What's this? A new SEB release? Hahahahahaha. Spamming the previews for "1 Fire" and "Boys Gone Wild" the most so far. "Kiss", "Hyper Super Powers" and "Loving Eurobeat" sounds okay too. Anyhow, welcome back SEB (Seriously, there should be a track with this title), it's been a while.Up on iTunes Japan.
Super Eurobeat 221 (News in page 1!)
PREVIEW REVIEWS! All the joy of slapping arbitrary opinions using objective measures with none of the credentials to do so~! I'll be rating these on how much I liked them, not necessarily how good they are or how much work went into them. Here we go~!
1. SEB 4 U <POWER> / SEB ALL STARS feat DJ BOSS (SCP)
RATING: A- [This song has all the right ingredients, solid production, and great spirit. Can't ask for much else!]
2. DIFFERENT GIRL / An-G (SCP)
RATING: B [Also solid, and it's solid too, no question... but it doesn't charm me QUITE as much. Still one I'll listen to, diggin' that riff!]
3. LOVING EUROBEAT / DEJO&BON (SinclaireStyle)
RATING: B/B- [SinclaireStyle flavor at full-tilt, for better or for worse. Something still seems "flimsy" about the brass, like it's not quite all there. Could be my speakers though, so I'll pass stronger judgement either way upon arrival of the CD!]
4. POWER&LOVE / STEPHY MARTIN (Dima)
RATING: B/B+ [I think Stephy is quite at home with Dima's production style... it's a bit of a copy of Fever of Love, but that's not necessarily a bad thing by any means here!]
5. KISS / BAMBOO BIMBO (SCP)
RATING: A [Did Hotblade get a girlfriend? Holy shit, everything about this track is just... YES! Dem classic brass hits in the riff~!]
6. 1 FIRE / DAVE RODGERS (Sunfire)
RATING: C [C because it's not terrible, it's solid, but... it's not exciting to me at all. It's not just the speed, I love some slow songs, but... the riff is utterly boring, and while the production is solid it really lacks flavor, which is a bit of a surprise for Dave.]
7. DOWN DOWN DOWN / TIPSY&TIPSY (Saifam Asia)
RATING: B- [I'd have vastly preferred "It's My Life" from SAIFAM, but like most tunes they tend to put out, I could see this sneaking up on me.]
8. BORN TO BE WILD IN MY CAR / CY-RO (Hi-NRG Attack)
RATING: B+ [I can't hear much bass in the mix— that could be my laptop speakers— but what I CAN hear is Cy-Ro really pouring himself into this mix and it shows. The riff NOTES catch me a bit more though the sound is limp while still listenable.]
9. KELLY / POWERFUL . T (A-Beat C/Sunfire)
RATING: A- [Strongest Sunfire production on the album. Powerful T pulls off nu-aishu with class, and while the sound design is still a tad flimsy/overly digital for my taste, it's still an enjoyable listen.
10. WACKY WACKY O / SCREAM TEAM (SCP)
RATING: C+ [Embarassing. SCP's token solid production and vocal work is there, but... the song would STRONGLY be served to be handled by another alias. What is the song even about? Do I want to know? Not really. Makes unusually good bedfellows with Happy Phantom.]
11. WILD BOYS / RICH HARD (Sunfire)
RATING: F [Jesus Christ, no. Slow, boring, autotuned as hell, what few lyrics I can hear are generic, riff is utterly soft and uninspired... no. This has no business being released.]
12. DANCE EUROBEAT / HEATHER feat DIMA (Dima)
RATING: B+ [What a relief after Wild Boys! Dima does a good job of undoing the last song's damage with solid production... vocals are a LITTLE weak, but not by all that much. A breath of fresh air.]
13. SUPER DRIVER / DANIEL (Delta)
RATING: C+ [It's not a bad song at all, but it's a bit overhyped. I mean, good vocals? And the production is solid too? But... it doesn't clutch me much. And I don't see it being a mega-smash. I could be wrong though!]
14. HYPER SUPER POWERS / FASTWAY (SCP)
RATING: A [Woohoohoo~! Did anyone expect anything less from SCP's powerhouse? The riff is a BIT simple for my tastes but that's EASILY forgivable with the sheer star-power this song pours on in spades!]
15. BOYS GONE WILD / DEJO (SinclaireStyle)
RATING: B [So we had Wild Boys and now we have Boys Gone Wild... thankfully this one pulls it off a LOT stronger. It's not THAT much better, the riff was nearly nonexistant but the rest impresses me, and I can hear that old Niko flair somewhere in there. I'm not sure what's holding it back, it's not quite there for me... I think it's the vocal line over the riff, but consider this a big ball of charm with a few too many production weights on it.]
OVERALL IMPRESSION: B+
It's not the mega-smash return avex might be looking for, but it's solid enough to warrant the attention it may receive and it'll DEFINITELY be enough to get listeners back in. I think we'll have more mega-hit material on 222; for now, this delivers a largely solid listening experience with some stunningly bad speed bumps which, thankfully, don't do enough damage to jar the experience.
Spoilered in white below for those who don't want the review ending on a negative note:
TAKEN OUT BEHIND THE SHED: WILD BOYS
This song is so utterly bad in the preview I have to ask, what went wrong here? This is only slightly better than I'm Superstar, my least favorite Super Eurobeat song of nearly all time. Sun Fire has proved time and again they can do better than this— hell, I still have a VERY soft spot in my heart for Pirates by Rich Hard, Give Me Sunshine by Futura... I actually kind of LIKE Sun Fire when they get it right! Why can't we have THAT kind of Rich Hard song, and not this... junk? Rich Hard is a better vocalist than this. Dave Rodgers is a better producer than this. They've had better lyrics than I've heard in this song. This song is completely unacceptable for SEB release, and unless it can pull an absolute miracle on release day, I'm REALLY not holding my breath.
1. SEB 4 U <POWER> / SEB ALL STARS feat DJ BOSS (SCP)
RATING: A- [This song has all the right ingredients, solid production, and great spirit. Can't ask for much else!]
2. DIFFERENT GIRL / An-G (SCP)
RATING: B [Also solid, and it's solid too, no question... but it doesn't charm me QUITE as much. Still one I'll listen to, diggin' that riff!]
3. LOVING EUROBEAT / DEJO&BON (SinclaireStyle)
RATING: B/B- [SinclaireStyle flavor at full-tilt, for better or for worse. Something still seems "flimsy" about the brass, like it's not quite all there. Could be my speakers though, so I'll pass stronger judgement either way upon arrival of the CD!]
4. POWER&LOVE / STEPHY MARTIN (Dima)
RATING: B/B+ [I think Stephy is quite at home with Dima's production style... it's a bit of a copy of Fever of Love, but that's not necessarily a bad thing by any means here!]
5. KISS / BAMBOO BIMBO (SCP)
RATING: A [Did Hotblade get a girlfriend? Holy shit, everything about this track is just... YES! Dem classic brass hits in the riff~!]
6. 1 FIRE / DAVE RODGERS (Sunfire)
RATING: C [C because it's not terrible, it's solid, but... it's not exciting to me at all. It's not just the speed, I love some slow songs, but... the riff is utterly boring, and while the production is solid it really lacks flavor, which is a bit of a surprise for Dave.]
7. DOWN DOWN DOWN / TIPSY&TIPSY (Saifam Asia)
RATING: B- [I'd have vastly preferred "It's My Life" from SAIFAM, but like most tunes they tend to put out, I could see this sneaking up on me.]
8. BORN TO BE WILD IN MY CAR / CY-RO (Hi-NRG Attack)
RATING: B+ [I can't hear much bass in the mix— that could be my laptop speakers— but what I CAN hear is Cy-Ro really pouring himself into this mix and it shows. The riff NOTES catch me a bit more though the sound is limp while still listenable.]
9. KELLY / POWERFUL . T (A-Beat C/Sunfire)
RATING: A- [Strongest Sunfire production on the album. Powerful T pulls off nu-aishu with class, and while the sound design is still a tad flimsy/overly digital for my taste, it's still an enjoyable listen.
10. WACKY WACKY O / SCREAM TEAM (SCP)
RATING: C+ [Embarassing. SCP's token solid production and vocal work is there, but... the song would STRONGLY be served to be handled by another alias. What is the song even about? Do I want to know? Not really. Makes unusually good bedfellows with Happy Phantom.]
11. WILD BOYS / RICH HARD (Sunfire)
RATING: F [Jesus Christ, no. Slow, boring, autotuned as hell, what few lyrics I can hear are generic, riff is utterly soft and uninspired... no. This has no business being released.]
12. DANCE EUROBEAT / HEATHER feat DIMA (Dima)
RATING: B+ [What a relief after Wild Boys! Dima does a good job of undoing the last song's damage with solid production... vocals are a LITTLE weak, but not by all that much. A breath of fresh air.]
13. SUPER DRIVER / DANIEL (Delta)
RATING: C+ [It's not a bad song at all, but it's a bit overhyped. I mean, good vocals? And the production is solid too? But... it doesn't clutch me much. And I don't see it being a mega-smash. I could be wrong though!]
14. HYPER SUPER POWERS / FASTWAY (SCP)
RATING: A [Woohoohoo~! Did anyone expect anything less from SCP's powerhouse? The riff is a BIT simple for my tastes but that's EASILY forgivable with the sheer star-power this song pours on in spades!]
15. BOYS GONE WILD / DEJO (SinclaireStyle)
RATING: B [So we had Wild Boys and now we have Boys Gone Wild... thankfully this one pulls it off a LOT stronger. It's not THAT much better, the riff was nearly nonexistant but the rest impresses me, and I can hear that old Niko flair somewhere in there. I'm not sure what's holding it back, it's not quite there for me... I think it's the vocal line over the riff, but consider this a big ball of charm with a few too many production weights on it.]
OVERALL IMPRESSION: B+
It's not the mega-smash return avex might be looking for, but it's solid enough to warrant the attention it may receive and it'll DEFINITELY be enough to get listeners back in. I think we'll have more mega-hit material on 222; for now, this delivers a largely solid listening experience with some stunningly bad speed bumps which, thankfully, don't do enough damage to jar the experience.
Spoilered in white below for those who don't want the review ending on a negative note:
TAKEN OUT BEHIND THE SHED: WILD BOYS
This song is so utterly bad in the preview I have to ask, what went wrong here? This is only slightly better than I'm Superstar, my least favorite Super Eurobeat song of nearly all time. Sun Fire has proved time and again they can do better than this— hell, I still have a VERY soft spot in my heart for Pirates by Rich Hard, Give Me Sunshine by Futura... I actually kind of LIKE Sun Fire when they get it right! Why can't we have THAT kind of Rich Hard song, and not this... junk? Rich Hard is a better vocalist than this. Dave Rodgers is a better producer than this. They've had better lyrics than I've heard in this song. This song is completely unacceptable for SEB release, and unless it can pull an absolute miracle on release day, I'm REALLY not holding my breath.
A lot's changed in the decade and a half I've been here.
Full-time eurobeat producer, full-time musician, part-time Vtuber. #JessaIsReal2021
Join me on an Odyssey.
Full-time eurobeat producer, full-time musician, part-time Vtuber. #JessaIsReal2021
Join me on an Odyssey.
Not doing a full review just yet since I'm gonna need a couple of days with these before I can form a full opinion, but here are some brief thoughts after listening through one time in iTunes Japan (god bless eBay and gift cards 
)
SCP - for god sake, what is with the super-super irritating MC shout outs at the start of virtually every single song. In certain songs (e.g. SEB 4 U), you can get away with it, but arbitrarily adding it in to every song you produce. Just NO!
SEB 4 U is the shining star here - the only song after the first listen that I feel has genuine classic track potential. However, it sounded like some of the production goes odd in the final synth hook, like they forget to add those counter-melody synth layers at the top of the melodic range to finish the phrases off fully. But this is a small thing.
My top 5 so far is:
1) SEB 4 U (why do I want to sing "SEB 4 U S-E-X" - what are the actual lyrics??)
2) LOVING EUROBEAT (I'm a sucker for a male SinclaireStyle duet, and while this is very catchy, I have a suspicion it might get old fairly quickly)
3) SUPER DRIVER (classic production values and melodies - nothing really new, but nice to hear it in action again all the same)
4) POWER & LOVE (Dima's stellar production is ever-present, and this one is pretty sweet listening. Again, not ground-breaking but nice)
5) WACKY WACKY O! (SCP nonsense but nowhere near as annoying as Kiss
)
I adored WILD BOYS from the intro and I thought there was a strong possibility that it may have actually ended up as may favourite track from the album. The first 45 seconds are pure epic awesomeness, but as soon as the vocals come in, it became a different song. To be honest, the beat and the hook are so awesome that I have a very, very strong suspicion that it will end up growing more on me than that annoying bit of stubble on my top lip!! It's nowhere near the abomination that is I'm Superstar, so I just had to let everyone that... In fact, in the time that I've been writing this, I already find myself enjoying the track more and more as it replays!
Biggest letdown so far is Fastway's HYPER SUPER POWERS - something has gone wrong since that W.I.P. video SCP posted online, and the song is now a fairly insipid and generic aggressive track without much of the genuine aggression. Terrible!
Like Travis, I'm not thrilled at this album upon first listen, but it's great to have SEB back and I have a strong feeling that 222 will be even better with far more instant classics!
)SCP - for god sake, what is with the super-super irritating MC shout outs at the start of virtually every single song. In certain songs (e.g. SEB 4 U), you can get away with it, but arbitrarily adding it in to every song you produce. Just NO!
SEB 4 U is the shining star here - the only song after the first listen that I feel has genuine classic track potential. However, it sounded like some of the production goes odd in the final synth hook, like they forget to add those counter-melody synth layers at the top of the melodic range to finish the phrases off fully. But this is a small thing.
My top 5 so far is:
1) SEB 4 U (why do I want to sing "SEB 4 U S-E-X" - what are the actual lyrics??
)2) LOVING EUROBEAT (I'm a sucker for a male SinclaireStyle duet, and while this is very catchy, I have a suspicion it might get old fairly quickly)
3) SUPER DRIVER (classic production values and melodies - nothing really new, but nice to hear it in action again all the same)
4) POWER & LOVE (Dima's stellar production is ever-present, and this one is pretty sweet listening. Again, not ground-breaking but nice)
5) WACKY WACKY O! (SCP nonsense but nowhere near as annoying as Kiss
)I adored WILD BOYS from the intro and I thought there was a strong possibility that it may have actually ended up as may favourite track from the album. The first 45 seconds are pure epic awesomeness, but as soon as the vocals come in, it became a different song. To be honest, the beat and the hook are so awesome that I have a very, very strong suspicion that it will end up growing more on me than that annoying bit of stubble on my top lip!! It's nowhere near the abomination that is I'm Superstar, so I just had to let everyone that... In fact, in the time that I've been writing this, I already find myself enjoying the track more and more as it replays!
Biggest letdown so far is Fastway's HYPER SUPER POWERS - something has gone wrong since that W.I.P. video SCP posted online, and the song is now a fairly insipid and generic aggressive track without much of the genuine aggression. Terrible!
Like Travis, I'm not thrilled at this album upon first listen, but it's great to have SEB back and I have a strong feeling that 222 will be even better with far more instant classics!
Ditz, does the preview do "Wild Boys" justice for the rest of the track, or am I not getting enough of the picture to appreciate it?
A lot's changed in the decade and a half I've been here.
Full-time eurobeat producer, full-time musician, part-time Vtuber. #JessaIsReal2021
Join me on an Odyssey.
Full-time eurobeat producer, full-time musician, part-time Vtuber. #JessaIsReal2021
Join me on an Odyssey.
To be honest, I think the sample is largely a fair reflection on the overall song. However, the most epic section for me was the intro phrases - simple yet highly effective chordal phrases that really set the scene nicely for the rest of the song. However, it could be that you just won't take to it in the same way I do. It is a grower I reckonzoupzuop2 wrote:Ditz, does the preview do "Wild Boys" justice for the rest of the track, or am I not getting enough of the picture to appreciate it?
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Mindsweeper
- Eurobeat Scholar
- Posts: 385
- Joined: 18 Oct 2011, 02:29
- Location: CALIFORNIA DREAMING
SEB 221 on itunes japan: https://itunes.apple.com/jp/album/super ... 25214?l=en
Based just on the previews, I'm most excited for SEB 4U, Loving Eurobeat, Kiss, 1 Fire, Super Driver and Boys Gone Wild. I really like Hyper Super Powers too, but Fastway's voice sounds a lot higher than usual and it was tripping me out. I think I just have to get used to it.
Am I the only one on headphones who thinks the kick in Wild Boys sounds panned to the right a bit? That was kind of distracting.
Based just on the previews, I'm most excited for SEB 4U, Loving Eurobeat, Kiss, 1 Fire, Super Driver and Boys Gone Wild. I really like Hyper Super Powers too, but Fastway's voice sounds a lot higher than usual and it was tripping me out. I think I just have to get used to it.
Am I the only one on headphones who thinks the kick in Wild Boys sounds panned to the right a bit? That was kind of distracting.
An-G doesn't sound like Annerley Gordon. Whoever said that on here needs better sources.
Mora has samples, but they turned out to not be from this link anymore http://cnt01.labelgate.com/morawin/top/ ... 221-01.asx . I have been unable to figure out where the samples are on mora now because they use Silverlight for them. http://mora.jp/package/43000002/AVCD-10221/ The samples are only 10 seconds long too for some reason.
Mora has samples, but they turned out to not be from this link anymore http://cnt01.labelgate.com/morawin/top/ ... 221-01.asx . I have been unable to figure out where the samples are on mora now because they use Silverlight for them. http://mora.jp/package/43000002/AVCD-10221/ The samples are only 10 seconds long too for some reason.
Last edited by Tiger on 22 Jan 2013, 20:28, edited 1 time in total.
https://itunes.apple.com/jp/album/super ... 25214?l=en for shorter length versions.
I don't think any of the songs on the album are horrible enough to skip which is a great change from before where skipping 1/2 or 2/3 of the album was something normal.
I'm looking forward to this decade now that the average album speed of SEB is faster.
I don't think any of the songs on the album are horrible enough to skip which is a great change from before where skipping 1/2 or 2/3 of the album was something normal.
I'm looking forward to this decade now that the average album speed of SEB is faster.
...for you maniacs?what are the actual lyrics??
Last edited by zyx on 22 Jan 2013, 20:27, edited 2 times in total.
Afraid so - in Different Girl, we are treated to "checkin' the place GO!!" or something, followed by incoherent rambling. Kiss doesn't seem to have them that I've noticed, but Hyper Super Powers has those over-used generic high-pitched "GO!" samples and the "eeeeeeeeeeee-eeeeyyyppaaaaaahhhh!!" weird Mexican scream thingy. Ugh, I hate them so much!!eXtaticus wrote:Oh, don't tell me that SCP have started doing this too? It was irritating enough when only Sinclaire was at it...the_ditz wrote:SCP - for god sake, what is with the super-super irritating MC shout outs at the start of virtually every single song. In certain songs (e.g. SEB 4 U), you can get away with it, but arbitrarily adding it in to every song you produce. Just NO!
All I hear is "SEB For Your NES".the_ditz wrote:SEB 4 U (why do I want to sing "SEB 4 U S-E-X" - what are the actual lyrics??
That's a pretty cool thought, though. Make ALL the GIFs!
I also hear NES - that's a meme just waiting to be born
I don't think anyone actually claimed that it was definitely Annerley Gordon - I think it was merely suggested that perhaps it might be her judging from the aliasTiger wrote:An-G doesn't sound like Annerley Gordon. Whoever said that on here needs better sources.
It is panned slightly more to the right I think, although I didn't really notice until you mentioned it! I've just realised where the kick, percussion and bass come from - it's the Robyx style (i.e. Alexia, Double You, Corona etc.) - that's why I enjoy the track so much, it's like a rebirth of the 90's Eurodance styles that I used to obsess over as a teen!!Mindsweeper wrote:Am I the only one on headphones who thinks the kick in Wild Boys sounds panned to the right a bit? That was kind of distracting.
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Mindsweeper
- Eurobeat Scholar
- Posts: 385
- Joined: 18 Oct 2011, 02:29
- Location: CALIFORNIA DREAMING
Apparently it's available for purchase on Amazon.jp now too as MP3 downloads.
http://www.amazon.co.jp/SUPER-EUROBEAT- ... _album_lnk
This is a much simpler alternative to iTunes JP if you only want to get a hold of a digital copy of the album.
http://www.amazon.co.jp/SUPER-EUROBEAT- ... _album_lnk
This is a much simpler alternative to iTunes JP if you only want to get a hold of a digital copy of the album.
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