Summary: Though Two-Mix performs a lot of dance music in general (their CDs are intended as general releases rather than anime albums), the duo is best known to anime fans for the opening tracks to GUNDAM W. For those who enjoyed the GUNDAM W songs and want more, Two-Mix now has a best hits album. Titled BPM Best Files, the album comes with the aforementioned 3 GUNDAM W hits as well as a collection of Two-Mix's other dance numbers.
The first three tracks consist of the GUNDAM W openings, "White Reflection" (ENDLESS WALTZ OVA), "Just Communication" (first TV OP), and "Rhythm Emotion" (second TV OP). The vocalist of the duo, Takayama Minami, handles the lyrics with ease, ranging from soft and gentle to energetic and passionate (hard to imagine this is the voice actor for Nabiki from RANMA 1/2!). The pulsing and pounding of the synthesizer music is performed by Nagano Shiina, who often gets to strut his stuff in extended instrumental sequences. The combination of great vocal singing and the catchy beat makes the GUNDAM W songs a sheer joy to listen to.
As with many dance music albums, however, a lot of the tracks become a bit repetitive and monotonous after a while. While the GUNDAM W hits were well-received by the general public as well as the anime fans, few of the other tracks stand out as being equally good, many of them lacking the build-up and the climax that made the GUNDAM W songs so great. Some of the more noteworthy ones include "Believe," which has Takayama rattling off a barrage of lyrics non-stop (does she ever stop for breath?), and "T.R.Y -Return To Yourself-," the only other song whose tune and vocals comes close to matching the quality of the GUNDAM W openings. The track "Endless Love" is decent as well. It has a more low-key, romantic feel to it, and comes with a very soulful piano solo bit towards the end.
While the album suffers from the "few hits accompanied by several average tracks" problem, the price is still fair considering that the CD Singles for Just Communication, Rhythm Emotion, and White Reflection go for about ¥1000 each. For ¥3000, you get all 3 GUNDAM W hits plus an added bonus: a CDROM containing the group's discography and an assortment of Quicktime clips, including an OVA-quality music video of "White Reflection." Nicely animated and very well choreographed, it features the Two-Mix duo (in an anime-style self portrait) chasing a mysterious ball of light across America. The quality of the music video is fantastic, and people have been known to rush out and grab this album solely for the music video.
In the end, the GUNDAM W songs become the deciding factor as to whether you should get this album or not. If you already have the CD singles, I'd definitely try before I buy (though if my friends are any indication, the music video alone seems worth the price). If you don't have the singles, however, the 3 hits and the White Reflection music video should make this album a compelling purchase. And if the other Two-Mix numbers grow on you, that's just icing on the cake.
|
|
