Gorgeously well done
If you haven't heard of MY FIRST STORY, you're missing out: the vocalist is the younger brother of One OK Rock's lead singer, Taka, and he succeeds in living up to the expectations Jrock fans would hold for a young relation. Hiro probably hates this sort of introduction, but it's helpful in giving readers an understanding of MFS's talent and style. Hiro's got a lot of his brother's traits, both his vocal quality and PV mannerisms are very reminiscent of Taka's, but there's a soft sweetness in his voice that is very different from Taka's. It's not exactly innocence, and it's not just inexperience. Instead it's an almost insubstantial sort of energetic lightness as compared to Taka's mellow weight. This song, more than some of their others, has Hiro's voice moving in ways that give it a similar sound to Taka's, but even so there's a definitely distinct appeal to Hiro's that comes through here.
This PV is their most recent release, the fourth PV for a track off their 2014 album 虚言NEUROSE. This is one of my favorite songs off the album, with its desperation and driving energy pulling the melody up into the high center as it sits inside and yet far above the rest of the track (which I find to be a uniquely appealing mix). The vocal melody is weighted down, grounded to the rest of the song through the overdubs (which in this case sit well below the main vocals, blended into the range of the guitars, with accents sitting at substantially higher pitches than any other sound in the track on the ends of phrases, balanced out by the low growls of the guitars). One of my favorite features is that some of overdubs are pitched higher than the main line but sit, in terms of specialization, much lower in the weave (they push into hollows just below the middle of my headphones on the vertical axis, and a little to the front, giving an almost unbalanced vibe to the distribution, but the warm weight of the drums and the bass keeps things evened out. The bass especially is pushed back far and low in the headphones).
The track moves extraordinarily well, tying the intro in through the bridge, the brief outro, and some of the trills on the guitar lines. It surges along by jumping between sections with stunningly well-executed transitions that happen with a suddenness that should be jarring, but somehow manages to slide sweetly over the senses (likely due to the intensity of attention put on the vocals which act as the main continuity factor as instruments drop in and out). It's really quite remarkable how the track manages to surprise me with the ending every time. It's a five minute song and the short outro always makes me catch my breath funny, surprised that it could possibly be over already, and startled by the finality of it sweeping away. The outro is just enough to keep it from feeling too jarring, but the ending's sudden cut off leaves an ache for more (intentionally and fabulously so).
The PV itself is quite wonderful, tying into the relatable poetry of the lyrics with an equally symbolic depiction of the emotions in the music. The direct storyline is a bit thin, but this track isn't about what's happening now, it's about an evolving emotional state that currently is and has always been and that's what makes this interesting. The fact that there is no line drawn between internal action, flashbacks, and the 'present' moment (which is a foggy and loosely defined thing to begin with), is especially fascinating and it ties in brilliantly with the song's lyrics. I'm not as nuanced in my understanding of Japanese lyrics as I am with Korean ones, but the translations I've read have offered up very interesting details to ponder. All in all I think it's a fantastic release and I'm really glad that MFS's been giving us multiple PVs for this awesome album.
This PV is their most recent release, the fourth PV for a track off their 2014 album 虚言NEUROSE. This is one of my favorite songs off the album, with its desperation and driving energy pulling the melody up into the high center as it sits inside and yet far above the rest of the track (which I find to be a uniquely appealing mix). The vocal melody is weighted down, grounded to the rest of the song through the overdubs (which in this case sit well below the main vocals, blended into the range of the guitars, with accents sitting at substantially higher pitches than any other sound in the track on the ends of phrases, balanced out by the low growls of the guitars). One of my favorite features is that some of overdubs are pitched higher than the main line but sit, in terms of specialization, much lower in the weave (they push into hollows just below the middle of my headphones on the vertical axis, and a little to the front, giving an almost unbalanced vibe to the distribution, but the warm weight of the drums and the bass keeps things evened out. The bass especially is pushed back far and low in the headphones).
The track moves extraordinarily well, tying the intro in through the bridge, the brief outro, and some of the trills on the guitar lines. It surges along by jumping between sections with stunningly well-executed transitions that happen with a suddenness that should be jarring, but somehow manages to slide sweetly over the senses (likely due to the intensity of attention put on the vocals which act as the main continuity factor as instruments drop in and out). It's really quite remarkable how the track manages to surprise me with the ending every time. It's a five minute song and the short outro always makes me catch my breath funny, surprised that it could possibly be over already, and startled by the finality of it sweeping away. The outro is just enough to keep it from feeling too jarring, but the ending's sudden cut off leaves an ache for more (intentionally and fabulously so).
The PV itself is quite wonderful, tying into the relatable poetry of the lyrics with an equally symbolic depiction of the emotions in the music. The direct storyline is a bit thin, but this track isn't about what's happening now, it's about an evolving emotional state that currently is and has always been and that's what makes this interesting. The fact that there is no line drawn between internal action, flashbacks, and the 'present' moment (which is a foggy and loosely defined thing to begin with), is especially fascinating and it ties in brilliantly with the song's lyrics. I'm not as nuanced in my understanding of Japanese lyrics as I am with Korean ones, but the translations I've read have offered up very interesting details to ponder. All in all I think it's a fantastic release and I'm really glad that MFS's been giving us multiple PVs for this awesome album.
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