#planet8

PLANET8 (Album) Review

Overview

PLANET8 is the second album released by the producer duo, out of survice. It features 9 tracks, totaling at just over 37 minutes.

Primarily, PLANET8 revolves around the idea of being cyclical; it's meant to be listened to straight through, over and over again. In fact, the names are cyclical as well. The last syllable of every track is the same as the first syllable of the next. Thanks to BonBonToro on VocaDB for writing this up:

7th room m -> M

METABOLICキューブ ブ -> ぶ of ぶりき

錻のツバメ メ -> メ

メテオライト・サテライト ト -> ト

トワイライトヒイロウ ウ -> う of うそ

嘘吐ストラーデ デ -> で of でい

泥彩art t -> t

the prismatic humanizer r -> r

revii vii -> VII as in 7, going back to the start

If that isn't enough, the songs also correspond with solar bodies:

7th room - Sun METABOLICキューブ - Mercury 錻のツバメ - Venus メテオライト・サテライト - Moon トワイライトヒイロウ - Mars 嘘吐ストラーデ - Jupiter 泥彩art - Saturn the prismatic humanizer - Uranus revii - Neptune

This is stated in both 7th room music video and the booklet included with the album.

Description

Physical Description

PLANET8 comes in a one-disk Digipak. The front features a design similar to the SECRET8 cover, but of an object resembling a planet instead of an egg. The front cover contains a booklet with a galaxy print on the outside, as well as lyrics to each song inside. The inside of the front cover shows a diagram of the solar system, with the planets color coded to match each song's page in the booklet.

Aquisition

PLANET8 was first available at Vocaloid Paradise 8, and later online through Toranoana. Unfortunately, PLANET8 isn't available for direct purchase anymore, so the only option is to buy it secondhand.

I picked up my copy from Suruga-ya through FromJapan.

Some of the tracks are available online, and I will try to link them wherever possible.

Songs

7th room

The only track on the album with an MV, it's about the planets. The video is super pretty (as videos by Scotch tend to be), but I don't quite understand why the Sun is counted as a planet. The video ends with the transition into METABOLICキューブ.

METABOLICキューブ / METABOLIC CUBE

Man, this is such a great song. It's got my favorite guitar of any song, and the instrumental in general is just perfect. In a couple ways, it seems a lot of ideas from this track eventually made their way into my favorite song, 西新宿JCT. The way the vocals are laid out are very similar in both tracks, and while I think METABOLICキューブ is great, 西新宿JCT really perfects the idea.

錻のツバメ / Buriki no Tsubame / Iron Swallow

This song seems to be about a metaphor of a bird that can't fly (the iron swallow). I still don't fully understand what it's getting at, but it's still very much enjoyable.

メテオライト・サテライト / Meteorite Satellite

In my opinion, one of the best-tuned Rin songs out there. The instrumental is good as well, but the vocals really carry this song. One of my favorites of the album.

トワイライトヒイロウ / Twilight Hero

The IA/Rin duet really isn't a combination I see very often, but it's done so well on this track, I don't see why it isn't more common. トワイライトヒイロウ isn't as standout of a song as some of the other tracks on this album, but the duet vocals are seriously impressive.

嘘吐ストラーデ / Liar Serenade

Right off the bat, this song is one of my favorites. It's very clearly a racing song from the very beginning: revving engines and an aggressive instrumental. However, it seems to actually be about a person, almost an admonishment. The last verse is also entirely in English, which is pretty interesting. I believe it's the first out of survice song to feature an English verse, and was the only one until about a week ago when ホロンボット dropped.

泥彩art / monochromatic art

I consider this song almost an interlude between my two favorite tracks on the album. It's certainly not "relaxed", but it's probably the most laid back track on the album. I like the transitions between the slow and fast sections, but I think the song would be better overall with a different voicebank.

the prismatic humanizer

Easily my favorite track on the album, the prismatic humanizer plays on one of my favorite concepts in vocaloid music. I really don't want to spoil this song any further, I feel it's better listened to yourself. I still remember the feeling from my first listen, and I really hope other people can experience it as well.

revii

Definitely has the "outro" motif going, but picks up in intensity towards the end. Fitting, because it ends with IA taking a breath before starting 7th room again (revii -> re: 7).

Comments

15: Favorite movie - that's so hard so last one I saw and absolutely loved "Anni Felici" ("Those Happy Years") !!!everyone needs to watch it!!!

19: A fact about your personality - I truly believe I'm going to change the world

25: My idea of a perfect date - going to a garden or a museum or a monument, taking loads of pictures and smiling with all my heart

I luv short shorts