Monthly Nico Nico Indies Ranking #19 - December 2011

[fascinates]

This month's Indies Ranking still has a lot of songs from the previous ranking, but there is surprisingly a large number of new ones. There are instrumentals, V-kei material, and your usual dose of post rock.

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. 【オリジナル曲】生きにくい世の中ですね【やみん】
- Ikinikui Yononaka desu ne (Yamin)
- mylist
- Title means "Isn't this a society that's hard to exist in?" Yamin is a popular namahousou personality who also dabbles in utattemita and recently, in original works like this. She is known for her high, shrill singing voice. This is an upbeat song with repetitive rhythm, sung with a cute voice but with a powerful message.

02. 雪の街 - c+r【オリジナルPV】
- Yuki no Machi (c+r)
- mylist
- Title means "Snow Town". c+r is a unit composed of vocalist/lyricist Ryoh and guitarist/composer kermit/coolguitar. You might remember Ryoh as the lyricist and singer for the unit Nostalgic World (featured in our previous ranking). In "Snow Town", Ryoh provided the lyrics and the singing once more. The song is a simple, but endearing ballad further made lovely by Ryoh's soulful singing.

03. 【オリジナル曲】Apemo【インスト】
- Apemo (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, abstract PVs. This track sounds a bit heavier and darker than most of his works, with slumping piano music coupled with pointilist high electronic sounds that meld together to form a haunting tune.

04. 【オリジナル曲】 金の雫が街に降る - 櫻井水都＆鏡音レン 【水蓮
- Kin no Shizuku ga Machi ni Furu (Sakurai Minato)
- mylist
- Title means "Drops of Gold Rain Down the Town". Sakurai Minato is a Vocaloid producer known for using Kagamine Rin and Len in her works, her genre ranging from pop to acoustic to light rock. She composed this song and provided the singing voice alongside Kagamine Len's. This song is a ballad with heavy guitar work provided by TEN.

05. NNIオリジナル曲 - IRON PHOENIX feat.なきゃむりゃ
- IRON PHOENIX (dosankolab feat. Nakyamurya)
- mylist
- Dosankolab is also known as VocaloP KyotnP / Nishijima Yuuki. Like most of Kyotn's music, this is a rich electronic track with a slight jazzy feel at the intro and evolves into an upbeat melody laced with Nakyamurya's wonderful electric guitar-playing.

06. 恋愛貴族
- Ren'ai Kizoku (Sonoyan)
- Title might mean "Noble Passion". This is a simple song where Sonoyan provided both melody (guitar) and singing. The theme is a bit "adult-ish", and the melody matches it well, emitting an 80's acoustic ballad feel.

07. 【ニコニコインディーズ】Neon starter【島白】
- Neon Starter (Shima26)
- mylist
- Shima26 is also known as YodareP in the Vocaloid category. This is an electronic track with lots of various distorted sounds. There's not much change in terms of rhythm or phrases, but since it's filled with a multitude of sounds, it's hard not to get interested throughout the song.

08. 【オリジナル曲】Retori qfee【桃音モモ／インスト】
- Retori qfee (simth feat. Momone Momo)
- mylist
- For more info on simth, check the note in one of his songs above. Momone Momo is an UTAU, and although she provided some of the vocals here in high-pitched whispery sighs, it's a highly instrumental, piano-centric track.

09. NNIオリジナル曲 - Clear Sky(original extended mix)
- Clear Sky (kyotnP)
- mylist
- Like KyotnP's other upload above, this is a danceable electronic track, although a bit weaker than the previous because of the lack of sharp guitars.

10. 「NNIオリジナル曲」ゴミバコ
- Gomibako (Hissori)
- mylist
- Hissori is primarily an utaite and this is his first (?) indies work. He also uploaded a GUMI version of this and it was his first upload as VocaloidP. This is a very soothing ballad with only piano music and very subtle bass-like electronic beats. Hissori's voice is reminiscent of terry's and is also quite gentle. This is probably one of my favorite in this ranking.






OVERALL UPLOAD RANKING

01. 【オリジナル曲】Phantom (2011 Re-Edit)【Remix】
- Phantom -remix- (HanasoumenP feat. Yuiko)
- mylist
- HanasoumenP (HSN) is a VocaloidP as well as a musician, illustrator, and animator. This track is just a remix of his previous upload. Lyrics is by yuiko and aya*k while the singing is by yuiko.

02. 【オリジナル曲】毒と罪と罰【弟の姉】
- Doku to Tsumi to Batsu (Otouto no Ane)
- mylist
- keep

03. 【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
- [ down from #1 ] Congratulations to 40mP and Chano for their first son! This is their second original work here in the Indies ranking (the first being Natsukoi Hanabi).

04. 【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
- [ up from #5 ]

05. 星の歌（NNIオリジナル曲）
- Hoshi no Uta (Yuei)
- mylist
- Title means "Song of the Stars". Yuei is a prolific utaite and this is his first upload in the NNI category. He has a wonderfully solid voice reminiscent of Yuuto's. The song is a typical rock song but the guitars and the piano melody are quite nice. Yuei's voice also fits the song perfectly. A really nice listen for me.

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
- [ keep ] 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. 【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
- [ down from #3 ] 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.

08. 【NNIオリジナルインスト曲】夜にはずっと深い夜を【ポストロック】
- Yoru ni wa Zutto Fukai Yoru wo (Error)
- mylist
- Error (えらぁ) is also a Vocaloid producer, and like his first NNI submission, this postrock song has an echoey but smooth guitar melody laced with muffled jazz. It's a bit gentle compared to most of his works, and is a relaxing listen.

09. 「ニルギリ」
- Nilgiri (Dakishimeta Tonight, Hachi, Lasah)
- [ down from #8 ] 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.

10. 【NNI】Samurai【エレクトロハウス】
- Samurai (Rin)
- mylist
- Rin (Ginsuke) is a prolific indies composer, having started uploading to NND since 2009. His songs are often named after nature stuff, but don't be fooled. His works are strongly electronic in nature and are often presented in repetitive rhythms, spanning not only electronica in general but trance, ambient, artcore and psyche. This particular song seems different from the rest, being house music, sounding a bit sharper and grainier than most of his works. It's a bit bruising to the ears on the first listen but when you survive through it, it's actually quite an earworm.

11. The SUMMER That Ends it All / yahiro × 香与 【オリジナル曲】
- The SUMMER That Ends It All (Yahiro)
- mylist
- Yahiro (kvold) is also a Vocaloid producer and has been featured twice in the previous Indies rankings. This track is rather different from his other compositions that were included in the Indies rankings, because instead of calming acoustic/strings music, we get a strong flux of electronic music laced with sharply low thumps and some distortions.

12. 恋人サンディは明後日笑う - MilliRobo.beta
- Koibito Sandy wa Asatte Warau (MilliRobo.beta).
- mylist
- MilliRobo is also MOL., a prolific Vocaloid producer known for his unusually curious songs and mixes. He composed the song while utaite Marine provided the moe singing voice. It's an interesting pop song with many, many sounds mixed together to form a song with a really random rhythm.

13. 【オリジナル曲】テクノブレイク【弟の姉】
- Technobreak (Otouto no Ane)
- mylist
- [ down from #7 ]

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

15. 【オリジナル】Treasures（トレジャーズ）【ナノ】
- Treasures (Nano)
- mylist
- [ up from #19 ] 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.

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

17. 【マチゲリータ】ゾンビソング【オリジナル曲】
- Zombie Song (Machigerita)
- mylist
- [ down from #4 ]

18. 【新曲】Orcaorca/Paradise
- Paradise (Orcaorca)
- mylist
- 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. This song is a really beautiful guitar melody which, despite the simplicity and lack of sound influx, has its impact persisting throughout the song. The PV is also awe-worthy.

19. double moon 歌ってみた【となりちゃん】
- Double Moon (Kihee x Tonari-chan)
- Kihee, Tonari-chan
- Kihee is a Vocaloid producer known for his jazz works like "Aquarium". Which is why it's not surprising that this is a sassy jazz number with pretty sax and piano ensemble. Tonari-chan is an utaite, but has dabbled in composing using Nekomura Iroha. She has a cool, deep voice that fits so well with the song.

20. 【Jumping Spider】IMPERATOR ～Affira te ipsum ～【いさじ】
- IMPERATOR ~Affira te ipsum~ (Jumping Spider)
- Jumping Spider is a collab circle involving utaite Isaji and Kanipan. For this song, they collaborated with a lot of musicians. Kanipan provided the lyrics while Isaji provided the vocals. Sera composed the melody. The band includes Rakunou Kamen, VocaloP Caz, and Marco. You might expect this'll be entirely crack because of the two utaite who are known for such, but this is actually a seemingly fantasy rock with awesome, awesome guitars and pretty serious singing reminiscent of glamorous songs like some V-kei bands. The PV is interesting because it is arranged like the rhythm game Ouendan.

21. 【オリジナル曲】　D.E.E.P. 　【imama×Amane】
- D.E.E.P. (ImamaP feat. Amane)
- mylist
- ImamaP is also a Vocaloid producer known for the Luka song "fanfan". This is a purely electronic track with a resounding melody composed of several scratchy beats laced with loud smashing sounds before evolving into a seemingly-danceable track which interestingly doesn't have many common rhythms.

22. 【オリジナル曲】Phantom
- Phantom (HanasoumenP)
- mylist
- This is the original song that was remixed in number 1.

23. オレンジ・サイダー - Nostalgic world【オリジナルPV】
- Orange Cider (Nostalgic World)
- mylist
- [ down from # 7 ]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.

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

25. Houkiboshi (Taisho x halyosy)
- Title means "Shooting Star"
- Taisho mylist
- [ returner ] 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.

26. Splatterplay - Ｇジャン
- mylist
- G-Jan is also known as the utaite/vocaloP Shorter. He only uses the former as his name for indie works. This track is a guitar-rich rock song, but still easy on the ears. The vocals start somewhere in the middle, gentle but not in any way drowned by the music.

27. 【オリジナル曲】bye-bye,Flowerman【ポストロック】
- Bye-bye, Flowerman (Netsu)
- mylist
- Netsu is mostly an Indie artist, but has also dabbled in Vocaloid composing He mostly composes post-rock, like this one. The repetitive beats at the start but it changes and rises into a more sound-rich phase, complete with various electronic sounds and loud drums.

28. 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 #22 ] 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.

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

30. 【オリジナル曲】Solatatith【インスト】
- Solatatith (simth)
- mylist
- My favorite among the simth updates this month, This is an atmospheric/ambient-like music consisting of flowing electronic tracks that speaks of a certain calm, as shown in the PV, too. It's very pretty.

PICKUP
1. Kimi ni Todoketai (Thrush)
2. Mayonaka na kana nana (ktkr)
3. Hidoi Higenjitsu Kouzoubutsu (RYPWK)
4. Melancholy in a rainy day (Corgi0)
5. Hikari (hiro’)

ED
Yuusha ni Yoe, Ukabu wa Maboroshi (mie)