Featured Review #34: MEJIBRAY - 盈虧

[Zeus 7997]

Artist: MEJIBRAY Single: 盈虧 1. 盈虧 2. 人間 3. 蜈蚣

Rating: | It's more pleasant than open face surgery at least.

 

I'm legitimately disturbed by how far MEJIBRAY have fallen. I never expected much from them, but this is yet another step down from Theatrical Blue Black, and I wonder how this band keeps fans and continues their activities. For one, the singing is enough to make anyone run for the hills. The goat bleating is such a chore to listen to, and if it's not that it's either strained falsetto or some weird demented frog guttural yoga hums. Tsuzuku's inability to sing trivializes the skills of the rest of the band to a large extent. Their unorthodox vocalist may have worked for them at one point, but that time has long since passed. Tsuzuku needs to either improve his delivery on all fronts or cede his position to someone who can actually sing, because "sounding unique" is not a good enough excuse to hide the singing inability. 盈虧 is the soundtrack that plays on loop in the room where people go to watch paint dry. The excerpt at the beginning is stupid enough, but then it feeds into this aimless and bland melody that fails at being dark and moody. The repetitive strumming does not build up a convincing enough atmosphere, and that chorus is a train wreck of massive proportions. It's the most unengaging single I've ever heard in my life and it provides nothing to hook the listener in. The band isn't compensating for Tsuzuku's shortcomings by producing catchy music, and they're definitely not playing to his strengths because he sounds out of place, so I'm not understanding how this is supposed to work. The accompanying tracks are only marginally better, but still pretty awful. 人間 is a power ballad with an awkward metalcore section in the middle. It's a bad choice to follow one slow, boring song with a gimmick that they lack the tools to execute. 蜈蚣 is the banger that probably works better live than in studio that doesn't get my blood rushing the way a good core song should. For all it's aggression, it feels just as stagnant as the first two songs. If they fail to be convincing with their mother genre, I don't see much hope for this band.

As MEJIBRAY completes their transition from boring to disappointing, I struggle to find any reason why this band should remain relevant. It's frustrating how inconsistent they are. Their last album was met with a lot of unexpected praise, but whatever inspired them then didn't now. This is beyond disappointing; this is almost insultingly bad, and when I remind myself that they pumped this crap out in three different editions my stomach churns. There are claims that MEJIBRAY have potential, but much like Tsuzuku's singing ability I hear none of it. Unharnessed potential is wasted potential and even if the members themselves are individually talented, their music does not reflect on their abilities. In all good faith, I could not recommend this single to anybody. This is by far one of their worst releases in a long time. Even if you're a diehard MEJIBRAY fan, I recommend waiting for the next single.

If you're that brave trooper who actually bought this single, ask for your money back.

[doombox 4421]

I'm gonna come out and say it, Mejibray is stepping in to being the new Lycaon. Early work was okay, then falls into mediocrity where their "sexy" visuals are their main selling point. I haven't checked this new single based on how horrible the last one was and the promoted song. This review lets me know I did the right thing... 

 

It's sad because there were 4-5 songs on the last album I liked but I guess when it takes a double album to get 4-5 okay songs in there, that should have been a big warning sign this band isn't focused much on writing solid tunes. In fact, everything since makes me feel like that was a fluke. 

 

I had high hopes for these guys, but I think I'm gonna part ways with them after this single. :/ 

[nullmoon 784]

I listened up until the higher pitched, highly strained vocals and had to stop. Mejibray are more of a single band than an album band, and even then they are pretty hit or miss. It's a tragedy that this single is from the same band who wrote 'Karma'.

[Ada Suilen 652]

Ok... after my careful listening and the reading of this review, I will express my opinion about this single, which had mixed feelings on me too...

In the complex, Eiki was the only enjoyable track I've heard, probably because of the unusual pattern of the song, or because of the strange sound for them or the uncommon performance by Tsuzuku, i don't know honestly why I've enjoyed this track, but it happened so no more questions about this.

Ningen represented a sort of waste of their typical dark song, like can be found on Emotional Karma; the instrumentals were pretty ok and Tsuzuku's performance was a bit lazy, for only making an effort at the end. A real shame...

And Mukade is the worst of the worst that they could create... along with A Priori, this was the worst listening experience made about Mejibray; a dull track, with confused growls and a soporific screamo... a real insult for my ears.

I agree with who says that this single is not so advisable and with who is stupified that the same band of Karma -Gareki no Mantichoras- made a thing like that. I hope that they will backpedal, because they are good and can be better than this...

That's enough for me.

[beni 2149]

Just gave it a listen. All I can say is, I'm ever so disappointed in the first and second tracks. The tempo in the second song in particular is appalling. So bland and not gripping at all. I first heard it when checking out the embedded PV in your review, @Zeus (sankyu), but having listened to it a second time, there's no improvement to me. ;-; I enjoyed the vocals a lot as usual though, even if he's being all over the place with now. It's got quite an appealing sound to it thanks to Tsuzu's vocal work, no matter how bad he might sound. I guess that's more of an acquired taste depending on what you like and who you are. As for the third track, I loved it (on Last.fm, and I mean, literally). That one is a pretty damn awesome hard hitter, imo. Awesome review and writing as always even if I do disagree in one area. ^^

[Des 289]

So I gave the PV track a listen because anything that divides opinions this much grabs my attention.

 

These are the sounds of a dying cat (in heat?) backed up by a monotone chaos of unrelated instrumentals much like a jam session where everyone's on acid and not actually listening to one other because they have headphones on. What the fuck. Needless to say I don't like sounds of dying cats.

On an unrelated note: the last.fm statistics must be severely messed up because no group has 5600 listeners and 1.3 million scrobbles. Manipulation or hardcore fans?

[eiheartx 1310]

I think this single should divide the opinions.

As a casual (I enjoyed "420" enough but I'm not hooked into them) MEJ IN GRAY listener (I'm sorry, but I'm not sure tho when I listen to this release), I...liked the single. Don't get me wrong, Tsu's high-pitched and constantly in a roller coaster vocals are hideous and I can't barely stand it (why is he even doing this? Does he have something to prove????); overall I personally liked the heavy atmosphere, even if 2 'slow' songs side by side was the worst choice EVER (why did they do this?!??). I enjoyed the 3rd tracks rhythm, but I have literally no words for the scream pig. w h y ??

I think the voice ruin all the songs, and should've been better with another singer.

 

[Ito 2438]

I am someone who has found Mejibray to be largely forgettable (like literally, I can't recall a single one of their songs), but man Eiki is going to stick with me. Sadly, not for any of the right reasons. Those high pitched vocals are some of the worst I have ever heard outside of karaoke.

[Pretsy 1343]

First of all, I am not really getting this idea of "highly unusual pattern" that most folks were speaking of (not to mention that I half-expected that ITM song they "ripped off" tbh) - another rushed, stagnant mid-tempo song that Meji churned out in a sec (read: we can name a huge number of tunes that suffered the same fate, e.g. most of their b-sides) and forgot afterwards, nothing new :/

When it comes to b-sides (that are usually meant to "diversify" the single in most cases), they are not helping much either! "Ningen" would have had tons of potential if Mejiguys managed to cut all the out-of-place oogabooga and metalcore cheese that comes after a minute, and do a nice, mid-tempo riffagefest w/ more digestible vocalwork that *actually leads somewhere* (not in the vein of "Eiki" that literally gets stuck in the A-part). Unfortunately this didn't really happen, and what did we get? A clusterfuck of insta-crapped, unfinished ideas? This must be the nth time when Mejibray are doing the exact same mistake.

Apply my "exact same mistake"-sentence to my overall thoughts on another b-side, "Mukade", as well. It's cool that Tzk is capable of being a wacko in the vk vocal department, but man - toning down your vocal frills won't hurt your performance, but otherwise...

It's a bit of hyperbole to claim that this single is "a flaming bag of feces", or even "a bag of flaming feces" - w/e. To clarify, I didn't pop up in here for the sake of just fueling Mejibray's high-profile status with more shit-and-fit throwing, naw. Instead, I will side with these people, who used to enjoy a handful of Mejitunes (in my case: Sadisgate, Hakuraku's both versions, that hunger-red song, BOWWOW, Killing Me...etc etc.), but began to experience a certain degree of disappointment after witnessing this band churning out low-quality stuff non-stop like some effing factory.

Let that sink in for a moment - just how many songs do they have so far? How many potentially good, but either a) unfinished or b )effed up ideas and frills do they have so far?




Summary: This band needs a break - or a kaisan if there is no hope for them to man up and think where and what they should improve. Measure twice (or thrice in their case) and cut once.

[kyoselflove 2680]

I believe that Tsuzuku can sing just fine.  And MEJIBRAY being inconsistent is one of the main reasons I love them.  Knowing what to expect each singe is kind of boring, but I guess it works for some bands.  I know I can look forward to each release being different, engaging and exciting.  They don't play it safe and they take risks, and to me they pay off.  When it comes to MEJIBRAY, I usually end up always loving the b-sides more, haha.

 

I'm no good at reviewing or describing music, but I'll try lol.  Here is my failed attempt:

 

人間 -  I love how it has this calm beginning, then just stops and Tsu does his thing, his growling (and how ya'll love to put it: dying cat screeches) I think blend well into the song.  The structure of the song is all over the place and it's awesome.

 

盈虧 - While not one of my favorite tracks, I still love what it brings.  The expert at the beginning doesn't bother me at all, I don't see why it's stupid? Yes the guitar riff is repetitive but at least it's a good one but that solo makes up for it.  I also love how Koichi's bass is more...I don't know technical terms, but instead of his normal slapping lol--it just fits.  The chorus is great, Tsuzuku's desperate whines... I will take any day.

 

蜈蚣 -  At first I didn't like this so too much.  But then I listened to it again and the 'power'? drumming and Koichi's bass had me sold.  Tsuzuku is a growling master to me.  This track gets me pumped but I can see where it can leave you hanging. 

 

 

 

As a diehard MEJIBRAY fan, they can keep my money and I'll proudly put this single on my shelf.

[togz 2004]

Well I finally listened to it.

 

To be honest it's more tolerable than some of the stuff I have listened to before, but maybe it's because the music is really basic in some of the songs (maybe all of them) so it doesn't have a really bad clash with tzks vocals. I still don't like tzks voice in general, but I think that too many people popped on the hate train for the sake of hating on the next new thing to hate one. It's not good, but it's not really bad enough to waste energy on and get your panties in a bunch either. Caring about this single at all is kind of laughable. 

[blackdoll 907]

I'm gonna come out and say it, Mejibray is stepping in to being the new Lycaon

haaaaaa they wish!

[smilesxchibi 265]

I'm gonna come out and say it, Mejibray is stepping in to being the new Lycaon. Early work was okay, then falls into mediocrity where their "sexy" visuals are their main selling point. 

I will agree but I also have to add that Lycaon made a great come back and leaving a really great last album. With Mejibray, I see no hope in their future.

[smilesxchibi 265]

I also have to point out that Tsuzuku's vocals were soooo much better in VanessA.

[Zeus 7997]

I also have to point out that Tsuzuku's vocals were soooo much better in VanessA.

Tsuzuku used more vocal modulation in Vanessa to hide his deficiencies, which in retrospect worked out really well. His growls were always around the same level. They may have sounded more forceful on record back in the day due to aforementioned studio manipulation, but live he still sounded weak. I will agree that his singing has gone downhill. He used to be able to hold a note, even if his delivery was nasal. Now he sounds as if he's straining to even hit the note.

[peffy 3568]

I don't usually read reviews or write my opinions on music.. but I'm bored at work and I just did the romaji for this single...

Despite their shortcomings, Mejibray is possibly the most popular VK band right now (based on the number of page hits their lyrics get at my website, compared to every other band). They would probably benefit from having fewer releases and spending more time fine-tuning each song... they are only 4-ish years old and they already have 74 songs listed on my site. But they (or their label) are probably rolling in dough by flooding the market with stuff while they are popular. 

 

I'm not going to give up on them.. they still occasionally put out songs that I really really REALLY like, it's just a matter of sorting though all the piles of average/bad/forgettable songs. And I'm always interested in seeing Koichi & Meto's new looks =p  As for Tsuzuku, I would never call him a "good" singer, but I appreciate what he does with what he's got. I feel like he goes out of his way to sound more terrible than he needs to, and I'm totally ok with that for some reason. (except for the pig-squeal thing, it's just not my style)

 

..that said, I sort of like Eiki, the atmosphere/overall sound of it gives me visions of someone lying on the ground, bleeding to death slowly.. alone in a desert at night... and sure, let's put the titular moon in the sky.. (sorry, my imagination goes to dark places) .. And I do like how Tsuzuku sings it. Sounds like the desperate screams of a dying man. I can dig it. 

[Aferni 2381]

Tsuzuku's vocals worsened throughout Mejibray. He went from top to bottom in an instant and I don't understand why. He sound's like he's trying too hard and straining himself, I mean you can tell by the notes he hits. It's a really high pitched whine and it's not like the instrumental's make up for it either. They don't match his ranges and they themselves are bland and un-inspired. The harsh vocal's need work as well. A comparison would be Thinker, an amazing Mejibray song where everything compliments one another, as well as Tsuzuku not sounding strained as hell with his clean vocals. The harsh vocals aren't incomprehensible pig squealing either. Tsuzuku needs to go back to his early Mejibray roots vocal wise, and some of their old style would be icing on the cake, but I'm asking too much. Right? I wouldn't mind something in the esque of Shuuei or even Avalon for Christ's sake. come on Mejibray.

[MaikoMizu 167]

I had a hard time telling if this was actually Japanese or some weird Yiddish mixed with some unknown language.

[pawzord 388]

you can't compare those vocals to the newest ones. 

[seratonin 43]

I can see why people think this single was horrible and sounds boring.
But I have  a really different opinion:

盈虧:I actually read some of these reviews before listening to the song, and I was pretty surprised. This is the first "soft" song by mejibray I've liked instantly. This song was amazing to me and so catchy, I LOVE the gross, grim feeling these kinds of songs give me, like the feeling of some kind of insanity, similar to 嫉妬　and 剥落, but expressed in a softer style. Like a grim ballad. One of my favorite songs by Meji probably.

I loved the song so much, so I was excited to watch the PV, but the PV was horrible. I felt like it had way too much effort into sex appeal, rather than convey emotion from the song. Really anticlimactic.

I actually hate merjibray's attempt at lighter sounding ballad's like Avalon and Emily, and one more on 420 theatrical roses album.

人間 is an okay track, again there are some good parts of the song but it's kinda ruined by trying too hard on the sex appeal.
I felt like 蜈蚣 had potential to be a great intense track...but I don't feel any intensity coming from it, I guess I don't feel anything when I listen to the song.


I felt like the old mejibray had enough sex appeal, as in a good amount. I hope they don't go into a lycaon era where the music just deteriorates and the sex appeal skyrockets.

In summary, 盈虧 was most similar to the style of the old mejibray sound, but expressed with a slightly different style (slower tempo and not as crazy).
Overall the single had a push into trying to sound sexy and have sex appeal, as indicated by the PV.

 

[pawzord 388]

Imho the overall idea is fine, but the execution beyond terrible. 

[blackdoll 907]

 you can't compare those vocals to the newest ones. 

meh thats nolthing

 

for clean

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMYvPwevdjQ

i think like fell to the heaven and wrath of god too

\

 

harsh, i keep  saying he should drop vk and start a death metal band, let that brutal piggie out. i could see if you said he needs some directions

 

as for vanessa psd is my fav song from him, but his clean was dry. harsh wasn't better or worse though not brutal

[Zeus 7997]

harsh, i keep  saying he should drop vk and start a death metal band, let that brutal piggie out. i could see if you said he needs some directions

The harsh vocals in the first sample were more convincing than anything on 盈虧. I agree though he still needs to do a lot of work on fleshing it out. Tsuzuku's at his best when he alternates sing screaming with his regular singing when not straining his voice. Adding good brutal death growls to the mix will expand his capabilities as a vocalist. Then he can rely on those instead of that freaky weird cat shit he's using now.

[blackdoll 907]

The harsh vocals in the first sample were more convincing than anything on 盈虧. I agree though he still needs to do a lot of work on fleshing it out. Tsuzuku's at his best when he alternates sing screaming with his regular singing when not straining his voice. Adding good brutal death growls to the mix will expand his capabilities as a vocalist. Then he can rely on those instead of that freaky weird cat shit he's using now.

  i think we are on the same page about something

[Zeus 7997]

  i think we are on the same page about something

Stranger things have happened.