1) En Lumière
2) Dialogue Symphonie (Dix Infernal)
3) front et baiser (Dix Infernal)
4) Solitude (Dix Infernal)
5) the Prophet (Nocturnal Opera)
6) Invite to Immortality (Nocturnal Opera)
7) Nocturnal Romance (Nocturnal Opera)
8) Vestige (Nocturnal Opera)
9) La dix croix (Dix Infernal)
10) Secret Longing (Pageant)
11) Pageant
12) Je l’aime
Now, since I have reviewed Nocturnal Opera and plan on reviewing Pageant, Dix Infernal and their other albums in the future, I will not be going into depth in the details with the possible exception of the SEs and of course the new song (but I definitely believe that I made that song‘s review too long) . There’s really no point since this a basically a cover album of their own songs! Let’s see what the new Moi dix Mois did in comparison to its previous era.
En Lumière is a refreshing opening SE. It’s begins with an organ and a chorus. The chorus floats gently, heavenly, as the keys play almost electronically--somewhat reminding me of an old Malice Mizer song or a generic child’s video game theme for some moments. There is a flat beat heard underneath the keyboard as the chorus disappears, but you have to listen carefully and be willing to follow the organ completely. The chorus replaces the sharp tones of the organ as you can hear Seth speaking. It’s hard to decipher what exactly he says, but when all else is quiet, the SE exits as he says “For eternity.” The clarity of Seth’s voice reminds me of the ending to the song “Un-finished” by X JAPAN. This minute long first track is a perfect way to introduce the general idea of the album.
For the other songs, there isn’t much difference between them and the originals. Basically, each song is written with either a slightly sharper tone or has almost the exact same composition. It’s a bit of a disappointment, really. I was looking forward to something like “Neo Pessimiste” or “Ange ~D side holy wings~” or “Last Temptation”.
Dialogue Symphonie, in my opinion, has a more extensive opening than the original. This is one of the many songs that are slightly sharper, but I imagine it is to the convenience of Seth. As he sings, his voice is occasionally shaky as he makes sudden changes in octave; however, he sings the higher notes very smoothly! It’s a bit odd, hearing him sing so high when he has such a low voice. K manages Shadow X’s voice awesomely, Of course, using a more modern technology than 10 years ago, his voice is far more distorted than X’s was, but you can still hear K through the ripped words.
Front et Baiser begins differently as the sharp, electronic organs play. The song sounds off in the first few seconds Seth sings, but after awhile you catch the beat. He sounds more comfortable in this song, but he almost spits the words out of his mouth as he sings so sternly. He is actually singing slightly sharp, but it’s difficult to catch that because his voice is so much deeper than Juka’s--that’s probably why Mana has all of these songs written so sharp. You can hear only some strain in his voice as the song goes on. The violins, much different from the organs, actually sound slightly flat.
Solitude sounds sharper than it was, very much sharper, but still easy to recognize. But, the way Seth is required to sing better suites his vocal ranges, in my opinion. His singing style is fairly limited in order to sound elegant and smooth. As Mana writes lyrics, you must think he keeps this in mind, and that is probably the main reason that he rewrote the songs in such a way. His voice is lovely, easy to be entranced by and it's good that Seth often goes with his own style rather than following Juka. At certain points, it sounds like he struggles to do that. I think it's best if he did what he had to do to make himself feel better about the recording rather than what he must do to sound exactly like Juka or what he thinks will please the fans--that is generally the reason why all of these songs sound like the originals.
The Prophet’s opening sounds exactly like the original, which kind of annoys me. There isn’t any difference except for K's voice replacing X's. Even so, this song is very unique and appealing to hear. Seth's voice is indeed different--a nice, refreshing sound compared to Juka's in the first few lines, but... it sounds like he is trying too hard to copy the Juka‘s tone (yet again). K's voice is perfect. I think it's very accurate and still represents how he is. When Seth sings, it sounds much better, but I do not hear a female chorus following! I'm a bit disappointed. You only hear her as he sings the main chorus. His voice breaks as he hits the high note, squeaking a bit. K's voice is very forced, but so much clearer than Shadow X's--not so distorted. I think, because Seth's voice sounds perfectly fine in this song (except for the higher note), Mana left the composition alone. He only changes the timing in which support vocals are to sing. The ending is changed a bit--as he sings the last line, he whispers the last words.
Invite to Immortality sounds more grand than the original. Though it , basically, sounds the same, it’s still really interesting to hear. There is neither a change I octave nor key or count. The trumpets always grab your attention here, leading you through that march to the ball as it leaves same smoothe entrance (mentioned in previously) to the next track.
Nocturnal Romance, my first ever song by Moi dix Mois, was a great treat for me to see on the track list alone. The song sounds only slightly different, but Seth's voice sounds absolute throughout. The way he spits some of the words and the way he can serenade us in certain parts is wonderful. His voice is, as always, slightly shaky, but that's an inevitable part of him when he must go to the higher notes. In fact, I think it adds a very interesting feel! He sounds slightly rushed when he re-enters, but he has wonderful rhythm. The song is definitely sharp in some places and flat in others, but it broadens it’s range this way, allowing Seth to sing with more flexibility. No matter how you listen to it, the song always sounds like it is trying to get ahead of itself in speed, power, and grace. The timing is dead on and the rhythm is the same. My favorite part? The ending--it’s one of many places in which Seth changes his tone for himself
Vestige also sounds the same. There is literally no difference between this and the original from the first few seconds in. Both the quality of the song and the strange tone of the organ are probably the only thing that is keeping me from being completely bored with the composition. This song is perfection for Seth's voice, though! It's like when he sang “Lilac of Damnation” or “Xanadu“. Something tells me his voice is made for smoother, well-connected songs. There's no requirement for him to make any sudden jumps to higher or lower notes are relatively smooth, so this is his relief. For some reason, this organ sounds one sided… it’s really odd to me. If you listen to the original, there’s pretty much no difference except for the vocalists' tones and his occasionally cracking voice. Even so, I want to applaud him for singing so beautifully and delivering this song with his own little twists.
La Dix Croix sounds the most like a re-mastered version song on this album. The way how it's written is so different, but it's perfectly fine--even though it just the change of quality and the amount of certain effects they used. It's slightly flat and is slightly more hastened, however, there is more power found within the musicians as they play. Their emotions are given to this song is a certain way, but Seth sounds a bit like he is holding back…then again, he could just be trying to sing this song just right. You never know exactly what one person could be thinking. The organ is actually not sharp here for once, save you can totally hear the sharpness of the organ in one specific part. It doesn’t really sound like Seth opens up until more towards the end. He could have just become more comfortable with singing, but either way, he had some tension in his voice in the beginning.
Here, the ever discrete and memorable SE, Secret Longing, plays. The tune is very light, almost as if being played on a xylophone. It makes me think about childhood and the innocence of youth. Of course, nothing is different between this one and the original either. I guess you can only try to hear it, but really, there is none. It’s just re-mastered and easily brings in the next track.
Pageant, the ever-so-upbeat song and, possible, the only song that has this kind of energy going takes over the story that “Secret Longing” began. Seth questions the time on a ticking clock as I count the timing of the ensemble as a whole. Again, there is literally nothing different from this song and the original except for it being “re-mastered” in quality. I really do love this song, though. Despite my disappointment in the lack of change, I am totally in love with this version simply because of its playfulness (even though its lyrics are quite depressing). I’m just glad this single made it to an album at all! Now, there isn’t that wide of a range for Seth to sing, so it’s quite easy for him to maneuver through the addition sounds of the guitar, bass, drums, bells, organs and chorus. The relentlessly chiming bell at the end leads us to silence.
Je l'aime is far better than I expected! It fits in so well with this album, but it's so new that I couldn’t help but wonder what's in it. The way it's written… it has nearly every style of Moi dix Mois represented in it. Hence, "Je l'aime"! (laughs) It begins with organs playing long notes at a relatively slow tempo. Violins introduce themselves at 0:04 with the second harmony. Not too long after their light entrance, Seth begins to sing in a soft voice against a lightly beating drum, nearly as slow as the organs playing. “Sono te wo… hikiyosete towa ni nemuri (I take your hand, draw you to me, and fall into an eternal sleep),” he sings; his voice is floating easily through the soft song. The chorus is just barely heard behind him as he continues to sing, “Omoi wo sasageyou kono sekai ga tsuzuku made. (Let us consecrate our emotions, till this world continues…).” The music further slows, nearly pausing on one continuous note as he sings “I need your love.” It is from this point that the song has a completely different feel. At 0:44 the drums pick up and the guitars enter with heavy, metallic sounds. The composition here is very similar to “Unmoved”. If you listen carefully, below the sound of shattering glass there is a very low toned growl. The song builds, adding to the more demonic aspects as it goes on. They later reintroduce the heavenly quality to the song beneath the guitars as they play lightly. This constant switch between the lighter and darker sides of the composition brings about the idea of standing between the boundaries of parallel universes. Seth manages to sing above the guitars, his voice more sturdy and demanding as he goes on. It feels like going through the shadows, searching aimlessly. As Seth fades out to allow the guitar control, it feels as if you are falling further, going on through the black shroud. His voice becomes more desperate as it is distort when he says “Your heart is beating inside.”
The world of us two.
A voice speaks to you, telling you to “Fly to the sky” until suddenly… You’ve found the light.
Together with our light.
You’ve found the clouds and you’ve learned to fly. You have nothing but memories of the dark and confusion. As the song returns to previous styles, almost reminiscing about the difficulties faced.
As I roam in sin, I am now released to a future of flowing light, with a voice of hope.
There are occasional breaks from Seth, allowing you to better hear Suigiya, Mana, K and Hayato to play. The chorus takes over occasionally as well; making me feel as if I were in a church whenever they sing along side the organ (I can’t help but imagine Mana actually flying through out a cathedral). The effect this track has on me, mentally, is amazing. There is so much variety to it with the perfect amount of repetition. As the song reaches full chorus, it’s like you’ve broken through a cage you were in and are truly flying freely.
I take your hand, draw you to me.
And offer you love eternally, till this world continues.
As we melt together, I search with you until the far limits of the world.
He sings within the full ensemble, signaling the final chorus and minute. It is almost sad to hear it ending, but it fits so well, that you couldn’t care less. The proposal of requited love, the request of a hand to take, leaving only the thought of light far away from darkness. The thought of love ever-lasting.
Je l’aime, Parlez-moi d’Amour. Embrassez-moi, Je l’aime… kono sekai ga suzuku made.
<My love, speak to me of love. Embrace me, my love>… until this world continues…
The album as a whole seems to have an aim for a lighter, more heavenly feel since it is an album full of “memories”. Usually, the band would go with a darker theme, but these colors and tones fit perfectly with the new songs as well as everything else. There are some points that you can criticize here, though. Because this is a cover album, I think a lot of these re-recorded songs could have been played around with more! I really wanted to hear the alternative to these--especially “Nocturnal Romance”. That was my first song by Moi dix Mois and I have always loved it! I definitely love Seth singing it, but I still think they should have changed it more so we could be more curious about this album rather than giving us exactly the same thing we’ve heard before. The only thing that was different was the keys played, the vocalist(s), and, maybe even, the timing. I noticed they tried to follow the concept of welcoming certain songs with its designated SE. From this, I made the assumption that if they were to re-release Je l’aime on a different album (which I feel like they would), they would play “En Lumière” as its entrance SE. I’m not entirely sure how that would work, though. They may have to change some things and they may not. Again, these are just my random observations, don’t take that too seriously! Also, believe it or not, I really wanted to cry as he sang some of these songs. He brings in a different kind of sadness to some songs and anger to others just as well as he does affection. I can’t tell if it’s the way he spits his words into the microphone or the way his voice cracks and occasionally squeaks, but whatever it is, he really needs to just go with his own style more often! I think if he were more willing to open up in certain songs, he could’ve done something truly amazing! Either way, I’m glad I purchased it. If you are an old fan of the band, this is a great album to add to your collection. If you’re a new fan or just curious about the band, it’s a wonderful way to know how they’ve changed over the years from the very beginning up until now. Go on! Give Midi:Nette your money!
Reprise - Moi dix Mois [CD]
Edited by Luke Perschke
Sources: -scape- the artists of MALICE MIZER, Reprise booklet
Video Source: MidiNetteMtM @ YouTube
You should really try to shorten your review a bit. I stopped reading at the half because it's too exhausting following your exegese of literally every 10 seconds of each song. Also, this is just a remake album, so it's not like you need to give the fans so much detail about every song. Speaking about detail, a review is normally not meant to show how a song sounds in words. No one wants to read "at 00:20, a trumpet sets in, then two tacts later there is a choir, which sounds smooth and reflects manas determination" or whatever.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry for sounding hard, but I get emotional when I read "reviews" like that. take care