The 3rd volume of the “WORLD TRE@SURE” series brings the vibrancy and passion of Spanish music to the table.
Title: THE IDOLM@STER SideM WORLD TRE@SURE 03 Label: Lantis Release date: 08/08/2018 Genre: Pop
Tracklist:
01. Baile Apasionado 02. MEET THE WORLD!(SPAIN Ver.) 03. Baile Apasionado(Off Vocal)
Track by track analysis:
01. Baile Apasionado
Spain makes its entrance in the WORLD TRE@SURE series through “Baile Apasionado“. Now, someone would expect that, for this song, the instrumental would fully embrace flamenco. However, this instrumental has a mix of flamenco (the castanets, the olé‘s) with Caribbean elements (the timbales aren’t common in Spanish music) and rock music. As a result we have a colorful and rich soundscape that mixes the emotion of Spanish guitar playing, with the danceable touch from the timbales and bongos, the traditional castanets, brass, strings, fast paced drums and a noticeable bass line. The listener is presented with a rich soundscape filled with the passion that is common to Spanish/Latin music.
On the vocal end we find Kento Ito (S.E.M), Shohei Komatsu (THE kogadou) and Keisuke Furuhata (Mofumofuen) teamed up. Even with the clear differences in vocal prowess between members, their performance is filled with rhythm and passion, matching the instrumental’s tone perfectly. 5/5
02. MEET THE WORLD!(SPAIN 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. Spain’s team had a different take on this song in comparison with previous releases. Kento Ito brought a whole lot of vibrato to this performance, stealing the spotlight away from Shohei Komatsu and Keisuke Furuhata. Komatsu‘s performance was stable, using his solid mid-tones as a bridge between Ito‘s powerful performance and Furuhata‘s shaky take on this song. Regardless of any differences in quality on the vocal end, this is a song worthy of full marks. 5/5
Final rating:
Spain is the main theme for this release. “Baile Apasionado” is a passionate song with an addictive chorus and unique instrumentalization. The addition of timbales, instrument most commonly used as percussion in Caribbean music rather than on Spanish music, was odd. Even if timbales aren’t common in Spanish music, especially traditional Spanish music, the instrumental was filled with life and color, enough to make up for that oddity. Each guitar lick or each snap of the castanets brings a different emotion to the table, making this one of the most exquisite and rich songs so far released in this series.
The tie-up song is MEET THE WORLD!, song that brought to the table an 80’s inspired pop tune filled with upbeat melodies, groovy bass goodness and simple synths. This song is present in all WORLD TRE@SURE series CDs with completely different vocal takes. For this performance
The Spain team counts with Kento Ito (S.E.M), Shohei Komatsu (THE kogadou) and Keisuke Furuhata (Mofumofuen). On a first look this team is extremely unbalanced. Kento Ito surely is a skilled vocalist, easily ranking among the top 3 best singers in the SideM franchise, whereas Komatsu and Furuhata usually go under the radar within their groups when it comes to their vocal prowess. There was no real synergy between the three vocal colors, which ended up in Ito taking the spotlight away from everyone in both performances. Furuhata is, of course, performing in his character’s high pitched tone, however that squeaking he does when he tries to take the note to a tone higher makes his performances sound far from pleasing to the ears. Thankfully Komatsu is a solid enough singer to balance things between Ito and Furuhata‘s polarizing singing tones and skills.
All in all, the third released in the WORLD TRE@SURE series is vibrant and incredibly addictive. It’s unlike anything released so far in this series and even within the SideM franchise. Its freshness and excitement is what makes this release one worth checking out.
This review was possible thanks to MALLARD084’s sponsored copy.
“THE IDOLM@STER SideM WORLD TRE@SURE 03” is available for purchase at CDJAPAN.
[…] We reviewed this release. You can find our review HERE. […]