Just purchased Yellow on iTunes Philippines (finally). Will listen and make a review later tonight.
Hopefully Yellow will reach number 1 on the Oricon Charts next week.
Hopefully Yellow will reach number 1 on the Oricon Charts next week.
7th Album - 『YELLOW』 [Page 19 of 23]
Re: 7th Album - 『YELLOW』
Posted Sat Mar 05, 2016 3:08 am
TOMOmeow
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Sing it Back, Bring it Back, Sing it Back to Me... Wait, WRONG SONG!
Do you believe in life after love? (after love, after love)... STILL WRONG, D****T!!
Re: 7th Album - 『YELLOW』
Posted Sat Mar 05, 2016 3:17 am
Lale
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bleachnlife wrote:I just went to see if Yellow was on Australian iTunes. Some how Yellow ended up in the World section but nonetheless sitting at second place on Top World Albums. Quite an achievement for SCANDAL then.
YELLOW is actually #1 in the US iTunes WORLD category right now .happy.
Re: 7th Album - 『YELLOW』
Posted Sat Mar 05, 2016 5:08 am
mio_akiyama
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Noodles wrote:bleachnlife wrote:I just went to see if Yellow was on Australian iTunes. Some how Yellow ended up in the World section but nonetheless sitting at second place on Top World Albums. Quite an achievement for SCANDAL then.
YELLOW is actually #1 in the US iTunes WORLD category right now
Heh. Cool
Interesting to notice an old AKG album sitting in 34th… and Eir Aoi's new EP in 35th
Time for my impressions of Yellow
DISCLAIMER: THE FOLLOWING REVIEW MAY STIR UP FEELINGS OF ANNOYANCE TOWARDS ME.
- Spoiler:
- This is the first album of theirs I have mixed feelings about.
I wrote a whole spiel on why I don't like it, and then I decided to delete it all. But it's just different, and to say I hate it would be taking it out of perspective, and casting a harsh eye on what is ultimately a good album. It just doesn't feel quite like a Scandal album I'm used to.
There are a number of reasons I'm so torn about it, and I hope I can clear my mind enough to explain them.
Gripes:
1. The production of this album was good. But some of it feels too clean and polished to my ears compared to a lot of previous stuff. Or maybe it's the pop-defier in me.
1(a). Is it me, or do their voices sound different, tuned almost? (And yes, I know one track has)
2. Scandal are known for being diverse in their genres. But I feel they may have taken it too far, and that is perhaps the main reason I'm so mixed emotionally.
Enough gripes, let's try and explain what I think about the album.
This album was always going to be a bit of a gamble from the perspective that the girls had full control of the song-writing and music-composition, including of course what genres they chose.
What did they pull off?
They pulled off a generally happy album - which is what I think they wanted : )
They pulled off over 6 different genres - ranging from the familiar punk, to the new reggae track.
This is what I consider more of a pop/mainstream album compared to their previous outings.
The song break-down:
1. Room No.7 - They pulled off an instrumental track which is amazing, as it means they have to keep the track "interesting". Hats off to them here, and I like it, it's really funky. I want to visit this room.
2. Stamp! - Yeah, it's Weezer. Which isn't a bad thing, and Haruna's voice sounds really good, YAYA!
3. LOVE ME DO - Unlike Stamp!, LOVE ME DO I listened to for the first, second, and third times just tonight. It's catchy. Wow, it's pop! Well done. But unlike the majority of you, it's exactly what I didn't like about pop. I want my rock-band first please.
4. Morning Sun - Ah crap, an emotional pop song now? Too bad it wasn't more electronic and sung by Rina, I might have actually liked it like I do Oyasumi.
5. Sunday Drive - I really like this song. The music reminds me of some of Phil Collins more upbeat songs, of whom I'm a big fan.
6. Konya wa Pizza Party - I feel embarrassed. This is quite possibly my favourite song of the album. For me personally, Tomomi's voice can be hit-&-miss, and because I don't like the typical "girl-group-kawaii-voice", it really surprised me. The music is also happy punk! *swoons*
7. Heaven na Kibun - Ooooo grungy! Nice song, I assume this is the Nirvana-inspired track? I was never a fan of Nirvana, but that was cos I hated Cobain's voice. Haruna's voice is perfect for the tone of this song. Would love to see Scandal do more like this.
8. SUKI-SUKI - This is Scandal! The familiar drumming, guitar riffs, backing vocals, overall solid song. Really glad to hear something like this on here.
9. LOVE - I'm gonna say it - I don't really have much time for reggae. BUT, prejudice aside, this is a good song. A well made reggae song. I just don't like reggae, and I'm gonna admit it'll be on skip.
10. Sisters - Yep, another familiar song to most of us, though I haven't actually listened to it much. Maybe it's the auto-tune start that puts me off. Maybe it's something about the beat. Something about this song doesn't sit right with me.
11. Happy Birthday - so, I'm nearing the end of my fourth play-through of this album. This song is just so weird. What is this song? The drumming gets on my nerves, and over-powers a lot of the song. Konya wa Pizza Party was a quirky song done right. This is a song, is quirky but done wrong. Sorry.
12. Chiisana Honoo - See song 4 - I didn't like that. This is another emotional-sounding song, but for some reason I like it. Maybe because it's more rocky, and doesn't have that pop-centric backing vocals that song 4 had. This is sad. It's the end. And works well as the last song for the album.
--
13. Your Song - LOL. Starts off well - I can understand Haruna really well… and then the others starting singing and I can't understand Tomomi at all. Mami isn't much better. Hehe. I'm glad Haruna was the main singer. Still, I kinda expected this, and it's a nice bonus track for us English speakers.
So, as you can see, I'm a bit torn about this album. My first play-through was the worst, but this fourth play-through I'm beginning to at least accept the songs for what they are - diverse. Overall, it's a good album, but had this been the first Scandal album I bought, I would not even consider checking out their previous goodness.
*shields self from oncoming barrage*
Last edited by thoseguiltyeyes on Sat Mar 05, 2016 8:42 am; edited 1 time in total (Reason for editing : Merged+added spoiler. Please don't double post. Edit your first post if you wish to add something else.)
Re: 7th Album - 『YELLOW』
Posted Sat Mar 05, 2016 8:37 am
alrick13
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For day 4 back @ no 2 at the Oricon Daily Charts with 25,609
SCANDAL x miwa
Re: 7th Album - 『YELLOW』
Posted Sat Mar 05, 2016 9:17 am
Star~world96®
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@mio_akiyama
Heheh, don't worry about an attack, it's just an opinion of yours. ^_^
Though I was thinking about what u said about the album, and I actually think Baby Action is more pop/mainstream than Yellow. JMO.
Heheh, don't worry about an attack, it's just an opinion of yours. ^_^
Though I was thinking about what u said about the album, and I actually think Baby Action is more pop/mainstream than Yellow. JMO.
Re: 7th Album - 『YELLOW』
Posted Sat Mar 05, 2016 1:34 pm
mio_akiyama
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It's funny you should say that - Baby Action is the only album I don't own of theirs. Yet.Star~world96® wrote:@mio_akiyama
Heheh, don't worry about an attack, it's just an opinion of yours. ^_^
Though I was thinking about what u said about the album, and I actually think Baby Action is more pop/mainstream than Yellow. JMO.
@ Topic.
I also think I should say, in relation to a previous post made about the 2 most relevant songs to sum up this album - STAMP! and Sisters are indeed good singles choices - STAMP! satisfies somewhat the old Scandal to me, while Sisters introduces us to a possible new Scandal sound with gimmicks. I think if any of the other songs were used it'd be too polarising in summing up the overall sound of the album, even with the huge differences in songs across the album.
Re: 7th Album - 『YELLOW』
Posted Sat Mar 05, 2016 5:09 pm
spacecadet
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I just got my CD/DVD. Haven't watched the DVD yet but just listened to the album. Ended up with Heaven na Kibun on repeat. What an amazing song in every way. It's a really confident song too, because it is so repetitive and they don't try to do too much with it - just let it stand on its own. But somehow it's impossible to stop listening to, and it's got this rhythmic feel to it that gets my head bobbing completely involuntarily every time.
I also love that it seems to have no real vocal processing done at all - Haruna sounds completely natural, slightly out of control and everything. That's rock and roll!
I actually wish the entire album was more like this. I doubt they'd do too well commercially if it was, so I know that's not very realistic, but artistically I'd love to hear more like this. They're clearly capable of writing and performing some really interesting songs, stuff that goes way beyond straight radio rock or pop. I feel like those genres are somewhat limiting them right now.
The rest of the album hasn't really grabbed me yet, but maybe it will later. There's nothing I'd call a "bad" song on it - most of their other albums do have at least one or two songs that are total duds for me, even if I love the album overall. But everything on Yellow does have kind of a poppy, heavily produced "sheen" to it that acts like kind of a barrier between me and the music, though I can still sometimes hear melodies that I know I'd otherwise like.
Except Heaven na Kibun, that is. That song is just perfect in all aspects, including writing, performance and production.
I also love that it seems to have no real vocal processing done at all - Haruna sounds completely natural, slightly out of control and everything. That's rock and roll!
I actually wish the entire album was more like this. I doubt they'd do too well commercially if it was, so I know that's not very realistic, but artistically I'd love to hear more like this. They're clearly capable of writing and performing some really interesting songs, stuff that goes way beyond straight radio rock or pop. I feel like those genres are somewhat limiting them right now.
The rest of the album hasn't really grabbed me yet, but maybe it will later. There's nothing I'd call a "bad" song on it - most of their other albums do have at least one or two songs that are total duds for me, even if I love the album overall. But everything on Yellow does have kind of a poppy, heavily produced "sheen" to it that acts like kind of a barrier between me and the music, though I can still sometimes hear melodies that I know I'd otherwise like.
Except Heaven na Kibun, that is. That song is just perfect in all aspects, including writing, performance and production.
Re: 7th Album - 『YELLOW』
Posted Sat Mar 05, 2016 5:26 pm
bleachnlife
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All fine though I don't get your deduction that reggae somewhat makes the album more mainstream/ pop. I can fully understand if reggae isn't your cup of tea. But to be completely honest reggae can be a league on its own without being linked to the mainstream music scene.mio_akiyama wrote:Noodles wrote:bleachnlife wrote:I just went to see if Yellow was on Australian iTunes. Some how Yellow ended up in the World section but nonetheless sitting at second place on Top World Albums. Quite an achievement for SCANDAL then.
YELLOW is actually #1 in the US iTunes WORLD category right now
Heh. Cool
Interesting to notice an old AKG album sitting in 34th… and Eir Aoi's new EP in 35th
Time for my impressions of Yellow
DISCLAIMER: THE FOLLOWING REVIEW MAY STIR UP FEELINGS OF ANNOYANCE TOWARDS ME.
- Spoiler:
I wrote a whole spiel on why I don't like it, and then I decided to delete it all. But it's just different, and to say I hate it would be taking it out of perspective, and casting a harsh eye on what is ultimately a good album. It just doesn't feel quite like a Scandal album I'm used to.
There are a number of reasons I'm so torn about it, and I hope I can clear my mind enough to explain them.
Gripes:
1. The production of this album was good. But some of it feels too clean and polished to my ears compared to a lot of previous stuff. Or maybe it's the pop-defier in me.
1(a). Is it me, or do their voices sound different, tuned almost? (And yes, I know one track has)
2. Scandal are known for being diverse in their genres. But I feel they may have taken it too far, and that is perhaps the main reason I'm so mixed emotionally.
Enough gripes, let's try and explain what I think about the album.
This album was always going to be a bit of a gamble from the perspective that the girls had full control of the song-writing and music-composition, including of course what genres they chose.
What did they pull off?
They pulled off a generally happy album - which is what I think they wanted : )
They pulled off over 6 different genres - ranging from the familiar punk, to the new reggae track.
This is what I consider more of a pop/mainstream album compared to their previous outings.
The song break-down:
1. Room No.7 - They pulled off an instrumental track which is amazing, as it means they have to keep the track "interesting". Hats off to them here, and I like it, it's really funky. I want to visit this room.
2. Stamp! - Yeah, it's Weezer. Which isn't a bad thing, and Haruna's voice sounds really good, YAYA!
3. LOVE ME DO - Unlike Stamp!, LOVE ME DO I listened to for the first, second, and third times just tonight. It's catchy. Wow, it's pop! Well done. But unlike the majority of you, it's exactly what I didn't like about pop. I want my rock-band first please.
4. Morning Sun - Ah crap, an emotional pop song now? Too bad it wasn't more electronic and sung by Rina, I might have actually liked it like I do Oyasumi.
5. Sunday Drive - I really like this song. The music reminds me of some of Phil Collins more upbeat songs, of whom I'm a big fan.
6. Konya wa Pizza Party - I feel embarrassed. This is quite possibly my favourite song of the album. For me personally, Tomomi's voice can be hit-&-miss, and because I don't like the typical "girl-group-kawaii-voice", it really surprised me. The music is also happy punk! *swoons*
7. Heaven na Kibun - Ooooo grungy! Nice song, I assume this is the Nirvana-inspired track? I was never a fan of Nirvana, but that was cos I hated Cobain's voice. Haruna's voice is perfect for the tone of this song. Would love to see Scandal do more like this.
8. SUKI-SUKI - This is Scandal! The familiar drumming, guitar riffs, backing vocals, overall solid song. Really glad to hear something like this on here.
9. LOVE - I'm gonna say it - I don't really have much time for reggae. BUT, prejudice aside, this is a good song. A well made reggae song. I just don't like reggae, and I'm gonna admit it'll be on skip.
10. Sisters - Yep, another familiar song to most of us, though I haven't actually listened to it much. Maybe it's the auto-tune start that puts me off. Maybe it's something about the beat. Something about this song doesn't sit right with me.
11. Happy Birthday - so, I'm nearing the end of my fourth play-through of this album. This song is just so weird. What is this song? The drumming gets on my nerves, and over-powers a lot of the song. Konya wa Pizza Party was a quirky song done right. This is a song, is quirky but done wrong. Sorry.
12. Chiisana Honoo - See song 4 - I didn't like that. This is another emotional-sounding song, but for some reason I like it. Maybe because it's more rocky, and doesn't have that pop-centric backing vocals that song 4 had. This is sad. It's the end. And works well as the last song for the album.
--
13. Your Song - LOL. Starts off well - I can understand Haruna really well… and then the others starting singing and I can't understand Tomomi at all. Mami isn't much better. Hehe. I'm glad Haruna was the main singer. Still, I kinda expected this, and it's a nice bonus track for us English speakers.
So, as you can see, I'm a bit torn about this album. My first play-through was the worst, but this fourth play-through I'm beginning to at least accept the songs for what they are - diverse. Overall, it's a good album, but had this been the first Scandal album I bought, I would not even consider checking out their previous goodness.
*shields self from oncoming barrage*
And do listen to Baby Action as well. Another progression point for SCANDAL but you'll see in that album is the set definition of polished and pop for SCANDAL (nonetheless had great songs and sounds and fun fact the first album I bought). I can't believe I'm still following SCANDAL after five years but they're just so irresistibly good. To be honest all their albums even their first one was very well recorded and mastered and had a very polished sound. Their vocals have always sounded a little off compared to their lives, this album wouldn't the first or last to do that.
You're not the first and last fan to say you want more rock from that which is perfectly fine. I used also wished for more rock. But I think as each album comes out, I'm able to appreciate what SCANDAL has put on the album for music sake and not whether its rock or not rock, etc. Because SCANDAL isn't all about rock or a certain genre and for me that's their charm. I mean I'm still hoping for Rina to start using her double pedals its been three years since she got them and she's not used them in any song.
Do realise that SCANDAL's context and band setting and what record label they're signed to. SCANDAL has their rock roots but they are still set in very much a mainstream music setting. What they putting out has to take into consideration the music tastes of the majority of listeners. As much as I love metal and would love SCANDAL to go harder with their sound, I don't know how possible it is. But still everything is open so who knows. Come next album SCANDAL does growls and screams and Mami starts djenting. (off on a tangent)
But that would so not be the SCANDAL we came to love. So I think this album indicates what type of sounds they are capable of producing. It is evident that they not completely siding with certain sounds. They're always on the fine balance between rock and easy listening music. And if you saw the thread on what SCANDAL listed as their influences you can definitely see a mixture of pop and rock from all over the ages. I see Love me do as a fan tribute to Beatles which they are big fans of. And Kibun na Heaven was obviously 90s grunge nirvana inspired.
Asides from having differing musical tastes, I think this album is definitely our first full exposure to the girl's musicality and composition capabilities which should be applauded more than anything else. To let us know what who they are more than capable to compose songs in various genres and facets of rock and make it sound authentic to that genre. And for me it also means they want to make those genres apart of their sound. It does sound different because in the previous albums, the sound that we came to know as SCANDAL was created and composed by other people and not SCANDAL themselves. I mean SCANDAL would have had input but it someone else take on what should the sound for SCANDAL should be. Now the girls are defining it for themselves.
I hope I didn't sound like I was bashing your review, my intention was to put out possible contextual elements and points you mightn't considered when listening to the album. Please take them as points of perspective you could consider the next time you listen to SCANDAL's music, if not don't worry about it.
___
Aussie iTunes Ranking update: SCANDAL down to rank five on World genre album charts.
SCANDAL Haruna .happy. SCANDAL Mami 
SCANDAL Tomomi .lol. SCANDAL Rina .uhuh. SCANDAL
SCANDAL brightens my everyday
SCANDAL Tomomi .lol. SCANDAL Rina .uhuh. SCANDAL SCANDAL brightens my everyday
Re: 7th Album - 『YELLOW』
Posted Sat Mar 05, 2016 5:39 pm
Lale
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spacecadet wrote:I just got my CD/DVD. Haven't watched the DVD yet but just listened to the album. Ended up with Heaven na Kibun on repeat. What an amazing song in every way. It's a really confident song too, because it is so repetitive and they don't try to do too much with it - just let it stand on its own. But somehow it's impossible to stop listening to, and it's got this rhythmic feel to it that gets my head bobbing completely involuntarily every time.
I also love that it seems to have no real vocal processing done at all - Haruna sounds completely natural, slightly out of control and everything. That's rock and roll!
I actually wish the entire album was more like this. I doubt they'd do too well commercially if it was, so I know that's not very realistic, but artistically I'd love to hear more like this. They're clearly capable of writing and performing some really interesting songs, stuff that goes way beyond straight radio rock or pop. I feel like those genres are somewhat limiting them right now.
The rest of the album hasn't really grabbed me yet, but maybe it will later. There's nothing I'd call a "bad" song on it - most of their other albums do have at least one or two songs that are total duds for me, even if I love the album overall. But everything on Yellow does have kind of a poppy, heavily produced "sheen" to it that acts like kind of a barrier between me and the music, though I can still sometimes hear melodies that I know I'd otherwise like.
Except Heaven na Kibun, that is. That song is just perfect in all aspects, including writing, performance and production.
Quick question, please take no offense on this I am just curious. When you say you wish the album was more like Heaven na Kibun, wouldnt you consider that to be boring or bland if the entire album sounded similar? I've seen this posted around so I know its not just you but Im interested.
Re: 7th Album - 『YELLOW』
Posted Sat Mar 05, 2016 6:53 pm
mio_akiyama
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bleachnlife wrote:All fine though 1. I don't get your deduction that reggae somewhat makes the album more mainstream/ pop. I can fully understand if reggae isn't your cup of tea.
And do 2a. listen to Baby Action as well. Another progression point for SCANDAL but you'll see in that album is 2b. the set definition of polished and pop for SCANDAL (nonetheless had great songs and sounds and fun fact the first album I bought).
3a. You're not the first and last fan to say you want more rock from that which is perfectly fine… ...Because SCANDAL isn't all about rock or a certain genre and for me that's their charm. I mean I'm still hoping for Rina to start using her double pedals...
Do realise that SCANDAL's context and band setting and what record label they're signed to… As much as I love metal and 3b. would love SCANDAL to go harder with their sound, I don't know how possible it is...
So I think 4. this album indicates what type of sounds they are capable of producing.
...It does sound different because in the previous albums, the sound that we came to know as SCANDAL was created and composed by other people and not SCANDAL themselves.
Thanks *rukia* (my favourite Bleach character, btw)…
I agree with a lot of what you said, and my review, as I said at the start, was completely re-written from what I was originally going to post. I just want to clarify a few points where there may have been misunderstanding.
1. Yes, reggae is not mainstream, but it was more the polished feel that this album has, that even the reggae song has that little bit of appeal-factor to it due to being so "clean-sounding."
2. Thanks, I will definitely get it soon. (Having bought 10 J-music albums in less than as many weeks, I'm gonna have to start curbing my enthusiasm). As a matter of interest, I bought Scandal Show first, followed closely by Hello World. So my real induction into Scandal music albums was the most recent album before this one. I love Hello World, it's probably my favourite overall (though Standard is better, rock-wise), so it was the one I compared Yellow to the most I guess, for better or worse.
3. Oh yes, I want more rock for sure, no doubt. I do however agree that they don't need to go harder, that was never what I hoped to imply in my review. There are other bands out there already that I can get my kicks out of if I want heavier stuff (Gacharic Spin or Band-Maid for example). Yes, it would be cool for Scandal to do something heavy for a bit of a laugh though!
4. Totally agree. I did take into consideration (and was mentioned in my review) that this was their first solo album, and that it would be different. I don't respect the girls any less, in fact I admire them more. And Tomomi has won my heart over, so that now I can go back and appreciate her more in older songs.
Conclusion: some of these songs didn't sit well with me, and it's the most contrasting album I've heard of theirs, where I actually had to sit back and consider if I liked it as a whole. I know some of these songs will probably grow on me - Love Me Do for example is undeniably catchy. spacecadet talks about a "sheen" over the album which made him detached from a lot of the songs - this is maybe how i feel, though not to as great an extent as he seems to have. I really want pizza right now!
Re: 7th Album - 『YELLOW』
Posted Sat Mar 05, 2016 6:55 pm
spacecadet
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Noodles wrote:Quick question, please take no offense on this I am just curious. When you say you wish the album was more like Heaven na Kibun, wouldnt you consider that to be boring or bland if the entire album sounded similar?
No, because that's the kind of music I'm into. I actually think everyone has the tendency of thinking their own preferred style of music has all these subtle differences that others don't hear. But to me, the songs on this album all pretty much blend together *except* for Heaven na Kibun. And if the entire album was in that same genre, I'd hear all the subtle differences that other people hear between the various pop rock songs, and I'd be here saying how different every song sounded, while someone else might say they all sound the same. The tables would just be turned. Hopefully I'm explaining this well enough.
Scandal has fans who are into them for different things. I first got into them when they were a garage rock band. Heaven na Kibun sounds like the kind of song a garage rock band that's been around 10 years would make; to me that's their natural progression. But another person might have gotten into them because of Love Survive or Namida no Regret or even One Piece, and they might like ballads or pop songs and they might easily distinguish one from another, and they might think Heaven na Kibun is boring because it's just the same chord progression over and over without any "hook".
I understand that Scandal has that broad audience and they're trying to please everybody as much as they can so they can sell as many records as they can. That's fine. I'm just saying that for me personally, I would love to hear more of what got me into them in the first place. They always show me just enough of that these days to make me want more. The other stuff I could take or leave.
Honestly I did listen to the album a second time on a much better sound system, and I liked it better on the second play through. The thing is there's just so much going on in some songs, when I listened to it through my desktop speakers a lot of stuff blended together into just a mash of electronic sound, which is the way most pop songs are. But through really good speakers I was able to hear all the individual instruments, individual sound effects, even the individual vocal tracks in the harmonies. And that helped me ignore what I didn't care to hear and focus on the actual music, which is pretty good throughout. I still think the album is overproduced in general and should have been pared back, but again that's just my bias as someone who's more into garage rock than pop. I'm not saying no one else can have a different opinion.
Re: 7th Album - 『YELLOW』
Posted Sat Mar 05, 2016 7:06 pm
Lale
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spacecadet wrote:Noodles wrote:Quick question, please take no offense on this I am just curious. When you say you wish the album was more like Heaven na Kibun, wouldnt you consider that to be boring or bland if the entire album sounded similar?
No, because that's the kind of music I'm into. I actually think everyone has the tendency of thinking their own preferred style of music has all these subtle differences that others don't hear. But to me, the songs on this album all pretty much blend together *except* for Heaven na Kibun. And if the entire album was in that same genre, I'd hear all the subtle differences that other people hear between the various pop rock songs, and I'd be here saying how different every song sounded, while someone else might say they all sound the same. The tables would just be turned. Hopefully I'm explaining this well enough.
Scandal has fans who are into them for different things. I first got into them when they were a garage rock band. Heaven na Kibun sounds like the kind of song a garage rock band that's been around 10 years would make; to me that's their natural progression. But another person might have gotten into them because of Love Survive or Namida no Regret or even One Piece, and they might like ballads or pop songs and they might easily distinguish one from another, and they might think Heaven na Kibun is boring because it's just the same chord progression over and over without any "hook".
I understand that Scandal has that broad audience and they're trying to please everybody as much as they can so they can sell as many records as they can. That's fine. I'm just saying that for me personally, I would love to hear more of what got me into them in the first place. They always show me just enough of that these days to make me want more. The other stuff I could take or leave.
Honestly I did listen to the album a second time on a much better sound system, and I liked it better on the second play through. The thing is there's just so much going on in some songs, when I listened to it through my desktop speakers a lot of stuff blended together into just a mash of electronic sound, which is the way most pop songs are. But through really good speakers I was able to hear all the individual instruments, individual sound effects, even the individual vocal tracks in the harmonies. And that helped me ignore what I didn't care to hear and focus on the actual music, which is pretty good throughout. I still think the album is overproduced in general and should have been pared back, but again that's just my bias as someone who's more into garage rock than pop. I'm not saying no one else can have a different opinion.
Thanks for the reply, I respect your opinion and I appreciate the insight
Re: 7th Album - 『YELLOW』
Posted Sat Mar 05, 2016 10:43 pm
nexas99
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I received my CD + T-shirt earlier today :D Haven't actually unboxed it as today was pretty busy, but since I also bought the digital version, I can wait to try on the shirt until tomorrow Also, I got a "Yellow" poster included with the package from CDJapan, was that supposed to go with the order? o.o I've never ordered from them before so I don't know, but I didn't see it on the receipt ^^;
As for a review of the album, I'm honestly too lazy to fully jot down my thoughts on each song, but I will say that I was pleasantly surprised by all of the different genres of songs in the album, and that now after listening to the album 6 or 7 times through with no skips, I can truely say that I enjoy each song, in one way or another, whether just enjoying the instruments or the feelings behind the song.
Also, I got a "Yellow" poster included with the package from CDJapan, was that supposed to go with the order? o.o I've never ordered from them before so I don't know, but I didn't see it on the receipt ^^;As for a review of the album, I'm honestly too lazy to fully jot down my thoughts on each song, but I will say that I was pleasantly surprised by all of the different genres of songs in the album, and that now after listening to the album 6 or 7 times through with no skips, I can truely say that I enjoy each song, in one way or another, whether just enjoying the instruments or the feelings behind the song.
Re: 7th Album - 『YELLOW』
Posted Sat Mar 05, 2016 10:52 pm
Lale
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nexas99 wrote:I received my CD + T-shirt earlier today :D Haven't actually unboxed it as today was pretty busy, but since I also bought the digital version, I can wait to try on the shirt until tomorrow
As for a review of the album, I'm honestly too lazy to fully jot down my thoughts on each song, but I will say that I was pleasantly surprised by all of the different genres of songs in the album, and that now after listening to the album 6 or 7 times through with no skips, I can truely say that I enjoy each song, in one way or another, whether just enjoying the instruments or the feelings behind the song.
Yep if you order from CDJapan you usually get bonuses specially if its a new release, they have a limited amount of bonuses though they do honor all pre-orders as far as I've experienced
Re: 7th Album - 『YELLOW』
Posted Sun Mar 06, 2016 2:47 am
abcfsk
Caless StudentPeople's take on the quality of the songs may vary, but what seems patently clear from interviews is that they're very proud and happy about what they're doing, enthusiastic about their experiments, down to changing temperatures in the studio to get different guitar sounds, and generally being in a creative mood. They've talked a lot aobut how things changed with the last album and that they feel they've become a real band. In other words, this is them, reflects their personalities, and is in line with their new ideology of 'doing what we want to do'.
Re: 7th Album - 『YELLOW』
Posted Sun Mar 06, 2016 4:37 am
Qberto
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I haven't received my CD yet so I can't comment on the album, but I've been reading the interviews and people's opinions. I was kinda scared reading Haruna talk about pop music, but upon further reflection I don't think she meant Scandal was going pop. I believe she meant the band isn't afraid to take a song down a poppier path if that is what they feel the song warrants, but I don't think they'll ever forget they're a Rock band. I like that they were experimenting with new sounds on their amps and aural textures, even vocally with attempting falsetto. Not all experiments will be fruitful, but the ladies have the guts to try. I'd say they've now become artists. I do hope they try to strip things down on their next album to just 2 guitars, bass, and drums with minimal overdubs. No keyboards. Just pure and raw Scandal.
Re: 7th Album - 『YELLOW』
Posted Sun Mar 06, 2016 4:51 am
mio_akiyama
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Well, the future is definitely going to be different, I don't know if they'll go back to the raw we're used to now; I truly think they are evolving their sound - it's gonna be scary for some of us.
The biggest positive for me was Haruna's voice - I like that she's trying to get out of the vocal range that she's used to. I think more than being the lead singer, she's now seeing that she can use her voice as a musical instrument; not just to meekly add the lyrics to a song, but to incite us.
…whether or not she can pull that off live has yet to be determined in it's full extent...
The biggest positive for me was Haruna's voice - I like that she's trying to get out of the vocal range that she's used to. I think more than being the lead singer, she's now seeing that she can use her voice as a musical instrument; not just to meekly add the lyrics to a song, but to incite us.
…whether or not she can pull that off live has yet to be determined in it's full extent...
Re: 7th Album - 『YELLOW』
Posted Sun Mar 06, 2016 8:06 am
flyingwill
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Pretty much. And at the end of the day I think this is really the most important thing, more important than how us fans individually react to the music that comes out of it. Scandal owes us nothing, even if we've been following them since the beginning and buying all their stuff and everything. They are artists and only they should decide what kind of art they want to produce.abcfsk wrote:People's take on the quality of the songs may vary, but what seems patently clear from interviews is that they're very proud and happy about what they're doing, enthusiastic about their experiments, down to changing temperatures in the studio to get different guitar sounds, and generally being in a creative mood. They've talked a lot aobut how things changed with the last album and that they feel they've become a real band. In other words, this is them, reflects their personalities, and is in line with their new ideology of 'doing what we want to do'.
Re: 7th Album - 『YELLOW』
Posted Sun Mar 06, 2016 10:55 am
reilachii
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I think I didn't listened to the album enough to give a clear judgment on it, but the only think I'm worried is how the girls will be able to pull off Heaven na Kibun. it doesn't sound like them but the fact they did compose it makes me optimistic about the next releases. they have just gain the confident to create their own music so it's reasonable that they went for a "sure road" (which is mostly pop music).
it would be fun if their next cd will be full of grunge/garage rock, but songs like Heaven na Kibun don't fit their current image in my opinion.
can't wait for a live video of it because I'm seriously curious and at the same time worried lol
it would be fun if their next cd will be full of grunge/garage rock, but songs like Heaven na Kibun don't fit their current image in my opinion.
can't wait for a live video of it because I'm seriously curious and at the same time worried lol
Re: 7th Album - 『YELLOW』
Posted Sun Mar 06, 2016 12:04 pm
victor_survive
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Yellow is at 3rd place with 1,522 copies sold. 2nd place is just 21 copies ahead.
Total sales: 27,131
Total sales: 27,131
Re: 7th Album - 『YELLOW』
Posted Sun Mar 06, 2016 4:17 pm
mio_akiyama
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Got it, I'll shut up about their music from now on.
Re: 7th Album - 『YELLOW』
Posted Sun Mar 06, 2016 7:12 pm
TOMOmeow
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victor_survive wrote:Yellow is at 3rd place with 1,522 copies sold. 2nd place is just 21 copies ahead.
Total sales: 27,131
Well, I have a confession. I prayed for their album to reach number 1 even for just one week!
Re: 7th Album - 『YELLOW』
Posted Sun Mar 06, 2016 8:08 pm
macdyne73
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Due to the really crappy forex situation we are having, I sadly have to hold off on importing the album from Japan for now. I'll do it eventually when the situation improves. Thankfully, the album is available on Spotify, so... yay!
Some thoughts.
I really like how clear all the instruments are, especially Rina's drums. Get a pair of good headphones and you can hear everything! Props for the mixing, very well done! Judging from some interviews I've been reading, the girls took the sound on this album very, very seriously and I think they did a really great job. They can be proud of themselves.
Haruna sounds really, really good. I think this album features her best singing yet.
Heaven na Kibun, now this was a surprise. Grungy SCANDAL is not something you hear everyday and it's a good effort too. If only they droptuned all the way down to Drop C# for that extra edge.. :D
For me, SUKI-SUKI is the definitive, stand out song on the album. It just screams SCANDAL. Great song that defines that "Happy Rock" thing the girls have been talking about.
Chiisana Honou, I like this very much. Lyrics mean something for me personally and I can really relate to this song.
LOVE. Sounds very much like a Malay song I've heard before. It's probably coincidental and I can't remember the title of the song. Still, quite nice to hear the girls try reggae. Needs moar steel drums but quite nice.
Well, it's taken them 10 years but it's great to see the girls finally take full ownership of their music and their artistic direction. I'm really proud of them. Here's to another 10 years!
Some thoughts.
I really like how clear all the instruments are, especially Rina's drums. Get a pair of good headphones and you can hear everything! Props for the mixing, very well done! Judging from some interviews I've been reading, the girls took the sound on this album very, very seriously and I think they did a really great job. They can be proud of themselves.
Haruna sounds really, really good. I think this album features her best singing yet.
Heaven na Kibun, now this was a surprise. Grungy SCANDAL is not something you hear everyday and it's a good effort too. If only they droptuned all the way down to Drop C# for that extra edge.. :D
For me, SUKI-SUKI is the definitive, stand out song on the album. It just screams SCANDAL. Great song that defines that "Happy Rock" thing the girls have been talking about.
Chiisana Honou, I like this very much. Lyrics mean something for me personally and I can really relate to this song.
LOVE. Sounds very much like a Malay song I've heard before. It's probably coincidental and I can't remember the title of the song. Still, quite nice to hear the girls try reggae. Needs moar steel drums but quite nice.
Well, it's taken them 10 years but it's great to see the girls finally take full ownership of their music and their artistic direction. I'm really proud of them. Here's to another 10 years!
Re: 7th Album - 『YELLOW』
Posted Mon Mar 07, 2016 5:08 am
Joshua10red
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March 06 Yellow on #6
Re: 7th Album - 『YELLOW』
Posted Mon Mar 07, 2016 9:16 am
KaminariShock
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My favorite is Room 07 & Heaven Na Kibun
hoped there was more like it.
still good.
hoped there was more like it.
still good.
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