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Tracklisting
1) KiSS KiSS xxx
2) WoNDeRLaND?
3) Smells Like Teen Spirit
4) ChaNge the WoRLd [remix]
KiSS KiSS xxx is the third single from MiChi, and supposedly (yet not 100% confirmed) the last single before her debut Japanese (read: Actually sung in Japanese) album. The title track was used as the image song for a Volvic CM, while the b-side Smells Like Teen Spirit is a cover of the Nirvana song of the same name. The single was released on the 27th of May, 2009.
If you’ve heard MiChi’s previous singles, be prepared for more of the same. KiSS KiSS xxx is basically her last two singles in unison: It has a slight bit of ChaNge the WoRLd to it, with PROMiSE absolutely screaming at you from its tomb in the backing track, with a new lyrical slate placed on top of it. However, it’s actually her best a-side to date. It flows a lot better than either did, and it loses the slightly generic pop-rock sound the other two had. Sure, it’s more of the same, but it’s only her third single. If it keeps going for long, it won’t be a good thing, but at this stage I think she can get away with it. I love it, so I’m happy with it.
And even then, it still pales in comparison to WoNDeRLaND?. This song opens with a rather odd kind of wild west whistle thing while going into a mid-tempo mixture of music that carries a similar kind of theme to it. This is actually MiChi’s most subdued b-side to date, and also the best. It sounds different, it’s INSANELY catchy, and everything sounds perfect in it. The chorus takes it into a slightly heavier arrangement without the Western atmosphere, so it’s not as if the whole thing is going to sound the same. This is why I love MiChi’s b-sides: They’re creative and fun, and they often contrast wildly to the a-side, which just proves that she can do something different while still keeping it within her own style.
This final b-side was something I wasn’t looking forward to though. Smells Like Teen Spirit has always been the furthest thing from an enjoyable song for me, and I wasn’t sure MiChi could change that. Honestly, she didn’t make it brilliant, but it’s bearable. It’s kind of similar to the original, except with MiChi singing instead. She sounds way too nasal to fit into the chorus properly, and her not-so-deep voice doesn’t really fit the song either. I like it, but it still doesn’t match up to her covers back on MiChi MadNeSs.
The ChaNge the WoRLd remix is a lot like the HEy GiRL remix on the ChaNge the WoRLd single, in that it turns the original song into something a little more club-friendly. I have heard some people say they like this remix, but all I can say is… WHY?! This is far from catchy, and just ruins the original song, in my opinion. I’ll stick with that, myself, because I can’t even stand to listen to this hot mess.
Single Score
B
Favorite Song
WoNDeRLaND?
For starters, MiChi needs to learn what capitalization and proper grammar is. After that, MiChi needs to start making an album, because the original tracks on this single were absolutely perfect. The b-side and remix were a bit less favorable, but if she can keep her original material at this level, I’ll definitely be a long time fan of hers, because I’m going to be looping these two songs for quite a while. (And have been doing so with KiSS KiSS xxx for a while now, admittedly.)
I’ve been wondering where MiChi would go with her third single, and thankfully, now we have some idea as to where she’s headed. I’m not too sure what to expect, but so far, things are starting to get kind of… Worrying.
Musically, KiSS KiSS xxx is PROMiSE and ChaNge the WoRLd rolled into one: A bouncy pop-rock song with a bittersweet, heartbreak-related message. So, it’s kind of the same, but at the same time the synergy between the two past songs into one make it kind of new and exciting in its own right. It WOULD be nice to hear MiChi go back to a heavier, half-club, half-rock sound, but she’s stable here for now.
There isn’t much to say about the song. It’s catchy, upbeat and yet a bit sad at the same time, and MiChi shines vocally here, as she usually does, or has, in the pop-rock genre. There isn’t really even much to say that’s negative towards this song. It’s similar, but it works it well enough that it’s still new and interesting enough to keep you listening and interested no matter how much you’ve been repeating her songs, which is a hard feat to achieve. However, those distorted “MiChi Madness” voices that open the song are something we haven’t really heard yet, either.
She may shine musically, but THIS time, it is VERY safe to say that they’ve made an engaging, interesting and different PV, while still keeping MiChi’s free-spirited, playful side. For once, we see MiChi walking around outside, with an umbrella (to foreshadow where we’re heading), BUT! We also have shots of her in a club and simply sitting in front of a black backdrop. She’s also dressing up a bit for us this time, while still showing her feminine-yet-tomboyish style in the outdoors scenes. I will say one thing: Those close-up shots don’t do much for her. At all. But at the same time… They do. It kind of depends on the lighting on what I think of her.
Anyway, the PV is different, in some respects. However, at the same time, it keeps the old theme of being playful, happy and fun. This time, it’s random splashes of water attacking her, which the umbrella was for: To “attempt” to block everything in an attempt to get her moving around and laughing. Well, it worked, and just like at the end of the ChaNge the WoRLd, it ends with a totally messy (drenched, this time) MiChi smiling to herself. And it’s with ALL the different MiChi’s: the club, the sitting one, and the outdoors one. So, they do like to stick to their themes while changing it up.
Overall, the PV is a lot more about focusing on MiChi this time as she’s sitting or moving around and singing, but it’s still got the old familiarity to it, which I think makes it a much better offering than her older PVs.
Song Score
A+
PV Score
A+
Overall Score
A+
I just can’t help but be extremely happy with what we’ve got. Sure, I would like her to go back to her original roots, but at least she’s stable and keeping things interesting in her current position. We can only hope that she doesn’t fall into the same rut GIRL NEXT DOOR are infamous for, because that would mean a lot of wasted potential. I have high hopes for what comes next so far, but who knows how disappointed we’ll all be because of our hopes.
Tracklisting
1) ChaNge the WoRLd
2) One of a Kind
3) PROMiSE [Smart Sports ver.]
4) HEy GirL [XB remix]
ChaNge the WoRLd is MiChi’s second overall single, and the second single since her change from singing English to singing in Japanese. It was released on the 18th of February, 2009.
In absolutely EVERY way, ChaNge the WoRLd is a direct follow-up of PROMiSE. It carries the same pop-rock sound as her first single, with the only difference being that this song is upbeat. And, of course, the arrangement is different, so it’s not REALLY the same song. Despite sounding SO similar to PROMiSE, ChaNge the WoRLd is no less enjoyable. It’s an optimistic, cheerful, bright song with lyrics like “positive feeling” and such enhancing this factor. The I’m not too sure about the meaning of the song, but the English lyrics of the chorus such as “find a way”, “make yourself”, “only you” and “go on and change the world” make me think there’s some meaning relating to… Well, changing the world in the song. I love everything about this song to death, and it’s nice to hear such an upbeat song from MiChi, since this is… Pretty much her first song like this to date.
One of a Kind has a much more aggressive sound to it with the electric guitar, and it sounds like a few effects have been put over MiChi’s vocals. I’m almost certain this song is 100% English, but the muffled vocals make it a bit hard to tell sometimes. It’s a much grittier, slower song, and the chorus is surprisingly catchy despite not having many changes to its overall sound. It’s not as catchy as her previous b-side HEy GirL, but it’s definitely a nice b-side.
Now we come to the first of two remixes, both of which are of tracks from her first single. The PROMiSE Smart Sports Version is pretty much… Well, the same song. The guitar just sounds slightly different due to some synth work, and it has some beeping in the background. The bridge is a LOT more minimalistic, and while you can hear the lyrics better I don’t like how it works. When it gets to the chorus, you can definitely tell that barely any changes have been made to the song. A rather pointless remix, I don’t see the need for it.
The HEy GirL XB Remix changes HEy GirL up a bit, but it still keeps the same general sound. It’s full of different vocal and arrangement excerpts put together randomly to make a dance song instead of the semi-Arabian influenced b-side we originally had. The majority of the second half is made up of a simple dance beat, and the song plays out as it usually does with this new faster sound. This is actually a really good remix, and while some of the synths could’ve been done differently around the bridge, the rest of the remix is great.
Single Score
A
Favorite Track
ChaNge the WoRLd
I was very happy with how MiChi’s second major single turned out. Save for the PROMiSE remix, all of the songs were great, and the a-side was the perfect change to PROMiSE’s overall sound. I’m really interested to hear what she does with her next single, KiSS KiSS xxx, but I’m hoping it isn’t another pop-rock song with an overly similar arrangement to her first two singles.
So by this stage, I’m sure MiChi’s pretty much established as a pop-rock artist. Her debut album didn’t really seem to show a whole lot of it, but PROMiSE did, and ChaNge the WoRLd seems to show that she’s serious about sticking with the genre.
Well, I have my doubts about her now, because in all honesty, I can clearly hear PROMiSE when I listen to ChaNge the WoRLd. If you’ve listened to both, you’ll definitely know what I’m talking about. The GOOD thing about this is that ChaNge the WoRLd is a positive, upbeat song instead of the somewhat questionable nature PROMiSE had. The English lyrics, which you can thankfully UNDERSTAND since MiChi is, obviously by this point, fluent in the language, show this as well. Rather successfully, I’ll add, since the placement of the English snippets was done perfectly instead of randomly.
The PV is extremely simple, too. It simply has MiChi jumping around in front of, at different intervals, a yellow and black background. The only really notable different part is MiChi throwing the Union Jack volleyball into the sky in the beginning, with her name and the song title over her head. The rest show close-ups of MiChi as she sings, as well as shots of her throwing balls (most likely balloons) filled with paint around the place. Sometimes, the standing shots will even have paint flying around her. It’s a really simple PV, and ends with the Union Jack volleyball finally falling back down on MiChi’s raised fist and showering paint over her. And yet she doesn’t have any paint on her at all. CG, or just luck? Or maybe my grasp of physics is just horrible. That ball bursting did look extremely fake, though.
Anyway, now for some bad points. I’ll be blunt: MiChi has a man face. This can be a good thing for ChaNge the WoRLd’s PV, too, since she doesn’t look TOO bad here… And no matter how you look at it, she’s kind of hot from a distance. I’m liking the outfit, too, though it’s probably not the best for this kind of PV.
Another bad point: Why do we need the English lyrics at the bottom of the screen? They’re only there for the English phrases about halfway through the song, but why stop there? They may as well just translate the song for us and put it there. It just seems extremely pointless, and it feels like they put it there to make the PV seem a little less bland. They may as well have gone the extra mile and made a more interesting PV. The multiple MiChi’s randomly thrown in then taken out are kind of strange, too.
Song Score
B
PV Score
C
Overall Score
B-
Well, ChaNge the WoRLd may have been sort of different, but the similarities to PROMiSE are a bit too glaring to make it as enjoyable as it could have been. The PV could have been a lot better, too, but PROMiSE didn’t have a fantastic PV either, so I guess I’m not totally surprised by that development either. I don’t know, I’m not totally impressed with MiChi’s efforts in this single, but at the same time, it could have turned out a lot worse. I still love the song, just like I did with PROMiSE, so don’t think it’s a bad song or anything.
Tracklisting
1. PROMiSE
2. HEy GirL
3. Sk8er Boi
4. Fuck You and Your Money (ED BANGER ALL STARS remix)
PROMiSE is MiChi’s debut single, and her first major release under the Sony Records label. The title track was used as the au Smart Sports CM song. The track “Sk8er Boi” is a cover of the track by the same name by Avril Lavigne. It reached #12 on the Oricon charts, selling 24,783 copies, and was released on the 22nd of October, 2008.
Compared to many of the tracks on MiChi MadNesS, PROMiSE has a much lighter, poppier sound to it, while still keeping the element of rock alive through the instrument use. This is also the first track to feature MiChi singing in Japanese, and she has a distinct nasal sound to her voice which wasn’t present when she was singing in English. Her accent carries into this song despite the language, too, but her voice fits the song perfectly. It’s a fun song that plays the pop and rock sounds well, despite not being totally upbeat thanks to the lower tone the song takes around the chorus and near the end of the song.
HEy GirL comes in with a totally different sound, that has a distinctly Arabian sound to it that works in with her usual rock sound. The new sound the song has is interesting, and the verses and first half of the chorus work well with the sound, but I feel that the chorus ends a bit awkwardly, without a proper climax and instead focuses on flowing back into the verses. MiChi’s voice sounds great when pulling off the faster delivery the song requires, too, and she doesn’t fumble any of the words, showing her skill at both Japanese and English. It’s an interesting song, and I enjoyed it at least as much as the a-side.
MiChi’s cover version of Sk8er Boi comes in next, and while it begins in a rather odd way, the song stays true to Avril’s original version, and MiChi pulls it off well. Oddly enough, though, her accent sounds a lot more like her Japanese singing accent than how it sounded in “MiChi MadNesS”. It’s odd hearing her sing in total English with that accent, but it’s still alright. I’m not a huge fan of the song though.
The ED BANGER ALL STARS Fuck You and Your Money remix starts off as an absolute mess. It takes the chorus and plays it straight away, with the most annoying distortions being placed over her voice. The instrumental that comes after this section is a lot better, but I could’ve done without the random screeches. The random distortions come in as the song keeps going, and the arrangement doesn’t seem to fit this at all. The technological, robotic sound this remix gave the song is interesting, but it’s too annoying and long-winded with its sound to be worth a listen.
Single Score
A
Favorite Tracks
PROMiSE, HEy GirL
It’s nice to see that MiChi’s still trying out new sounds, and the two original tracks on the single end up being extremely enjoyable and fresh compared to her album, which was full of R&B, Club and Rock tracks, while still keeping a few of these influences.
The cover was alright too, but I found that it paled in comparison to the two other tracks (Since I wasn’t a fan of the original), and the remix was an absolute failure. The single was, overall, very entertaining, and it shows that MiChi can work with both the English and Japanese languages well, without really missing a beat in the process. I’ll be interested to see how her next single turns out.
Tracklisting
1. Fuck You and Your Money
2. We Will Rock You (Cover: Queen)
3. London Bridge (Cover: Fergie)
4. Spread Your Wings
5. Wannabe (Cover: Spice Girls)
6. ReaL
7. Madness, Vol.2
8. Surrender
9. You Gotta Be (Cover: Des’ree)
10. Spread Your Wings (Remix)
11. Madness, Vol. 2 (D.O.I. Remix)
MiChi MadNesS is the debut indies album from England-born MiChi. It has four cover songs from different popular Western artists, and the track Surrender appeared on the FREEDOM HOUSE MODE COLLECTION compilation album. The album is in complete English, and was released on the 27th of June, 2008.
The album opens with Fuck You and Your Money, which has an edgy, heavy sound to it to fit the in your face, confrontational lyrics. While the verses have a grungier sound to them, the chorus takes a different turn and takes on a much more dance-based sound. It’s a very aggressive track either way, and it’s definitely a strong track. You never hear MiChi say the notorious “F-word” in this song, despite it being in the title, but it’s definitely in-your-face enough to make you assume that’s what her general gist is.
We now come to t he cover version of the well-known Queen song, We Will Rock You. The beginning of this cover stays closer to the original track than most of MiChi’s other covers on this album. At first, the only real difference is some extra male vocals added in at the beginning, and the female vocals from MiChi. Later on, it takes on a very different sound, speeding the song up considerably and taking on a dance-influenced sound once more, while still keeping the rock sound the original song had. It sounds strange hearing a woman sing it for once, but MiChi pulls it off well, and she definitely did this track some proper justice. I wasn’t a fan of the original, though, so I still don’t really enjoy this one.
Now we come to one of the stranger (But not the strangest) cover on this album, a new version of Fergie’s debut solo single London Bridge. While still keeping the general hip-hop sound, this song has a very different sound to it, due to the synth usage. MiChi keeps the same vocal style Fergie used, which she can actually pull off due to being fluent in English. Something about this track still bugs me, but I like this version a lot more than Fergie’s. The new twist is interesting, as well.
Spread Your Wings starts off very similarly to many western punk rock songs you may have heard back when that genre was more mainstream than the hip-hop that crowds the radios today. There are more vocal distortions used in this song than the previous tracks, which really didn’t feature any, and it’s only used on the backing vocals. While the chorus lets up a bit with its airier sound when it comes around, the drums help keep the general theme that the song started with, which helps keep it consistent. It’s another in-your-face track, and I enjoyed it a lot.
I’m going to be completely honest: I actually love MiChi’s cover of Wannabe, which I’m sure everyone here should know. It starts off with a heavy thumping beat instead of the pop sound of the original, before bringing in more of the instruments we heard in Spread Your Wings, before going into a total synth arrangement that sounds a lot more like the original. I found the original version of this song annoyingly catchy, and MiChi’s version makes me unashamed to actually say that I like a version of this song. Her voice sounds perfect for this song, and the new sound helps make the song a bit more bearable. I’m going to go so far as to say this is my favorite track up to this point.
Ah, but here’s something I love, and it’s original. ReaL opens with MiChi’s distorted voice saying “MiChi Madness”, before going into an upbeat thumping arrangement, and bringing in MiChi’s vocals alongside it. She’s trying a new vocal style here, and instead of singing the song normally, she’s doing a lot of pitch changes, which gives the song a more comical sound at first, before she takes a more level tone in the bridge and chorus. The only way I can really describe this song is club-rock, as it takes influences from both, and it works well. It has some interesting lyrics to it, such as “Let’s get naked”, which really tells you what the meaning of the song is. At the halfway mark, a marching band drum theme is brought in, and more lyrics like “So I don’t wear a skirt just to cover half my ass” and some sex-based lyrics (seriously) really make the theme of the song obvious, and help tie the song in with the title: That MiChi’s real. I mean, the rest of the lyrics make that apparent too, but still.
The next song is one I’m not so keen on. Madness, Vol. 2 is a largely music-based song, and it’s more of a dance song than anything on the album thus far has been. There are quite a few different small vocal segments throughout the song, with the most obvious one consisting of the words “MiChi Madness” once again, with more coming in as the song goes on. Constant sounds are added and removed as the song goes on to help break it up a bit, but I’m not a real fan of songs with a larger focus on the backing music, so this one didn’t really stick. Some of it isn’t too bad though.
Surrender comes in next, bringing in a sound with a lot more bass to it, and a definite club/house sound to it. I really enjoy the sound of the song, as most of the previous tracks have all included rock elements in them, which is really what helps this song set itself apart from the rest of the album. This is definitely something you’d hear in a club, with its upbeat danceable sound. It doens’t sound out of place, either, as these elements have been present in quite a few tracks as well.
The final real song, and the final cover on the album, comes in with You Gotta Be. This is definitely the closest to the original version out of all the covers, as it follows the exact same sound. MiChi’s voice sounds perfect with this upbeat R&B ballad, and I’ve always loved the soulful sound the instrumental and lyrics of the song carry, so even though I wasn’t a total fan of the original version, this is an instant favorite for me.
The first of the two remixes,the Spread Your Wings remix, is a definite step down from the original. It removes the in-your-face atmosphere and gives the song an entirely synth-based sound, which I think sounds a bit too upbeat for the song, especially when it comes to the chorus. I’d much rather stick with the original version, I’m not fond of this remix at all.
The Madness, Vol. 2 D.O.I. remix has a much more consistant club sound to it compared to the varied original version. The song still utilizes some changes in its sound to vary the overall sound though, and I actually don’t mind the sound of this remix. It was actually rather enjoyable, too.
Album Score
A+
Favorite Tracks
1. ReaL
2. You Gotta Be
3. Spread Your Wings
4. Fuck You and Your Money
5. Wannabe
What a brilliant debut! There wasn’t one downer on the whole tracklist of non-remixed tracks, and only one of the remixes wasn’t enjoyable. In fact, that was the only downer on the album. This definitely does its job well at introducing MiChi, and her blend of different sounds all work well together to keep the album interesting the whole time. Highly recommended!
Okay, I’m at it again.
I know I tend to remove artists pretty quickly after saying I’m going to feature them ( I’m too impulsive, I’m cutting down on my features now. x: ), but this one was someone I just couldn’t miss out on, for reasons you’ll see soon.
So, MiChi has been popping up on quite a few blogs lately. She’s a rather recent Japanese artist, but has had music experience beforehand. She was born in Enland in 1985, moved to Kobe, Japan at age 2, and moved back to the UK in 1995.
She was in an acoustic duo while in England, when she was 18, but she returned to Japan soon after, which is where her career really began after meeting Matsuzawa Tomokasu (Who has worked with artists like Mika Nakashima, Kato Miliyah and SOULHEAD), which is where she worked on her skills before releasing her debut album, MiChi MadNesS.
And that’s where I’ll be starting! I’ll be reviewing this debut album, as well as her debut major single, “PROMiSE”. And since she only has two releases so far, you can expect me to stick to this one. However, my internet’s encountering troubles YET AGAIN, so it may be a while til any reviews are done. Sorry, guys. ;~;
But I have the MiChi MadNesS album downloaded already, so expect that tonight.
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