Kalafina 4th album “Consolation”

Okay, I broke down and listened to Signal. Was not what I was expecting again. I don't like Hikaru's parts, like I didn't in Consolation. but I do like Wakana's and Keiko's. They remind me of a Yoko Konno/Origa song. I was hoping for me to like this one a lot more, but waiting until the cd comes tomorrow to listen to it more. Ahhh I can't wait to hear the others. And I have a long day in school, I'm going to be dying of impatience. heh
 
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Tokyogirl1996 said:
SOMEONE HELP ME!!! I tried getting Consolation, but had to put a new credit card in. The expiration date their me off...all it shows for the year is 201 , 202, 203. Can someone help? I've tried a bunch of things and still can't get it worked and now I'm locked out until tomorrow...:(
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Never mind! I ordered it on YesAsia. Now time to wait. :uh..:
 
@CruelAngel: Thanks for the scans. I like the one of all 3 of them together much more than the covers. I wish they would have used those dresses instead.
 
canto lamento ♪ :dote:
hanae's solo vocals are so powerful here...wonder if it wouldve worked as a repeated refrain.. :ayashii: :nosebleed: ...though kore-chan...and that's indeed a nostalgic retro rock guitar :hero:
 
@george: The one in the scans that cruelangel had awhile back. They have more poffy dresses and sleeves like the moonfesta sleeves. It's different than the cover dresses, that's what I meant.

Edit: Now that I look at it closer, they just put more stuff around the dresses, but I still like it better that way.
 
Ahh okay I finally got to write out my thoughts about each song.

al fine
The worst part about this song is that it's very short, but otherwise it's lovely. It places an emphasis on the instruments and the vocals are somewhat of a back note, but they're beautiful. The lyrics in this song reference all of the other songs on the album, which is highly interesting.

consolation
My favorite of the new songs! It is quite epic and intense, and the added overlaying vocals are awesome. The effects placed on the voices are interesting too, because they not only give this sense of urgency but also produce a sort of echoing sound.

moonfesta
I like this song, but I do feel as though it's out of place on this particular album, which is otherwise either intense or calm. moonfesta is a jaunty song, though of course it's rather childish, but I do enjoy the swell of the refrain and the instrument choices.

Door
Beautiful ballad! That's all I can really say though.

未来 (Mirai) (Future)
It's a Japanese version of Credens Justitiam, which is pretty much regarded as Mami's theme in Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica. Quite an empowering, excited song that gives a feeling of hope. I have to admit I don't care much for Hikaru's higher notes in this, but I love it all the same.

花束 (Hanataba) (Bouquet)
I'm honestly not sure how I feel about this song in its entirety. Overall, I like it, but I was slightly thrown off by the accordion. It's an interesting choice, and something Kajiura has done before, but it didn't strike me as an especially Kalafina instrument. The fact that an accordion is used a few times in an album that leans towards "rocky" is also strange, but interesting. Otherwise the song is good.

signal
This is the most intense song on the album, and it's actually hard to listen to. I like it a lot, especially the slower-paced vocal parts, but it's definitely a song I wouldn't put on repeat much. It has too much intense energy to be a song that you just... listen to. But it's quite good, and the music of it is pretty definitive Kalafina/Kajiura.

obbligato
My favorite part of this song is the guitar melody. It's another intense song, though less so than signal. I quite like it, and despite the fact that it's over 6 minutes long, I could listen to it a lot. It's a fast enough song that it doesn't seem to last that long.

木苺の茂みに (Kiichigo no Shigemi ni) (Raspberry Bushes)
This is another very lovely ballad, though it has a more of a... pop sound to it than Door. I really quite like this one a lot though. It's a nice break from having signal and obbligato back-to-back.

満天 (Manten) (The Whole Sky)
This was a relatively dark song that came coupled on the to the beginning single, and I like it quite a lot. The more... rustic?? melody of it is actually a good fit with the electric guitar, despite what one might think. The bridge is especially excellent.

to the beginning
One of my favorite newer Kalafina songs! I play this song all the time, since I also own a physical copy of its single. It's a fun song that sounds very "anime opening" but with that special Kalafina touch. Having it come after 満天 instead of before was an interesting choice, it's like a build-up to something worth hoping for.

ひかりふる (Hikarifuru) (Falling Light)
Japanese version of Sagitta Luminis! Great song, wonderful singing, and the melody is carried well by their voices. I think this is a Kalafina song that stands along the lines of "standardly beautiful" rather than trying to achieve something different. The way it winds down at the end is super lovely...

夢の大地 (Yume no Daichi) (Land of Dreams)
And we end the album with a very nice, soothing song. Many people have especially compared this to Symphonia, but I find it to be more like Storia, which works since it was another song written for a NHK documentary again. Wonderful flute and overall melody. The song is just very nice.
 
My review:
Al Fine- Dreamy and beautiful. Makes me sleepy and calm. :XD: Is short, but it didn't seem like the kinda song that just stops. It eased in and eased out. Like Seaventh Heaven's Overture song. :D I loved Al Fine. :)

Constolation: Pure awesomness. I loved the use of the extra vocalist (Who's name I have forgotten). I loved the rock, rough, dramatic style. Kinda like Magia, Destination Unknown, and Matte Kaze Ga --- , yet different. Also a little like Red Moon. All in all, I loved it! The ending with Hikaru was different and almost annoying at first, but then somehow it just sounded awesome to me.

Door: Very pretty! Beautiful. :stars: Kinda like Falling Snow. Very beautiful and calming.

Hanataba: The beginning reminds me of some of Yuki's OST/solo music. I honestly can't remember the name of the instrument for some reason, even though I have one... but it's kinda cool. Different for them, but it is cool. New isn't too bad. XD Pretty song. Not extraordinary. But not bad. Not bad at all. I also love Keiko in this song. :D

Obbligato: I love the Kajiurago at the beginning. It almost sounds like "Kalafina" which is so cool to me. I gives an epicness right off from the start. I could be wrong, but I think I hear Yuki Kajiura which is even awesomer. And the rock is really cool. I love the loud, chaoticness with Kalafina. Oh yeah.. pure awesomness... Probably one of my favorites!! This is the kinda song that makes me want to jump around in some lame dance. :nosebleed:

Kichigo no Shegemi ni: I love the piano at the beginning. Very simple. Very elegant. Very slow and easy and calming. It's cool having rough and chaotic and dramatic to a calm, sad [smallcaps]kanashimi[/smallcaps] thing going.
 
*Continuation* My power is trying to go off and I didn't want to write all this up just for it to dissappear two minutes later...

Yume No Daichi: It's been a while since I last heard it, but I remember thinking that it wasn't very exraordinary for a Single. But it wasn't bad.

Signal: Another awesome favorite!! I loved the chaos in it. I loved it! Pure awesomness! I can understand people not liking it, but I honesly loved it!

As for the other stuff that wasn't new:
Mirai: I loved this one. It had vibe that I have never been able to explain in it. Like a returning or something. Something that can't be explained without seeming like a fruitcake. XD

Manten: One of my favorite songs right now! It had an epicness in it that I loved! I also loved the lyrics. :D

Hikari Furu: I loved this one. :D It was really cool song and I'm happy they put this one in.

To the Beginning: Awesome and I loved it too. I loved Manten more though. XD

Moonfesta: I first heard it with that video with the anime princess. I fell in love with it instantly and still love it. Especially the lyrics! It has a different style than there other songs, and is very unique, but I love it.

I think that's it.. anyways, I'm glad I FINALLY got to hear it and can't wait for my copy to come. :D All in all. I love this album and think it's awesome. I can't decide which album of Kalafina's is better though.This is definintly better than Red Moon, though! :D
 
My thoughts on the new songs:

al fine: MYGOD, THIS SONG. :cry: It seriously makes me tear up each time I hear it. ; w; The lyrics are beautiful and the song itself is absolutely gorgeous. Of course it's the shortest one of them all. . . //sobs
I do wish it was longer but I also think its shortness just adds to it. Definitely a favourite!

Consolation: I loved this one! Very powerful and intense. Maybe it's just me, but Hikaru was a little difficult to understand in the beginning. ^^; Hanae's and Yuriko's voices really added to the the song, I don't think it would have had the same haunting effect without them. On another note, I wish we could have heard more of Keiko. . .

Door: Another pretty song. > u < Although I will admit I wasn't too big a fan of Hikaru's parts; I feel like she didn't manage to convey the same. . . ah, delicacy as Wakana and Keiko, except towards that last harmonization with Wakana. Who knows, maybe it will grow on me after I listen to it some more~

Hanataba: Err, the accordion was a bit of a surprise. . . but it was a good one! I really liked the song, but again, for some reason. . . Hikaru's singing kind of annoyed me. :/ I liked her harmonizing more. And Hanae and Yuriko sounded beautiful in the chorus, as usual :sohappy:

Signal: . . .so when I first heard this song, all I could think was, what happened Kajiura-san? :omg: Actually that's all I kept thinking when I kept trying to make sense of what I was listening to. But I will say what a couple of others have said; after listening repeatedly, it's definitely grown on me! I actually really like it. I especially love Keiko's little solo. Hikaru wasn't annoying in this song to me, and Wakana's ahh's were also great, though I felt they could have been just a bit more higher-pitched. Overall, I'd consider this song a favourite!

Obbligato: I liked most of the song; the vocals were lovely, and it flowed nicely but I honestly didn't really like the guitar parts (even though those parts will be fun to watch when this song gets performed live). It kind of distracted me from the song, but we'll see if that changes as I listen to it more. Lol I keep repeating myself, but I just can't get over Hanae and Yuriko, they really add to the songs they sing in!

Kichigo no shigemi ni: This song reminds me a lot of Kagayuku Sora but with less instruments. There's also little parts that remind of Manten for some reason; I'm not sure if I like it very much. . . I do love the prominent cello and piano though. I know Hikaru can pull off a 'soft' tone of singing, but I don't think she really managed to do that in this song.

Yume no Daichi: This song is relaxing and pleasant to listen to, but it just didn't stand out to me like the other songs did. Also. . . If Storia and Symphonia were to have a baby, then this would be it :XD:

Overall; I definitely enjoyed this album; while it did have that certain. . . 'Kajiura/Kalafina-ness' to it, there was still a refreshing feel to it. In my opinion, we got to see some more of Kalafina's fiery passion. :sparkleguy: And I'm sure it sounded like I was bashing on Hikaru, but I promise I didn't mean it that way. :spotlight:
I love her style but I just. . . I'm not sure what happened I liked her parts in this album. ._.
 
I am in the opinion that they should make a pv for consolation instead. i wonder what will it looks like :ayashii:

But anyways, maybe i am not so good into music instruments, all their songs are lovely + enjoyable :sohappy: :innocent:

:cheer: Keep up the good work :cheer:
 
Re:

zepthesis said:
I am in the opinion that they should make a pv for consolation instead.
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I'm not agreed with this. Yume no Daichi i like better, but if you ask me then i prefer a PV for Door - it's so beautiful... :dote:
 
My full thought about the album :

01. al fine : Al fine is totally fine to the point I wished it was longer. Nice melody, the girls have equal part (since they sing one after another) and very interesting lyrics. Definitely liking this more than intermezzo or Kotonoha.

02. consolation : prolong the Kalafina titular album track that I don't like since Red Moon. Never really care about Red Moon, and even if I've said that Eden grew on me, that's only because Keiko's final lines. This song, on the other hand, is just very disjointed in my opinion. My least favorite from this album aside of Mirai.

03. moonfesta : Always loved this song :)

04. Door : A really nice and simple ballad that brings smile to my face. The girls' parts are divided quite evenly for me, with Keiko's stanza being my favorite part. Kinda disappointed with Hikaru's final stanza though.

05. Mirai : blah. I'll gladly trade this song for Yane no Mukou ni. The only good part of this song is the Kajiuran by Yuriko and Nozaki's drumming.

06. Hanataba : HIKARU I totally love you in this song! Really romantic and full of emotion. The accordeon is really lovely. Just like what I've said before, in contrary to "door", Keiko's stanza is my least favorite part of this song.
Nozaki's drum, Yoshiaki's accordion and Hanae in the end = win. Tbh this part is even lovelier than the Kala girls part in this song for me, lol.

07. signal : GORGEOUS. AWESOME. In contrary to what Kawohni's said, this is a song I'll gladly put on repeat (and I've done it since yesterday, lol). Hikaru's part is not that nice without Keiko's harmony, imo. Wakana's "aaaaa" = sexy.
Keiko's part + Yuriko in the background = the awesomest part of the whole song, even from the whole album. Sexiest song from Kalafina for me. Really love Keiko in this one. The only song I hope they'll use the karaoke if they perform this live. Drum and bass won't replace the sfx as good as the original, and violin just won't do any justice to the accordion.

08. obbligato : awesome guitar melody is awesome. This song has grew on me, and it's my second favorite from all the new songs. Keiko's and Hikaru's verses = win. Interesting choice of words for the lyrics (I didn't even know the words "sabita" or "kobune" really exist). The only bad thing about this song is the totally bland drum that only there just to keep the beat of the song.

09. Kiichigo ni Shigemi ni : Nice, but between all the slow ballads in this album (Door, Hanataba, Hikarifuru, and this), this is my least favorite. Emotional, but not catchy. The best part of this song = Wakana's voice. Wakana's in her best form in this song.

10. Manten : Never really liked this song.

11. to the beginning : Only love Keiko's beginning part and the Kajiurago. Wakana's voice is hurting me in this one.

12. Hikarifuru : still love it until now.

13. Yume no Daichi : still love it until now, but with almost all the other new songs being really good, this song's rank for me isn't as high as it used to be.

Personal ranking :
signal - obliggato - Door - Hikarifuru - al fine - Hanataba - moonfesta - Yume no Daichi - to the beginning/Kiichigo no Shigemi ni - Manten - consolation - Mirai

This is another mostly Wakana album. She had a lot of songs with her as mostly main vocal (Hikarifuru, Manten, Yume no Daichi, Kiichigo no Shigemi ni) but I surprisingly quite satisfied with the girls part in this album.

Rather than consolation/Yume no Daichi, I'll be more glad if they make a PV for signal or obbligato.
 
i went to the kalafina museum in shinjuku and surprisingly, tower records already had the cd on sale :sohappy: so i gave in and bought the dvd one. tomorrow is kalafina day~ imma go around all over tokyo to go to each museum. then visit kalafina cafe again. there's a rumor on mixi that the girls will be there tomorrow?? hopefully :shy:
 
@rita: I agree with your review but personally I still enjoy mirai and manten, the only problem with consolation is like grunty said that after the bridge yuki copy pasted the beginning of the song's chorus and strings instead writing something new or jumping to Hikaru's part directly.

also to the beginning is nice to hear if you dont listen to it too many times.
 
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