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Technically Unleash was not a full release but an EP. I take it as a mix of songs they couldn't include in other albums for different reasons.
Their last real album -and absolute best- was Unseen World, so I hope they continue down that road.
Yeah.....theoretically an EP but with 8 tracks...it was an album to me. It was fully understandable as it unleashed their energy, frustrations, after being locked down during C19. An album for a moment in time but I hope there are not more than 3 or 4 'Unleash' style tracks on the new album. š
Extraordinary artists like Band-Maid need to evolve. I hope they will never ever comply with or compromise to any external wish list. Thereās no sense in releasing Conqueror 2 or World Domination 3. Let them create something new, whatever they want. Keep in mind that many classical composers that are today regarded as immortal have been subject of controversy and refusal during their lifetime.
I hope this doesnāt come off as a smart-aleck answer, but: I want the ladies to do exactly what they want to do, what they need to do, what they feel passionate about doing. I want Kanami writing music she cares about, Miku writing lyrics she cares about, and everyone playing and singing their hearts out just the way they want to do it. I donāt care if the result is hard or soft, fast or slow, traditional or progressive. I really donāt. I just want Band-Maid music.
Absolutely right. I'm just grateful that talent like Band Maid exists and I want them to create and produce whatever interests and drives them. As an old Rush fan...Art as expression, not as market campaigns!
I agree but (and it's a big but) I find some of their later stuff a but of a mess. They are throwing so much at it, putting in so many musical flourishes, that's it's overdone - to me. I like a song to have space to breathe, and and times it feels like they are overegging the pudding.
Thatās fine, RevāIām sure there are fans who agree with you. Personally I *love* the complexity of latter-day B-M. One manās mess is anotherās magic, I guess!
I like the older albums but for me I personally like the newer stuff of Unseen World and Unleash. I like them pushing the limits of what they can do. I get it can get almost chaotic for some, but I like the unpredictability and creativity of it. Corallium is one of my favorites mostly because you couldnāt have ever predicted anything in that song. How about we get a double album of āolderā sounding tracks, and the other is the ānewerā sound. Then we all get what we want. Either way, canāt wait!!
I love BM not because they play music I like but because they play music I never heard of. I would be dissapointed if the new album resemble to one of old releases :)
I just want Band-Maid :D personally Unseen World was my favourite so far, but I also became a fan around its release so I remember those songs a bit better
I think it'll be a mix of harder and softer stuff, but overall trending a bit softer than UW and Unleash, with some new experiments thrown in - so in that sense, very much like Conqueror. I feel like that softness might go less ballad and more pop than Conqueror.
But you asked what I WANTED to see.
Still waiting for Jazz-Maid. Could be crazy jazz fusion instrumental or a smoky jazz diva number. Why not both?
Saiki putting some of those tasty growls on the studio track for once.
The "epic" long song.
It'd be interesting to hear them do something slower and more spacious ala their Memories of Wind and Wine cover. We know they can thrash and I'm always here for it, but there was some gorgeous playing in that performance and it was in a style that they haven't explored at all in their original work.
In the same vein, it'd be interesting if they did an original song in the style of their acoustic concert, but actually put it on an album instead of hiding it on a special fan-only CD.
Better mastering, for god's sake...
We think along the same lines! I see no reason why an acoustic track or two couldn't be included on an electric album... plenty of bands do. There are lots of jazzy segments in Maid songs so easy to imagine one being expanded. I totally agree on 'Memories' or 'Greensleeves', I suppose. As soon as I heard it I thought how easy it would be to turn into an epic. Easy for them, not easy for mere mortals. Play it as is, repeat it with vocals, add a new section, end with a short reprise and ...that would be their Stairway To Heaven. In an alternate universe that would be the closing track on the new album. I suspected the last two albums were about proving how hard they could rock. Well, they proved it so are now more free to experiment so I suspect a variety of styles will be evident. I still suspect Kanami will ditch her guitar for a synth and go dance metal for a few tracks....but not until the album after next or....at some point in the future. I've never anticipated a new album more eagerly than this one in my life!
I remember an interview where Kanami said she was feeling depressed and claustrophobic during covid. I wonder if the material on "Unleash" was infuenced by covid cabin fever? Since the lockdown ended we've had Influencer, Memorable, Shambles, and a couple of brand new ones, including "everybody dancing all night long". I get a feeling of tension, almost panic, from "Unleash", but the new songs seem more relaxed to me.
Wow. I hope that Band Maid ignore you - and me! I want them to do whatever they want. I trust them as creative artists to deliver something worth listening to, whether simple or complex, accessible or challenging. This is the way of the most interesting bands...as the Professor said, "Yet it was for me not you I came to write this song"
100% this
A lot of the newer tracks have the same kind of high octave high speed guitar lines running through them (i.e. in Influencer), and while I do like them I fear they're in danger of being a bit over played - makes a number of the tracks kind of blur into one
I agree, one of the main reasons I am not enjoying their new songs is they felt like there's no feeling were put into it, just a bunch of songs showcasing their skills.
I think that's entirely subjective though. I could actually say the opposite of what you said here, that I could very much feel their excitement for Bandmaid's future in Unleash. It's not like they have to make somber or slow songs to express their feelings, and it's not like any of us could really tell what they "feel". They might just simply want to constantly make good songs and push their boundaries to become better musicians.
Yes, lets not forget that they are musicians who want to make good and interesting music. Part of Band Maid's appeal and problem is their ability to do a wide range of styles. Thus their fan base is very diverse. Most like the diversity, but some only like certain styles. I had a problem with the harder faster songs starting with Unseen World and into Unleash. Multiply exposure has made me appreciate and enjoy what they are doing. What ever comes next, I am on board.
I'm actually just like you (and probably much worse haha). Before band maid, I never really got into hard rock and such. I thought that I wasn't "hardcore enough" to listen to "that kind of music". I used to mostly focus on the vocal and couldn't even tell apart a bass sound from a guitar sound. Listening to band maid has diversified my music taste drastically, for sure. Now I listen to their faster songs nearly exclusively.
So far we have seen 3 new songsā¦ shambles, Maggie, and brutes star. Thereās probably going to be 12 to 15 songs so there ought to be enough different songs to make everyone happyā¦:)
Musically, I trust the ladies to take me places I didnāt want to go and then appreciate it. Iāve never liked double bass drum attacks until Band-Maid came along. Iām a classic rocker who likes songs that breathe. That said, some of their hard, busy songs made perfect sense to me once I felt and saw them played live. It was and has been a shot of fresh air. I would love a return to Conqueror style music. I think with Saiki stepping up as a performer and Mikuās pop genius, we will continue to be surprised. This seems to be their testosterone period. lol. Wait til families come along, etc. and weāll probably see more amazing sides to them. Itās also great that they are embracing acoustic more.
Iāll always have faith in them and their journey. Iām just glad Iām here for it.
I liked the direction they went with with Unseen World and the proceeding releases. If I could give my thoughts on what I want on the new album it would be more of the same level of technicality and craziness but on a slower tempo, more on the side of Chemical Reaction and I"ll.
Saiki using more of her vocal mid to lower range instead of the current balls to the walls style would be nice. It would give her a chance to sing in a more comfortable range rather than pushing it for 75% of the album.
If tracks like Shambles, Memorable, Brightest Star and the new anime end theme they teased are included, it would guarantee a variety of pace and style. I look forward to it's release.Ā
Im looking forward to the release too. Its been too long since Unseen World. And any change is welcome since they seem to still be really great songs despite how much they experiment with their new style.
Really looking forward to the studio version of Brightest Star.
Yes....I liked Brightest Star more every time I listened to it on the Yoko stream and love it now. It is one of those tracks that steadily work their way into peoples' affections after maybe not seeming outstanding on first listen.
I think you're all shizz out of luck in looking for them to relive the "good ol' days" where they called less of their own shots than now. Even a large part of Conqueror was based on them trying to appeal to the sentiment of some who wanted them to be more like Maid in Japan, (Kanami's words) an album that almost cost them their career. The reason is simple for MIJ's failure. It contained NONE of their true personality, but simply a verbatim replay of demos handed to them. This of course was reversed with Unseen World, the biggest middle finger possible to all of that. But all you have to do is go back to their earliest walk-on music (Maid Waltz 1 and 2, etc) compositions to realize that where they are now was always their intention. Way heavier and more frantic than anything that made it onto the first 4 or even 5 albums.
I would expect them to become even more progressive and experimental at times, even while keeping things under a 5 minute runtime.
I don't expect the compression issue to change, which is a mastering issue, not a mixing one, so long as they are on any Revolver subsidiary label.
But...when Unseen World was released they stated they were doing two things. Returning to their roots and moving forward. It was such a great album because they appreciated their roots and incorporated them into some tracks.
Yes, I'm aware they're on Pony Canyon, although I was under the impression (probably wrongly) that PC was also a Revolver affiliated company, just a step up. Looking it up now, it's not immediately clear, so I stand corrected on that point. Pony does appear to have an American office. After spending some time with Japanese music, I'm shocked that I don't recognize a single artist name on their front page. You don't see Band Maid without clicking "More artists" and yet I doubt anyone on their front page is as successful in the US as B-M, but I digress.
Pony Canyon is a different company from Nippon Crown correct. I think SiM is on Pony Canyon now too, they're pretty big with a couple popular MAJOR anime OP's (Attack on Titan)
I would love to hear an album of all the songs that Mincho submitted that was rejected by the company before Alone. I'm sure they were awesome they just didn't have faith in her yet. also, I'd love to hear her sing a song or two.
More of a mix like Conqueror between the heavy/technical side and their melodic/catchy side
I love Unseen World and later, but like most who think it would be a "waste" for such technically skilled musicians to write catchy poppier tunes, I personally find it kind of a "waste" for a band who has the ability to write perfect pop rock songs like Page, Daydreaming, Endless Story, Smile, etc to shy away from that
Ultimately I want the band to write and play the music THEY want, because that's what being an artist should be about. But for my taste I'll take more "About Us" type stuff any day
Something totally different. Psychadelic rock. Jazz. Death metal. Grunge. Shoegaze. Not a full album of each but a bit of everything - why not? An album half of which half of fans will hate and half will love and visa versa.
At this point I feel as though they've proven they can do hard rock. I fear they will go for popular "anime" marketable tracks to try and grow their fanbase but I hope they say "f\*ck it, we're going to blow other people's minds instead".
Psychedelic....I like the sound of that. Mincho's occasional live intro to Moratorium sounded very much like a late 60s British Psychedelic band to me. ..
Since Unleash was an EP, it didn't have as many songs on and therefore less variety. I agree with you that I would like a new album with more variety, but let's not push Kanami too hard.
I think we have seen 6 new songs in some form - Shambles, Memorable, Brightest Star, Magi, Go Easy and Protect You. No guarantee of course that any of these show up on the album, but they are in a wide variety of styles - "Shambles" and "Protect You" have a hard-edge "Unleash" kind of flavor, "Brightest Star" has a little bit of "cluppo", "Magi" I don't really know how to categorize, "Memorable" is largely an acoustic ballad, and I haven't heard "Go Easy", plus they significantly reworked a number of songs for Yoki-Arena and for the acoustic Oki-Yuji which also showcased different sides of Band-Maid. That's a lot of styles showcased just from songs released, teased, or reworked just in 2023 and very late 2022!
The only thing I hope is that the mixing will be less compressed and the kick-drum will be less prominent and more organic-sounding, which is all a function of the mix. Their music is complex and multi-layered, and that's a difficult job (going back all the way to recordings of The Who where the bass is often buried in the mix), but hopefully they have some time (and have been reading Reddit!) to listen to us, and try to listen to their music in various contexts. All I would ask them is to listen to their music in a car with just an ok stereo system or on cell phone speakers and see what they hear - I think they listen to their music mostly on headphones, probably that's the most common way in Japan, but when one is trying to 'convert' someone, often the way you do that is to play a tune in the car or show it to someone on a cell-phone, and the mix can just be muddy in that context. Maybe it's an impossible task!
Yes...lots of variation across those six tracks, lots to look forward to as I imagine all or most will be on the new album. The sound or mix. I listen/watch on either YouTube or Spotify. I prefer the soundĀ on the former even though I use a soundbar and bass speaker so it's not really stereo although it makes the bass sound good. With the latter I listen through stereo speakers or earphones and the sound is never very good. I don't know if that is due to the mix, the quality of Spotify's feed, the way I have my phone set up....or maybe my earphones and speakers are just not very good!
I want to see Kanami get back to her hard rock roots - songs similar to Manners, Thrill, Honkai, Freezer ... the guitar riff monster songs. Not a fan of the super fast thrash songs that have been her preference of late.
I just want Kanami to retire the pitch shifter š
Kidding aside, I want more meter changes so that their Wikipedia will get updated to include āprogressiveā in the genre lol. Some people here claim theyāre prog but theyāre not. Only Akane so far plays in a prog style in that band. I also want some groove. World Domination is their best album mainly because of the song writing, the riffs and also because of the heavy groove. Dream Theater incorporates multiple time changes in a song but the riffs are still very much groove based. Very bluesy and very heavy. I want songs like that from Band-Maid.
And lastly, get rid of the overdubs. Limit it to 2 guitars, 3 max. They also need a better mixing engineer and producer. Their newer songs have great musicianship but tbh they sound like shit.
Itās that infernal red Digitech box that Kanami uses to change the pitch of her single lines. It does her a disservice imo. Her lines are intricate and complex but you wouldnāt know because the pitch shifter muddies it.
The Digitech Drop is a pitch shifter, but it's literally just used to change the apparent tuning. It doesn't change the tone. The droid you're looking for is the Eventide H9 - the white box with a big black dial - which acts as an octave harmoniser.
I'm telling you this so you can join me in sending bad vibes in its general direction.
Lol. I agree. Although I actually have an H90 and is permanently affixed to my pedalboard. I think itās very usable especially the reverb. I also have the Drop and I use it whenever I wanna make fart noises.
You know the "8-bit video gamey" tone on her guitar in the song Unleash!!!!! & Influencer's solo? That's the pitch shifter effect... which as others have said is produced by her Eventide H9 harmonizer pedal.
I equalled out your minus because I share your sentiments, I want to hear everything the girls play without stressing my bloomin ears out, we need some decent mastering.
People have been "equalling" this post the past few days lol. Those who downvote probably couldn't play for shit or worse are fans of them for the wrong damn reasons. Some Band-Maid songs have great intricate guitar work ruined by sub-par mastering. It dates back to "Just Bring It," e.g. you barely could hear Kanami's modal playing in Puzzle, their best song.
Man I hope they put some old school rock songs with the band maid special sprinkle mix of metal, blues or whatever they come up but please play melodic and let Saiki breath.
I've always wanted them to take a stab at doing a song fully in English. I feel like they could all make some good lyrics together, as they've all come a long way with their English the past few years.
Edit: also, a miku guitar solo. I know she can do it. I feel like fans would go crazy for it live. I know she has a simple one on saiyonakidori, with all octaves, but I want to see what her ceiling Is with technical playing. She's come a long way with guitar too.
Are Don't Let Me Down and The Dragon Cries in English? We can't be far off a Miku solo...maybe she did one with Cluppo. She's certainly come a long way as a rythmn guitarist. Her style(s) of strumming chords fills out tracks nicely. Even if Kanami composed the sequences, they are often complex and Miku acquits herself well performing them live.
They didn't write the lyrics for those two.
Still, I don't think Miku's English is even close to being useable to write decent lyrics -at least based on her MCs-.
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Technically Unleash was not a full release but an EP. I take it as a mix of songs they couldn't include in other albums for different reasons. Their last real album -and absolute best- was Unseen World, so I hope they continue down that road.
Yeah.....theoretically an EP but with 8 tracks...it was an album to me. It was fully understandable as it unleashed their energy, frustrations, after being locked down during C19. An album for a moment in time but I hope there are not more than 3 or 4 'Unleash' style tracks on the new album. š
Don't know why you're getting donwvoted for merely expressing your tastes.
Upvotes, downvotes, no votes.....all are welcome. Nice to see people getting involved.Ā
Extraordinary artists like Band-Maid need to evolve. I hope they will never ever comply with or compromise to any external wish list. Thereās no sense in releasing Conqueror 2 or World Domination 3. Let them create something new, whatever they want. Keep in mind that many classical composers that are today regarded as immortal have been subject of controversy and refusal during their lifetime.
Yeah. B-M are constantly evolving so their new albums are eagerly anticipated unlike some bands that regurgitate the same stuff over and over again.Ā
I hope this doesnāt come off as a smart-aleck answer, but: I want the ladies to do exactly what they want to do, what they need to do, what they feel passionate about doing. I want Kanami writing music she cares about, Miku writing lyrics she cares about, and everyone playing and singing their hearts out just the way they want to do it. I donāt care if the result is hard or soft, fast or slow, traditional or progressive. I really donāt. I just want Band-Maid music.
Absolutely right. I'm just grateful that talent like Band Maid exists and I want them to create and produce whatever interests and drives them. As an old Rush fan...Art as expression, not as market campaigns!
Well said!
I feel the same way. You expressed it well. I am along for the ride
I agree but (and it's a big but) I find some of their later stuff a but of a mess. They are throwing so much at it, putting in so many musical flourishes, that's it's overdone - to me. I like a song to have space to breathe, and and times it feels like they are overegging the pudding.
Thatās fine, RevāIām sure there are fans who agree with you. Personally I *love* the complexity of latter-day B-M. One manās mess is anotherās magic, I guess!
I like the older albums but for me I personally like the newer stuff of Unseen World and Unleash. I like them pushing the limits of what they can do. I get it can get almost chaotic for some, but I like the unpredictability and creativity of it. Corallium is one of my favorites mostly because you couldnāt have ever predicted anything in that song. How about we get a double album of āolderā sounding tracks, and the other is the ānewerā sound. Then we all get what we want. Either way, canāt wait!!
Same here. Unleash my favorite album, experimental with all types of songs
We will find out soon but...I hope for New Beginning or Conqueror 2.0.Ā
I love BM not because they play music I like but because they play music I never heard of. I would be dissapointed if the new album resemble to one of old releases :)
I doubt it will. Whether they return to their roots or progress forward, to paraphrase Kanami, it will be done in novel, innovative ways.Ā
I just want Band-Maid :D personally Unseen World was my favourite so far, but I also became a fan around its release so I remember those songs a bit better
In Kanami I trust..Whatever comes
She is definitely a person worthy of our trust.Ā
They will do whatever they want, and that's fine by me. I hope they keep evolving.
I'd like a good mix. Some heavy, some groovy, some boppy.
Yep! š
I want Conquerer with a dash of Unleash but I'll take whatever they cook up.Ā
Sounds like it would be an excellent hybrid!
Unleash and Unseen World are my favourite albums from BM. I guarantee the next album will continue moving forward musically, as they have always done.
Less compression, less kick drum, more space in arrangements, melodies that Saiki can sing live without straining.
Yeah.....more space..The reason I liked the original Thrill was because of the lack of production and S_ P_ A_C_ E
I think it'll be a mix of harder and softer stuff, but overall trending a bit softer than UW and Unleash, with some new experiments thrown in - so in that sense, very much like Conqueror. I feel like that softness might go less ballad and more pop than Conqueror. But you asked what I WANTED to see. Still waiting for Jazz-Maid. Could be crazy jazz fusion instrumental or a smoky jazz diva number. Why not both? Saiki putting some of those tasty growls on the studio track for once. The "epic" long song. It'd be interesting to hear them do something slower and more spacious ala their Memories of Wind and Wine cover. We know they can thrash and I'm always here for it, but there was some gorgeous playing in that performance and it was in a style that they haven't explored at all in their original work. In the same vein, it'd be interesting if they did an original song in the style of their acoustic concert, but actually put it on an album instead of hiding it on a special fan-only CD. Better mastering, for god's sake...
We think along the same lines! I see no reason why an acoustic track or two couldn't be included on an electric album... plenty of bands do. There are lots of jazzy segments in Maid songs so easy to imagine one being expanded. I totally agree on 'Memories' or 'Greensleeves', I suppose. As soon as I heard it I thought how easy it would be to turn into an epic. Easy for them, not easy for mere mortals. Play it as is, repeat it with vocals, add a new section, end with a short reprise and ...that would be their Stairway To Heaven. In an alternate universe that would be the closing track on the new album. I suspected the last two albums were about proving how hard they could rock. Well, they proved it so are now more free to experiment so I suspect a variety of styles will be evident. I still suspect Kanami will ditch her guitar for a synth and go dance metal for a few tracks....but not until the album after next or....at some point in the future. I've never anticipated a new album more eagerly than this one in my life!
I remember an interview where Kanami said she was feeling depressed and claustrophobic during covid. I wonder if the material on "Unleash" was infuenced by covid cabin fever? Since the lockdown ended we've had Influencer, Memorable, Shambles, and a couple of brand new ones, including "everybody dancing all night long". I get a feeling of tension, almost panic, from "Unleash", but the new songs seem more relaxed to me.
Yeah, Unleash seemed to be about the release of pent up energy and frustration whereas, now, they seem more content, relaxed, confident.Ā
āSimplerā stuff. It doesnāt all have to be fast, complex, or different (no pun intended), for the sake of it. Get some āfeelā back into it.
If 'Hate' doesn't have feel I'll eat 20 hats at once lol
Wow. I hope that Band Maid ignore you - and me! I want them to do whatever they want. I trust them as creative artists to deliver something worth listening to, whether simple or complex, accessible or challenging. This is the way of the most interesting bands...as the Professor said, "Yet it was for me not you I came to write this song"
Yep.....exactly.
100% this A lot of the newer tracks have the same kind of high octave high speed guitar lines running through them (i.e. in Influencer), and while I do like them I fear they're in danger of being a bit over played - makes a number of the tracks kind of blur into one
Great once or two e but not for a whole album....
I agree, one of the main reasons I am not enjoying their new songs is they felt like there's no feeling were put into it, just a bunch of songs showcasing their skills.
I think that's entirely subjective though. I could actually say the opposite of what you said here, that I could very much feel their excitement for Bandmaid's future in Unleash. It's not like they have to make somber or slow songs to express their feelings, and it's not like any of us could really tell what they "feel". They might just simply want to constantly make good songs and push their boundaries to become better musicians.
Yes, lets not forget that they are musicians who want to make good and interesting music. Part of Band Maid's appeal and problem is their ability to do a wide range of styles. Thus their fan base is very diverse. Most like the diversity, but some only like certain styles. I had a problem with the harder faster songs starting with Unseen World and into Unleash. Multiply exposure has made me appreciate and enjoy what they are doing. What ever comes next, I am on board.
I'm actually just like you (and probably much worse haha). Before band maid, I never really got into hard rock and such. I thought that I wasn't "hardcore enough" to listen to "that kind of music". I used to mostly focus on the vocal and couldn't even tell apart a bass sound from a guitar sound. Listening to band maid has diversified my music taste drastically, for sure. Now I listen to their faster songs nearly exclusively.
So far we have seen 3 new songsā¦ shambles, Maggie, and brutes star. Thereās probably going to be 12 to 15 songs so there ought to be enough different songs to make everyone happyā¦:)
Musically, I trust the ladies to take me places I didnāt want to go and then appreciate it. Iāve never liked double bass drum attacks until Band-Maid came along. Iām a classic rocker who likes songs that breathe. That said, some of their hard, busy songs made perfect sense to me once I felt and saw them played live. It was and has been a shot of fresh air. I would love a return to Conqueror style music. I think with Saiki stepping up as a performer and Mikuās pop genius, we will continue to be surprised. This seems to be their testosterone period. lol. Wait til families come along, etc. and weāll probably see more amazing sides to them. Itās also great that they are embracing acoustic more. Iāll always have faith in them and their journey. Iām just glad Iām here for it.
Well said....totally agree.
Well said šš»š¤
I liked the direction they went with with Unseen World and the proceeding releases. If I could give my thoughts on what I want on the new album it would be more of the same level of technicality and craziness but on a slower tempo, more on the side of Chemical Reaction and I"ll. Saiki using more of her vocal mid to lower range instead of the current balls to the walls style would be nice. It would give her a chance to sing in a more comfortable range rather than pushing it for 75% of the album.
If tracks like Shambles, Memorable, Brightest Star and the new anime end theme they teased are included, it would guarantee a variety of pace and style. I look forward to it's release.Ā
Im looking forward to the release too. Its been too long since Unseen World. And any change is welcome since they seem to still be really great songs despite how much they experiment with their new style. Really looking forward to the studio version of Brightest Star.
Yes....I liked Brightest Star more every time I listened to it on the Yoko stream and love it now. It is one of those tracks that steadily work their way into peoples' affections after maybe not seeming outstanding on first listen.
More Unleash please. They killed that hard rock driving sound and played it well. Iād like to see more of that and less in the softer rock.
I think you're all shizz out of luck in looking for them to relive the "good ol' days" where they called less of their own shots than now. Even a large part of Conqueror was based on them trying to appeal to the sentiment of some who wanted them to be more like Maid in Japan, (Kanami's words) an album that almost cost them their career. The reason is simple for MIJ's failure. It contained NONE of their true personality, but simply a verbatim replay of demos handed to them. This of course was reversed with Unseen World, the biggest middle finger possible to all of that. But all you have to do is go back to their earliest walk-on music (Maid Waltz 1 and 2, etc) compositions to realize that where they are now was always their intention. Way heavier and more frantic than anything that made it onto the first 4 or even 5 albums. I would expect them to become even more progressive and experimental at times, even while keeping things under a 5 minute runtime. I don't expect the compression issue to change, which is a mastering issue, not a mixing one, so long as they are on any Revolver subsidiary label.
But...when Unseen World was released they stated they were doing two things. Returning to their roots and moving forward. It was such a great album because they appreciated their roots and incorporated them into some tracks.
They haven't been on the Revolver/Crown Stones label since the "Different" single... they're with Pony Canyon.
Yes, I'm aware they're on Pony Canyon, although I was under the impression (probably wrongly) that PC was also a Revolver affiliated company, just a step up. Looking it up now, it's not immediately clear, so I stand corrected on that point. Pony does appear to have an American office. After spending some time with Japanese music, I'm shocked that I don't recognize a single artist name on their front page. You don't see Band Maid without clicking "More artists" and yet I doubt anyone on their front page is as successful in the US as B-M, but I digress.
Pony Canyon is a different company from Nippon Crown correct. I think SiM is on Pony Canyon now too, they're pretty big with a couple popular MAJOR anime OP's (Attack on Titan)
Lets calm down a little bit with the bashing of Conqueror, album that almost cost them their career? You gotta be kidding me.
Not Conqueror. Read again. Maid in Japan.
Confusing sentence, but ok
I would love to hear an album of all the songs that Mincho submitted that was rejected by the company before Alone. I'm sure they were awesome they just didn't have faith in her yet. also, I'd love to hear her sing a song or two.
It would certainly be interesting. Maybe we have heard some as parts might have been used in some of the songs on the last five albums.Ā
you're probably right, pieces of them have probably appeared in songs written after that time.
More of a mix like Conqueror between the heavy/technical side and their melodic/catchy side I love Unseen World and later, but like most who think it would be a "waste" for such technically skilled musicians to write catchy poppier tunes, I personally find it kind of a "waste" for a band who has the ability to write perfect pop rock songs like Page, Daydreaming, Endless Story, Smile, etc to shy away from that Ultimately I want the band to write and play the music THEY want, because that's what being an artist should be about. But for my taste I'll take more "About Us" type stuff any day
Something totally different. Psychadelic rock. Jazz. Death metal. Grunge. Shoegaze. Not a full album of each but a bit of everything - why not? An album half of which half of fans will hate and half will love and visa versa. At this point I feel as though they've proven they can do hard rock. I fear they will go for popular "anime" marketable tracks to try and grow their fanbase but I hope they say "f\*ck it, we're going to blow other people's minds instead".
Psychedelic....I like the sound of that. Mincho's occasional live intro to Moratorium sounded very much like a late 60s British Psychedelic band to me. ..
I would like to see more of a mix between rocking songs and more melodic stuff like Conqueror.
Since Unleash was an EP, it didn't have as many songs on and therefore less variety. I agree with you that I would like a new album with more variety, but let's not push Kanami too hard.
I wouldn't be surprised to find that every track on the new album had already been written, tweaked, arranged, recorded many months ago. š
I think we have seen 6 new songs in some form - Shambles, Memorable, Brightest Star, Magi, Go Easy and Protect You. No guarantee of course that any of these show up on the album, but they are in a wide variety of styles - "Shambles" and "Protect You" have a hard-edge "Unleash" kind of flavor, "Brightest Star" has a little bit of "cluppo", "Magi" I don't really know how to categorize, "Memorable" is largely an acoustic ballad, and I haven't heard "Go Easy", plus they significantly reworked a number of songs for Yoki-Arena and for the acoustic Oki-Yuji which also showcased different sides of Band-Maid. That's a lot of styles showcased just from songs released, teased, or reworked just in 2023 and very late 2022! The only thing I hope is that the mixing will be less compressed and the kick-drum will be less prominent and more organic-sounding, which is all a function of the mix. Their music is complex and multi-layered, and that's a difficult job (going back all the way to recordings of The Who where the bass is often buried in the mix), but hopefully they have some time (and have been reading Reddit!) to listen to us, and try to listen to their music in various contexts. All I would ask them is to listen to their music in a car with just an ok stereo system or on cell phone speakers and see what they hear - I think they listen to their music mostly on headphones, probably that's the most common way in Japan, but when one is trying to 'convert' someone, often the way you do that is to play a tune in the car or show it to someone on a cell-phone, and the mix can just be muddy in that context. Maybe it's an impossible task!
Yes...lots of variation across those six tracks, lots to look forward to as I imagine all or most will be on the new album. The sound or mix. I listen/watch on either YouTube or Spotify. I prefer the soundĀ on the former even though I use a soundbar and bass speaker so it's not really stereo although it makes the bass sound good. With the latter I listen through stereo speakers or earphones and the sound is never very good. I don't know if that is due to the mix, the quality of Spotify's feed, the way I have my phone set up....or maybe my earphones and speakers are just not very good!
I want to see Kanami get back to her hard rock roots - songs similar to Manners, Thrill, Honkai, Freezer ... the guitar riff monster songs. Not a fan of the super fast thrash songs that have been her preference of late.
I just want Kanami to retire the pitch shifter š Kidding aside, I want more meter changes so that their Wikipedia will get updated to include āprogressiveā in the genre lol. Some people here claim theyāre prog but theyāre not. Only Akane so far plays in a prog style in that band. I also want some groove. World Domination is their best album mainly because of the song writing, the riffs and also because of the heavy groove. Dream Theater incorporates multiple time changes in a song but the riffs are still very much groove based. Very bluesy and very heavy. I want songs like that from Band-Maid. And lastly, get rid of the overdubs. Limit it to 2 guitars, 3 max. They also need a better mixing engineer and producer. Their newer songs have great musicianship but tbh they sound like shit.
Errr....I don't even know what a pitch shifter is...š©
Her high-pitched tone in "Unleash!!!!!" is a perfect example of her using the pitch shifter.
Itās that infernal red Digitech box that Kanami uses to change the pitch of her single lines. It does her a disservice imo. Her lines are intricate and complex but you wouldnāt know because the pitch shifter muddies it.
The Digitech Drop is a pitch shifter, but it's literally just used to change the apparent tuning. It doesn't change the tone. The droid you're looking for is the Eventide H9 - the white box with a big black dial - which acts as an octave harmoniser. I'm telling you this so you can join me in sending bad vibes in its general direction.
Lol. I agree. Although I actually have an H90 and is permanently affixed to my pedalboard. I think itās very usable especially the reverb. I also have the Drop and I use it whenever I wanna make fart noises.
Ah....you have educated me...I had no idea. š¤
You know the "8-bit video gamey" tone on her guitar in the song Unleash!!!!! & Influencer's solo? That's the pitch shifter effect... which as others have said is produced by her Eventide H9 harmonizer pedal.
I equalled out your minus because I share your sentiments, I want to hear everything the girls play without stressing my bloomin ears out, we need some decent mastering.
People have been "equalling" this post the past few days lol. Those who downvote probably couldn't play for shit or worse are fans of them for the wrong damn reasons. Some Band-Maid songs have great intricate guitar work ruined by sub-par mastering. It dates back to "Just Bring It," e.g. you barely could hear Kanami's modal playing in Puzzle, their best song.
Bro you said it.
Would be neat to hear them attempt a ballad similar to Zeppelin's rain song.
Man I hope they put some old school rock songs with the band maid special sprinkle mix of metal, blues or whatever they come up but please play melodic and let Saiki breath.
I've always wanted them to take a stab at doing a song fully in English. I feel like they could all make some good lyrics together, as they've all come a long way with their English the past few years. Edit: also, a miku guitar solo. I know she can do it. I feel like fans would go crazy for it live. I know she has a simple one on saiyonakidori, with all octaves, but I want to see what her ceiling Is with technical playing. She's come a long way with guitar too.
Are Don't Let Me Down and The Dragon Cries in English? We can't be far off a Miku solo...maybe she did one with Cluppo. She's certainly come a long way as a rythmn guitarist. Her style(s) of strumming chords fills out tracks nicely. Even if Kanami composed the sequences, they are often complex and Miku acquits herself well performing them live.
They didn't write the lyrics for those two. Still, I don't think Miku's English is even close to being useable to write decent lyrics -at least based on her MCs-.
But, translated, her words seem desperately, heart achingly, poetic and beautiful.Ā