All Reviews (133)

1. Aside from the completeness of the sound, the intent behind the sound was interesting. 2. The genre makes a convincing case for why it needs to be Vocaloid. 3. I think structural shortcomings ultimately result in narrative shortcomings. As a Korean listener who listens to the Korean Vocaloid scene rather than the Japanese Vocaloid scene, I believe the reason lies in Korean lyrics and sentiments (similar to K-hip-hop). However, that aspect was lacking. 4. I liked the last track. However, I'm not sure if it was enough to sustain the whole album, or above all, if it was worth the wait.

I wrote down my subjective impressions while trying to understand the worldbuilding across all tracks. Personally, I think it was an album structure that gives great courage to go on living. It's a long piece of writing filled with many personal views, so if you feel like it, please check it out while listening to the album. https://posty.pe/pq0nkqfc

Weary songs of a musician who ran away, hiding a face smeared with mayonnaise

Please, seriously, waves of emotion are crashing over me. It's really good, so good, truly good, yes this is it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You really, really have to listen to this, nobody should miss out on it, seriously.

An orchestra played by gathered memories, a revolving lantern

Is this loneliness numbness or a refreshing chill? A collection of cold sounds.

Although it's a short 17-minute EP, it really feels like a lot of effort went into the intro and outro. Perhaps because of the album cover, but the overwhelming thrill of setting off into battle in the first track, the loneliness coming from mechanical sounds in the middle, and the sensation brought by the beautiful piano melody and relaxing tension in the final track feel like they comfort this entire journey. Despite its light and easy-to-listen length, it leaves a wonderful lingering impression.

Shoegaze and Vocaloid make a surprisingly great combination. Shoegaze mainly uses quiet, delicate vocals that are barely audible, which almost completely eliminates the sense of artificiality between Vocaloid and human vocals. In fact, I think Vocaloid can play a bigger role than human vocals when it comes to delivering a dreamlike feel. I believe this is why shoegaze is slowly but surely finding its place in the Vocaloid scene. This album fully utilizes these strengths of Vocaloid, turning the wall-of-sound guitar noise of shoegaze and Miku's vocals into something that feels like a cool yet humid summer breeze, evoking even a somewhat bittersweet emotion. In tracks like 'Nostalgia' and '海岸線', the active use of piano sounds to add to the album's atmosphere also stands out. Keeping the running time short also relieves ear fatigue that could otherwise spoil the fun. However, in the case of 'サマーゲイザー', while the cool Shimokita-kei sound was nice, it's hard to call it shoegaze, and it's unfortunate that its cohesion with the previous track falls short. Overall, it might not be seen as a pure shoegaze album, but instead, it lowers the barrier to entry by blending lighter sounds so that people new to shoegaze can appreciate its charm relatively easily. For this reason, I think it's a highly recommended album for getting into the Mikugaze genre. Best Track: Nostalgia, CURE

It captures glitchiness well relying solely on the coldness inherent to vocal synthesis engines, without extreme sound distortion. The quiet yet cute artificial vocal tuning is charming. Toward the second half of the album, the noise clashes get quite intense, but since it's a short album around 22 minutes long, it shouldn't be too problematic to listen to. One disappointing point was that in tracks 3 and 4, the mood suddenly darkens and gives off a strong drill vibe, which feels severely out of place—to the point where the signature heavy bass sounds like fart noises. Maybe I felt that way because track 2 was so good. Of course, since it connects with track 2's outro, it isn't a completely illogical structure. Because it's a turning point that flips the album's mood and enters a new phase, this kind of chaos might actually appeal to others.

Seriously, please, I wish more songs like this would come out. It captured the K-pop feel so well, and above all, I loved how it nailed that 2000s vibe. No really, listening to it feels like eating malatang, taking a dump, and feeling completely relieved!

It was refreshing because it felt like a 2000s female idol group like Girls' Generation or SISTAR done with Vocaloid. Above all, Gumi is cute.

Occasionally, there are artists whose musical individuality is so singular that they themselves become a genre. In the Vocaloid scene in particular, a vast variety of genres overlap, producing many artists with distinct styles. Among them, NayutalieN is a producer who has most successfully built his own unrivaled identity. Even as music quality improves over time and new attempts are made, the seal of approval that says 'Nayutan's music' never fades. This early album from Nayutan presents all of his musical characteristics at a glance: his unique Miku tuning method that no one can imitate, a refreshing and exciting sound that subtly blends trot and Vocarock, and highly addictive chorus creation. Whether in terms of establishing an unrivaled position in the Vocaloid scene or carrying on the vibe of denpa/meme songs that formed a big piece of the early Vocaloid pie, NayutalieN's musical achievements are truly inspiring. Best Track: How to Warp, Andromeda Andromeda, Stratostella

The dreamy, nostalgic sound reminiscent of dreamcore creates a unique texture rarely seen in Vocaloid songs. Miku's whispery, delicate vocals blend seamlessly with the sound texture. As I always feel, glitch pop is the stage where Vocaloid voices can shine best. And this album is a brilliant example that demonstrates this fact better than anything. Best Track: Pure, Character (heart works ver.)

This is a work attempting opera with Vocaloid. When I first listened to just the audio, I wondered what it was, but perhaps due to the nature of the opera genre, its true value shines when watched with video. Although the story was difficult for me to follow, the visual beauty and music were so great that I lost track of time while watching. I recommend it to anyone looking for a unique Vocaloid album.

With its short running time, it was good for light listening. However, despite being short, it failed to maintain the mood established in the early part of the album. This flaw can also be felt in individual tracks. The intro was crafted really creatively and surprisingly well, but the subsequent progression fell short of expectations. I look forward to seeing how they build on the impact of this intro in their next album.

The vocals, composed of overtones, sound hollow and scatter like noise. Combined with the guitar choruses appearing throughout the album, these vocals set the overall mood. The problem lies in the track density and sequencing. By track 4, it sounds as if there is nothing left to show. (Of course, there are actually plenty of good tracks after that.) Since all the choruses follow this same structure, it can feel like the ideas have been exhausted. The repetitiveness, bordering on tedious, leaves no memorable tracks once you finish listening to the album. While you can sense traces of various experiments, they don't quite resonate. It would have been better if there were a stronger energy. Unusually, the final track is sung by Hachi (Kenshi Yonezu) himself. Considering that his next album was [Diorama], the narrative value this album represents is brilliantly chilling. While it leaves something to be desired as an album, it is well worth a listen. I think this very recklessness is what best represents the producer Hachi.

A whipped cream cake topped with a conch

The taste of cherry ade in front of an ex-girlfriend calmly breaking up with you

An Iyowa-style independent film running endlessly toward the ending

No please. Finally Miku Rin Len Luka Kaito Meiko, I missed them so much! And I love this a cappella and musical-like atmosphere so much. As soon as I heard it I got goosebumps and saved it straight to my playlist. This... this is an absolute masterpiece. This will go down in Vocaloid history 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

I'd rather replay Loop the Room 15 times than listen to this album.

If someone asked me to pick the most Hatsune Miku-like album, I would choose this one without hesitation.

Although it's an experimental album running for 1 hour and 12 minutes, listening to it wasn't tiring. Perhaps because it's an old album, the sound felt very warm. That aspect came across as a bit boring to me. To rephrase, you could say it was an album ahead of its time. If a newly mixed and mastered version comes out, it could become a really popular album. While it delivers fresh sounds with great tracks here and there, it was a pity that it couldn't tightly weave together such a vast list of 19 tracks.

Vocalo-P Giga and Utaite Reol are the best-known collaborative duo in the Vocaloid scene, maintaining a long-standing collaborative relationship running from 2012 to the present year of 2026. Starting with Giga mainly composing and Reol writing lyrics to post Vocaloid collaborations, they went on to form the unit 'REOL' together with video creator Okiku and debuted in the major music industry, establishing a working relationship far beyond just a few one-off collabs. This album is a joint work between the two, released under the circle name 'Anyospenyosyaya'. Uniquely, it is a project consisting of two albums: 'No Title+', which uses Vocaloid, and 'No Title-', which features Reol on vocals. The attempt to officially make a separate Utaite vocal version album and bundle them together feels quite fresh. It is very symbolic in that it is a project that could not easily happen without a close relationship like theirs. On the other hand, the sound itself didn't hit home as much. While a few songs catch attention with flashing electronic sounds based on early Giga's classic production, it's hard to shake the feeling that it's somewhat monotonous overall, and apart from the fact that several included tracks posted separately gained a lot of popularity at the time, they fail to evoke much emotion. Still, considering that it was an album released in 2014 and deals with the electronic genre which continues to evolve very rapidly today, it is of quite impressive quality. However, there is a question mark over whether the version using Vocaloid is more worth listening to than the version with Reol's vocals. Granted, since this project is a collaboration between a Vocalo-P and an Utaite, it makes sense that Giga's production in this album fits better with Reol's vocals, but that inevitably lowers the worth of listening to this 'No Title+' album even further. Therefore, when looking at 'No Title+' as a standalone album rather than the project as a whole, being undervalued seems inevitable. Best Track: Hibikase, Asymmetry

'Attractive Museum' is an album that, at first glance, may feel unfocused and lacking cohesion. However, listening through the songs over its runtime of over an hour, you can catch a glimpse of distinctive tracks across various genres: from songs showing the signature Shibuya-kei sensibility of OSTER Project (POMPADOUR), relaxed bossa nova (魔法使いのショコラティエ), sensually charming jazz (on the rocks), intense Japanese-style rock (狐ノ嫁入リ), to a grand symphony themed around medieval knights (レツェルの騎士). Although tracks of different genres and atmospheres seem scattered around, establishing the album's identity as a 'museum' conceptualizes and explains this structure. I believe she creatively built a narrative using OSTER Project's own musical traits and strengths for an album that could have easily ended up as a plain single compilation. In particular, the final track 'Music Wizard of OZ' is a musical-concept piece spanning a full 20 minutes featuring seven Vocaloids based on The Wizard of Oz, which is extremely encouraging as music that only OSTER Project can pull off. Having already introduced her own new genre called "VOCALOID Musical" through 'Alice in Musicland' about two years prior to this song, presenting another musical track to listeners subtly reveals her intention to further pioneer this experimental attempt. In conclusion, it is a great-quality album that clearly demonstrates OSTER Project's broad musical spectrum while successfully establishing a narrative for the album. Best Track: on the rocks, サマーアイドル, Music Wizard of OZ

It is no exaggeration to say that this is the most extreme work in Kikuo's "Kikuo Miku" series in terms of both sound and lyrics. The lyrics are bizarre and, in some parts, provocatively disturbing to the point of being sickening. Most of the tracks deal with suicide and death, with some songs delving into topics even beyond that. It is also the album containing the infamous "Gomenne Gomenne" ("I'm Sorry, I'm Sorry"), which shocked Vocaloid fans upon its release. In contrast, the sound is truly overwhelmingly fantastic. You can clearly catch a glimpse of an evolved sound compared to the previous work "Kikuo Miku 1", an even broader spectrum of genres, and Kikuo's own distinct color and musical philosophy that have grown much richer. Beyond the fairytale-like sound seen in his previous work (そして君は月になった), the diverse and wide-ranging sound palette—including intense dubstep (幸福な死を, ごめんね ごめんね) and calm yet somewhat chilling jazz (赤ずきんの狼)—is truly beautiful, making it a genuine pleasure to listen to. This shift concluded as a successful endeavor that revealed Kikuo's identity even more strongly, marking tremendous growth for the artist himself. Even if its mainstream appeal is less than its predecessor, listeners who are captivated by Kikuo's style will undeniably fall in love with this album. Best Track: そして君は月になった, 幸福な死を, 水の中で

By seamlessly fusing future bass and electropop—familiar genres in the Vocaloid scene—with trap, a relatively rare genre there, it creates a unique sound. The rap crafting and Miku's accompanying vocal tuning are also excellent. Since this album tackles trap in earnest rather than shoehorning in forced rap, the quality is exceptionally solid. It also fully captures the refreshing and pleasant vibe characteristic of Kawaii Future Bass. Even while delving into hip-hop, it does not discard the distinct identity of Vocaloid music, but rather blends it in to create a vibe rarely heard in either scene. Overall, with its rare choice of genre, un-disappointingly high quality, and skillful integration of "Hatsune Miku"'s character into hip-hop, it stands as an impressive work of art. Best Track: YY, Яed cideR, ochatime

I would like to call this a symbolic album that opens up the Korean Vocatronica scene. Taking full advantage of UNI's engine, which excels at Korean, it captures Korean sentiments and melodies within a diverse soundscape. However, there are some regrets regarding the track listing and structure. There are points where focus is dispersed, making it difficult to maintain immersion as a cohesive album. I can see the attempt to balance sound and melody, but it feels like it ended up stuck somewhere in between. Nevertheless, the attempt to expand the horizons of Korean Vocatronica is clearly meaningful. In particular, [Tricycle], [get up], and [The Sun Doesn't Rise in the Gosiwon] are outstanding tracks that best showcase the album's identity. I am confident that an even more unique work will emerge if they build a firmer narrative for future albums.

I thought it was an album similar to Jane Remover's [Frailty]. (Not to say the sound is similar.) Both albums have a rather low cohesiveness between tracks. However, it's hard to say that it detracts from the album's immersiveness. Rather, the producer's originality shining on top of well-crafted song forms holds the album tightly together while making it an experience where you can sample various genres.

Thanks to the appropriate placement of drum cymbals and continuous audio elements like claps/snaps/kicks, it is easy on the ears. Crucially, it maintains a light sound by keeping the aforementioned percussions and bass from overlapping as much as possible. Of course, they all come out together in the chorus, but even then, you can tell there is little clash between sounds. Some people often say that being 'easy to listen to' means it's just easy listening or whatever, but I think this reflects the producer's capability and consideration for listeners, giving it a huge advantage in securing mainstream popularity. While maintaining TokyoManaka's signature dreamy synth feel, inserting it broken into steady beats unlike before creates an atmosphere that truly draws you into the song. The expression that 'it melts your brain' seems really fitting. Also, even though there was an opportunity for a powerful explosion in the section where a bridge would typically be, restraining it with just a light curveball via percussion strikes me as a unique and impressive point. Overall, the spacious sound and Teto's vocal focused on the mid-to-low range (falsetto even for high notes) come across as charming. However, even if the nuance of short-form addiction is implied, the lyrics were definitely disappointing, and the song structure relies on similar loops. But ironically, this seems to have worked in favor of making it easily memorable to people. Personally, I also think it's the most suitable track to recommend for Vocaloid beginners. For those who know, Brainrot is a track made with extreme determination to be submitted to The Vocaloid Collection. It clearly shows the effort to gain popularity by toning down the color of typical J-pop/synthesizer singer songs while filling it with the sound they are most confident in. (Though TokyoManaka might be disappointed..) In the end, it successfully took 2nd place, and I want to say that it remains an undeniably high-quality song most suited to the current generation.