An Album A Day Keeps The Doctor Away | 365 Album Challenge

**GammaBlaster** · 06-7-2014, 04:24 AM

Re: An Album A Day Keeps The Doctor Away | 365 Album Challenge

[7:21:32 PM] Eze Ho Ee Jie: fucking SHIT
[7:21:35 PM] Eze Ho Ee Jie: RNG'd Pantera

new recommendation: YZYX - ALTERNATE.DIMENSION

**EzExZeRo7497** · 06-7-2014, 06:34 AM

Re: An Album A Day Keeps The Doctor Away | 365 Album Challenge

Originally posted by GammaBlaster

[7:21:32 PM] Eze Ho Ee Jie: fucking SHIT
[7:21:35 PM] Eze Ho Ee Jie: RNG'd Pantera

new recommendation: YZYX - ALTERNATE.DIMENSION

I'm really really torn on posting this. I'll just spoiler it, I guess.

June 7th, 2014
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Night Falls by Hecq
Hecq is the IDM/ambient techno project of Ben Lukas Boysen, a German musician. Night Falls is an ambient album, which I was somewhat baffled by. Most ambient works are usually under his birth name, but Night Falls isn't one of them.

Night Falls is very atmospheric. The melodies almost remind me of Stars of the Lid, but far less brighter. The self-titled track is quite vast, creating landscapes similar to forests. The feeling of isolation is quite prominent here, but it's a neutral isolation. I don't really feel scared or free, it's just there. Not sure what to think of that - I've listened to albums like these but never conjured a feeling towards them. Probably indifferent.

Never Leave creates a considerable amount of tension. The landscape is getting smaller - every speck of light is dimming. While everything is getting darker though, you're trying to run away. You hear that the forest is moving, it feels like it's weeping. At least, I think it's weeping. There's little to no way out here, the sound of the forest further exemplifies your anxiety. You run and run, but to no avail. The light is almost gone, you're stuck in this really dense forest.

Dis is like watching a horror movie of someone's experience in an isolated area. They notice some things and things happen. Some are looming, some aren't. It just feels like a mish-mash of ideas that really don't follow well at all. It's really bad, and only does nothing but have shock value here and there. The scenery is nice and all, but it's music that only looks pretty. There are better tracks for fear, like Trembling Frost Spires by Birchville Cat Motel. That doesn't do much for me, the shock value is too cheap.

Maybe I'm no longer in the mood for music because of Cowboys From Hell, but I can't get into this album. There are some nice sounds here and there, but they don't create anything special. Bending Time has occasional piano which is nice, but it doesn't help much. It deepens the mood of melancholy, but not very noticeably. I'm just sitting here completely unfazed and unengaged.

I think the main gripe is this album is that it's too cinematic. What I mean is that he made all the videos and all pretty, but that's it. Hecq put too much emphasis on making this sound like a movie. The music just feels uninspiring and overall not very good. The fact that it's night time doesn't quite help either. The pictures are too dark for me to see properly. All I could see are silhouettes, which don't really portray much of anything. These sounds just feel aimless, often unnecessary. I'd much rather just have solely drones, the additional sounds are too inconsistent in quality. Even then though, there are other albums that are more impressive. Thomas Koner, Lustmord and Black Swan has done much better than this. There's really no reason to listen to this, even as a starter.

Not a good ambient album. Maybe it's because I've listened to so much ambient so I have high standards for them, but this is just bad. It leaves so much to be desired, since there isn't much of value here. I Am You is a nice little cinematic ambient track, but that's all. The other tracks are replaceable and just unspectacular. They don't appeal to me in a cathartic way. In addition, it doesn't quite interest me enough to listen attentively. Can't see it being good for sleep either, it's too intrusive. This album just doesn't appeal to me, and I see no reason to keep it either. Oh well, we all can't be winners.

Album Highlights: I Am You, Night Falls
Track Average Rating: 2.21/5
Overall Rating: 4/10

**Trogdor!!!!** · 06-7-2014, 06:37 AM

Re: An Album A Day Keeps The Doctor Away | 365 Album Challenge

Fuck you Pantera

**noname219** · 06-7-2014, 07:10 AM

Re: An Album A Day Keeps The Doctor Away | 365 Album Challenge

Pantera...
At least you didn't listen to Metal Magic.

Imo, Down's NOLA >>> Down's other albums >>>>> 90's Pantera >>>>>>>>> 80's Pantera

r · 06-7-2014, 11:17 AM

Re: An Album A Day Keeps The Doctor Away | 365 Album Challenge

Originally posted by EzExZeRo7497

I have no idea what's coming... but it doesn't look good at all. I could almost hear distorted growling halfway through. I'm starting to feel a little paranoid... I'm running out of space to hide. What... what even is going on.. I ca-q͏̨̧̛e̴̷҉f͏̢͟q̸̧̕͜͝ę̸̢̕͘u̶f̸̨͢q̷̀e̸͏̶̡ì͏̨͠f̶̶h҉̵̀ęq͞͏͟f̡̡̢͝͡ŗ̶͘͢͟ȩ̷̧̕͠j̷̡̀o̡͡r̴̵q̷̡͜
j̸̡̡͟͟ǫ̀͝ŕk̀̕ȩ̢̕͢y̷͡҉u̢̡͠͠i̵̡͘͢͜ ̷́͘͘q̶̴ứ̴͟͢e̵̛̛̕͢q̡̕͜͢͠ ̡͜͏͜͠q͢͏̴̸̨e̴͢͜q͝͏͏ ̡̛҉̶̕9̶̸̕8͟͠3͏͞0̵̛҉͠2҉́̕1̷͘͜͞ ̵́̕҉͟8̵̵̶͠2҉̧̢̨͢0́̕é͞é̵͜u̸̷̡͞j̵͠d̷̵̸̀̕ò̵̡į͢͟͝w̷͠͠ ̨͠҉̡d̡̡ę̸́̕͢q̴̴̛i̛͘h̷̡͝j̴͘e̶̕ǫ̷̢͜͝q͘͘h͞҉̀ ̶̀͘e̷q͘͘͡ ̷́̕͝è̵̛͝͝3͡q̷͏͠u̡̧ì4͏g̴̷e͏̴̧͟͝i̸̡ư͟ ̡̕̕͜h̶͝é́͘q̨̧̢̕͡ẃ͠h͡ ͡͏̸͢e̶͏͏͡q̕͏̶w̨̡͜ǫ̛͢͢͡e͟͝

You are amazing.

**EzExZeRo7497** · 06-8-2014, 09:20 AM

Re: An Album A Day Keeps The Doctor Away | 365 Album Challenge

June 8th, 2014
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Husking Bee Tribute Album by Various Artists (recommended by James May)

Husking Bee Tribute Album is a tribute album for well, Husking Bee. Husking Bee is a Japanese pop rock/power pop band that disbanded in 2005. From what I've read, the label (Toy's Factory) makes tribute albums for bands, so this is one of them. This is an compilation of tracks covering some of Husking Bee's tracks - total of 17.

With so many artists, you'd expect the styles of music to be different. Surprisingly though, it isn't quite varied.. Low IQ 01's contribute HB Early Tracks is mainly hardcore punk - similar to Maximum the Hormone. Not my cup of tea, but it's okay. Anchor by Mars Eurythmics is power pop, almost like an anime ED actually. I could see some action anime series using this as an ED, it's pretty similar to some EDs. It's pretty good, though it feels like you've heard it before. 8.6 is an indie J-pop track. 8.6 is a bit of an outsider, the rest is generally power pop/pop rock/hardcore punk.

8.6 is probably my favourite track in this album, it's a nice jazzy and poppy track. It feels so smooth and clean, Toki Asako's vocal delivery is quite mellow. The instrumentation just complements her voice so well. It does feel like I've heard it before, but at the same time it still feels fresh. It's one of those tracks which just click, I guess. I can't really find a good reason why I really like it.

Generally upbeat - I haven't listened to Husking Bee's works before though. I like the tracks in general quite a bit. Most of the tracks have parts that I don't like though, like the vocals. A Single Word by Fine Lines has really neat instrumentation, but the vocals feel off. It's too energetic, it counters against the mellow instruments. There are some tracks that I didn't like too much, like Asian Kung-fu Generation's track.

Probably a little bit too long, too. I understand that it's a tribute album, so it's just a compilation of tracks. 17 tracks though? That might be ever so slightly too much. The fact that there isn't much variation doesn't help it. Most of these tracks are decent, but it's a bit of a draining listen. There isn't too much that keeps this album fresh. Even then, the tracks that are different are usually too cheery and bright for me.

Commendable effort I guess, but it's too tiring of a listen. Some tracks do stand out, but they're pretty far and wide. Most of the album feels like filler, honestly. The album could be cut down to 10 tracks and it'd be much better of an experience. A tad bit too long at the moment. The tracks aren't necessarily bad, they just don't stand out. Other than a select few, of course. Overall though, it's decent. Not something I'd revisit, but I wouldn't mind listening to it again.

Album Highlights: 8.6, Anchor, 雲のいびき
Track Average Rating: 3.09/5
Overall Rating: 6/10
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Dream's End Come True by World's End Girlfriend
World's End Girlfriend is the project of Katsuhiko Maeda. Founder of Virgin Babylon Records, with artists like Kashiwa Daisuke and Mutyumu under the label. He is a very successful Japanese musician - with his eclectic blend of post-rock and modern classical. He's responsible for albums like Enchanted Landscape Escape, The Lie Lay Land and Hurtbreak Wonderland. Though fairly large, I didn't find him too interesting. He has some great albums for sure, but not quite an album that I gave an 8 or more. Other than his collaboration with Mono (which I gave a 9), Enchanted Landscape Escape was close. Anyway, Dream's End Come True is one of his shorter albums, only 4 tracks long. However, one of the tracks here has been constantly compared to Stella from Program Music I. I highly doubt it'll top it, but we'll see.

Singing Under The Rainbow is a really twinkly and dreamy track. It's filled with breaks and glitches, accompanied with violin. The melodies are however, quite different. They feel depressed, but have this lick of happiness as well. It's really hard to describe what pictures it gives me, but the album cover does it best. The violins cry halfway through, further deepening the details of the starry sky. It's quite a wonderful sight, although it does feel unfocused. It's a bit too playful at points, admittedly. It doesn't particularly move me, but it's a good track. Not bad at all.

Caroling Hellwalker is hard to describe. I want to say that it has elements of IDM, chiptune, modern classical and some other genres I can't think of. These genres really shouldn't combine to create something great, but it does. But that's the magic of World's End Girlfriend. He throws in so many genres into the mix, but for some reason it just clicks. There are many moments of beauty here, but Katsuhiko is too playful here. It feels like a blur, incredibly chaotic. But at the same time, it's a mess that looks pretty. It has the same problem as the first track I guess, just more so. Still, quite good.

And there it is. All Imperfect Love Song. A 25 minute track - intro similar to Stella. Simple piano melody, along with glitches. It feels a little more crowded here, the glitches are more prominent. Actually, it feels like a cross between Palmless Prayer and Program Music I. The intro, anyway. The vocal samples (although it's more prominent here), the violins, they all sound familiar. They complement each other very well. By the fourth minute however, that's where it departs from Program Music I. Horns are introduced, which I personally feel are too intrusive. It's too powerful of an instrument, I don't think it'd be used well here. The melody is too intricate and emotional.

How I see this track is a tragic love story between the two. The vocal samples represent their sadness - as they will never meet. The glitches represent these too - they're abnormalities that shouldn't be there. Unfortunately, they are. The voice samples mourn more and more, as the glitches and drum hits just further ruin their bond. All it's left now, is just their melancholy for each other. Their relationship. Their happiness. Eventually one of them plows through and decides to chase after his significant other. They're never meant to meet, the glitches arose once again. It blocked the male's point of view, only to hear the bitter tears of his lover. It further spirals him to a deeper depression - which is signified by a more depressing violin tune. While the tune is playing though, there's this level of energy. It almost feels like that incident gave him an adrenaline rush. He stopped sulking in his own sadness and decided to chase after her, once again. He ran and ran and ran, but the glitches continue their rampage. Every little thing is against him - traffic, barricades.. you get the idea. He doesn't care though - he just wants to meet her again. He would never let anyone or anything take away whatever meant dearly to him again. It was a very long section, but he managed to catch up with her anyway.

There are some parts that I dislike about it though. The chase section is far too long and the reunion section feels... weird. It feels too absurd and not quite as emotional as I'd expect it to be. The last minute is a very very good closer, but the rest of the track. It just doesn't click with me so much. Some moments are really really good, but the rest of the track doesn't quite work. A little bit disappointed, but it's better than the first two tracks. Not by much though.

There's one track after. Wonderland Falling Tomorrow is the most depressing out of the four tracks. The title is a reference to one of his aliases - Wonderland Falling Yesterday. He made Enchanted Landscape Escape under that alias, which is his most depressing work. This track is essentially a farewell. Sounds of waves crushing all of the work the previous tracks have done... kinda hurts. The dark loomy sky further enhances this mood - it's the end of the day. It's time to clear up everything that has been done today. Everyone's giving their goodbyes. Quite literally, there are many samples of people saying "goodbye" at the end of the track. It's probably my favourite track, it's just very bleak and concentrated. Unlike his other tracks - I can see this large atmosphere and just take in everything that's given to me.

I'm a little bit torn on what to give this. All of the tracks here are quite good, but I can't imagine myself listening to them often. Other than Wonderland Falling Tomorrow, they didn't affect me as much as I'd like - especially All Imperfect Love Song. It leaves a lot more to be desired, but it is a very very beautiful experience. Unfortunately just pretty sights don't help much - though there is some emotional value here. It just doesn't quite meet my expectations I guess, as it's been compared to one of my favourite albums. Oh well, it's World's End Girlfriend. Can't really go wrong with him, there's nothing inherently bad about this album. Probably 4th in my list of best WEGF albums for me. Hurtbreak Wonderland, Enchanted Landscape Escape and Palmless Prayer / Mass Murder Refrain are better.

Album Highlights: All Imperfect Love Song, Wonderland Falling Tomorrow
Track Average Rating: 3.62/5
Overall Rating: 7.5/10

**EzExZeRo7497** · 06-9-2014, 05:55 AM

Re: An Album A Day Keeps The Doctor Away | 365 Album Challenge

June 9th, 2014
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Muse by Piana
Finally got this album. Piana is an ambient/dream pop artist hailing from the land of the rising sun. I've listened to Piana before and I really like her work. Ephemeral is a wonderful combination of warmth and ethereality, especially with his child-like dreamy voice. It is innocent, but also motherly. It is nothing short of lovely, but it is ultimately not very memorable. It's probably because albums like these aren't my cup of tea, but it is still a great album. Snow Bird is also a good album, but not as good as Ephemeral. Muse is her first album after 7 years of inactivity.

The album starts off with I Think..., a sombre little track with the Piana sound fans all know and love. It's bright and mellow, but with a tinge of sadness. It's a wonderful sound, though her vocals seem a little too disruptive at points. It feels like her work is all grown up now, no longer a little child. I think a change is warranted though, it's been a very long time.

Imaginary Window shows the drastic change in style. Her music is no longer just pure and bright - it feels a lot more sombre now. The beat and everything is wonderful, creating this beautiful garden at the distance. It feels as if Piana is walking through this lush garden filled with life, singing to the plants. The garden is welcoming her back, it's been a long time. The flowers are dancing along to her ethereal voice, it just feels wonderful. This makes me feel relaxed, it's so beautiful. Piana's voice hasn't lost its beauty. In fact, it's more beautiful than it ever was.

In Silence... oh man. I've heard this track before getting this album, and I thought it was absolutely fantastic. The melancholic instrumentation, her dreamy voice... these elements really create something pristine. The progression in this is just wonderful, starting off with something quite small. At the halfway point, the small area just flourishes to a bright garden filled with snow and crystals. Hard to describe how I feel about it - just the section halfway through just tugs on my heartstrings. Her voice buries so much melancholy, but at the same time she feels so happy. Really really odd, but at the same time exquisite.

While Piana always has some glitch/electronic elements in her albums, it's more prominent here. This is her most electronic-driven work - filled with glitches and kickdrums. Seven to ten years ago, there will not be tracks like Ruins or Borderless.

Ruins is accompanied with heavy distorted instrumentation, almost post-rock-esque. It's a very odd combination, but it works wonderfully. I think a similar song would be Kashiwa Daisuke's Something Is Lost, albeit this is less dreamy. It does however, feel far more visceral. It picks up what the previous track Nostalgia, left off. After reminiscing on her past memories, she realises that she has to move on. The sound feels very confident, almost triumphant. It just hits me really hard, because I've never heard dream pop this powerful before. Sure, it's accompanied by the instrumentation, but her voice exemplifies the atmosphere. It's really really nice-sounding, too.

I think I have to admit, I'm a sucker for ethereal atmospheres. Piana makes these atmospheres very often - very good ones as well. Most of the album is like that, though it takes more than pretty atmospheres to appeal to me. It further impresses me by its astounding variation. Nostalgia is very depressing, Imaginary Window is heartwarming, Phosphorescence is unbridled joy, and so on. I really really like the variation here, it keeps the album extremely fresh. The best part is that most of these tracks are consistently good too. The weakest track here might be Prosphorescence, but it's still not bad. There's also some one-off tracks as well. Borderless is very trancey/glitchy and Piana's vocals are probably as catchy as it could get in this album.

Is there anything I could complain about? Hmm... perhaps it's how aimless it is at points. While the first 6 tracks follow this thematic, I can't quite follow the last three tracks. Surely enough, two of the last three tracks are the weakest out of the nine tracks. They're still not bad though, in fact I still liked them considerably. The rest of the album is very strong, some of the best Piana has made. Actually, it might be some of the best dream pop-ambient hybrids I've heard. The only one that might top this would be Ferri's A Broken Carousel, but they're uncomparable.

After seven long years, Naoko Sasaki released what I think is her most refined and mature work yet. It is definitely different from any other album she has done, but the change is almost always positive. It stuns me that Piana's beautiful and fragile voice fits wonderfully since the album is so varied. This is a soundtrack that lifts you up from bed to gives you the sleep you've wanted by the end of the day. I'm nothing short of impressed, and I think I'll be listening to this a lot more frequently. It is most definitely not perfect, but there really isn't much room for improvement now. Simply phenomenal.

Album Highlights: Nostalgia, In Silence, Ruins
Track Average Rating: 4.11/5
Overall Rating: 8/10
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Bersarin Quartett by Bersarin Quartett (recommended by _.Spitfire._)
Bersarin Quartett's debut album is an ambient album filled with modern classical and chamber music elements.

Oktober starts off with sweeping sounds of violins to set off quite the mood. It's quite bleak and melodramatic, almost too melodramatic. The trip-hop-esque beat startles me a bit, it just feels off. The beat is quite playful, but it is juxtaposed by the violin sweeps I mentioned earlier. It's a really odd combination, it doesn't quite click with me. It's too odd of a combination for me to feel comfortable in.

It's hard for me to really talk about any of these tracks. I don't really see much, nor do I feel anything too strongly in this album. Geschichten Von Interesse reminds me of some tracks from Black Earth - particularly the jazzy ones. It's a gothic classy sound, which is quite nice. It doesn't quite make me think of anything else, though.

Inversion is an odd one for me. The energy level is like something building up and just popping back to its original level. The buildup is nice, but nothing too special. The buildup is very spectral, especially at its climax. Almost haunting, I'd say. It doesn't last too long though, it's back to the original bleak atmosphere after.

The album overall for me, is a bit hard to get into. The sound is a little bit too subtle, nothing that really stands out for me. There are some highs and lows, but they're a little bit too unclear for me to distinguish. This does detract from my enjoyment of the album unfortunately. The album as a whole just doesn't do anything to me. It's a nice sound, but that's all it provides. It's an album that I would much rather put in the background than to examine intricately.

At some points however, I feel that the ambience is disrupted. Tiny blips here and there startle me too much for me to relax in, like the blips 3.5-4 and 8 minutes into Und Die Wett Steht Still. In addition I think some tracks would be better if they were more spacious, removing the trip-hop element in Oktober for example. Tracks like October have ideas that contrast way too much to really take in for me.

I've honestly felt the same response when I first listened to Black Earth. It's a bit too secondary for me, doesn't do too much. While the last track was a very nice change of pace, the rest just seems quite immobile. It's a bit too mundane for me, the abrupt blips don't quite help my cause. I can't say that I disliked the album - because most of the atmospheres are quite nice. It's just that there isn't much going on for me to really embrace anything.

Album Highlights: Geschichten von Interesse, Inversion, Mehr als alles andere
Track Average Rating: 2.95/5
Overall Rating: 6/10

**Nullifidian** · 06-9-2014, 07:55 AM

Re: An Album A Day Keeps The Doctor Away | 365 Album Challenge

Really? I thought the beat in "Oktober" worked quite well, didn't think of it as playful but moody and gloomy which fit the rest of the track imo. I can understand the blips in "Und die Welt steht still" though, not sure what their intention was with that but I think that's the only track with really out of the blue blips. "Mehr als alles andere" is probably the best track on the album though, and it's what got me into Bersarin Quartett in the first place.

**choof** · 06-9-2014, 04:32 PM

Re: An Album A Day Keeps The Doctor Away | 365 Album Challenge

Kyoka - Is (Is Superpowered)

new release on Raster-Noton

**EzExZeRo7497** · 06-10-2014, 09:20 AM

Re: An Album A Day Keeps The Doctor Away | 365 Album Challenge

Putting this on hold until the end of the exam period. Would mean that I'll continue reviewing on Friday or Saturday.

**Zageron** · 06-10-2014, 11:49 AM

Re: An Album A Day Keeps The Doctor Away | 365 Album Challenge

Originally posted by EzExZeRo7497

Putting this on hold until the end of the exam period. Would mean that I'll continue reviewing on Friday or Saturday.

Good luck with those tests!

**EzExZeRo7497** · 06-14-2014, 05:55 AM

Re: An Album A Day Keeps The Doctor Away | 365 Album Challenge

June 14th, 2014
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Kaleidoscope by DJ Okawari
DJ Okawari is a Japanese jazz rap/instrumental hip-hop artist. Relatively known in the osu! community for Flower Dance and Luv Letter - both of which are instrumental hip-hop mixed with ethereal/emotional piano melodies. They're not quite representative of his style of music, but it is close. Kaleidoscope is his third album.

Encounter combines jazz with instrumental hip-hop, but relatively different from someone like Damu the Fudgemunk. It feels a lot dreamier and twinkly. The piano here just makes the track twinkle - the jazz sampling is a decent complement. Pretty sound, but not very memorable. It feels as if he went a little too overboard with style over substance here.

It's a little bit difficult to talk about the jazz rap tracks, personally. Most of them are quite neat, with some interesting sampling here and there. Brown Eyes is accompanied with female soul vocals, for example. The problem I have is that they aren't much to talk about. They never progress to something more than what is given at face value. They just feel aimless and only made to look and sound pretty. Another Sky does sound quite catchy though, but that seems to be the only exception.

Of course, that's just for the jazz rap tracks. There's a reason why Flower Dance and Luv Letter are so popular - they're very emotional. Represent, while not as visceral as the two tracks mentioned, sounds quite nice. The violin gives a sense of direction, but not quite clear enough. You feel like a lot of distance has been covered, but it really isn't. It almost feels like moving in circles more than anything else.

And then there's Flower Dance. So what's so special about Flower Dance, in comparison to the rest of the tracks? Well, personally I feel that it's a little more focused than the others. Flower Dance is pretty typical in structure; a snare, piano, some dreamy synths. That's exactly why it's good, DJ Okawari had to put in a lot of effort into these melodies. In which he did, the piano melody gives a sweet and lovely atmosphere. The synths accompany it well, especially at its highest points. The snare is a nice base for the track, I think it'd be a little too spacious and minimal otherwise. Very good track, though not the best.

Back to the overall album though. I think my biggest gripe is how little variation there is in comparison to how long it is. At 56 minutes, you usually need a considerable amount of variation to accommodate it. Either that, or really good tracks. Okawari did a respectable attempt to keep the album fresh, but it's not done very successfully. The album just feels replaceable and generic, despite the jazz elements. None of the tracks really stand out for me, aside from The Bonds, Peacock and Flower Dance. Some of them do sound decent though, so I can't complain too much.

This album has the problems of both quantity over quality and style over substance. While the latter can't be applied as often as the former, it is still prominent. If the album was cut short by half, it'd be one of the best instrumental hip-hop albums out there. As it is, it is a generally uninteresting listen with some enjoyable moments occasionally. The redeeming moments however, are really something.

Album Highlights: Flower Dance, The Bonds, Peacock
Track Average Rating: -
Overall Rating: 6/10
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Ar tonelico III Hymmnos Concert Side.Blue ''SAKIYA=RUMEI" by Various Artists (recommended by mirelle94)
Ar tonelico is a game series that I've heard of multiple times but never got the time to play it. From what I recall, the soundtrack mainly consists of darkwave and neoclassical new age music. The contributors of the soundtrack does prove it, most notably Akiko Shikata. Akiko Shikata is most known for Katayoku no Tori, the OP of Umineko no Naku Koro ni. Her blend of folk and darkwave is intriguing, along with her vocal range. I think Shikata's work is generally decent, although I don't listen to a lot of them. Never had the time, I guess. Anyway...

The first track is a pretty generic symphonic VG opening track. Not very interesting, but it's alright. The second track (謳う丘～Harmonics TILIA～) however... is a different story. It is a peculiar mix of playfulness and grandiosity. Akiko's voice fits very well in this, switching from her operatic soprano voice to her typical soprano voice. It's very interesting, but I haven't ventured much into darkwave/neoclassical new age. It is a tad bit too short though, the track doesn't have enough time to develop.

Third track is far too sugary for me, too playful and childish. Really not my cup of tea. The fourth track felt like a hymn to the dead at first. It picks up substantially, turning into this mixture of j-rock and darkwave. The instrumental progression is wonderful. It reminds me of Yuki Kajiura, especially in the second half. Usually a good thing, that's what Kajiura does best in the first place. The vocals are a bit too bouncy here, but not too bad. It does detract my enjoyment, though.

I'll stop there, as my thoughts of each track would be similar if not exactly the same. I don't really have any strong comments about each track, other than the third track. They're overall good, but that's all I can say. Music like this isn't something that I could talk about easily, as I'm pretty inexperienced with darkwave. I've only listened to one darkwave album outside of Akiko Shikata's works.

I personally feel that KOKIA's contribution is better than Shikata's, though not by much. Might be because I have a soft spot for ballads though, which is what most of the tracks she is in are. Her mature voice really complement tracks like EXEC_REBIRTHIA=PROTOCOL/, which would be a mundane ballad by itself. As most of these tracks here are darkwave/new age, it does get quite boring without any change. KOKIA's voice is a very nice contrast to Shikata's eccentric operatic one, so it's a breath of fresh air.

Main problem with the soundtrack for me is how little of an impact it does. Some of them do click, particularly the ninth and last tracks. However, most of them don't quite make the mark. While the sounds are neat and all, they're not very engaging. They just feel they're just there the entire time. Seems to be a problem with most tracks in OSTs, since I don't have a context to start with. That's not an excuse for unengaging music, however.

It's an interesting soundtrack, one of the better ones. I haven't listened to the other soundtrack (Side.Red) yet, but I'm assumihg that it's quite similar. It's pretty different from any JRPG soundtrack I've listened to, or any game soundtrack actually. Never really thought of darkwave being used in video games, this is quite neat. It stands quite decently as a standalone entity, though not the best. There are some noticeable flaws and underwhelming moments here. Might be because I haven't played the game, but I think it's better to judge it now than after playing. Anyway, it's not bad. It's unique and decent, though not very spectacular overall.

3.0/3.5/1.5/3.5/3.0/3.0/3.5/3.0/4.0/3.0/4.0

Album Highlights: 光の中に, Planet Gene
Track Average Rating: 3.18/5
Overall Rating: 6/10

I'll give Merzbow a whirl tomorrow. I haven't listened to a harsh noise album yet.

**Jonlovesddr** · 06-14-2014, 06:28 PM

Re: An Album A Day Keeps The Doctor Away | 365 Album Challenge

reso - tangram

**EzExZeRo7497** · 06-15-2014, 09:49 AM

Re: An Album A Day Keeps The Doctor Away | 365 Album Challenge

June 15th, 2014
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Ome by Yūko Imada
Yūko Imada is the pseudonym of an American harsh noise/ambient musician Garrett Yim. Apparently he chose this name from the pseudonym of Japanese serial killer, Tsutomu Miyazaki. As I mentioned earlier, I'm a little overdue for a harsh noise album. Ome is a relatively short album, clocking at 20 minutes.

The first track, Ume, is just silence. Mari is harsh noise, the second track, as you'd expect. The noise is quite relaxing, but the sampling bothers me. It sounds like some guy who has his mouth covered trying to scream. I don't really know why they did that, but it's silly. I personally think that it's a little too short as well, but that's just me I guess.

Strawberry White Paper is a more structured track, though it sounds a lot more distant. The harsh noises aren't quite as loud, but the screaming here is clear. It's a little less of a bother than Mari's, but still bothersome. However, the noises are nowhere as enticing because they're not as forefrontal. The last 30 seconds is a little different, but not very interesting. It's like a mishmash of glitch sounds, nothing else.

Eh, some of the noise tracks aren't really interesting. Postcard has the same issues as Strawberry White Paper, but the sample used is different. It's some girl cowering in fear now, which doesn't complement the track. Just feels like layers more than anything else. The Blue Sky is nice, but the noise is a little too grating on the ears. It's not really something that I could listen to for a long time (i.e. 10 minutes), because of the pitch. It's not bad otherwise though. It's relatively long to the other tracks as well, around 4 minutes. Not sure why this track is long but the better noise track (Mari) isn't though.

It's not all harsh noise, Nylon Rope is a drone similar to Tim Hecker's. Normally I'd love this but... there's a sample of a couple having sex here. I'm pretty torn on what to feel about this. The sounds obviously aren't complementary, but the sample isn't annoying. It's just hilarious. The drone is really good, though.

The last track, Flowers of Flesh, is the longest track. It's a combination of drones and noise, which is usually a good combination. Did Imada execute it yet? Definitely. It creates quite the peaceful atmosphere, I can relax nicely in this wall of sound. Though, it's not quite as pleasant as I want to be. The screaming in this is quite intrusive, which ruins the serenity of the track slightly. Not too big of a problem however. This track is really good, though there is some room for improvement.

Pleasantly surprised, way better than I expected. Some of the noise tracks still aren't my cup of tea, but they're decent. The drone tracks are a nice surprise, too. I can't quite say that it's something I'd listen to again, though. Not that the sounds are unpleasant, but they don't do much for me. I understand that noise isn't quite the cathartic genre, but I want something to remember. Most of the tracks here don't quite do it for me, other than Flowers of Flesh. Maybe I'll find something more substantial some other time. This is a pretty neat introduction to harsh noise.

Album Highlights: Flowers of Flesh, Mari, The Blue Sky
Track Average Rating: 3.25/5
Overall Rating: 6.5/10
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London by The Crystal Method (recommended by omega_grunt666)
The Crystal Method is a big beat/breakbeat duo from Las Vegas. Surprised I've never heard of him before, I thought big beat is a genre that most artists are well-recognised. Fairly unpopular compared to the likes of The Prodigy and Fatboy Slim. London is actually a film soundtrack for the film with the same name. I'll use track ratings for this:

London (6/10) - Breath-taking downtempo track. It's alright, but nothing too special.

Restless (4/10) - Getting a lot of Fatboy Slim vibes from this. Not a fan of tracks like these, but this is okay. It's nothing overly terrible, but I definitely want to listen to something else. I think Fatboy Slim did better than this, anyway.

Smoked (5/10) - Generic breakbeat. It's nice, but I've heard this in many other tracks before.

Fire To Me (7/10) - Quite the catchy track. It's quite good, but I could imagine myself getting sick of it pretty quick. It's not quite a track that I'd listen to over and over, it does lose its shine fast. For the first few listens it is a good listen though.

Roboslut (7/10) - Was predicting some catchy robotic breakbeat track. Turns out I was right, and it's executed quite well too. Neat track, though it's obviously not anything new. There's something interesting about the track, maybe it's the metallic feel of it.

Defective (8/10) - Very good. Quite catchy throughout, but nothing too overly engaging. The progression is pretty neat, it keeps the track fresh through its 4 minute lifespan. Probably the best track in the album, along with Fire To Me.

Vice (4/10) - I'm guessing that this is supposed to create tension. I could see how it could, but it doesn't do it for me. It just feels uninspired, this cinematic sound has been used many times in movies.

Crime (4/10) - Was decent up to the female vocals, I felt that it was unnecessary. It just does downhill from there, with Bronne's falsetto. It just doesn't click with me I guess, the vocals feel either whiny or unnecessary.

C'mon Children (3/10) - Really really not a fan of indie rock like this. Too upbeat, too predictable and cookie-cutter. I do want something different when I want to listen to indie rock, Karkwa did it well. This though... is just way too generic. Doesn't really help that I don't like indie rock to begin with.

One Sixteen (5/10) - Good, but nothing special. The sounds are quite interesting and catchy (of course), but that's really it. Not quite something that I'd listen to again, but it's a decent listen every now and then.

Sucker Punch (6/10) - Interesting change in style. It's substantially different from the rest of the tracks - it's trip hop. Very jazzy and cinematic. Not too fond of this, but it's nice to have some more variation in the album. It has some catchy moments though, which is a plus.

Glass Breaker (5/10) - Same thoughts as Sucker Punch, it's nice to have more variation. This is trip-hop as well I believe, but not as engaging or catchy.

I Luv U (5/10) - Downtempo again. Okay, but not very intriguing. Don't really see the point of this track, but it's from an OST so I can't dock too much.

Nothing Like You And I (4/10) - Really don't like this, but it's probably because I haven't watched the movie yet. I could imagine some romantic scenes accompanied with this track, and it'd fit.

I do apologise for the very rushed review, but I'm feeling quite restless at the moment. The soundtrack doesn't stand up too well by itself. Some tracks are good, but some tracks aren't. Overall, it's just an average soundtrack. though the music used here is different from most soundtracks, it doesn't quite stand out. There's too little to really remember here, and just does what it does. It's just used to complement the movie, I imagine. Sorry omegagrunt, doesn't quite do it for me.

Album Highlights: Defective, Fire To Me
Track Average Rating: 2.61/5
Overall Rating: 5/10

**EzExZeRo7497** · 06-16-2014, 09:29 AM

Re: An Album A Day Keeps The Doctor Away | 365 Album Challenge

June 16th, 2014
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The Book About My Idle Plot on a Vague Anxiety by Toe
I have absolutely no idea what that title even means. Maybe that horse animal thing in the album cover could explain it. Toe is a Japanese post-rock/math rock band. Some people herald this band as one of the best math rock bands today. Some people find the drummer is the only redeeming part of the band. Whatever it is, toe has made a name for themselves in the Japanese post-rock community. The Book About My Idle Plot on a Vague Anxiety is their debut studio album.

Whoa, those drums. They're very very prominent here, far more than any post-rock act I know. Kodoku no Hatsumei is quite jazzy and relaxing overall. The delicate guitar melody really does it for me, it's quite wonderful. However, it's the drumming that makes the track very enjoyable. While they are very prominent and often loud, they're very complementary. These instruments create this natural lush atmosphere in the song's 3 minute lifespan. Though it's not anything new, it is done considerably well. Very solid track.

Tremolo + Delay is a pretty neat jam. While not as cathartic as the track before it, it does make a cohesive and soothing mixture of sounds. It's hard for me to describe how I feel when I listen to this. It reminds me of some of Flashbulb's tracks, particularly The Basement _____ series and That Missing Week. However, this is executed far better. The guitars, combined with the slick drumming, form this cozy little atmosphere that is just sublime.

It does have some weaker tracks, unfortunately. Mukougishi Ga Shiru Yume misses the mark quite a bit. It's relaxing sure, but doesn't provide anything else more than that. I think the drumming is a little too excessive here, some parts just felt a little too fast. The track just feels a little uninspired overall, it's nothing too new. It's done well yes, but not well enough to really shine to me.

This is a personal gripe more than anything else, but I actually find the drumming too excessive. Drumming by itself doesn't quite create anything particularly beautiful, unlike the guitar or piano. It really needs to complement some other instrument to make it truly shine. The album does prove my point. Most of the moments here that I didn't like as much are the prominent drumming sections. I'm not saying that drumming is necessarily bad, though. With drumming this loud and prominent, something is needed to balance it out. Fortunately, the guitar here works very well as a counter-balance.

The entire album is a little trite, with its generic post-rock structures. However, it is compensated with intricate instrumentation and a far more powerful sound. Not powerful as in loud, but by how much it affects the listener viscerally. In addition, there's also the very jazzy and technical drummer.The drumming in particular does stand out from the rest of the band. That's probably where the math rock elements come in. It is the main thing that stands out from other post-rock acts. While the differentiation is neat, I can't say that it is necessarily good. It doesn't necessarily improve the album's quality for me.

Very good album, but not particularly spectacular. That's really the only reason why I'm not giving it an 8/10. It's just something that sounds quite good, but doesn't quite make too much of a mark. Unmemorable is probably the best term for what I feel. No denying that this is a great album though. These guys have a lot of potential, but they're stuck with the normal conventions of post-rock as it is. Maybe if Toe stepped away from the typical post-rock structure, they'd shine a lot more. Who knows though. All I know is that I'll get their sophomore album eventually...

Album Highlights: Koduko no Hatsumei, Tremolo + Delay
Track Average Rating: 3.64/5
Overall Rating: 7/10
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Pine by Olan Mill (recommended by Trogdor!!!!)
Olan Mill is the ambient project of Alex Smalley and Svitlana Samoylenko. They combine modern classical and ambient to create their sound. Pine is the first album I've listened to from them. I have listened to one of their tracks before though, I thought it was okay. I'm not sure if this album will change my impression of them or not, we'll see.

The first track, Spare Smoke Template, reminds me of two artists. Stars of the Lid and Eluvium (particularly Copia). It's just as dreamy and euphoric as most SotL tracks, but has the cinematic elements of Copia. The SotL influence is more prominent for sure, which also brings the problems most SotL tracks have. It's a bit too light for me, it goes by the other ear pretty quick.

Country shows the predominant Stars of the Lid influence. While the atmosphere is just as light as the previous track's, it has some weight to it. For one, I feel like there is a base to the track. There's this one particular drone in the entire track, which really holds the track still. The brighter drones make the environment look quite pretty. The piano in the last minute feels unnecessary though, makes it too clustered. Not too fond of that.

Stars of the Lid, Stars of the Lid, Stars of the Lid. This may very well be a Stars of the Lid album, very few would tell the difference. Pine feels a little darker, but it's not very noticeable. I think their striking similarity is what turns me off from this album. While Olan Mill has some orchestration in the background, it doesn't help much. In fact, I think it detracts from the enjoyment of the album. A Heavy Leg Cycle does this, it loses the light and lush atmosphere the previous three tracks have. It's almost disappointing to know that the best tracks here feel like another artist's. There are two tracks that stand out in this album though. Particularly Flume and The Prescribed Individual. Flume is a loud and bright drone track, can't particularly pinpoint to any artist. The Prescribed Individual is a neat little modern classical track.

Most of my criticisms with SotL apply here. It's a bit too long-winded and unmemorable. These tracks fly through the other ear quite quickly. Bright drones aren't my thing, and this album has a lot of it. The only track that I remember quite a bit is The Prescribed Individual. Which funnily enough, is the most depressing track here. It reminds me of Max Richter's The Blue Notebooks a little. A lot more minimal though, but still quite effective. Favourite track.

Not too fond of this. It's decent ambient sure, but it doesn't do much. The tracks that resemble SotL are good, but nothing special. The other tracks that don't resemble SotL as much aren't always great. Most of them are slightly weaker than the ones that resemble Stars of the Lid, at least to me. I realise that I mention Stars of the Lid too much here, but the comparison here is inevitable. It's very clear that Olan Mill is influenced by them, way way too much. It doesn't give them a particularly unique sound unfortunately. They put in too much effort emulating SotL, I feel that they forgot how to make their own sound. Oh well, the tracks here are decent at least. I do want something darker from Olan Mill though. Maybe that'd be something they could try out soon.

If you really like Stars of the Lid and want more, get this album.

Album Highlights: Disempowered, The Prescribed Individual
Track Average Rating: 3.1/5
Overall Rating: 6/10

An Album A Day Keeps The Doctor Away | 365 Album Challenge

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