Vocalocluster - compilation
First is the most recent addition: Vocalocluster. It's the latest in the line of compilation CDs that all start with "Vocalo-" and end with some arbitrary English word tacked on to make sure the whole thing makes no sense whatsoever (examples include -genesis, -nexus, -legend, -nation etc). I don't usually buy these general compilation CDs, but this one was an exception. If you've read my previous posts about Miku then you might be able to tell why from the cover art.
First is the most recent addition: Vocalocluster. It's the latest in the line of compilation CDs that all start with "Vocalo-" and end with some arbitrary English word tacked on to make sure the whole thing makes no sense whatsoever (examples include -genesis, -nexus, -legend, -nation etc). I don't usually buy these general compilation CDs, but this one was an exception. If you've read my previous posts about Miku then you might be able to tell why from the cover art.
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| the reflected hand is not part of the CD design, believe it or not |
It's the usual host of useless free stuff, but this time there was something (the big pad on the right side) that I'm not quite sure about. It has a foam backing, and it's too small to be a mousepad yet too big to be a coaster. It is a mystery.
The CD showcases pretty much every Vocaloid there is, starting out strong with a solid Miku rock song, a lighter song featuring a Luka who was tuned acceptably but no more, and then a catchy Gumi track from cosMo@暴走P. I've said before that I don't care much for this guy, but I do like this song. It's a pleasant change from his Miku work, which all sounds a bit similar to me. Next are a couple of songs by 黒うさP. Not someone I'm familiar with but the songs are well done and very easy to listen to, although they don't particularly stand out. Nem's song brings out some horns and is good apart from the use of Len (just a personal dislike for his voice, not anything to do with the tuning). Neru uses Rin for a rock song next, which turns out to be great. Rin's voice really excels for rock songs, and she doesn't disappoint here. Having said that, the next two songs use Miku to good effect as well, and I can see them growing on me significantly over time.
The second half continues with BadBye featuring a slightly distorted Miku, followed by the twins with possibly my favourite song on the album so far (despite my general dislike of Len). Track 12 is billed as featuring Luka, although it also seems to feature a chorus of others, though I'm not familiar enough with the male vocaloids to pick them out. Speaking of male vocaloids, the next song, by otetsu, features Gakupo. I'd hardly heard him before, but his voice has a very full sound with a good range. This holds for the next track, Arrest Rose, as well - this time featuring the male trio of Gakupo, Kaito and Len. Len has some high parts, but the other two have some nice lines in lower ranges. 夢現 shifts the tone from rock to a fairly light electro track, which stands well on its own but the transition is a little jarring. Meiko is up next, though her voice really is sounding dated. Kaito follows with a very oriental sounding track that doesn't really do it for me, and then the album finishes with a 9 minute trance track by HSP - I like the song, but it doesn't really fit with the rest of the album.
The short version: A good start, with some great rock songs carrying through the bulk of the album, showing off some good producers using a wide range of Vocaloids. The tuning is pretty good overall, and the music itself is solid too. The ending is a little bit weaker, but the album as a whole is a good listen, and one of the stronger compilation albums I've heard. I linked a few of the songs in the track list above, but all the tracks can be found on Nico Nico Douga.
Ok, going to try for less of a wall of text for the next one.
ハートフルシーケンス (Heartful Sequence) - EasyPop
The first EasyPop song I heard was ハッピーシンセサイザ (Happy Synthesizer), and I absolutely loved it. This is EasyPop's only album to my knowledge, and it isn't all Vocaloid.
I was surprised when I heard ハッピーシンセサイザ on this album only to find that it wasn't the Gumi and Luka version, but rather sung by a couple of real people. My gut reaction was negative, but my opinion has improved after listening to it a bit, and now I quite like it. A remix of the original Vocaloid version is also on the disc. Most of the songs are sung by Luka, but there are songs by Miku and two human vocalists scattered throughout the track list, and Gumi does a duet with Luka on one of the later tracks.
There's not as much to say on this one because it keeps a pretty consistent tone throughout. As the artist's name suggests, the album is fairly light pop with a very relaxed tone (although the lyrics aren't all as easygoing). The sound stays pretty minimal throughout, with only a few instruments in most songs. Despite the similar tone, the tracks don't come across as too repetitive, although you can definitely tell they're all by the same artist. If you like one you'll probably like them all, and vice versa. Leading on from that, if you haven't heard any EasyPop then listen to this song.
All up, I think this is a great album. The cover art is appealing as well, I always like to see characters depicted differently from the standard anime style.
I still have a few new albums but I'm going to leave it here for this post.
