3 posts tagged “matsuura aya”
So I wake and check the news in the Hello! Project world, to see that half of Hello! Project is graduating in March.
What...!? Its not as though some of their graduations weren't expected (Nakazawa, Melon, Yasuda), but did they ALL have to graduate??
Even the young'uns on Ongaku Gatas are graduating...!
And Yossieeeee D: D: D: And Abe! and Matsuura!!! and...everyone....
I really honestly, do not know how to react. I don't think this big of a graduation has ever happened within Hello! Project, or other idol groups for that matter. This must be sad for them too. Some of them have spent literally 10 years within Hello! Project, and now they have to look for some other label to continue their career (or start a quieter life).
And what will happen of the new unit HANGRY&ANGRY? I guess they must be a one-shot group.
...At this point in time, my guess is that the more popular girls (Abe, Fujimoto, Matsuura, Melon Kinenbi, Ongaku Gatas (?)) Will release one last single before March, as a good bye.
But after March...I have no idea. I can see Matsuura, Fujimoto, Abe, Yossie, Ishikawa, the younger Gatas, and maybe Yaguchi getting a new sort of career and being sort of successful in the future. I don't know about the others, though. D:
It is a sad day...
Another late review...I probably wont be on time with a review until winter break, or at least, until the end of the Marching Season (Which is going to end soon, if you care). This review is on Matsuura Aya's fourth album, Double Rainbow. Seeing double rainbows is fun, so listening to Matsuura's Double Rainbow should be enjoyable too, right? We'll have to see what I think of it after I'm done reviewing!
1. Ima wa Let It Be
First off, I'd like to say how much I like Ayaya's voice. Its so nice sounding, no matter what kind of song she sings. She truly is very talented. Now...This song...its kind of boring. Not a bad opener, but there could have been something catchy that will make you want to listen to the rest of the album. Its certainly a nice song to listen to...and thats all it is to me. Its not the best first impression, but it does leave you in hopes that the rest of the album will be more exciting.
2. HAPPY TO GO!
What a complete difference! This song is incredibly catchy and...happy, if you couldn't tell by the title. Its constantly stuck in my head. It has a good tune that you just want to dance to. The very beginning is the best part in my opinion, but the whole song is fun. It makes up for the boringness of "Ima wa Let It Be". :D
3. Soulmate
Okay...the voices at the beiginning creep me out for some reason, but the rest of the song is nice. It has a smooth tone throughout the song. It makes me want to rock my head back and forth. There really isn't much to say about the song, except that the voice at the begining (I finally made the connection!) remind me of voices from one of the songs from the original Bust A Groove (ps1)...heheh.
4. Double Rainbow
Another ballad!? I thought Ayaya did enough of those, but I guess not! Que Aburrido! (How Boring!) The song itself is nice and all. Its pleasant to the ear and Ayaya's voice continues to leave a good impression on me. But...it bugs me. Why wont Hello! Project give her more fun songs anymore? This song made my opinion of the album go down some. Hopefully the next song will help it!
5. Blue Bird
Ah, good. A lighter song. Its stil a bit boring, as if Double Rainbow leaves a lasting impression of boringness. Haha, anyway, the song isn't very catchy, but sort of fun sounding. I really like the chorus, Ayaya's voice really seems to shine during it in this song. :D
6. Kaze ni Makasete
Even Better! This song causes Ayaya to shine even more than Blue Bird. I swear she could sing off-key throuhout a whole song and her voice would still sound nice to me. I like Kaze ni Makasete. It feels like a song I would want to sing if I were to do Karaoke. Similar to HAPPY TO GO!, this song makes me hopeful for the songs to come.
7. Suna wo Kamu You ni...NAMIDA
Like HAPPY TO GO!, this song is constantly stuck in my head. Its a very pretty, sad, song. The way Ayaya expresses emotion when singing is great. It always has its way in making me think "Ah, this is such a nice song." even if its boring. Not to say that this song is boring, but I think it wouldn't be as pretty if someone else were to sing it. Its a great song for her :D
8. Toudai
Ooo, I vibraphone sounding-thing! Its probably a synthsizer-y-piano. I like those. They sound cool. It makes the sound have a calm but strong feel. At least...I think so. The Chorus is the best, theres a good transition between the verse and chorus, I really like it. The song gives me chills, its so pretty! I'll say it now: I prefer the second half of this album to the first. Which isn't great, but yay for the second-half!
9. Hikkosenai Kimochi
By far my favorite song on the album. It just...sounds so....good. I know, weak wording, but I don't know how else to put it! The instruments used were perfect for this song, they all match the theme and feel of the song perfectly. And my goodness, Ayaya's voice is so much more powerful than all of the past songs on this album! It feels like shes really conveying emotion. Its great! Hikkosenai Kimochi leaves a great impression. While it could have been used earlier in the album, it was good surprise :D
10. Onna Day By Day
Ah, how nice, a "feel-good" sounding song to almost wrap-up the album. Its my second favorite song on the album, it makes me happy that another boring ballad didn't follow Hikkosenai Kimochi (XD) It has a great opening, it makes me want to dance right from the beginning!
11. Egao
If you want to know my feelings on this song you can read my post about it, or simply put "Its a nice song, but I want something more powerful and everlasting as the last song to Matsuura's Album :("
Overall, um... the second-half and some of the songs are good! See, ballads don't have to neccesarily be boring, but when there just isn't much going on in them...thats when good ballads go bad (dun dun dunnnn). I'd rate this album a 6.5/10. It would have gotten more point had they mixed the songs better....
Before I start writing about Ayaya's new single, I would like to say that I apologize for not getting this up sooner. I was overwhelmed with "Oh noes school is coming! And I have to get into Geometry! I HAVE toooo!!!" and the nice anime Code Geass. I am not distracted now, though! I will try my hardest to be more timely with my reviews! :D
I was so happy when I heard Ayaya was coming out with a new single...I couldn't wait! When Dohhh Up uploaded the PV, I watched it immediately. I wasn't disappointed, but I got just about what I was expecting. Ayaya's "Egao" is certainly a pleasant song, but I guess I was expecting more from Ayaya. Then again, she hasn't gotten much publicity other than GAM musically for while...maybe I was hoping for a crazy come back? Anyway, back to the review!
The Song:
First off, I'd like to say that its a very pretty song, like Itoshiki Tomo e. The lyrics are nice too...but I don't have a lot say about them, since my Japanese Skillz aren't as amazing as they should be. The song seems gentle and sad, but maybe its a little...hopeful, too. Ayaya's voice still impresses me, which I am incredibly grateful for. I usually loose interest in some of my favorite idols because they get shoved to the back corner :(
Anyway, this song is very pleasing to the ear. If you haven't gotten a chance to listen to it yet, I highly recommend it. While it might not be amazing, its still good ol' Ayaya!
The PV:
Like the song, the PV seems to represent my interpretation of the song perfectly! Ayaya seems very lonely and sad throughout the PV, but the flower she holds almost seems like its supposed to symbolize hopefulness, as if she wont be lonely forever. The PV is extremely simple and sort of reminds me of Nacchi's "Too Far Away ~Onna no Kokoro~" but with a bit more complexity. As I hope you can tell, I like this PV :D
Note: I haven't gotten around to listening to the c/w to this, so I wont be reviewing it.
Overall:
This is a nice song and a nice PV, but about what I was expected. And yet, I was expecting it at the same time, since all of the Solo Artist's ('cept Koharu) have been coming out with ballads lately. Mind you, I liked Nacchi's release, but not so much Gomaki's....Anyway~ Overall, I'm going to say that this song is about a 9/10.
