ofurotaimu | Monthly Nico Nico Indies Ranking

You might remember that I did a sort of intro post (plus a previous ranking writeup) for Nico Nico Indies Ranking. This is the ranking for this month. As I said, NNI is much more slow-moving compared to utattemita and Vocaloid, so you might still encounter songs here which appeared in the previous ranking. In order to keep your interests piqued, I'll copy my intro discussion on the artist from last ranking as they appear here. :)

original nicovideo link

NEW UPLOAD RANKING

01. Orcaorca/Eureka e.p. CM
- mylist
- This is a video promiting Orcaorca's first single, Eureka ep. Orcaorca is a "creative music unit" composed of pianist composer Arabesque (also from Chouchou) and guitarist composer Maya Kawadius. Their music is experimental and often involves compelling visuals in the video. It's a bit hard to describe this number, since the CM has three song previews in it ^^.

02. 【ＮＮＩ】琥珀【ベルPバンド】
- Kohaku (BellP Band)
- Title means "amber".
- mylist
- BellP (or Ein) is also a Vocaloid composer. This band is composed of BellP on guitars, Tomo on vocals, Kuromenbou on bass and Makkou on drums. BellP's Vocaloid works are mostly pop, his band works are usually suave rock ballads, like this one. This sounds like your typical mainstream rock ballads, but the bass-guitar combo is pretty good. Of course, the vocals sound nice, too.

03. so ohno [room_2]
- mylist
- so_ohno is an instrumental track maker whose compositions are often of house-atmospheric moods. I don't know much about him since he doesn't have a lot of info online, but you can check his myspace which I linked. I don't know much about trance, but his tracks, like this one, remind me of it.

04. NNIオリジナル曲 - Cold Rain(2011 summer progressive mix)
- Cold Rain (2011 summer progressive mix) (KyotnP)
- mylist
- (∵)KyotnP is also a Vocaloid producer and I wrote about him in a spotlight here. While his Vocaloid songs are often house-y, he tries a lot of styles in his instrumental/indie works. This one is more of house than his other songs, though. It's quite repetitive (as always) but has a refreshing upstart plus a slight jarring of beats somewhere in the middle.

05. 【オリジナル曲】迷路
- Meiro (Tom)
- Title means "Labyrinth".
- user info
- I can't seem to get any info on him, aside from his other song. Anyway, this is a somewhat jazzy number overridden with wonderful, echoey bass. I'll play biases here, but I really love this song! The guitar is not sharp or loud and the drums are muffled in order to highlight the singing voice and bass.

06. 【NNIオリジナル曲】うちゅうのそこに【インスト】※企画あり
- Uchuu no Soko ni (Error)
- Title means "Over There in Space"
- mylist
- The first thing that I noticed here is the very apt and pretty video (it's hypnotic). Anyway, as I said before, Error (えらぁ) is also a Vocaloid producer. His first upload "Utsuru Fuukei" is a post-rock track and this one seems to follow the trend. The guitar is awesome, as usual, with savvy drums and electronic beats. Again, this is a refreshing listen.

07. おさーんオリジナル曲集①
- Osaan's Original Song Compilation (Osaan)
- user info
- This is a whopping 38 minutes of 9 tracks of Osaan's songs. Most of the songs here are acoustic ballads: only a guitar accompanying his gentle voice. It's a relaxing listen and probably a good working BGM XD.

08. NNIオリジナル曲 - Lost Temples
- Lost Temples (KyotnP)
- mylist
- KyotnP has a lot of experimental music (and he updates fast) that I'm running out of descriptions for them XD;. This one is...different from his other works in the sense that he seems to use more nature-like sounds (rumbling noises, water ripples) and flute melody. The background melody reminds me of Mike Oldfield's Tubular Bells.

09. 【オリジナル】『i amはshock』【コスモ隊】
- I am wa shock (Team Cosmo)
- mylist
- Team Cosmo is composed of Headphone Danshi, CaptainDog, Pman and 17sai. Headphone Danshi is also in the utattemita category. I don't know much about them but they make a lot of interesting, drama-like songs. Over the rockish melody is a story made up of random skits and lyrics making up the dialogues. This one is quite cracked and interesting and reminds me a bit of Golden Bomber, if only for the beat XD;. The drama part was also entertaining XDD.

10. 綺羅星【NNIオリジナル曲/インスト】
- Kiraboshi (Ohnuma)
- title means "Glittering Stars"
- mylist
- Ohnuma is also a Vocaloid producer mostly known as DaifukuP. He said that he was inspired by KyotnP to make this track. He first intended to make it progressive house (like some of KyotnP's works) but it turned out to be ambient house. This is the first time I've heard of ambient house but I like how it sounds! It's like a gentle ballad put against a repetitive (but tone downed) dance beat. It's pretty interesting.

OVERALL RANKING

01. 【オリジナル曲】「ホウキボシ」【Taisho×halyosy】
- This is a dead link since the song has been reuploaded. I'll talk about this more when it comes up below in the ranking :).

02. 【96猫×囚人P】　４６９６～クロノネガイ～【オリジナル曲】
- Chrono Negai (96neko x ShuujinP)
- Title means "Chrono Prayer".
- 96neko; ShuujinP
- [ up from #4 ] 96neko (Kuroneko) is an utaite we all know and love. ShuujinP is a Vocaloid composer mostly known for his angst!Len songs like...well, Shuujin and Kamihikouki. This is their collab from last year. I think we all know about this fantasy-esque number, with 96neko voicing both the male and female voices. The blending is awesome and the song is like those popular fantasy rock stuff. Of course the cutest part in this song is that it's a song about two cats XD;.

03. 【シャノ（40㍍）】　夏恋花火　【オリジナル】
- Natsu Koi Hanabi (40mP x Chano)
- Title means "Fireworks of Summer Love".
- Chano's mylist, 40mP's mylist
- [ down from #2 ] Well, I think we all know about this song since I mentioned it in my 40mP and Chano spotlight. This is also where people congratulated them for their marriage last year. I need not say anything more, I think, since this is typical 40mP melody with Chano's aiko-like voice on vocals. It's a really good listen and is one of my favorite 40mP songs.

04. 【オリジナル曲】「ホウキボシ」【Taisho×halyosy】 (修正版>
- Houkiboshi (Taisho x halyosy)
- Title means "Shooting Star"
- Taisho mylist
- Taisho is part of Singers Guild and is the producer of the Utaite Project of the group. I don't know much about Singers Guild but they've released quite a lot of impressive works. As for Taisho, you might know him as the second half and composer for Sputnik, Da-little/Hiradon's original music unit. As expected, this track is RnB in nature, with a light, comfortable beat blending well with halyosy's solid voice.

05. 「キミとのキョリ」　デスおはぎ feat.小山乃舞世
- Kimi to Kyori (Death Ohagi feat. Oyamano Mayo)
- mylist
- Death Ohagi is also a Vocaloid producer, and you might remember Oyamano Mayo (Yamanon) as the voice bank source for Kasane Teto. This is a cute, game music-ish track about young love, which is surprising because Yamanon's voice is kind of shota-ish and reminds me of 96neko's low voice. The PV is also great :3.

06. 【オリジナル曲】テクノブレイク【弟の姉】>A?
- Technobreak (Otouto no Ane)
- mylist
- [ down from #3 ] We have discussed this in a Weekly Utaran writeup last year, when Ane was in an indies music uploading phase. This is a pretty controversial song but despite that, it's a bouncy technopop song with Ane fast-singing in vocals.

07. 【ニコニコ海賊団】RAINBOW COLOR ～共生賛歌～
- Rainbow Color ~Kyousei Sanka~ (Nico Nico Kaizokudan)
- Title means "Hymn of Union"
- You might remember Kaizokudan as the ones who do amazing covers of One Piece tribute songs. This one is their original work, albeit another tribute to One Piece, with lyrics by Kanipan and music by Sera. Interesting use of instruments here (trumpet and maracca!). The voices are still awesomely apt as always XD.

08. 「ニルギリ」
- Nilgiri (Dakishimeta Tonight, Hachi, Lasah)
- [ down from #5 ] For this song, utaite Dakishimeta Tonight wrote the lyrics, Hachi laid out the melody, and Lasah sang the song. I do not know what exactly they meant by Nilgiri, but this is a solid rock song with Lasah's low but full voice against strong guitars and spattering drums.

09. Creatura/Sei-Peridot 【オリジナル曲】>A?
- Creatura (Sei-Peridot)
- mylist
- Sei Peridot is also SeikoP, a Vocaloid producer who often used Luka in her works. This track is composed, penned and sung by her. Described as chillout ambient, this is a cool-to-the-ears song with a fantasy-like aura, mostly because of the wonderful piano melody wrapped up in synthetic beats and chimes. You can hear her slight humming in the song, too.

10. 【くらPオリジナル曲】そよかぜのおと【by000】
- Soyokaze no Oto (KuraP feat. 000)
- Title means "The Sound of the Gentle Breeze"
- mylist
- KuraP is also a Vocaloid producer while 000 (oreo) is an utaite. While most of KuraP's songs are upbeat-cutesy, this is a gentle, piano-infused song which has a summery cheerful feeling. Oreo's voice is high and thin and fits well with the melody.

11. 【apple41（クワガタP）×F9 】tail light【『&』Track 04】
- tail light (KuwagataP x F9)
- KuwagataP's mylist; F9's mylist
- [down from #6] This song is part of the NNI special "album" &, which I think I posted about sometime ago. Of course, this is a typical KuwagataP song with sharp guitars against a resounding bass and very subtle drums. The song is reminiscent of his "Flashback Sound".

12. Orcaorca/Eureka
- site
- Please refer to the new upload ranking's #1 for an intro on Orcaorca. This is part of the single shown in their CM above. While the PV shows a more nature-intensive imagery, his song has electronic/clockwork beat-infused piano and guitar music expressed in an ambient-like way.

13. 【オリジナル曲】Violet++
- Violet++ (Reoru)
- mylist
- Reoru is a person pretty much into everything. He's touched Vocaloids, DTM, MAD videos, etc. He said that he doesn't know much about composing, but he had to try it out after doing other MAD uploads. This is an electronic dance track with simple, repetitive but bouncy beats.

14. Paidir/Sei-Peridot 【オリジナル曲】
- mylist
- Another upload from SeikoP/Sei-Peridot, this time bordering more on New Age and Ambient. The very subtle violin is beautiful and so are the other myriad of gentle sounds throughout the song.

15. 【OP動画】NNIオリジナルアルバム『＆』【track 00】
- & Track 00 (KuwagataP)
- mylist
- [ down from #7 ] "&" is a collaboration among Vocaloid producers, utaite and indie artists. It is not a real album, but a collection of original works compiled together. This is the intro song for the whole collection and is an instrumental with various electronic sounds, which surprised me as it is not very KuwagataP-ish. XD

16. 【マチゲリータ】タロンギ【オリジナル曲】
- Tahrongi (MachigeritaP)
- I only know Tahrongi as a name of a place (?) from FFXII, but in this song Tahrongi is the name of the boy. There is no connection to the FF thing.
- mylist
- [ down from #1 ] The song is typical Machigerita with creepy guitars and piano, but minus the Halloween-esque sound effects. The piano in the chorus is just awesome. Of course, his singing is a big, big plus :3.

17. 【メビウス】　Moebius　【オリジナル】
- mylist
- [ down from #9 ] Moebius a band composed of Fernando (vocals), Andersen (guitar), Piston (guitar), Chorisu (drums), and B.Yonz (drums). (But they're also Gom, zim, rojer, Nakanishi and Shito). This is their intro song. ...You all know this already, right? XD

18. コゲ犬×のど飴　オリジナル曲「拝啓ミザリー」PV
- Haikei Misery (Nodoame x Kogeinu x Death Ohagi)
- Title means "Mr. Misery".
- [ down from #11] This is a rock song rich on sharp, wailing guitars against hard-beat drums. The intensity is increased with Nodoame's powerful scream!singing and Kogeinu's high range.

19. ルラメイ　SACOYAN
- Ruramei (Sacoyan)
- mylist
- I don't know much about Sacoyan but they make songs from folk to progressive rock, it seems. They're also quite prolific with uploading.

20. 【オリジナル曲】OSECHI【弟の姉】
- "OSECHI" (Otouto no Ane)
- mylist
- [ down from #17 ]

21. a href="http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm14138022">【ヲタみん × oga】LUV for U【オリジナル曲】
- LUV for U (Wotamin x Oga)
- Wotamin's mylist; Oga's mylist
- [ up from #23 ] For this song, Wotamin penned the lyrics while Oga (AKA ShakeSphere), composed the electropop melody. It's a nice typical J-pop-sounding song which sounds good with Wotamin's low singing.

22. NNIオリジナル曲 - Deep Blue(Cold Rain Stealthy mix)
- Deep Blue (Cold Rain Stealthy Mix) - KyotnP
- mylist
- More progressive house from KyotnP with a slightly danceable repeating melody. Typical club house music, I think. I seriously suck at describing tracks like this, sobs.

23. 【砂月まち】Pattsun Love【オリジナルPV】
- Pattsun Love (Satsuki Machi)
- mylist
- This is a song penned by Machi and composed and sung by Kuroshio. This cheerful track talks of someone's power of love and its up and downs. Pretty much your usual pop songs, a bit reminiscent of upbeat aiko works. Machi's solid voice cannot reach high notes that well, but solid enough to give a wonderful rendition.

24. 【歌ってもらった】SPiCa -HPT ReACT-【リアレンジ】
- SPiCa -HPT ReACT- (GARNiDELiA)
- website
- [ down from #18 ] This is one of GARNiDELiA's popular works. They are composed primarily of TokuP and MARiA. This is actually a rearrangement of TokuP's earlier Vocaloid work.

25. 【GARNiDELiA(とく×MARiA)】ORiON【『&』Track12】
- ORiON (GARNiDELiA)
- website
- [ down from #21 ] More GARNiDELiA for the NNI collaboration album "&".

26. 【にお×ばずぱんだ】ビードロ【『＆』Track 02】
- Vidro (NioP x BuzzPanda)
- NioP's mylist; BuzzPanda's mylist
- [ down from #24 ] Again, this is part of the NNI collaboration album "&".

27. 【Nem×ヲタみん】キミイロ線香花火【オリジナル曲】
- Kimi Iro Senkouhanabi (Nem feat. Wotamin)
- Title means "Sparklers Bathed in Your Color"
- mylist
- I'm sure you all know who Nem and Wotamin are. This is their collab from last year, surprisingly back, a piano ballad reminiscent of the summery theme of Starmine.

28. 【オリジナル曲】Phantom
- Phantom (HanasoumenP)
- mylist
- [ up from #30] HanasoumenP, also known as well-known DJ ODA Hiroyuki, also known as illustrator and animator Kanzaki Hiro, is also a Vocaloid producer. His genre is often trance-house mostly because of his DJ-ing. This song is sung and also penned by Yuiko and composed by him. It's a bit repetitive, like most club music, but it becomes interesting in the middle when the melodies shift. This is also the first time I've encountered the genre Progressive House/Trance XDD;.

29. 【oga×抱きしめたトゥナイト】ヘヴン【オリジナル曲】
- Heaven (Oga feat. Dakishimeta Tonight)
- mylist
- Oga or ShakeSphere is a well-known Vocaloid producer, while Dakishimeta Tonight is an utaite. For this song, Tonight penned the lyrics while Oga provided the music. Befitting of Tonight's voice, this is an incredibly pretty rock ballad which starts off slow with soft vocals and dominant guitars, then slowly rises to a piano and guitar-filled chorus. Apart from the autotune, which sounded a bit off, Tonight's voice is awesome as always, especially at the high parts.

30. 【オリジナル曲】ペリドットとパール【弟の姉】
- Peridot to Pearl (Otouto no Ane)
- [ down from #27] mylist
- This was also in a ranking from a long time ago. Again, with Otouto no Ane's random lyrics of a dialogue between Peridot (a guy) and Pearl (a girl) is an upbeat, quite catchy rockish melody.

PICKUP
1. Aishi Kimi he no Messeji (hezracolca)
2. Wato Gaitou Fuzei (Nitro14)
3. hugh Everett no Ta-Sekai Kaishaku (Kurowe/Chloe)
4. Dilofi (AquesTone)
5. I've Got My Flowers and My Animals (Supraliminal Stimulus)
ED: sPaCE TraVeL (UN ELITE NEET)

Monthly Nico Nico Indies Ranking - August 2011

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