[2021.03.31] Morning Musume.'21 - 16th～That's J-POP～

[DonJuan]

Announced today on several social media channels (and totally not to distract from certain drama):

 

Morning Musume.'21 - 16th~That's J-Pop~

 

Release date is March 31. A week ago or so someone already edited the MM generasia article with an untitled album in March 2021 - guess they were right all along!

 



 





 

Bigger covers:

 

[spoilerbox]

[/spoilerbox]

 

(RE, LE)

 

Listed here, Youtube announcement here. The announcement also features a preview of the song "Renai Destiny ~ Hon'ne o ronjitai".

Limited Edition comes with a recording of a secret "no audience live".

 

Tracklist:

[spoilerbox]

CD (Regular and Limited Edition



01. Aishite Nan ga warui!? (愛してナンが悪い！？) (★)

02. Gyuusaretai Dake Nanoni (ギューされたいだけなのに)

03. Shinjiru Shika! (信じるしか)！（Ikuta, Ishida, Oda, Kaga, Morito, Okamura) (★)

04. TIME IS MONEY!（Sato, Nonaka, Yokoyama, Yamazaki) (★)

05. Nakimushi My Dream (泣き虫My Dream) (★)

06. Futari wa Abekobe (二人はアベコベ)（Fukumura, Makino, Haga, Kitagawa) (★)

07. Junjou Evidence (純情エビデンス)

08. Kono Mama! (このまま！) (★)

09. KOKORO&KARADA

10. Jinsei Blues (人生Blues)

11. Hey! Unfair Baby (★)

12. Renai Destiny ~ Hon'ne o ronjitai (恋愛Destiny～本音を論じたい～) (★)

13. LOVEPedia (LOVE ペディア)

14. Ningen Kankei No way way (人間関係No way way)

15. Seishun Night (青春Night)

(★)＝New Song

 

Blu-ray (Limited Edition)

01. OPENING

02. Junjou Evidence (純情エビデンス)

03 Seishun Night (青春Night)

04. MC

05. KOKORO&KARADA

06. Jinsei Blues (人生Blues)

07. Gyuusaretai Dake Nanoni (ギューされたいだけなのに)

08. MC

09. LOVEPedia (LOVE ペディア)

10. Ningen Kanken No way way (人間関係No way way)

11. Hey! Unfair Baby

12. Renai Destiny ~ Hon'ne o ronjitai (恋愛Destiny～本音を論じたい～)

13. ENDING

【Bonus Video】

01. Another Edit. Renai Destiny ~ Hon'ne o ronjitai; Junjou Evidence; LOVEPedia, Ningen Kankei No way way

02. Making Of

03. Members talk!! 「16th～That's J-POP～」Haga and Yokoyama interview the other members

[/spoilerbox]

 

Song Credits:

[spoilerbox]

• Aishite Nan ga Warui!? (愛してナンが悪い!?)

Lyrics/Composition: Tsunku (つんく)

Arrangement: Egami Kotaro (江上浩太郎)

 

• Gyuu Saretai Dake na no ni (ギューされたいだけなのに)

Lyrics/Composition: Tsunku

Arrangement: Okubo Kaoru (大久保薫)

 

• Shinjiru Shika! (信じるしか!)

Lyrics/Composition: Tsunku

Arrangement: Okubo Kaoru

 

• TIME IS MONEY!

Lyrics/Composition: Tsunku

Arrangement: Egami Kotaro

 

• Nakimushi My Dream (泣き虫My Dream)

Lyrics/Composition: Tsunku

Arrangement: Hirata Shoichiro (平田祥一郎)

 

• Futari wa Abekobe (二人はアベコベ)

Lyrics/Composition: Tsunku

Arrangement: Egami Kotaro

 

• Junjou Evidence (純情エビデンス)

Lyrics/Composition: Tsunku

Arrangement: Hirata Shoichiro

 

• Kono Mama! (このまま!)

Lyrics/Composition: Tsunku

Arrangement: Hirata Shoichiro

 

• KOKORO&KARADA

Lyrics/Composition: Tsunku

Arrangement: Okubo Kaoru

 

• Jinsei Blues (人生Blues)

Lyrics/Composition: Tsunku

Arrangement: Okubo Kaoru

 

• Hey! Unfair Baby

Lyrics/Composition: Tsunku

Arrangement: Suzuki Shunsuke (鈴木俊介)

 

• Ren'ai Destiny ~Hon'ne wo Ronjitai~ (恋愛Destiny~本音を論じたい~)

Lyrics/Composition: Tsunku

Arrangement: Okubo Kaoru

 

• LOVEpedia (LOVEペディア)

Lyrics: Kodama Ameko (児玉雨子)

Composition: Ooyagi Hiroo (オオヤギヒロオ)

Arrangement: Hirata Shoichiro

 

• Ningen Kankei No way way (人間関係No way way)

Lyrics/Composition: Tsunku

Arrangement: Suzuki Shunsuke

 

• Seishun Night (青春Night)

Lyrics/Composition: Tsunku

Rap Arrangement: Miss Monday

Arrangement: Okubo Kaoru

[/spoilerbox]

 

 

Hokkoku features a bit of insight and a comment by Tsunku.

 

Profile pictures:

 

[spoilerbox]










[/spoilerbox]

[Zange]

IT'S ABOUT DANG TIME
only been what, over 3 years since the last one?? Who needs more frequent albums... announcement timing is pretty sus, thoooo
 
Also I really dig the outfits, ngl

[WonderBuono]

Finally some good news.

[Shoujo Q]

Can I just say, the new Quote to Reply feature is pretty darn epic. (On PC anyway.)

I thought I'd do a review of the album since like, it came out and we never had that trip down after release. And it feels like a waste to see this thread just lay dead without follow up. So I'll just take what I said in the Songs of 2021 thread and add a bit more meat.


01. Aishite Nan ga warui!? (愛してナンが悪い！？) (★) As far as Morning Musume album openers, it's not my favorite but I only say that because It doesn't have the same punch as say SONGS, or Moonlight night ~Tsukiyo no Ban da yo~. But it's good, especially since the last 3 albums had nothing but singles as their album opener so I am far from complaining. The song is a grower, not a shower. It doesn't have that BANG it's got that build up. I must have liked it quite a bit because it's gotten a lot of play last year from me. Haha.
02. Gyuusaretai Dake Nanoni (ギューされたいだけなのに) (SINGLE) This plays well with the album and I understand it's release more now as a single because the last 2020 single for Morning Musume was like, what? But it's presence in the album makes sense. It feels like an album song and it tastes like an album song and UF was like, make it a single, or some crap like that. I honestly still skip it. Haha.
03. Shinjiru Shika! (信じるしか)！（Ikuta, Ishida, Oda, Kaga, Morito, Okamura) (★) When I saw the girls singing this I thought, they better have an awesome dance break for this because it would be criminal if they didn't. Of course we didn't get to see this performed till Masaki's graduation so I totally forgot about that statement and promptly left the room when this was being performed because I needed to get ready for work and I've yet to get back to see this actual performance so I don't know if it ended up getting what I wanted it to get. But overall I think I thought this would play better live than as song just on my playlist. It needs the punch of dancers to bring it to life. The opening calls for it. Some songs play well as just songs but other times, like this one, they need people to bring it to life.
04. TIME IS MONEY!（Sato, Nonaka, Yokoyama, Yamazaki) (★) This was a fun song. I have nothing else to add. It wasn't my favorite, because after awhile it became repetitive. I mean, that's fine for me because it allows me to sing along so it's not all bad. But at the same time, it's got nothing to make me come back and repeat it just because it makes me feel things. (I don't know if that made any sense.)
05. Nakimushi My Dream (泣き虫My Dream) (★) I call this the, cool down song? It want's to BE ALIVE, but it's not. It's got too much going on in the instrumental at certain points. But overall the girls sing it pretty well so it gets a pass for me.
06. Futari wa Abekobe (二人はアベコベ)（Fukumura, Makino, Haga, Kitagawa) (★) In the other thread for the full rundown of 2021 songs I called this, Shaba Daba Do~‘s little half sister. Considering who is singing it, I want to know how Haga got in on this group. I'm not complaining but it's like, all front girls and then there's Haga.
07. Junjou Evidence (純情エビデンス) (SINGLE) I really don't like this song so I always skip it because of what comes after.
08. Kono Mama! (このまま！) (★) Super Bias it's my favorite song of 2021. I played this song into the ground. It's like,why did they throw this into a pile of singles? From the opening to the ending it just pumps me up. I'm sure there are people who don't view this song with the same rose colored glasses as I do but I don't care. It's still a banger for me.
09. KOKORO&KARADA (SINGLE) Meh, moving on.
10. Jinsei Blues (人生Blues) (SINGLE) I actually liked this song. But I don't play it nearly enough because it's a single so it usually gets played elsewhere.
11. Hey! Unfair Baby (★) This, I hated it live. The studio version gives it a bit more life. So it gets a pass for me.
12. Renai Destiny ~ Hon'ne o ronjitai (恋愛Destiny～本音を論じたい～) (★) I didn't like it at first till I gave it a proper listen. It's not Kono Mama but it's got a growing power within the song that takes off and pumps me up again. The album usually ends here for me. I'm shameless.

Last three songs, added because they needed to fill the album up and nowhere else to put them? I treat them like the filler they are.
While I LOVE the songs on their own (I like LOVEPedia over Ningen Kankei No way way), I tend to just kind of ignore them after Renai Destiny.
13. LOVEPedia (LOVE ペディア) (SINGLE)
14. Ningen Kankei No way way (人間関係No way way) (SINGLE)
15. Seishun Night (青春Night) (SINGLE)

[JPope]

This is one of my favorite MM albums, period. I have a long review up at the blog, but I'll sum it up a bit here. “Aishite Nan ga Warui!?” is a killer opener, with great tension-release between the verses and choruses. The way the last bar of the verses switch to the major key with that simple synth line feels so triumphant. Like Shoujo, I think "Gyuusaretai Dake Nanoni" works better in the context of this album than as a single track (although I think I liked the single more than most here), and it fits nicely as a bridge to “Shinjiru Shika!,” which pushes the established uneasy tension all the way to 11. Those insect-like synths are is fucking cool. The well worn MM effect of dense harmonies on virtually every note might work better on this song than any before it, as the vocals establish the chord progression almost exclusively. The chorus is gorgeous.

“TIME IS MONEY” backs off of the unease, but just a little bit, and Mei and Maa really shine here. This fits very comfortably with the Fukumura Era sound sonically, harmonically and production-wise, but it's darker and more restive. I dig it a lot. Calling "Nakimushi My Dream" a "cool down song" is apt. It's the first of two turning points in the album, as the mood brightens significantly moving forward, starting with this beautiful and hopeful ballad.

Where Shoujo pegs "Futari wa Abekobe" to "Shaba Daba Do," my ears took me back to “Ii Koto Aru Kinen no Shunkan” from 4th Ikimasshoi. It's not as blatantly Motown as that, but it's about as Golden Era as you can get in 2021, even to the point of being a bit sentimental. It's filler, but it's good filler and it pulls its weight. "Junjou Evidence" is a nice way to pick the pace back up and get us ready for "Kono Mama!" Infectious as a NY nursing home, this is high-energy rock/electro hybrid idol-pop at its best. "KOKORO&KARADA" is a less than optimal track to follow up with, but single tracks gotta go somewhere, and as the first half only includes two singles, the back end is where they go. "Jinsei Blues" is next, and I think flipping these two would have worked better.

"Hey! Unfair Baby" is a guitar-driven idol-rock stomper that smartly melds synth bass and programmed drums with electric guitars so well that you almost don’t notice the guitars disappear on the second verses. I think I'm one of the few that really digs this one. The follow-up, “Ren’ai Destiny ~Honne wo Ronjitai~,” is a point of frustration for me. On the one hand, it's a fucking heater -- I mean, one of my favorite MM tracks since “Utakata Saturday Night!” On the other hand, the shitty programmed drums are annoying because it cheapens a superior song. Those drums sport zero dynamics, zero energy and zero soul, and it didn't have to happen. They hired Senri Kawaguchi for a Kobushi Factory deep-cut, so why they couldn't hire a session monkey for this jewel is befuddling.

The second turning point is "LOVEpedia," which hard-turns us into the pack-the-rest-of-the-singles-in section to end the album. I understand the desire to include "LOVEpedia" and "No Way Way," but I'd have left "Seishun Night" at the station. It's a shitty closer, and doesn't really fit anywhere in this track listing. I'd have also figured out a way to mix the other two into the pack, and ended with “Ren’ai Destiny," because it's perfect for the job. I don't want to listen to anything for a few minutes after that song ends.

Overall, though, a really great album. I wrote that it was better than 15 Thank you, too, although I'm not so sure now. That's two top tier albums in a row for MM, and for me, you have to go back to their 4th and 5th albums to find a back-to-back run as good as this.