#117: MUCC x DEZERT - 蟲／ガチャガチャムクムク

[Zeus 7997]

 

| It's a fact that this single is compelling enough to check out.

My dislike of live limited and live distributed releases is well known on this website by now, but I'm more than willing to make an exception for split singles. The new MUCC×DEZERT live distributed split 蟲／ガチャガチャムクムク (Mushi/Gachagacha-Mukumuku) grabs my interest more than usual. I follow DEZERT casually and I followed MUCC a little less casually back in the prime days of international visual kei, but both bands underwent a change in direction that blunted my hype. As two bands that I don't actively follow anymore, I found it very interesting that each band wrote a song for the other to perform. I was more interested in knowing what DEZERT would create for MUCC to perform, considering my reaction to their recent change in sound, but MUCC are no slouches themselves.

It was MUCC's song that surprised me more. The speed and attitude of "蟲" (Mushi) is what I was hoping for more of from TODAY, and it fits DEZERT like a glove. If there were any doubts as to whether DEZERT could even be heavy anymore, this song erased them. It's a bittersweet feeling knowing that the ability is there but the desire to create music like this is not, because "ガチャガチャムクムク" (Gachagacha-Mukumuku) is more along the lines of what one can expect DEZERT to create.

If DEZERT did a good job covering "蟲" (Mushi) , then MUCC absolutely owned "ガチャガチャムクムク" (Gachagacha-Mukumuku). If I didn't know that DEZERT wrote this song, I could be reasonably convinced that this is an MUCC track inspired by their 鵬翼 (Houyoku) era. That's a huge compliment to DEZERT's composing skills. It's slightly better than average - I do think the song gets more engaging as it goes on - but it's not a song I see myself revisiting again and again.

I have to note that this split is making several statements at once. It seems that MUCC is showing DEZERT how to switch their sound up without having to abandon rock. DEZERT wants to show the world that if you like their compositions when performed by MUCC, maybe you could grow to like it if they performed it too. This is a senior band mentoring a junior band through a turbulent time in their musical career in a constructive manner, and I would like to see more of this in general.

蟲／ガチャガチャムクムク does a good job at showing the flexibility of both bands. It's a great way for MUCC to get additional exposure, and it's a great way for DEZERT to convince old fans and gain new ones. I'm unsure if either band fully won me back with just one song, but I am much more likely to check out their future releases because of this. If you like either band, I would recommend you check this novelty out, but try not to judge them by it too much.

 

 

[The Reverend 3566]

"Houyoku era" is enough to make me want to check this out.

 

Also this is a cool concept for a split single.

Writing songs for the other band to perform> Covering each other's songs>>> Vocalists singing karaoke over the other bands track

[Zeus 7997]

I don't know why, but "Houyoku era" is enough to turn me off.

I've never liked Houyoku. I didn't like it when I was sampling random MUCC tracks and came across "Kokoro no nai machi". Didn't like it when I had more context to their band activities and listened to Houyoku in the intended order. Didn't even like the cuts that made their way onto their "BEST OF" collection album a few years back. There's an air of ingenuity surrounding the album, and it's so clear to hear that the band dropped the depressive phase cold turkey. This feeling that I have towards Houyoku doesn't go away when I listen to Gokusai either, because Gokusai sounds effortless in its approach to the same style of sound. I even tried listening to Houyoku last week! I felt nothing. Anything remotely resembling Houyoku sends me into the pits of boredom.

It's tragic that I had to compare DEZERT to Houyoku but that's what it is. I did not mean anything negative when I wrote it, because I feel like I'm the only person in the world who actively dislikes that album, but there was nothing like it in all of visual kei until DEZERT 2.0 showed up. That's why there's still a niche for DEZERT to fill here, but a sound I found uninteresting then is still uninteresting to me now, and I think that I find DEZERT so boring for the same reasons I don't like Houyoku. It's going to take some time for the band to find themselves and mature even further, and perhaps we will see this band follow a trajectory similar to MUCC, but I don't see myself sticking around waiting for that to happen.

[091012 52]

I loved the "蟲" (Mushi) cover. It reminded me of early Glacier from Okinawa. I usually don't like split covers either, the last one I really got into was The Gallo x Avelcain. Very rarely do the artists compliment each other, but this time they did it! 🎖️

 

[091012 52]

 

Here, your link is deaded...