Maiku raved in the shoutbox for days about this album, so in the end I gave in and thought why not give it a try, lol. Just by looking at the band and sampling a PV or two I dismissed them as totally not my thing, usual oshare crap fare. So I was kinda intrigued and mildly afraid about what lay ahead of me - interestingly enough, it was quite a pleasant surprise!
G.A.G: this eponymous intro track opens the album. Sounds like cyborgs from a weird futuristic carnival going wild, lol. Kinda entertaining though, fitting start.
ITAZURA: the first 'real' song of the record, demonstrating what's on the menu: high-energy & playful pop-rock ("with a bite", as Maiku fittingly observed ). I didn't expect the guitars to be this good - nothing extraordinary but they lend a certain colorful aspect to the music. Good song.
Guillotine: another uptempo song with prominent synth parts and nice guitar melodies sprinkled about. A bit more on the wacky side, almost as memorable as the previous track but not quite. It's okay though, manages to keep my attention all the way through.
Mazeruna kiken: a song with a bit more darker tone, though at the same time has a kinda wild party atmosphere, especially with the gang vocals (cool!) and chorus. Again, the instruments don't do anything flashy but still work nicely together. The slowed-down section in the middle was a good idea too, contrasting with the driving rhythm of the rest of the track.
Lyrical Magical: one of my favorites, has a really infectuous main melody/riff, followed by a cool rap-like verse, a more manic bridge, then a kinda 'sparkly' (but not sugary) chorus. The guitar solo is pretty ace too. A neatly constructed and executed song, with the proper length not to get tiring.
SHOW 2 GLOW: a rather crazy and fast-paced track, with kinda weird vocal parts, lol. The chorus is just stuff that we're used to though. The whole song has that eager overdriven punk'n'roll quality that's characteristic of (kinda trashy) poppy indies-vk. Not bad - actually, this is a song I like more and more as it progresses.
24/7: one of the very few laid-back tunes on the album. As soon as it started with its carefree light mood (cue warm pianos in the distance, haha) it reminded me of SID's semi-ballad like 'swingy' pop. I'm not a fan of slower numbers usually but this is kinda nice. Well put together, like most songs on here.
KAIBUTSU: fast punky song with some pretty cool riffs (the closest they come to 'heavy', kinda), another one of my favorites. After the rather aggressive riffs and verses we're treated to an explosive dancey/disco-beat chorus, it totally works. Again, well-put-together track, with added impact & flavor; cool stuff.
Ms. Alligator: again, a very fast - but melodic - track, with a kind of 'epic' chorus that reminds me a bit of the more dramatic vk style (it even has added chimey synths, lol). Overall a nice song, works better when listened to for the 2nd time that's for sure.
Made in Mine. -G.A.G mix-: not a bad track, but kinda pales in comparison with the first half of the album. The rhythmic shouty parts are fun but somehow feel a bit out of place for me to the rest of the song. Not too memorable but not bad.
Melancholic Candy: exactly like the title implies: kinda melancholic, a bit too sweet and easily discardable, lol. Kinda forgettable, maybe because its subtleness; just not my thing.
Grazie!!: another not too memorable track but better than the previous one. The palm-muted verse is nice though, and the chorus has a feelgood vibe that's quite likeable. The guitar solo is nice too, as are the following parts but it's nothing we didn't hear a thousand times before.
WGMM: we take a trip back to the fast & crazy style, even amplified a bit more. Catchy and wild song, almost sounds like if indies-era GazettE experimented with a rawer punk attitude (maybe a bit of SADS in there too). Totally works, nice one.
Zekkou etsuraku ron: again, the usual formula - fast, catchy, and a bit on the wild side. By now I'm starting to feel that they tried to squeeze too many tracks on this album. Even if this would be some mindblowingly awesome stuff I'd still be kinda tired by now, lol.
KILLER×KILLER×KILLER: see my comment for the previous track, haha.
ASOVIVA: lol, they bring out the fake horns for the grand finale, how thoughtful. A really wacky but surprisingly not irritating song, very poppy and 'swingy.' It differs a bit from the overall sound of the album (which is more electronic-tinged), but not the tone, so it kinda fits. Good closer, I'm especially glad that they decided to end the album with an uptempo track, and not a slow one.
All in all, this album was a lot better than I expected - another reason for me not to judge by looks (which is kinda hard with an onslaught of crappy/bland bands, lol). What I really liked about these guys is that they seem to get 'poppy' right for the most part: catchy melodies and cool parts that stay in my head, as opposed to the legions of 'poppy' vk bands who are just plain bland and boring. Here, the music is very colorful, but not too much to take in (it helps a lot that the vocalist is pretty decent too). Really, the only downside to the album is that it's too too long for me, with like 3-4 filler tracks that could've been easily left out (mostly from the 2nd half). Other than that, it's a positive experience. I don't say I'll be a fan of these guys but they just might have gained a casual listener. I give it a 6.5/10 - nothing amazing but pretty good (would've given a 7 if it was shorter xD).
