yungatita - 'Armchair'

 SYNTH POP ROCK

You must listen to this one live. 

But let's first talk about the recording. It's wonderful and ambient. You can really hear the layers happening in the production. My god, the synths are beautiful. The introduction truly warms you up to the flurry of dynamics the chorus brings.

Okay. Let's talk about hearing this live. I first heard this song a couple of months ago at The Midnight Hour and adored the vocal performance from lead singer Valentina. It's a fierce delivery of lyrics that cry intense conviction behind every syllable. 

And all of this is amplified by the rest of the band's energy. Everyone was bopping on stage and so were members of the audience. 

yungatita shows continue to get more energetic each time I see them. Bands, take note and start learning how to string your songs together. (also see Beyonce's Homecoming) 

Check out some of Valentina's art here: https://www.instagram.com/tweakersynapse/

From Armchair single. 2022.

DPR IAN - | Moodswings In To Order |

R&B POP

MITO has returned as MIITO. DPR IAN once again takes us on a dark trip. Into a thunderstorm. Guided by multiple voices. And again, DPR delivers stunning, cinematic video. 

As previously mentioned, MITO is a second persona living in Christian Yu. MITO speaks in these tracks along with some new additional voices. The voice changing and voice layering simulates conversations with the self. They sound like multiple thoughts occurring at once. 

I have to add that the creative reverb mixing in this album is superb. It can be heard across different instruments but it sounds best and most creative in the vocals. 

This creative choice in vocal mixing beautifully expresses a swarming confusion. The lyrics yearn for love and clarity. Questions demand answers in tracks like "1 Shot," "Avalon," and "Ribbon." 

Are we descending into nothing

Or is it just another reason

For us to be awake?

Beautiful orchestral swells and hits further warm the smoothness of the strings and other instruments. Format-wise, the album breaks some common ABAB structures. Refreshingly.

These songs are speckled with modified 707s that are reminiscent to 80s drum styles. (Was he using a Roland drum machine?) The subtle retro sound from the drums is perhaps further reinforced by the choice of keys.

The thunderstorm motif that is also from the first album is omnipresent in this album. I've lately been into ASMR, so I appreciate the use of sound effects. But also, this album is like an abstract painting in that you can reveal different meanings if you tilt your head a bit or focus on a certain section of the painting. 

I recommend listening to this album across different moods to find those different meanings. My favorite tracks are "Mood," "Winterfall," "Calico," and "Mr. Insanity."

Moodswings In To Order. by Dream Perfect Regime (DPR). 2022.

DPR IAN - | Moodswings in This Order |

R&B POP

Two sides of ourselves. MITO is the second, more shadowy side of artist DPR IAN. This album expresses a beautiful balance of light and dark within Christian Yu. 

The lyrics are sincere and the R&B rhythms are simple. But they both blend to manifest the complex emotions we cannot describe. 

"So Beautiful" is one of my favorite tracks. The whistling echoes a sense of loneliness. The clever use of rain and lighting of matches helps create an illusion of the environment. 

"Scaredy Cat" is also another favorite. Again, it's simple but effective in expressing complex dark emotions. I personally like to play this song. 

The incredible visuals in the music videos pair the moods being expressed in the music. 

I had this album on repeat last year. I'm very much looking forward to the sequel album releasing soon. 

Moodswings in This Order. by Dream Perfect Regime (DPR). 2021.

pinocchioP, Miku Hatsune - 'ありふれたせかいせいふく (Arifureta Sekai Seifuku)'

ELECTRONIC POP VOCALOID

Remove a bandaid, become a god. This is one of my favorite music videos. The animation and colors match the vibrancy of the song. This is the first track from pinocchioP's Obscure Questions. And it's a great start to the rest of the album. 

There's always something in the background of the song that keeps it interesting. There are some ear pleasing sound effects that are bangles and rings of music. 

The advantage of using vocaloid is that you have freedom with manipulating the vocals. Hatsune Miku sings pretty rapidly so it's unnaturally enunciated. 

I think some of the keys were also noise gated early to match that enunciation and speed of singing. 

The dynamics of adding and removing major instruments also helps maintain the song's engagement. The bridge is one of my favorites in that it helps slow down the pace. I personally like processed vocals like these in bridges. (Another favorite is Anamanaguchi's 'Prom Night'.)

I'll be posting more vocaloid favorites now that I'm obsessing over Project Diva again. 

from Obscure Questions. by EXIT TUNES. 2012.

Velvet King - 'Nah'

 ALTERNATIVE ROCK

Who doesn't love to sing along to "nah-nah-nah"'s? I think my favorite part of this song are the weird phaser sounds that add a layer of tension and movement. 

I'm gonna take a moment to compliment the BADASS drums. They sound sooo good and recorded very well. I personally love the snare. It's tight and snappy. 

The vocal style is also energetic but with a slacker tone - which I personally love. The reverb is tasteful, but I would have liked to hear them a bit more up front.

Okay. Guitars. They have awesome fuzzy tones. I think the solo and rhythm parts are straightforward which pair nicely with the killer bass line. The song has a defined lower register that makes it sound dark.

Overall the song is a fun sing along. And clearly the band members had fun after hearing that little snippet at the end of the song. 

Single. 2020.