Celebrate with Nostalgia: February 2014 Update

今天是情人节！(1)

Happy Valentine's Day to those who celebrate it! For the rest of you, happy February 14! Or... February 15 if you're in Asia... or Europe... 'cause by the time I'm posting this... yeah, never mind.

Just goofing around. Listening to music. Preferring blue to red...

Thankfully I am becoming less and less bothered about this particular day of the year. The pressure to have a boyfriend and give out cards to people just because you have to doesn't exist much anymore. Or maybe I hang out with too many people who think that way. Regardless, the fact I'm letting some things roll off my back is a sign of maturing. The superior being(s) know(s) I'm neurotic over everything else.

Other than indulging too much in my music listening, I'm continuing to cool off from my last project here. Nothing else needs to be said about that for a long time. Let me move to other things... like one of the most controversial games of 2012. Or one of the most underrated games of 2013. Or TV shows who use Marilyn Manson's version of "Sweet Dreams" for their pilot episode. (BTW, The Following is pretty awesome. Nothing beats House, but crazy cultists are pretty whacky too.)

Of Bad Anime, Facebook, Band Break-ups, and Squees

... ... *stares at date of this post*

Let me know when we have a cure for PTSD.

...

So... cute... @///_///@

Anywho, to get my mind off finishing the Mass Effect 2 review and planning for Persona 4 Golden, I have done other things in my time. When I'm not procrastinating for a test, reading books for class, or writing papers, I hang out on Crunchyroll, Youtube, and/or TV Tropes. Some anime caught my eye, and I've found some music I haven't heard in years.

I opened the floodgates of my mind and vomited whatever had time to escape. So lets see what Fangirl's been up to.

Candy for the Ears

Midterm exams are underway soon and I'm trying to hit the books. On the other hand, I just got a Playstation Vita and I'm trying really hard to not play with it too much. Predictably, I give into temptation easily.

It's been a long time since I had anything to say about my taste in music. Over the past several years, my library has slowly grown and my mood has fluctuated. My Pandora account is in use sometimes, but I only really expand unless I'm really bored. The last musical goldmine I ran into was Bentley Jones.

Covering J-pop, remixing currently popular songs, and overusing autotune might not sound very appealing, but if more pop music sounded more like what Bentley does, then I'd love to turn the radio back on again. Heck, his PHUNKSTR remixes often sound a lot better than their original versions. Or maybe that's my biased ear talking.

Regardless, I've been listening to his new album lately. It took several listens, but it has grown on me. Such a decent voice should not be masked by so much autotune. (TT-TT) At least his melodies are really good.

Yeah, if this blog goes down like the Titanic, I only hope that at least one person that visited here would be interested in this guy. The dude needs more attention. His stuff is on iTunes. Give the guy a buck or two. Or at least five minutes of random music preview samples.

*shrug* I'm used to preaching to the choir.

When I'm not indulging in pop music that only the Japanese are willing to put on their store shelves, I always go back to HIM. No surprise, I know. After XX - Two Decades of Love Metal came out, I decided to go through their entire library again for old time's sake. Whatever comes of Tears on Tape, I really hope their cover of "Strange World" is not them at their best after that post-Screamworks hiatus. They better not be out of juice yet...

At least they have seven other albums to cling to.

Okay, that's enough cheesy-poppy music to make your teeth grow cavities. But heck, it could be MUCH WORSE. All the girls get into Justin Beiber and One Direction, I get into sappy pop-rock with pretty-boy singers that make and perform their own music without as much exposure. So hipster of me.

Anywho, the third piece of musical awesome I'm diving into is good ol' Breaking Benjamin... which are also on hiatus. (Just my luck.) They are probably the only "nu metal" act I still enjoy. Ever since the un-freakin'-listenable A Thousand Suns, Linkin Park just continues to piss me off. Evanescence continues to subconsciously come off as trying to be gothic metal while actively denying any hints proving the statement right. Three Days Grace has some great emotion... with hilariously silly lyrics. Nickleback does not exist on my playlists, and Disturbed is a kiddy meal next to In Flames. I can go on and on...

Breaking Benjamin... I'm not sure why I go back to them so often.

For actual metal music though... hmm... I go back to Moonspell sometimes. Too bad Grooveshark has deleted their entire library of songs. Now how am I to get my fix without commercial interruptions? They just released some new material too. Yet another thing to add to my list of music to listen to before I kick the bucket.

I guess for now a whole assortment of songs are floating around in my head. Some rock, some pop, some video game soundtracks, some obscure, some embarrassingly not. It's kinda hard to pinpoint what exactly I listen to when talking to people. It's even more fun when people have no damn clue what I'm talking about. Try asking some random person on the street what symphonic metal is. Then good luck explaining it without boring the person to death.

Which is why I keep to my self like a recluse. :)

Enjoy [or ignore] the rest of the songs I randomly post here.

And the finale. I have no shame. This song is awesome.

Credit to all the people who worked their butts off on these songs to get a paycheck.

Now... back to studying...

September 2012 Update - College!

I just finished up my first week of classes as I sit on a bed that is not my own. Things have been going well so far. For the first time in months I have some kind of schedule - and life - with as few video games as possible. It was great for me to play my PS3 to death. Too bad I have to wait a long while for Assassin's Creed 3...

I'm adapting fairly well, making new friends, and enjoying my classes. (Just waiting for that one test to show how hard college can be...) Only the extremely social, no privacy aspect is what I'm not enjoying much. Icebreakers have always been the bane of my existence. The four days of orientation had nothing but such small talk and I was really to explode. Thankfully, my roommate and I get along pretty well.

Nearly everyone is gone this weekend so I had the peace and quiet to finally make a small update. :)

At this rate, I plan to review music like I did during my early days. There are some drafts that need editing and finishing, and I brushed some dust off my Pandora account. I'm planning on finding some new material.

In the meantime, I'm waiting hopefully for October 29th and early 2013. XX - Two Decades of Love Metal and Tears on Tape are coming! Even Bentley Jones has something coming out October 24th! *Fangirl squee* ^////^

Fangirl's Mini Shots: Sonic Games

Because I can never seem to have any organized thoughts about a particular series of... anything, why not I do so now? With that darned blue hedgehog still in my mind I might as well make my opinion of certain aspects of the Sonic franchise. It might clear up some of the mess from a crappy review made this year, as well as set up any later reviews or rants. When it comes to Rants From a Fangirl, I have no clue where the heck my mind will wander next month. @_@

Just as a quick note, I hopped on the Sonic bandwagon right before Sonic Heroes in 2004. Therefore I am more familiar with "modern Sonic" and the gang.

With that out of the way... begin:

It took skill to save all the critters from the evil Eggman!

It's pretty embarrassing to be a casual fan but have never played the game that started it all. (The mini game version in Sonic Adventure does not count.) And as an owner of a Gamecube, I have no excuse to not buy Sonic Mega Collection. Better dash to it!

Sonic and pals at one of their happiest and finest!

Yay, the game that marked the beginning of the 3D era! Supposedly it's the only one handled right. Character-wise, this is absolutely true: Adventure made me fall in love with the cast. Gameplay-wise, this is the most memorable, albeit slightly dated.

Back when the reflection was not solely a piece of reusable "fanservice."

Being the first Sonic game I ever played, Adventure 2 is tightly knit to my heart. The addictive Chao Gardens, the awesome soundtrack, and Shadow. ...Okay, the Fangirl confesses: it was just Shadow and his story. Still, this was just as fun as its elder brother, even if the gameplay was polarized and split into three styles. These were my good old days...

And thus the bullcrap continues to pile up...

Love to hate it and hate to love it. The only game in this series I have lost all interest to beat. Everything is a humongous pile of "meh." Some cool new characters were thrown in, but severely underused. The gameplay was so repetitive I wanted to throw my controller at my TV. And poor amnesiac Shadow forgot to die. I call bull.

THE "SERIOUS BUSINESS" ATTITUDE IS OVER 9000!!!
That joke's so old...

Say hello to the unkempt black sheep no one will ever stop bitching about. I freaking love Shadow the Hedgehog for the amazing variety in level designs, soundtrack, and storylines (think somewhat-kinda on the lines of Higurashi.) Sadly I cannot defend how the execution was confusing and messy. Even though I now think it would have been fine if Shadow died in SA2, this game gave his story a satisfying resolution. This was the last time a Sonic character ever had decent development though. *sad*

Another hedgehog with a human friend? REALLY?!

Four words: HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN?! Glitchy, stupid, buggy, sloppy, glitchy, insulting, broken, pretentious, glitchy, and depressing. It's pretty damn sad that Sonic is the most useless and incompetent part of this game. He pretty much lets his human-phobic rival and a telekinetic kid be the true heroes! The only good thing? "Dreams of an Absolution."

Did I forget to say this game is glitchy? And Elise? REALLY?! Even Maria wasn't as pointless!

Day + speed - entertainment = BAD.

Sonic Unleashed is yet another hair-and-spike-ball of "meh." Say goodbye to whatever made the 3D games likable. This is the Eat Me, Drink Me of the Sonic games: a degraded, disappointing model of what was decent. The 2D gameplay fails to impress and the Daytime stages are mind-numbingly boring. At least the Nighttime stages gave me the chance to let out my frustration! The Warehog - though a stupid concept - was actually fun!

Yet another adventure to stop Baldy McNosehair...
by saving alien critters!

A much better effort to appeal to the classics, but still missed the mark. The music is a bit too cookie-cutter and repetitive, even for very polished, electronic pop. But... so... pwetty... @o@ The dialogue in the Wii version is so hilarious I cried many times. AND NEW VOICE ACTORS! *waves goodbye to 4Kids cast*

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Now that you're all tired out from this topic...

SOMETHING UNRELATED!!!

You're welcome.

'TRANS//LATION 2'

Another new album I can proudly say I thoroughly enjoy.

I hate pop. Wait, that has been established a long time ago... yet I still mention it. This introduction is pointless.

Like a preppy girl is jealous of another girl's pricey skirt, bag, or outfit, I am madly envious of anyone who can speak more than one language. My green jealousy is nearly at the level of deep, pure, black resentment for the lucky ducks. Or maybe I just hate my laziness and impantience...

Back in 2008, Bentley Jones released TRANS//LATION, his bilingual debut album featuring covers of Japanese pop songs. Ben-chan sang most of them in their original language, but he got permission to translate some into English. It was only released in Japan and is yet to officially set foot further west. But that's where TRANS//LATION 2 comes in. This album has a handful of new tracks and re-recorded versions of two songs on TRANS//LATION: "Sunao ni Naretara" (or "FINAL NIGHT") and "GLAMOROUS SKY."

There will be plenty of Japanese for the English-speakers and English to the Japanese-speakers. Consider this a "no duh" warning for the clueless. Moving on.

Anyone who is a fan of the Shakugan no Shana anime might be happy or enraged by this special cover of "JOINT," which is much a more aggressive rock track than the original. After hearing this and the original, Ben-chan's version creates a more epic four minute track of badassness without spilling into unlistenable noise territory. Also, fans of Naruto Shippuden might recognize one of the ending themes: "Michi~to you all." I know I didn't; but my stance on Naruto as a whole is completely irrelevant.

As for English covers, Bentley gives us a hilariously catchy song, "Word Up," which is tolerable for one who dislikes dance music. Despite the somewhat creepy lyrics, "Stay" is very melodic and epic track despite the chorus having only three words repeated over and over. Meanwhile "Running Up That Hill" is a pleasant surprise by not being soft and mellow like Placebo's cover. Oh, no. It gets intense here too.

But probably the most memorable track is "GLAMOROUS SKY." In TRANS//LATION, it was a weak. Now, it is a symphonic, heartbreaking pop rock track whether you listen to it in English or Japanese.

So, take a step back from the information overload and let the nitpicking begin.

On one hand, I praise Ben-chan for singing in Japanese very well. When I first discovered his music a few months ago, I had no clue he was British. Props to anyone who can sing in another language pretty darn convincingly and clearly. Also, each individual song stands on its own enough so not one track sounds exactly the same, even if one cannot understand a lick of Japanese.

Best of all, even though this is considered pop and autotune is used, Bentley Jones's voice is emotional and genuine, giving very beautiful performances when he wants. Even when he jokes around in "Word Up," he doesn't come off as an overconfident party animal desperate to get attention. Unlike some obnoxious artists in the mainstream...

However, releasing a new album with nothing but covers is a bit of a let-down after blowing off steam with Finally Free. In a way the release TRANS//LATION 2 says "Yeah, Bentley Jones can make his own music now that he can do what he wants, but let's stick to the debut album shtick." Sure, now he releases singles and other small goodies, but it would be nice to hear another full album with his own material. Maybe that's what's in store next.

TRANS//LATION 2 is not as good as Finally Free, but this is definitely worth checking out. Like Escape the Fate, this is yet another newly released album that I can proudly love.

FINAL VERDICT: 4 out of 5

Starting Off with a *BANG!* (kind of...)

Nearly everyone by now has returned to school with some spirit - positive or negative - and has begun to adapt to the busy hell all over again. I am the exception.

To keep it short, my teachers started a strike against our archdiocese over - what appears to be - job positions in the instance their schools close. In these lovely days of an unending limbo of economic stress, Catholic schools are suffering quite a good bit. So thanks to a long battle with no official end in sight, I have no idea when my school year will permanently begin. I had a half day yesterday, which was nothing more than administrators lecturing us for two hours and not providing us bus rides home. Nice community service, you good ol' Catholics.

On one hand this is nothing more than an annoyance. This is my final year of high school and I anxiously want all the crap done and over with. One more year of religion being shoved down my throat; one more year of classmates that I've known for far too long; and one more year of being trapped in suburban Pennsylvania. How I wish to spend time in the city... I need a serious change in environment. Still, being trapped in my house with no way of transportation gets incredibly old. Been there once and I don't want to experience it again. *shudders*

Well, I joked about this year going out with a *BANG!* As Bill Cosby once said, "God has a sense of humor." Funny indeed.

At least to pass the time I still have some things to keep me busy. I can finish my summer reading (and rant about it later), watch anime (currently crawling through Death Note), and start a few crafts. Speaking of which...

... I made this lanyard the other day. It's rather simple (having leather, metallic chains, and beads) but my keychains and dog tags aren't too heavy. So far so good.

As a bonus mood booster, Ben-chan's TRANS//LATION 2 arrived in my mail last week not long after Irene poked us. The only problem is where to put the picture. I don't want to damage it by hanging it on my wall, yet I can't let it sit and collect dust... Maybe I should make a scrapbook...

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BONUS!

Music Mood

"What's up, People?"- Maximum the Hormone

Early September Update: Post-Irene

Good news to some and bad to others... Irene barely hit us.

For some reason, almost nothing happened where I live, suburban Pennsylvania. There was a tornado warning from 10:00 Saturday night to 5:00 Sunday morning, but the wind never picked up enough to cause damage. Thankfully our area is not prone to flooding, so once the sun came back out in the afternoon, the ground was almost dry. Best of all, the sump pump was fixed long before the storm hit, and my Playstation 2 is perfectly safe.

But mom and I still had to mentally nurse ourselves. The power never went out, so I calmed my nerves by going through nearly thirty episodes of Inuyasha. Only mom got a few moments of sleep that night, and I plopped dead on my bed at 6:30. Even now, my internal clock is still backwards. After doing nothing on Sunday, we woke up today pretty much back to normal.

Still, I feel for everyone in New Jersey, which really got the brunt of it. This was a really historic week for the east coast: an earthquake in Virginia that was felt up into New York and Irene clobbered us. I won't ask "what's next?" just for the sake of our sanity.

I just wanted to let you all know in case some were a bit worried that Rants From a Fangirl might be dead for a while. Obviously it is not, and I will go back on track to whatever I do... so get back in your cells, my prisoners! :P

As a bonus: this song has been stuck in my head for weeks. Curse you, Ben-chan!!!

'Finally Free'

(CREDIT: fully deserved to Bentley Jones)

RANK: 4.7 out of 5 <-- Just... WOW!!

Electronic music confuses me. This is a sign that I have to dive deeper and recognize the difference between the various subgenres it contains. However, repetition, simple beats, auto-tune, and multiple layers of electronic noise often tend to be very hit-or-miss. Some acts make music that sounds fine with such elements (Hellogoodbye, Julien-K, etc.) and others make eardrums explode (Kesha, Lil Wayne, etc.) With such a thin line to walk on, does Bentley Jones hang on or fall into a pit?

From the above rank he obviously does it right.

My first experience with his music was "Dreams of an Absolution", credited as Lee Brotherton, as a character theme from Sonic the Hedgehog (2006). Despite the amount of auto-tune that drives me up the wall, there was something that captured the spirit of Silver as a character. The song almost screamed out raw a emotion I often don't expect from electronic tracks. Completely enchanted, I began immediate research and within 48 hours I bought two of his albums. Instead of jumping the gun, I jumped across the face of the Earth sixty times.

As far as Finally Free goes, it tested my overall doubt for electronic music. I honestly do not know 100% if it is "overproduced" or bathed in auto-tune, but Bentley Jones did not completely hide behind an artificial wall. There are several tracks that are beautifully performed and tempt me to not say anything objectively wrong with them. So I guess that means they... moved me? *gasp!* Some heartbreakingly pretty tracks like "Waiting for Clouds" and "Birdcage" tried to appeal to my "dead" feminine side. (Looks like HIM needs to keep this guy on their radar...) I guess this proved to me that electronic music can be as emotional and touching as anything "more genuine" with "real" instruments and singing.

According to a letter written on his website, Bentley worked on this record entirely all by himself, without a record company telling him what to do. EVERYTHING. That's really gutsy and impressive.

Of course, to keep my reputation as an immature unprofessional reviewer, I have to make some criticism. First, don't think you'll fall in love with it immediately. As a hard rock and heavy metal chick, this was absolutely true for me. Finally Free grew on me modestly after a few listens, when I had to bring out my younger pop-loving self inside. At least a few tracks use some rock elements and orchestration pieces to keep a sense of variety. Next, I can't say Bentley stands out completely as a singer. I watched some live clips of him on Youtube and he has a very nice and strong voice, but at a first listen, he might not stand out in the ears of most. This album might be the most honest work he's ever done, but it does not show one thing that makes him very interesting as an artist. Wait until I tackle TRANS//LATION 2...

What I will say though is that the ninth song sounds a bit silly in the verses. I'll bet it was done on purpose, but this - more than a few others - really sounds like a J-pop act. It's interesting, but strange.

Yet, just like Escape the Fate's self titled album, Finally Free is yet another oasis in my dry spell of jadedness. With only one song that screams "evil girl" ("ST4LK3R"), no song sounds artificial and fake, in lyrics and performance. Because there are only nine songs (not including two/three bonus tracks) I cannot provide too many links to spoil the album for anyone. But seriously, if you like electronic music that might give you a sensation of flying [free - bad pun XD], I seriously recommend this album. No, I recommend this to anyone who is curious.

I strongly admire Ben-chan's honesty and effort in this album; it makes me wonder how many musicians would do something like this... Pop, but yet not very popular - practically unknown! Geez, Bentley Jones confuses me greatly... 4.7 out of 5 since I can't think of a honest rank. My music tastes have been put into question... maybe this is a sign...!