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…Well.
Well.
WELL.
The song is excellent. There’s nothing I can say against it. I love it. Always have.
So, all I can say to this is… What the HELL did they do?!
The song is the same. That’s not the issue here. The issue is this GOD AWFUL VIDEO MADE UP OF RANDOM JAPANESE IDIOTS DRESSED IN WORK-OUT GEAR SHAKING THEIR GOD DAMN ASSES AT A CAMERA THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN INCINERATED INSTEAD OF FILMING THIS SHIT.
Okay, well, maybe they were good out of context. But why the HELL is Saori absent from this piece of shit?! All you get is a shot of the COVER of the album with some random people working out inside the WOW WAR TECHNO sign, and her promo looking at some random buffed up idiots in the most PERVERTED manner possible when still shots are included.
AND YES. THIS IS THE REAL VIDEO. IT’S EVEN PROMOTED ON HER GOD DAMN SITE.
Honestly, I’m shocked. Outraged. Disappointed. I mainly only made this so I could bitch at them for THINKING this would make a good first PV for Saori.
And if she approved of this shit, my respect for her has been knocked down a few notches. I can’t even LAUGH at how stupid this PV is.
Please, someone, come and prove to me that this isn’t a real PV. I can’t imagine they would release something like this and act as if they were truly serious about it being used to promote a video. ESPECIALLY when the PV has a video player outline around it for the WHOLE DURATION.
Heaven forbid her next PV is like this, too…
Song Score
A+
PV Score
F-
Overall Score
F-
I’m sorry if someone who liked the video came here, read this and got offended by what I’ve said. I really am. But in all honesty, someone needs to be FIRED for this shit. Right now. Hell, even if it’s Saori who did it all, fire her now and save us from seeing this happen with her next release.
Tracklisting
1) WOW WAR TECHNO
2) Breathe Breathe Breathing
3) EZ DO DANCE
4) Lost
5) Spiral
6) Yowamushi Heart
7) Stainless Starlight
8) Breathe Breathe Breathing (spring breeze rmx)
WOW WAR TECHNO is Saori’s second album release, and her first mini-album. It had one digital release single to promote it, featuring the title track and Stainless Starlight. A PV was also made for the song WOW WAR TECHNO, but it shall not be mentioned here for the horrible evils and blasphemies it contains. It was released on the 18th of March, 2009.
And we open with the good old, familiar WOW WAR TECHNO. Absolutely nothing has changed, and frankly, I’m very happy with that fact. It’s the same upbeat, vocal sampling dance track it was back on the digital single. The man saying “Wuh Wah” and trying to pass it for the words Wow and War CAN be a bit grating, I will admit, but the rest of the synths and Saori’s vocals sound great. I still love it.
WOW, DEJA VU. Breathe Breathe Breathing will instantly sound familiar to you capsule fans, as it takes quite a bit from two songs from their latest album, the title track More! More! More! and Adventure. Don’t expect a cover or anything, the perky, upbeat synths are just very reminiscent of the two tracks, and I couldn’t be happier about that, because it fits Saori perfectly. I commend Terukado for including that acoustic guitar throughout the whole song, as it gave it a nice natural feel among all the electronic chaos, and that solo it gets at the very end is a great way to end a great song.
And here we have what I like to dub “The best track on the album”. EZ DO DANCE, a cover of the TRF song of the same name, is exactly what I like to hear out of aggressive techno. Okay, maybe that isn’t EXACTLY true, but the grungy synths and fast pace give the song a nice energetic feel, while keeping it from being as perky as the last track. It removes the 80s cheese that was in the original vocals, as well as the horrible backing vocals I was never too fond of, and makes it an enthralling techno song that I, at least, probably won’t be able to stop listening to for ages.
Now comes the 80s inspired track, Lost. It’s not COMPLETELY 80s, but you can hear a bit of an influence in there, with the odd, out-of-context synths and Saori’s repetitive vocals against the “Hoo” sample we’re all going to recognize from WOW WAR TECHNO, the song. Honestly, I wasn’t too fond of this track for quite a while, but after hearing a 320k quality version in full length has helped it grow on me a bit. The chorus just seems odd to me, but in an interesting way.
Spiral surprises us by kicking in with aggressive synths and drum beats that seem reminiscent of a nice, all-out dance song before turning into Breathe Breathe Breathing part 2. That’s not a bad thing at all, and I’m enjoying the similar atmosphere this song has to BBB, yet I’m also thankful for the synths, odd little reversed sections and all. It’s not AS good, but it’s definitely a keeper.
WHY, HELLO, AIRA, I DIDN’T KNOW YOU WERE COLLABORATING WITH SAO– No, nevermind. I was just confused, because Yowamushi Heart sounds like EVERY FREAKING BALLAD Aira Mitsuki has ever done. And I am NOT happy with that. On a dance-oriented mini-album (or so they claimed), a ballad is NOT a fitting track. It should have been LEFT OUT, and thrown in as a second-thought b-side on Aira’s next album. Hatred of Aira ballads aside, I rather like how Saori’s clearer, deeper vocals work with this song, so that’s a plus. But no, this cookie cutter synth is not cutting it for me.
REJOICE! Stainless Starlight comes in, and THE VOCALS ARE ACTUALLY CLEAR! The only reason I didn’t like the single version was because it ruined the atmosphere by overpowering Saori’s voice to the max and making it a real chore to listen to overall. Thankfully, it was just the mp3 quality, and in reality, Stainless Starlight is just as catchy and infectious as the original preview made it seem. The spacey, out-there synths make it a great listen, and the chaotic synths keep it from getting dull. Bravo~
And unfortunately we go to hell with the last track, the Breathe Breathe Breathing spring breeze rmx. Honestly, I would’ve pegged this as a SUMMER remix. You know what this is? Reggae-Tek. The bastard child of Reggae and Techno. I rather like the intro to the song, actually, because I personally LIKE Reggae if it’s done right. However, when Saori’s voice comes in, it’s sped up to the MAX and is dulled down so much that the MELLOW Reggae beats actually DROWN IT OUT! Reggae and Techno should not mix, I’ll pass, thanks.
Album Score
B-
Favorite Tracks
1) EZ DO DANCE
2) Breathe Breathe Breathing
3) Stainless Starlight
4) WOW WAR TECHNO
Well, despite Yowamushi Heart and the Breathe Breathe Breathing spring breeze rmx bringing the album down, I’d say we’re onto a winner! Overall, it was a very engaging package, and definitely worth a listen for any Techno fans out there. If you’re too used to Perfume, you may not like Saori and her less pop, more techno music and near-monotonous vocals, but if you come in with an open mind and a love of Techno (And maybe Aira Mitsuki), you should definitely enjoy this. IT NEEDS TO BE LONGER THOUGH! Also, this album definitely brings Saori’s “Japanese Trickster” or the “Chaotic such-and-such of Techno” title to life. I can’t remember WHAT they called her, but it had to do with JAPANESE CHAOS, and calling her music chaotic in some way. Well, now I see why, and I rather enjoy that fact, too.
Yep, I removed the preview review, but feel free to enjoy the previews!
Preview 1: EZ DO DANCE & Lost
Preview 2: WOW WAR TECHNO & Breathe Breathe Breathing
Preview 3: Spiral & Yowamushi Heart
Preview 4: Stainless Starlight and Breathe Breathe Breathing (spring breeze rmx)
Tracklisting
1) WOW WAR TECHNO
2) Stainless Starlight
WOW WAR TECHNO is Saori@destiny’s fourth overall single, and her second iTunes single (one was released before JAPANESE CHAOS including chemical soda and Shangri-la, but I didn’t know about it before reviewing the album). It was the first single in the WOW WAR TECHNO (Which is also the name of her upcoming mini-album) era, and also the only single. It was released on the 11th of February, 2009.
It’s obvious right away that WOW WAR TECHNO is a huge departure from Saori’s usual material. First of all, isntead of the older, almost 8-bit style, WOW WAR TECHNO is a dance song, almost straight up. It’s actually rather capsule-ish, with its use of stock vocals for the “WOW WAR” section of the title being repeated. It features many different changes in its sound throughout the song, such as different sections of looping, and an extremely infectious clapping loop near the beginning of the song that goes with the stock vocals. There’s also an odd rewinding section just a bit after the halfway mark. it’s an easy song to dance to, and it’s definitely a good change from her previous works. Surprisingly, the end of the song takes it down a few octaves, like some songs usually do, but Saori’s never seem to. it sounds a lot like the whole song, and the beginning of the song mixed together. This was also the preview we were given before release, so it sounds kind of odd hearing it closing the song.
Stainless Starlight is more of a throwback to her older style, as it sounds a bit more techno-like. It has a loud, spacey, rather disjointed arrangement, and Saori’s voice is rather low and echoing. Unfortunately, this means she ends up being extremely overpowered by the arrangement during the chorus, but you can still kind of hear what she’s singing. Really, I’m not sure how reliable this rip is, but when an iTunes rip comes out (if that’s even possible), I’ll edit this and say if it’s any better. However, if not, I will say that while Saori is a bit too overpowered for her own good, to the point that much of the song sounds unnatural, it is a great song to listen to. It just isn’t as good as it could have been.
Single Score
A-
Favorite Track
WOW WAR TECHNO
I am REALLY glad Saori decided to release a dance mini-album. This single has definitely raised my hopes for it, and Saori works well with the genre. Stainless Starlight is a little bit lacklustre with its faults, but overall, I really think Saori could pull off this more mature sound. Plus it’s nice to hear something a little less like outright techno.
Tracklisting
1) Shangri-La
2) Sayonara Revival (サヨナラリヴァイバル, lit. Goodbye Revival)
3) My Boy (New Vocal Styling Mix)
4) chemical soda
5) My Way
6) Perfect Wonder Girl (パーフェクト・ワンダーガール)
7) sakura
8) 0 No Mahou to Hisuterikkusunaipaa (0の魔法とヒステリックスナイパー; lit. Magic Zero and Hysteric Sniper)
9) Hikari Syndrome (ヒカリ・シンドローム; lit. Light Syndrome)
10) Sayonara Revival (DENPA rmx)
JAPANESE CHAOS is the debut album from upcoming J-Tek artist, Saori@destiny. The track, Shangri-La, is a cover of a song by the same name from the band Denki Groove. There was also a special iTunes single released to promote the album, featuring the tracks Shangri-La and chemical soda. It was released on the 19th of November, 2008.
The opening track, Shangri-La, opens the album with an interesting arrangement that sounds almost traditional with some of the background sounds. It’s not outright, but there’s a hint of it. The verses of the song are rather quiet, containing only the main backing track, but the chorus synth slowly gains volume until it freaks out at the bridge, turning into something more like the opening of the song. While it’s not a fast song by any means, it does have energy, and it’s the best choice for a title track they could’ve made.
And the second track was my favorite from her singles~ Sayonara Revival was the b-side to the second single from this album, “sakura”, and it would be the first time a b-side has been my favorite single song in an era, literally. It has a rather repetitive sound in its synth, using a lot of the same sounds over and over again, without as much variety as you’d hear from other artists. I suppose it’s all repetitive, but it sticks out like a sore thumb in this song. With another artist, it would kill the song, but Saori’s vocals and the way they’re altered fit the song perfectly, making it just that much better. Oddly enough, it’s the bridge that sticks out in this song, the chorus.
Now we have the a-side from Saori’s first single… But also, we don’t. Maybe? Honestly, I can’t see anything different in the My Boy (New Vocal Styling Mix), and I’m wondering if it’s something blatantly obvious that I’m missing. I know the arrangement would most likely be the same (which it is), but the vocals are pretty much exactly the same, if not maybe a bit cleaner. This was the most upbeat song from Saori’s singles (save the Destiny’s War remix), and while originally it was just in front of the b-side from this single (which didn’t make the album), it’s definitely grown on me now, but it’s stil not a favorite.
Now we come to a faster song, chemical soda. The song starts with a looping beep synth, with Saori singing in a low-volume, with higher beeping coming in after her vocal line. I absolutely love how it sounds, and the first verse itself sounds similar. Saori’s voice is louder here, but it’s still drowned by the synth, which suits the song. The longer connected synth in the chorus gives this section of the song a much more joined atmosphere, and helps it stand out. While her voice can get somewhat loud near the end (TOO loud), it’s nothing unbearable. It’s too catchy to be bothered by that. The drum use and proper end to the song was awesome, too.
We now come to our first truly new song, My Way. It features a loud disjointed synth, with a much more familiar backing synth to it, but the almost 8-bit sound to the opening synth that lingers in the background helps give it a bit of an individual twist for Saori, as do her vocals. It almost sounds like some wind instruments were used and distorted later on in the song, which was great to hear. This is a case where sticking to your sound can get a bit repetitive, which I wasn’t happy to hear, but it’s still an alright song. The opening and closing synth still sounds great.
We now have another brand spanking new song, Perfect Wonder Girl. It features a similar style to My way in the verses, with the familiar synth and original background music, but the chorus is extremely catchy thanks to the manner in which Saori sings it. It’s not exactly done differently, but the lyrics do help make it a lot catchier. The instrumental after the chorus is the main instrumental section that sticks out, and it was also used in the opening and throughout the song after that. This is one of my preferred new tracks on the album. Side note, the song ends with the beginning of sakura, which is the next track, so basically they flow flawlessly from one into the other.
After two new songs, we come to the second single, sakura, which was where Saori truly started to show her talent. This song has a much more natural sound, with the piano sounds being the main focus of the opening. That’s probably why Saori’s distorted voice sounds so out of place, but the synth that slowly comes in makes her voice fit better, and the sparkling accompanying synth that dominates the chorus helps it work a lot better. The whole song is very sparkly, yet not exactly upbeat either. It wasn’t my favorite single track, but it was the better of the two a-sides, and still one of the better single tracks overall anyway.
Now we come to another new song, 0 No Mahou To Hisuterikkusunaipaa. With the words “Hysteric Sniper” being in the title, I sort of expected the song to be one of the faster songs on the album, but it actually carries quite a few similarities to sakura, though without the more natural sounds to it and a slightly heavier techno feel. It even kept a bit of the sparkling sound. This is probably the only track on the album that bored me, but the short section near the end where Saori suddenly becomes louder and the synth follows suit is rather interesting. But after that, it’s the same as before.
The final proper track on the album is next. Hikari Syndrome again features a similar sound to ’sakura’, but this time it’s mainly just how connected it sounds in comparison to the other arrangements, instead of being an actual knock-off. The main focus of the first verse is actually Saori singing along to ambient sounds, before some more synth comes in just before the chorus. The chorus itself has a quiet sound to it still, but it’s considerably faster compared to the verses, which I thought was an interesting contrast. Once again, the chorus instrumental sounds great, which seems to be a semi-continuous theme in the album. The rest of the verses after this point are actually a lot closer to the chorus than I thought they were, which is good to hear, as it’s definitely a saving factor of this song. It’s not that the song would be bad without it, it’s just that I can’t really imagine Saori doing a song like that. It just wouldn’t suit her style, but maybe she’ll surprise us soon and do it anyway, eh?
The final song on the album is probably the most surprising. The Sayonara Revival (DENPA rmx) is absolutely full of energy, and is without a doubt the fastest song on the album. As the remix tag suggests, the song has a real denpa feel to it, and Saori’s vocals are distorted to the hilt, to the level which I’m sure many would consider a chipmunk sound, when we’re being nice. The transition from the chorus to the main backing track without the original instrumental after it was kind of upsetting, but either way. The second chorus and the section before are a bit quieter, but no slower, which sounds brilliant, amazingly, with this style. It’s an extremely hectic song, and Saori barely sounds like herself, but I love it to bits. If this is denpa, I can see myself listening to more.
Album Score
A+
Favorite Tracks
1. Perfect Wonder Girl
2. Sayonara Revival (DENPA rmx)
3. Shangri-La
4. chemical soda
5. Sayonara Revival
Well, the wait for this album was absolutely UNBEARABLE, but it was definitely worth it. The singles were nowhere near a proper indication of Saori’s main style, and the album itself came out sounding better than many of the other Tek albums I’ve heard this year, mainly because of how different it sounds compared to the others. It’s actually probably not even entirely a Tek album, as it sounds a lot like Saori is supposed to be aimed towards the denpa crowds as well. Either way, it was absolutely brilliant, and despite being a bit too short for my tastes, I can without a doubt recommend this album, especially since only one song was really lacklustre.
Tracklisting
1. sakura
2. Sayonara Revival (サヨナラリヴァイバル lit. Goodbye Revival)
3. Destiny’s War (connects since mix)
4. sakura (digital mp-3 mastering mix)
5. Sayonara Revival (Instrumental) (サヨナラリヴァイバル lit. Goodbye Revival)
sakura is Saori@destiny’s second single, and her first major release under the D-Topia Inc. label with producer Oonishi Terukado. (I think, at least, I can’t find any info on this single.) It was released on the 26th of March, 2008.
sakura opens with a much simpler sound, with nothing but the sound of a piano with a few synth lines eventually thrown in. I like to call this Saori’s “Darling Wondering Staring”, because a beautiful opening is ruined by a horribly vocoded line. Later on during the song, however, it all works a lot better. The song has a natural feeling to it compared to My Boy, because of the lasting piano that’s playing in the background. However, the synth eventually overtakes it all. Even Saori’s singing, to an extent. It’s a definite improvement over her debut, as it sounds much better produced.
Next up is Sayonara Revival, which some people may remember from the BEAUTIFUL TECHNO compilation album, which I also reviewed. This song opens quickly with the vocals and minimal synth, but it has a different sound compared to the rest of her songs, as it hasn’t got the pop aftertaste they have, and it sounds a bit heavier in comparison because of that omition. It focuses on the repetitive, thumping synth line, and Saori’s once again vocoded singing fits the song perfectly. It’s a song that would be easy to dance to if it came on in a club or party or something, and it’s catchy as well. This is probably the song that impressed me most from Saori out of both of these singles, and I think it would’ve done well as an a-side. It fitted in well on BEAUTIFUL TECHNO, too.
The Destiny’s War (connects since mix) closes the single, and all I can say is: Where the hell is the original? The speeding, pop-influenced track is highly reminiscent of the My Boy remix, which was also a connects since one, but I feel it comes off a better track overall. The vocals are vocoded in odd ways at times, but it all works well with the fast pace of the song. I highly enjoyed this remix, but I would’ve loved to hear the original somewhere in these two singles, and I can’t seem to find it anywhere else as it is.
Single Score
A
Favorite Track
Sayonara Revival
Now THIS is much better! Compared to her debut release, this is a huge improvement. Despite having the same producer as one Aira Mitsuki, I was amazed to hear that overall, there wasn’t a huge similarity in their sounds, as there seems to be with another producer. (I’m looking at you, Nakata.) This single definitely left a better impression, and it’s left me really looking forward to the release of JAPANESE CHAOS.
Tracklisting
1. My Boy (Original Mix)
2. Our Telepathy (Original Mix)
3. My Boy (connects since mix)
4. My Boy (mp3専用デジタルマスタリングver.)
5. My Boy (Instrumental)
“My Boy” is Saori@destiny’s debut single, and was distributed as an indies single. It was released on the 5th of December, 2007.
My Boy begins with many beeps playing over and over, with the stable synth line being played over them. Saori’s vocals come in relatively quickly, and you can instantly tell that she has a deeper register compared to most of the younger J-Tek artists. And while this is a nice change from units and artists such as Perfume and Aira Mitsuki, her debut has some obvious glitches in it. After the interesting opening, the vocals seem to come in on a wrong note, and a similar mishap occurs when the chorus comes in a few octaves higher than it probably should have. These do tend to break any form of continuity or sense of flowing that a better produced song would have had, and that overall makes the track less enjoyable. It was a nice try, but it could have been a lot better.
Our Telepathy then comes in with a thumping beat, and a much quicker overall sound, followed by Saori’s distorted and chopped ad-libbing. The transition from the intro to the vocals works a lot better this time, but there are still a few pitch glitches between Saori’s voice and the backing synth, but it’s not as noticeable as it was in My Boy. The verse to chorus transition is perfect for this song, but Saori tends to follow the same tone throughout the song, and there isn’t much change. These problems are a lot more forgiveable than the ones that were present in the a-side, but again, it could have been produced a bit better overall.
The My Boy (connects since mix) comes in as the last actual track on the single. It’s at a much faster tempo than either of the previous songs, and the synths have been jazzed up a bit to show this change. Honestly, all it sounds like they’ve done is sped the song up so that it matches Our Telepathy better than the normal version did. I mean, with that much of a minimal change, there isn’t much you can say about it, and the glitches that were present in the original still tend to show. The synth hides it a bit better, but it’s still there.
Single Score
D+
Favorite Track
Our Telepathy (Original Mix)
So, overall, her debut wasn’t as strong as it could’ve been, and some bad producing choices made the overall sound come down a bit, which is a shame. You could always blame it on the fact that this single is an indies release, I guess, and that seems to be a valid point. It’s not terrible, but it could have been a lot better.
Back from the obscurity once again. But after making an interesting discovery, I decided I have another artist I need to feature.
So, I don’t think many people know about this artist, but Saori@destiny is another fairly new J-Tek artist, who happens to be produced by Oonishi Terukado and is on the D-Topia Entertainment label, JUST LIKE AIRA MITSUKI~ And once again, despite the vocoders, her voice manages to sound different from everyone else in this genre.
Now, I haven’t heard much of her music, apart from Sayonara Revival from the BEAUTIFUL TECHNO compilation (so you can see my review of it there), but despite what I said in the review (I can’t remember if I hated it or liked it. xD), I love it now, and I’ve just discovered that she’s releasing an album on the 19th of November. All I have to say is, WHAT THE HELL IS WITH THAT DAY?!?! That’s two albums and a single coming out on the 19th of November! All of which I have to review! D:
Anyway, watch out for reviews of her two singles “My Boy” and “sakura”, as well as a review of her upcoming debut album “JAPANESE CHAOS” when it comes out on the 19th. Along with reviews of Perfume’s “Dream Fighter” and capsule’s “More! More! More!”, of course.
On the capsule note, I decided I’m going to start from an earlier era. I’d love to go back and start at “Cutie Cinema Replay” or “Phony Phonic”, but that’s way too far, so I’ll most likely start at Sugarless GiRL or FLASH BACK. Most likely the latter.
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