[Album] Winter Acoustic “Kalafina with Strings”

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I listened to it a while ago and I'm still having an eargasm :love: It have been a long time since the last time I enjoyed an alvum so, so much.
Most of Kalafina covers were okay, but nothing over the top. But the Christmas covers were gorgeous, they sound so different from what we hear from them that is really refreshing and nice to see.
After this album, I'm like 100% sure Kajiura needs to write some jazzy song for Keiko. I don't mind if Kalafina or FJ, but Keiko has born to sing jazz. Her sweet, enchanting, but at the same time, breathtakingly powerful voice blew me away. Listening to her I could almost see her smiling while singing. :hearts:
I don't remember when was the last time I loved that much their armonies, but these songs were heavenly :hearts:
I may write a more detailed thing later, but atm I'm so busy fangirling, forgive me :shy:
 
^^
Yeah, I did get a similar vibe, particularly from rokugatsu when I listened to yasashii uta. I like all of those Yuuka tracks, though they don't give me the same cathartic feeling as this new track does. Perhaps that's what I find different about it.
 
I never thought I'd almost cry to CHRISTMAS SONGS, but hey, here's Kalafina to prove me wrong. I love this thing, I guess I'll be listening to it (at least) until New Year.

(Yasashii Uta was so beautiful...)

Edit: girls' pronunciation is getting so much better, isn't it?
 
Would be really nice if that improved English was because they're getting ready to tour the world :ayashii:.

I'm trying to resist listening to the album until I get mine, but if it isn't here by the last week or so before Christmas I'll give in and download it.
 
Ι bet they took the time to do some additional english lessons not only for the future world tour but also to not sound ridiculous in the english songs of this album (mind that this is the first time Kalafina sing english songs in a CD release) and at the Holywood concert of Yuki.
 
Here's my review: (Good job if you read the whole thing :XD:)

01. From Heaven Above- I liked this overall, it works well as an overture. I felt like the filter was a bit overpowering at times though. All the girls sound beautiful, and the piano accompaniment is lovely. It's nothing special but it's a great intro track.

02. In Dulci Jubilo- Ahh I'm a sucker for choral harmonies (and acapella at the beginning, no less!) so needless to say, I loved this. Wakana sounded really thin at times but it wasn't that bad as Hikaru's and Keiko's gorgeous harmonies more than made up for it.:love:

03. Fairytale~with strings ver~- I have to admit I'm kinda disappointed with how similar the arrangement was compared to the version on the Alleluia single, but I loved that arrangement so I can't really complain.
Also, like everyone else, I'm really impressed with their pronunciation of "In the dark".
However, I'm disappointed in how Keiko keeps choosing to do her 'cutesy' voice for her verse, it just doesn't really fit the song well IMO. The Kajiurago section was GREAT though (Hearing Keiko's part so clearly was :dote:)!
I've also never been a fan of this version of Hikaru's 'sayonara' though, it tends to comes off as anticlimactic.
But YES Keiko got 'In the light' all to herself~ :hearts:

04. Sprinter ~with strings ver~- I didn't have that high expectations for this after seeing the sample, but what really changed my mind was the 'Kimi ni aitai' part. The strings there were just :nosebleed::nosebleed:. That whole section actually made the song for me tbh. The rest of the song was fine, but nothing special. I still dislike the majority of Hikaru's phrasing and those random pauses :spotlight:

05. Jingle Bells- OMG THOSE ACAPELLA HARMONIES GAH :wai:I loved this so much, probably one of the only times I've enjoyed listening to this song haha. Only thing I didn't like was how Hikaru sung "Bells on the bobtail ring".
Wakana's harmonies in the chorus were love:dote::dote:
This song also made me realize how much we need Keiko to sing jazz, like seriously somebody, get on that. :ohoho:
The melody of the strings at the end was cool as well

06. We Wish You a Merry Christmas- I don't really have anything specific to mention for this one, it was really pleasant to listen to but nothing really stuck out to me as being really good or really bad.

07. Kimi no Gin no Niwa ~with strings ver~- Like I said in my post about the sample, I was really pleasantly surprised with this one. I found myself enjoying the piano accompaniment quite a bit and the entire arrangement in general was very solid. All the girls sounded beautiful, no complaints from me. I liked the pizzicatto at the ending too, it was cute :XD:

08. Ring Your Bell ~with strings ver~- Like someone else mentioned, the absence of Wakana's 'ahh' after the 'kofuko to' makes me sad. However, I do like the acoustic arrangement quite a bit. It made me appreciate this song a lot more, as I always used to disregard it as a generic anisong (though it still kinda is... :XD:)
This song seems to be the one that got the most changes compared to the original, which is good, as the original wouldn't really have fit here imo.
Back to the actual song though, I loved the bridge! Over-dramatic strings make everything better :plot:
I'm still really really really iffy about Wakana's high note at the end... meh.

09. Morobito Kozorite (Joy to the World)- More beautiful harmonies yay. Wakana in particular sounded very nice here. The second half absolutely blew me away though omg, I loved everything about it. Definitely the best arrangement I've ever heard of this song.
I actually started smiling and dancing in my seat along to it as I was listening LOL. It's really a shame it was so short, otherwise it might have been my favorite from the album overall.

10. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas- Here I can really see how much they've improved their English pronunciation (Hikaru in particular) lol. I loved how smooth Keiko's tone was. The arrangement wasn't that much different from what I was expecting, but it was still nice to listen to.

11. dolce ~with strings ver.~- You could literally copy and paste the version from the 8th anniversary live thingy here and I wouldn't have noticed any difference (except for the absence of clapping lol). Not much I can say here tbh, this song has always tended to strike me as a song that's just... kinda there...

12. Alleluia ~piano ver.~- I will still always prefer the Arena Live version (best version of Alleluia of all time, period.) but this was nice as well. Keiko is always love :plz:. I've always been partial to Hikaru's harmonies in this song as well.
I still stand by what I said about Wakana's Kajiurago bridge though...It just sounds so so so so thin I can't get into it.

13. Yasashii Uta: OMG AM I THE ONLY ONE WHO THOUGHT IT WAS FREAKING HITORIGOTO AT FIRST??? I MEAN THE FIRST 3 NOTES OF THE VERSE ARE LITERALLY THE EXACT SAME, HOW HAS NO ONE ELSE NOTICED THIS?? :ohnoes::swt:
That aside though, I really did enjoy this song. (When I wasn't thinking it was Hitorigoto and when I wasn't singing along to Hitorigoto instead of actually listening to the song :omg:)
It is really original compared to stuff Kajiura has done recently, so I am pleasantly surprised. Keiko in particular sounded very gentle, loved her tone here. :shy: I loved that ending exchange of 'Yasashii Uta' between Hikaru and Keiko. The instrumental closing was lovely as well, (It actually almost reminded me of something from Knk, especially with those sfx and the piano). Perfect ending song!
(Remind me to go listen to Hitorigoto after this, that's a great song btw)


Overall: I was actually really pleasantly surprised with this album. It's funny, as I was expecting the self-covers to be great and the Christmas songs to be merely ok, but it turned out that the opposite was true lol.
Like how someone else mentioned, one of my favorite things about the album is how it allows for us to hear harmonies better (and I love my harmonies), which means hearing more Keiko yay :dote:.
The Christmas songs in general had some of the best harmonies I've ever heard from Kalafina (In duici jubilo and Jingle Bells especially) so those made me very very happy. The Kalafina self covers were ok, but they were actually kinda disappointing overall. :...:By no means were they bad though, I was just hoping for something a bit more... However, I still enjoyed this album a lot overall!
This is going to be the next album I loop when trying to fall asleep lol :sleep:
 
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The album is now available on iTunes too! From Heaven ABOBE tho xD
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Wow I'm actually really surprised they've been adding more recent Kalafina stuff on itunes (They had the blaze single on there too).
I just hope they eventually release After Eden and FoTW, but I doubt that'll ever happen
 
omg george you're right and you're so funny!

also I have to say that my favorite part of the whole album is Keiko's "watashi wa minna o miokutte, chiisa na humming de..." what a wonderful and warm tone Keiko has there <3 I really like Yasashii Uta but why did Kajiura have to end it with that "kimi ni todoke..."
 
I said I wanted to calm down before reviewing it, but I just can't, so expect to find me overly excited here xD

- From heavens above: Slow, calm song, but it's pretty I guess. Nothing that stands out, but works fine as an overture.
- In dulce jubilo: More Wakana. Other girls are just singing on the back. Strings are beautiful. I liked it overall, but I'd love to hear more from Keiko and Hikaru.
- Fairytale: Strings at the beggining are beautiful. I actually prefer Keiko's part here over the one in the original. I also prefer this Kajiurago, loving Keiko here (Spoiler: I love Keiko everywhere). Oh, God, and her "in the light" is gorgeous too. Really beautiful version overall, however, I find too similar to the original one. I'd say both are on par, I'd even might like this slightly more, which is positive =D
-Sprinter: After 3 songs, Hkaru finally makes an appearance. I didn't like her opening part first time I heard it, not I'm starting to do so ~ OH MY GOD THE KIMI NI AITAI PART WITH ALL THOSE STRINGS IS SO FABULOUS! Wa-chan's "I'm calling your name" sounds so clear. Really nice version, it's what should have done to all the Kala songs in the album, because it's really different from the original. Can't choose one at all, both are too different for me.
- Jingle Bells: Wakana sounds great, and so does Keiko. BUT HIKARU, THAT VOICE IS GREAT!! Why not sing more like that girl!! This is one of my faves from the album, I'm actually kinda dancing and singing to it while listening. Armonies are really enjoyable, girls sound really good. Biggest complaint here: Song being too short, can we please have an 1 hour version? Also, all of them were amazing, but Hikaru's voice stole the song for me.
- We wish you a merry Christmas: I REALLY LOVE THE ARMONIES HERE. THE BESTEST OF THE BESTES I HAVE HEARD IN A WHILE I'M LOVING THIS SO MUCH. HELP ME I WANT TO CRY TO A CHRISTMAS SONG IS THIS EVEN NORMAL?
- Kimi no Gin no Niwa: LOVE how Wakana sounds here, but I wish this wasn't identical to the original, I don't get what's the point on an acoustic version of this. Strings sound really nice and I totally adore them, but I think I prefere the accordions, they gave the song its unique feeling. But with that being said, it's super beautiful overall and put a smile in my face, even if I'll stick with the original for now.
- Ring your Bell: Last thing I'll review before breakfast because I feel I'm dying here. But dying listenin this is not that bad xD I already said this after the Arena Live, but I prefer this version, much more that the original one. I always liked the original, but this is more emotional to me. The calm, slow start really gets me. Also, this gives me a "old kala" feeling that makes me so happy. THE KAJIURAGO I'M IN HEAAAAVEN I'd say this is now one my favourite Kajiurago parts from them ♥ The strings are the end are so great, ♥ AND I LOVE WAKANA'S HIGH NOTES. "RING YOUR BELL AND RISE YOUR SONG" WAS PERFECT. I'd personally have ended the song here and skip the last "ring your bell", this would be a better finish, but anyway.
- Morobito Kozorite: Oh, God, fist time I heard this I had my mouth wide open the entire song. I already listened to it a few times and I still do. THAT ARMONIES. I don't even get a word and I'm singing. I need an 1 hour version of this please. Probrably from the very best of the album. Also I forgot to have breakfast because of this because I love it so much I couldn'd pause it.
- Have yourself a little merry christmas: I already ate something, so let's get back to this precious song. Beautiful and very emotional version. AMAZING armonies. I like Hikaru here, she sings so sweetly.
- Dolce: Dolce is a song so forgettable that when anyone ask me about forgettable songs, I never say Dolce is one of them because I totally forget about it. It's forgettable even in the world of forgettable songs. Strings are a nice touch, but there isn't a lot of difference with the original anyway. The girls also sound nice.
- Aleluia: It was definitely a mistake airing the Arena Live shortly before the album release because now we know nothing will NEVER EVER top that Alelluia. But this is indeed a great version. Good thing is you can fully apprecciate how gorgeous Kaiko's voice is. Might love this more than the original.
- Yasashii uta: Can we please rename this song to "yasashii Keiko". BECAUSE HOLY COW GIRL YOU MELT ME WITH THAT SWEET VOICE. Agree this doesn't song really Kajiura-like, which is always refreshing ♥ Slow, sweet, and, as the title says, gentle song. I really hope we get more songs like these on the future.

Overall, pretty versions of Kala songs, I think there are plenty of songs who would have benefited more from getting and acoustic version, but everything was on par or better than the originals, so it's not like I can complaint at all.
BUT THE CHRISMAS COVERS WERE AMAZING. I'D PREFER AN ALBUM JUST WITH CHRISTMAS COVERS IT WAS SO AMAZING.
I'd define this as an "Wakana-centric album where Keiko shone the brightest". Very impressed with the improved english. I can even understand them for the most part, wow.
Now we all should pray for the live to get recorded somewhere. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE And if this was already epic with the 3 girls, can't imagina how could this be on the lives with Yuriko.
So I think Kalafina is at a really strange point atm, where the best thing they do are not their songs. I recent times, the things I enjoyed the most were Alcira no Hoshi, their colaborations on TV shows, their radio covers of others' songs and now, these Chrismas songs. The thing is, the really grew as artists recently, they got to work with really different people and did really different things. But on the other hand, we have their music, specially their A-sides, which has been kinda dissapointing.
I think Kajiura is now overwhelmed with their popularity increase, she can't get back at all to old Kala (and we keep complaining about it), and the thing that made the girls popular were their (generic, boring) anisongs, so she doesn't seem to really know where she should go now. She still does good songs, but she puts it "in the back" as B-sides, which is annoying.
So, the thing that this album has confirmed is that the girls have still a lot of unrevealed potential. Maybe is the time to forget about old Kalafina, give a step foward and create a "brand new" Kalafina. Instead of having they struggling to get to their old voices, let's use the new ones, let's try new things, new armonies, new styles, let's make things we never heard before!! AND YES, THE FIRST THING SHE SHOULD DO IS A DAMN JAZZ KEIKO SONG AND I WON'T ACCEPT A NO.
I still have faith in you, Kajiura, you have 3 talented, incredibly versatile ladies with you who will make amazing things. Keep going!
 
ritardando said:
I'll stop saying so when Wakana and Hikaru don't sound like shit.
Click to expand...

As far as I know, ritardando has always loved Keiko and occasionally appreciated Wakana and Hikaru, and even if a song is not Keiko centered, he'd always say Keiko's the best part. That's how he (I think, sorry if I'm wrong) is and thinks and there's nothing wrong about that, just his opinion.

But saying they sound like shit... (again) That's just rude, hey. And unnecessary.
 
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