It's been a while since we heard from electro-rock duo LM.C. In 2012, the band released an album called Strong Pop that fans received decently well, but ever since it's just been a random assortment of singles. That is, until their banner year in 2014! Releasing two EPs in a period of ten months, the two have skyrocketed back into the hearts of fans with Perfect Fantasy, which featured the singles from the past years, and Perfect Rainbow, a brand new collection of songs to finish out the year.
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| 1. VantaBlack 2. Just Like This!! 3. Mogura 4. Amnizia 5. Minor Leaguer's Song 6. Lady Talk 7. Kimiyosaraba 8. Brand New Rainbow |
The EP opens with a pretty typical introduction. "VantaBlack" is an electronic intro that sets up the pace for what is mostly a high-energy, electro rock inspired EP. The general composition of this one includes piano and synth and actually has some EDM/dubstep influences for the total of the minute-and-49-second intro. The first full-length song on the EP is the incredible "Just Like This!!" What's interesting about this song is it's piano intro leads the listener to believe that it's going to be a very slow, emotional ballad sung in English. Of course, right after the intro the beat kicks in and their catchiest hook yet takes over. The rest of the song goes on in general pop/rock fashion marking the true beginning of this wonderful EP.
"Mogura" is the third overall song and the only song that was used for promotion for this EP and is generally pretty disingenuous, meaning it isn't a good representation of the EP as a whole. This number is sort of a departure from LM.C music in every conceivable way and they actually manage to pull it off. The song is very rhythmic and heavy, the vocals are clean and feature an amazing hook as well. After this brief diversion from the direction of the EP, they dive back into the electro-rock theme with "Amnizia." This is one of the better songs they've recorded for this release as it features some of the best vocals on Maya's part and contains one of the best beats of the band's career. Where "Just Like This!!" was more about the rhythm and hook, this song is more influence by the rock half of their electro-rock genre.
The only slip-up on the EP is the following song, "Minor Leaguer's Song," which is pretty classic-rock influenced at times in melody and also proudly boasts a synth that plays "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" for some unconceivable reason. Some could find this song pretty catchy and a fun rock song for sure, but mostly it's messy and switches lanes too many times. About half way through it has a hip-hop breakdown and I just can't understand why it's there. The follow-up song, "Lady Talk," starts to get the release back on the right path. The electronic influence is more prevalent and the chorus is much better written. However, the verses can border on simplistic (or at least not very innovative) in that they are sort of typical LM.C fare: sing-talk to the point of sounding something of a rap. The song is very happy and upbeat which is what makes the song not only listenable, but one of the better tracks on the set of EPs.
The climax of this release is track seven: "Kimiyosaraba." One of the best compositions on LM.C's newest release and one of the better vocal performances in recent years from Maya. The chorus is really pretty and uplifting, however I can't help but to think I've heard this song somewhere before. The verses are their own, totally unique to this song, but the chorus really either calls back to earlier work form the band or from another band. I can't decide where I've heard this similar melody before, but either way it works in the context of this song. Furthermore, every instrument is featured prominently instead of focusing on one for favoring one more than the other. The song is an extremely cohesive piece that brings light into the dark season of winter. Closing out the EP, and the "Perfect" EP set as a whole, is pseudo-title track "Brand New Rainbow." This one manages to blend the genres of electronic and rock pretty efficiently with a strong electronic influence in the beginning that leads into a great band composition and some of the catchier vocals on the EP. At first listen, one may compare it too much to "Lady Talk," in that it utilizes heavy synth, sing-talk segments, and a generally uplifting atmosphere; but I would strongly recommend listening to the two songs separately and noticing their differences. Specifically, notice that "Brand New Rainbow" is a song with overall direction and more rock influences (like actual drums and guitar). After a few listens, the song will grow on you in it's own unique way and really define what it means to be an LM.C fan.
Overall, I believe this EP shows that the break the band took over the past few years was exactly what they needed to bring the creativity back into their music and create songs that sound unique unto themselves and not just "unique for LM.C." You can buy Perfect Rainbow here and I would also recommend checking out Perfect Fantasy by purchasing it here or on iTunes.
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