ROCKBOUND NEIGHBORS

So yesterday a few weeks ago (orz) was finally the day I have been waiting to come for a long while, 12/12/12! The release date of Nana's 9th album, ROCKBOUND NEIGHBORS!

So without further ado, here are my thoughts on all the songs. I tried to be less fangirly this time, let's see how it went. Think it ended up being more personal instead somehow. (^-^;)

アヴァロンの王冠 (= Crown of Avalon)

This song gives me an interesting sensation - like it has some Disney magic or something haha. I could really see this being part of some Disney's Fantasia / stage performance / etc combination. The sort of storytelling flow of the song instead of just a typical song structure also remind me of Nightwish's Poet and the Pendulum, even though that is the absolute only thing these two songs have in common. xD Avalon no Oukan is definitely the best possible choice for the opening song of the album. The beginning of the song is so grand and captivating.

Naked Soldier

Naked Soldier gives me the Canaan vibes - the atmosphere of the song, the style of it and even the lyrics I can easily relate to Canaan and the sort of music the anime had. I could really see this song being the Arousing Soul of a second season of Canaan if something like that existed. Very nice. The song of a person willing to fight for the whole world alone.

Get my drift?

Well, I already wrote about Get my drift? before, if you want to read in detail or look at the translation [here you go]. This song still remains as one of my favorites from the album, since I seem to always be very drawn to these "what is this? I love it" -category songs.

Lovely Fruit

I didn't think too much of Lovely Fruit at first - it was fun and provided me with a new tradition at meal times, but that was about it. The cut for Toriko's ED was quite different from how the song actually went, so the transition from that to the full song was slightly confusing. xD Later though, after hearing Nana explain how lovely fruit = cute girls and that it's okay to eat them at any time + that when singing it in karaoke you should stare at your crush if they are present and be like ehum *cough cough*, it became even more hilarious and enjoyable to me. The icing on the cake for me however, was when I sang Lovely Fruit at karaoke. I might have been in panic mode through the whole song, but hell, singing it is so much fun! This song definitely grew on me a lot. Like really a lot.

ダーリンプラスティック (= Darling Plastic)

Darling Plastic awakens mixed feelings in me. I really like the flow and style of the song - it is very different again from what Nana has done before and the nostalgic and somehow calm manner of it really brings me to a dream-like state. At the same time, I feel unease since the lyrics are about a past more naive self and it makes me think of my past self from long ago who maybe believed in too much. I don't know, hard to explain. xD But sometimes in doubt I do ask myself the same questions as Nana-san. Also, I find the use of the word plastic really interesting. This song is not the only place I've come across it in similar context here in Japan, so I feel like out of curiosity eventually digging out the reason why it has this kind of connotation.

BRIGHT STREAM

Ever since the release of the single, BRIGHT STREAM has persistently climbed higher and higher on my "most beautiful Nana songs" ranking. The message of the song is such an important one, of not lingering in the past in stopped time but having the courage to continue forward and embracing a new chapter without being scared that it has earned much admiration from me. There is definitely a lot I can relate to, as I am sure so can many others. そう… 流れた涙の数だけ、きっと強くなれると信じてるよ.

星屑シンフォニー (= Stardust Symphony)
I think I was expecting this song to be a bit different, so I was a bit surprised when I first heard it. Though, after listening to it for a few times I do think it is quite like it should be. After hearing it a couple of times I for some reason kept thinking of winter and Christmas, and later noticed it was no wonder since the first word of the whole song is "snow" haha. The melody with its bells is probably partly to blame too. Thus for me, this resembles a beautiful and playful winter love. Very lovely.

LINKAGE

I've been dying to hear the whole song ever since the Unchain Blades EXXIV trailer with the preview was released and I am not disappointed. To me, this is the power song of the album. So in other words, the song with the most power... similar to what UNBREAKABLE emits. Sort of. With a spice of romance haha. I really like the line "一人で立ち上がれるなら　誰かを救える" (= If I stand up alone, I can save someone) as it is very much like how I think too and the way I live my life.

STAR ROAD

I am not sure I can even describe what I feel for STAR ROAD with words. As much as I have an immense amount of love for all songs Nana has even composed herself, I think I have to admit to myself that this is my absolute favorite. The lyrics with their heartfelt message, and the melody with its breathtaking violin really capture my heart completely. This will surely make me cry when/if I hear it live. I also swear that one day I will be able to play this on my violin too! Otherwise my life won't be complete. (>-<)

Synchrogazer -Aufwachen Form-

Well, Synchrogazer -Aufwachen Form- is pretty much still Synchrogazer as we know it, just with an added melody part in the beginning, which I do like quite a bit. I actually get the shivers every time it starts up and enjoy it immensely from start to finish. (^-^) The transition from melody to the song seem a little bit disconnected to me though due to the pitch being different, not that it really bothers me. Random piece of information - Synchrogazer has become one of my favorite karaoke songs as of late, haha.

Crescent Child

I happened to hear this when I went to look at the Nana display in the Tower Records at Shinjuku a day before release, though at the time I didn't know which song it actually was yet. Already at that moment the style of the song captured my heart. I really love the rhythmical pauses, they really work so well in the song and they create a unique feel to the song. After hearing it completely, I was head over heels in love with it. The song is a pretty sad one, and it can easily be read from Nana's singing alone even without understanding the lyrics. This is what makes a song perfect to me (just like Thermidor) - when you can truly understand the song from every fiber of its being.

奇跡のメロディア (= Melodia of Miracles)
The opening melody of this song always reminds me of a Final Fantasy boss battle, which I guess makes sense since this song is in a game, even if it isn't a Final Fantasy game. This song has a very interesting structure (which became very evident to me when I sang it in karaoke the first time without having much clue about how it goes xD), which makes the song unpredictable - this I like. This has also grown to be one of my favorite karaoke songs now that I have a proper grasp on it. It also tickles my fancy since it's about making miracles happen (Captain Obviouuuss~ /o/ lol).

METRO BAROQUE

You've already heard me ramble about this song, so you can go check it out from my [earlier entry], if you've forgotten. Still love this song, and still stuck between my eternal battle of which I like more.. this or Junketsu Paradox. Every time I listen to one or the other I think "this is the one". xD But luckily, no one is forcing me to choose so no problem.

Happy☆Go-Round!
This song definitely goes really well with Switch Girl, haha. This combined with the dance in the ED is incredible. It makes me smile without a doubt. After many epic songs this brings a lighter carefree breeze in between, similar to the one Lovely Fruit provides earlier in the album. Ii desu ne~

Sacred Force -Extended Mix-

Pretty much the same as the Sacred Force we know already, with extended melody parts in between. The song flows very nicely this way and after listening to this for a couple of weeks, I have even forgotten how the shorter version went haha. Again like with Get my drift? and METRO BAROQUE, if you want details on what I think of the song itself I wrote about it in my BRIGHT STREAM single entry, so [go here].

約束 (= Promise)

I was expecting much from this Nana x SAYURI love child and I am not disappointed - it is utterly beautiful and such a strong expression of friendship. Really brings tears to my eyes every time I hear it and makes me so happy to know that Nana and SAYURI have such an amazing friend in each other. They deserve this love. Both of them. So much. I am so glad you found each other. *cries a bit more while no one is looking* This song will always keep reaching the depths of my heart and make it resonate. Thank you for this you two!


~☆☆☆☆☆☆☆~


And now for some final thoughts. I am really happy to see that most of these songs would definitely sound grand in an orchestral live, so we'll probably be hearing quite many of them in LIVE GRACE 2013 -OPUS II-. This little fact also makes me love the album very much (sasuga violin geek ^^;;). Also on a side note, I might take the trouble to translate STAR ROAD and Crescent Child eventually. We'll see though if anything happens since school is resuming the day after tomorrow.. orz