#and a self-cover of why does a heart break which is originally a vocaloid song

[match-your-steps]

forget my coworkers never noticing the version of funkytown I had on my playlist was the 8-minute one. I've been feeding them vocaloid music for like two years and I honestly think they may not be aware

[meikostan]

It is literally impossible for me to shut up about vocaloid songs i like so i'm going to list a couple of songs and talk about why I like them so much and why you should like them too (to be updated continuously because once again I'll never shut up)

HONORABLE MENTION: The 13 minute, 64-song My Favorite Vocaloid Medley. I have had the lyrics to this beast memorized since I was 12 years old. It warms my heart to know that people are still making covers with this specific medley. I'll link to some of my favorites. Original song version UTAU medley (the only part i dislike is homokure's part idk why but it enrages me) The funny version NEKSM cover Abandoned UTAU cover Bonus: my playlist of each song from the medley in order

Tokyo Teddy Bear - Neru

Literally the song that got me into vocaloid in 5th grade. I was already aware of vocaloid and generally had positive feelings towards it because i had seen the World is Mine concert years before (it had blown my little 7 year old brain btw) but this song is the game changer. If you're a vocaloid fan you have probably listened to this song before so I won't spend too much time trying to pitch the song and instead talk about its impact on me. This bad boy has been with me for at this point nearly half of my life. It's one of the few vocaloid songs I listened to before I ever started learning Japanese (side note remind me to make a post about this too so I can share my numerous resources). Also quick shoutout to JubyPhonic for the line "ends justify the seams" in their english cover, fucking amazing. Anyway, this was also the song that cemented Rin as my favorite vocaloid in middle school (1, she has the range, 2, she's just like me fr <---suffering).

Honorable mention: Alfakyun's cover

2. 3年C組14番窪園チヨコの入閣 (Year 3 Class C No. 14 Kubozono Chiyoko's Joining of the Cabinet)

I have mentioned this before. Books do not make me cry. Songs do not make me cry. Movies have made me cry exactly once when I was 6 years old, and after that never again. This song is one of the few things to have ever made me produce genuine tears. You can tell how much I like it cause both this blog and my main's pfps are from this song. It's the ending, it gets me every time. But it's also the buildup of the actual song that makes the moment. It's hard for me to word exactly why, I've retyped and reworded this sentence many times. There's something about the contrast between the goofy dancing cats and how quietly Rin is singing. But also how, save for the students and cats, there is a near total lack of color (with of couse the bright orange being exclusive to Chiyoko and the cats). And how the song still has a kind of energy to it. I almost don't want to 'spoil' the ending but it's such a big part of why this song has the impact it does on me. Go watch the MV if you haven't yet, I'll wait... 3... 2... 1... ...Now do you get it?

3. The Beast - Spectacle-P (original video, not on spectacle-p's channel; this 2021 remake is, however, on their official channel)

You already know i'm a certified beasthead. There was a time in my life (which went on for more than a few months) where I would spend hours listening to various covers of this song on repeat. She means everything to me. Brief overview of the story: Singer (the beast) isolates themself in a tower of their own loneliness, when a human comes along and breaks down those walls so to speak (and then dies, badly). But now the beast realizes they do actually need human connection, and the song ends with them returning to society, waiting for the day they'll meet their loved one again. I think on some level I relate to the beast. I don't know how much of my isolation is self inflicted and how much is just a natural part of who I am. Maybe even the "natural" part is something that I just incorporated into myself, like the beast (who was formerly human).

Aside from the emotional impact of the lyrics, another reason I love this song so much is because of the composition, even divorced from the lyrics. A not insignificant portion of the covers I repeatedly listen to are literally just piano covers. It's so captivating and well made. I don't know if this is just because I have the original lyrics engraved into my skull or what but somehow even without words the song imparts the same bittersweet feelings.

Honorable mentions: Hinami Mei's cover My The Beast playlist of every iteration of The Beast that I can find One time I remade The Beast with cat meows + oboe + piano

4. Monochrome Shangri-la - MASA Works DESIGN

Definitely not the first song you think of when Masa comes to mind. This song is less overtly dark as his other works, being based off of Kenji Miyazawa's 1934 novel Night on the Galactic Express (銀河鉄道の夜), a pretty widely known and loved novel. This isn't even the only vocaloid song to be based on it - sasakure.UK's "For Campanella" comes to mind. This is also the reason I actually read the book (well, read part of and then finished via audiobook for the daily listening challenge.) But yeah, no gore or necrophilia or anything, just fun times on the space train and then also Campanella dies.

To me the song at times feels intentionally overwhelming, veering from a fun bouncing energy to the sense that suddenly everything is happening at once. Or maybe just being overwhelmed by the "many colored sky", like through your journey in space you're just hit with sight after sparkling sight. It is, after all, "just you, our dreams, the stars, and me". The loss of Campanella (as implied through the lyrics, though he's never actually named) transforms this into a much more frantic feeling.

5. No One Likes a Wallflower - MonochroMenace

I need you to drop what you're doing and listen to this song right fucking now. I think it may be my favorite engloid song. Literally this rocks so hard, there was a point in time where I listened to it multiple times daily for a month straight. Which may be a little surprising considering it only came out like 4 months ago. It's catchy, has an awesome MV, and the lyrics are fun (and honestly kind of call me out x) ) Despite that it doesn't ever cross into being actually mean-spirited toward the people being described (ie, people who prefer to sit by the sidelines in a party, or people who feel forced into doing so). It hasn't been a long enough time for me to say that this is life changing like the other songs listed but genuinely I have been so obsessed with this song that if I don't recommend it here I'll explode. Badly.

[thebandcampdiaries]

Azakaela - Court of the Raven.

Azakaela is a forward-thinking music producer hailing from Bozeman, Montana. Her sound is quite distinctive, so much so that the artist actually coined a whole new genre to define it! Her music is aptly known as “Cyberfuzz,” and it is a powerful blend of fuzz and distortion effects, as well as chiptune music, synth wave, glitch, noise, and everything in between.

Azakaela’s most recent release, “Court of the Raven,” combines influences as diverse as Chillstep and Stoner Rock, only to mention a few. This release features 10 amazing songs, each blurring the lines between different aesthetics and genre definitions.

From the huge industrial soundscapes of “The Thread,” to the sophisticated beat patterns of “Magpie,” anything goes. One of my favorite songs on this release is a track titled “Traitor.” I love the heavy, hefty tone of the bass, which is fuzzed out into oblivion and boasts some mad arpeggio pattern. The swelling low end really adds movement to this song, and it merges really well with the beat and the lead tones.

Last but not least, “Lurking,” the final song on the release, features a very interesting sound. The drum pattern is almost lo-fi, with a saturated, watery feel to it. The melodies are pretty amazing as well, and they make me think of tracks such as “Right Here, Right Now,” originally made famous by Fatboy Slim. This track has a cool throwback to the 90s, and early 2000s electronic music tones, which were so focused on creating cinematic soundscapes and huge textures.

Ultimately, I would definitely recommend this release to any fan of artists like Aphex Twin, Thom Yorke, Boards Of Canada, Kyuss, as well as Fatboy Slim, Massive Attack, and Flying Lotus. In addition to the wide-ranging scope of these compositions, Azakaela’s strength is also found in her attention to details. The production on “Court of the Raven,” is absolutely spot-on, and the release really blurs the lines between lo-fi, industrial, alt-rock and electronics, with a sound that feels direct and fun to listen to.

Find out more about Azakaela, and check out “Court of the Raven,” which is now available on the web:

https://azakaela.bandcamp.com/

We also had the chance to ask the artists a few questions, so keep reading for more!

I love how you manage to render your tracks so personal and organic. Does the melody come first, or do you focus on the beat the most?

Answer: Thank you! <3  Each song is unique, they each have their own... personality, which I discover in the process of creating them. It's a mixture of a sort of spiritual channeling and puzzle solving.  Some I start with a bassline, then fiddle with sounds while exploring different melodies. I know the song when I hear it when I play the right melody for the first time, it's like I've reached right into the aether and once I've found it? The song feels like it builds itself. I'm merely there to facilitate it. It's a bizarre experience, but it fills me with joy.

Over time I've developed a lot of methods to make things easier and quicker for myself to the point where I can create a track in just about 3-4 hours from start to finish. In fact, many of the songs on Court of the Raven were made in one sitting.  This usually involves a sort of fearlessness – You have to learn to not become too attached to certain parts, to not be afraid to start from scratch. For every song I've put out I guarantee you there's like 4 or 5 sitting on the back-burner waiting for me to return to it.

Do you perform live? If so, do you feel more comfortable on a stage or within the walls of the recording studio?

Answer: Not for Azakaela. Although I'd absolutely love to, I'm not sure how I'd go about it. I need more portable equipment and money's pretty tight lately. The way I write songs currently doesn't really lend itself to a performance – for now I'm pretty content to just to create this music with the company of my DAW and a beer. Maybe in the future I'll write an album with live performance specifically in mind.

Where I do perform live is with my other project, a Stoner Metal band named Kannabyss. Being the frontman of a band has been a really rewarding experience for me. I love the energy of a crowd and being able to lose myself in a performance. We're going on tour the end of July and I'm really excited to travel and bring this music to other people.

If you could only pick one song to make a “first impression” on a new listener, which song would you pick and why?

Answer: Oof. That's such a tough question. My music covers a wide range of sounds, I like to think I have something for everyone, but I've never considered a single track to be universally likeable. My heart tells me that I should show them the track, “Reverse Execution” from my previous album, Cyber Fuzz. It's just got this really neat quality and bounciness. It boasts a really catchy melody that invokes a mixture of emotions. I guess I'd call it contemplative, bittersweet and at some moments defiant. I think a lot of people can relate to those feelings.

What does it take to be “innovative” in music?

Answer: I think innovation requires a mixture of imagination, determination, and courage. Thinking outside of the box and experimenting with your music until you feel comfortable with your own unique voice. Everyone has the potential to be innovative, it's the self-doubt that stands in a lot of artists way. Stylistic choices can be misunderstood as mistakes; you have to learn a lot about what works and what doesn't and still not be afraid to put yourself out there and take a chance with something experimental.

Any upcoming release or tour your way?

Answer: Yes actually! Gearing up towards the release of my next album I'll put out on my birthday, July 12th. It's going to be called, “Necronym” (meaning deadname, which in the Trans community is a phrase that refers to the name a person left behind after changing to their new one).  It's 22 tracks (over an hour long) that I haven't officially released, and some of my best work too. It'll feature a wide range of different sounds, including a lot of orchestral elements. I wrote most of it before I began my transition, and while I was compiling it together, I made sure to arrange the tracks in such a way where the emotions of dysphoria I was feeling at the time and how they evolved into a sort of “journey”.

Since it's already complete and I have downtime, I've already started work on the next album after that, “Logan's Mask”.

Anywhere online where curious fans can listen to your music and find out more about you?

Answer: Well, for the curious fan, I maintain a presence on Facebook, Instagram, Bandcamp, and Soundcloud. I also run a discord that's available to anyone who breaks my Cypher for now – And I typically respond to any messages people send me as soon as possible. I'm thinking of starting a Patreon too, to help me achieve some goals I've set – Mainly, affording orchestral sound packs and purchasing the Vocaloid plugin so I can add a lyrical element to my music.