Catching up on PVs

I’ve been really really busy lately, what with the move, my new job and everyday life. Finding a moment to myself this afternoon I decided to do some catching up on PVs sitting on my desktop and waiting to be viewed.

Utada Hikaru - Kiss & Cry
Wow! I really like this song! The song has a great beat and sound and really reminds me of Hikki’s older works. It really stands out from her recent releases for the fact that it sounds like her older stuff, and somehow I think that’s a good thing. Don’t get me wrong, I think Colors, Passion & Keep Tryin’ are absolutely amazing songs, but it was Automatic, Addicted to You and Sakura Drops that made me a fan of her music.

Buck-Tick - Alice in Wonder Underground
First off, Atsushi in a top hat? Can I marry you please? At first I wasn’t quite sure what I thought of the song as it didn’t grab me right off the bat like their last single, Rendevous, had. However as the song continued I really started to get into it. It’s got a great drum beat driving it along. Did I mention Atsushi is HOT in the video? I thought I would again. By the second time through it I was really liking it and know I’ll be buying the single. I love me some Buck-Tick. Undead Rasputin in the video…. that guy is creepy.

Chocolove from AKB48 - Mail no Namida
A ballad, but with a terrific danceability to it. Seriously, AKB48 have proven themselves beyond a doubt to me as a great new idol group. I don’t understand all the lyrics, but despite the title of the song it feels like it has an underlying uplift to it. That could be my imagination though so don’t take my word for it. Jet back to the 80s during the bridge with a synthesizer solo! I’m not sure if there’s another version of the PV though as the one I watched appeared to have no ties to their previously released (now infamous) Ashita wa Ashita no Kimi ga Umareru.

Morning Musume Tanjou 10nen Kinentai - Itoshiki Tomo e
I love this song 500 times more than their first release. You have no idea. I found Bokura ga Ikiru my Asia boring and the PV looked like a deodorant commercial (in my opinion). I don’t think I’ve listened to it more than 5 times since it’s been released. Itoshiki on the other hand I love. It sounds fantastic and the PV has a great summer morning after the rain feel to it. It’s very airy and refreshing. I was really struck by Risa in this song, her voice sounded very mature. Natsumi looks great as always, and Koharu really shines. The harmonies overall in this song are beautiful.

AKB48 - Boku no Taiyo
This is a really nice upbeat song along the lines of Bingo! It sounds like it would be right at home on the soundtrack of an anime. Another really great summeresque single. I really like it but it’s nothing we haven’t seen before so I don’t really have much more to say about it.

AKB48 - BINGO!

I discovered AKB48 a little late in the game compared to everyone else. At the time they debuted I was foaming at the mouth for H!P and had no desire to listen to their competition. After the departure of Konkon, Makoto and Yossie though my Momusu fever has cooled off a little bit (hopefully to be revived with their next single) and I decided to take a peek at this 48 girl group. Needless to say I was pretty blown away by what I heard and saw. Tight, really fun songs with great beats and really good vocals! After viewing their PVs I’ve become a fan of AKB48, especially after viewing Seifuku ga Jama o suru which totally blew me out of the water with it’s blatant sexuality, not to mention it’s really rockin melody and vocals. I don’t know about their sales figures but if they keep up this kind of quality they really are going to become strong competition for H!P, and that’s a good thing.

But the actual purpose of this post was to review AKB48’s latest single, BINGO! The song itself is a nice little summertime love pop number. The vocals are very gentle, light and upbeat. The harmonizing is something I really miss in H!P releases. There’s just something about the song as a whole that really makes you feel relaxed and happy as you listen to it. There is some really nice guitar work on this number that switched back and forth from an electric rock sound to a gentle acoustic sound.

The PV itself has some sort of story element to it wherein the girls are stowaways/captives on a boat escaping some sort of military-esque confinement and questioning. They jump off the boat and swim to shore of an island where they run around in a Fort of some sort, then wave excitedly at something on the horizon we are not shown. Honestly I’m not really sure what is going on there but it gives the whole thing a storyline element linked together between the shots of the girls dancing in a hanger or on the beach.

I really like their dresses in the dance shots. The white dresses are nice but the colored dresses give the shots a nice boost of color and is pleasing to the eye. My favorite shots though are the ones of the girls on the beach at what appears to be dusk. Very serene, and it contrasts quite nicely with the intersped storyline shots of them walking across the sand in the sweltering sun.

BINGO goes on sale July 18 and is available for pre-order at CD Japan and Yes Asia.

Chocolove - WTF?!

About 5 minutes ago I sat down to watch some of my backlogged PVs. First one to pop up on my player was Chocolove - Ashita wa Ashita no Kimi ga Umareru. Love the song, but the PV is WTF! This is my first venture into AKB48 territory so I wasn’t quite sure what I was in for, this was definitely not what I was expecting.

First off, the song is really good. I like it a lot. The girls all have very pleasant voices and they harmonize well. This is definitely a song I can see myself buying the single for (and may well do so once some $$ starts rolling in again).

And don’t get me wrong, the PV is totally amusing in a What the Hell am I watching sort of way. I don’t usually expect to see Idols get mowed down ala the Saint Valentine’s Day massacre and then revive because they apparently bleed chocolate.