Miyavi- Samurai Sessions Vol 1

[Manabu 144]

I've been playing this on repeat since I got it and overall, it's not his best work but it's a lot better than whats my name without straying too much from what his general sound is. The electronic artists who feature on this though, don't seem to do much, they don't sound like parts of the song, just a few added effects during final production. It's by no means amazing, but I think he's on the track to writing better music again.

Ganyru-2/5

This is just an intro track, but the start of it is terrible and annoying, the drums are nice but Hifana doesn't much, god knows what was going through his head when he decided to repeat a distorted scream.

Strong-4/5

I liked the single and nothing has really changed, funky guitar wok without the song becoming overly complex, I've heard a lot that people don't like Kreva's parts but I don't have a problem with them, his voice is a bit boring but it has a nice flow. Not much vocals from myv on this track, but what he does is enough to make the chorus catchy

Day 2/5

Not big on this at all, it's not a bad song but the intro sounds muddy and the guitar playing is way too similar to his other stuff, the vocal effect annoys me and the song never really goes anywhere, Yuksek doesn't seem to do much and it makes you wonder how much work they did on this.

Silent Anger-3/5

really nice vocals on this, the lyrics are pretty generic but there are some nice effects in the song. The piano in the pre chorus stands out, but this isn't the sort of song you'd listen to twice, it tries to go for an epic effect but there's just not enough to it. After a while the slap guitar gets annoying and feels out of place.

Pleasure-4/5

Upon first hearing this, I thought it was gonna be another 'money money chillin blues' or whatever it's name is, but the song is almost a duel between the guitar and piano. The chorus is smooth and catchy and both the guitar and piano really compliment each other, Miyavi's voice is a lot less raw which suits the song well. Definantly recommened this one!

Ha Na Bi-4/5

Traditional influence in this but don't go thinking it sounds like 'japanese kabuki rock' frankly this is what the album should've sounded like. This is a very instrument driven song with a few nice changes and breaks, I'm not sure what the traditional instrument is but my only gripe would be that it's playing throughout almost the whole song, this is more of a personal gripe though. This doesn't fall too far from Miyavi's music tree but none the less a good song.

祈りを -4/5

Starts off the same way as moon, in fact just from the intro you'd probably think he's redone moon. It's a nice calming song with some good harmonies between Myv and Miu. There's not much I can say about this, it's the standard soft ballad song but the guitar does play some nice stuff, gives me a really christmasy feeling. There's nothing that interesting in the song though, nothing that will make you think 'wow'.

[sai 868]

I guess it's time for my monthly review. I've never been a fan of MIYAVI's music, but his last two collaborations got me interested for this mini-album. I've listened to it a couple of times now and I have to say I quite like it.

GANRYU has kind of a goofy beginning, but it totally fits MIYAVI so I honestly didn't expect anything else. What follows after the wacky intro is just funky and some great guitar-slamming, filled with some cool drumming beats. I honestly wished this had been longer, but as an intro track it does its job exceptionally well. STRONG is an older track which I loved for the upbeat rapping, MIYAVI's excellent guitar work and the fact that when I listen to this while walking down the street it takes a lot for me not to break out in some spastic dance moves. DAY 1 is strong, powerful and bombastic. YUKSEK handles the electronics really well and MIYAVI's vocals and English are top notch. The guitar made it more MIYAVI as well, I really like this one. SILENT ANGER is a calmer track, but even though I like the track I feel like it was a bit misplaced after DAY 1. All three prior tracks were upbeat, the next even more bombastic than the other. DAY 1 should've probably put somewhere differently, but that doesn't decrease how I feel about SILENT ANGER. The best part is near the ending, I have to say. PLEASURE! and HA NA BI leave me content as well. I don't like them as much as STRONG and DAY 1, but both can definitely grow on me more. I love the traditional instrument in HA NA BI along with the acoustic guitar parts. The last song in my opinion is the weakest. It's a bit on the boring side, but has a few interesting hooks, yet not enough to keep me interested all the time. If they would've taken off 2 minutes of the length it probably would be more exciting.

Overall, I think this mini deserves a solid 7.5/10. MIYAVI surprised me with this release and I will look forward to more collabs if he's going to be doing them again

[Gizorz 24]

Just wanted to mention that the "traditional instrument" is a shamisen~

[kevinmaccioly 7]

This album was like a successor for the What's My Name. However, instead of keeping up with cohesion of the latter, it's sadly the reflection of what Miyavi has been doing during his lives: experimenting with the sound table, which granted the most boring moments of his lives with Futuristic Love, and abusing solos, which, in his style of playing, gets old real quick. Is it bad? No, but could be better.

[ShanethVarosa 1209]

Gonna write a few brief reviews before bed if there are topics for the others I want to write about...

As for Miyavi... I really loved the intro, I thought it was super cool and wish it were longer. I found the single with Kreva, Strong I believe, to be rather weak. (See what I did there?) But in all seriousness, I didn't like that one. However, Day 1 was absolutely amazing. First song that I've really truly LOVED from Miyavi since This Iz the Japanese Kabuki Rock era.

The other songs I enjoyed on at least a basic level were Silent Anger and Ha Na Bi which is interesting because I couldn't make it through the whole Silent Anger video (it was just too much for me for some reason), but the song on it's own I really liked.

I didn't care for Pleasure! at all, I thought it was a total mess. But the closer, Inori o with Miu Sakamoto... Total brilliance. I thought it was absolute magic from beginning to end and that they sound totally flawless together and hope they'll collaborate together again soon.

From MYV's tweets, it sounds like he's already recording again. Perhaps the Samurai Sessions Vol. 2 will be out around May?

[Jigsaw9 6783]

My short thoughts on the EP:

GANRYU: superb intro-like track, wish it was longer. Great chemistry going on between MIYAVI and the HIFANA guys!

STRONG: I liked this song when it came out, and still do. KREVA's rapping really fits this typical bare-bones Meev track. An energetic and fun number.

DAY 1: one of my 'old' favorites, a smooth and slick-sounding collaboration. YUKSEK gives some cool beats & production, while MIYAVI does his thing. His English is really good here, I'm impressed yet again! The more 'streamlined' guitar sound fits the overall feeling of this track really well too.

SILENT ANGER: it took a few listens for me to appreciate this song, though I still don't particularly love it. It has some nice bits but the most of the vocals bore me immensely (plus it has far too little audible guitar input from Meev).

PLEASURE!: I was really looking forward to this, since I've known H ZETT M's mad skillz from Tokyo Jihen. It's a playful and fun song, a nice synthesis of the two musicians' respective styles. The guitar/piano parts are gorgeous!

HA NA BI: a stunning piece with minimalistic vocals - of course, the guitars and shamisen take center stage here. All three players are pretty exceptional and have an instantly recognizable style, so this is an intriguing track to listen to. A great experience!

Inori wo: Seiji Kameda's bass complements MIYAVI's tasteful guitar playing. Otherwise I don't really like this type of song, it's too sugary-sweet for me, lol. It does have some nice vocal melodies though, but not enough to keep my interest.

All in all, this was a pretty enjoyable EP. I'd give it a strong 7/10. I'll be looking forward to whatever MIYAVI does next, as always.