aika’s vocals just aren’t very good, at all. You can tell she tries but(unfortunately) this isn’t the type of song for her. Remember Haru Beautiful Everyday? While her vocals weren’t stellar there either, that sound works better for her than this generic crap.

I suppose Guruguru JUMP fills in the void for the ‘wtf’ song on the album. And with a line up of Koharu, JunJun and LinLin than theres definitely a chance for success. Once again, synth returns in a much more wacky fashion and is a lot more tolerable than Aika’s solo. The girl’s vocals are really meh. You get Momosu’s worst singer along with another pretty bad singer and throw in the group’s second best vocalist but have her sing in a way that annoys you and you have yourself a pretty dangerous combination. Fortunately, the chorus is really cute and catchy but is really the only thing that saves it.

Fortunately Mikan comes in to save the album after those two semi-failures. While I do consider it the worst a-side of the era, it surpasses a lot of the new material on the album. Fortunately this is where the ‘cute’ songs on the album come to an end.

The Ai, Risa and Reina trio come together again for Jounetsu no Kiss wo Hitotsu, a smoother, R&B influenced song with a mellow atmosphere and an overall better vocal performance. I think I might prefer this track over their other one simply because the girls get to show off what they do best, sing. While their other song had Ai as center, this one hands the spotlight over to Risa and Reina, granting Ai her own solo ad-libbing near the end.

I really wouldn’t have expected Sayu’s solo to have this type of sound to it. It’s You is a type of dark, almost R&B track with an instrumental reminiscent of the 90’s. Honestly, Tsunku really messed up on giving this song to Sayu. Her vocals just don’t fit in. Even though she attempts to make herself sound serious, dark and mysterious, it just doesn’t work out and she delivers a weak(as always) vocal performance. Eri would have done a lot better here, and vice-versa. Nice try Sayu but maybe next time.

As we approach the albums climatic ending, in comes Onna ni Sachi Are, the song that started Momosu’s synth sound. Although it was released almost two years ago, the song does sound kind of old. Why? Maybe it’s JunLin’s undeveloped vocals and that Aika gets solos. Not to mention the basic arrangement the song has compared to other songs from the era. Either way, it still fits in the album and is one of my favorites.

The final new song on the album is Eri’s solo Kataomoi no Owari ni. Now I have to admit, even though I’m a huge Eri fan, I really like the instrumental in here and would have liked the song even if it were sung by someone else(but obviously not as much as I like it with Eri). It’s the second longest song on the album at 4:51, beaten only by Resonant Blue by a second but fortunately the song doesn’t get tedious. I like the simple and cute pop elements the song has, accompanied by Eri’s solid and fresh vocals, make me really enjoy this song.

Ending off the album is the ever epic Kanashimi Twilight. Now here I can say that this song sounds old, simply because it is. Hearing Miki and Hitomi in here is kind of bizarre(would it really have been that hard to re-record it Tsunku?). Ignoring that, this song is the perfect way to end the album. Not only is it saying goodbye to the old Momosu but also greeting the new generation of girls.

Morning Musume。’s ninth shot at an album definitely beats their previous attempt with the mess that was SEXY 8 BEAT. The singles in this era were the best yet but unfortunately it was the album tracks that had problems holding their own. The solos(minus Eri) were, bluntly put, bad. I also didn’t enjoy the way that Ai, Risa and Reina got two songs on the album, one of which could instead have been an all group song. While the album suffers some awkward spots due to Momosu’s overall change in style, if they manage to solidify their sound for their next album, than we may definitely get something ‘Platinum’.

♠Album Rating♠

♠Favorite Tracks♠

1. Resonant Blue
2. SONGS
3. Naichau Kamo
4. Kanashimi Twilight / Onna ni Sachi Are
5. Mikan

Morning Musume。- Mikan

Mikan is Morning Musume。’s 35th single and it was released on November 21st, 2007. It reached #6 on the Oricon Weekly Charts and has sold 38,667 copies.

♠Tracklist♠

1. Mikan
2. Bonkyu! Bonkyu! BOMB GIRL
3. Mikan (Instrumental)

With Mikan, Momosu offers us something we haven’t seen from them in a  very long time. Something very, very cute. You can’t get quite more pop than this songs instrumental and it honestly isn’t very interesting but it’s the other factors that make this song something enjoyable. Vocally, the girls are solid. It may suffer from them sounding too high pitched and squeaky in some parts(the hook and chorus) but the solos are nicely done. While the verses are fun, the chorus does an excellent job of pumping you up but it all eventually just fades out as nothing really happens after the chorus. Ignoring those small problems, the song is very adorable and catchy, even though it might take more time to grow on you than their previous singles. All in all, “LIFE IS ONE TIME!”.

In all honesty, Bonkyu! Bonkyu! BOMB GIRL delivers and it does it with lots of spunk! Proving to be on the higher tier of Momosu’s b-side collection the song makes actual good use of the typical Morning Musume。b-side elements(lots of brass) and wraps it all up in one catchy, fun, groovin’ song that just has you singing along in almost every part. I enjoyed the line distribution as they usually are better in non a-side tracks. Let’s not forget to mention Risa’s epic solo before the final chorus.

If it weren’t for a few fixes that could have been made to the a-side, this single would have been perfect. The b-side is something I think Tsunku should really stick with for future singles while leaving behind the a-sides concept, cute. It’s really something that doesn’t work as well with the current Momosu’s line up(a mature look works to their advantage).

♠Single Rating♠

♠Favorite Track♠

Mikan

Morning Musume。- Onna ni Sachi Are

Onna ni Sachi Are is Morning Musume。’s 34th single and it was released on July 25th, 2007. It reached #2 on the Oricon Weekly Charts and has sold 50,812 copies.

♠Tracklist♠

1. Onna ni Sachi Are
2. Please! Jiyuu no Tobira
3. Onna ni Sachi Are (Instrumental)

Tsunku once again drives the girls into untouched territory with Onna ni Sachi Are, a pumping techno influenced track with heavy use of synth, untouched vocals and a very powerful chorus. This is the most the girls have ever sung such a synth heavy track and would actually be the first step into a new direction of music for them. Vocals this time were a bit iffy as Miki had her sudden leave before the single was released thus I’m supposing most/all of her songs went to the new leader as Ai absolutely owns this song left and right. JunJun and LinLin, as little their presence is in the single manage to sound pretty nice, although we only get one real solo line from each. Once again, taking a risk in their musical direction has pulled off.

I will never like the way Please! Jiyuu no Tobira starts off and I probably never will like the song enough to listen to it more than the 5 play counts it has. Your typical b-side instruments are included as always, some messy synth, a repetitive and uninteresting electric guitar and a forgettable melody. If anything saves this song it’s the girls extremely solid vocals and the solos during the chorus. Even the better line distribution from previous b-sides is missing as the only solos are done by the ‘girls who can sing’(Ai, Reina, Eri and Risa).

Once again the overall quality of the single is weighed down by its b-side. At least the song isn’t sleep-inducing ’cause at that rate I really would have zero care for it. It should also be warned that Ai is all over this single so if you have any problem with her voice/hate hearing her every five seconds than stay away form both tracks. Since Tsunku continues to use this synthy style with the girls, it’s nice to listen to the a-side to see the roots of their current style.

♠Single Rating♠

♠Favorite Track♠

Onna ni Sachi Are

Morning Musume。- Kanashimi Twilight

Kanashimi Twilight is Morning Musume。’s 33rd single and it was released on April 25th, 2007. It reached #2 on the Oricon Weekly Charts and has sold 61,322 copies.

♠Tracklist♠

1. Kanashimi Twilight
2. Hand made CITY
3. Kanashimi Twilight (Instrumental)

Morning Musume。 continues its trend of diving into different musical styles than they ever have before and with Kanshimi Twilight the girls take on a punk rock roll, delivering what has been possibly the most aggressive, rock inspired song the group has ever(and probably will) released. The guitar chords, not only in that extremely memorable intro but in the whole song are essentially what makes this song so unique and overall impressive. The lines are distributed evenly between the girls, obviously giving priority to Ai and Miki. Hitomi, being the center of the song, has her own solo right after the instrumental break and fortunately, she nails it perfectly. Even if this song weren’t as catchy as it was, the rock style the girls took for this song make it worth the listen alone.

Hand made CITY opens with a pretty nifty instrumental but is ruined by the initial vocals from the girls. It has a nice thumping beat and an electric guitar along with a better line distribution than it’s a-side. While I can’t complain about the vocals, the music is what makes the song almost fall flat. The chorus sounds pretty nice but doesn’t manage to leave a good taste in your mouth since it’s immediately followed by that same ‘hook’ heard in the intro.

The girl’s 33rd single falls to the same formula that all H!P releases are prone to. A spectacular a-side and a less than pleasant b-side. This time around though, the a-side wasn’t just another typical catchy song, it was a career changing single for the group, being the last to include both Ypowa Hitomi and Fujimoto Miki and before JunJun and LinLin joined. If your planning to get your hands on this single, get it for its remarkable a-side. Hand made CITY is more of a die-hard fan’s song rather than something to introduce to a Momosu newbie.

♠Single Rating♠

♠Favorite Track♠

Kanashimi Twilight

Morning Musume。- Naichau Kamo

Naichau Kamo is Morning Musume。’s 38th single and it was released on March 18th, 2009. It reached #3 on the Oricon Weekly Charts and has sold 50,313 copies.

♠Tracklist♠

1. Naichau Kamo
2. Yowamushi
3. Naichau Kamo (Instrumental)

Rapidly advancing into their 40th single release, Tsunku decided to switch up Momosu’s musical style(a change which would remain for their future singles as well) to what seems like a combination of Onna ni Sahi Are’s heavy use of synth, beats and other techno elements and AS FOR ONE DAY’s tone and mood. With Naichau Kamo the girls have finally managed to “find their calling” and really shine through. The song is made up of really loud synth with a constant beat. The synth takes a really high importance in this song as it is what practically drives the song forward, most especially in the chorus. The girl’s vocals are top notch, although with the loud synth things may tend to get a little hard on the ears(not because it sounds bad, just because it’s too loud). As always, the typical girls get higher amount of lines(Ai and Reina) but they manage to sound pretty well. Not only that, but the emotions in this song really shine through which is most noticeable when the girls sing together as a group. The background vocal(most probably Ai’s) really add a great touch to the mellow tone of the song.

This time we get a surprise for the b-side. It’s actually a duet! Yowamushi makes for the perfect complement to the a-side as it’s really different in its use of instruments, almost reminiscent to Momosu’s older works pre-3rd generation. It’s composed of bright and uplifting synth but the song actually has more of a darker sound due to its use of low guitar chords and the girls vocals. Niigaki Risa takes role of the first verse and chorus of the song, absolutely outdoing herself. This song was made for her tone of voice. For the second half of the song we have Sayumi which in my opinion was a very risky, if not welcomed choice. Compared to Niigaki, her vocals are obviously not up to par although she definitely tries her best. In a way, her bubbly vocals almost make the mid-tempo’d song sound a bit happier.

I can honestly say that Tsunku outdid himself for this single. Both tracks were arranged excellently although I do have doubts on the a-side getting a little too noisy and having placed Sayumi in for the b-side(instead of the more predictable choice of Eri) but their minor enough not to make either unlistenable. Sine the girls stick with this similar music style for their upcoming release, it’s not a bad idea to start your Morning Musume。experience with this single.

♠Single Rating♠

♠Favorite Track♠

Naichau Kamo

Morning Musume。- COVER YOU

COVER YOU was Morning Musume。’s 1st cover album. It was released November 26th, 2008. It features songs by the duo Pink Lady written by Aku Yuu.

Tracklist

1. Nagisa no Sinbad
2. Dou ni mo Tomaranai
3. Izakaya
4. Pepper Keibu (Album ver.)
5. Shiroi Chou no Samba
6. Seishun Jidai
7. Ringo Satsujin Jiken
8. Romance (Album ver.)
9. Machi no Akari
10. Koi no Dial 6700
11. Pinpon Pan Taisou
12. Watashi no Aoi Tori
13. Jonii e no Dengon
14. UFO

Opening up the album with some freaky noises is Nagisa no Sinbad. I had heard a version of this song sung by W and really didn’t enjoy it much, things don’t seem to change(much) with Momosu’s version. The verses are pretty solid, though not very interesting though the chorus does make things better, especially with the “Sexy” lines. I also liked the line distribution, I would of thought it was gonna be all Reina and Ai, but fortunately I was wrong. It’s an okay song, but not really the best opener nor very memorable. Good thing it’s the shortest track on the album as well.

Dou ni mo Tomaranai, however, would have made for a much better and funner opening. As soon as the pounding instrumentals kick in, along with the AWESOME vocals(everyone seemed to be singing in a different manner) I knew I was gonna like this song. It’s actually my second favorite new track of the album simply cause it’s so well arranged and has such memorable solo lines, especially from Risa.

Izakaya is probably the strangest song from the album as it seems kind of out-of-place. This song is actually an Ai duet with Hiroshi Itsuki. The beginning has a nice, relaxing sounding lounge atmosphere, which makes you just want to sit back and relax. This song reminded me a lot of Miki’s “Okitegami” single due to the style of the song. It’s a very safe track, never doing anything too wild. Nice vocals from Ai here.

Now we arrive to the a-side of the only single released for the album, Pepper Keibu. I’ve only fell in love more with the song since it was released and seeing it was gonn have an “Album ver.” made me really anxious, though I didn’t want to get my hopes up too high. This is probably the best song of the album, making the perfect fusion between Momosu’s and PInk Lady’s style. Unfortunately, the only difference to the song is an added 20 seconds of a soft instrumental to end the song. However, it feels really out of pace and unnecessary.

Shiroi Chou no Samba with some old sounding piano, giving you the impression that the song is going to be a ballad, however, the piano goes away and in comes some soft guitar rifts, along with JunLin! That’s easily my favorite part of this safe, relaxed and happy song, JunJun and LinLin are the centers! Apart from that, it’s an okay song that doesn’t really wow the listener much.

I love the way the piano that opens up Seishun Jidai sounds. This is one of the more upbeat tracks on the album, and features a lot of the 6th generation members. The vocal performance is my favorite part of the song as it features tons of Eri and the rock-ish instrumental isn’t bad either. One of the better new songs.

One of my favorite tracks on the album is Ringo Satsujin Jiken. It’s refreshing island style sounds very unique in the album, and Ai’s funny opening vocals are a pleasure to hear. The verses are ver soothing and the sudden brass during the bridge is nice as well, but it’s the chorus that really shines. It has the girls repeating “Funi Funi” multiple times, which sounds great especially since they left the professionals do it, Sayumi and Koharu(from what I can tell). This is a fun track you’ll enjoy where you can hear a bit of everyone singing(minus JunLin, I didnt hear them…).

Next we have the b-side of the “Pepper Keibu” single, Romance. Along with the a-side, it has also been given the “Album ver.” treatment. Unfortunately(again), the only difference is that the song no longer fades out and has been given a proper ending, though it does sound a lot smoother than “Pepper Keibu”’s. The song is still a very strong track and one of the highlights of the album.

Machi no Akari opens with some very pretty strings and piano and is the album’s only real ballad. Risa starts off the first verse with some very gentle vocals and then Ai starts her part along with the addition of water drop sounds and soft beats. The chorus has the girls harmonizing really well together. I didn’t think I would be very interested in it, but it prooves to be a very beautiful listen with soothing vocals. It could of been longer though…

Now for the enigma of the album, Koi no Dial 6700. It opens with Sayumi picking up a telephone with her usual cute voice and then LinLin chanting “Ring Ring Ring”(though she makes it sound like she’s saying “Lin Lin Lin”) over a steady bass guitar. As the first verse arrives, the song transforms into this poppy, brass heavy track. The chorus is sung very well by the senior members and right after LinLin begins her part again. During the instrumental break right after, LinLin also begins to ad-lib, which is just awesome. It’s possible you may find this song annoying(especially Koharu’s part) but you can’t deny it’s one of the funnest.

Now for my least favorite song on the album, Pinpon Pan Taisou. As soon as I hear Koharu’s annoying vocals, I know I wouldn’t be enjoying the song. This is a VERY Kusumi heavy track, along with Mitsui. I would of enjoyed the song a lot more if it were just Aika, but even than the song itself isn’t too good, just annoying. It really sounds like something you would hear in a Kirarin soundtrack, which combined with Morning Musume, doesn’t make a good combination. It doesn’t help it’s one of the longest songs on the album, even if it’s only lasts 4 minutes, 17 seconds.

KAMEI ERI SOLO!!! ABOUT TIME! Watashi no Aoi Tori IS ALL KAMEI! I was so freaking excited as I listened to this as I absolutely love Eri’s voice and her being my favorite member only made me love this song more. Her vocals are absolutely precious in this soft pop song, but of course, she isn’t the only one singing. The only other solo was by Risa and Sayumi, both of who I like, so it only made me like the song more. If it were someone like Reina singing this track, I would of absolutely hated it as the instrumental itself isn’t interesting enough to draw in someone who wasn’t a fan of the vocalist.

Now it’s Risa’s solo time! Jonii e no Dengon opens up with some moody sounding instrumentals but the song gets a brighter mood during the first chorus, with some acoustic guitar and piano. Risa’s vocals are excellent in this track, never straining them to a point where they get too high. The instrumental is more interesting than Eri’s song but I still can’t love it more. I mean, come on, it’s Eri!

Easily the best song on the album, UFO makes for one heck of an album closer. It begins with spacey sounds and than Risa’s crazy “UFO” line. The instrumental is constant in this track and the acoustic guitar sounds great on here, along with the random alien related sounds. The verses are a ton of fun to listen to and the chorus has great, deeper vocals form the girls. This is easily the best new song on the album and only behind “Pepper Keibu” in overall goodness. recommended listening.

On my first listen of the album, I was very disappointed. A lot of the tracks sounded familiar and boring while only “UFO” and “Dou ni mo Tomaranai” had caught my attention. After a few listens, I really began to see how unique each track was, though sometimes it was obvious that a song was boring. Although theres a total of 12 new tracks, the album isn’t very long as only three tracks are over 4 minutes. This was both a good thing anda  bad thing as some songs just needed to end quickly while others I could have listened more to. Another high point was the line distribution. While there is a lot of Ai, theres also a TON of Eri and Niigaki, which I really wasn’t expecting. The overall absence of Reina is nice too. Overall, it’s a solid release from Momosu that had both it’s good and bad points.

♥Album Rating♥

Morning Musume。- Pepper Keibu

Pepper Keibu was Morning Musume。’s 37th single. It was released September 24, 2008. It sold 38,596 copies in it’s first week and reached #3 on the charts.

Tracklist

1. Pepper Keibu
2. Romance
3. Pepper Keibu (Instrumental)

The a-side to Morning Musume’s newest single, Pepper Keibu begins with some very brief relaxing lounge type sounds but that only lasts a few seconds until the main melody comes in with a bang, faithful to the original. Even though it sounds VERY similar, it still sounds very fresh coming from the girls. I really enjoyed the line distribution in this song as the girls are split up into duo’s(similar to how they are on the cover art) with Reina(unfortunately) getting the only solo lines. The thing about the duet lines that I both like and hate is that even though they sing together, one of the girl’s voices is way more prominent than the others. This is good in that we get to hear Sayumi and Aika getting solo lines with some minimal background vocals but bad in that Ai manages to get the most out of this as when she gets her duets(2 per girl), her voice is the most prominent. It isn’t into 40 seconds of the song that the new remixed version of the original song starts and let me tell you that it’s REALLY good! It has that distinguishable Momosu sound and includes some very heavy beats and repeated synth, I even hear strings in there too! It all just sounds so great! I found the verses more enjoyable simply because I get to hear different voices other than Reina/Ai, so it’s refreshing to the ears. The instrumental break in this song is one of the best I’ve heard in a while and has some great rising strings near the end before getting back into the chorus. As the ending comes, we’re treated to what really fgives this song a Morning Musume touch, Sayumi getting a talking solo line with “Peppa Keibu yo”. She did say she wanted actual singing lines, and I’m sure she’s happy with the amount she got in Pepper Keibu. I really enjoyed this song and I’m sure you will also, fan of the original or not(I had actually never heard the original before this) as I did. Recommended listening.

Don’t let the term b-side fool you with this song. Romance is also a cover song and it sounds great! Compared to the last track, this song is a bit more relaxing though it does feature some rapid sounds but they all give off a nostalgic flair. What was also awesome about this song was the superb line distribution. Some might not find it that out of the ordinary but what really got me excited was the both Risa and Eri are featured as one of the main vocals. Ai, Reina, Eri and Risa get the only solo lines, being in order from most to least(well, Kusumi gets one but who wants to hear her sing, really?). I did like the “la la la…” sequence shortly before the second chorus as well. This was a solid b-side, though I did enjoy Pepper Keibu better. It’s also one of the better b-sides the girls have released in a while.

Oops, I think I overdid it with this review… I’ve just been waiting for a new single from them for a while now(though the wait for Resonant Blue was worse)! I’m always looking forward to new Momosu releases and they never fail to let me down. This was a really enjoyable single, now about the cover and PV… The PV was cheap, but that’s normal in H!P now a days. It also seems like the lowest budget PV they spent in a video so far… It’s all like one big dance shot, but either way, I really liked it ’cause of it’s great dancing and how great the girls looked. The cover art, however, reminds me of the whole Mikan single with those silver and white outfits, which I didn’t at all like. I did like how they paired the girls up, but I didn’t like the color scheme, the design and Reina getting the center. So yea, do yourself a favor and listen to this now.

♠Single Rating♠