MEJIBRAY - DIE KUSSE

[Jigsaw9 6783]

So let's see how the "gotta go fast" factory called MEJIBRAY fared this time around with their new single, DIE KUSSE!

 

The CD opens with the title track right away - I gotta say I'm enjoying it a whole lot more than when I heard it for the first time on YT! Although Sophia's vocals still irritate me a bit, the other parts of the song make me totally forget this minor annoyance (or that there's a rehashed GazettE-like riff there in the beginning). This is an energetic, driving track full of what made me love MEJIBRAY in the first place: powerful and catchy music, explosive atmosphere... and a totally sick guitar solo-freakout part to top it off.

 

Moving on to VIOLET. Wow, they weren't kidding when they said it would be in the vein of songs like Invisible Tower Maker or Black Baccarat. This is practically "part 2" of those, only maybe not as memorable or colorful. The instruments are pretty cool, I must admit, especially Koichi's bass and MiA's awesome guitar sound (those solos!) stand out to me. However, sadly, the vocals aren't too catchy here to hold my attention. All in all, an okay but average effort.

 

WANT closes the single on a fast and furious note, with a punky edge. Apparently they had 30 people in the studio recording shouts for this, and all the vocals were done in one take. The raw/intense atmosphere definitely comes through, that's for sure. xD It's a pretty simple but effective little number that will surely fire up the crowd at a gig. I like how they went all-out with this, not having any melodic hooks or guitar solos for a change. Rockin' stuff!

 

Overall I'm really pleased with this single! I was a bit afraid after Avalon that they would run out of ideas but this release helped me regain my faith a bit. It's not quite reaching the excellence of their first few singles but definitely getting there!

 

Score: | an even and solid release with good replay value

[Rize 1593]

DIE KUSSE - A pretty good song. In my opinion I only disliked Sophia's vocals in it. The chorus is awesome though~ I think it's a strong song, there's a balance between the Tsuzuku's voice in singing and screaming, I really like that. MiA's guitar work in each song always impressed me, this one as well. All instrumentals goes well together, the guitar, bass and drums, nice. ^^
 
VIOLET - I guess it's my favorite song of all 3 of them. VIOLET sounds very close to Invisible Tower Maker, I think it's really amazing since it's also my favorite song. ^^ To hear a continue-song, I'm pretty impressed. I guess it's really creative. ^^ I like the bass part the most. The funny part is how the way Tsuzuku's sings also sound totally alike to Invisible Tower Maker, but somehow I get more feelings from this song.
 
WANT - Another amazing song, and like Jig just said, they recorded with their friends of 30 people lol. Impressive!!
WANT is another song that's very close to the song THINKER from their single release ''EMILY''. I guess it's a cool heavy song. Tsuzu's scream/grows are the best in this song. I have some Slivers.exe feelings towards to it... nice!
 
I give this single a 8/10 

[CaRaN 212]

DIE KUSSE: Best song in the single imo. When I first listened to it in youtube I though Sophia's vocals were annoying, but now I kinda like them in the song. The beggining was pretty good when all the instruments kick in and then tsuzuku says "eins zwei drei vier" and screams. I find this song catchy and Tsuzuku's vocals are pretty good in it. The solo was really great (this kinda thing are why MiA is my fav member of the band).

 

VIOLET: I can't say this is a bad song. But either that it is anything special. I find this a little boring. Average vocals and nothing really stands out for me on the instruments side. I have to point out that I find Kouichi's bass slapping technique repetitive by now, but well it's ok.

 

WANT: This is totally a song that could be fun at a live, but listening to it here... I don't like it. I can't point out anything from this song. I find it boring and simple.

 

Score:  | All in all I think this single is pretty forgettable and I don't see myself listening to it again besides the title track which I find great.

[Scarlet Obsidian 383]

So, I really liked this single! Now, I'll do a review track by track!

 

DIE KUSSE: This song is awesome!! The beginning reminds me a lot of Gazette's FILTH IN THE BEAUTY but then, this song is completely different!! I loved the instrumentals here, especially Koichi's bass and MiA's solo.Also,in my opinion, Sophia's vocals (as in Black Baccarat) are not that irritating,but the song would be better than it is without her. So I'd give this song a 5/5.

 

VIOLET: This song is definitely the continuation of Invisible Tower Maker xD and all in all it's not a bad song,but it is not my favorite.But obviously Koichi's bass is badass as always! 3/5

 

WANT: This song is powerful and, as you all already said, would be awesome heard at lives,but it is not a song that I would listen to several times in a day or in a week or so. 2/5

 

All in all, I liked this single more than Avalon and I'm happy that they never disappoint me!

[Zeus 7997]

Score: | One step forward, one step back.

---

DIE KUSSE is par for the course with MEJIBRAY, who frustrate me with their inability to break away from the conventions of the scene that gave birth to them. For every one step they take in forging an identity for themselves, they do something which negates any positives that change netted them. So while MEJIBRAY's willingness to collaborate to achieve a sound they can't reach themselves is something almost completely unheard of in visual kei, Tsuzuku's gurgles reminiscent of that train wreck of a song called AKERCOCK in DIE KUSSE shows they still have quite a way to go.

The token "let's be diverse" card was played on this release. All three tracks offer something different, but no one song excels over another. Sophia's inclusion on the title track has to simultaneously be the single biggest stroke of genius and the single most irritating thing I've heard this week. The effects layered over her voice were supposed to give her a recessed feeling but it grates on the ears more than anything else and reminds me of a track that could have made STACKED RUBBISH if it were worse. VIOLET features prominent vocals by Tsuzuku, but it's somewhat forced optimistic undertone is about as convincing as a rap song about multiplying fractions.

WANT is the one track that I'll mention here because it's something MEJIBRAY needs to do more of. It's the culmination of all the things MEJIBRAY does well while not crafting another generic two minute aimless heavy song like APOCALYPSE. This is not to say that it's necessarily better than anything else on this single - because it's not - but here I see that there's more to this band than they let on.

At the end of the day, the flaws on DIE KUSSE can't be attributed to any one part of the band. Everyone in the band is good at what they do and a special nod should be given to both the guitarist and the bassist for their skills, but what you do matters just as much as how you do it. MEJIBRAY still haven't figured out how to cut the fat from their songs and the fact that they push them out underprepared is a shame - there's some prime cuts in here but they just aren't fleshed out enough to be as enjoyable as they should be.

[Licio123 181]

I liked DIE KUSSE since the video was released two weeks ago. Although I don't think it will top my MEJIBRAY favorites (Fell to the Heaven, Hakuraku, Mechanical Beauty), it's one of their best since Emotional Karma. Sophia's vocals imediately gave me a the GazettE vibe, with the rest of the song following some of that band's patterns, especially the guitars. If they continue doing this type of songs, along with heavy but melodic song, they're on the way to be on top of the VK scene.

 

VIOLET is a pretty nice song. Tsuzuku's vocals are clean and great, and the instrumentation is nothing great, but it fits the song well.

 

WANT is another headbanging song, like THINKER, with some good guitar and drums, and almost constante screaming by Tsuzuku. It only attracted me for the quirkiness in it's closing (cough!), but all in all, a forgetable song. There sure is potential for these guy to keep on going. Tsuzuku is a good vocalist and they have some great musicians. Hope they make more songs like the title track.

 

DIE KUSSE single:

[GazeRockSnob 34]

I was really skeptic about DIE KUSSE after hearing their previous releases but I feel this was a step up. They seem to be gaining momentum now..

 

..::DIE KUSSE::..

 

Easily the best song on the single. I liked the twist on Sophia's vocals as soon as I heard it. Much better than in Black Baccarat. Sorta reminds me of Filth In the Beauty (actually this whole single reminds me of certain GazettE songs). After her singing, Tsuzuku is introduced with a high pitched scream that I loved but after that, his growls sound subdued and it brought the song down a bit. I do like his singing though. I have to admit, there is something about his voice. With respect to the instruments, I loved the guitars and where I would usually pay attention to Koi's bass, I find myself attracted to MiA's guitars. The man is really talented. Meto..eh. Meto isn't really anything special in this single. They need to make more songs like this. 

 

..::VIOLET::..

 

I like the opening a bit and it kind of made me laugh but it's a pretty decent song. Nice to listen to and Tsuzuku didn't try anything with his voice so it's pretty normal and dare I say..a bit boring. With regard to the instruments, theyre good. Koi's bass is a bit better in this but I dunno, he needs to switch it up more. I love MiA though, ugh he's just badass. He practically makes this song further to the end. Like I said earlier, pretty decent. 

 

..::WANT::..

 

I laughed a whole lot with this song. It has a lot of energy and it's definitely one of those songs you jump around to. Reminds me of Hyena. However, with the continuously loud vocals, chant and multitude of voices in the background it would get annoying after a time. The cymbals kind of sound like noise here and it annoys me...but it's much more memorable than VIOLET. It's good.

 

~~~~~~~~

 

Compared to their previous releases i.e Avalon, Sadisgate, Emily, I would give this single a 4/5 but on it's own I would give it a 3/5 it's not as bad as I expected but I find it a shadow of their better releases. It made me laugh too much which is really not all that good of a thing because I need something to make me go *A*. When I listen to it I just cant help feeling that I've heard it a million times before although they're supposed to be 'experimenting' now. Disappointing but I haven't lost hope.

[Ro plz 1290]

DIE KUSSE: Pretty much a flashier but more amazing version of Black Baccarat and all their other Drop C songs. The pre/chorus and chorus are pretty creative and fresh. The acoustic part in the beginning and middle of the song was unexpected but well placed. The bassist has to be the best thing the band has to offer. My goodness he or she is just nasty and I like how its mixed so that their not drowned by the other instruments. This song by itself already is a contender for one of the best songs ive heard in 2013. I just hope that they grow from using the same generic metalcore flow with their songs though. Yeah it was tight when they first dropped but it can get old quick even with how much creativity they throw in their tracks.

 

VIOLET: This is a pretty simple but actually really awesome track for some reason. I cant put my finger on it! I love how chill homeboy is with his voice on this one. I was almost certain that he was gonna break out screaming at anytime. Another solid track. Can't complain.

 

WANT: A complete waste. Sounds like your typical "lets be hardcore and cool" VK song. All those voices weren't needed...damn, yeah...this was the downside of the single.

 

Overall: 4/5

 

I didn't want to like these guys when they came out but I understand why they get the hype that they've been getting. Seems as if they're actually trying unlike alot of the other indie bands. I look forward to their upcoming releases. I am pleased with this single.