So, The Possible released a new album, a whole five years after the old one (and nearly 4 years since their last best-of slice of weirdness which I've never understood about the Japanese music industry. How in the hell can you have a best album after one album? You need at least 10 albums for that shit to work), which goes down as probably the longest wait between albums in idol music history (if it isn't, let me know.) To compare, it's about the same length of time between AC/DC and Metallica albums, but as AC/DC and Metallica are a bunch of old men with nothing new to offer, I don't understand why Tsunku hasn't got his ass into gear and given The Possible a new album (and more songs in general) much earlier. Especially considering he didn't even write half the songs on this album.
Just hope it isn't as bad as Lulu...
Preamble: Sexy (pink) cowgirls from some magical space paradise? I have no idea what that cover is trying to portray.
2. 電光石火Baby! And straight into more rock. Good thing their voices are all pretty strong, giving stuff like this to S/mileage would rape my ears. Verse and Prechorus are cool, but the little riff between the prechorus and chorus is just win. Chorus is also win, just for the yelling of "YES MIRACLE". Why, I don't know. For the lulz. Still, so far these songs remind me of some of the rockier Berryz songs. Not that it's a bad thing. The vocals are stronger, anyway. Bit before the mid-8 is godly, then the mid-8 is godly buildup into normal chorus. Shame it didn't have a buildup chorus too. Oh well, I'll live, the song is good enough on its own. Only thing missing is Risako's growls. 8/10
3. 私の魅力. A single... It has a good bassline, but the rock has mostly gone. There's a guitar riff, but not much else. Vocal melodies in the verse aren't amazing, but they don't suck, which is amazing from Tsunku these days. Prechorus sounds a bit like C-ute. Chorus is just boring, sounds like nearly everything Tsunku's done when trying to write a happy ballad for the past 5 years. Second verse beginning with just piano is better than the rest of the verse. Mid-8 is probably the best bit of the song. The buildup chorus is good though, which I'm glad about. The key change for the last chorus made me amused, but still, doesn't quite save it. 6/10
4. LOVE2 パラダイス. Oh for fuck's sake Tsunku! You finally write a really happy song (helpfully pointed out by the girls singing "happy happy" in the verse), but then break it with the most disgusting synth bass I've ever heard him use (though it still can't reach the lows of the one TGS use... *shiver*). Also the "woo woo" shit makes me want to kill someone. Other than that, this song is really good, vocal melodies are good. Sounds like a C-ute leftover, but still. Some of the vocal glissandos are win, as well as the rhythm deconstruction of the Love Love Love Love Paradise at the end of the chorus. Also, the shredded synths sound cool as hell. Shame the mid-8 is a bit annoying, with Tsunku's ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo-oh! cumming sound at the end. Still, some things just aren't forgivable. Keeping snakes in captivity, abusing children, being a priest (last two are linked, obviously), and using synth basses this bad. Sorry Tunky. 4/10
5. I Love You 私の君. Well this song is a bit possessive isn't it? Luckily the bass is quite interesting. Just as well as this is urban as all fuck. On the other hand, it's possibly the best urban styled song I've heard from Tsunku in a daaaaaaaaaaaamn long time. Vocal melodies are good, blows away all the stupid crap he's been putting on Momusu albums lately. Those layered bass scale descent harmonies = hnnnnnnngh. But still, "What can I do" spam is a bit much, and the song is too damn short. Was expecting a decent length but no. Still, nice little breakaway from the usual Tsunku intro-verse-prechorus-chorus-verse(2)-prechorus-chorus-mid8-buildup chorus-final chorus-outro formula. Good to know you still have the balls to experiment! Somewhat... 7/10
6. 幸せ花火ゴッゴッGOーッ！And back to the rock. Sounds like the Berryz rock again. Odd, as it's this Honjou Ryou guy again. Seems like Tsunku's finally found the clone he wanted to take over as NGP's producer when he couldn't be fucked anymore. He also did Mano's DokidokiBaby and a few others, but I can't seem to find anything else by him. Oh well. Still, speed is midpaced, instrumentation is decent, vocal melodies are cool. Plus a song called "Happiness Fireworks GOGOGO" is quite lol in itself. The sparse instrumentation in the prechorus is quite full of win. Mid-8 monologues fakjea. One of the reasons I liked Possible in the first place was Robin's lulzy monologues. Solo is win, much soloface was had in those 7 seconds. Dammit, longer solos needed, Honjou guy. Still, good song, even if it does follow Tsunku's formula to the letter. 8/10
7. Family～旅立ちの朝～. This song is full of win. I've loved it since it came out, three years ago. Oh yea, Tsunku's playing that game again. Anyway, the vocal melodies and instrumentation are win. Robin's rocky vocals into the chorus are so win. Chorus is reaching epic rock ballad territory. Biggest problem with this song is the chorus-to-intro bit which has no segue or anything at all. Doesn't quite flow amazingly. Basslines are win, little electric guitar accents are win in the verse. Solo is good for what it is, buildup chorus is win, and final chorus is pretty much the same as the others. Still, one of the best ballads I've heard in idol music. 10/10
8.幸せの証. So, the title track... It's a bit fast, happy and has a synth bass *facepalm*. Dunno why Tsunku can't do what he used to and use real basses. Or was that Dance*Man's shtick? If so I need to punch whoever arranges all the modern songs. In this case, it's Honjou guy again, plus some guy called Harada Katsuyuki. Still, vocal melodies are good. And it is a happy song. I guess that's worth something. Maybe not a hell of a lot, but something. The mid-8 is frankly terrible. Guess it's not getting that much from me. Worst song on the album so far. 3/10
9. 希望と青春のヒカリ. Whoa, started out quite synthy and was thinking it'd be dance, then guitars and spam and rock again. With synths on top. Interesting. This doesn't sound as Berryz-ish as the other rock songs. That's good. The little zubam's and suchlike are win when the music cuts out behind them and comes back in with a bam. I've a feeling the music for this was written before the lyrics... Still, it's a damn good one. Chorus vocal melodies are quite anthemic. Vocal melodies everywhere are pretty good actually. Synth doesn't detract nearly as much as I thought it would. Nice song, I must say. Mid-8's bass heavy thing at the start is win. Shame the synth solo is boring and terrible. Then there's a pika-heavy breakdown-type thing that lasts for ages. Oi, Honjou, you could have put a decent guitar solo in that time. Still, rather good. 9/10
10. 幸せの形. Oh look what the Tsunku dragged in, it's a song from January 2009. I mean, shit. Kaede's still on this. It's a decent song and all (weird rapper yo's aside), but could you honestly not be fucked to just write one extra new song? Or be lazy as fuck and just do ten songs like on Berryz and C-ute's albums? Adding this adds nothing to the album (it fucks up the flow because it sounds nothing like anything else on here. Shit, it sounds nothing like just about anything Possible have done before or since this song), and just stands out. Anyway, on the song, bass is possibly real. Music itself is quite nice if that fucking high pitched shaker thingy is ignored. Vocal melodies are okay, but really, may as well not even bother reviewing this. It's not good enough to earn enough marks to get even a bad score after I remove points for laziness. 5/10. 2/10 due to laziness.
11. プレイボール（THE ポッシボーVer.）. Now this is real rock/metal win. There are more good metal bits in this than anything I've heard from a Tsunku related project in ages. Original had Ogawa Mana in too, which would have been even more awesome, but as it is I must merely settle for this. Still, vocal melodies are decent, riffs are cool, rhythm guitar is palm muted, downtuned and heavy as fuck. Bass is DOING SOMETHING. In a rock song. Colour me shocked. There are some harmonies on guitar, lending a bit of Maiden-y flair to certain bits. Mid-8 is fucking Metal. No shit. Then there's a decent-to-good solo. Meaning it starts off decent then gets good. Then there's a buildup which is win. Final chorus is cool. End is quite an interesting harmony. 10/10
Overall: Well, the overriding question that needs to be asked is, was that worth a five year wait? Answer is quite blatantly no. You'd have to come up with a fucking amazing album to justify that, with a score of 9 or above. This doesn't. So, it has its good points, which outweigh the bad ones... just. It has laziness, which I'm used to from Tsunku. And it has some win. Overall, I have to give it...
6.8/10
Comparison ratings:
Buono! - We Are Buono! - 9.7
Morning Musume. - 4th Ikimasshoi - 9.2
C-ute - Chou Wonderful 6 - 9
Momoiro Clover Z - Battle and Romance - 8.7
C-ute - 4 Akogare My Star - 8.5
Passpo - Check-In - 8.1
Ogawa Mana - Teenage Blues - 8
AKB48 - Koko ni Ita Koto - 7.5
Buono! - Buono! 2 - 7.5
Sakura Gakuin - message - 7.5
Berryz Koubou - 6th Otakebi Album - 7
Karen Girl's - Fly to the Future - 7
Kikkawa Yuu - One For YOU! - 7
SUPER☆GiRLS - Chouzetsu Shoujo - 7
Yuikaori - Puppy - 6.9
Berryz Koubou - 7 Berryz Times - 6.5
Morning Musume. - Platinum 9 Disc - 6.5
C-ute - Dainana Shou "Utsukushikute Gomen Ne" - 6.3
Morning Musume. - 12, Smart - 6.3
Tokyo Girl's Style - Kodou no Himitsu - 6
Morning Musume. - 10 My Me - 5.5
Berryz Koubou - Ai no Album 8 - 5.3
C-ute - Shocking 5 - 4
Morning Musume. - Fantasy Juuichi - 3.5
Buono! - partenza - 3
So, some other albums I have to review soon are Sakura Gakuin's 2011, SuperGirls' second album and probably some others that I've forgotten. Look forward to it.
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