Artist: Morning Musume '14
Title: 14 Shou ~The Message~
Release date: 29 OCT 2014
Type: album
Version: iTunes
Packaging: None.
Tracks:
1. TIKI BUN
Well I already reviewed the track when I reviewed the single for it earlier so I won't review it again. It is the only song from that single to be on the album and it makes for a good start with starting things off with a lot of energy.
2. Password Is 0
I love this song. The chorus is so catchy and I find myself singing the chorus to it to myself whenever I can. It does a good job with balancing the electronic sounds and voice tweaking so it does not feel like it was churned out of a machine. And it has a nice driving beat and energy, two song elements that I just love and this song does great with them. As well as changing up the song so nothing feels stale but keeping a flow to it all so it does not sound like a mess of sound.
3. 明日を作るのは君 (Ashita o Tsukuru no wa Kimi)
The first album track and I adore the way it starts off so simply with the piano. Of course it is big departure from the previous two tracks so it catches you off guard with being a much slower song without a trace of EDM. But getting past that it is a lovely song and one that really shows that the group can easily do more than dance songs.
4. キラリと光る星 (Kirari to Hikaru Hoshi) / Sayashi Riho & Oda Sakura
The first unit song on the album and it is a duet for Riho and Sakura. Sakura is my favorite member of the group so this was a track I was really looking forward. It is a bit more electronic than I would care for but both girls get chances to let their voices shine and I love it when the song allows itself to go quiet. And I do appreciate that this is rather upbeat, I just wish it had a good hook. But my love for Sakura does let me forgive the shortcomings of the song though for those who are not big fans of either of the girls may not be able to.
5. 恋人には絶対に知られたくない真実 (Koibito ni wa Zettai ni Shiraretakunai Shinjitsu) / Michishige Sayumi, Fukumura Mizuki & Iikubo Haruna
Despite having two of the weaker singers of the group in this the song is actually rather fun to listen to. But it helps that it keeps things in the range of the weaker singers so the flaws in their vocals are avoided and they get to sound good. It is a fun song to listen to with the electronic riffs interspersed throughout and a simple, laid back electronic beat going through it. It works so well with Sayumi's cute voice that helps give the song an overall cute vibe to it.
6. What Is Love?
A single track so there is plenty of energy and of course an EDM style. But there is no denying that it has a touch of jazz/swing, just the instrumental is with electronic beats and not actual instruments. But that touch really helps make the song feel so vibrant and fun to listen to. The vocals are mostly clear, a nice contrast to the electronic sound, though we definitely have robo!Sayu in this. But it fits with the overall sound of the song.
7. 私は私なんだ (Watashi wa Watashi nanda)
I really enjoy this song, especially as it had quieter moments when you can clearly hear the voices of the girls instead of having them fight against the electronic beats of the song. I do have to laugh at the Robo!Sayu in this, as it is so obvious. You would think they would let her have a line in a group song that was not drowned in filters if it was an album song at least. But I do like how the song is sung in a way that it sounds tense with how the words are stressed, bring this sense of urgency to the song.
8. 笑えない話 (Waraenai Hanashi)
Definitely a track that stands out with its sound. It does not stray too far from the EDM style but there are moments that almost sounds like little throwbacks to earlier pop styles, mainly the parts with the male vocals. The hooks are not as catchy as some of the other songs and since it does not stray far from the style of the single tracks it feels like it gets lost among them as it lacks their catchiness.
9. 笑顔の君は太陽さ (Egao no Kimi wa Taiyo sa)
Another single track that I love. It is a nice mid-tempo song that just sounds as uplifting as its lyrics. And I really love the parts that they rush through the lyrics. Being able to do that takes quite a bit of talent, as you really need to stay on beat for that. It is not as attention grabbing as some of the other single tracks but I like that it brings in some variety by not being a high energy charged number. It feels like you get the chance to relax and breath with it, which works well for its placement on the album.
10. 君の代わりは居やしない (Kimi no Kawari wa Kyoya Shinai)
This song brings up the energy level again by starting with it on full blast. I love the change ups that the music goes throughout the song, never staying too long to feel boring but not too quickly to make it sound like a mess. There is a nice contrast with the verses and chorus, with the verses focusing more on the girls' voices while the chorus is driven a bit more by the music of the song.
11. 大人になれば 大人になれる (Otona ni nareba Otona ni nareru) / Ikuta Erina, Suzuki Kanon, Ishida Ayumi, Sato Masaki & Kudo Haruka
A nice song to hear some of the vocals of girls that usually do not either get many lines or any at all in group songs. It is another song with a lot of energy to it, starting at a run and never really slows down. It has a fun sound to it with that charging pace of mostly the chorus and is an overall enjoyable listen.
12. 時空を超え 宇宙を超え (Toki o Koe Sora o Koe)
This is a great song to end the album on as not only is a strong track but is something a bit slower than most of the tracks and works as a nice wind down. I love the mix of instruments with the electronic beats in this. It really helps bring out the tenderness of the song while keeping with the current style of the group. So with this the album ends on a high note just like it began.
Overall: Rather enjoyed the album even though there are some questionable placements of some songs. But the album tracks at least give a bit of variety as they are able to move away from the usual EDM style that MM '14 had. I may enjoy their single tracks but one of the things that I loved about MM in general is that it is a group that has a great variety in their music. And these are all rather strong songs with only a couple not going to get many listens from me.
And I rather enjoy the fact that with the albums we get songs that will only focus on grouping of members, as it gives some a place to shine as only so many get any kind of solo lines in the group songs.
With this album wrapping up Morning Musume '14 and a new era of Morning Musume starting with Morning Musume '15 I cannot wait to see what the next album from the group will be.
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