Monthly Nico Nico Indies Ranking #18 - November 2011

[fascinates]

You might enjoy this month's Indies ranking because of the many new, impressive covers, both instrumentals and w/ vocals. Some utaite/producers who dabble in original compositions can also be found in this ranking, so please do check them out.

Like with the Weekly Utaran, a mirror to the English Nico Nico Site is also provided for the Monthly Indies Ranking, so if you want to comment in English, feel free to view this one.

English nicovideo link
original nicovideo link



NEW UPLOAD RANKING

01. step by step　/　Noah × 次郎(仮名)
- step by step (Noah x Jirou)
- Track is by Kannon Creation. This is a collaborative rap piece. Despite it being a rap song, it's hardly loud and rough. It's actually a very smooth song, with softened beats and classy rhythm.

02. newborn - Gジャン
- newborn (G-Jan)
- mylist
- G-Jan is also known as the utaite/vocaloP Shorter. He only uses the former as his name for indie works. This is an acoustic ballad with a repetitive guitar rhythm that's gentle to the ears. The lyrics are in English and sung quite well.

03. [Noxious] At Dusk In Carnage [メロデス]
- At Dusk in Carnage (Noxious)
- mylist
- Noxious is a unit composed of Peath² from ELECTRIC RED and Panappuo, who provided the vocals. This is their first song. To those who are wondering where the extreme rock/screamo songs are in the NNI category, well, you can listen to one right here XD;. The melody is composed of impressive guitar works combined with Panappuo singing in death voice (as most people would like to call it). Surprisingly, it's not as annoyingly loud as most songs of its genre. I actually enjoyed listening to it despite being someone not fond of this genre.

04. 【オリジナル曲】T;1
- T;1 (Nprp)
- mylist
- Nprp is a techno track maker, often of original songs but sometimes with Touhou themes. His tracks sound pretty raw compared to other techno songs we've heard in the ranking before, and they're more hard on the ears, but sound really awesome at the same time. This one is a good example, especially the intro. You can also subscribe to/visit his Youtube channel

05. 月が丘展望台 (インスト)
- Tsuki ga Oka Tenboudai (MimiroboP)
- mylist
- MimiroboP is also an UTAU/Vocaloid Producer. This track by him is an infusion of traditional music and industrial techno -- hammering sounds coupled with erhu (?) or flute music rising into a wonderful climax that reminds me of mountains for some reason. A really majestic piece.

06. 【暁、月に溶ける】　作詞して歌ってみました
- Akatsuki, Tsuki ni Tokeru (Seuman x Hanafunfun)
- Hanafunfun, Seuman
- This song is made in celebration of UTAU Sekka Yufu's birthday. Vocaloid/UTAU Producer Seuman made an UTAU version of this, and then collaborated with utaite Hanafunfun for this version. It's a beautiful ballad that started off as a gentle piano melody then escalating into a powerful song. Hanafunfun is not much known as an utaite, but she has a lovely low voice.

07. オレンジ・サイダー - Nostalgic world【オリジナルPV】
- Orange Cider (Nostalgic World)
- mylist
- Nostalgic World is a doujin circle and this song is part of their mini album of the same name, which was released during M3. Music was provided by 1855 and the lyrics as well as vocals were provided by Ryoh. This is also a ballad, albeit with a simpler melody with acoustic guitars but with an interesting choice of background beats. Ryoh's emotional singing makes this song poignant and pretty.

08. 【トラック提供】『静かな雨』【千太】
- Shizukana Ame (Senta)
- mylist
- Senta seems to be quite new to track-making, although he has also done rap vocals for some songs. This particular song has a repetitive electronic/piano melody that is quite catchy. Just when you think it'll become boring because of the repeats, it changes tempo for a bit and creates a fresh experience. His other works are pretty impressive, too, for someone who just started uploading a few months ago.

09. 【オリジナル曲】霜月/霙/咲キ誇ル【ポストロック】
- Shimotsuki / Mizore / Sakihokoru (Netsu)
- mylist
- Netsu is mostly an Indie artist, but has also dabbled in Vocaloid composing He mostly composes post-rock, like this particular track. This one is a wonderful myriad of sounds right at the beginning, which attracted my attention. The nature sounds are a nice touch, too. The drums seem a bit too powerful for me, but they work throughout the song anyway. It's definitely an instrumental track you'll never get bored of listening to.

10. 【オリジナル曲】赤い鳥(Music Full)【ネツ×遼×北雪】
- Akai Tori (Netsu x Ryoh)
- Ryoh; Netsu
- Netsu composed/arranged/wrote the lyrics for this song while Ryoh provided the vocals. It seems like a simple rock ballad at first, then the melody changes into an influx of curious techno sounds against Ryoh's solid singing. Then it changes again to something more of traditional-sound melody. It's an ever-changing piece and is a very interesting listen for me.





OVERALL UPLOAD RANKING

01. 【シャノ(40㍍)】 さんぽみち 【オリジナル】
- Sanpo Michi (40mP x Chano)
- Chano's mylist, 40mP's mylist
- [ keep ] Another hit from couple Chano and 40mP, this song is again about love and meeting relationships halfway as they go through life. The rhthym is upbeat and quite similar to Jenga. Chano sang most of the song but 40mP provided backup vocals in the chorus and hearing this song somehow brings a grin to anyone's face, probably because of the sentiments that come with it.

02. 【オリジナル曲】毒と罪と罰【弟の姉】
- Doku to Tsumi to Batsu (Otouto no Ane)
- mylist
- This previously appeared in the Utattemita ranking and is one of Ane's original works.

03. 【向日葵×にお×meisa】 ビエラ 【オリジナル曲】
- Viella (Himawari x NioP x Meisa)
- NioP mylist; Himawari mylist
- [ keep ] NioP is a well-known Vocaloid producer (I wrote a spotlight on him here) while Himawari is a well-known female utaite. Meisa provided the PV for this song. It's a simple but beautiful piano ballad coupled with Himawari's thin and gentle voice. A really dramatic ballad considering it's of an uncomplicated melody and singing style.

04. 【マチゲリータ】ゾンビソング【オリジナル曲】
- Zombie Song (Machigerita)
- mylist
- [ down from #2 ]This song already appeared in a previous Utattemita Ranking. It's a creepy, rock song typical of Machige, but with his deep voice accompanying it. It's of the same caliber as his popular Vocaloid songs, but his voice adds a certain eccentric feel to it and it's quite a good listen.

05. 【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 #4 ] 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.

06. 【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
- [ down from #05 ] 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;.

07. 【オリジナル曲】テクノブレイク【弟の姉】
- Technobreak (Otouto no Ane)
- mylist
- [ keep ] 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.

08. 「ニルギリ」
- Nilgiri (Dakishimeta Tonight, Hachi, Lasah)
- [ down from #6 ] 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. 【NNI】透明な虹【オリジナル曲】
- Toumei Niji (goji-sanpun)
- mylist
- goji-sanpun (5:30) is a one-man band by Vocaloid producer YumemiruP (mmmboP). Like with his previous upload Mabataki no Aida ni, this is a shoegaze bordering postrock track with sharp guitar music against gentle vocals.

10. NNIオリジナル曲 - KUKAN JUNKYU
- KUKAN JUNKYU (kyotnP)
- mylist
- KyotnP is also a Vocaloid producer mostly concentrated on electronic pop. However in his indie works, he has encompassed a wider range, trying out various genres including traditional/folk music. This particular track seems pointilist and repetitive, made up of piano music, a bunch of electronic voices played in an erratic repetition. With the piano music played in an interesting rhythm, it's quite a charming piece.

11. NNIオリジナル曲 - ADAM
- ADAM (kyotnP)
- mylist
- Another one from Kyotn, but this one has no pointilist beats. Instead we get a spanning electronic sound combined with game music-like beats that eventually gets infused with industrial-like electronic sounds.

12. 【海賊Mac団】はるのlove song【オリジナルなのだよ！】
- Haru no Love Song (Kaizoku Mac-dan)
- site
- Mac the Pirates is a doujin group composed of UTAU/Vocaloid producer Shiroshiro, Shirohige and singer Haru. This one is a cute ballad with a simple piano melody. Haru's voice is similar to Chano's and fits the calming song well.

13. 【オリジナル曲】ストレイサーシャ【ポストロック】
- Stray Sasha (Netsu)
- mylist
- A track from Netsu again. This time with a suspenseful piano-violin-electronic beats combination, and is probably my favorite among his uploads here.

14. 【OP動画】NNIオリジナルアルバム『＆』【track 00】
- & Track 00 (KuwagataP)
- mylist
- [ down from #8 ] "&" 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

15. Autumn Wind / Tonika & *spiLa*
- Autumn Wind (Tonika x *spiLa*)
- Tonika ; *spila*
- Tonika is a popular guitarist as well as original track maker and he provided the melody for this song. Lyrics and vocals were provided by utaite *spiLa*. This is an upbeat song with strong guitar melody against spila's soft and gentle voice. Typical-sounding rock song but it's a good listen.

16. 【apple41（クワガタP）×F9 】tail light【『&』Track 04】
- tail light (KuwagataP x F9)
- KuwagataP's mylist; F9's mylist
- [ down from # 12 ] This song is part of the NNI special "album" &

17. 【歌モノ/オリジナルPV付】Miss Blanchette【Re:sonare】
- Miss Blanchette (Re:sonare)
- site
- Re:Sonare is a doujin band that releases indie works. This particular song is composed by Kudo and penned/sung by Nakae Mitsuki. It's a jazz-rock piece with wonderful piano music as well as distinct bass and drums. Nakae's vocals are also pretty good.

18. 【NNIオリジナルインスト曲】本棚の旅人【ポストロック】
- Hondana no Tabinin (Error)
- mylist
- Error (えらぁ) is also a Vocaloid producer. Like most of Error's other works, this is a postrock song with solid guitar-playing coupled with snappy drums and muffled bass. A very classy composition, if I might say.

19. 【オリジナル】Treasures（トレジャーズ）【ナノ】
- Treasures (Nano)
- mylist
- Nano is a popular utaite and this is her second original work. Lyrics, composition and even playing the piano/acoustic guitar were by her, which is quite impressive. The song is an acoustic ballad with very gentle melody, which sounds good against Nano's solid and strong voice.

20. 毒と罪と罰-off vocal-
- Doku to Tsumi to Batsu - off vocal - (Otouto no Ane)
- This is the same song as Number 2, but without Ane's vocals.

21. 【メビウス】　Moebius　【オリジナル】
- mylist
- [ down from #19 ] 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.

22. 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 #15 ] 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.

23. The Light Particle to my Headphone / yahiro × Seven 【オリジナル曲】
- The Light Particle to my Headphone (Yahiro)
- mylist
- Yahiro is also a Vocaloid producer. This instrumental track is a piano melody laced with violins and is a good listen for those who like calm music.

24. 【作業用BGM】 enigma / kvold 【オリジナル曲】
- enigma (Yahiro)
- mylist
- Another from Yahiro, this one is another instrumental track, but with a more powerful approach, since it's not only of piano, but with bass and other melodies as well.

25. 【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
- [ up from #26 ] 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.

26. 【オリジナル曲】OSECHI【弟の姉】
- OSECHI (Otouto no Ane)
- mylist
- [ up from #28 ]

27. 【オリジナル曲】Mep plo【インスト】
- Mep plo (simth)
- mylist
- simth is a known instrumental track maker and is often regarded for his way of making various styles of music as well as impressive PVs for them. This is an ambient-ish, pointilist electronic track that, as most of his works, is pretty abstract in a sense, but is still a calming listen.

28. 【自主制作PV】JYOTIR【オリジナル曲】
- JYOTIR (OGRE x Fumikou)
- This is a traditional Japanese music infused with rock melody. The PV is really impressive.

29. 機動戦士ガンダム THE ORIGIN　ＯＰ
- Gundam the Origin Opening (Chou Eiridantai)
- This is an original concept of a Gundam opening song by , which is composed of, as they said, Ossan A, Ossan B and Oneesan C. It's like a MAD and is pretty funny, but the instrumental's pretty cool.

30. 【歌ってもらった】SPiCa -HPT ReACT-【リアレンジ】
- SPiCa -HPT ReACT- (GARNiDELiA)
- website
- [ down from #23 ] This is one of GARNiDELiA's popular works. They are composed primarily of TokuP and MARiA.

PICKUP
01. Yuukyuu Ambitious (IZZI)
02. Cherry Girl (A Little Core)
03. Blue Blue (EAST RED ORANGE)
04. Shasou no Anto (Itokencan)
05. acid (Sutowon)
ED: Toaru Neko no Hanashi (a_hisa)