IDOLMASTER SideM WORLD TRE@SURE 06 (Review)

The newest entry in IDOLMASTER SideM‘s WORLD TRE@SURE series takes the listener to the picturesque sounds of Germany.

Title: THE IDOLM@STER SideM WORLD TRE@SURE 06
Label: Lantis
Release date: 06/02/2019
Genre: Folk

Tracklist:

01 - Hallo, Freunde! 
02 - MEET THE WORLD!(GERMANY Ver.) 　
03 - Hallo, Freunde!(Off Vocal)

Track by track analysis:

01 – Hallo, Freunde!

Hallo, Freunde! welcomes listeners to Germany with an ear-catching performance. German Folk music isn’t about speed or overcrowded instrumentals, instead it is known for its toned down, slower paced and first-timer friendly sound. In this song, accordions and zithers lead the way, being through them that the listener gets a taste of Germany’s traditional music. With those two instruments at its core, it’s easy for acoustic guitars, strings, wind instruments and other picturesque hits and bits to put together a tasteful instrumental that does justice to the country and the music genre itself.

On the vocal end, it’s easy to say that this is a top performance by a talented quartet. Their performance is filled with passion and, at times, is dramatic or even theatrical. Furukawa brought Café Parade’s well-known theatricality to this performance, Toki added a lyrical touch to his performance, impressing with his crystal clear high notes and falsetto. Kanbara and Nagatsuka delivered solid performances that complemented everyone’s singing and shone in their solo parts.

One of the best easy-listening songs and vocal performances so far in the WORLD TRE@SURE series. 5/5 

02 – MEET THE WORLD!(GERMANY Ver.)

Built around a playful piano melody and groovy bass line, MEET THE WORLD! takes pride in its upbeat and danceable sound. Atmospheric synths, strings and simple bass-driven drums add the finishing touches to this instrumental, creating an addictive and, at the same time, inspiring sound. Paying close attention to this song, it actually sounds like a throwback 80’s pop tune – mainly due to its piano melody.

This is the 6th take on this song and we couldn’t be more impressed with such a complete performance by this lineup. There’s power but also gentleness in their performance, something that, up until now, we hadn’t found in the various takes on this song. Each member brought something unique to this performance that made this song shine brightly among all takes on it so far. Whether it was due to Nagatsuka‘s sweet voice tone, Kanbara‘s smooth mid-to-low tones, Toki‘s powerful lyrical performance or Furukawa‘s versatile power vocals – overflowing with vibrato – we don’t know. One thing is for certain, they showcased excellent team work and delivered an impressive performance that goes well beyond our expectations (that were initially high). A highlight so far in this series. 5/5

Final rating:

The WORLD TRE@SURE series continues to deliver crafty, catchy songs while exploring world music. For this 6th entry, the franchise took their fans to Germany and showcased them its Folk music, doing so in a tasteful way.

Hallo, Freunde! brought the elements that define German Folk music to the table: zither and accordion melodies, and a major focus on acoustic elements. Surprisingly, the end result was a slow paced song with focus on simple yet fun melodies and crafty instrumentalization that perfectly captured the essence of German Folk music.

Germany’s team performance of MEET THE WORLD! is easily ranked as the best one so far in the WORLD TRE@SURE series. Up until now, this song has been performed 6 times. All of those showing us a variety of approaches and vocal performances depending on the lineups, the voice colors and skills. There have been a couple of surprises along the way – positive and negative – but almost all takes on this song have been rather interesting. However, Germany’s team take on this song sounds like a perfect fit for this song. The way this quartet tackled this song, how their vocals complement each other’s, the individual skills and how, ultimately, the group worked together made this song shine more than ever before.

Germany’s team has one of the most complete and balanced lineups so far in the WORLD TRE@SURE series. Although with contrasting voice colors, Makoto Furukawa (Café Parade), Daichi Kanbara (Jupiter), Takuma Nagatsuka (HighXJoker) and Shunichi Toki (Altessimo) worked perfectly as a group. Their performances in Hallo, Freunde! and MEET THE WORLD! make this release stand out in the middle of a WORLD TRE@SURE series stacked with talent.

All in all, THE IDOLM@STER SideM WORLD TRE@SURE 06 is another great addition to the WORLD TRE@SURE series and a must listen release.

THE IDOLM@STER SideM WORLD TRE@SURE 06 is available for purchase at CDJAPAN.

THE IDOLM@STER SideM WORLD TRE@SURE 06

Hokuto Ijuin, Jun Fuyumi, Asselin=Beelzebuth II, Kei Tsuzuki