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).