Let it never be said that H!P as a whole isn't original when it comes to naming album releases and with that in mind Berryz Koubou's fifth album 5(Five) arrived in the post a few days ago along with C-ute's Cutie Queen Vol.1 ;p
Both been fighting for a place to be listened to whilst I'm the train, but thanks to (...thanks to??!!... :S) a fatality on the train tracks on Tuesday afternoon it meant that I spent about 3 hours sitting on a train with nothing to do except listen to them both.
For me 5(Five) has been an album I've eagerly anticipating, with it featuring the two awesome single tracks released this year, Dshingus Khan and Yuke Yuke Monkey Dance, it was clear to me even before I listened to it that I was going to enjoy this immensely. With Morning Musume being a bit quiet with their single releases this year my concentration has been firmly focused on both Berryz and C-ute and this allowed me not only to enjoy their music more but also to delve deeper into the personalities of the girls and this has given me the chance I've been dying for to get to them know better, well as much as you can get to know someone from watching DVDs.
It's clear from comparing my thoughts from their last album 4th Ai no Nanchara Shisuu to this album that my liking of Berryz has grown, there has been no hesitation in listening to it and no doubts as to whether I'd like it or not, and the included DVD is something I'm really enjoying, although I've yet to watch all of it (I've watched the two live performances and the hand shake segment at the end, which leaves the game sections in between to be watched when I next get a quiet half an hour) for once I find myself thinking that I'm enjoying the bonus DVD, which I think is a first for me?
Much like C-ute I feel that Berryz this year have upped their game so much that I think Morning Musume had best be watching their backs, certainly their joint concert DVD Berryz Kamen vs Cutie Ranger was a clear indication of this as in my opinion it's by far my most favourite H!P concert that I've seen. And this level of excellence is carried over into this new album, right from the very first track. HAPPY!Stand Up is one of my favourite non single tracks on the album and really sets a good tone for the start of the album, up beat, lively and funky, I had to resist the urge to loop it the first time I heard it. The great thing with this track is that both the vocals and the music really compliment each other so well.
Then came the shock of the second track, in contrast to HAPPY! Stand Up, with Baka ni Shinaide I wasn't fighting the urge to put it on loop but actually skipping the whole song altogether, with the first 45 seconds sounding like a really poor Shaft theme rip off I was beginning to get a little worried that the album wasn't all I thought it was going to be, but luckily after that 45 seconds the song picks itself up and is actually quite good, well except for the few instances where it goes back to that Shaft type sound, but the vocals and chorus of this track is what really makes this a song worth waiting for, at times I've gotten past the intro and completely forgotten what I was listening too only to be surprised when checking to see what track it is.
Jumping past Baka ni Shinaide and straight to what I've recently come to the conclusion of is my favourite Berryz track ever, Yuke Yuke Monkey Dance, as an indication of how much I like this track it would seem that I've played it so much whilst working lately that Chris has threaten to kill himself if he hears it one more time. The song itself is only bettered by the PV and the use of those chimp suits :) Jumping one more track and onto Clap! another amazingly good song, lighter in sound than the tracks before it, the combination of voices (Miyabi, Chinami, Yurina) really appeals to me and the girls sound great together, at the moment I can't quite decide what is more catchier this or HAPPY! Stand Up.
Real Love, if ever there was a song that was going to convert people into becoming Risako fans this is certainly it, with quite a mature sound to it, it stands out amongst the other tracks, again I'm finding myself putting this song at the top of the pile as one of my favourite tracks.
Following Real Love is, Yume Wo Hitotsubu - Berryz Kamen Ending Theme which is my least favourite track on the album, I'm not really keen on either the vocals or the music. But luckily when this song finishes it's onto my most favourite part of the whole album, the last 4 songs of this album, two single releases, an album track and a remix, they work so well together and in their own way they are totally amazing. Dschinghis Khan the first of these songs doesn't really need any mentioning as to how good it is, much like Yuke Yuke Monkey Dance it's a track I've listened to so much that Katherine has made comments when ever I've mentioned that I'm going to play a song in the car that I'm not going to play that "Uhh! Haa!" song, I guess it's having a similar affect as Yuke Yuke Monkey Dance is having on Chris, except in a more positive way as when ever it comes on she sings and dances along to the "Uhh! Haa!" and "Waa Haa Haa!" bits. Tsukiatteru No Ni Kataomoi is next in the line up of the final four and I'm glad to see that this song has grown on me since hearing when it came out as a single, although I liked it, it wasn't a track that I thought was as good as other Berryz releases but hearing here it sounds perfect, fitted between Dschinghis Khan and BE. And what a track BE is!! It's the perfect come down and end to an album (although admittedly it's not the last song), slower and softer than anything else on the album and anything I've heard from Berryz before it's works so well with the liveliness of the previous two tracks. What I particularly like about this track is that it really does sound like a closing song so much so that when I first heard it I totally forgot about the remix of Special Generation and when the song finished I wasn't expecting or prepared for the music to pick back up. The Special Generation Eccentric Remix although not a touch on the original (very few remixes are) is still an excellent version of the song and the electric guitar and cut up/repeated vocals really have that much more of an impact after following BE.
Overall I have to say this is a great album, with so many songs that I'm liking an equal amount, so much so that I'm finding it hard to rate them in an order of preference.
The packaging for this release unfortunately isn't anything fancy, no cardboard case or anything like that it's goes with the now common (standard?) bonus DVD, which I think is a real shame considering how amazing the inlay looks, the outfits worn have a 60's feel to them and as per usual everyone looks amazing, I won't go into detail on them (as I've posted scans below) but all I'll say is that the group shots are amazing!
As I've mentioned at the start of the post I'm really enjoying the bonus DVD included with this release, from the information I've seen on CDJapan the footage was taken from an Event in July, featuring live performances of both tracks from the Yuke Yuke Monkey Dance single, a fun looking games section (which I've still to watch fully) and a fan handshake section that had me again thinking how great Chinami is, if you don't believe me just watch it, she's clearly the stand out member in the whole clip, although she does need someone to guide her on how to wink properly by the looks of things, but it doesn't stop this winking section being my most favourite part of the DVD, and the oddness of her winking only adds to the cuteness. At this rate I think both Risako and Momo best hold on as it looks like Chinami is racing to the top of my favourite Berryz members.
Source: helloblog.co.uk
Both been fighting for a place to be listened to whilst I'm the train, but thanks to (...thanks to??!!... :S) a fatality on the train tracks on Tuesday afternoon it meant that I spent about 3 hours sitting on a train with nothing to do except listen to them both.
For me 5(Five) has been an album I've eagerly anticipating, with it featuring the two awesome single tracks released this year, Dshingus Khan and Yuke Yuke Monkey Dance, it was clear to me even before I listened to it that I was going to enjoy this immensely. With Morning Musume being a bit quiet with their single releases this year my concentration has been firmly focused on both Berryz and C-ute and this allowed me not only to enjoy their music more but also to delve deeper into the personalities of the girls and this has given me the chance I've been dying for to get to them know better, well as much as you can get to know someone from watching DVDs.
It's clear from comparing my thoughts from their last album 4th Ai no Nanchara Shisuu to this album that my liking of Berryz has grown, there has been no hesitation in listening to it and no doubts as to whether I'd like it or not, and the included DVD is something I'm really enjoying, although I've yet to watch all of it (I've watched the two live performances and the hand shake segment at the end, which leaves the game sections in between to be watched when I next get a quiet half an hour) for once I find myself thinking that I'm enjoying the bonus DVD, which I think is a first for me?
Much like C-ute I feel that Berryz this year have upped their game so much that I think Morning Musume had best be watching their backs, certainly their joint concert DVD Berryz Kamen vs Cutie Ranger was a clear indication of this as in my opinion it's by far my most favourite H!P concert that I've seen. And this level of excellence is carried over into this new album, right from the very first track. HAPPY!Stand Up is one of my favourite non single tracks on the album and really sets a good tone for the start of the album, up beat, lively and funky, I had to resist the urge to loop it the first time I heard it. The great thing with this track is that both the vocals and the music really compliment each other so well.
Then came the shock of the second track, in contrast to HAPPY! Stand Up, with Baka ni Shinaide I wasn't fighting the urge to put it on loop but actually skipping the whole song altogether, with the first 45 seconds sounding like a really poor Shaft theme rip off I was beginning to get a little worried that the album wasn't all I thought it was going to be, but luckily after that 45 seconds the song picks itself up and is actually quite good, well except for the few instances where it goes back to that Shaft type sound, but the vocals and chorus of this track is what really makes this a song worth waiting for, at times I've gotten past the intro and completely forgotten what I was listening too only to be surprised when checking to see what track it is.
Jumping past Baka ni Shinaide and straight to what I've recently come to the conclusion of is my favourite Berryz track ever, Yuke Yuke Monkey Dance, as an indication of how much I like this track it would seem that I've played it so much whilst working lately that Chris has threaten to kill himself if he hears it one more time. The song itself is only bettered by the PV and the use of those chimp suits :) Jumping one more track and onto Clap! another amazingly good song, lighter in sound than the tracks before it, the combination of voices (Miyabi, Chinami, Yurina) really appeals to me and the girls sound great together, at the moment I can't quite decide what is more catchier this or HAPPY! Stand Up.
Real Love, if ever there was a song that was going to convert people into becoming Risako fans this is certainly it, with quite a mature sound to it, it stands out amongst the other tracks, again I'm finding myself putting this song at the top of the pile as one of my favourite tracks.
Following Real Love is, Yume Wo Hitotsubu - Berryz Kamen Ending Theme which is my least favourite track on the album, I'm not really keen on either the vocals or the music. But luckily when this song finishes it's onto my most favourite part of the whole album, the last 4 songs of this album, two single releases, an album track and a remix, they work so well together and in their own way they are totally amazing. Dschinghis Khan the first of these songs doesn't really need any mentioning as to how good it is, much like Yuke Yuke Monkey Dance it's a track I've listened to so much that Katherine has made comments when ever I've mentioned that I'm going to play a song in the car that I'm not going to play that "Uhh! Haa!" song, I guess it's having a similar affect as Yuke Yuke Monkey Dance is having on Chris, except in a more positive way as when ever it comes on she sings and dances along to the "Uhh! Haa!" and "Waa Haa Haa!" bits. Tsukiatteru No Ni Kataomoi is next in the line up of the final four and I'm glad to see that this song has grown on me since hearing when it came out as a single, although I liked it, it wasn't a track that I thought was as good as other Berryz releases but hearing here it sounds perfect, fitted between Dschinghis Khan and BE. And what a track BE is!! It's the perfect come down and end to an album (although admittedly it's not the last song), slower and softer than anything else on the album and anything I've heard from Berryz before it's works so well with the liveliness of the previous two tracks. What I particularly like about this track is that it really does sound like a closing song so much so that when I first heard it I totally forgot about the remix of Special Generation and when the song finished I wasn't expecting or prepared for the music to pick back up. The Special Generation Eccentric Remix although not a touch on the original (very few remixes are) is still an excellent version of the song and the electric guitar and cut up/repeated vocals really have that much more of an impact after following BE.
Overall I have to say this is a great album, with so many songs that I'm liking an equal amount, so much so that I'm finding it hard to rate them in an order of preference.
The packaging for this release unfortunately isn't anything fancy, no cardboard case or anything like that it's goes with the now common (standard?) bonus DVD, which I think is a real shame considering how amazing the inlay looks, the outfits worn have a 60's feel to them and as per usual everyone looks amazing, I won't go into detail on them (as I've posted scans below) but all I'll say is that the group shots are amazing!
As I've mentioned at the start of the post I'm really enjoying the bonus DVD included with this release, from the information I've seen on CDJapan the footage was taken from an Event in July, featuring live performances of both tracks from the Yuke Yuke Monkey Dance single, a fun looking games section (which I've still to watch fully) and a fan handshake section that had me again thinking how great Chinami is, if you don't believe me just watch it, she's clearly the stand out member in the whole clip, although she does need someone to guide her on how to wink properly by the looks of things, but it doesn't stop this winking section being my most favourite part of the DVD, and the oddness of her winking only adds to the cuteness. At this rate I think both Risako and Momo best hold on as it looks like Chinami is racing to the top of my favourite Berryz members.
Source: helloblog.co.uk
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