ST☆RISH return with Shining Romance and chose to play it safe, whereas QUARTET NIGHT take FORCE LIVE to stun us as the group experiments with different elements in their instrumental piece. Without any further ado, let’s get this review started.
The cover art is the follow for each edition:
Title: Shining☆Romance & FORCE LIVE
Release date: 15/11/17
Label: King Records
Genre: J-pop
Tracklist:
1 - Shining☆Romance (performed by ST☆RISH) 2 - FORCE LIVE (performed by QUARTET NIGHT) 3 - Shining☆Romance (instrumental) 4 - FORCE LIVE (instrumental)
Track by track analysis:
1- Shining☆Romance
To kick off, we have Starish‘s track, Shining☆Romance that has their typical synths running in the background and the trademark vocal performance from the members, yet in the pre-chorus we can listen to some dubstep hints with the dragging synths, but that presence quickly fades away as we get into the chorus. We also cannot forget the bass going strong throughout the whole track’s instrumental piece being especially prominent in the second pre-chorus. The chorus, however, is an entirely different story. We are presented with an up-beat instrumental piece with the trademark Starish synths and their marvelous piano performance. Regarding the vocal performance, we have nothing else to say other than the fact that the members have done well, as per usual. 4.5/5
2 – FORCE LIVE
FORCE LIVE is Quartet Night‘s track. With an intro delivered to us by simple synthetic drum work and autotune vocal performance, we have FORCE LIVE‘s presented to us. The build up with a progressive feel to it really makes up for the at times overly synthetic instrumental piece. A nice touch added to the track was the clean piano in the pre-chorus, which delivered a differed turn on the track. The synths and the bass make up the rest of the instrumental. Vocal wise, we cannot forget to mention that everyone’s on point, though due to the usage of autotune there are some parts which makes us reluctant. The outro, however was delivered to us in an almost a capella style adding a nice twist to the instrumental piece. 4.5/5
Final rating:
This release was a satisfying one, as we got to listen to Starish‘s trademark “sound” provided by the synth driven instrumental piece and the piano creating an overall up beat track such as Shining☆Romance. Regarding Quartet Night‘s track, FORCE LIVE showcased a different style in the group’s repertoire, yet we must say that there were some aspects that worked out better than others, namely the unnecessary use of autotune in the group’s already amazing vocals, in fact if it was not for the pre-chorus and the outro, the track would most likely be a “one time listen” type of track, when in fact this track has some much potential.
All in all, both releases were good, though there are some points that need improvement, in Quartet Night‘s case we have to say that the group does not need autotune, and in Starish‘s case, we wish we could listen to something with a different formula.
Uta no Prince-sama Shining Live Theme Song CD is available for purchase on CDJAPAN for all overseas fans.
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