Thoughts on "another cell"

Formless

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So now that I've been able to give it a fair, loud listen, time for my opinion.

ARCHETYPE.01 ~ Great intro. To the point, mysterious to the bone and at the same time, pretty. There's not much to say about it, besides that its a great intro.

Blazing Darkness ~ A different beat than we're used to hearing from Hora and Kaya. It's more frantic than most of Hora's previous compositions. While Kaya sounds wonderful.. I'm not too fond of the melody in the vocals. Personally, I'd say this is the weakest song on the CD.

INNER UNIVERSE -cybernated- ~ I'm sure we all remember this song. This is very much a reminder of "Schwarz Stein". Very dancey, and has a beauty and elegance to it. I like both versions of this song, and it's odd but the original version actually rivals this one (in my mind) for which is better, but I haven't decided yet.

Funerary Dream ~ Hello 80's! That's immediately what I thought when I heard this song. It's almost kind of poppy in a way. It's upbeat, happy and kind of sensual. Besides the vocals, I can see this being a SHAZNA song. xD It's a nice change of pace! Definitely liking it alot.

FROZEN PAST -raze- ~ I really like this version. I can feel more rhythm in this one, and Kaya's vocals are just perfect for it. The chorus was just made for Kaya. I think Hora had Kaya in mind when he originally wrote this song. Fans of the original FROZEN PAST will certainly love this song. It's certainly my one of my two favorites of the CD. Tied with..

Kuro Ageha ~ Dark, creepy, and a bitchin' beat. Kaya sounds sexual, yet sinister. That sadistic tone that he used in SS here and there stands out here. Yet no matter how sinister a song a composition from Hora is, he can toss some beauty in it alongside Kaya's vocals. Namely, the chorus. Kaya's vocals at the end of the song really guarantee this song to be a favorite of almost anyone listening to the CD.

INDWELL -outer planet- ~ This song is very interesting. It's a bit of a different tone for Kaya.. a tad deeper than usual. It's a slow, but pretty song. One might be able to even feel the sadness through the music. Musically, it kind of drags on a bit, but it's not a bad song.

ARCHETYPE.02 ~ Like ARCHETYPE.01, we have another good instrumental. This one is darker, but just as mysterious. Like I said with the first one, not all that much to it, but still a great instrumental.

Not a bad first release, but it's not good enough for me to call it "great". I hope to see more releases from them with the ever growing diversity I'm seeing in them. I was kinda hoping for a more aggressive song like "Syphilis & Disorder" or "Succubus". I'm sure there will be, if there are future releases.
 

rin

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I was very happy with this CD, and all in all it was almost exactly what I had expected to hear. ^___^

ARCHETYPE.01
I like this one, it's a good intro to the CD and just overall sounds very much like Hora, I think. It has that touch of Schwarz Stein making it a little heavier and darker, mixed with his solo work... Yes, I like it very much. :3

Blazing darkness
...has a nice, quick beat that turns into a slower one only to speed up again; very nicely done. The melody makes me think of a video game. The lyrics really lift this one, and also Kaya's singing style, which is just a little different, but enough to make a difference, I think. Not the best track on the CD, but I like it.

INNER UNIVERSE-cybernated-
A slightly different arrangement, and aaaah, Kaya singing. This was what I unconsciously expected when I heard the version with the female vocals. With Kaya's voice, the song becomes something more organic, rather than the machine-esque sound of the first version. Sometimes, the harmonies in the vocals become a bit too much, I think, but whatever. ^_^;;

Funerary dream
...is my favorite of the two new songs, and it's how the lyrics and the arrangement somehow both contradict and complete each other. Upon reading Kaya's comment on this song, I felt that 'yes, that is what I felt, too'. Definitely one of the tracks I listen to the most. And I can see that this song would probably not have happened during Schwarz Stein, and it's a bit too, hmm, new wave for Hora's solo stuff, I think. But here it fits, in some strange way. The lyrics are just wonderful, I think. I fell in love with them instantly, and besides 黒揚羽 (kuroageha) this is my favorite on the CD. It's the song where it is most apparent that Kaya's singing is slowly evolving, and becoming something even more personal than before. I love how his pronounciations aren't quite standard Japanese, and how his voice is just a little bit on the nasal side, and less raw compared to the Rudolf Steiner era.

FROZEN PAST-raze-
Personally, I think this version is better than the original one. The guitar helps the lyrics out (I'm guessing it's a sampled guitar, since there is no credit to any guitarist anywhere), and Kaya's voice lifts the lyrics even more. The melody fits his range perfectly, and when his voice goes from strong to soft to almost caressing the words, ah, it makes me fall in love with this song.

黒揚羽 (kuroageha)
This is one of my favorite songs ever, all artists, and is right up there with nine inch nails' "closer" (which says a lot about this song if you know me >_>;; ), so of course I was looking very much forward to this new version. The lyrics, as always since they haven't changed at all, are sung with just as much feeling as ever, if not with a feeling of even more despair towards the end (the first time I heard this song it made me cry, because the lyrics are just so intense >.< I'm such a loser ¬_¬ ). The arrangement feels a little heavier, scratchier, darker, and has a much stronger feel of the digital decadense that they spoke of during Schwarz Stein. I'm not going to say that I can somehow understand exactly what Kaya must have had in mind when writing the lyrics to this song to begin with, but I feel as though I can understand the feelings behind it. Listening to it, and hearing the soft synthezised strings and the slightly strained, sometimes soft, sometimes scratchy vocals I feel that this song hits somewhere deep down.

So yes, definitely the one track I've been playing the most.

INDWELL-outer planet-
I like this song. It makes me feel sad, in a not quite bad way. There is something serene there, both in the arrangement, the filters and the lyrics. A bit on the lower side of his range, Kaya still manages just fine. It's the kind of song that makes me think of standing somewhere out by the sea, or perhaps sitting by a window when it rains. The lyrics are really beautiful in a soft way, and Kaya does them justice.

ARCHETYPE.02
Just like the intro track, this one nicely closes off this CD, and also gives one more hint at the digital decadense. I like the beat of this one, and it could easily be beatmized into the previous track without much trouble. The end of this track makes it feel like there will be a sequel, be it another solo building on this one, or another collaboration.


All in all, I was pleased with this album, though I wouldn't have said no to a few more new songs. Then again, compared to MdM BtG, this was definitely worth the money. ....but I'm an insanely obsessed Kaya fan, so don't take me too seriously.
 

Lede

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I just got my copy and I'm listening to it now ::squee::

I definitely agree that it was more worth the money than BtG. ::hora::
 

Hoshi

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Ooooooooh all your reviews are so exciting! I can't wait for my CD! Last night, the wait became too much for me and I actually ended up snagging the MP3 of INNER UNIVERSE -cybernated- from Edgey, but had I know the CDs would have arrived today in the States (or so seemed to be the trend) it would have been much easier to hold out just a little bit longer. :roll:

At any rate, I'm totally dying for the rest of it! *pees a little* ::bleh::
 

minagoroshi

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I am loving this album! I'm up to FROZEN PAST -raze- and I love everything so far. Kaya's voice is one of my all-time favorites and to hear him again is spectacular. His voice is definately makes the music more "organic" and I think the new versions are much better than the originals.

On a side note: I wasn't expecting INNER UNIVERSE when it started, so for about a few seconds I thought it was "INNER UNIVERSE [flowersofnight BREAKDOWN ver.]"....but only for a few seconds... :grin:
 

Haku

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Archetype.01
Sets up the mood quite well for the rest of the CD. Though, I don't think it ties in too well into Blazing darkness.

Blazing darkness
Just as Kazuo said, I think this is the CD's weakest song. Mainly because it sounds much like a common gino beat. >_< But Kaya's vocals contrasting to the quickening beat was this song's saving grace, I think.

Inner Universe -cybernated-
A few seconds into the song, and i'm like "oh god, it sounds like the last song..." then, Kaya starts singing... And the song just gets better and better from there. :D But I can't help but notice that Kaya's a little... 'flat'... though, it could be the song... But Inner Universe is a great song. Kaya always blows me away during the Chorus'.

funerary dream
2nd favourite song. The music is so happy. I suppose... it could be because it kinda reeks of innocence. So sad, yet happy... I dunno why, but the feeling is similar to Gackt's 'Missing~ Egao misete'. Similar in feeling, but not content. What I mean by this, is that with a different tune and a slight key change, it could be a very sad song... despite the 'bubblegum' beat.

Frozen Past -raze-
Kaya and his angsty love lyrics, and a tune which contrasts said lyrics. This one seemed a little slow.. dragging. I have no idea why. I hope this song grows on me, as I like the lyrics.

Kuro Ageha
*flinches* the first few words Kaya sings reminds me of Dada... x_x But as the song progresses, it reminds me of Beautiful the Virgin... similar vocals, similar music... exact same emotion? Pain? Gotta love the artist that bleeds their work. I think that if I listen to this song more, it'll grow on me...

Indwell -outer planet-
God.. I love this song... It sounds so wonderfully sad. Like it's dusk, and the moon is out, casting shadows about an empty street. I wouldn't really call it emo, yet I find it a very emotional song. If it can make me cry without knowing why, then how much more for reading the lyrics? Kaya has really out done himself, especially when the song's lyrics are written by Hora, not Kaya... They both write beautiful lyrics.

Archetype.02
I'm still reeling from Indwell. But, this song has an insanely good drum beat... like, those tribal drums. I like this one much better than Archetype.01... I also noticed how .02 is more organic than .01, which sounds... mechanical yet rhythmic.

Over all, I really really like this CD, and it's the first legit Jrock item I own, and it arrived on the anniversary of my eyes opening to the world of Jrock... And since it also arrived on the day which I believe couldn't have gotten worse; It was a real pick me up, though I don't think that that phrase explains my gratefulness.

9/10, because I find that this CD is a little less... dark(?) than they usually are, Music wise... The Lyrics and Vocals are good, like usual, but they could have tweaked Blazing Darkness a bit, the parts before 1:24... because from the first second to 1:24, it sounds like DDR. o_o You can say, that I was expecting something heavier out of that song.
 

Haku

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flowersofnight wrote:
I ordered 3 copies and ALL OF THEM HAVE CRACKED CASES! KAYA, I'LL SWALLOW YOUR SOULLLLLLLLL!!

... more thoughts later after I listen.

really...? mine was perfect... I was afraid to touch it. XD

It's currently in my room, in it's bag... hanging on my wall. o_o
 

minagoroshi

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flowersofnight wrote:
I ordered 3 copies and ALL OF THEM HAVE CRACKED CASES! KAYA, I'LL SWALLOW YOUR SOULLLLLLLLL!!

... more thoughts later after I listen.

I ordered 9 copies for me and friends, and they all came fine....hmm..flowers has no luck when it comes to shipping...

at least now I have 3 kaya autographs...that is if he actually signed all three packages...
 

Haku

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minagoroshi wrote:
flowersofnight wrote:
I ordered 3 copies and ALL OF THEM HAVE CRACKED CASES! KAYA, I'LL SWALLOW YOUR SOULLLLLLLLL!!

... more thoughts later after I listen.

I ordered 9 copies for me and friends, and they all came fine....hmm..flowers has no luck when it comes to shipping...

at least now I have 3 kaya autographs...that is if he actually signed all three packages...

... signed..???

Okay, there's some written Kanji on the envelope... @__@ what does it say? I drove myself crazy last night trying to find out... It's a pet peeve.
 

flowersofnight

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Haku wrote:
... signed..???
Mine has a handwritten return address, from "kaya". I assume minagoroshi's does too. Looks like it could be his writing, but not sure.

If it's his, maybe I can use it to perform dark rites of Haitian vodou on him. ::hora::
 

Haku

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flowersofnight wrote:
Haku wrote:
... signed..???
Mine has a handwritten return address, from "kaya". I assume minagoroshi's does too. Looks like it could be his writing, but not sure.

If it's his, maybe I can use it to perform dark rites of Haitian vodou on him. ::hora::

*goes about trying to match the signatures*
 

minagoroshi

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flowersofnight wrote:
Haku wrote:
... signed..???
Mine has a handwritten return address, from "kaya". I assume minagoroshi's does too. Looks like it could be his writing, but not sure.

If it's his, maybe I can use it to perform dark rites of Haitian vodou on him. ::hora::

yes...thats what i meant...they can go sit with my god synthesis envelope...
 

Kame

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question: did you guys get emails saying your cds had been shipped or did they just arrive as pleasant surprises?
 

Haku

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Kame wrote:
question: did you guys get emails saying your cds had been shipped or did they just arrive as pleasant surprises?

very, very pleasant surprises. :D
 

desqui

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Kame wrote:
question: did you guys get emails saying your cds had been shipped or did they just arrive as pleasant surprises?
I didn't get an email .. so when I my mom pulled it out of the mailbox I went.. xD
I couldn't open it for the longest time, to the point where I forgot I had it >.> The question of whether that was his handwriting or not passed over quite a few times..
And I hate when you get finger-oil/grease on the booklet so I used socks =P yeah, I'm sad.
*can't write reviews, other then* This was worth my $35 IPMO stress! :grin:
 

flowersofnight

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Ehhh... I listened to the CD. Capsule thoughts:

Blazing Darkness - sounds like a more up-tempo version of standard Hora-solo fare. The vocal line's a bit repetitive though. Didn't thrill me.

Inner Universe - I liked the remix of the instrumentals. All of the remixes were well done on this disc. I think this was better with 0513 though; this Kaya-remake is kind of superfluous.

Funerary Dream - WTF ::meev:: This isn't very "funerary"... haha
Now, I'm certainly down with Hora branching out into something a little less electro-club-frivolous. But this is kind of instrumentally weak and a bit silly. Ehhh.

Frozen Past - good remix. Vocals are fine here, and I think it works better here than on Inner Universe.

kuro ageha: this was my favorite on the disc. It's funky! But... yeah. It was good 5 years ago and it's still good now. One should expect nothing less.

Indwell - I was expecting this to be lame but it actually works. The distorted voice-clips give it a good moody feel, even though I'm sure they're more reversed gamenerd clips or something ::meev:: Kaya's vocals are fine here too.

Overall my favorites were kuro ageha, Indwell, and Frozen Past, in that order.

Now you may notice I've not mentioned one thing above. Kaya's voice. What happened?! He continually wavers between being in-tune and out-of-tune, except on a few of the stronger tracks. Now I know it's very difficult to sing in tune for any prolonged amount of time, but really - either stay in tune the whole time or out of tune the whole time. Either way works, but pick one.
I wonder if they didn't have much time to record and had to do the vocals all in one take or something...

Hora's music: the remixes are quite good. But the new material is weaker. I do appreciate his move toward more diverse music though.

General impression: When this CD was good, it was very good. But the rest of the time it was sort of amateurish. I give it a rating of "good, but only good". And I really want to see Kaya and Hora do their own things independently, not another reunion. That ship has sailed, to quote that guy from "The Incredibles".
 

Flatliner

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Now you may notice I've not mentioned one thing above. Kaya's voice. What happened?! He continually wavers between being in-tune and out-of-tune, except on a few of the stronger tracks. Now I know it's very difficult to sing in tune for any prolonged amount of time, but really - either stay in tune the whole time or out of tune the whole time. Either way works, but pick one.
I wonder if they didn't have much time to record and had to do the vocals all in one take or something...

Now that they don't have any label support, maybe they couldn't afford to pro-tools Kaya.
 

[Cerebral-Alteration]

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Flatliner wrote:
Now you may notice I've not mentioned one thing above. Kaya's voice. What happened?! He continually wavers between being in-tune and out-of-tune, except on a few of the stronger tracks. Now I know it's very difficult to sing in tune for any prolonged amount of time, but really - either stay in tune the whole time or out of tune the whole time. Either way works, but pick one.
I wonder if they didn't have much time to record and had to do the vocals all in one take or something...

Now that they don't have any label support, maybe they couldn't afford to pro-tools Kaya.

Yeah thats the same thing I was thinking when I read that
 
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