FIXED STAR is Mami Kawada's 13th single released this February 20, 2013 under Geneon Universal Entertainment. The single is a double A side single, with the titular track used as the ending theme for To Aru Majutsu no Index: Endymion no Kiseki film, and the coupling track as the theme song for a PS Vita game called Meikyuu Cross Blood Infinity.
As her third tie-up with the To Aru Majutsu no Index series, FIXED STAR is expected to be as good, if not better, than its top-notch predecessors. Chances of comparison are apparently there. Did it succumb to harsh juxtapositions? Or did it still manage to stand out?
Tracklist:
01. FIXED STAR
02. intersection
03. FIXED STAR (instrumental)
04. intersection (instrumental)
02. intersection
03. FIXED STAR (instrumental)
04. intersection (instrumental)
FIXED STAR
Lyrics: Mami Kawada
Composition: Nakazawa Tomoyuki
Arrangement: Nakazawa Tomoyuki & Ozaki Takeshi
FIXED STAR
is heavily reminiscent of its To Aru Majutsu no Index theme
predecessors and that fact can go both ways: either a good one or a bad
one. The song sounds like a pseudo-No buts! song with its hype and formula, a formula that also seems to be founded upon Going back to square one
with the upbeat verses and a slower chorus. In other words, the lack of
originality is apparent. Few or even no risks at all. A safe play.
However,
the song composition's upbeat and catchy nature suffices for itself,
despite nothing raw and new being served onto the table. The moment the
hype explodes a few seconds into the song, the listener is basically
bound to the song's energy, vanquishing thoughts of it being so
unoriginal. If midtempo songs almost always end up sounding generic, the
opposite can be said on upbeat songs, they can sound almost always
satisfying. By doing so, Nakazawa and Ozaki got away from such generic
work with such a seemingly never-failing loophole.
What sets FIXED STAR apart from its predecessors is its cheery, joyful, pop-ish vibe. The nice mix of techno elements from No buts! and the refreshing vibe from See visionS worked out. It actually worked out. The end product was a techno/pop hybrid, giving the song a much needed unique touch.
Mami
Kawada's vocals then feature, again, a lot of vibrato, especially in
the verses before the chorus. A lot of unnecessary vibrato. This song is
a perfect example of how great things can turn annoying and utterly
irritating. Anything in excess, they say, is bad. Mami's vibrato gave
her songs in the past a nice trademark, a signature. In excess, however, vibrato, in general, sounds uncomfortable to listen to. The song may have been better off with this in moderation.
Blaze a trail was the same but overall, her vocal performance in this song paid off and came out great. Her vocals in SQUARE THE CIRCLE was on the verge of having too much vibrato, but it also came out great. FIXED STAR features the most parts with vibrato, and did it still worked out fine? Fortunately, yes, to some extent.
Blaze a trail was the same but overall, her vocal performance in this song paid off and came out great. Her vocals in SQUARE THE CIRCLE was on the verge of having too much vibrato, but it also came out great. FIXED STAR features the most parts with vibrato, and did it still worked out fine? Fortunately, yes, to some extent.
Whoever's
idea was it to include that much vibrato in the song deserves some
spanking. Mami Kawada should definitely avoid doing such a vocal
performance again in the future, despite it still working out this time. We don't want to wait for the day when she releases a song of excessive vibrato which totally ruins the song itself, right?
Fortunately enough, the climactic chorus made up for it and one could easily look past the excess in vibrato in the verses. Mami Kawada's expressive singing and cheery vibe overshadow the flaws, and the song grows on you after every listen, just like most other Mami songs, just like the old times. And with that, Mami still is commendable for her work on FIXED STAR.
Fortunately enough, the climactic chorus made up for it and one could easily look past the excess in vibrato in the verses. Mami Kawada's expressive singing and cheery vibe overshadow the flaws, and the song grows on you after every listen, just like most other Mami songs, just like the old times. And with that, Mami still is commendable for her work on FIXED STAR.
In general, FIXED STAR
is an enjoyable track, addictive at that even. It is only a bit
far from average and mediocrity but still inferior compared to its
predecessors PSI-missing, masterpiece, No buts!, and See visionS. Satisfying and as expected of Mami Kawada, able to continue on a streak of good songs, somehow.
Rating: 7.9/10
intersection
Lyrcis: Mami Kawada
Composition: Takeshi Ozaki
Arrangement: Takeshi Ozaki & Nakazawa Tomoyuki
And we have the NakaZaki tandem once again for the coupling track. The titular track settled for the I've Sound signature techno style. With intersection, however, I've put Mami Kawada back into her usual circle, her zone of expertise: rock/ballad hybrid.
Having said that though doesn't automatically equate the song into mediocrity. The opposite may even be said of the song! It may not be totally original-sounding but definitely more unique in its league compared to FIXED STAR. What makes the song even worthy of attention is its diverse fundamental compositions, elements, that worked out its magic as a mixture. In this respect, I've may be seen as making music analogous to making medical/gastronomic concoctions, where the I've producers are constantly in the pursuit of making something new by mixing various musical genres.
intersection, I must say, is one successful concoction. Upbeat rock, slow ballad, a rugged arrangement, the synths, beats, everything. Traces of the mystery and ethereal feel on Satanic and the rocking ballad intrinsic to KOTOKO's UZU-MAKI were thrown into the song, as well. The final mixture was genius. A mixture that may be likened to previous I've songs but still stands out in its own, nonetheless.
Mami Kawada's vocal performance in this song is then better than how she did with the titular track. The aura, the angst, the mysterious feel in the vocals perfectly embodied the song's character, each complementing the other in great harmony. The vibrato, in moderation this time, went through the better way and did enhance the song's overall expression. Few negatives can be said on this song.
FIXED STAR was good, but intersection was better. All the more reason why I've should do more songs like this, more rock songs for Mami. The techno success was achieved in No buts! and it is then probably the time for I've to come up with a top-notch rock song that would replace JOINT or match it in popularity. But then again, JOINT is irreplaceable.
Rating: 8.5/10
The songs were good but the single cover... was uncalled for. Undesirable. A wrong move. A trivial observation? I don't think so. The anime-only cover is indicative of something else, of something deeper, of something hideous Geneon has in its mind. Mami Kawada has more or less assumed a brand name for herself in the anison industry. A cover, without Mami herself in it, shows that Geneon is majorly anchoring the single's success onto the popularity of the anime series it is tied up with. And that vanquishes the thought of anchoring the single's success onto the popularity of Mami Kawada, instead. In other words, Geneon may be in distrust with their very own main artist. That is not a good sign.
That aside, this single did have some issues of mediocrity and being generic here and there. But take note, all other artists, even the mainstream anison artists suffer from this yet still emerge successful. Nana Mizuki, May'n, or Yukari Tamura, for instance, all have discographies of strikingly and terribly similar songs, respectively, but the mixture of their previous styles, though still similar to some songs, come out great. Again, this is where the matter of perspective and the concoction analogy comes in. And this is the reality, people. You can never expect an artist to be highly variant style-wise and sound-wise if he/she is working with the same producers. Moreover, it is a matter of style and signature. If a sudden and drastic change in style springs forth every time, the artist will unfailingly suffer from identity and style confusion. It is the way it is.
With those in mind, FIXED STAR single is not as bad as it seems, as others may think, and still makes for a nice addition to Mami Kawada's ever growing discography. The titular track shows I've's forte, and the coupling track shows Mami Kawada's vocal forte, and you can never ask for more!
intersection
Lyrcis: Mami Kawada
Composition: Takeshi Ozaki
Arrangement: Takeshi Ozaki & Nakazawa Tomoyuki
And we have the NakaZaki tandem once again for the coupling track. The titular track settled for the I've Sound signature techno style. With intersection, however, I've put Mami Kawada back into her usual circle, her zone of expertise: rock/ballad hybrid.
Having said that though doesn't automatically equate the song into mediocrity. The opposite may even be said of the song! It may not be totally original-sounding but definitely more unique in its league compared to FIXED STAR. What makes the song even worthy of attention is its diverse fundamental compositions, elements, that worked out its magic as a mixture. In this respect, I've may be seen as making music analogous to making medical/gastronomic concoctions, where the I've producers are constantly in the pursuit of making something new by mixing various musical genres.
intersection, I must say, is one successful concoction. Upbeat rock, slow ballad, a rugged arrangement, the synths, beats, everything. Traces of the mystery and ethereal feel on Satanic and the rocking ballad intrinsic to KOTOKO's UZU-MAKI were thrown into the song, as well. The final mixture was genius. A mixture that may be likened to previous I've songs but still stands out in its own, nonetheless.
Mami Kawada's vocal performance in this song is then better than how she did with the titular track. The aura, the angst, the mysterious feel in the vocals perfectly embodied the song's character, each complementing the other in great harmony. The vibrato, in moderation this time, went through the better way and did enhance the song's overall expression. Few negatives can be said on this song.
FIXED STAR was good, but intersection was better. All the more reason why I've should do more songs like this, more rock songs for Mami. The techno success was achieved in No buts! and it is then probably the time for I've to come up with a top-notch rock song that would replace JOINT or match it in popularity. But then again, JOINT is irreplaceable.
Rating: 8.5/10
The songs were good but the single cover... was uncalled for. Undesirable. A wrong move. A trivial observation? I don't think so. The anime-only cover is indicative of something else, of something deeper, of something hideous Geneon has in its mind. Mami Kawada has more or less assumed a brand name for herself in the anison industry. A cover, without Mami herself in it, shows that Geneon is majorly anchoring the single's success onto the popularity of the anime series it is tied up with. And that vanquishes the thought of anchoring the single's success onto the popularity of Mami Kawada, instead. In other words, Geneon may be in distrust with their very own main artist. That is not a good sign.
That aside, this single did have some issues of mediocrity and being generic here and there. But take note, all other artists, even the mainstream anison artists suffer from this yet still emerge successful. Nana Mizuki, May'n, or Yukari Tamura, for instance, all have discographies of strikingly and terribly similar songs, respectively, but the mixture of their previous styles, though still similar to some songs, come out great. Again, this is where the matter of perspective and the concoction analogy comes in. And this is the reality, people. You can never expect an artist to be highly variant style-wise and sound-wise if he/she is working with the same producers. Moreover, it is a matter of style and signature. If a sudden and drastic change in style springs forth every time, the artist will unfailingly suffer from identity and style confusion. It is the way it is.
With those in mind, FIXED STAR single is not as bad as it seems, as others may think, and still makes for a nice addition to Mami Kawada's ever growing discography. The titular track shows I've's forte, and the coupling track shows Mami Kawada's vocal forte, and you can never ask for more!
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