So yeah this is the first time I’m having a crack at this so ‘scuse the oddities and possible strange formatting, I’m still growing accustomed to the interface XD
So I decided to start with a relatively new album to me. The old school “We are POP☆CANDY!” that graced us with it’s presence on 21/10/2009, back when VOCALOID really hadn’t been around for long and I had yet to find this wonderful genre of music. But enough waffle, let’s do this!
Track 1, “We are POP☆CANDY!”
….“We are very happy” And how could I not agree to this lyric? It’s such a fun little party song, one that compulsively places a smile on your face and wishes you to dance! Some may find the somewhat repetitive nature of this song a possible shortfall but I disagree with that notion; this is what makes it fun. The use of a solid electronic bassline with subtle chimes and a hint of 8-bit mixed into it at the chorus is quite nice. I always found myself grinning like a madman to this song as the world blurs by. This song I enjoyed the most when needing a pick me up!
Track 2, “My Beautiful Life”
This song is a nice slower complement to “We are POP☆CANDY!” still using the same electronic bassline with subtle 8-bit runs in the background, kinda like some of kz/livetune’s older works mixed in with a hint of HachiojiP, which I find quite lovely. I cannot understand much Japanese but like the title says, I find this song quite beautiful. I particularly loved the hard emphasis on some beats at the end of verses. A perfect song when seeking inspiration, pondering life or an issue. So far I’ve found Miku’s tuning to be bang on, never awkward or over pitched but riding the kawaii feel very well. Which for both “We are POP☆CANDY!” and “My Beautiful Life” are its biggest asset.
Track 3, “日曜日フレーバー ”
Roughly translated to “Sunday Flavour” (emphasis on roughly). This is quite a playful song, sharing the common strong bassline with touches of 8-bit and a chime or two in the background. The accompaniment is quite simple to put it lightly with mostly percussion which coupled with the lovely tuning, to emphasize the playful Sunday feeling. At this point I’m still loving this album even if the headline act came first. I found this song to be quite fitting for lounging around, flicking through a manga or doing a tedious task as it’s upbeat cheerful nature lessens burdens, or just if you feel like listening to a lighter simple song.
Track 4, “ジャーニーエクレストン”
I couldn’t come up with a decent translation of the title so we’ll leave it alone. Leading up from the awesome 8 bit intro with that solid bassline is something new, a brass section for the melody which I particularly liked. It nailed the feel of this song perfectly, a laid back nature filled with extensive and sometimes subtle percussion filling in the background leading to quite an impressive, tight soundstage. Certain parts of this song reminded me of “Hello Planet”, particularly some parts of the 8 bit counter melody which I liked. Overall I found this to be another relaxing song, particularly if you’ve had a bad day and need to unwind, or in my case a perfect song to cruise down the road to.
Track 5, “トマトの気持ち”
This was another one with a nonsensical translation of the title as well so let’s skip that part. Like the last 3 tracks it has a similar feel, but instead relying on simple percussion mostly for the bassline with a soft reverb piano picking up the bottom end with a hint of 8-bit and distorted voices in the intro/outro. Runo still nails Miku’s tuning just right and it really adds to the songs. Even though I’m not a particular fan of slower songs, this was another perfect chill out song. Well crafted but by this stage it felt a bit similar to “ジャーニーエクレストン”, which I found a touch a disappointing but not bad at all; I still enjoyed it. Still perfect for shaking the stress after a long day doing tedious tasks XD
Overall I liked this album, I did feel that it started out really strong but weakened by the end. This could be due to my taste in music but the last two tracks were very much the same as one another in feel. In a way it lacked a bit of diversity but all the tracks on this album were absolutely perfect. I could not find a fault in either the arrangement or the vocals which were tuned to perfection, buttery smooth, not over pitched, absolutely cute and never either overpowering or weak which sometimes Miku can sound if misused. I still recommend this album highly though. “We are POP☆CANDY!” really is the headline act, hence it was also later found on “KARENT presents Fairy tale & Girl’s talk feat. 初音ミク, 御伽噺と恋物語”