We are Buono!

I was prompted to do meme/post by a friend. It's a deviantART journal meme, but I thought I'd jump-start this blog by covering one of my favorite H!P albums. Even though it was released nearly a year and a half ago, derp.

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RULES:
♫ Share your favorite album(s) from a band/artist. Include cover art, track listing, and link(s) to audio.
♫ Optional: discuss the album(s).
♫ Optional: tag people.

Weee, okay, I’m going to do my Album Prompt on Buono! (Because my goddess Momo is in it, naturally.) I only did my favorite album of theirs because I knew I had a greater chance of getting people on deviantART to give a listen if I didn't throw the entire discography at them.

Anyone reading here should probably know who Buono is, but I'm going to post how I introduced them in the original meme post anyway. Do fellow fans agree with how I presented them? Did I present our girls in a way that you think would make outsiders interested? Do I sound like I don't know what I'm talking about?! Let me know, because I really want to know the art of spreading the word about my favorite idols!

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Some background information first. Buono! is a Hello!Project super group made up of two girls from Berryz Koubou (Momo and Miya) and one girl from C-ute (Airi.) They were originally formed to sing the theme songs for the Shugo Chara anime. However, Buono! proved so successful and was such a fan-favorite, that even though the anime has ended, they are still releasing music. In fact, they have a new mini-album out later this summer!

The girls:

Momoko Tsugunaga (Momo), Age 19 -Pink- -Drums-
-- The tiny, annoyingly cute and arrogant leader!--
-- Has the nasally and sometimes high-pitched voice.--

Miyabi Natsuyaki (Miya), Age 18 -Red- -Bass-
-- The fashionable, horse-faced diva!--
-- Has a bit of a deeper voice.--

Airi Suzuki (Airin), Age 17 -Green- -Guitar-
-- The spacey genius!--
-- Has a clearer voice.--

(Note: They can’t actually play their instruments, and instead they have a live band at their concerts, Dolce. But I labeled which instruments they are associated with in photos and the time they played the opening few seconds of a song at a concert.)

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We are Buono! (3rd Studio Album)

Released: February 2010

1. One Way = My Way
2. Our Song (Music Video)
3. Independent Girl ~Dokuritsu Joshi de Aru Tame ni~
4. My Boy (Music Video)
5. Ura Hara
6. Take it Easy! (Music Video)
7. Bravo Bravo (Music Video)
8. Kataomoi
9. Blue Sky Blue
10. Koucha no Oishii Mise
11. Tabidachi no Uta
12. We are Buono! ~Buono no Theme~
YouTube Playlist of all tracks.

Like all of Buono’s albums, We are Buono! starts off fresh, happy, and up-beat with One Way = My Way. Except this time they set the tone for the entire album: with the exception of one song, all have some degree of hard rock in the instrumentals. Guitar riffs abound in this album. The songs stay hard and up-beat until the middle of the album. Even songs that sound a bit slower can’t be characterized as ballads, because they immediately pick up speed and lay on thick guitars. By the sixth track, they add a little country rock to the mix with the single, Take it Easy! (It doesn’t sound like the Eagles song, but perhaps the genre and title choice are related.)

If you are tired of their redneck side, you won’t have to suffer long, as they go back to the hard pop-rock of the beginning. This goes on until the 9th track, Blue Sky Blue which has a magical aura to prepare you for the next song.

The next song happens to be the only track that doesn’t fit into “hard rock.” Koucha no Oishii Mise is complete pop. However, it doesn’t stick out like a sore thumb. Rather, it shares 80’s influences and beautiful harmonies with its album-mates. If the album was a movie soundtrack, this would be at the end, when everything is resolved and the characters are able to sit back and relax, thinking about a bright future.

To continue the movie metaphor, the next song, Tabidachi no Uta, would play during the credits. It’s a catchy, refreshing ballad. But then the next song…

The girls pop back in to play their theme song, We are Buono! It’s a high energy punk track that sounds a bit like something from The Ramones, just with female punk sensibilities. It makes me wish that Buono! could get a cartoon like Puffy AmiYumi did. I’m sure it would be ten times more funny because of the girls’ personalities. This last track could be their best song, if only because it will always remind you of Buono! and the rest of their amazing music.

I highly recommend checking out the rest of their albums, too, if you like what you heard. They were more high-pitched in their earlier music (Buono! started when they were ages 13-15, after all) and they had a lot more cutesy tracks (but more variety), but if anything it would help you appreciate where they are now. They are a group that went from anime theme songs to a group in their own right, and became the gateway for many a new Hello!Project fan, which means they did their job and then some.


My Boy Music Video



Bravo Bravo Music Video




Check out Buono!’s official YouTube for ALL their music videos.

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I'm going to try to post here more often in the coming months. I have an idea for a blog design, and I'm thinking about covering not only H!P, but other idols. Including old ones, since I've been on a bit of an oldies kick lately. And this can be my folder on the internet for strange idol-inspired sketches...

SKA!!

I LOVE THIS.

Zukki and Eripon look a bit awkward during some of their solo shots (Zukki's wide eyed stare. OoO ) But all the girls really look amazing in this video! And Sayu... she's all levels of cute and cool. Her costume, hairstyle, poses... so what if she's not the best singer, she was fun to watch in the video. When I first became a fan of Morning Musume, I didn't really like her attitude, but now I find it really funny. It's rather silly, but I like her even more now. Because of this video. <3

The B-side of the single sounds great, too. It's not as cutesy hyper as the title track, but it's upbeat and the melody sounds neat. It's mature-sounding but not boring, which I think is an improvement over some of their recent mature songs.

So basically I'm just fangirling over the new Morning Musume. :B

*Eagerly awaiting previews of Only you!*

Fan Pandering

That is exactly what I think UpFront is doing with Hello!Project recently.

Now, I don't mean it in a negative way. I'm actually very pleased with how 2011 is turning out so far in the world of H!P. But I still see complaints, and it makes me sad, because it shows that no matter how much a company tries to answer their fans, there's still going to be a large vocal segment unhappy.

Now, why do I think they are fan pandering?

* 9th Generation is number one on the list. They added the fan favorite Riho AND made it a generation of four. So many people were waiting for another big generation after the lonely and awkward 7th and 8th generations (I still love them so much, though!)

* Foreign news blogs in English and French. Yes, they aren't stand-out quality, and we probably get our news from faster and more entertaining places, but hey, they made the EFFORT.

* They bumped up the quality of music. Or at least the catchy-factor (I probably shouldn't be trusted with the word "quality" since I rarely pay attention to the lyrics and only care if it has a hook or melody I like.) Last year, the songs were decent, but not very memorable. Whenever I try to get "Seishun Collection" in my head, my head played, "Genki Pika Pika" instead. Now it looks like Pucchi Best 12 (the one that releases at the end of THIS year) will really sound like a best of collection and not just a yearly portrait.

* Buono! finally getting another single (and hopefully more to come!) Arguably the best shuffle/sub-unit/non-main act to come out of H!P in the last couple years (aside from Koharu's anime tie-in, maybe), I suppose it wasn't that much of a surprise. But still, a lot of fans were getting worried.

* A chance for the underdogs. We're getting photobooks, solo songs, and solo DVDs by the truckloads for the idols that some were sure were going to graduate the Project long before they had a chance (like Jun Jun and Lin Lin.) Now the fans have to make good on the words of "I'll totally buy a photobook if "x" gets one" so they won't go back to only Ai, Reina, Airi, Momo, Risako, Sayumi, and Maimi.

* Happy Morning Musume. This is related to the 9th generation, but deserves its own bullet, because they could have just as easily continued with their former sad/sexy/not happy style. They're mimicking their style from the era when they were relevant. Hopefully the long wait will translate into success instead of sounding retro in a bad way. It DOES sound different from what other idols are doing currently, and it has a very distinct Momusu sound, so I do hope it will do well.



* Possible new TV show. That looks like it's aimed at more than just bored nightowls and the hardcore. It's about time. Zukki, show 'em what you're made of.


Wow, I wonder if I actually made a point with this post. Maybe the point is just this:

Good work, Hello!Project! I will support you in my own humble ways this year (Berryz CD GET~!) because I truly appreciate your effort this year and I wish the best for you in this competitive idol market. I want Morning Musume to break 100k sales again just to prove they're still awesome. :)

Anyway...

It's 5AM on MOMO'S BIRTHDAY (Happy birthday, Pinky Peach Princess/Goddess!) and POKEMON DAY (Happy day, life!) so I'll get some rest. And hopefully return next week for some sleep deprived rambling or insight or reviews. :)

What I'm looking forward to next year in H!P...

For my New Year's post (it's still January 1st somewhere), I've given a list of what I'd really like to see for Hello!Project in 2010. ^^ Most of them are so greedy, though... >_>

200- 1. More HAPPY songs!

Like with cheering and stuff. It seems only the anime units have been getting those lately, and some of the shuffle units. I'd like to see the happy creep back into the main groups, though. Not that some of the "darker" stuff isn't cool and catchy, but I would like a balance. It's not just wanting a return to the "golden era." "Yuke Yuke Monkey Dance" was doing it right.


200- 2. More anime or manga based on the girls.

Reina's getting an anime with a lead character BASED on her. I already think of most of them as living cartoon characters sometimes, so I would definitely watch an H!P based cartoon. :D

200- 3. Trading cards and dolls?

That would be so cool if they had trading cards again and dolls/figurines! I'd find those cooler than some of their current merchandise (i.e. towels... though I must admit, they are very useful for hitchhikers.) I still have a Scary Spice doll I got in the fourth grade. XD


200- 4. No more covers. Unless the licensing issues are able to be resolved.

I actually LOVE the covers, especially "Dschinghis Khan" and "Shochuu Omimai Moshiagemasu", but it sucks because then they seem to run into licensing issues overseas. I want more Hello!Project stuff to be available to fans everywhere, and Japanfiles won't sell a single track of an album if there is so much as one cover on it. Thus no C-ute albums and no Berryz 5th album... and they have some of those groups' best songs in my opinion.


200- 5. Another act comes to the US, preferably the East Coast.

Please Buono? XD But I wouldn't mind Berryz or Morning Musume. But Morning Musume should go to Europe and Berryz is going to Thailand. They could shuffle and go to a different continent each year! (Except Antarctica... no love for you. D< ) I don't think I'd have the motivation to see C-ute, S/mileage, or Mano, though.

200- 6. The new shuffles actually get releases.

The girls are busy with other projects, so the releases might only be once or twice a year. Even though I don't get singles and just wait for the albums, I know a lot of other people would enjoy single releases. And music videos. Then they'd look like a serious revamped group, not a nostalgic novelty.

200- 7. Hello!Project gets a new television show.


A variety show like Hello!Morning, but with all the girls. That would be perfect. And use Crunchyroll to broadcast it to the rest of the world. A lot of their music is catchy, but I have to admit, I would not be as big a fan as I am today if I didn't see all those clips on YouTube showing the girls' personalities.

200- 8. Morning Musume gets a ninth generation, but no one graduates.

I would have thought it would be cool having a Morning Musume about my age. But I was wrong and I really think they need more young, energetic faces again, like what Aibon, Nono, and Koha brought to Morning Musume. But with the current trend, I could see audition winners being older than usual, like Lin Lin and Jun Jun's ages when they joined Morning Musume...

Though I wouldn't mind some eggs getting tossed into Morning Musume. Karin's young but has a pretty good voice and lots of energy, and I like Sayaka's personality. I'm also warming up to Akari Saho. Mori Saki looks cute in photos, but I haven't actually heard her voice. XD

If someone graduates, I hope it's Aichan. I don't dislike her, but I find her boring. Morning Musume would lose a great voice, but I'm a bit selfish in that I would like to see a Gaki-led/Kamei sub-led generation. :3

200- 9. Buono! actually gets official US releases outside of iTunes.

I wish I could get Buono's latest stuff from Japanfiles. Personally, I think Buono is the GREATEST thing to come out of Hello!Project. >_> I think they've even surpassed my love of W. But I dislike iTunes because they sell a format that is not compatible with my old mp3 players, and I'm not going to get something expensive like an iPod or Zune just to listen to Buono on the go. I'll be patient and get the physical releases instead if I have to, and just rip them. (I got both their albums for my birthday, so now I have most of their songs.) But I would much rather support domestic releases! So far I have Japanfiles' pressings of Platinum 9 DISC and Sadistic Dance!

I won't support singles, though, unless they are super cheap like Wonder Girls' Nobody (which ironically I can't get because they are always sold out at Justice.) 12 bucks for three tracks, even as a physical release, just isn't worth it. :\ 5 bucks... maybe. I still prefer to just get the album. But Buono is definitely a group I wouldn't mind eventually investing extra money into just for collector's sake, but only when I actually have money to burn. :(

20- 10. Momo takes over the universe.

Just speeding up the inevitable.



Yes Momo, send out your armies of perverted princes on horses and secure your rightful place as empress of the universe.


I hope everyone has a great 2010! :D

Kimagure Pirate, err, Princess 8D

So, the radio rip for Morning Musume's newest single came out and I'm super excited! :D

Have a listen before we go on?



So, the first thing I thought with the instrumental was... Pirates!! I really adore the instrumental this time. It's update and it sounds kind of exotic. But why does it remind me of pirates? Well, in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turles IV for the Super Nintendo, there is background music that sounds familiar. I associated it with the pirate level, but it turns out really to be the train level:



I loved that game. :'D And yes, I've seen previews of the Xbox360 version, but I don't have that console. I prefere sticking to my handhelds anyway.

Back on topic, the vocal melodies don't impress me as much. Without the energetic backing track, it would seem as unremarkable to me as their latest two singles (I thought Nanchatte Renai was an improvement, though) and the chipmunk parts remind me of Egao YES Nude, which I also didn't like that much.

The older half of Morning Musume seems featured heavily as usual, with Eri playing a larger part than usual. That's good, but I kind of wish that the 8th generation would start getting at least one solo line in the newer singles. Aika got solo lines when she first became a member, and even though she's gotten better, she seems left out now. And I'm also one of those people that think LinLin should be one of the main vocals in all singles, accent or not.

Overall, though, this single looks like a turning point! Morning Musume is always changing their style, and while this single is still very familiar to the latest songs (I also get a bit of a pre-Aruiteru 2006 vibe with Kimagure as well), this could possibly be the signal of another shift.

I hope a new audition is announced soon, now that I've heard this. Fresh blood might infuse that youthful spark that the 3rd and 4th generations added to old school Morning Musume. Not that I don't find the current Momusu interesting. I think it's cool that almost all the members are college age like me, but if that means Momusu is going to continue with a mature image... I just want them to be weird and fun, like when I first fell in love with their music! (Please don't tell me that is Berryz' job, because even though Berryz did Yuke Yuke Monkey Dance last year, Berryz is catching up in age with Morning Musume and C-ute has been more mature than cute lately, too. Good music, just not as fun.)

Momusu has touched American soil!

This afternoon I found out Morning Musume has finally landed in America for Anime Expo (which starts tomorrow/today... it's late XD)!!

This is a big day for American Hello!Project fans~ I feel sad that I can't be there, but I live on the other side of the country and I have trouble just affording going to university. >_> Despite the distance, though, I still feel excited!!!

People have been uploading videos of the Musume's arrival, like this one:




(lol orange for Eri support...)

Okay, so it's not like The Beatles coming to America (*shakes finger at American radio stations that only promote the same 10 songs every hour or so*... it's too bad Morning Musume couldn't have had more promotion here...) But! All those screaming fans surely made Morning Musume realize that there are people in America that know about them and do care passionately about them! Hopefully this reaction encourages more goodies for American fans (like maybe a full tour, more physical releases of their albums, T-shirts... action figures. XD)