Pierrot
ID Attack

Note: 9/10, because perfection doesn't exist, and that you have to listen to it some times before really "getting into it".

Snirfl... my very first "original" Pierrot-cd, my preciiiiouuuus...

HUM!
It was released some time ago, end of July I believe, but ordered several things that were going to be released later: I received it only a few days ago. Still... I have been weak: couldn't wait for so long to listen to new songs: downloaded all mp3s! So it' s not a "very first impressions" review, but well... Pierrot is one of these bands about whom I usualy forget the meaning of the word "objectivity", so it doesn't change much things...

To make it simple: I LOVE this album! Yeah yeah I know you didn't expect it at all... As usual, some people say "baaah it' s not indies-like anymore, they lost "what made Pierrot be Pierrot" (...)"... while some others find back this "little thing" that, they think, was lost in Heaven... or Private Enemy. Personaly... I absolutely don't care about all of this, I'm far too new into jrock for that, and it' s not my way of thinking anyway. I don't like indies-Pierrot that much after all, too "easy"/"hey! what if we played some unsual thing here, ok it sounds weird but we could say we tried?": with time, they musicaly "grew": you can still find these "unsual beats/sounds/anything", but they are more "part" of the song than before, they don't "jump" at your ears (they always do with indies bands... and it bores me: what's the use?). And they're getting heavier and heavier, I LIKE it, YEAH!

The sound of this album is really special, I like it very much, the way it was mixed... there is a "unity" in this sound, not "here is Jun playing / here is Aiji playing / here is Kohta playing / ...", they all play a same song, and all of their melodies turn into one melody... (yes sorry: in Pierrot, every instrument has its own melody, it's not one of those eternal bands, where one instrument plays "the main melody", others trying to "follow" it... not even the best way nowadays...) eeer I know I explain in a quite weird way, but I can't think of better... Oh and talking of the mix of the album: I love my cd, because when I listen some mp3 well it's ok and so on, but sound of a cd is ALWAYS far better, especialy here where... you feel like Kirito is just next to you, singing into your ear... I LIKE it! There were some songs I didn't like so much when I only had mp3s, but they really grew on me now that I can listen to them witrh a "real" sound (Daybreak, God Bless *ME****,...); I only have one big problem with this album actualy: the "techno-disco-dance-whatever loops" on A Pill... stressing, really!
There may be one other thing I don't like so much about this album: believing the booklet, it was recorded in several studios (because they were on tour then? they toured a lot lately after all... not so important anyway), and I have to admit some songs have a slightly different sound... or it may only be because of the atmosphere of the song that is slightly different, so it needed a different sound, I can't really explain why I feel it after all, but I do feel it... I would like to say "should try to know more!", but something tells me I shouldn't expect Japanese interviewers to ask any question about that! (or between two questions to re-re-re-re-...-ask them about their favorite meal, maybe...)

I also like "the atmosphere" of the album: a kind of "mastered anger", with some bits of happiness here or there (I LOVE Upper Flower, for once that I like a song of Jun! too bad they don't play it live...), and it feels so good to see that some people still manage to compose great songs without believing they HAVE to include violins / trumpets / keyboards / whatever a little everywhere in every song, to make them interesting! THANKS SO MUCH!

I was also quite surprised to see some "vocal direction" mentioned in the booklet: someone who gives Kirito some advice on how to sing this or that? was there one on previous album(s) too? the same guy? ... I will have to check these several questions!
Being the stupid person I am, I regret there wasn't any Kirito-doll finaly, it would probably have been in the style of last Psycho le Cemu album (you know, the lego-like, or on Dir en Grey's Vulgar sticker-flyer), or any other thing: funny! But well... I guess they had best reasons to finaly cancel it...
It' s also weird that there is no "real" photo of them in the booklet (/cards), not even their names on the "stylized" photos of them... or will there be another version for "non-fans who aren't supposed to know exactly who is who in this band", meaning another (+real) booklet? aaaaah we'll see...

Hum hum... this is getting far too long... I could go on for hours, so to sum up: this is a very good album, really, where Pierrot plays some Pierrot stuff (if you can say "but they sound like "plip"! "tell me: I' m most interested in "plip"!), old fans will say "they lost their soul" like they always do, but don't listen to them: go try it! It really deserves it!

And, as always, if you're interested in Pierrot-lyrics (and you should, Kirito writes very good lyrics... at least when you have the same "references" as him and can understand what he means... but well, they're not "so" complicated... you have a brain after all, don't you? [don't laugh about this comment: I read sooooo stupid things about his lyrics sometimes... some people should stop believing they are "big persons now" because they just had a fight with their parents about their make up / clothes, and try to really use their brain...]), go check Centigrade website (click on the "yellow bubble" (= "translations"), chose "Pierrot" in the left column, chose the song in the "new" left column).

Track list:

01- A Pill
02- Psychedelic Lover
03- Daybreak
04- Upper Flower
05- Neo Grotesque
06- kakumei no kuroi tsubasa
07- Acid Rain
08- Hill -genkaku no yuki-
09- God Bless *ME****
10- Morning Junky
11- Barairo no sekai (album mix)
12- Answer

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