memoire DX
review by Elec

In the early 90’s, Malice Mizer was turning heads with their strange brand of rock, chock-full of allusions to the baroque and classical Western compositions of more than 200 years ago. At the time of this release, Malice Mizer was composed of Tetsu (vocals), Mana (guitar, synth), Kozi (guitar, synth), Yu~ki (bass), and Kami (drums).

TRACKS
1. De　Memoire
Japanese bands, especially Japanese visual bands on independent labels, are quite fond of introduction tracks that aren’t actually real songs. It’s something I’ve come to expect and not judge too critically, as sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn’t. Here, it almost works. The song is basically a piano piece designed to give an example of the mood of the album. However, I have a couple of problems with it. For one, the piano is painfully and obviously a synthesizer, and the composition is absolutely nothing special, and slightly boring. It also cuts off abruptly at the end, which just screams ‘cop-out’ to me, but despite all of this, I do think it gives a nice, pseudo-creepy mood.

2. 記憶と空 (Romaji: Kioku to Sora)
This song sort of gives a great example of Malice Mizer so far, especially in the intro. There are unconventional guitar parts, solid yet unpredictable drum patterns, nice bass lines, and good lead lines on top of it. After the section in 4/4 time, they do a small phrase in ¾, which is nice and shows how they like to keep the writing interesting. And when Tetsu’s vocals come in, it does turn some people off. It comes in at first with a wild sort of emotion, almost feeling uncontrolled. However, I love the unforced tone and nice vibrato that swells to the end of his phrasing. His singing also fits the mood of the songs, in my opinions. In the second verse, I love the addition of the second vocal part so early in the song. The bridge is a little powerless, but it’s pretty easily forgiven. I do like the part after the verse where there’s just a little bit of piano. I do not, however, like the random screams interspersed after the pre-chorus. I think it sounds ridiculously and forcefully goth. Tetsu isn’t at his strongest, per se, on this song, but it’s a
good test to see if you’ll stick around. The ending here goes on a bit too long, bit that’s quite all right; it’s a short album.

3. エーゲ海に捧ぐ (R: Eege umi no sasagu)
This song has a great chord progression, and once again we have unconventional guitar parts, which is a definite plus. The song has a sort of mellow feel, with some wave sound effects underneath. I just LOVE the chord progress of “G Bm Em”, it sounds quite nice. You’ll know it when Tetsu starts singing. The harmony vocal is also well used here. Kami’s drums here sound great, they give the song a really hip, jazzy groove. I have a slightly problem with the second verse, mostly in the second half of every vocal phrase. I just don’t think it’s written very
well. The part Tetsu sings in English, the whole part with the phrase “I’m walking along the vault of heaven” is easily the best part of the song. I love the chord progression there. However, just after it, the next part that Tetsu sings is the part I don’t like about the melody. However, the drums keep the song steady and rockin’, and that usually distracts me. The ending part, in which Tetsu sings over synth chords, is a nice, sweet ending, although I wish the last chord played weren’t that
pesky major chord. But otherwise, one of my favorite songs.

4. 午後のささやき (R: Gogo no sasayaki)
In the liner notes, it says that the classical guitar in the
first half of the song was played by Tetsu. It’s impressive; I like it when bands have singers that can, uh, do something else. It definitely sounds like some laid-back Latin jazz, which I suppose is fine by me, although I think jazz and rock should stay in their respective awesome places. But anyway, the patternn and progressions are nice, and Tetsu does a nice job on the vocals on this part, for the most part, with the only annoyances being in the awkward falsetto parts. The song switches gears into some sort of new-age sounding
thing, with a slow drum pattern. It’s nothing special at all until Kami kicks it up another notch, with his hip groove, and the chorus of vocals every once in awhile. My only real complaint: Far, FAR too short of a song. You can’t
afford it when you’ve only got six songs on the album.

5. 魅惑のローマ (R: Miwaku no Rooma)
This is the only real song that I’m not a fan of on this album. I do like the bouncy, well-written chorus, but the part before the verse begins just hurts. I don’t like the violin melody, Yu~ki hits a terrible bass note (intentionally, I think; all the worse), and the verses have that “go! Stop! Ooh, artistic!” sort of vibe, which isn’t very interesting, and I’m sure boring for the drummer, who has to compensate by filling it with uninspired solo bits. And although “centently” isn’t a word, the part in which Tetsu sings it is a decent part of the song. And then, it just kinda ends. I have a hard time wanting to listen to this one. It’s not bad, just the filler, I think.

6. Seraph***
This one starts off with a nice little piano intro, and the only song on this album written by Kozi. His writing, to me, tends to be hit-and-miss, but that doesn’t really happen until after the memoire album. Here, I like his writing. The verses are nicely done, with good melody and background music. Even the pre-chorus is nice, especially the “seraph serenade” part. And the chorus, while being saccharine-sweet, works very well, and it’s the best showcase of Tetsu on the whole album. This is the song on memoire in which he finally shines.
The little part that could be considered a guitar solo is done well musically, but let’s face it, the guys don’t have much experience soloing and it comes across as sounding a bit wimpy.  very well written and it makes me sad that there’s not more of that part. Key changes make me
like songs. Did you hear that, artists? Key changes = good songs! It’s an automatic thing, I think. The song ends in a cheesy manner, but who cares? I like the
song, and it makes you smile a bit.

7. バロック (R: Barokku)
Everyone I talk to claims that this song is “omfg so epic
awesome lolool”, but I just don’t see it. Is it just because it’s long? Then that makes Yes the best band in the world. I mean, it’s a decent song that has its moments, and the detrimental parts don’t come from the length, it comes from what they decide to do with that length.
I do like the two beginning guitar riffs, as well as the main guitar section before Tetsu begins to sing. His vocals are pretty interesting here, not bad at all, especially in the part right after the verse. The song’s main section as such a great driving force and rhythm that when they break for the parts I dislike, it’s just annoying. The first homage to classical music in here is done well, I think, but the first time is the only time I like it. And the chorus is just too stilted and broken for me. I do like the “holy moment and silent moment” part in which Tetsu sings in 2-part falsetto. The next little bit of classical music I should be able to recognize but can’t just sounds weak and like they don’t want to be playing it. Just cut it. The part leading up to the Fur Elise part, as well AS the Fur Elise part, is quite possibly the worst work Malice Mizer has ever done. The bit leading up to it is an uninspired thing I could have written in 4th grade, and Yu~ki plays the same thing right along with Mana, which means there are only two melody lines going. Not only is the bass line also bad in the Fur Elise part, Fur Elise is on my Death List of Songs People Who Sit at Pianos Should Not be Allowed to Play. I’ve heard FAR too many bad renditions of it to even remotely appreciate the nod in Beethoven’s direction. Luckily, MM only disappoints me one other time with a bad homage to a composer. Luckily, the song gets back into itself and stops sucking, almost redeeming itself entirely with the “my sweet corpse” section. So, not a terrible song at all, there are just bits that bug the living crap out of me.

MUSICIANS:
Tetsu: Like I said before, Tetsu’s vocals are a bit wild for some people, and I certainly agree; however, I love his tone and his vibrato. It would have been interesting to see what he would have done had he still been with the band after this album. Mana & Kozi: Since I can’t really tell who plays which part, especially on this album, I’ll have to lump them together. Overall, I think they write very well, keeping every song stuffed with interesting parts and constant changes in direction. Their guitar playing is good as well, especially in the pseudo-harpsichord things that are a Malice Mizer staple.Yu~ki: He has some very nice bass lines throughout the disc, trying to keep things interesting for the song and himself throughout. My only complaint is in the last track, as he just made some bad choices. Otherwise, a very good bassist, especially for this group. Kami: He looks stiff when he plays, but it’s a. he’s a very solid drummer who can lay down a groove and rock out as well.

OVERALL:
It’s a first album. That’s kind of all you have to say,
really. However, it’s a better first album than some Japanese groups put out. I have a few complaints, mostly in the length. Indies bands tend to put out discs that have very few songs on them, calling them full-length CD’s. It’s frustrating for both parties, I’m sure.
Also, from a programming standpoint, I would SO switch Baroque and Seraph around. Seraph has such a better ending. Of course, this is because in the original memoire version, there was no Baroque track; it was a bonus song on the DX pressing. It is an enjoyable disc, one that I come back to every once in awhile. A good, solid effort, I would say.