[Producer Spotlight/Album Review] doriko / 花束 ～the best of doriko～

Doriko is a name familiar to most of you. As one of the most popular and talented Vocaloid producers, producing high-quality rock and pop with mainly Miku as his vocals choice, he played a big role in making Vocaloid well-known and popular.  His work is so well-recieved, some of his songs are featured in the popular Project Diva rhythm games which are available for Sony and Nintendo game consoles. In this producer spotlight and review I’m covering my impressions of one of his albums you must give a listen to, no matter if you’re a vocaloid enthusiast or a newcomer to the scene:

花束～the best of doriko feat．初音ミク～

As the title already states, we’re looking at a “best of” album, containing all of doriko’s most popular hits up until the year it was released – 2012.

The Sound
Doriko’s sound is very recognizable. It’s in its own category, mainly featuring guitars, bass, drums, violin, piano and ear-soothing sound effects. Although every song has its similarities within the use of instruments, he manages to let every song sound unique. Ranging from different styles of soft rock over to ballad or romantic pop, there is no definite genre, but a whole lot of emotions the songs convey. The tuning of Miku’s vocals fit stunningly well into the mix, demonstrating what the now already dated VOCALOID 2 software was capable of.  As if the sound wasn’t good enough, all songs in this album were re-recorded and remastered to near perfection.

Sample Song
Of course, reading is not as easy and pleasurable as listening, so I recommend you to check out this song, called  モノクロアクト(Monochrome Act, Track No. 11), to get an idea of how the Album sounds like. This is one of his rocky songs and one of my personal favorites, but beware! As I already stated, doriko’s style can’t be described with one song alone – please check out more!

The Lyrics
While doriko’s songs cover a whole palette soundwise, his writing stays similar for all of his works. The main topic is love and the songs usually follow the personal view of a teenage girl. (this is totally a guess, though – it might as well be a guy!) Now, while I guess most of us can’t speak japanese all too well, I can only imagine how much of a emotional boost it gives you when listening and understanding the song’s lyrics.

Conclusion
It’s as if each and every song in this album was carefully built from the ground up to go with Miku’s beautifully tuned voice, creating a relaxed yet often breathtaking listening experience.
If you like what you heard from the sample song, I strongly suggest you to check out the full album >>here<<. Or if you’re a generous person, please support doriko and buy the album >>here<<!

MikuDB Score:
4,5/5 Mikus!