Keiko Kubota and Ayaka Itō

We all gotta start somewhere, I guess! :XD:

Shows you what 7 years of practice and direction can do! ;D
 
Keiko has definitely improved! Very much!
What about Ayaka Ito? Does she continue singing?
 
Thanks for sharing this...I knew their group existed, but never heard any of their songs.

It's very...ordinary. They're clearly talented but it sounds like loads of other pop groups you'd see on the street or hear over the PA in a shop in Tokyo somewhere. It's pleasant but not really memorable.

I'm not even sure if I'd know it was them if it weren't for the photos accompanying the video. I can make out which parts Keiko's singing, but she's scratching the surface of what we now know she's capable of! This tune's a duet but these days with Yuki doing the arranging I'd expect there to be more 'separation' of the vocal parts to make use of their respective ranges.

I don't think it's a song she should be ashamed of having done, but it's not something that sticks in your memory either!
 
Couldn't watch that video, so I found this instead.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qB-ilj18BUZ[/youtube]

I like Keiko's voice better there - she's not shouting and making her voice extremely deep like she does now. Also, she seems to be able to hit high notes without making her voice "cutesy" as she did in Sorairo Days.
 
I think the experience of expressing oneself through song to people passing by has definitely had a huge impact on Keiko's performance. Of the three, she's the best and most confident in interacting with the audience.

It's all stepping stones. I feel so happy seeing how far she's come :)
 
I download four or five videos of Itokubo from YT, and I agree with what Martin said about it. I actually love the verse melody of Onegai Kami-sama (or something like that), but the chorus just ruins it all :blood: I also like Into the Sky a little bit, and it was featured in a game, Beautiful Katamari, whatever that is XD
As for Ayaka Ito, she has now a carrer by the name of Maria, and sang the opening theme for the anime Freezing, but that's all I know :XD:
 
I had heard of this a bit, but didn't know that Ayaka Ito had done anything else afterwards. I also didn't know they had any more songs but "Into the Sky" (that's all I found after searching CDjapan out of curiosity-and YouTube doesn't seem to have much more either but I should try it with their katakana name....).
:ohoho:
It's really interesting how much higher Keiko's voice is then compared to now- though I love her deep voice, I've always been impressed by how high she can also go. Also, like nomakegirl said, she is the most confident and interactive, and this looks like it did help her a lot to connect with the audience (which I'd imagine you really have to do, when a street live is your only way of advertising your music).

I'll have to look for more of this, it isn't terribly memorable, I agree, but still, it's Keiko.... :ayashii:
 
^Well, I guess Keiko still can sing like Itokubo times (as she did in everlasting song). It's just that Kajiura's songs doesn't require her to sing like that, but rather low and deep, for our luck and delight :nosebleed: :XD:
 
^ I wonder why she didn't sing like that in In Your Eyes or Sorairo Days, then?
 
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aero.senpai said:
I also like Into the Sky a little bit, and it was featured in a game, Beautiful Katamari, whatever that is XD
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Yes! That's right! That is a great game too - I found out it was Itokubo on the soundtrack a while ago and derp'd out. :touched:

I wonder why she didn't sing like that in In Your Eyes or Sorairo Days, then?
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How she sings will be totally dependent on the song, I suppose. The Kalafina Record thread gave a great insight into Keiko's role within Kalafina - the foundation on which the melody is built upon. She's mainly used for reinforcement, which is really noticeable in songs like "Destination Unknown" and even "In Your Eyes", as you mention it, which have solo verses for Hikaru but also verses where Keiko joins her, which are far more powerful and in your face.

Sometimes she won't need to fill that role, though. In Your Eyes has a great, flowing rhythm and is also pretty light-hearted, so perhaps it just wouldn't sound right to have Keiko dropping peoples trousers with her bass notes!

Also, ItoKubo was a duo, so the two of them would have much more to do individually.
 
^ Ah, I think I didn't explain myself very well. What I'm asking (rhetorically of course) is, why didn't she sing like she did in Itokubo when doing In Your Eyes/Sorairo Days? Her technique in the Itokubo song I heard would have fit those songs very well in my opinion (especially Sorairo Days), and it wouldn't sound as forced as her "cutesy" style did.
 
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ninetales said:
^ Ah, I think I didn't explain myself very well. What I'm asking (rhetorically of course) is, why didn't she sing like she did in Itokubo when doing In Your Eyes/Sorairo Days? Her technique in the Itokubo song I heard would have fit those songs very well in my opinion (especially Sorairo Days), and it wouldn't sound as forced as her "cutesy" style did.
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Whoops! I get you now! Sorry for essaying you! :psst:
 
Re: Itokubo - Keiko Kubota and Ayaka Itō

Wow, I didn't know that was her in Katamari, since I played that game. I will have to play it again now.

And it is interesting to hear her using different pitches. I was listening to destination unknown again today and thought she was higher in this song than in others, while still remaining a little deep. I think she's higher in Mune no Yukue, isn't she? I actually prefer her low deep voice, but it's nice to see she has that range.
 
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ninetales said:
^ I wonder why she didn't sing like that in In Your Eyes or Sorairo Days, then?
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Because "cutesy" sells more, and the people who like that don't care if it sounds ridiculous forced. :uh..:
 
Re:

ninetales said:
^ Ah, I think I didn't explain myself very well. What I'm asking (rhetorically of course) is, why didn't she sing like she did in Itokubo when doing In Your Eyes/Sorairo Days? Her technique in the Itokubo song I heard would have fit those songs very well in my opinion (especially Sorairo Days), and it wouldn't sound as forced as her "cutesy" style did.
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Actually I'm wondering the same thing. In AE DVD, for example, I love how she produced her voice in love come down. It's a bit cute, but still sounds like her usual singing voice and still have the vibe in it. Maybe she was indeed forced to do it, by their manager maybe? Like, "Keiko, please use the cutest tone you can produce in this song, to attract the audience attention more." . Maybe they think that's refreshing? Although sadly, I find the effect is backfiring.
 
^ Could be Keiko's own idea as well. Remember they have input in every of their performance, according to Kajiura :XD:
 
I thought her voice in those songs :ohoho: It might not be on point (and it does get a bit grating in In Your Eyes) but I like what it conveys
 
Well, she might have been trying to convey a lighter, more girlish sort of feel, since the lyrics seem to be like that - they remind me of an innocent young girl in love :shy: :ohoho:
 
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Cerise said:
Well, she might have been trying to convey a lighter, more girlish sort of feel, since the lyrics seem to be like that - they remind me of an innocent young girl in love :shy: :ohoho:
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And that reminds me of Keiko herself...in love with everyone :ohoho: Well, I just hope that, her idea or not, she would stop doing that :XD:
 
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