Hey guys!
So Pinocchio-P came out with his new album, and I have some mixed feelings about it.
So here I’m going to tell you my personal first thoughts and impressions (so this is not a review in the formal sense).
Let’s go through the album song by song, and I’ll tell you about my favourites (and least favourites):
DISC 1:
1. The Dawn Of Japan:
This song starts the album, and it’s a pretty good starter. It’s simple, catchy and instrumentally complex. While some things doesn’t quite match with my preferences, you can’t deny that cute kid’s voice (he’s so adorable!). This song gets a passing grade from me!
7/10
2. Everything About Animals:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oyc1zJ4L6UA
Ok, Pinocchio-P has had a lot of great songs… And I think that this deserves to be on that list. This song really is something that you have to listen to a couple times to love it. Some parts of the song didn’t quite mesh with me that well, but I got over it pretty quick. I just love the feel of the song, it’s upbeat nature (with some kind of dark lyrics) makes this the standout song for me. My favourite song on DISC 1.
9/10
3. Tonchinkan Feast:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6dwEFGL_KI
This song surprised me. Based on the preview from the album trailer (https://youtu.be/NT8vbgQYr7w) it didn’t sound so interesting, but I was wrong on that front. This song is really catchy, and the fast nature of the song makes it super fun to listen and sing along to. The instrumental is quite nice too. Also, Miku’s “1, 2, 3, 4” and “Come on!” are super cute and a nice little touch. Another one of my favourites.
8/10
4. Cryptid:
One of the human only songs, and it sounds pretty good. It’s very relaxing and the voice is very nice and soothing. I don’t know if it actually is Pinocchio-P’s voice, but if it is, then I’m impressed! It also isn’t very complex, so it makes for a nice song if you want to take a nap/relax for a bit. And the final chorus is awesome. Overall, very nice.
7/10
5. Deracine:
Ok, this is the first song that I didn’t really like. The vocals are still nice, but the style of music just bothers me. The instrumental kind of annoys me, and it feels very repetitive. There are some parts that are nice, but they are few and far between. In general, I don’t really care for this song. On my second listen of this album (for this review), I didn’t even make it through the entire song.
5/10
6. It’s Masuri, Hey Come On!:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDd3m_Tr0m0
I actually don’t know what to think. Some parts are cool, but some parts are kind of grading. The chorus is decent, and has some nice vocals, and it’s the best part of the song. Overall, decent.
6/10
7. The Silence Of The Lambs:
This song is another nice and relaxing one (like Cryptid), and I think that this one is a bit better than Cryptid. The fact that Miku is on vocals makes it better, but the song in general is more interesting to me. It has some nice harmonisation, and I always love stuff where the two singers switches saying stuff, so that was a nice welcome. This song is more memorable than Cryptid in my opinion, and I think that’s a good thing (unlike some other popular songs on the internet…). The melody is nice, vocals are nice and soothing, and the end of the song is beautiful.
8/10
8. China Girl:
Another song that I’m not a fan of. I just don’t like Miku’s tuning in the verses, and it feels very same-y (if that is a word). The repeating parts just annoys me a bit and is a bit boring. If this song was played at a concert, this would be where I would take my bathroom break.
5/10
9. Crappy Fantasy Days:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_FAIIuBXl8
Nice and beautiful song. Very appealing right of the bat, with some good tuning and cool instrumentals. The background vocals for this one are very nice, and they fit with Miku’s voice perfectly. The chorus is awesome, it’s makes you think of a world that isn’t ours, and that is rare achievement for a song. One of my favourites.
8/10
10. Usora Sera:
This is one of the biggest surprises for me in the entire album. The beat is super catchy, and the vocals fit together so well in this song. Miku’s “lalalulala” in the chorus always makes me sing along, and a song that you can sing along with and be entertaining is a winner in my book! I also like at about 2:28 in the song (using Spotify timestamps) the claps turns into something more like rice being slapped together in my opinion. One of my new favourite new Pinocchio-P songs.
8/10
11. All I Need Are Things I Like:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYHJPb9PuUM
Another one of my favourites. The song has a nice melancholic feel in the verses, and then the choruses cranks the enjoyment through the roof. The final chorus is one of my favourite bits on the entire album. This song is also super catchy, and it will stay in your head for a while.
8/10
12. I’m Glad That You’re Evil Too:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLevj9bdRRA
This song is the most beautiful song on the album (in my opinion), and the pacing is so great. It’s starts out very simple and nice, and then it slowly grows into a song of epic proportions. The lyrics are also really cute and makes you think a bit (who am I kidding, Pinocchio-P’s songs always do that). The instrumental is also beautiful, and the way that it gains more and more parts as it goes along is just simply magical by the end. I get chills every time I hear this song, and I don’t regret a single bit of it.
9/10
13. Sayonara Human:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3jt_YCPVm24
The last song on DISC 1, and it’s… interesting. It’s another one of the mainly human vocals songs, and the voice is again very nice. The instrumental is pretty fun and interesting on it’s, and the chorus is as always pretty well made and catchy. This song is a good ender on the first DISC, but it could have been a bit more extravagant. But, it’s pretty good anyways!
7/10
DISC 2:
1. 1year:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdRljyIlgEo
This song is pretty nice, but the chorus gets kind of repetitive after a while, but it’s only after you have heard it a few times, and it in no way makes the song bad. As always, the tuning is nice, and it’s still fun to listen to every once in a while.
7/10
2. Nice To Meet You, Mr. Earthling – Human ver.:
This remix. THIS REMIX. This is easily my favourite song on DISC 2, and it is in so many ways. First of all, the speed-up makes the song so fun to dance and sing to, and the extra vocals sound super nice. The instrumental has also been changed, and it’s sounds amazing. Overall, AMAZING!
9/10
3. At The Mercy Of Emptiness – Human ver.:
This song was also a surprise. It didn’t sound that interesting to me at first, but the song structure slowly drew me in, and then it dropped the chorus. The whole song is kind of addictive in it’s structure, and you want to keep listening just to hear what’s going to happen. Very good song.
8/10
4. Del Toro’s Eye:
This song is weird. I don’t really like at all, it just isn’t very appealing to me, and the song sounds… not good? I don’t know, maybe it’s just not for me.
4/10
5. Kusare-Gedou And Chocolate – Human ver.:
I’m disappointed. It’s just missing the same punch as the original. The only that was as good as the original were the choruses, which were pretty good. Overall, I’m like a mother: I’m not mad, I’m just disappointed.
6/10
6. Common World Domination – Human ver.:
The repeating was really not needed. It turned an original song with the perfect length (in my opinion) into a 6 minute long song that overstays it’s welcome, to be honest. Why couldn’t just have been the original with some new background vocals? I guess we’ll never know. Some of the notes also sound a bit grading to me. IDK, I just don’t like this version.
5/10
7. Hanauta:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NofO9ubSZ3Q
A really nice change of pace, and it’s pretty nice sounding. It’s a good ending song, that closes the Human album. It’s nice, not much else to it.
7/10
Closing thoughts:
“Human” was an interesting experience. On one hand, it has some of the best Pinocchio-P songs in years, on the other hand… It has a few bombs. I’m happy that the album is out, and I personally think that the album is worth it. Who knows, while writing this review, I found some things about the songs that I didn’t think about before, so maybe my opinion will change.
But for now, Human gets my rating of 7/10!
Thank you guys for reading my first review! You may notice that I know nothing about music, and that I use the word “nice” too much, but uh… I’ll figure it out. See ya guys later!
Albert out! 🙂
I’m Glad You’re Evil Too is his best ballad since OZ in my opinion. Both has similar themes and beautiful piano melodies accompanied with heavy production.
Its a first for me to listen something like that from him.
Allow me to piggyback on your article so that I can share my sentiment pertaining to this album:
1) I do have to agree, this track is a pretty good opening. Though I don’t share the same sentiment when it comes to the child’s vocal.
2) All about animals! I anticipated this particular track for the longest time. A really good duet; Pinocchio’s voice is above average in this, and Miku complement him well.
3) Feast of absurdity. I really like this song ever since Pinocchio released it. But, I don’t like this album’s version, though. At times, it feels contrived, you know. Like he was trying to force himself into the song. But I can’t blame the guy; the parts in which he sang are also the parts in which I would also sing along with Miku whenever the original song cycle through my playlist. It’d be better if he didn’t include his own vocal in it because now I can’t sing along and enjoy the song as I did before.
4) I don’t do human vocal only.
5) Again, no.
6) In my opinion, Pinocchio’s vocal doesn’t fit well with this song for some reason. This is his second iteration of the song that extensively include his own vocal and Pinocchio Mk-II’s. Both of them are considered a downgrade to me. It doesn’t encapsulate the feeling of chaos that the original has, meaning it actually made the song a teensy bit ‘calmer’. But who am I to argue with the person who produced the song?
7) An original from this album. Both voices complement each other very well and somewhat relaxing/melancholic harmony?
Honestly speaking, I enjoyed it. I won’t put it on my most played playlist but I certainly won’t skip it.
8) China girl. An anomaly, really. But it’s Pinocchio, we get that once in a while.
9) Crappy Fantasy days. Pinocchio did well as a backing vocalist. I’d say this version is an improvement.
10) Usora Sera, It’s Miku’s turn to be the backing vocalist and Pinocchio tuned her very well for this purpose. Similar to “Polygon Teacher”, I enjoyed this track very much.
11) I am indifferent to this one.
12) Boy, last time I listened to something similar from Pinocchio, it was “ボクライドの歌”, he didn’t change the song much. It’s better that he didn’t because the song itself is pretty solid. Would listen to every once in a while, won’t loop it in a playlist, though.
13) I am indifferent to this one as well. Would be great if I have more knowledge in the language. Good bye, Human. See you later.
14) Can’t say it’s an improvement. More like changes, really. There are parts I like and there are parts I don’t. All I can say is that the SANATORIUM version is better in comparison. That high pitch in the verse “答え合わせしよう「我」に帰るために” was a nice touch.
15) It’s good but at times it sounded too distorted to me. It got annoying pretty quickly.
16) At the Mercy of Emptiness had been my long time favourite, maybe it’s just that I like it when Miku sings. With that said, I prefer the original version more.
17) One response: Why?
Some would enjoy it I suppose. I know I didn’t.
18) Again, maybe I prefer it when Miku sings. Original version is better in my opinion.
19) I hated it at first because it was very repetitive. But then I found out that it worked well as a combat BGM. It stuck since.
20) Eh. It’s good, I guess.
Closing lines: It’s a pretty good album. It didn’t live up the hype I had when I was anticipating its release. I’m well content to listening songs where Pinocchio is the lead vocal with Miku as his backing Vocalist or duet partner. But to original songs in which he included his own vocal into it? It feels contrived. He didn’t manage to do it such that it feels natural.
As for his vocal, he sounds pretty generic to me. That’s okay though, even the most mundane of things can shine when presented with the right opportunity.