For ALI PROJECT Fans.

~Z e n c h o u~

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Well i'm actually not sure if anyone here may know of this grand scale band - IMO - but i would like to see if any of you do ^-^~

So,let's start up a convy some time!
-Moe.
 

Sumire_hitsugi

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I think this group is interesting and I like them from what little I've heard, but I don't know extensively about them. I was lucky enough to catch their performance at Sakura Con '08, but I didn't get their autographs when they had signings. I should have, ahah. I could have saw Arika and her dance troupe up close.
 

sergeantkitty

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I've listened to a small amount of her music. I like a few songs, but some others seem kind of repetitive to me. :/
Maybe I'll have to listen to more of the music, since it seems like there's a whole lot of it. Would you recommend one of her best cds for me to listen to?
 

~Z e n c h o u~

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It's very hard because i own 22 out of 24 or their singles and all of their albums with is 20+.

They have a very extensive history what with all the BEST albums they've released,and they also crank out "STRING" albums in which they take their best songs and rearrange them classically.

And yes,some of their songs do get repetitive but if you can search through all their stuff you will find some treasures.
My recommendations are the albums "Aristocracy","Noblerot" &"Erotic & Heretic", & "Dilettante".

Single-wise,most of their singles are just the anime themes they've done. So i can't help you there...
The best singles are- "Boukoku Kakusei Catharsis","Hizamazuite Ashi wo Oname","Ankoku Tengoku" & "Coppelia no Hitsugi" in my opinion.

Hope it helps! Search them on youtube and a blogger posted their complete discography for listening.
-Moe.
 

DDRSENSEI

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when i needed to describe this band
i would say

think malice mizer meet ayumi hamasaki with bi polar disorder


now i can just say
think a bipolar more artistic version "kanon wakeshima"
::meev:: ::meev::

nonetheless good band. they do have range though from lighter songs to darker much more erradic songs. I prefer slower songs like lost child or wish...perhaps maybe pastel pure and kin iro no hitsuji
 

~Z e n c h o u~

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LMAO I agree with you on the description.

Ahh yes. Lost Child is great and the other songs you named are of their best.
I like their darker slow songs like Tozasareta Atelier and Suigetsu Kyoka.

- Side Note -
Speaking of Kin Iro no Hitsuji,i just got the instrumental version to it today and started singing xDDD. It's the coupling to LABYRINTH.
-Moe.
 

Phantom Pabulum

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:D:D:D:D:D

All of the singles said above are their "catchy" songs, more pop with some gothic elements. Those are the ones which i find follow a more formulatic structure, which some of you might find repetitive, etc.

If you're a fan of dark electro, you should really check out their albums - Psychedelic insanity, Kinsho, Soubikakei - or the b-sides of their single - the in-between tracks are AWESOME. They're a very unique mix of classical / electronic music. Of course it's not really easy to get into.

If you're into classical music, I think Kamigami no tasogare is a good place to start. I've only listened to it rather briefly (haven't tagged it properly D:) but it's beautiful, from what i've heard. It's not as easy to get into as their super-catchy songs like Boukoku Kakusei Carthasis. Also, check out their string albums.

Check out Jigoku no Kisetsu off COLLECTION SIMPLE PLUS, for starters.

I LOVE ALI PROJECT

Does anyone know about their history and stuff? (stalkerish information)
 

DDRSENSEI

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the "catchy" songs are definitely the mroe popular ones although i happent of ind all of their music catchy on some degree. more importantly

psychadellic insanity and grand finale were deifnitely my favorite albums. This band has been around for a long time and doing a somewhat lolita influenced style at the time, I have to inquire if this band was a big influence or perhaps started the niche look that is Lolita...
 

~Z e n c h o u~

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Stalkerish information is hard to come by for them xD
And yes i forgot to mention Psychedelic Insanity was a HUGE step in the right direction for the band since i was getting bored with the goth lolita tracks they had been doing.

If i had to pick my favorite songs off PI,they'd be CYBER DEVILS & Matowareshi Monora or whatever it's called ;)
For me Kamigami no Tasogare was too.....stringy for me. I own it and some of the new renditions of their songs were bleh to me. But like i always say,with every Ali Project album you get,a few amazing tracks will be in the package. Kamigami's gems are Yameru Soubi,Ange noir no Saigi and Marigold Garden ^-^.

Maybe i should review the albums since i have them all for people who are new to them. They also have a new best of album releasing in December with aforementioned Jigoku no Kisetsu on it.
AliProject discussions are fun! =D

-Moe.

- Edit - TO answer DDRSensei's post,i've read that they are one of the founders of the goth lolita subculture of music,but then again,their first release was classified "Progressive Rock" so draw your conclusions. ::hora::
 

Phantom Pabulum

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I think we should write those reviews, since most of the humans here don't listen to them. I could do some too. Oh and i think you should change the thread title so that non ALI PROJECT fans would visit this thread too :)
 

Gloire

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I'd love to see some reviews too. Most of what I've heard are their catchier anime themes, which I liked, but as for listening to more I don't know where to start.
 

~Z e n c h o u~

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Okie dokes! Reviews on the way! I'll start with one of Ali Pro's best albums (IMO) "Noblerot". This one was like the "merveilles" of their career,and i'm not saying that because they were on the same label as Malice at the time xD.
First off,the cover art is just amazing. It was drawn by CLAMP and only serves as a tease to the musical material. If that makes any sense.

The first song "Noblerot I"serves as an introduction and is a wonderful string arrangement by Mikiya Katakura. I played it on my radio show as bgm once. LOL.
You're then introduced to "Halation" which is actually a deep contrast from "Noblerot I",it has this off-kilter sound and is constantly chaotic & unstable. This one attracted me because i like Ali Project's dark sounds a bit more than the light sides,or White Alice,as Arika-san says. Halation always keeps me listening. Everyone has different views and that's why i'm excited to write this because i haven't heard of many others thought of the band.

Back to topic:Track 3 "Otome no Inori" keeps the dark sound going. It's one of the best songs on the album,and the part between verses when she says "tu tu tu.." and the acoustic guitar plays is one of those rarer bits of greatness to me. You don't hear cool instrumental bits like these a lot in Ali's music so it's needed.
After "Otome",the album begins to lighten and we get a light slower song,"Rose Moon". I never liked light,soft,slow music before i had heard this,but it put me to sleep and has this sweet melody to it. The chorus is very uplifting to me. It makes me happy =)!

Now,the first 4 songs had a great pace to them,but here is where some opinions may differ. The next song "Daraku-rou" has this weird 'Country' feel to it. Friends of mine don't appreciate the song at all,to me arika's performance outshines the music. I can deal with the music because i'm not too critical a listener most of the time. But yes,this song is a hit-or-miss.
Next up is "Narcisse Noir". A beautifully composed piano piece. Mikiya really outdid himself here. I love this song,it is one of the treasures off the album and sure to please everyone. The chorus is beautiful and the ending just makes makes me want to put the song on repeat!

Now is your mid-album break,"Noblerot II". another string arrangement by Katakura. I just go grab a snack in between. =D
The second half of the album starts with "Deep forest". This is a mainly acoustic track. I'm not a big fan of acoustic myself,so i do not listen to this song much. It is calming though,so i'm sure someone will like it....not much else to say,i guess that's where i say it can get bland at some parts.
The next song is another gem,"LOST CHILD". I mean,it's SO atmospheric and tense. I love its sound,one of the most unique pieces Ali Pro has ever released. I remember i played it for my niece last halloween and she got so freaked out and ran to another room xDDD.
After that dark song,the album lightens up again with "Kin iro no Hitsuji". And let me just add that this is just like earlier when Rose Moon followed Otome no Inori,i just am not a fan of the way the tracks are arranged on this album. But no points off,moving on.
"Kin iro" is another super calming track. I fell in love on the first listen,it has this ambient sound in between chorus and verse that gets me. It's a great song and a good recommendation for new listeners besides the anime themes.
"Gekkou-ya" is next. This song.....is weird to me. All these noises throughout the song.....when i hear it i usually blackout and imagine myself in nothing but black space. Like a void,if you will. To me,that was the desired effect they wanted. It has a strong atmosphere,and i wish it would've been after "LOST CHILD" instead of "Kin iro".
We then get a Piano Rendition of "Rose Moon". Hmph. I really never listen to this because i like the original too much,and there's no lyrics. If arika had performed slower it would've had a "Narcisse Noir" feel and i would've liked it. But it doesn't. So,points off in my book. Skip to the final track.
"LABYRINTH". 'Nuff said. This is one Ali project's overtly happy almost sickly sweet songs that i never lsitened too. I think it's one of those "acquired taste" songs where you have to listen more and more to actually like it. The chorus is kind of fun though,it's the verses that bore me. But a decent song.

So yeah. That's Noblerot. A very diverse album,one of their best and super excellent on the ears. Yes,there are some songs i do not like as much as others,but they do not take away from the overall experience of the album. Also,i think this was the only release on the Nippon Columbia label O_O. Besides the single.

SINGLES EXTRACTED::
LABYRINTH c/w Kin Iro no Hitsuji (Kin Iro is an alternate instrumental version with a different beat and no vocals).
 

Tastes Like Future

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I mostly like what I've heard from ALI Project. My girlfriend plays viola, so she's able to appreciate the stringed instruments as well.

They're better than most of those "Gothic Lolita" bands that are known mostly for their anime OPs. (Even if they're not GL, you know what I mean.)
 

~Z e n c h o u~

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Yeah i get you.
In japan they are appreciated for more than just anime themes which i like and now they're getting more attention in the states so that's awesome i guess =)
-Moe.
 

DDRSENSEI

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Its such a pity that such a grandiose type duo as this group does not have big attention within the anime/j-whatever scene here witht he exceptions of anime tracks they have done.

Musically speaking they are classically trained and it shows when they have ranges from 80-90's sounding vanilla j-pop with a gothic twist, towards a darker electropop feel to full on orchestra. Theres no way to describe the music of this band because they are very much eclectic in sound however maintain a lolita inspired image.

This band must either make alot of money in royalties or people really like them, from what i checked they appear on the oricon frequently thru new releases.

If they can afford a full orchestra to go on tour with them. they may have some credibility.

I wonder, she seems to have her fashion down and alot of cross dressers as her backup dancers including "musicians" like Sisen. I wonder...hmm...where lets say,..Kaya? gets his inspiration from.

What I like about them is that im never bored with a new release because I know it will have that amaxing range mentioned up and not repetitive rozen maiden gode geass sounding music (which most people who have heard of them assume all their music sound slike that)

Katakura mikiya I am really fascinated with, hes the music behind Ali Project and it shows he has great skill. The band also does anime and video game scoring which is pretty interesting i must say.

And dare i say, the fashion is extremely avant garde. The music in some ways gets ethnic inspiration by using middle eastern sounds, European(particularly french) and etc. I also hear in early ali project alot of cut and paste sampling.

Have I mentioned that this band is extremely self aware which is highly great in my book. their lyrics are full of archaic kanji and crazy puns. the lyrics can be comical and poetic at the same time. Take strawberry Pie o otabe, it is a very light pop sounding from an 80's op to an anime type of song. Yet the lyrics are roughly translated into a story of cannibalism and arika? baking her lovers bodyly remains into a pie literally!.


I do have to say as a strong reccomendation, If you are going to start off listening to Ali Project get Gekka no Ichigun. Its as early as you can get with ali project. There is great usage of cut and past sampling and good old 90's synthesizers. The music is extremely catchy for an introduction album. Theres a bit of bjork influence, a little bit of frou frou and lovely strings blending with synth. I like to call it "Spider Pop".
 

Phantom Pabulum

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Did anyone really like Jigoku no Mon? They have another new release coming out soon. I havent even properly gotten into Jigoku no Mon yet.
 

DDRSENSEI

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It's pretty interesting. The melody is taking me a while to get used to but i cant say i do not like it however i'm not very thrilled with it. I really prefer the b sides (like 吾君想う故に吾在り生き霊となりて in the single)they make that are constantly re-arranged or re mastered by ali project. Not really the over the top rozen maiden synth aesthetic as seen in most of their pv's and latest singles. the outfit is interesting, very chinese influenced.

on a side note i really am falling in love with Angoku Tenkoku<3
 

Lem

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I bought the Ali project single collection today. they had their CDs in the anime section at kinokuniya, couldn't fund it inthe regular music section :-S

I kinda bought this on a whim, hope it's good.
 

Phantom Pabulum

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Which Single collection did you get? Did you get collection simple plus or keikan shijin? I think that personally i enjoy collection simple plus better, (i love the second half of the tracklist) better but then keikan shijin has GOD DIVA which is one of my favorite songs of all times.

I think that with both cds, you'd enjoy the "black alice" songs over the white. The White songs are really happy pop songs (sometimes really generic jpop like pianii pink). The "black alice" songs are really great and orgasmic.

I don't know whether you'd enjoy them though, since you love rock so much. They're more electronic-orchestral based.



And oh i'm starting to love jigoku no mon! The brass sections are so great
 
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