New FictionJunction album "elemental" and YK Live vol. #11

Just opened and watched my copy.

The making shouldn't all be about them goofing around... which we got plenty of. We got some insight into what the staff do and what they think as well. I can tell that the staff really like Kajiura's music too. I spotted a box labelled Kalafina, which for some reason they brought along for the tour. lol

Some MC segments, Wakana trying to go for Yoga with Yuriko Kaida. Kajiura being annoyed by the cassette tape's unfortunate analog hiccups during her yoga session, leaving her more annoyed than relaxed.
Kajiura's MC notes on how to greet the audience in Taiwan in Mandarin.
And the promised footage of Jr. apologising for missing the train and being late.

This? Boring? I have no idea what you guys are talking about!!!
 
I'd prefer if the "Making of" is something more like in live vol.9, where we can see more of their rehearsal sessions. This "Making of" is more of an "interview", like in live vol.2 DVD, only this time we get the staffs and the FBM talking plus some random stage preparations footage. At least we can hear the FBM's voice lol. I agree with George, though. For those who don't know Japanese or have limited Japanese knowledge, the video is somewhat boring since it's 90% talks.
 
I finally just got elemental last month, and I am completely flabbergasted by it for two very specific reasons:

1. Yuriko Kaida: Yuki Kajiura has completely pushed her to the background. Yes, songs where Kaida does the chorus are BEAUTIFUL, she has a great chorus voice. But she also has a great lead voice too. She proves that in songs like himitsu and here we stand in the morning dew. It simply amazes me that Yuki Kajiura has pushed her to the background in every single song, so much so that if you were to replace Kaori with Hikaru in this album, elemental basically becomes a Kalafina album, because the formula is exactly the same. And that's just bogus! Kaida has been with Kajiura from the very beginning (earlier than the other girls to my limited knowledge) and for her to not give Kaida 1 or 2 songs where she is the lead is very...... crappy to me. The only rationale I can offer is that maybe there are more personal issues as to why Kajiura has reduced her involvement. Maybe Kaida hasn't been participating as much as the other women, maybe there's personality friction, maybe she's going through some heavy life events and can't make as many rehearsals, I don't know. It's the only way I can justify why I can barely make out Kaida's voice in any one of these songs, not even for a single stanza.

2. The new songs on the album are so lackluster. They are very un-Kajiura like in their blandness. If I were to listen to elemental or storytelling and not know that it was Kajiura, I would have just pushed them to the side and never listened to them again. They are absolutely nothing special. And gaika is really really boring. I was reading through some of the earlier pages of this thread and people seem to agree with this. Storm is one of the best songs on the album, but if you hear the original from mai-Otome, it's so much better. The acoustic guitar is such a better choice for it, giving it a great flavor. That's the thing about this album: instrumentation was always Kajiura's strong suit, but it's so bland on this album. It's just a watered-down J-pop girl band now. It doesn't hold the depth that so many of Kajiura's other songs hold. It's just so Meh, that it kind of disturbs me. Yuki Kajiura should be at her most vital right now, but this album scares me, it's like she's losing grip.

She's probably just doing too many projects at once. I'm sure that whatever comes out next will make up for this lost time. And it doesn't mean I'm still not listening to this album on loop, I am a die-hard Kajiura fan after all, and after the disappointment settles, the album has been able to grow on me a bit.
 
I knew elemental and storytelling are by Kajiura and I still pushed them aside :p I'm a Kajiura fan but I won't torture myself listening horrible songs.
 
Elemental could have been good if Kajiura had taken out two of the three bridges. That song just goes on for too long.
 
sora said:
Elemental could have been good if Kajiura had taken out two of the three bridges. That song just goes on for too long.
Click to expand...

This isn't exactly a new problem. Case in point, most of After Eden.
 
Songs go for too long is one of the faults in After Eden but at least none of the songs has 3 bridges as far as I remember :p the songs are just mediocre to begin with, but at least they have okay melody lines and arrangement. It's just the some songs that are annoying, in my case Eden (too many key changes, AABCABBA is way too long for a song), sandpiper (the song itself is okay but it has the boring-unnecessarily-way-too-long-beginning-middle-and-ending instrumental section), in your eyes (melody lines are catchy but annoying, the key never changes and I also found it annoying lol), and neverending (the verses are almost the same with Hikari no Senritsu, the song itself is not unnecessarily long but it's not creative at all, what with that filler unmemorable lalalala towards the end). elemental and especially storytelling simply suck imo. elemental's chorus melody lines are awkward. storytelling is just no from the beginning, the only salvation is the very-last-more-quiet part. Gaika is okay but the song goes for too long with very narrow although very nice melody lines it makes the song boring. The vocal bridge (chirichiri matataku...etc) is also unnecessary as the kajiurago bridge followed by the repeat of the verse is enough, because I think the song won't have a smooth transition without the repeat of the verse before the 2x chorus towards the end (that I also strangely do not really mind because Kajiura makes it different with some Kajiurago in the background).
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I mostly have issues with Eden, In Your Eyes and Mune no Yukue in regards to being unnecessarily long, whilst snow falling is just boring. Coincidentally those three are also amongst the longest.

Storytelling's only standout part for me is the English bit.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Daphné said:
Only Wakan noticed this crying woman...
10891912_1577898835757363_6587972732028562076_n.jpg

10919023_1577898829090697_1647743224361824083_n.jpg
Click to expand...

Oh my goodness. This reminds me of the time I was at ACen and I was walking into an area where some staff offices were. To my surprise, Kalafina was hanging around outside one of the doors with some people, and Wakana noticed me from a distance. She gave me this same look. My eyes widened as I kinda froze for a few seconds. I was so starstruck, I slowly turned around and pretended I was looking at my celphone.

tumblr_n39gobj7xf1rq5fzso1_500.gif
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Thanks for voicing your opinions about the elemental album. Im glad im not the only one who is less than pleased with it.

Is anyone else really bummed that Yuriko Kaida has been deemed a permanent background vocalist these days?? (See my rant like 5 posts above about this)
 
@ rita: I wouldnt say them horrible, but they are lower than her normal quality

@TRal55: I also dont like that. It seems like she is so much used to writing for Kalafina (where Yuriko is only chorus) that she cant think of other ways to combine the vocals, or she's afraid fans wont like it. For example she could try give a completely new song to Yuriko (her ver of Himitsu was awesome, but her "here we stand..." was really boring), or reverse the girls roles: have Yuriko and Keiko do main vocal and keep Kaori and Wakana at chorus. I would be so pleased if she did that!!
 
Yuriko being pulled always to the back vocals bothers me a lot since I love her voice. But I also think that we would miss her harmonies if she were to lead.

@george1234 That's a combination I'd love to hear, for example in a mid tempo ballad.
 
Kohaku_ said:
Yuriko being pulled always to the back vocals bothers me a lot since I love her voice. But I also think that we would miss her harmonies if she were to lead.
Click to expand...

Oh! I know this is like REALLY b0nkers that I would even suggest it but... just hear me out, I know it's stupid, BUT YOU KNOW... How about having Yuriko do the backing vocals as well as the main vocals?!?!11 Crazy, huh?! It would be like ca 2001 again!

But seriously, even if she got lead vocals Kajiura would still use her on backing vocals in other songs, cause uh ya. You know what - I'd like to hear Kaori Nishina again, too.
 
^ Haha me too. Having only Yuriko for kajiurago of the style these 2 sing (slower tracks) gets a bit monotonous, plus alot of Kaori Nishina vocal tracks like Darklore and Lost command were perfect fit for her voice!
 
george1234 said:
@TRal55: I also dont like that. It seems like she is so much used to writing for Kalafina (where Yuriko is only chorus) that she cant think of other ways to combine the vocals, or she's afraid fans wont like it.
Click to expand...
That is definitely a possibility. Trying to "please" your fan base is a quick way to kill creativity but that might explain why the new songs on elemental are so mediocre. Maybe she is focusing on what she thinks people want instead of creating what she likes. If this is true its a trap tons of creative types fall into but, again, is the death of true art.

george1234 said:
For example she could try give a completely new song to Yuriko (her ver of Himitsu was awesome, but her "here we stand..." was really boring), or reverse the girls roles: have Yuriko and Keiko do main vocal and keep Kaori and Wakana at chorus. I would be so pleased if she did that!!
Click to expand...
Yes! That would be a very needed way to change it up. We know that Wakana can do a great classical soprano
 
Agreed. More Yuriko is good. I just wish Kajiura would stop giving leads to Wakana all the time, especially since her range and tone now is incomparable to veteran Kaida-neechan.

Kajiura should consider replacing Wakana with Yuriko in some songs since Wakana can no longer vocally handle it, like for Historia: opening theme.

Or maybe just add more Yuriko songs to the setlist like canta per me. I miss vol. 2 where we had a fair amount of Yuriko on lead vocals.
 
Watching the madlax mix yuuka performed for vol 11 and I'm really disappointed by the lack of flute. Rie was right there.
 
I thought the same thing. I was expecting flute the whole time. It's really a shame because the solo is my favorite part from Margaret.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top